Take Advantage of Those Deals!

Evidently this was the worst holiday shopping season in four decades. 40 years! That is longer than I have been alive!

So now, merchants are dropping prices even more to try to lure shoppers to do some after-holiday shopping. Of course, for a frugal shopper, this is a blessing. Now is the time to buy things like wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, and more that you will use for next year. It is also the perfect time to start your holiday shopping for next year.

However, some deals out there are bittersweet. Linens 'n Things are closing many, many stores. This means deep, deep discounts, but it also means that the store that I love so dearly will no longer be around, and more jobs are being lost. Toys 'r Us is also another chain that is closing stores, with the same bittersweet deals. I love the prices, I hate that the stores will no longer be an option.

Which stores will have the best deals, you ask? Target, Kmart, and Walmart are good bets, along with places that stocked way too much product for the slim season, like CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid. However, this year it seems that nearly every store is dropping prices to try and lure money out of the pockets of their shoppers.

I do a lot of shopping starting in January, once the discounts fall even more. I tend to buy classic toys that are a sure bet for fun, staying away from character items. These toys might show up under the tree next year, but they are also good for birthdays, Easter baskets and more. All of those things that were aimed for stocking stuffers this week will be great in baskets in just a few short weeks.

Although I always start shopping really early, I never wrap my presents ahead of time. This year I hope to implement that into my plan, so that I do not spend two days wrapping gifts during the busy holiday season. I *hope* that if I wrap them and put a post-it tag, then all I have to add is a bow and name tag come next year. Anything that makes my life a little easier!

Do you plan on taking advantage of the deals?

The Question That Haunts Me

We went out Christmas shopping last night, finding some great deals in unconventional ways. Although Halloween shopping was not on my list, when I hit the almost empty seasonal aisle at Walmart, there were signs printed that said all Halloween items were 10 cents. WOW!!! I am always thinking ahead, buying items for the next season, especially when it comes to school party favors. I know that there are always about 25 kids to a class at Bre's elementary school, so I bought 25 packs of stickers, that were normally $1.99 for a dime a piece. Halloween for next year, done. (And she will be the absolute coolest kid, because each and every one of them will receive an entire pack of 4 sheets of stickers and not just one sheet. When you think ahead your kiddos can be the coolest, and you can be the cheapest.)

Then I found gift bags that were supposed to be ghosts. I took a second look at them. They didn't have to be ghosts. I quickly realized that if they were nestled amongst wrapping paper that was all covered in snowflakes that they could easily pass for snowmen. The giftbags were originally $2.49 each, yep, you guessed it, for a dime. I quickly found 15 of them. I hauled my finds over to find DH over in the movies, and he agreed that they looked enough like snowmen to pass off as a great replacement.

While I was there, I picked up three bags of Hannah Montana candy braclets that were Halloween packs, but said nothing of Halloween on them, to go in Bre's gift bags for her friends for school. These also had stickers included. Lala and Bre are allowed to choose up to 15 girl friends to share special gifts with. These will help to fill up her 15 pencil bags that I got on clearance earlier this year at Clare's for a quarter each. Free lip gloss and a few other trinkets will fill each of the girls bags for around $1 each. This is a fun way to let them get into the spirit of giving without breaking my bank. When you factor in that I do not spend $30 at once, but $3 here and 50 cents there, it seems like I am spending next to nothing, and they are getting a lot of bang for my bucks. Lala's friends get excited each year to see what they will have hidden in their bags. This is Bre's first year on this plan, so we will see how it goes.

OK, back to the bags! So, what do you think? Do they pass off as snowmen, or is it too obviously a ghost? Would you use them for Christmas???

Back to Basics

Sometimes I get so busy in life that I simply forget to keep it simple. I get so caught up in the big ways to save money, I forget that the small ones are those that drain you the most.


Yes, it is easy to talk about being frugal, and I am in many senses of the word, but sometimes I overlook the small things that add up to be so very much. Like cooking enough dinner to take some leftovers for lunch. It only takes a little more ingredients, but can save us as much as $60 a week! Yep, DH and I can easily spend that much eating out every day, but hopefully we can completely eliminate this habit.

Soda is another big budget drainer. We are trying to make our own tea at home this week, taking it in recycled Milo's jugs. (Embarrasingly we had more than enough of these for DH and I both to take them to work and still have a couple hanging around the house.) If I figure up the 4 sodas a day (for each of us), that adds up to $8 a day saved, or another $40 this week alone. (Since I have tons of Lipton tea, that was free with coupons of course, and quite a bit of sugar left from a great sale, this is practically free for us.)

So now we are up to $100.

Another one is over-shopping. Although it is a good idea to buy extra while extremely cheap or free (cause you know that's what works best for me!), sometimes I can get overzealous and buy 60 boxes of pop-tarts. After the 5th box, my kiddos are complaining.

For the next few weeks I will be sticking to a menu, eating (almost) completely from home and using up some of our pantry. Hopefully I can get back into the frugal groove that I honestly do appreciate knowing how to do.

Since our economy is in such economically hard times, I am so glad that I do not have to start from scratch learning how to pinch pennies. I just buckle down my belt a little harder, look a little deeper, and do the things I used to do when we were both in college. Nope -- it's not fun, but it sure beats learning for the first time after years of luxurious living.

Coupon Alert & Money Maker!

There are try me free COUPONS on the refill packages of Glade Scented Oil at most Walgreens. However, do not use them there.

Take them to Kroger, where until October 4th you will receive a $2 catalina for each one you purchase. MONEY MAKER!!!!

If you were ever wondering how I get free milk or meat, this is the key way to do so. $2 will easily buy a half gallon of milk on sale. It will also purchase small one-meal packages of meat.

So go out and stock up!

Freebies for Coupon Newbies

Any hard-core coupon queen knows about these coupons already, but I have had so many new visitors who might not know exactly where to look, I thought I would revisit a couple of CVS freebies. These printable coupons work on regular priced CVS goodies, so all you have to pay is applicable sales tax.

Johnson & Johnsons Buddies soap bars are something sweet for the kiddos. They are bars of watermelon scented soap, in a cloth-like wrapper, so no more great big wash clothes for little hands. This coupon is good for $1 off any one Johnson's Buddies products, including the bars of soap, which are only .99. CVS will price adjust it, so all you pay is tax. You can print two of these off of each computer.

CVS has a special size box of Malt O Meal cereal, which are only $1. My store had knock-off Honey Nut Cheerios and they were REALLY good. This coupon is for $1 off any one Malt O Meal cereal. There is no size restriction, so this coupon works on this box of cereal. All you pay is applicable tax. You can print two of these off of each computer.

These are deals that anyone with a computer can get in on. There is no Extra Buck Deals involved. Just walk in with your printed coupons, get your deals and that's it. Happy CVSing!

Whoa Nelly! A Walmart Deal???

If you read many couponing blogs, you already know this deal by now (so I understand if you don't wanna read on). A coupon deal is to be had at Walmart.

Yes, I said Walmart!

Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner, which is normally about $23, is on sale for $12 this week. There is a lovely $10 coupon that will make it only $2. TWO DOLLAHS! WOO HOO!!!

I haven't been excited about a Walmart coupon deal since last summer and the .33 a bottle Pantene deal.

I wonder if they have actually moved as many as they hoped to....because each store orders around 500 of a one time special buy, and I doubt each store actually moved that many. The sale paper says that it ends on Saturday. But if I were a betting chick, I would say that it lasts past then. I bought 6 today, and there was a huge display of them left. This was in my small area that has a boodle of coupon shoppers (about 30 -- no lie!) I am not an employee of Walmart, but I almost bet it will be a deal until they are sold down, because it would take them forevah to sell 500 or so at normal price.

And, yes, you will see those in my next batch of yard sale photos ;)

For more Frugal Fridays tips, see Crystal and the gang at Biblical Womanhood.

Shopping to Sell

To the unknowing person buying mass amounts of coupon purchases to resell for a profit may not seem very thrifty or even fair to other shoppers. So, I feel the need to do a little explaining.

I shop and resell to people who do not coupon shop. This way they can save money off normal retail price without the "work" of couponing. If they are truly interested in couponing to save even more, I will gladly teach them. Yes, I do try to buy the right things so that I can maximize profit, but I also so it with the mindset that I have to get the absolute best price so that I can pass on my savings.

Cleaning off a shelf is also something I try to avoid. I want to make sure that regular shoppers get in on the deals, too. So here are my rules for cleaning off shelves:
*As often as possible I order what I need from the manager, so I can get the amount I need and they will have enough for other shoppers, too.
*I try to hit the last day of the sale, that way others have all week to get in on the deals.
*Clearance is my exception; Retailers are trying to get rid of this merchandise, so I will buy all that is available. (If there is a lot left on the shelf, I often ask for an additional discount if I purchase all of it, and often receive it.)
*If I see someone else looking at the same item that I am, I will offer a coupon to them (if I have one).
*When there is a small amount left at the beginning of the week, I ask the manager/owner if they mind me to buy it all. I am often encouraged to do this, they generally know their customers and know whether or not they will sell it off or not.

My (extremely wonderful) CVS manager (who knows I resell) put it best when she said, "You buying it to sell to others essentially means they are buying it from me. I get paid, you get paid, everybody wins!"

I know people can save more money if they shop like I do, but some people would rather pay me a little to get them better deals. Some do not have the patience or passion to shop the deals. I am fortunate enough to see them once a month and help them save a little money along the way.

All Gussied Up

La-La is graduating junior high. Ok, well there is no ceremony, but she will be going to high school in the fall. Friday was her formal to celebrate the event.

Formal dances can be very expensive. But they don't have to be. Nearly her entire outfit was done on the cheap, except her lovely stocking which I paid full price for (no gasping, please). Her beautiful dress was a clearance find at the mall. Her shoes were a great markdown deal at Sears. I did her hair and makeup (at her request). The jewelry was a birthday gift. So, for her entire ensemble, from tip to toe, was less than $50. That was less than most of her friends paid to get their hair done. So glad my girls love good deals as much as I do.

Being cheap doesn't mean you can't be beatiful!

Yard Sale Saturday

Today was my monthly yard sale. I have written before about how I have these with coupon-bought items, but not really much description. Price it all and keep it in totes and bins, usually priced and ready to go at least a couple of days ahead of time. I use small stick-on tags from Wal-mart, they are the cheapest I have found. I mark the prices clearly, using a fine point Sharpie.

On yard sale morning, we load up everything and take it to town (because I would NEVER do well so far out in the country). I set up my yard sale in the parking lot of my husband's work (which is right next door to the Dollar General -- great captive audience).

I have found that butting the tables right up to the truck keeps people from roaming around behind the "counters", because I really like to keep people out so that I can move from person to person very easily. I use six tables -- two on each side and two in the middle. Keeping like items together, the labels of each item turn outward, just like they would on store shelves. I try to keep items in the same basic location from sale to sale, since I HATE it when stores move their aisles for no good reason -- I like knowing where things are, and I think my guests probably think the same.

I keep a large (repurposed) hamper full of shopping bags, which I beg from everyone I know -- it's ok, they are glad to be rid of them. I separate them and throw them all into the bin. When a customer picks up the first item, I sweetly say "Here's a bag, fill it up and we'll add ya all up at the end." They can put more into the bag than they can gather into their hands. If they fill up one bag, and are still browsing, I take it and put it into a crate "behind the counter", then give them another bag. Some guests fill up as many as 10 bags in one trip.

Great prices are the best point of it for my guests. I have a very loyal customer base, probably close to half of all people that come to my sales come each and every month. If I am uncertain how much to price something, I take a trip to Wal-Mart and compare prices. It is a rare occassion, but I have even gone up on things a little when other stores have. It means I can afford to pay a little more, which means I can be more liberal with my deals and still know that I can make a profit. Shoppers are still saving a great deal of money -- yet I can offer them more variety, since I do not have to merely depend on the "free deals" for their selections.

So it all boils down to three main things: Great prices (if they are not saving money buying with you, what's the point?), Location (the most traffic possible -- at a rent free location is best) and Great Service (how many times have you sworn off a store due to rude employees?). It is the basic fundamentals of any business, and if you can get the merchandise cheap and a location for free, the rest is up to you. Just be your lovely self and you, too, can learn to make a profit through shopping.

See What $25 Can Buy?

I know a lot of you are interested in my Grocery Challenge. This is what a trip to Walgreens and CVS with $25 can buy me. The Walgreens deal is AWESOME this week! I did it 10 times! The CVS deals were with rainchecks and with coupons, too.

It raised my total money spent, but it was well worth it. All this loot will go into this Saturday's yard sale, and it raised my totals up by 25%. I keep up with all of it in Excel, and it was so cool to see my totals go up so much for so little spent.

So this is my frugal tale for the week, for more Frugal Friday tips, scoot on over to see Crystal at Biblical Womanhood.

For Kyle

What are OYNO deals, or ECBs & stockpile sales?Also in which state do you live (Cost of Living comparison), thou I am afraid once you answer I will be ashamed!
I am looking at my budget now and trying to drop it back down. We are a family of 5 on a $450 budget (recently increased from $400) We do have some medical issues (diabetes) that causes me to steer clear of pre-processed foods likes the boxed potatoes and I have to buy fruits & veggies until our garden and orchard start producing. Where do you get your coupons from?I have never seen a coupon for Bananas or lettuce, where is that from?
Please post again on your grocery shopping with more details on how you trim your budget.
Thanks
Kyle

Dear Kyle,

I'm going to do my best to answer your questions. If you still need help, feel free to ask! I will gladly tell you all I know. If ya need a little coaching privately, email me anytime.

OYNO deals are when a store has a promotion where if you buy certain products they will give you a coupon for money off your next order. Say if you buy Hillshire Farms sausage, you will get $2 OYNO (on your next order).
ECBs are essentially the same thing as OYNO deals, but they are exclusively at CVS. Walgreens has a similar system, and they call it Register Rewards.

I live in Tennessee, and I don't know how that compares to where you live, but tonight I bought a dozen eggs from a "discount" grocer for $1.89, so that might help you gauge your area to mine.

I did not start out with such a small budget, I worked my way down slowly. Building up a great big stockpile is the best way to be able to live on one deal until another one comes along. We have literally lived off our stockpile for months during tight times. It is very comforting.

I get many of my coupons from my little sister, who is a paper carrier, so I get her leftovers from her Sunday route. If I need something else, I go to my friend Angie at Ladybugscoupons. She has great prices and is a super sweet gal.

As for lettuce or produce coupons, Dole puts out coupons regularly for "salad in a sack" and you just find a good sale on one kind, or maybe even a bogo (make sure you use 2 coupons!) and you have (nearly) free lettuce. As for bananas, I buy them in a 50 lb. box and can them or freeze them for smoothies. They are oh-so-yummy. If we have a major hankering for them, I will just pick up a bunch when I find them on sale, because they are among the cheapest of fruits.

As for your diabetes problems, Glucerna puts out coupons often, so you might could use them to get some good deals on things your family could eat.

Just let me know if you have anymore questions. I hope this helps!

Grocery Challenge -- 2 1/2 months later...

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I would challenge myself to spending $1500 this year on my food budget. I have had lots of questions regarding my own rules and regulations about my little experiment.

Probably the most frequent question is what do I include in my food budget. I generally include anything that is a constantly renewed resource, other than clothing. This includes people food, pet food, cleaning products, paper goods, light bulbs, etc. Almost every thing I purchase is done with coupons. If it is not bought directly with coupons, it can be bought with overage, OYNO deals, or ECBs. Yes, occassionally, I have to buy things, just like every one else, without coupons.

With all that said, however, eating out is NOT included in my food budget. That money either comes from our fun money or entertainment budget. Going out to dinner is entertainment for us. Grabbing an occassional Happy Meal and heading to the park for a quick trip is fun for us. We do not eat out a ton, but we probably do eat out more often than some families. We try to aim for no more than once a week. We about one big family meal out a month (usually at our great local steakhouse).

Another thing that often comes up is if the money I make off stockpile sales will reduce my budget. No. Any money made from stockpile sales does not reduce the amount I have already spent. Currently, any money I profit from sales is going towards our upcoming family vacation. We have been looking forward to it all year, and that week at the beach will be a sweet reward for spending all those hours in the sun hocking my coupon gotten gains.

Other frequent questions include how I include fruits and veggies into our diets with such a limited budget. We are very blessed to be recipients of bounties from other people's gardens during the warm months. I use the skills that my mamma taught me all those hours canning, so that I can put up those wonderful gifts and we can have them all year long. I also get a great deal of canned and frozen goods for very cheap or free couponing. Although I realize that people argue that canned foods do not have the same nutritional value as fresh, we actually PREFER canned green beans to fresh ones. And frozen foods have almost the same nutrional value as their fresh counterparts that are cooked the same ways. I do still buy fruits, generally bananas, and lettuce (which can often be had for free with coupons), as well as tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. We do not use fresh potatoes, so the instant ones are perfect for us, since (of course) they are often free. But, yes, we do have plenty of fruits and veggies in our diets, just most of them come from free sources and are frozen or canned, so you will rarely see me gloating over a great coupon deal on them.

Sometimes people are afraid their questions may seem as critism, but I honestly don't take them that way. I am not ashamed of the way that I feed my family. I feel as if I do the absolute best I can with what I have. Well, maybe not absolute, because I am quite sure that I could do better, but I am learning more and more every day.

I still do not know if I will make my budget, since it is barely 2 1/2 months into the year, but I feel like I am still good so far. Hopefully, I will learn enough along the way that I can reduce my budget even further next year. I would love to see my budget fall to around $1000 a year. Right now, with rising prices, I am not sure if it is feasible, but I would love to see if I can make that goal one day. Even if I don't, to think that I once spent $500 a month, and now spend less than $150 a month, is proof enough to me that if I can do it, anyone can.

Got more questions? Let's hear them! I love to help others learn to save!

Christmas Shopping Report

A few weeks ago, I decided to challenge myself (any anyone who wanted to join in) to start working on their Christmas shopping, and shop all year from clearance racks so that you could get the very best deals.

Like most things in life, once I set out on a mission, I become very determined to complete it (sometimes too determined) and so I am almost finished shopping. Other than my father-in-law and a couple of secret santa gifts, all gifts outside of my home are now completely off my list. I believe I spent under $150 for all of the gifts I have spent this far, including many gifts for my own children. I was very excited to see my gift closet becoming so full so very quickly.

As a second result of finding so many wonderful deals, I have also purchased many of the birthday gifts that I have to have for my nieces and nephews for the upcoming year. I also bought a few extra things for children that are the ages of my children, so when we get those last minute birthday party invites, I am not scrambling to come up with a gift (which always seems to mean that you pay more than you normally would have).

I had not thought out all of the ways that this way of gift buying could save me money in the long run, but now that I have a great stash of gifts, I am already seeing the wonders of this plan. Although, I know that this concept is not a new one, I simply did not realize how much wonderful stuff is available at the end of Christmas.

On another note, right after Christmas on clearance, Walmart had the "Ripstick" skateboards on clearance for $35. They had TONS of them. Just last week, I was in the store, and they were already back up to $70+. Their clearance didn't last too long, but the $70 is still cheaper than the $96 they were during December. Amazing how quickly their prices change!

CVS Steals & Deals

Have I ever told ya'll that I love me some CVS? Well I do! I especially love my wonderfully friendly cashiers. I love the fact that they rush me towards the clearance deals, and my wonderful manager will even help me out if I buy all of something she is trying to get rid of, she will mark it down as low as she can. See why I love me some CVS?

Tonight -- I got a wonderful boost to my Christmas Clearance Challenge. I haven't been in there in a few days, and the cashier is glad to see me, then tells me to look in a certain spot. They apparently did not know that they were supposed to mark down the toys with the rest of the Christmas stuff. By the time they realized it yesterday, it was already down to 90% off. And they had TONS of stuff left, because it was not clearly marked that it was on clearance. She told me what was marked down, and then I went to town.

I got:
3 Remote Control Cars (with batteries!)
5 Barbie dolls (yep -- the real deal)
1 Pony Playset (think My Little Pony, only actually prettier)
5 buckets of sidewalk chalk (small but perfect for Easter baskets)
1 Elmo housekeeping playset
1 Mortal Kombat plug 'n play game
1 Hot Wheels Set
(oh...and 2 candy bars -- I had to have them to get my total right)
For......are you ready........ 25 cents!!!!
I used a $10 ECB (that I had built up in previous orders, starting from nothing)
I saved over $100. This was my best Christmas Clearance trip yet. Now almost all my toys are complete.

Next on my agenda? Old Navy for 75% off savings -- hoodies are only like $3, which will make great gifts for my kiddos next year. (Just look for ones without the year on them and you will be fine.)

Are you finding some good deals? Share! Maybe we can follow in your footsteps.

Frugal Fridays -- Inaugural Edition

With all the lovely thrift & discount stores around me, it is really easy to find lots of good stuff. It is extremely too easy to bombard your cabinets with too much. Many of my favorite blogs are chattering about how to store things, how to keep from buying things and how to keep it all in check. I quickly realized that I have a couple of rules that tend to keep me out of trouble.

First, only buy what you love. Truly LOVE. This alone eliminates a lot of clutter from my home. If I have things I need, but do not truly love, I find that if I ask for items to replace them as gifts (yes, I make a wishlist for DH at several stores), then I can survive with fewer of these items. Instead of having 30 mismatched plastic cups, I realized that I can handle having only 12 glasses. So for Christmas, I received a set of 12 "pub style" glasses that replaced those with. This works in two ways. 1) I have less. 2) I have only things I love, so I don't feel like I need more.

Another thing is to have a theme or scheme. All of my dishes are either pink, black or plain white. The most of them are plain white, so that I can set the table for any theme with only plain white dishes. Your food pops off the plate better. You don't have to worry that white will not go with any sort of theme meal you might plan.

I highlight these things with pink & black, because you can add in black for a high-style look, or pink for a pretty look, or a combination of the 3 for a retro style.

Here is why I do it that way. If I had 6 different styles of dishes, I would need 6 times the amount to store them. Not only that, I would have to expend my money 6 different times. Uh…no thanks.

How do you keep down the kitchen clutter? For more frugal ideas, scoot on over to see Crystal for Frugal Friday.

A Little Frugal Math

So I decided to do my food budget for the year for $1500. Hmmmmmm. I'm only 10 days into the year. I am already worried.

$1500 -- how does that break down? Well, if you do it by the day -- and there are 366 days this year -- that breaks down to about $4.10 a day. That makes it about .60 over for the year, but I think I can swing that.

10 days into the new year, and my new budget, and I have spent $40.65. Not too bad. I am only about .25 over. Of course, I have not made a huge spree yet, but give me time, I will get to it, I promise.

Got any hints on how to keep the budget down? Share them!

So June Cleaver

I am almost embarrassed at the amount of shopping I have done lately. However half-price Goodwill day is not something I miss very often.

Darling Lauren and I spent a long time carefully going through each aisle in the "home goods" section, steering clear of clothes, since we are all amply outfitted due to Christmas. While I did let her look around at shoes, I found a shopping basket parked at the end, full of handbags, and this is the one I dug out of the bottom, obviously overlooked despite all of it's vintage charm. Tagged at the "low end" of the scale at $1.99, made the price perfect, ringing up at only 99 cents. I loved it so much that as soon as I got to the car, I immediately changed bags right then.

I am inching closer to the 50's every day.......

For Crystal......

I am a HUGE fan of pink & black! Well, you probably already knew that! But when I found these shoes on clearance for 90% off -- only $3.99 -- I HAD to have them.

Christmas Clearance Challenge

The more I think about it, the more I realize that you can get amazingly great gifts on clearance all year long. I always shop clearance, but never really thought about totally doing Christmas from there. So, my challenge, for myself and anyone who wants to participate, is Christmas from Clearance. Other than my DH and children I need 25 gifts. I have already purchased 6 of these from clearance bins in the few days since Christmas. I don't think I can get them all between now and the time that Christmas buys are all gone, but I think I can finish up long before new trees hit the shelves next fall.

6 down, 19 to go.

Wanna join me?

Smashing Substitute!

Sometimes the beauty of my home takes a back seat to frugality. Case in point is the fact that nearly a year ago, we upgraded our bed from a full size to a king size. Ohh, let me tell ya, memory foam ROCKS! OK, so in the last, oh 11 or so months, DH and I have used two different blankets, because we did not have a king size, and I kept waiting to find a good deal.


So, after a year of half hearted attempts, we were Christmas shopping in Target and found the most beautiful comforter. We both fell in love with it, since it was in my aqua blue/chocolate brown scheme and not too girly. But, we decided that it could wait until the beginning of the year, because $172.99 was just too far a reach with all the holiday hullabaloo. We truly intended on purchasing it though, because we both liked it so much.

Then......my frugal fairy was with me yesterday! While I was out cruising the clearance sales, I found this beautiful quilt. It was originally $99.99, marked down to $59.99, and had a 50% off lowest price sticker on it. So I got this for $29.99 -- Saving myself almost $150 (once you count the extra tax I would have paid on the higher one.) The colors are the same, but the pattern different, yet still very pretty, and again, not too girly.

OH! And, while I was there, I got all of the wrapping paper, a 2-pack in the perfect colors to match my living room, for .75 a pack, so less than .38 a roll. Not too bad of a deal, considering that I paid .66 a roll for it this year. I bought 6 packs (12 rolls) so one less thing I have to buy.


Other good deals I found included 75% off on toys at Target (I have a good jump on next year's presents already), and some cute summer clothes for me at Kohls (where I spent $14 and saved nearly $150 off "retail" prices). Bring on warm weather, cause I got the cutest pair of pink and black flip flops that I have EVER seen!


I just love a good bargain, can't ya tell? What good finds did you find on the After Christmas Clearance Sales?