After Sales

You probably got your fill of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and even leading up to Christmas, you may have become exhausted trying to find that right gift at the right price. But, if you still have some energy left to shop, you may want to see what all is available at after Christmas sales.

I've tried to stay away from the stores since I know it's hard to resist great prices. But most stores give such easy access online now, I have looked to see what I could find. So far, I've only bought one item at half price and with free shipping. Yay, me! But believe me, I've tried hard to behave and not spend needlessly.

I do suggest you look online at your favorite store(s) and see if there's something you've been wanting for yourself that might be on sale. Now is the time to get a great deal.

Shopping for Family

So I know you wouldn't be at all surprised if I mention all the terrific sales I've seen since Thanksgiving. I have a few fun stores where I shop, but of course, you can never beat Kohl's. 
While I've been shopping and trying to save as much money as possible, you might be happy to know that I've seen several things I would have loved myself, including a $50 stuffed giraffe. But I was a good girl and left it all at the stores. I was, however, sure to tell Santa about those items. 
While I was at Kohl's, I found a really cute and patriotic Urban Pipeline hat. It is light enough for the desert, it's good for traveling and it has snaps on both sides if I want it up away from my face. It was a $20 hat, on sale for 90% off. Yes, that made it $2, plus a 15% coupon, which made it only $1.60.
You may not think it's cute, but I like it a lot. I love to celebrate the USA, and I also found a similarly flagged fanny pack and headband, also at 90% off. So I got the hat, a fanny pack and a headband for about $5. And I'll wear them with pride!

Now is a good time to shop because the closer we get to Christmas, the better the sales. And yes, I did buy for the family too.

Like Bagels?

I like bagels a lot, but we don't buy them all that often simply due to the cost. We usually get a 6-pack for no less than $1.99 (on sale), but usually they are up to $3.98. But the other day, we were shopping and happened to be in the refrigerated section. Guess what we found there! Yes, bagels. In the cold section. Why, I'm not sure. I guess they possibly thought it was a good idea to put them near the butter and cream cheese. But there we found a  5-pack for $1.59. You might want to check your local store to see if they keep any in the cold section. They're a good deal, and they're delicious!!!

Use It or Lose It

One of the ways I save money is by using the coupons I receive. Many people don't like to bother with coupons, but it really is their loss.
I had received a Kohl's $10 coupon in the mail and had $10 free money from Kohl's that were both about to expire. At this point, many people would not want to drop what they were doing to go shopping, but you know me. I got in the car and went to see what I could find. That was $20, people! I couldn't simply waste it.
I looked around, tried on a few items, and finally decided on this cute new outfit. I tried to get my husband to buy something for himself, but he didn't find anything he liked. So I found a lovely gray blouse on sale for $6, and a cute jacket on sale for $15 to go with it.  I also found a chain necklace on sale for $1.08, if you can believe it. 
With my coupons and an extra 20% off the extra, I got ALL THREE ITEMS for $1.27. How fun it that!

Dog Ear Wash

Do you ever need to buy ear wash for your dog? I do, and although it's not too expensive, a bottle can run anywhere from $6-$10, depending on where you buy it. I found a recipe to make it at home for much less and it seems to be just as effective.
All you need is 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar and 2/3 cup of water. Mix and then use a cotton ball to clean your dog's ears.

There are also recipes which add a few drops of rubbing alcohol and/or olive oil. But I prefer to keep it as simple as possible for my dog's comfort, and the mix will last for a long time.

Got Wine?

I have long been a fan of  "Two Buck Chuck's" wine from Trader Joe's. In fact,  I used to buy it when it was only $1.99. So although prices invariably go up at some point, I was quite disappointed when it suddenly sold for $2.49. Still it is decent for such a cheap price, although I honestly don't buy it nearly as often as I used to simply because of principle...also because I like a good moscato and TJ's doesn't have one in the inexpensive variety.

I do shop at Walmart sometimes, and I've seen that their cheap brand is Oak Leaf Vineyards although I hadn't tried it. I figured it must be pretty bad. But I finally tried it recently, and I was wrong. I bought the moscato, and it was actually good. I could taste distinct flavors, and it was only $2.39 a bottle.
I am pleasantly surprised, and looking at their website, Oak Leaf Vineyards is a medal winning winery in California. So you may want to try their wines, if you haven't already. You can't beat the prices and you might also find a new favorite.

Keurig Experience

I was given a beautiful Keurig coffee maker as a gift. Being a coffee lover, I was thrilled. But sadly, my experience with it has not been a good one. I rarely share negative information, but I feel this is important.
My Keurig worked well and the coffee pods made it so easy, although they were expensive. So I bought a reusable filter for it and all was right with the world. But then, when it was time to clean the system, I followed the directions, yet it didn't work when putting it back together.
I was lucky that the store allowed me to exchange it, and life went on again. But the second one did the same thing. The instructions say to take out the removable filter when descaling, but then the water won't pass through and it doesn't finish cleaning or allow coffee to be made. So i took the second coffee maker back and exchanged it AGAIN. Interestingly, the store clerk said that they have had several people return their Keurigs.
I am now on my THIRD Keurig, and I am debating if I should keep it or simply exchange it for a different kind of coffee maker. For an appliance which is very expensive, it is ridiculous that they seem to be so much trouble, and I don't feel I could ever recommend them to anybody. I am currently using my $2 Melita drip filter, and it's working as well as anything.

Using Coupons

Most likely, you also receive ValPak coupons in your mailbox like we do. There are many which offer good savings, but there also seem to be many for businesses which are not places you go on a regular basis. Some may get you to try a business where you haven't been before, but for me, it's often just a waste of paper since I throw so many of the coupons away. But even if there are one or two that you can use, it can save you some money. So it's always worth a look to see what's in there.
ValPak is also online. So you can check there to see if any coupons are applicable to your life and where you normally go for services.

Another Snowman

I just have to share my latest FIND. I collect snowmans, so when I saw this mug in the store, of course, I was drawn to it. It's a cute St. Nicholas Square hand-painted mug (not cheap), with a top (the head) to keep the contents warm. It was on a clearance rack only because it was a Christmas item, but it had no price tag. I went to the checkout and asked about it, and the cashier tuned to the manager wondering about looking up a price. He said to just give it 
to me for $1.00! SCORE!
It is so cute and a nice addition to my collection, not that I needed it. But when they're practically giving it away...
Believe it or not, I also had a 20% coupon which I wasn't ashamed to use. So my mug was only 80 cents!!! As usual, I'm a happy shopper!

Happy Birthday to ME

This past weekend, we went to our favorite store, Kohl's (big surprise), looking for a gift for someone else. But things were on clearance, and when they're priced so incredibly low, it's often cheaper to get new items than to shop at thrift stores for used ones.
My husband found several shirts, most retailing for $50-60, marked down to $4-5. I found a couple myself for about those same prices. I even found this cute pair of boots, not that I need more boots mind you. But they were retail $59.99 marked down to $5.99!!! How could I not get them?? :)
For all the shirts, the boots AND a pair of earrings, with tax it all came to only $58.53! The total savings off retail prices was $445.80!
Now we can go through our closets and bless someone else with some of our older clothes. What's not to love about that!?