Kids' Stuff
the Discount Diva
Kids' Stuff
There's No 'I' in 'Team'
This year, my husband and I have pulled in the reins on our holiday spending. This means we can't get as many gifts as usual for the people on our list.
But before you shed a tear for us, listen to our plan B:
We will buy for groups or families instead of individuals. Genius, huh? Everyone will still get something (each person gets one tear at the wrapping paper), and we'll get to keep more money in our wallets. Here are a few group gifts that are just as good as individual ones:
-Board games
-Wine
-Chocolate
-Gift jars
-DVD's
*What is a "group gift" that your group would be happy to receive?
Do a Left-Over-Candy Trick
Every year I have bags and bags of left over sweets because I overestimate the number of kiddies who'll ring my door bell. This Halloween was no different. But instead of eating all of the leftovers (I did that two Halloween's ago...bad, bad idea!), here are a few easy ways to get rid of all of those calories without consuming a one (well maybe ONE).
USE #1 Roll truffles in some crushed chocolate bars and freeze them until the holidays. They're a great gift on the fly.
USE #2 Donate the leftovers to a local food bank or children's hospital.
USE #3 Bring the candy to work and treat your coworkers.
USE #4 Butterfinger Cheesecake, anyone? It's delish!
USE #5 Fill a piñata (an instant party starter) with the extra loot.
USE #6 Make a holiday wreath or poster with kids. As you countdown to Christmas or Hanukah, remove a piece of candy and enjoy.
Halloween on a Shoestring
The last time I dressed up for Halloween was when I was five. Yes, it's been that long. My mother transformed me into a fortune-teller with a sparkly beanie on my head and a magic 8 ball in tow.
I've finally found two reasons to don another quirky costume in my lifetime. First, one of my good friends is hosting a huge costume party and you're not allowed in unless you're dressed up. Sneaky way to get all of your friends to participate, huh? Second, there are tons of websites selling great costumes for pennies. Here are some of the best. Happy Haunting (er, Hunting)!
HalloweenExpress.com w/ full costumes for women marked down to $19.99
ZoogsterCostumes.com w/ costumes for the whole family at 50-75%off
CostumeCraze.com w/ costumes for pets for as low as $6.95
CostumeDiscounters.com w/ a "Lowest Price Guarantee" on costumes for all ages
Into the Black
Black Friday. It sounds scary, because it is scary. If you're unfamiliar with this "monumental" day of the year, let me fill you in. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when the Christmas shopping season officially starts and stores offer deep end-of-the-year discounts on some of their hottest items. People usually camp out overnight (yes, overnight) to be one of the first to get in the store, then they run (yes, run) through the aisles to stake claim of their possessions. People can get nasty, too, swiping things from other folks' carts or dumping the entire shelf stock of DVD players into their cart (tell me again, who needs that many DVD players?).
I went Black Friday shopping with my mother ONCE. She loves it, but I vowed that I would never subject myself to that kind of frenzy again. For me, who prefers strolling down the aisles, enjoying the store music and thinking about my purchases before I buy them, my first Black Friday was a traumatic experience.
But, thanks to BFAds.net, I may have to give this out-of-control shopping day another chance. The site provides the public with the inside scoop on Black Friday deals in big name stores like Best Buy, Sears, Ace Hardware, etc. before they even happen.
So, here's my plan of action: I'll use the site to create a shopping list; a week or two before Black Friday I'll hide the items I want in random places throughout the store; then I'll stroll into the store an hour or so before the sale ends to make my purchases. Fingers crossed, the sales clerks don't go around checking for hidden items the night before!
*What's your Black Friday plan of action?
Bedding Fit for a Queen
I've come to the conclusion that no matter how messy (clothes on the floor, books falling off the shelf, garbage overflowing) your bedroom really is, it looks 100,000 times better after the bed is made. Which is why no matter how late my husband and I are running in the morning (and no matter how disgusting the rest of the room is), we make up the bed -- smooth the shams, straighten the bed-skirt, fluff the accent pillows...the whole nine. Oh, and since the bed is the focal point of the room, it's imperative that everything matches.
Instead of collecting cute little gnomes or thimbles from across the U.S., we fill extra closet space with bedding. Okay, okay. I'll admit it: We're a little over-the-top.
To feed our obsession, I was happy to find DesignerLinensOutlet.com where everything to outfit your bed (bed sets, sheets, quilts, memory foam, etc.) from big names like Liz Claiborne, Nautica and Hawthorne are sold for 50-70 percent off. No gimmicks, no catches, no fine print. Now, that's the stuff that sweet dreams are made of!
about the blogger
Ayren
Ayren Jackson-Cannady has yet to find a bargain or sale she didn’t like. It’s a good relationship for her wallet, but not so much for the dwindling closet space in the apartment that she shares with her husband, John and her cat, Shiny in Brooklyn, NY.
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