How to save money year-round for holidays...

Over the last few years, money has become tighter and tighter, so I've had to get really creative to stretch what we have.  One thing I have gotten especially good at is finding deals for holidays.

My first tip - go to your favorite store the morning after a holiday.  Be there when they open if you can so you get the best selection! Most stores mark everything 50% off the day after!  Last year the kids and I were at Target & Walmart the morning after Halloween, and we made out like bandits!  I bought both kids costumes for this year ~ K will be a flapper and D will be a magician.  I got both costumes for the price of one!  I also got a crazy lightup tee-shirt for D on clearance, as well as cupcake liners, tableware, decorative items, and so much more.  We are set for this years Halloween party! 

Same idea for Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc!  We were on vacation last year in Florida the day after Christmas, but yes, I did go to Target and Walmart!  I would have been so mad at myself this November when I'd have to pay full price for Christmas stuff. So we went, we shopped, and we drove back to Atlanta with a big boxful of decorations, wrapping paper, candles, hand towels, Christmas cards and more.  Oh, and don't forget to check the baking section - the holiday sprinkles and cupcake liners, etc are usually on sale too! 

Just a few of the things I got for  1/2 price at Walmart, Target & CVS after Christmas in Florida last year!

One more after Christmas tip ~ You can buy Christmas candy like M&M's or jelly beans & gumdrops.  Save them in your pantry or fridge to use the red ones for Valentine's day treats and the green ones for St. Patricks Day!

If your Walmart recently brought fabric back in ~ check the fabric department the day after holidays - you can get holiday prints 1/2 off! I buy fabric for table runners, gift bags, etc.  Easy way to decorate frugally!

Check daily deal sites like Groupon, Half Off Depot. etc for deals at holiday attractions, restaurants and more.  I've already seen Haunted House Deals locally!

In Atlanta, the newspaper usually has a coupon on Thanksgiving Day for the Christmas light display at Lake Lanier that is good for 1/2 off the admission fee for Thanksgiving night.  That's a great deal!  Check local newspapers, or call local attractions to find out if they offer any specials, previews, etc.

Participate in local rewards programs: I'm in one for a local radio station that gives me points by email once a week to use in various contests - last year I won a gift certificate that paid for a nice gift for each of our kids at a local store.  The rewards program for a local tv station gives code words that I enter on their website.  Because of that program, we won 4 tickets to see Peter Pan when it was here in the Spring, plus we got to get a behind the scenes meet & greet with some of the actors, see the stage, see some of the puppets and props, etc - it was a total treat for us! 

Use Michael's & Hobby Lobby coupons for seasonal decor, gifts, and more.  Most every week there is a 40% off coupon in the paper or online - use it on something for your home or buy a gift for someone on your list and hide it away til Christmas! I try to do this all year long so I'll have several gifts for the kids by the time Christmas rolls around. Also check here for after-holiday clearance...In my Fall decor boxes that just came from the attic, I had some beautiful berry garlands that I got after Halloween last year for 70% off - I think they were $2 each!  I can afford to buy more pretty things when they are highly discounted! 

I like to check the dollar store before a big holiday: around the beginning of September for Halloween items,  beginning of January for Valentines, etc.  They tend to sell out of the cute stuff early.  (especially paper goods - if you need napkins and plates, cups and tableclothes)  And don't forget Goodwill and thrift stores...mine has a whole aisle of holiday decor all year round! I've gotten some cute Christmas & Halloween items there.

Use pharmacy deals to decorate for the holidays. I love when Target has their $10 gift card promo going on because I'll transfer one of my DH's prescriptions to Target, then get a $10 gift card for filling it there. I'm gonna have to fill it anyway, might as well get paid for it, right?!   I have gotten some really cute spring and fall merchandise using those cards! Kroger does this as well - but they will give you a $25 credit on your Kroger Plus card.  They always have an aisle or two of decor and gift items for every holiday, so spend it well!

Kohl's Cash is great for decorating your home for the holidays too!  I love to buy clothes for the kids there(during special sales you spend $50, get $10 Kohl's cash back) and save my Kohl's cash for a little spree!  My favorite thing to get with Kohl's cash is their birthday candles (the ones in a glass jar with sprinkles on top) for my friends and family.  Recently I've also started buying fun decor there too. Last month I used my Kohl's cash for a harvest candle and a box of faux acorns (vase filler) for my Fall decorating.  I don't like to spend "real money" decorating my house,  but I don't mind spending store rewards or gift cards! 

I hope these ideas will help you with some of the upcoming holiday sales (or after sales, I should say!)

Here are some pics to show what I've gotten over the last two years after Halloween...(actually just some of it, I've already started decorating, so alot has been put out!)   I'll shop the day after again this year to add to my stash - need to start working on some outdoor decorations next!

Looks messy, but this bin has stretchy mice, a black wreath form, funky scarecrow,napkins, plates, serving bowls, votive holders, platters, a cheesecloth "curtain" for my french door in the family room, and spider webs with creepy crawlies.  Plus David's magician costume-in-a-bag!

This has more decorative items - dollar store Ghost Motel & Witches Way signs, 1/2 price shirt, black light lamp, hair glitter, bat cookie cutter, tree, candles, and labels for jars/drinks. The cute little vintage bucket on the back right side (checked interior, vintage label on front) was 1/2 off at World Market! I printed out the subway art last year and put in a dollar store frame...

and a few more - 1/2 off cupcake liners & picks, 1/2 off scarecrow & snow globe (w/ scarecrow) from CVS last year, 1/2 off fabrics from Walmart, wooden black cat with ribbon was $1.91 at Goodwill, the skulls were 1/2 off from Michals, and the bronze pumpkin was a white one from the dollar store I painted. Plus white tulle for making ghosties! (use 40% off coupon at HobLob to get it so cheap!)

So I need to fluff the leaves more, I know - but this cute Welcome Friends birdhouse was $3.50 at CVS after Thanksgiving.  The bird is from the dollar store.   The hurricane is one of my Goodwill creations - a vase glued to a glass candlestick holder - filled with large balls from a fancy-schmancy bag of potpourri I got at Michael's with a 40% off coupon....

Love this look - the hurricane is from Pier 1 ~  I believe it was $9.99 & I had a $10 gift certificate from their Facebook page.  The acorns (bottom) were $12 from Kohl's - FREE w/ Kohl's Cash.  The smaller balls on top are from the same bag of potpourri mentioned above.  The candle was $9.99 at Kohls, but free with my Kohl's cash! It has a twine tie with a metal pumpkin charm on the front.  The garland is the one I got for 70% off at Michael's.  I just love all these elements together - the textures, the scent (the candle is Harvest Spice fragrance - yummm!) they work so well together.

You can really get some great things for cheap (or free!) just by shopping after the holidays for the next year, and utilizing sales, coupons & store rewards.

What is your favorite place to shop for holiday decor?

Hooking up with these hops this weekend:

How I find coupons & deals on produce & organic items...

When I teach classes, one thing that comes up time and again is this: "We don't eat a lot of the items that have coupons." or  "We eat a lot of produce/organic items - how do we find deals for those?" or "There aren't any coupons for good, healthy food."

Well, here's how I do it...

Whole Foods has coupon books, and you can sign up online at mambosprouts.com to get coupons by mail. For example, I emailed Blue Diamond and complimented their almond milk, and they sent me coupons! Most organics companies will have a website or public phone #, so write/call and ask to be put on their mailing list.  And don't forget Facebook! Like your favorite products and then watch for coupons, deals, samples and more!

Another tip: If you have a Kroger store, prowl the produce department in the early morning or evening and look for discounted produce. They have yellow and orange manager's special tags on the products. As long as we eat it within a couple days, it is a great way to get super prices on healthy veggies and fruits! Always take your coupons - salads, fruits, veggies, dips and more may be marked down, and you can still use your coupons with them!

Recently, my Kroger had Chiquita Apple Slices marked down from $4.99 for 5 individual bags, to 1.99. I had $1 dollar off coupon, so I got the 5 bags of apple slices for 99 cents! This past weekend I bought 10 Fage Greek yogurts marked down to 50 cents each, and 10 Coconut milk yogurts (regularly $2.99 each!) for 50 cents each this way!

I haven't seen other local stores that mark down products like this, but Kroger does offer these manager specials regularly. Just go later in the evening, or early in the morning! Check the bakery and meat departments too for these deals. Remember you can freeze breads and meats that are close to their expiration dates!

Here are a few other places to get coupons:

http://www.barbarasbakery.com/

http://www.fageusa.com/products/offers/

http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/

https://horizonregistration.icmodus.com/default.aspx?bhcp=1

http://www.rudisbakery.com/

HealthyLifeDeals offers some great coupon matchups, too!

Do you have a favorite source for deals on organics or healthy foods? Leave a comment to share with the rest of us!!

Dollar Store Decorating ~ Valentine's Day Dessert Stand

I was at Dollar Tree last week scoping out some Valentine's Day decor and getting my usual things: salt & pepper grinders, pop-up foil sheets, drink mixes to add to bottled water, and batteries for the Wii remote.  While I was there, a solid black plate caught my eye. (can y'all believe I forgot to take a pic of the plate before I wrote all over it?!)  I had just purchased a gold paint pen at Michael's, and I knew I could jazz this plate up!  A few minutes later, I spied this candlestick holder on the candle aisle and I knew they were meant to be together!  It's gold with black splatters - perfect for what I had in mind now!

At home I wrote one of my favorite quotes  "Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much" around the plate with the gold metallic paint pen.  At the bottom I added a bunch of doodled flowers and hearts.  Then I grabbed the brush-on super glue and here's the final result!

Plate  $1
Candlestick Holder $1
Glue $1
Paint Pen $1.99 before 40% off coupon at Michaels
Total spent:  under $5 for a super-cute dessert stand! It's going to get a lot of use here!!

Linking up with:
 Made by You Monday

Some tips for couponing this week!

There is a print out coupon on either smart source or coupons.com for Taco Bell dinners ( at the grocery - includes dinner kits, taco shells, sauces, etc) that is for $1 off. Use that with the BOGO Publix sale - you get 2 for $2.69 - $1 coupon = 85 c each.

Marie Callender dinners are BOGO for $2.99 ~ use a $1 off coupon (I am pretty sure it is from All You magazine, this month), you get two for under a buck each - I got two of the Pasta Al Dente dinners.

Hunt's catsup is bogo for $1.39 - buy one, use 20 c off mfr coupon from the paper a few weeks ago = 29 c catsup!

Stayfree Pads are $2.85 e - use Publix BOGO coupon plus two $1.00 off coupons = 43 cents each
these are a great thing to donate to a women's shelter!

Kraft Cheese is 2 for $4 ~ there is a blinkie coupon (I got mine at Kroger this week) for $1 off 2 = $1.50 per bag

AT CVS: If you have any Extra Care Bucks to "play" with - get the Ban deodorant for $2.99, use $1 off coupon. Get back $2 ECB. Also buy 3 Power Bars (two flavors for this deal - peanut butter or cranberry oatmeal) for 99 cents each, get $2.97 ECB back. If you haven't bought a green bag tag - you should go ahead and get one for 99 cents. Attach to your own reusable bag, or just keep on your keychain and place your purchases in your purse after you pay - you earn $1 for every 4 visits that the tag is scanned!! It's an easy moneymaker - especially if you go to CVS often. We have 3 or 4 within a 5 mile radius, so I can pop in often and I always have them scan the tag!

Walgreens - Ecotrin is on sale for $2, and there was a coupon a few weeks back for $2 off. I only found 1, so I bought 1, paid 12 cents tax, and got $2 in Register Rewards. Bought a 2nd bottle, paid 12 cents plus the Register Rewards. I am planning on giving one to a new friend who takes low dose aspirin, and one to my mom if she does. If not, we'll find a place to donate it. The RR did not roll over (meaning if you pay with a RR from Ecotrin, it won't print another $2 RR for you) on this deal, unfortunately. But if you had a bunch of the $2 coupons, you could walk away wth a bunch of $2 register rewards (just make sure to do seperate transactions ie - buy one box, get the RR, buy the 2nd, get RR, buy 3rd, get RR) if you by them all together, they will only print one $2 RR. My Publix takes RR as a competitor's coupon so I save them to use at Publix!


At Kroger: One tip I can share about finding HEALTHY, good food for cheap involves Kroger. I prefer to go either super early, or in the early evening. I always make a beeline for the produce department and look for items with the orange/yellow markdown tags! Today I got: a bag of salad with cabbage nd carrots for 79 cents, 2 iceberg wedge salads with bacon/bleu cheese dressing for $1.99, a pack of 5 bags of Chiquita apple slices with cinnamon dip for $2.19 (and used a $1 off coupon!) Also the bakery had a wonderful loaf of garlic bread for $1.29 - with salad, that was a perfect dinner! I also picked up a pack of premium hamburger rolls that had been 2.49, but were marked down to 55 cents. If we don't use them by tomorrow (I've got chicken burgers in the freezer that would be perfect with these!), then I'll freeze them for later. Kroger often marks down their organic dairy products in an open refrigerator chest near the milk cases. We've gotten Silk milk for under $1, organic sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese and more - all for under $1. They also mark down tofu items, veggie hot dogs, etc. Many of these can be frozen to use later.