I heard on Monday from reader Rick who wanted to respond to my item on Taking Stock about Office Depot discounts for teachers.

Rick pointed me to www.myeducationdiscount.com, which lists dozens of other teacher discounts, including a 15 percent cut off your Verizon Wireless bill.

Today through Sunday, online optical company EyeBuyDirect.com is offering a BOGO deal on eyeglasses. The Web site also has a fun little gadget that allows you to upload a photo of yourself and "try on" frames before you buy.

Here are the rules of the BOGO sale...

*Sports goggles, safety glasses and designer sun and eyewear are excluded;
*Your first pair must be at a $14 minimum;
*The frame that you pay for is not limited to a preset of styles;
*The second (free pair) can be any pair that does not exceed the price of the first pair;
*If you choose to apply super deluxe additions to both pairs of glasses, you will only be responsible for the more expensive pair;
*Anti scratch as well as other coatings are included.

Restaurants are really duking it out for your dining dollars, and the deals are getting pretty outrageous.

The latest example: Chili's is launching a promotion Monday that includes an appetizer and two entrees and a dessert to share all for $20. It's reportedly a limited-time offer.

If you are a Upromise member, you may consider doing some of your back-to-school shopping online. Many of the retailers that are partners with Upromise have increased the amount of credit you will get for making purchases during the back-to-school season.

Upromise has gone as far as making a separate Web site just for back-to-school. You can find that here.

And, if you have no idea what Upromise is, read my description of the program here.

Here's a heads up for Target shoppers: each summer Target does a massive toy clearance that is an unannounced sale. It's usually at the end of July. If you're paying attention, you can get some great deals and potential holiday presents if you have a good hiding spot to keep them.

Reports out there have the clearance sales at most stores already under way. But it seems that stores are transitioning from the 30 percent off level to 50 percent this week. The discounts will go to 75 percent eventually (probably next week), but the stuff moves quickly. Keep an eye on your Target if you are in the market for toys.

I know most kids aren't ready to think about back to school yet, but I bet you parents are!

If you haven't noticed, this week seems to be the unofficial early launch of the back to school sales season.

*At Staples there are a couple of items on sale for a penny (sale on those is only through Wednesday!). Or there are some other sales on items for $1. Also, there was a $5 off $20 coupon on the front of this week's flier!

*There are a couple of one-cent, five-cent or 10-cent deals at Office Max this week... 

*At Office Depot there are a number of items that are buy two get one free.

*And CVS has some basic school supplies like notebooks, pens and glue on sale FREE after Extra Bucks instant rebate. But that sale ends TODAY. (See front cover and page 3 of flier.)

If you use the Harris Teeter Express Lane service, where you order online and pick up your completed order at the store, the grocer is offering a discounted price for July and August.

Instead of the $4.95 fee for using Express Lane, it's now $1.95. And, for first-time users, the company will credit the fee, I belive on a future visit... You can read about it here. 

In Raleigh, The Peddler Steak House is celebrating its 40th anniversary by offering 40 evenings for $40 per couple. The promotion includes a three-course prime rib dinner including salad buffet, entree and cheesecake for two. It already started (sorry) but is good through Aug. 1. No reservations are needed, but  you can call the restaurant at 919-787-6980

And, just in the way of fun facts, the Peddler Steak House estimates it has cooked 83,200 rib-eye loins and burned 748,800 pounds of charcoal in its 40 years.

If you are planning to make a big purchase of golf equipment, you might be able to get a little more bang for your buck at Golfsmith.

While supplies last, golfers who make a purchase of $299 or more at any Golfsmith store across the country will receive a FREE 30-minute GolfTEC Swing Diagnosis conducted by a GolfTEC professional. The session, which usually costs $85, is a popular feature at GolfTEC stores. I'm told there are roughly 12,000 sessions being given out. You can find out mroe here.

For the teachers out there, it may be beneficial to investigate the teacher discount program offered by Office Depot.

Since 2003, the company has offered special teacher rewards through its Star Teacher Program. Teachers can sign up at www.mystarteacher.com.

Also, stores will be offering teacher appreciation breakfasts for teachers during the weeks of July 26, Aug. 2, Aug. 9 and Aug. 16.

Check www.mystarteacher.com/tab for specific times.