We had eaten at a restaurant the other day by one of my favorite thrift stores. When we were finished, the store was going to close in just five minutes. But I told my husband I just wanted to "peek" while I was there, knowing I only had an extremely short window of time to shop. I went in and went straight to my favorite part of the store to see if anything would catch my eye. But as I passed the shoes, I noticed a pair of men's boots on the floor.
The clerk began announcing that they were closing at that point, but I asked my husband if he had seen those boots. He went over to look at them, and (amazingly) they were his size. He tried them on and they fit well. So he bought them!
They are steel toe, Gortex and leather boots, in excellent condition and appear to have been barely worn at all. They normally sell for about $200. But my happy husband got them for only $35!!! YAY!
It's always so much fun to go to the movies. But it can get pretty expensive, especially if you have a family. So there are a couple ways to save some money.
Unless it's a special event, most theaters have cheaper ticket prices on the morning movies. A perk of going before noon is also that the theater isn't generally crowded.
Another way to save is to find out if your local theaters have specific discount days. One of our local theaters has their day on Tuesdays, so no matter what time of day you go on that day, it's even cheaper than a morning movie. That can be nice if you work and can only go in the evening.
Most theaters now have their own reward cards too. So no matter what you pay for the tickets, you get points for every dollar spent on both tickets and refreshments. So you do receive perks back for all you spend, such as free popcorn, free drinks and the occasional free movie ticket.
Depending on where you live, there may even be theaters which show older movies and are highly discounted. We have one such theater several miles away, but the highest price for a ticket is only $2.25, so it's worth the drive and the wait if we missed the first run of a movie.
So you can save if you make plans to go to the movies, as opposed to just going spontaneously. I also recommend eating before you go to a theater, because they really make their money on the food they sell. Once in a while, a bag of popcorn to share is okay. But if you go on a full stomach, you can save even more money.
Just a quick word about customer service expectations. Rarely are things perfect, but if something is advertised, it is reasonable to expect to receive it. So if things aren't as expected, you shouldn't hesitate to voice your concerns or disappointments...in a tactful way, of course.
For instance, a particular hotel chain advertises that many of their participating hotels offer free wifi. If you travel a lot, you know that wifi isn't always the best, depending on the area and especially when it's free. But if it is advertised, it should be available.
I recently stayed at a location twice in one month. To make a long story short, the wifi wasn't working either time. So I discussed it with the clerks who were working. But I also wrote a review on their website.
I also went even further and wrote a letter to the company, because I truly believe that if you don't say something, there's no way they'll know what is going on. And guess what? They arranged for me to receive a FREE night because of my disappointment with my previous visits.
That may not always happen, and it did take a lot for me to write that letter. But that's what I love about being able to leave reviews online. They give
you the chance to let establishments know if things aren't right. In the same vein, I think it's just as important to leave positive reviews if things were especially good. You never know what kind of an impact you might have on making a difference. So take time to express yourself.
It may seem like a waste of time to apply for a rewards card at your favorite store, but it really can pay off. You generally are notified first of sales and you can make purchases with the rewards points or dollars which accumulate. You're spending money anyway, so you might as well get something back.
I had some Kohl's cash ($20) from a previous purchase, AND I received bonus dollars from my Kohl's Reward account ($20). So I went shopping.
I, of course, looked for items on sale that I might need. I also had a 20% discount card in my mailbox.
So here's what I bought: I got TWO pairs of sandals, THREE shirts, AND a new door mat. Using my Kohl's cash, my rewards cash and my discount, all that merchandise cost me only $5.76! Total savings was $201.64! Not a bad day.
We had eaten at a restaurant the other day by one of my favorite thrift stores. When we were finished, the store was going to close in just five minutes. But I told my husband I just wanted to "peek" while I was there, knowing I only had an extremely short window of time to shop. I went in and went straight to my favorite part of the store to see if anything would catch my eye. But as I passed the shoes, I noticed a pair of men's boots on the floor. 
