Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

If words like "Leksvik", "Malm" and "Hemnes" don't sound like an exotic type of pickled herring to you, chances are you are an Ikea shopper.

You also are probably an Ikea shopper if you are in your first apartment or live in a neighborhood where it's important to be trendy on a budget. Maybe you like the store's merging of cool Scandinavian design with functionality and the yummy Swedish meatballs in the cafeteria.

Regardless, you probably like the chain's "impossibly low" prices. I know I did when I worked there during the chain's early days in the U.S. I was there in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. when the store opened its doors for the first time. Throngs of people came in to gawk at the ultra-hip home furnishings. I was in the plant department even though I didn't know anything about them. However, I think I correctly advised one customer that his plants probably kept dying because he kept them on the radiator.

The prices are pretty reasonable on most things. Anyone looking for a real bargain can occasionally find them in the room where returned goods are kept though they are sometimes damaged. Ikea does run occasional promotions such as a $150 gift card with the purchase of any mattress. But anyone looking for real bargains, though, has to wait for the once a year twice a year sales.

Stores knock off 20 to 60% off selected merchandise. The company also has done clever promotions where people can "rent" Christmas trees and return them to the store to get recycled. Sometimes customers get cash back and gift cards.

The deals, though, are almost as sweet as Swedish lingonberries most of the year.

Tired of the same old Applebee's and Cracker Barrel fare? Well, fortunately, you're living in the 21st century, where choice reigns. We've pulled together some suggestions for places that offer novel dining experiences.

The purveyors of the Ice Hotel in Sweden must have taken the old bromide 'if you have lemons, make lemonade' to heart. In the winter, they have lots of ice, so rather than complain, they created the Ice Hotel and Restaurant.

Ice is more than a theme here; it's the structural element. The entire hotel is carved from ice from the Torne River, lasting only until the spring thaw. The rooms, bar, and cathedral also feature ice art from some of the world's great ice artists.

The restaurant, however, is not made of ice, alleviating guests of the need to grapple to maneuver a fork while bundled in layers of insulation. The ice theme is carried through, though, by use of ice plates and ice glasses, as well as a menu featuring traditional arctic fare. The gourmet selection includes char from local rivers, elk and reindeer.

I'm guessing one night's sleep on a block of ice at the Ice Hotel and you'll understand what drove the Vikings to go raiding in warmer climes. Of course, they might have thought otherwise, if they'd had such a restaurant to enjoy.