Next time you re out shopping and a cashier asks if you d like to join the store s free loyalty program, do your wallet a favor and say yes.

Turning up your nose to the offer probably means one of three things: You re worried about retailers tracking your purchase history, you aren t sure if you ll have a long-term relationship with a store, or you are (for lack of a better word) lazy, says Kit Yarrow, a professor of psychology and marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, whose book Gen Buy assesses consumers purchase motivations. They view [loyalty programs] as not worth their time and effort, she says.

You may have reasons to be suspicious, but there are counterarguments to each objection. While stores do monitor your purchases, they also routinely target coupons and sales based on your spending habits. Keep off their radar and you won t get any personalized coupons, Yarrow says. Not sure you ll be a regular customer? Cancel the membership later, or send the coupon emails to a separate, rarely checked email. Think it s too time-consuming? Install free apps on your phone that hunt for coupons and store loyalty card barcodes on your phone.

Still not convinced? Well, you re not alone. The average shopper belongs to about a dozen loyalty programs, but uses only four of them regularly, according to Colloquy, a loyalty marketing research firm. If that s you, I m likely the shopper behind you with the reward-card-laden keychain, grinding my teeth. At Borders last week, it was all I could do not to harangue the woman ahead of me who politely said, No thanks to joining the loyalty club and paid the cover price on her $30 book. Minutes later, I got the price of my $30 hardcover down to $15.10 before tax -- a 50% discount -- using a $5 reward certificate and a coupon for 33% off one regularly priced item.

We re featuring valuable coupons and sales each Friday to help you spend less on the items you buy. Found a deal we missed -- or looking for a better price on a specific item? Email me at kgrant@smartmoney.com or send me a tweet @kellibgrant.

1) KitchenAid Mixer

This deal comes with a caveat: Claiming rebates can be tricky. Don t buy unless you think the item is a good price before the rebate kicks in. Read the fine print, too, to make sure your purchase will qualify.

That said, Amazon.com has dropped prices on KitchenAid 5-quart mixers, from $350 to as low as $243 for select colors (metallic chrome, ice, empire red and onyx black). With a $30 rebate located by DealNews.com, the mixer gets even cheaper. (The offer is good only on purchases made between Jan. 1 and March 27.) Forgo the free magazine subscription and you ll get an extra $12 on that rebate check. Your total: $201, a 43% discount.

I m looking for a better deal on an Asus Eee PC 1000HE or 1005HA netbook, both with bluetooth and at least a 9-10 hour battery. Lowest price found: $370.
-- Rina Wilson of Runnemede, N.J.

Let s start with the bad news: Netbooks were a hot holiday gift item, and prices have rebounded from fall lows. (According to price histories on gadget-focused comparison shopping site PriceSpider.com, the $400 1000HE and the $390 1005HA you re considering both dipped below $300.) Technology is advancing, but new models have more features rather than lower prices, says Rob Enderle, the principal analyst at the Enderle Group, a San Jose, Calif.-based technology research firm. He pegs the holding point at $350.

The best price we found for the 1000HE was $374 at Buy.com (no tax, free shipping). But shop through free rebate site Bing, and you ll get 4% cash back, bringing the price down to $359.04, a 10% discount. We fared a bit better with the 1005HA, which BuyDig.com has for $305 (no tax, free shipping.) Link to BuyDig.com through free rebate site Ebates.com, which offers a 2% rebate. That cuts your purchase price to $298.90, for a total discount of 23%.

3) Restaurant Week

Enjoy a three-course dinner at a fancy restaurant for roughly $35, thanks to limited-time prix fixe dining menus. Restaurant weeks are a popular promotion this time of year, since they break diners' resolutions to lose weight and cut spending, Yarrow says. Cities large and small participate, too:

* Baltimore Jan. 22-Feb. 7.

* Hilton Head Island, S.C. Jan. 23-30.

* Kansas City Jan. 22-31.

* New York Jan. 25-Feb. 7

* Philadelphia through Jan. 22, and again Jan. 24-29.

* San Diego through Jan. 22

Restaurant Week selections can vary from the usual menu, so check reviews and menus on sites like Chowhound and Eater before you go. Other savings strategies may save you more money -- and yield a better meal.

4) Macy s

Macy s is letting consumers reserve furniture in advance of its upcoming Semi-Annual Furniture Sale, which starts Jan. 27. For example, a $1,200 Serta Macybed Queen Pillowtop mattress will be $500, a 58% discount. The store is also offering a tax break discount equivalent to sales tax paid, on furniture, mattresses and area rugs purchased through Feb. 2. The catch: The sale s big limited-edition deals don t qualify, nor do purchases made in some states.