Happy Thanksgiving

As much as I love to shop, it makes me terribly sad that stores everywhere have begun offering Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving. I remember when holidays were actually days of celebration and rest. Now things are actually worse and even more frenzied than other days of the year. 
But one good thing is that many stores are offering most of their deals online now too, beginning Thanksgiving evening if not before. So there's really no need to exhaust yourself going out shopping and having to fight the crowds. The traffic is better too, since more people are shopping from home.
It's great to save money, but unless there is an item you must have at an extraordinary discount, is it really worth leaving your family and friends to go out on Thanksgiving to shop?
I am so thankful for all my blessings and am thrilled to be able to say that I don't need a thing. Often better deals are found online for Cyber Monday anyway if there is really something specific you want.

Steals May Take Work

As you know, I love to shop anyway. There's nothing more fun than finding a real bargain. But sometimes, you have to look for these things. If you're in a hurry or you don't enjoy shopping, you might as well forget it. You may still find deals, but it won't be as satisfying as getting something for practically nothing.
A great example is this blouse I found. Yes, it was my size! It was on clearance already, stuffed in with a lot of other items. But you can see it was originally $48, marked down by 90% to only $4.80! I also had a coupon which took another 20% off, so the total with tax was ONLY $4.70!!! 

Thrift Store Surprise

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!

Movie Discounts

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.

Express Yourself

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.

Rewards Card

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.

Hotel Savings

There are many ways to save on hotel stays. Even big chains offer discounts depending on the days you stay and the time of year. But if you're frugal like I am, rarely do we splurge and pay for a big, fancy hotel unless that is our only option.
Most all chains offer discounts for people in the military or if you are members of AAA or AARP. So be sure to ask for your discount if you qualify, and maybe they even have something else available that isn't listed. It never hurts to ask.
Many chains also have a rewards program, where you can earn points for each stay and then use them for future dates. Some people don't like to sign up for those for whatever reason. But as long as you're staying there anyway, you might as well get something back for the money you're spending.
You usually get the best rates when you book online, so do check the rates and all that's available. Be sure to notice also, that many places are offering specials. In more than one chain, you can stay two nights and get a free gift card or a free night. So there are several ways to get the most for your money.
Happy traveling!

Coupons and Deals

One place I look for deals is online at RetailMeNot.com. They offer a lot of coupons and different deals to save you money. There is an app that you can download to go there directly, and they send emails to remind you what is current.
You will want to mark your favorite stores, and the only drawback can be that it does take time to look through the offers and the emails can be annoying if you're not looking to shop. But I have used it to find some really good deals. So it's just a suggestion. You can decide for yourself if you like it or want to use it. But the one deal I took advantage of saved me hundreds of dollars. So I suppose it just depends on what you need. But it did help make me a happy shopper.

Buy Groceries in Bulk Too

I used to never buy items in bulk until recently. But now I have become a real fan!
Those big bins are easier to find now at various grocery stores, such as Sprouts and Winco. Prices are sometimes nearly equivalent to boxed items, but often buying in bulk is cheaper and you can buy the amount of product that you need.
For instance, I rarely use baking powder, but I needed some the other day. I hated to purchase an entire can, which I knew I would use once and then throw away two years from now. So I checked to see if it was sold in bulk, and sure enough, at about 80 cents per pound, it cost next to nothing to buy just a few spoons worth.
I was surprised that so many items we often use are available in bulk. There are dried noodles, various dried grains and rice. There are nuts and candies, and even spices. This picture is of some sesame seeds I just bought. One whole aisle is even for dog food and treats.
So again, I have to say, why pay more? Especially when you only need a small quantity of something, there's no need to waste money. Try it!

Take Time to Check

So I was shopping today and checking out the clearance rack. I found a few nice items, but nothing I really needed. I did find a nice women's Champion sport tote with a lifetime warranty, although I didn't especially need that either. 
I don't know what the original price was, but it was marked down to $10.48. I thought that was a good deal, but decided to put it back since I didn't need to spend the money. But then I thought about how I could use the bag, and took just a couple extra minutes to go check the price. I found it had been marked down again and it scanned for only $4.48!

Most people don't want to be bothered, but often times when things are on clearance, they turn out to be even less than what the tag says. So it really can be worth your time to check prices. You never know what you might be missing.