The Spend and save coin bank turns saving money into an exciting game. Either way, it’s a win/win, whether it goes into savings or spending money. Obviously the spending tray is much smaller. This bank “deflects, and randomly deposits coins” while simultaneously looking like tupperware.

Much like a casino, the real winner is the bank. Or the folks who make it, anyway, since you are going to shell out $19.99 for it, use it for a few days, then get bored. But hey, it’s a fun idea.

Most of us thought that after Christmas those promotional prices would change, but instead of prices going back up on the Vudu set-top-box, the retail price is now permanently reduced by 50%. You can get a box for $149 (previously $299).

The VUDU XL is also down by half, dropping from $999 to $499, which includes a home theater connectivity software package. Even the VUDU XL2 is getting in on the action, dropping from $1,299 to $799. So, are you gonna buy one now?

We first told you about Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat last October. The device claims that it will pay for it’s $385 price tag within the first 12 to 18 months of use. Now’s your chance to find out if that claim is true.

The WiFi-enabled smart thermostat, complete with ZigBee expansion slots, is now available to order from the company’s website. The cost includes the $35 access fee for first year of use. If it lives up to it’s claims, this should be a real money saver. It helps you get to know your energy usage patterns and make the necessary adjustments.

It makes sense to switch from the classic piggy bank to a robot, where guarding your money is concerned. Piggy banks can fall easily to any hammer and spill out their nickel and penny stuffed guts. A robot on the other hand won’t give up the dough so easy, but one downside is that it’s smart enough that it may even spend your dough on stuff it wants.

This cute looking but money-hungry robot money box can even talk to you, tell you the time and let you know how much money he is guarding inside his body. One cool feature is that you can set a target amount you want to save and he will tell you how close you are to your goal as if taunting you.

Yep, you read that right! Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold subscription, which normally costs you $50 annually, is being sold by Amazon right now for $29.97. We have no idea what it means, but a similar discount was apparently happening at Buy.com last week. Could it mean that Microsoft might be moving toward a lower price for the subscription?

We have no idea. Who cares about “why” or “how”, we just think it’s awesome. Any 40% markdown that leaves us some extra cash for games is fine by us.

According to Dow Jones, as of tomorrow, Walmart will be the cheapest place to buy the T-Mobile G1. Over 550 Walmart stores will begin selling the G1 tomorrow for $148.88 to new T-Mobile customers, or those eligible for an upgrade, with the usual two-year contract. That’s a savings of $31.11 at Wal-Mart as opposed to buying through T-Mobile, which sells the device for $179.99.

The idea behind this gadget is that it’s never too early to teach kids the value of a dollar with a freaky fish banker. Every time your kid inserts a coin into the bank, a fish named Gill (haha) will reward your kid with an animation. Thing is, with Cartoon network available to your kid, I don’t think he’s gonna give a tuna what some gameboy-colored fish has to say.

Anyhow, the money they deposit is automatically counted and the total savings is displayed on screen. If that’s not enough, your kid will now be responsible for feeding old Gill and keeping his tank clean. Yeah right. It was nice knowing you Gill! This is gonna be either way too much fun or hardly any for $52. I call the latter.

Here’s the latest in extortionist lamps. This clever lighting appliance forces you to save money if you want light. It’s the Coin Lamp from designer Jethro Macey, who is apparently very thrifty. It’s turned on by a coin-operated switch, with the lamp set to a predetermined time by an internal mechanism. The final version of coin lamp will be available soon.

It’s like having the mafia in charge of your electricity. Imagine if you will that you are sitting by the lamp, maybe working on an important paper and suddenly the light goes out. You have your pile of change sitting by the lamp. It’s not the first time you’ve been shook down after all. But you’ve had enough. You’re not going to take it anymore. You’re sick of giving in to criminals. So, you light a candle. That will teach your rich mafioso lamp a thing or two. But sadly there is an internal mechanism that detects light, so the lamp knows what you are doing. Next thing you know you’re dodging bullets as your house becomes swiss cheese. After the bullets fly and tires squeal away, you crawl to your lamp and put a full ten bucks worth of change in it. You’ve learned your lesson, no more messing with the lamp.