June 22, 2008

Need a Drink?

This Tuesday, June 24th from 4-5pm, the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf will be giving away free Yogurt Ice Blended drinks (size small).  They are available in mango, original and strawberry.  YUM!

June 18, 2008

Saving on MAKEUP!

Tonight a friend of mine told me about a website where they sell all makeup for only $1!  I checked it out and it looks great.  There is even a coupon code floating around online that lets you save $7.50 so you can get free shipping ("carolina" - not sure when this expires).  E.L.F. has been featured in O magazine, Real Simple, Marie Claire, and many other magazines.  It has also been featured on many TV programs like the Style Network and CNN.  I am placing my first order this week!  

June 17, 2008

Buying the "Unmentionables"

I just read an article in Consumer Reports magazine about purchasing bras (see article here). Basically it says that when they ran tests on expensive bras, they found that the BEST bra was actually one for $11 from Target.  Even a lingerie designer with more than 50 years of experience wore a $14 bra herself.  

Lesson?  Victoria's Secret is just a brand.  It doesn't mean quality.  (So I guess this just confirmed what I already thought.)   Go Target!!

If you are looking for great prices on bras, underwear and lingerie (besides going to Target), try going to TJ Maxx or Ross.  These stores have name brand bras for so cheap.  I just bought two name-brand bras, both normally between $30-40, for $7.50 and $9.99.  

Cheap Children's Clothes!

I am finding that as my boys get older, the hand-me-downs come less. That's probably because older kids (boys especially) run down their clothes so fast! My oldest son is now in size 3T and so I have been on the hunt for cheap (but quality) children's clothes. Here are my top 5 picks for cheap children's clothing stores:

1) Children's Orchard - the clothes here are quality, clean, ironed, and cheap. Shirts run about $1.99 each and shorts are about $2.99 each. This is even cheaper than Goodwill sometimes! But the BEST part is - you can sell clothes here too and get store credit. You have to make an appointment, which I did for last Friday, and they bought $32 worth of clothes from me. I had a lot of unused clothes that had been given to me for my youngest, who has outgrown those sizes. I took my $32 of store credit (or they would have given me $24 cash), and I bought my 3 year old's entire summer wardrobe (well, almost!). I got 3 shirts, 4 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of pants, and one pair of shoes. Some of the items were brand new with the tags on them! I went over by .12 cents, so I I got ALL of that for .12 cents! Here is a picture of everything I got:



2) Mervyn's - sometimes they have the greatest sales. I have been there twice when they had these $1 and $3 sales, and I got fanstastic deals on clothes. Those sales are usually at the end of the season.

3) Kmart - while I generally don't like shopping at Kmart (for oh, about 100 reasons), they have great sales on kid's clothing. One time I saw shirts on a clearance rack for .25 cents! They also frequently sell kids shirts and shorts for under $3.

4) Walmart - same reasons as Kmart. Check the clearance racks in the children's section.

5) The 99Cent Store - Okay, I know what you're thinking: Either "What?!" or "Ew!", right? :) Well, I was there last week and they had collared polo shirts for boys for only .99 cents each! They were from a chain store - I couldn't tell which one - but I know I have seen clothing there before from Kmart and Walmart. You can either check the baby section or the aisle where the underwear and socks are - they sometimes have a rack of kid's clothes there. Surprised?! I was!!

June 14, 2008

Hurry In!

If you are looking for some CHEAP presents for birthdays or even Christmas, hurry in to Bath & Body Works because they are having an amazing 75% off sale. You can get some great lotions, shampoos, soaps, body scrubs, gift baskets, and candles for around $2-3 each. I don't know when the sale ends, so hurry in now!!

June 11, 2008

The Best AAA Discounts

Most people I know have AAA service, but did you know that your card can get you discounts at some great places? Here are a few of my favorites:

Food:
El Torito - Save 10% on your bill
Chart House- Save 10% on your bill
(They no longer give discounts for Soup Plantation- bummer!)

Stores:
Linens N Things - Save 10% or $10 on a purchase of $50 or more
Visit AAA.com/linensandthings to download coupon.
New York & Company (one of my favorite clothing stores) - Save 15% on your total purchase
Payless Shoes - Save 10% on regularly priced merchandise
Target.com- Save 10% on purchases online, by shopping at aaa.com/target
The UPS Store - Save 15% on purchases or 5% on shipping

Attractions:
Knotts Berry Farm - Save 20% on tickets
LegoLand - Save $10 on each admission (until August 31, 2008)
SeaWorld - Save $5 on each admission
"Special Offer valid May 24 – September 1, 2008: Adults at Kid’s Price with Kids 1/2 Price! Show your AAA membership card at the SeaWorld San Diego ticket window and ask for the special Adults at Kid’s Price with Kids 1/2 Price offer or call 800-25-SHAMU and press 14."

Other:
JCPenney Portraits: Save 50% on your entire portrait purchase including sitting fees

June 6, 2008

Time for Updates!!!

First of all, I'm so sorry to you, my loyal readers, who have been checking in over the last few weeks and have seen no new posts! Don't fear, though, today I sat outside and thought of about 20 new topics to blog about! So starting next week I am going to be more consistent and get some new posts up.

To start, I want to post what my friend Corrina blogged about last week, because it is really helpful information. Here are her tips in a nutshell (to read her full post, go to her blog):

A few things Corrina does to save money:

-Shop at Dollar Tree and discount stores
"Today at Dollar Tree (all at $1) I found Puffs Kleenex, bleach, mozarella cheese, popsicles, pretzels, Rubbermaid reusable tupperware and a Fitness magazine."

-Skip the paper products. "We used to go through a ton of paper plates in a month. It was just easier. But I realized--although I would buy them inexpensively, it adds up and isn't too green either. It's been 2 or 3 months since I last bought paper plates. We just use the dishawasher more! And rags work just as well as paper towels."

-Buy in bulk at places like Henry's.

-Shop at children's resale stores and craigslist.

-Split food items at Costco with a friend.

-Shop at little (local) markets

Thanks for all the tips, Corrina!! If any of you have any tips, please let me know!