More great sales!

The Children's Place is having a giant sale and all their summer clothes are $3.99! All bathing suits are $1.99! The cashier told me she doesn't know when it will end. At these prices it is worth the risk to buy for next season; these are cheaper than used clothes!

Bashas has a sale on cold cereal - frosted shredded wheat, rice crispies, frosted flakes and fruit loops are all 3 for $3 with a limit of six. These are big boxes too. Sale ends today

Great Sale - Today Only!

If by some random chance you are reading this blog today, drop whatever you are doing and RUN to the GAP! Every item in baby, kids and maternity is 25% off the lowest ticket price. I stocked up on PJ's. They were on clearance for 9.99 and so I paid $7.49 each! Not to mention, GAP jammies last forever and are so darn cute!

They started this sale last year and plan on continuing it each year on July 4. I only wish I had remembered sooner.

Great Find - Agape Hair Salon

After I chopped off my long hair many people have asked me where I go. So here’s the info…

The place: Agape Hair Salon
The gal: Pearl
The Location: NW corner of Alma School/Guadalupe (in the corner of the plaza)
The number: 602.432.4793
The price: $12 (yes, I said $12 – almost too good to be true!)

The details…Joe and I have been going to Pearl for a few years now. Pearl is good. She is also a certified color instructor which means she’s really good. Joe likes her because she remembers exactly how to do his hair and because on Wednesdays men are only $10. I like her because she’s educated me all the scientific reasons that my hair behaves in certain ways and because she cares about us, sends us discount salon coupons at Christmas and sends us birthday cards. This is not the place to go for a fancy-shmancy salon experience. For example, since she’s her own scheduler she might answer her phone while she’s cutting your hair. (Let me rephrase: She may stop cutting your hair while she briefly answers her phone). But for us it’s great.

The bottom line is that she’s extremely experienced and dirt cheap!

Creative idea: throw those sponges in the dishwasher

Instead of throwing away those yellow (or whatever color) sponges when they get smelly, try throwing them in the dishwasher. In the past I put them in the washer with towels but they still came out smelling icky. I also tried soaking them in bleach water but then they would disintegrate. I found this idea somewhere and it is hassle-free and really works! I try to put my sponges in the dishwasher every other time it goes to kill all the germs and keep them fresh. So try it!

Great Find- Mesa Riverview

Because of the overwhelming masses of teenagers flocking to the theaters, Joe and I had pretty much eliminated a movie for a Friday night date. And then we discovered Mesa Riverview.

Why bother going?

1) Wonderful atmosphere

We went on a Friday night and it was not crowded at all. We felt like we were walking through Mitford or some other small town during a party. Although it did not feel upscale, it felt warm, romantic and friendly.

2) Cheap movie tickets

Adult Evening $7.25

Adult Fri/Sat after 6pm $7.75

Child/Senior $5.25

Adult Matinee before 6pm $5.75

College $6.25

This is WAY cheaper than AMC or Harkins

3) Great Theater

Although brand new and state of the art, the theater felt old-school, with cascading curtains and warm sconces guiding our way. We arrived 5 minutes before the start time of Spiderman 3 (on only its second weekend) and had no problem getting a good seat. As an added bonus, the seats rock and recline and you can lift the armrests and hug your hunny!

http://www.cinemark.com/

4) Cracker Barrel!

Joe loves Cracker Barrel and so of course I do too! The only one in the East Valley (Awatukee) is always very crowded and too far away. This is empty (so far) and so close by!

To get there, take the 202 east to Dobson Road – you can’t miss it.

Money saving tip - try CBD

I have used Christian Book Distributors for many years and it is by far the cheapest place to buy any Christian product. For example, I bought a new Bible a while back for $19.00. My brother bought the same Bible at Berean for $35. Their selection is far superior to Amazon, their prices are similar and their site has most of the features we expect these days. You can even download songs for $.99 (Songs from itunes are $1.50). So try it!

Creative Idea: buy yourself a gift card

Not for a present, but to track your grocery spending.

I don't know about you, but I have always had a hard time keeping track of our grocery spending. We've tried the cash envelope system with little success. It was hard to carry all that money around and I often forgot to bring it with me. My mom told me about this idea and it has really helped.

If you tend to do most of your grocery shopping at one store, try buying a gift card to that store. For example, at the beginning of May I bought a Walmart gift card and put $200 on it (we spend more than that, but I was nervous starting with a larger amount). I put it in my wallet with my regular credit/debit cards. Each time I've shopped I've paid with the gift card. At the bottom of the receipt it shows me the remaining balance which is so helpful. I think next month I will get a card for Trader Joe's and Home Depot as well because it is so easy to overspend at those two stores.

Great place for shoes and outdoor gear

I have picky feet and need good shoes. I usually have to try on many pairs before finding a proper fit. Sierra Trading Post has great prices on good quality shoes, but if they don't fit right you end up paying a total of at least $10 in shipping for shoes that you don't have! Zappos offers free shipping both ways, but they usually are expensive.

Well here's a solution. I recently discovered that REI outlet offers free shipping and free returns if you do in-store pickup. I have not purchased anything yet, but they have a great selection and amazing prices. They even have lots of kids' shoes. I'll post when I purchase to comment on my impressions!

Amazing Tomatoes!

Sprouts has hot house tomatoes on sale for $.99 a pound until Wednesday the 23rd. Although that's a typical sale price, what is atypical is the flavor! I bought two yesterday and these tomatoes were the most flavorful I have tasted in years! In fact, I don't think I have ever had a store-bought tomato that tasted this amazing.

Get them while they last!

Welcome!

I am an unapologizing bargain shopper. I love to find cool stuff at great prices. I also like to find creative ways to save money. But I don't want to hoard my findings to myself. Hence this new blog! I plan on posting links to special coupons, great finds, and lots of other fun stuff. Some of the deals will be short lived so check back often and let me know what you think!