Also try checking out refurbished sites like Dell Outlet:
http://www.dell.com/outletThey have computers from just a few months ago, but they may be cheaper for more power than the current new "i'm poor" model. Try to get a mid-range laptop for cheaper since it's been refurbed and recertified. Other companies do this too, but you can use google I'm sure. Some companies do this through ebay officially, with proper warranties as well. You just have to know where they are selling these cheaper laptops because they aren't going to go around advertising to Average Joe Consumer.
If you don't need one within the week, set up a deal alert on slickdeals.net for "laptop" and every day you'll get a bunch of emails with deals on laptops. A lot of times, the best deals never make it to the front page because they sell out within an hour of being posted to the forum. That's how deal alerts are good for you because you'll get an email immediately when a deal is posted. Read a few comments and see if it's a deal for you.
As for the core i3 380M... for reference, it's about on par with a Core 2 Duo 2.6GHz, which was a pretty fast chip from last gen. So keep that in mind if comparing to other laptops that might use Core 2.
So set up deal alerts and wait for the bell to ring and let you know there's a great deal.