HAPPY HALLOWEEN (uh. tomorrow...). Halloween can get darn expensive if you let it. Candy to pass out...expensive. A new costume for the kiddos...expensive. Gas driving around to trick or treat...expensive. I'm sure you get it. So here are a few ideas to help you save some money this (and/or next) Halloween season.
...Shop those after Halloween sales...and take your coupons! The day after Halloween...and sometimes even the day of or a few days before...stores start marking down their Halloween merchandise, including candy, to make room for all of that glorious Christmas merchandise! Last year I got some great stuff on after Halloween markdown including a pack of cookie cutters and lots of candy! You can also find costumes, trick or treat buckets/bags, decorations and other trinkets and gadgets marked down! I've found that Halloween items usually only stay marked down for about a week before the store pulls them from the shelves completely, so hurry! You can also find things like Halloween themed cake mixes, Ziplock baggies, etc. marked down that you can combine with a coupon and snag it for nearly free! Hot Coupon World has compiled a list of coupons to keep handy for these sales here.
...If you need candy for those trick or treaters but don't get marked down candy until after trick or treating then be sure to take advantage of drug store deals. I picked up all of my trick or treating candy at CVS, and with the aid of coupons and ECB's I paid practically nothing! And I earned ECB's back!
...Instead of buying a costume, make your own! There are all kinds of tutorials out there for easy, homemade costumes for kids and adults alike, out there. Just Google "homemade halloween costume" and you should be sure to get lots of hits!
...Instead of driving from house to house for your kids to trick or treat, just pick one neighborhood that you would like to visit and walk with your kids from house to house. Just be sure it is a safe neighborhood!
...Need to get some food of real substance into your little ghost's and goblins tummies? Don't cave and get take out! Instead, throw some chili into your crockpot before you leave home so it's nice and warm when you get back! Serve it with some healthy pumpkin pie muffins and you'll have a tasty (and healthy!) Halloween supper to fill your tummies (with something other than sugar!)
To see how others are saving their money, check out Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Prepping for Christmas Shopping
Okay, I know that it's not even Halloween yet...but I thought that now would be a good time to start thinking about Holiday gift giving time. Actually, if I was smart, December 26 would have been the best time to start thinking about it so maybe I would be done by now. But I didn't. So I'm starting now. This could pose a problem. Instead of having a whole year to shop clearance and sales, I have about two months. A little under actually. And it's the same time that every single other person on this planet is shopping as well. Oh boy...
So instead of stressing, I'm planning! I'm going to use coupon deals to my advantage to get Christmas gifts this year since I didn't plan ahead. And I've decided to share this knoweledge with you. Each Thursday, I will share some of the best coupons available for the week that you can use to your advantage to buy gifts this season. So let's get started, shall we?
If you sign up for Bed, Bath and Beyond's mailing list, they often send out coupons. I got one yesterday for $5/$15 purchase, which is a great discount for a gift or two! Pair that with some good sales and you're in business!
Head on over here to print off a coupon to Payless Shoes for 50% off any item. This expires Ocotober 30...TOMORROW! So hurry!
Best Buy is offering a coupon for 10%-12% off any purchase...head on over here to print it! This one is only good until November 2...SUNDAY! So this is another rushed order!
If you have a book lover on your list, head on over here to print off a coupon to Borders for 40% off any one item in the store or online! Combine that with a clearance book or other item and you've got yourself a deal! This coupon expires on November 2...SUNDAY!!
Head on over to Bath and Body Works to print a coupon for a FREE Pocket Sanitizer with the purchase of ANY ONE ITEM! So grab up a trial size item, clearance find or nail file and you've got two items great stocking stuffers! This coupon expires November 1...SATURDAY!!
Head on over to Victoria's Secret and get yourself on their mailing list. They often send out a coupon for a FREE pair of panties PLUS $10/1 bra.
Happy Holiday Savings!
So instead of stressing, I'm planning! I'm going to use coupon deals to my advantage to get Christmas gifts this year since I didn't plan ahead. And I've decided to share this knoweledge with you. Each Thursday, I will share some of the best coupons available for the week that you can use to your advantage to buy gifts this season. So let's get started, shall we?
If you sign up for Bed, Bath and Beyond's mailing list, they often send out coupons. I got one yesterday for $5/$15 purchase, which is a great discount for a gift or two! Pair that with some good sales and you're in business!
Head on over here to print off a coupon to Payless Shoes for 50% off any item. This expires Ocotober 30...TOMORROW! So hurry!
Best Buy is offering a coupon for 10%-12% off any purchase...head on over here to print it! This one is only good until November 2...SUNDAY! So this is another rushed order!
If you have a book lover on your list, head on over here to print off a coupon to Borders for 40% off any one item in the store or online! Combine that with a clearance book or other item and you've got yourself a deal! This coupon expires on November 2...SUNDAY!!
Head on over to Bath and Body Works to print a coupon for a FREE Pocket Sanitizer with the purchase of ANY ONE ITEM! So grab up a trial size item, clearance find or nail file and you've got two items great stocking stuffers! This coupon expires November 1...SATURDAY!!
Head on over to Victoria's Secret and get yourself on their mailing list. They often send out a coupon for a FREE pair of panties PLUS $10/1 bra.
Happy Holiday Savings!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Have You Downloaded the Swagbucks Toolbar Yet?
No? Well...you need to!
Now, I know that you have heard of Swagbucks already. The blogosphere is all abuzz about this program every day! Why, you ask? Because it is just that fabulous. End of discussion.
Swagbucks is a 100% free search engine that PAYS you to search! You won't earn each and every time you search, but you will be chosen at random to win anywhere from 1-20 bucks per search! I usually earn an average of 3 Swagbucks a day! Many days, MORE!
It is a Google (and Ask) powered search engine, so don't worry, you will get GREAT results! You can search the web for articles and websites, images, videos and news stories. I've made this my homepage and am always searching...and WINNING!
Once you've earned enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for great prizes...gift cards and merchandise! I've already earned enough for a $10 Subway gift card and MANY Amazon gift cards!
The site also frequently releases codes that can be redeemed for one free Swagbuck! Which is why their new toolbar is so awesome! Once to twice a week, a notification shows up on your toolbar which has a code for a COMPLETELY FREE Swagbuck! You just can't beat that!
So RUN over to Swagbucks and sign up now! As a new member, you will get a few Swagbucks JUST FOR SIGNING UP! And then you will be well on your way to earning more and more Swagbucks you can use towards FREE STUFF! I always redeem mine for Amazon gift cards...and I'm currently savings up my gift cards to buy a crib for our baby!
Now, I know that you have heard of Swagbucks already. The blogosphere is all abuzz about this program every day! Why, you ask? Because it is just that fabulous. End of discussion.
Swagbucks is a 100% free search engine that PAYS you to search! You won't earn each and every time you search, but you will be chosen at random to win anywhere from 1-20 bucks per search! I usually earn an average of 3 Swagbucks a day! Many days, MORE!
It is a Google (and Ask) powered search engine, so don't worry, you will get GREAT results! You can search the web for articles and websites, images, videos and news stories. I've made this my homepage and am always searching...and WINNING!
Once you've earned enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for great prizes...gift cards and merchandise! I've already earned enough for a $10 Subway gift card and MANY Amazon gift cards!
The site also frequently releases codes that can be redeemed for one free Swagbuck! Which is why their new toolbar is so awesome! Once to twice a week, a notification shows up on your toolbar which has a code for a COMPLETELY FREE Swagbuck! You just can't beat that!
So RUN over to Swagbucks and sign up now! As a new member, you will get a few Swagbucks JUST FOR SIGNING UP! And then you will be well on your way to earning more and more Swagbucks you can use towards FREE STUFF! I always redeem mine for Amazon gift cards...and I'm currently savings up my gift cards to buy a crib for our baby!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Super Savings Saturday - 10/26/09
I have still been shopping while I was on my blogging break, and I do have some deals from last week that I never posted, but I will add them to my savings sidebar. This is the shopping that I've done this week. I went to HyVee, WalMart, CVS and Walgreens. I also went to Fareway last night and got three bags of GW brown sugar, which were on sale for 99 cents per bag, but I didn't get a picture. I feel like I really got a good haul this week, but I am now left with about $20 to get this coming week's groceries. And I need a lot of non-coupon essentials. Hopefully I can do it!
The funny thing about this trip, is that there was a couple and their toddler in line behind me. When I handed over my thick stack of coupons, the wife turned to the husband and stated that they needed to start using coupons. He started arguing that there was no point in coupons unless each individual coupon was for a significant amount of money. He argued with her that $1 here and $1 there wasn't going to make that huge of a difference. I wanted soooo badly to turn to him when I got my new total and tell him that a dollar here and a dollar there just saved me $40 and he should really reconsider. But I didn't. I just left.
Total OOP before coupons and MIR - $51.66
Total OOP after coupons and MIR - $11.75
Total Savings - $39.91 (77%)
Yep. Ragu stockup. Besides the occaisonal Walgreens RR sales that they run on Ragu, I can never ever find a good deal on it! So when HyVee had it on sale for 99 cents per jar, and I had 75c/2 coupons, I knew I needed to pounce! I ended up getting 28 jars, and this is the most I have ever stocked on this before! I'm really glad because now I won't need to buy pasta sauce for quite a while! This sale came at the perfect time too, because I had just used my last jar on my shelf the week before, and I was planning on having to pay full price until a good sale came up. Thankfully that sale came fast! I also got 3 pounds of bananas, which are not pictured.
Total OOP before coupons and sale price - $52.57
Total OOP after coupons and sale price - $18.44
Total Savings - $33.83 (65%)
This is actually two transactions. I should have done more to roll my RR some more, but I just wasn't in the mood. So I stuck with two.
Total OOP before coupons and RR earned - $27.14
Total OOP after coupons and RR earned - $2.14
I really needed Halloween candy to pass out to trick or treaters, and hubs was determined that we would be passing out Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I had price checked them at WalMart, and they were $2.50 a pop, and I knew I would need several bags. I just kept putting buying them off, and I'm glad I did, because I cashed in on the CVS Halloween candy ECB deal...while it wasn't free, it was far cheaper than shelf price anywhere else!
Total OOP before coupons and ECBs earned - $20.00
Total OOP after coupons and ECB's earned - $6.00
Total Savings - $14.00 (70%)
To see how others did with their shopping this week, check out Super Savings Saturday over at Money Saving Mom!
WalMart...
The funny thing about this trip, is that there was a couple and their toddler in line behind me. When I handed over my thick stack of coupons, the wife turned to the husband and stated that they needed to start using coupons. He started arguing that there was no point in coupons unless each individual coupon was for a significant amount of money. He argued with her that $1 here and $1 there wasn't going to make that huge of a difference. I wanted soooo badly to turn to him when I got my new total and tell him that a dollar here and a dollar there just saved me $40 and he should really reconsider. But I didn't. I just left.
Total OOP before coupons and MIR - $51.66
Total OOP after coupons and MIR - $11.75
Total Savings - $39.91 (77%)
HyVee...
Yep. Ragu stockup. Besides the occaisonal Walgreens RR sales that they run on Ragu, I can never ever find a good deal on it! So when HyVee had it on sale for 99 cents per jar, and I had 75c/2 coupons, I knew I needed to pounce! I ended up getting 28 jars, and this is the most I have ever stocked on this before! I'm really glad because now I won't need to buy pasta sauce for quite a while! This sale came at the perfect time too, because I had just used my last jar on my shelf the week before, and I was planning on having to pay full price until a good sale came up. Thankfully that sale came fast! I also got 3 pounds of bananas, which are not pictured.Total OOP before coupons and sale price - $52.57
Total OOP after coupons and sale price - $18.44
Total Savings - $33.83 (65%)
Walgreens...
This is actually two transactions. I should have done more to roll my RR some more, but I just wasn't in the mood. So I stuck with two.Total OOP before coupons and RR earned - $27.14
Total OOP after coupons and RR earned - $2.14
Total Savings - $25.00 (92%)
CVS...
I really needed Halloween candy to pass out to trick or treaters, and hubs was determined that we would be passing out Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I had price checked them at WalMart, and they were $2.50 a pop, and I knew I would need several bags. I just kept putting buying them off, and I'm glad I did, because I cashed in on the CVS Halloween candy ECB deal...while it wasn't free, it was far cheaper than shelf price anywhere else!Total OOP before coupons and ECBs earned - $20.00
Total OOP after coupons and ECB's earned - $6.00
Total Savings - $14.00 (70%)
To see how others did with their shopping this week, check out Super Savings Saturday over at Money Saving Mom!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
I'm baaaccckkk!!!
Helllooo everyone! Oh how I have missed you all and blogging! This month long unexplained, unplanned for, unannounced hiatus wasn't something that I did purposefully to leave you all hanging. I swear, there was a verrryyy good reason for my absence. That reason being...
we are expecting!!
That's right. Hubs and I are expecting our first darling little bundle of joy! Premiering May of 2010! So if that helps explain at all my absence :)
I have spent the last month in utter exhaustion. About the same time we found out we were expecting, my work just over doubled the hours I was working each week (I used to be part time. I am now fully, fully, fully full time.) and they didn't start me off with kind hours. I came home after 10 hour days and all but passed out on the couch. I would peel myself up for long enough to fix something of substance for supper for dear, dear hubs, and then pass right back out on the couch. After just a few weeks of that, I talked with my boss and let her know that I was expecting. She started to spread my hours out more, and scale back just a little bit. But I was still exhausted each and every night. I have been lucky and haven't been sick too much, but it's just been the exhaustion thats kept me from bloggy world.
So, if you all will forgive me for my unplanned for leave of absence, and forgive me for the lessening of normal posting in months to come, I would love you all forever! Happy money saving...I'm glad to be back!!
we are expecting!!
That's right. Hubs and I are expecting our first darling little bundle of joy! Premiering May of 2010! So if that helps explain at all my absence :)
I have spent the last month in utter exhaustion. About the same time we found out we were expecting, my work just over doubled the hours I was working each week (I used to be part time. I am now fully, fully, fully full time.) and they didn't start me off with kind hours. I came home after 10 hour days and all but passed out on the couch. I would peel myself up for long enough to fix something of substance for supper for dear, dear hubs, and then pass right back out on the couch. After just a few weeks of that, I talked with my boss and let her know that I was expecting. She started to spread my hours out more, and scale back just a little bit. But I was still exhausted each and every night. I have been lucky and haven't been sick too much, but it's just been the exhaustion thats kept me from bloggy world.
So, if you all will forgive me for my unplanned for leave of absence, and forgive me for the lessening of normal posting in months to come, I would love you all forever! Happy money saving...I'm glad to be back!!
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