Deals and Schpeals

Over the past year I've become addicted to deals.  I just can't tear myself away.  I fully realize that if I paid myself per hour for the work I do to find these deals, I'm really not making anything.  Since no one is offering to pay me for work (and I'm not actively looking for any) why not use some of my time to find some deals.

Last week I used 1 hour (of my precious 3 hours a week alone) shopping for running shoes at DSW.  I found a pair of Saucony that I really liked.

 They were on sale for $44.95.  I was quite happy with the price but I was challenged to do better.  Instead of satisfying my "right now" needs, I went home and got online.  I found the shoes for the same price at http://www.dsw.com/ .  I then went to http://www.retailmenot.com/ and found 3 codes that gave me  1.  $10 off a pair of athletic shoes  2.  $5 off a purchase and 3.  free shipping (saving me $7.95 if I spent $35).  Unfortunately after all my coupons via retailmenot, I was below the $35 threshold.  This meant I had to buy another pair of shoes.  Oh the horror.

I found a pair of cute flats (usually I hate flats since I'm just a tad under 5 foot 4) and sorry, I can't find a picture of them online anymore.  These shoes were cute though and perfect for Spring.  So, they were $19.99.  Subtracting the amount I was already having to pay for shipping, the cost was really only 12.  Then, I went to ebates.  This site gives a percentage cash back for each purchase.  In the case of DSW, I was getting 6% of my purchase back.  Go Here to check out Ebates.

Long story short, I spent around $49 when all is said and done...for 2 pairs of shoes.  That is basically the amount I would have spent if I would have followed my "right now" instincts and bought the shoes in the store.  If you need new shoes (like me...I really need to revamp this wardrobe a little, just as my daughter said!) then check out the above system.  I love a deal!

5 Cows = $44 in Free Food

This is how cheap I am. I dressed up my trio (and myself) in "cow" costumes and we headed off to Chick Fila to pick up lunch before the splashpad. Hubby comes home from work this afternoon and finds out about our free lunch. He suggests that we pack up the banschees and do it again. And so we did.

Same costumes, different Chick Fila! I'm on a first name basis with the General Manager of a certain Chick Fila because we go there so often so it was necessary that we hit a different restaurant for dinner. It was well worth it. Chick Fila is expensive so live it up when we can. Best part? No dishes all day!

I love Chick Fila!
Keep in mind...this was a last minute thing...and I'm the least creative person on the planet. Grace, people! =)

There's SMART and then there's KMART SMART!

While growing up there were 2 stores that I remember frequenting with my parents and grandparents. One was Gold Circle, basically a prehistoric Target. The other place was Kmart. Since 1980 I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've entered a Kmart. Today proved why.

After a workout, I decided to hit Kmart with my coupons as it was rumored that they were doubled this week. Amazingly, the kids were on their best behavior and even though I had a cart full of coupons, we somehow found the things we needed. It wasn't until I reached the register that the proverbial crud hit the fan.

The clerk successfully rung up my goods but as I watched the totals, I realized that I wasn't getting the BOGO deal for the mascara. I asked her about this and she said it would come at the end. Then I saw that the 4 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch were ringing up for 4/10 dollars instead of the marked 4/$6. Bitter. I ask the clerk and she refuses to help me. The woman behind me gets involved asking the clerk to look it up. Instead of calling a manager or another clerk, she hikes off to the cereal aisle leaving her register exposed and a long line of customers. 7 minutes later she returns telling me that I need to buy 5 boxes because she insisted that the sign read, "Buy 4 or more for $6". Huh? This clerk was so obstinate and dense that the customer behind me (still waiting in my line...maybe waiting for the soap opera to unravel) says, "That doesn't make any sense. 4 or MORE means you can buy 4." We seriously had to define the word OR for this woman. The clerk continues to argue until she is convinced to call the manager.

The manager moseys on over and says to the clerk, "Show me where this sign is". They BOTH leave the register with a new line of customers behind me (because the smart ones fled a long time ago). Another 8 minutes later the manager and the clerk return with the afore-mentioned sign in hand, deciding that they would take everything out of my cart, unload it all from the grocery bags AND re-ring my order. They did an override on my cereal which pleased my daughter because she was crying over the possibility of not getting Cinnamon Toast Crunch, an apparently rare delicacy in our home.

All of this and I hadn't even handed over my coupons yet. 30 minutes had already passed at this register (not including my 30 minutes of shopping time) and the nightmare was finally over. I found the REAL manager of the Kmart on my way out and told him I wouldn't be shopping there again. I thought I disliked Walmart but it's paradise compared to Kmart. I'm pretty sure the recession has nothing to do with how poorly Kmart has performed in recent years. On the bright side, I saved over $30.

They are honoring double coupons so if you have 8 hours for a KMART stop, you'll save some cash.