Taking a Break This Week

I have decided to take the rest of the week off from blogging. There is a lot going on in my life and I could really use some extra time this week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!! See you next week, Monday, December 1. Thanks for your support!

Deals This Week: 11/23-11/29

CVS at Coupon Cravings

Wal-Mart at The Centsible Sawyer

KMart at Mommies with Cents

Rite-Aid at I Heart Rite-Aid

Walgreens at Mommy Snacks

Target at Attention Target Shoppers

Giant (PA) at Moms Need to Know

Preparing for Black Friday

Some people simply love shopping on Black Fridays, and of course, others avoid it at all costs. Personally, I enjoy a little bit of shopping, and I have even been to stores that were not super crazy on Black Friday.

If you are planning on going shopping on Black Friday, I have a few suggestions to make your trip more organized and hopefully less stressed.

1. have a plan – if you are going to various stores or malls, decide what order you want to go to them. If there are certain early bird sales, make sure you plan to go to those stores first. Know what gifts you are looking for, and how much you are going to spend. If you end up buying several extra items, that even though they are a great deal, were not on your list, you may be not saving yourself any money.

2. take a drink and snacks – most shoppers do not want to spend extra time standing in line for food or drink while they are Christmas shopping. Take your own drink and snack, if you think you will get hungry. This will save you both time and money.

3. wear layers of clothing – depending on what climate you live in, this may or may not apply. If your area is cold, you will probably need a jacket, but most stores will probably be warm, if not hot, because of all of the customers shopping.

4. expect the unexpected and avoid stress – with so many people shopping on Black Friday, there will be fewer parking spaces, long lines, grouchy employees and customers, and stores may run out of certain items. Start out with a good attitude and try very hard to keep it up while you are shopping. Perhaps you will be able to brighten the days of other customers and employees.

5. check the store’s website – perhaps websites will have the same items for the same price. It may be worth your while (and sanity) to shop online, instead of in the busy stores.

6. start checking out the ads now – there are quite a few websites that are already posting Black Friday ads. You can start planning where you want to shop now, which will give you more time on Thanksgiving day to relax and enjoy your time with family and friends.

Here are some websites with ads for Black Friday. (I assume most will have the same information, but each site is organized and set up differently and some have commentaries about the sales.)
TheBlackFriday.com
Black-Friday.net
BlackFriday.info
BFAds.net

Do you shop on Black Friday? What is the best deal you have ever gotten on Black Friday? What are you planning to buy on Black Friday this year?

Internet Coupons for NY and Co, Ann Taylor, and Avon

Here are a few coupons I have found recently. I hope they will help you save money.

New York and Company: Use code 9490 to save an extra 30% off, now through Sunday, November 23, 2008.

Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft: 30% off as many purchases as you like, plus receive free shipping. Use promo code FRIENDS, now through Sunday, November 23, 2008.

Avon.com: Free shipping with $10+ purchase. Use promo code GOBBLE. Expires Monday, November 24, 2008.

Dave Ramsey’s Top 10 Christmas Shopping Mistakes

If you plan to go Christmas shopping this weekend, you may want to read this article. Dave Ramsey shares 10 common mistakes people do when shopping for Christmas gifts.

In The Shadow Of The Sun King – Book Review

In The Shadow Of The Sun King is Golden Keyes Parsons’ debut fiction novel, published by Thomas Nelson. This historical fiction novel is based on historical fact, as well as the author’s family history.

In The Shadow Of The Sun King takes place in seventeenth century France and focuses on the conflict between the Huguenots (French Protestants) and Roman Catholics, the latter being the state religion. Even though a law was passed to recognize the Huguenots, it did not always guarantee them safety. King Louis XIV allowed Huguenot hospitals and schools to close, and forced the Protestant children to attend Catholic schools, many of which were kidnapped from their families and sent to schools or convents without the parents approval or knowledge. Times were not easily for Huguenots who choose not to convert to Catholicism.

This heart-wrenching, action-packed story is about Clavell family, mainly Madeleine, the mother, several family members, and some of their servants, who are all French Protestants.

Parsons did a wonderful job illustrating the physical and political landscape in which this story takes place. And by adding a brief glossary of the common French words used in the book, it was very easy to look up the meanings to gain a more complete understanding of the story. A Historical Perspective is also included, giving a short background of the time period when the story commences.

This is the first book in the series called A Light to Darkness Novel. The author is currently working on the second novel, but it is not clear how many novels will be included in this series.

Link Love

Check out these great deals, articles, and giveaways!

Free:
Free Pillsbury Coupon Booklet

Coupons:
Art.com: 25% off entire site. Expires Friday, 11/21/08, use code: FF2008

Save Money:
Eleven (Nearly) Effective Ways to Save Money Each Month at Frugal Dad

Taking Dramatic Change One Day at a Time at The Simple Dollar

How to Look Fabulous, Frugally: Part 3 at Almost Frugal

The Benefits of Shopping at Warehouse Clubs at Being Frugal

Whip Out that AAA Card Everywhere… at Iowa Geek

Family:
Walking Away to be a Stay-At-Home Parent at The Simple Dollar

9 Tips for Taking Great Family Portraits at Simple Mom

Make Money:
Used Electronics = Costco Cash Cards at iMommies

Giveaways:
Bloggy Giveaways

Bookroom Reviews

West of Mars

Tuesday’s Tip Jar: Christmas Card Organization

I love to send cards, although I do not send as many as I would like. One of the things I love about Christmas time is sending and receiving Christmas cards. It helps me stay in touch with old friends and usually updates me on how they are doing. Normally I send around 50 Christmas cards. 

Here are some of my Christmas card tips:

1. Buy Christmas cards after Christmas when they are 75% or 90% off. There’s nothing like paying a dollar or two for a box of Christmas cards!

2. Store all of your cards together in a large box (still keeping the cards in their individual small boxes they came in).

3. In each of the small card boxes, I have a piece of scrap paper that I write down the names of the people I send them to. (Because of the variety of cards I have, I like to handpick each one, choosing the most appropriate card for the person/people on my list. Oftentimes I do not use all of my cards in one year, so it’s very helpful to me to have the list of people I sent a particular card to; this way I will not send someone the same card year after year.)

4. During the month of December, our church sets up several tables in the lobby and has a box where you can drop off your Christmas cards for other church members/attendees. Volunteers sort out the cards and put them in alphabetized boxes. This helps save money on stamps, since I don’t have to mail any cards to our church friends. (If your church does not do this, suggest it!)

5. Ideally, I like to send Christmas cards at the beginning of December. But if I know I will be seeing a friend in person, I will plan to give them their Christmas card in person, instead of mailing it.

6. Keep a list of all of the people you send Christmas cards to and date it. (This is not the same list that I have in the individual card boxes). I will be making a list of all of the people I want to send cards to this year soon, and I will use my list from last year as a starting point, in deciding who to send cards to this year.

7. Write out a few cards at a time. If you are sending 50 cards, that may take a long time, depending on how much you write in each card. Perhaps you could just do 5 or 10 cards at a time? This way, you will not be overwhelmed and can enjoy taking the time to write to friends and family.

How do you make sending Christmas cards fun and not overwhelming?

For other tips, check out Tuesday’s Tip Jar at BlogMammas.com

Menu Plan Monday

Here is this week’s menu plan:

Tuesday: oriental chicken (didn’t make this last week – I ended up buying a whole chicken, roasting it in the oven, and I will use the leftover chicken from last week for my meal this week) with rice

Wednesday: macaroni and cheese and stewed tomatoes

Thursday: Ruth’s Split Pea Soup (Fix It & Forget It, page 54) w/ biscuits (that are currently being stored in the freezer)

Friday: tacos and steamed veggies or salad

Saturday: hamloaf and steamed veggies

Sunday: egg sandwiches, fruit, salad

Monday: chili, steamed veggies, homemade cornbread

Deals This Week: 11/16-11/22

Here are a few links to help you save money while you shop this week:

CVS at Coupon Cravings

KMart at Mommies with Cents

Rite-Aid at Sisterly Savings

Walgreens at Moms By Heart

Target at Attention Target Shoppers Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Wal-Mart at The Centsible Sawyer

Happy Shopping!