Deals & Steals

Stop what you are doing and immediately go to your nearest Target Dollar Spot. I'm serious.

I made out like a bandit there today and I feel like I'm giving away a secret that should be kept all to my greedy little self. But...I like you guys, so I'm willing to share my good deals when I find em!

I had a few items on my shopping list today that spanned from Contact Solution to bananas, so where else do you go, but Super Target, of course? They draw you in with the idea that you're saving time by being able to buy your groceries and your toilet paper in one place, while really tricking you into spending more money that you would normally spent had you just gone to Publix and bought their generic brand of Contact Solution.

Phew...sorry, I guess I have a little pent up angst there.

Moving on...

So, after hitting the conveniently located Starbucks right when you walk in the door (hey, I had a gift card, so technically it was free), I was headed to the Dollar Spot to find a set of the plastic kids bowls that come 2 to a pack, but only cost $1 (love that!). 

But what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer! I'm not kidding. The Dollar Spot has been totally taken over by Santa's elves. And there are some amazing deals right now!

I got $1 stocking stuffers, $1 advent calendar goodies, $1 teacher gift pails, and other Christmas-themed items for handing out baked goods, etc. when the time arrives. Just look how cute:

Imagine these adorable burlap-wrapped gift pails stuffed with the red filler along with a tiny picture frame ornament (also $1) that will say "Miss Tina, World's Best Teacher" and a little gift card... PRESH!

I would show you said picture frame ornament too, but I may or may not have purchased a few extras for the grandparents to be filled with our most recent pictures that my talented photographer friend, Jen Bravo, took of the boys. I can't wait to see how they will turn out.

Did I mention we're on a really tight budget for Christmas this year due to our house leak & having to replace all the floors in Parker's room (and the irrigation system and install gutters...)? Well, we are. So truly, I cannot tell you how relieved and happy I am to have found $1 items that will fulfill a lot of gifts that need to be purchased.

By the time I was finished with the Dollar Spot I was almost done with my Chesnut Praline Latte and was all hopped up on caffeine. So I raced to the back of the store hoping to locate the kids bowls that I had originally been looking for. Sadly, no bowls. BUT... I did discover all of the Halloween stuff was 90% off! It was very picked over, I'm not gonna lie, but luckily for me, my little guy loves to play dress up. And look at what I found:

The cutest cowboy and Planes costumes!

Originally, these two costumes would have cost me $50. But guess what I paid for them...are you ready? Drum roll please... 

$4.80!

These will make wonderful Christmas gifts and will provide so much dress-up fun in the coming year. (Oh, and that item below the costumes is the Multipurpose Contact Solution that I originally came in for. It did actually make it home with me.)

As if all of my great finds weren't exciting enough, when I checked out, the cashier handed me a bunch of coupons, one of which is for a FREE photobook on Shutterfly. FREE! Can you believe that?

As I said, head to Target immediately.

In other "Steals & Deals" news...yesterday I headed to my favorite consignment shop to bring in some of Parker's Christmas pajamas and outfits from last year. They are very particular about what time of year they will accept seasonal items, so I've been holding on to these for months. I was thrilled to hear that I had a $25 credit on my account. And I was even more happy to find these amazing steals for my constantly-growing-can't-keep-up-with-him, 8-year old. He doesn't fit into any of his jeans or coats from last year. But check out what I found...

A perfect Florida "coat" that will get him through the colder 50-60 degree days we rarely ever eventually experience here in Florida. Guess what I paid for it? $9.00! It's in perfect condition, I couldn't believe it.

They had a huge selection of jeans in his size as well. Again, excellent condition.

Okay so there are some of my best savings ideas for early Christmas shopping. Now it's up to you to take advantage of them. Be creative. Visit your local consignment stores, Dollar Stores and Dollar Spots. You just may be surprised at what you find.

 Best of luck out there my shopping friends! May the discounted force be with you!

Cleaning with Vinegar & Consignment Shops

How'd you like that for a post title???

Two things with absolutely no tie-in or relation.

But, they're both great topics and both are top-of-mind since I've been doing both this week.

So, let's start with cleaning (the bad) and then move on to shopping (the good!).

Cleaning with vinegar. Not something I would think to do. Maybe you know this trick, but it's new to me so bare with me while I share my excitement.

I read about using vinegar to get rid of hard water stains. I've tried a lot of products to get rid of the hard water stains on my kitchen sink and refrigerator water tray. Some of them work after lots of elbow grease, and some don't work at all.

Let me tell you... vinegar does the trick!

Just soak some paper towels in white vinegar and wrap them, or lay them on the hard water stain/build-up and leave it for 30-60 minutes. A light scrub with an old toothbrush, and you have excellent results!

I apologize for the cruddy pictures (pun intended). I desperately need to get a good camera for my blog pictures. But trust me, it made a world of difference and I barely had to do anything!

Give it a try around your house if you have hard water and let me know how it works. I was pleasantly surprised!

Okay, now on to a fun topic... shopping!

I love to shop. Seriously. It doesn't matter if it's Target or Nordstrom; Lowes or Sephora... I love to shop. Problem is, shopping costs money if you want to actually buy something.

One way that I have found to save some serious money is to visit our local Goodwill and consignment shops. We have a very clean, new Goodwill near us and it's amazing what people donate! I consistently see name brand products every time I go in there. If you have a good local thrift shop near you, I suggest you check it out. You might just be surprised what you find.

I also love consignment shops. We have a couple great children's consignment shops here in Tampa. One of them is pretty close so I went by yesterday to see if I could find some bathing suits for the boys and some new athletic clothing for Payton (his favorite type of clothing to wear these days).

Check out what I got...

For Parker, I found brand new Carter's footed pajamas, an adorable Baby Gap sweater (for Easter maybe??), two pairs of swim trunks and a matching swim shirt! And guess what... I didn't pay more than $2.50 for any one of them! JACK POT!

For Payton, I found a few pairs of athletic shorts and pants (one with a Gator on it - double score!) and a swim suit. The most expensive item for Payton were the Gator pants... they were a whopping $5. YAY for good deals!!!

Now, don't get me wrong, I still love buying the boys new clothing when I find good deals at Target or the mall, but for two kids who are growing like weeds and need bigger clothes every time I turn around, I have no qualms with buying previously-loved clothing for a 1/4 of the price!

Okay, so that's my random post for the week. Hope you try out cleaning with vinegar or shopping at a thrift or consignment shop sometime soon. Stay tuned for more random ramblings. :)

Consignment Shops

Let me start off by saying that I am in a much happier place tonight.

Payton seemed to "come back to life" today after his fever broke last night and he was able to start eating and drinking again.

What a difference a day can make.

Okay... on to tonight's topic: Consignment Shops.

I love them.

Seriously. I do.

It seems like there are two sectors of people when it come to consignment stores. One group thinks, "Ewwww!!! Used stuff. Other people's garbage. Dirty."

The other group of people thinks,"Wow! I can get the same wagon here for a third of the price and it only has a few scratches on it!" 

I am a member of the second group.

I went to a local children's consignment shop this week (Baby Bottom's Consignment on Gunn Hwy. for those of you who live in Tampa). 

And I got:

•  A car-looking wagon that converts from push to pull with a quick handle change, plus has a removable floor board that changes to pedals when Parker is a bit older. (Plus it has a steering wheel, doors that open and side view adjustable mirrors...which he loves).

• A Little Tykes lawn mower that makes all sorts of loud popping sounds when you push it.

• A new toy grill! YEAH! I found one to replace the one that Parker broke a few months ago. And this one is the new-improved version that talks more and says funnier things (Example, it says: "Do we have enough gas for this grill? FART! Oops! Excuse me!").

• A brand new sippy cup & divided Elmo plate that was still in the packaging.

All for the grand total of...

Wait for it, wait for it...

$40!!!

Seriously, the wagon alone retails for almost $70 new. CRAZY deals!

Here are some pics of my great finds:

Parker checking under the hood of his new car wagon...

 Yum! Found some raisins!

(Notice the white scribbles on the handle? Parker did that with a piece of chalk about 10 minutes after we brought it home... seriously, what is the point of buying things new???)

 Here's the new grill:

And here is the mower:

And yes, I did clean them thoroughly when I got them home. 

Although I'm not sure why, as Parker has already made them much dirtier than they were when I purchased them. Gotta love boys! :)