Yesterday I went into a drugstore and found several aisles completely stocked for Christmas: lights, ornaments, wrapping paper, toys, candy and, of course, traditional sacred images such as Mickey Mouse wearing a Santa hat. Sigh.

While too-early Christmas marketing and commercialism in general both bug me, I am also practical enough to acknowledge they exist — and to help a reader stretch his/her dollars to the utmost. That’s why I’m happy to announce a giveaway sponsored by the Consumerism Commentary blog: a $100 Amazon gift card, just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Greetings from the City of Brotherly Love, where I arrived on only three hours’ sleep after flying all night. There’s a reason that ticket was only $264 RT — it was routed through Houston instead of going Seattle-Philadelphia nonstop.

I lived in Philly for a couple of years, and then in South Jersey while working in Philly until I left the region for good in 1984. Already I’ve relearned three things:

1. Humidity makes me feel as though I’m being mopped. Seriously: It feels like wet strings are touching me at all times.
2. Lightning and thunder are awesome. Also scary, if you’ve mostly been away from them for three decades.
3. No matter where you sit, stand or lean, someone has probably urinated there.

I got back from BlogHer 2011 late in the evening on July 9. Since then I’ve been hitting MSN Money and Get Rich Slowly deadlines pretty hard, and spending time (including a day in Vancouver, B.C.) with an old friend who’s here in town.

Just before midnight tonight I get on a plane for the East Coast, where I’ll be spending just over a month:

Well, not really. But I’m giving away a product that will.

Last week I offered up to eight prizes for readers who join Swagbucks using the widget on my site. That deal has now been sweetened thanks to a promotional code I received at a Swagbucks reception at BlogHer 2011.

This new deal means you’ll get 80 Swagbucks upon registration — but only if you join by Friday night. I’ve decided to throw in some additional prizes, too.