I love a good deal!

I'm not big on shopping. I've got to know exactly what I'm walking in for. Clothes shopping is the worst! I hate taking time to try on clothes.

Today we hoped to watch the new Superman movie, but it was sold out. No surprise. Opening weekend, so we went shopping for some shorts for Hubs. 

I checked out the clearance racks, because that's my prerogative. I have personal spending limits on individual tops and bottoms. Just can't justify spending over a certain amount on tops or bottoms. 

Check out the deal I got for {what I think are going to be} comfy but cute khakis...

Yep! $2! 

And I thought they were going to be $7. Pleasant surprise. My kind of shopping! 

A Successful Shopping Trip

I'm not ashamed to say I'm a Goodwill shopper. Clothes. Books. Games. Random items. Once we even bought a rocker/recliner there. Sometimes you can find some really good deals.

I made it to the Goodwill today. I had [2] things on my list this time.

1. A long sleeve bright green shirt to wear underneath my HAPPY school shirt. 
2. A couple of skirts to wear on my upcoming missions trip.

Amazingly enough, I successfully found both items [and more]!

Check out my buys!

• 4 [spring-colored] shirts, including the desired long sleeved, bright green one (the top shirt is my favorite out of these new-to-me's)

• 1 white tank top (to wear as an undershirt) 

• 1 pair of jeans

• 1 pair of jean capris (which I've been wanting for quite awhile but have never found any my size/style)

• 2 skirts (one long jean skirt, one to-the-knees gray cotton skirt)

Luckily, 4 out of the 9 items were 50% off.
All this for just under $20. Isn't that great?


As a teacher, I have a weakness for children's books. I found several at both Goodwill stores I went to this afternoon. I could have bought many more than I actually left the stores with. 16 books for almost $16. Sounds good to me! Not as good a deal as buying them at a garage sale, but way better deal than buying them full price or slightly discounted online!

When I saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Where the Wild Things Are, and Bedtime for Frances my heart melted. I l-o-v-e finding books I remember reading when I was little!

My last little thought about my shopping adventure today...
The difference in cleanliness/tidiness between the two stores I went to today was so amazing to me [but not surprising, I suppose]. The first one I went to, where I bought most of my merchandise, was very inviting. The checkout lady was so, so friendly. The dressing rooms were clean. The second one I went to was too full. It's a smaller store, so the racks were too packed with clothes. The smaller space made moving around people too difficult. The dressing 'stalls' were too messy (tags, clothes, and hangers everywhere). I felt the need to tidy up as much as possible before leaving the stalls. Not surprisingly, the first store was in a better neighborhood than the second one.

Twelve Days to Christmas

Christmas is almost here yet again. My, how fast the year has gone!

Our Christmas tree is up. A pile of presents has begun. There's actually more gifts there than you see. I have a trick up my sleeve this year... we'll see how the family enjoys it.

Some presents we haven't even started yet! The countdown is on. We better get to work!

The Christmas cards haven't been made yet either. Hopefully I get them sent this next weekend... otherwise they'll turn into New Year's cards like a couple years ago.

Don't worry... I'll be getting rid of the background.
Pets and husbands can be difficult when taking a picture sometimes!

That's ok, right? It's the thought that counts!

Words I Like to Hear

"Today you saved $20.62, ma'am."

Those are the words I like to hear as I exit the check-out line at the grocery store. Of course I smile at that statement and thank the checker. Driving home I relished in the thought of saving almost half the money I spent and exclaimed "Thank You for this blessing!" a couple times in the car.

Just think... If I were to pay more attention to online coupons and figure out how to print them out correctly, I could probably save even more than I already am... I like this trend I'm in.

It's almost turned into a game with myself where I'm trying to one-up myself every time I grocery shop. Is that nerdy or what?

So... I wonder how much I'll save next time...

On another note, the Chiefs cut it close in their victory against the Broncos today. I'm sure that after today's game they are still leading the AFC.

I'm not a big sports person. I usually couldn't care less, but I like watching an interesting game, and I can usually get into Chiefs football for some reason.

The Broncos and Chiefs have such an interesting rivalry. The last game they played this season the Broncos beat the Chiefs horribly. At the end of every football game the coaches meet in the field, congratulate each other on a good game, and shake hands. Not the last Chiefs vs. Broncos game. The Chiefs coach snubbed the Broncos coach. Yikes! Fortunately, the Chiefs coach was not so shady today; he not only shook hands with the other coach but gave him a big hug.

So... Hooray, Chiefs! Here's to continuing the winning streak at home!

Super Savings

Step aside savings gurus!

I'm not a big spender. I don't have a clothes, purse, hat, scarf, shoe, or jewelry obsession. (Too bad for my friend entrepreneurs who sell any of those items, huh?) I don't feel like it is necessary to have a new car or a huge TV. I'm fairly careful about how much I spend on any one item and how frequently I purchase things.

Lately, I've been super excited about the savings I've gotten when grocery shopping. I discovered that if you log on to www.dillons.com you can register your Plus Card and load coupons onto it, so when you get to the cash register with those items, all you have to do is swipe your card. That is wonderful because I am not a person who remembers to use any coupons she has!

So not only have I been loading coupons onto my Plus Card like there's no tomorrow (the coupons just disappear if you don't use them before they expire), I've also been paying closer attention to the Dillon's weekly ad. Together, along with other coupons I've clipped from the newspaper ads, I've found some great buys!

Check 'em out...

• A couple of weeks ago when I went grocery shopping I saved $20, a third of what I spent overall!

• Tonight I went to purchase a few things I needed for tomorrow and to slip in on the last day of a really good week to save, and I left saving $5, only spending twelve. 

• Best of all, one item I purchased was regularly $2.49. The weekly sale saved me $1.50. My coupons saved me another dollar. So, basically, the store gave me a penny to take that item off their shoulders! A-mazing!

I have also recently discovered www.retailmenot.com, thanks to a couple other blogs I've been exploring. This is a great website to get 10% off, 15% off, free shipping, or other great savings online on popular retail websites. Thankfully I discovered this site in time to get some great Christmas shopping sales!

• I purchased something from Borders and received a percentage off. (I think 35%?) The amount was equal to receiving free shipping, so I was definitely happy!

Hooray for saving money! I love it! Hopefully I will continue to have more to share soon.

Happy shopping!