Discounts

New Year's Eve was a banner day for partiers--and for gray whales. Twenty-one of them were spotted off Southern California as they headed south to the warm waters of Mexico , the best sightings since the season began Dec. 1. This means it's a good time to snag a discounted whale-watching ticket and go see them for yourself. The deal: AmazonLocal Long Beach is offering vouchers that take at least half off the price of whale-watching tours. The sale price costs $18 a person (usually $39)

Bangkok, Thailand-based Tucan Travel designs budget tours for younger travelers that combine cultural highlights with camping, hostel and guesthouse stays. The company's January sale takes up to 40% off the price of trips to South America and Asia. The deal: Budget Expeditions , called Bex for short, are most suitable for 18- to 35-year-olds. They're designed for people who are the "same age, on the same wave length and are geared up for the experience of a lifetime," the company's website says.

Armed with gift cards, outfits that don't fit and some unexpected Christmas cash, shoppers are heading back to the malls for yet another bout of holiday splurging. LaTonya Reliford, 33, and her family will be out scavenging for bargains Wednesday. The elementary school teacher said she has started giving money and gift cards to her three children so they have more freedom to buy what they want. "We give them part gifts and part cash, so on the day after Christmas we take our kids and go to the malls," the Beverly Hills resident said.

With three days left until Christmas, last-minute shoppers are surging into malls in a mad dash for gifts as retailers extend store hours and trot out steep discounts in a final holiday-season push. Merchants are hoping procrastinators will give them a boost this weekend. Many stores saw a worrying drop in sales in recent weeks after a robust start on Black Friday. Several are rolling out promotions as they try to make up for lost steam. Toys R Us stores nationwide began an 88-hour, all-day-all-night marathon Friday that continues until 10 p.m. Christmas Eve. Macy's is welcoming shoppers for 48 straight hours at most of its stores on this final weekend before Christmas.

Napa fans, give yourself a gift this year. Before or after the holidays, consider this getaway from Milliken Creek Inn & Spa : $199 for a midweek package that comes with a $50 spa credit and a few gift bags. And who couldn't use a little post-holiday pampering come January? The deal: The Scents of the Season Holiday Package comes with nice extras, but it's the room price that's really a delight. It includes a $50 spa credit, a gift bag of L'Occitane sample-size skin-care products, a tea and spice gift, breakfast for two, passes to the Synergy Wellness and Fitness Center in Napa, wine and cheese reception in the evening and a nightcap too. When: The offer is good Sundays through Thursdays until Jan. 31. Tested: I found availability for the package on Dec. 16 and 17, Jan. 6 and 13 as well as other random dates.

If you have family coming for the holidays or just want a different ride, Simply Hybrid has a December deal that takes 30% off rentals of its hybrids and energy-efficient cars. The company will even deliver the cars to airports, hotels or other locations for free. The deal: Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and even a plug-in Prius are some of the selections in the compact category. The website provides the models available but doesn't list prices or take reservations; you have to call to get a quote and make a booking.

UCLA students will receive a little financial help this holiday season, at least with football tickets. A group of donors through the Wooden Athletic Fund will subsidize tickets for students to see the Bruins play Baylor in the Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27. Tickets for students are $65, but the first 650 students will be charged a reduced price of $25. The discount is available on tickets purchased through UCLA. The donors have asked to remain anonymous. Tickets for the Holiday Bowl are on sale.

It's hard enough having a serious condition like cancer or kidney failure. It's even worse, some might think, when your health insurer says you have to buy your medicine from the pharmacy of its choice - or pay the full amount for expensive life-saving drugs elsewhere. Yet that's precisely what Anthem Blue Cross is telling people who require so-called specialty medicines, which are used for complex conditions and can cost thousands of dollars a month. As of Jan. 1, the insurer says, such people can either buy their drugs from the mail-order pharmacy CuraScript or pay full fare at a retail drugstore.

Emirates has expanded service to a dozen cities this year and plans to add four more by year's end. The airline, which flies nonstop from L.A. and San Francisco to Dubai, is offering a discount on travel this winter and spring on long-haul routes to the Middle East and beyond.  The deal: Early Bird bookings , as the sale is called, discounts round-trip airfares from Los Angeles starting at $1,436 to Dubai, $1,327 to the Indian subcontinent, $1,193...

If you're thinking about traveling out of the country next year, this Cyber Monday sale might provide early inspiration. Friendly Planet Travel features destinations from Dubai to Peru during its 24-hour sale with $100 to $400 off all tours. The deal: Use the code "Cybermonday" when booking online, and the discount will be applied. Some examples of savings: $200 off a nine-day trip to Thailand with airfare for $1,439 per person and $200 off a 13-day trip to South Africa with airfare for $3,199.