Making the Most of After Christmas Sales

If you've been out and about today, you've most likely seen the throngs of shoppers gathered round marked down Christmas items. For some of you this may seem like a ridiculous waste of time, however, I'd like to give you a few ideas that will help you make the most of these sales.

• Christmas Candy - Now is the time to snag candy for a fraction of the price. Inexpensive bags of chocolate, chocolate bars, and chocolate Santas can be used in place of chocolate chips for baking. Also, I try to stock up on Hershey's Kisses to be used for Valentines and St. Patricks day. I use red and gold kisses for Valentines day and I use green kisses for St. Patricks day. It sure beats paying full price in February!
• Wrapping Paper - Christmas wrapping paper isn't just for Christmas! You can find solid and foiled red, gold, silver, green, and white paper that can be used throughout the year. Also, look for pastel colored paper with snowflakes to be used on gifts given during the wintry months.
• Gift Sets - I love holiday gift sets. Many of these get marked down to a fraction of the price because the packaging is Chistmas-y. I've often purchased giftsets made up of lotions and body washes at 50-80% off just because of the wrapping. What's even better is that these gift sets can be dismantled and the individual bottles of lotions can be put in other gifts throughout the year. I often turn these gift sets into birthday gifts or thinking of you gifts!
• Baking supplies and cookware - After Christmas is a great time to purchase cookware and baking supplies. I found multiple sets of pots and pans marked at 50% off at Wal-Mart this morning and I also found nice cookie sheets. I'm not sure why they choose to mark so many of these items down in their "holiday" section, but I definitely won't complain. If you need pots and pans, waffle irons, tea kettles, etc., make sure to take a look at the holiday markdowns.
• Christmas decorations and lights - Most of my Christmas decorations and lights have been purchased after Christmas. Each year, I try to add a few piece ornaments to my collection. I love that I can buy 3 or 4 ornaments for the price I would usually pay for 1. This is also a great time to buy an artificial tree to use next year. Also, if you are planning a wedding or party in which you may want to use white lights, stock up now. You'll be able to find them and the price on them will be unbeatable!
• Candles - I love candles! I love the way they make my house smell and the ambiance they create. Candles are often included in the post Christmas sales...and not just the red and green ones. I was amazed to find so many white candles in a variety of scents marked down to a fraction of their costs!

I hope this will give you a few ideas to help make the most of after Christmas sales. Please remember that it's never a good deal if you don't have the money to pay for it. It's easy to get caught up in the thrill of a bargain, but it's not worth the stress that it brings when you realize you have no money and no place to store all your "bargains". With that disclaimer out of the way, I'm heading to the mall! Have a great day!

Crocs Deal of the Day: $9.99 Alice

Crocs continues to roll out the great deals. Today's Deal of the Day is Crocs Alice for only $9.99.
Free shipping continues through the end of December as well, so although these won't make it before Christmas, you can still get a pretty sweet deal!

Happy shopping!

Crocs Deal of the Day: Buy One Get One 50% Off Boots (Ambler, Haley, Claire, Nadia, and Nadia Girls)

Crocs is back with another great deal...Buy One Get One 50% Off Boots (Ambler, Haley, Claire, Nadia, and Nadia Girls). They have some seriously cute boots!

Also, all sports licensed Beach and Cayman are $14.99 and $9.99 for Kids. All sports licensed Mammoth's are only $19.99.

I also have 2 great coupon codes that can be combined and used with this deal. One is for 20% off and the other is for 10% off. Make sure you enter both codes!

DEALMOM20 (20% off) and crocswinter09 (10% off). Thanks Deal Seeking Mom!

Click here to order your Crocs! Don't forget, FREE SHIPPING on all orders in December.

Crocs Deal of the Day: Minnie Mouse Mary Jane Silhouettes $14.99 (Kids version $9.99)

Crocs continues to amaze me with the deals they keep rolling out this month. Today's Crocs Deal of the Day is the $14.99 Minnie Mouse Mary Jane Silhouettes and $9.99 Kid's version

Take an additional 5% off your order with code N9DWZLKY3ISA. This code is stackable which means you can combine it with another code if you have one!

Don't forget, FREE SHIPPING on all orders in December.

Another Crocs Deal: BOGO 50% Off on Gretel and Santa Cruz Cords

Crocs is running an additional special today. Crocs Gretel ($49.99), Kids Gretel ($34.99), Santa Cruz Corduroy ($49.99), and Kids Santa Cruz Cords ($29.99) are all Buy One, Get One 50% Off. To check out these shoes, click here and type the name of the shoe in the search box.

This is a limited time offer based on availability so take advantage of the deal while you can!

Take an additional 5% off your order with code N9DWZLKY3ISA.

Don't forget, FREE SHIPPING on all orders in December.

Crocs Deal of the Day: Mickey Cayman Silhouettes $14.99 (Kids version $9.99)

Crocs continues to amaze me with the deals they keep rolling out this month. Today's Crocs Deal of the Day is the $14.99 Mickey Cayman Silhouettes and $9.99 Kid's version.

Take an additional 5% off your order with code N9DWZLKY3ISA.

Don't forget, FREE SHIPPING on all orders in December.

Crocs Deal of the Day: Girls Chickadee ($4.99) and Girls Siren ($9.99)

Crocs has another great deal today...especially for all of you out there with girls. Today's Deal of the Day is the Girls Ocean Minded Chickadee (pictured above) for only $4.99 or the Girls Ocean Minded Siren for $9.99.

Take an additional 5% off your order with code N9DWZLKY3ISA.

Don't forget, FREE SHIPPING on all orders in December.

Great Aveda Freebies with Purchase

I absolutely love Aveda products. I love the smell and I love the way they make my skin and hair feel and look.

Right now you can get a free Body Care Trio set ($19 value) with any purchase when you use the code BODYGIFT129. Plus you'll get free standard shipping and they offer you 2 additional free samples as you go through the checkout process.

The Body Care Trio set includes:

• 25ml Deluxe Size Hand Relief
• 10ml Sample of Foot Relief
• 50ml Calming Body Cleanser

I purchased a travel size item for $4.50, but if you want to splurge, I highly recommend the Caribbean Therapy Body Creme or the Foot Relief.

You can use all of these small size items to stock your travel kit, fill stockings, or give them away in a gift basket.

Thanks Mrs. Nespy's Frugal World for the heads up.

Crocs Deal of the Day: Women's Nadia $19.99 (Girls Nadia $14.99)

I've been wanting a pair of these Crocs Nadia boots for a while and I'm excited to see them for such a great price. They are only $19.99 today (girls Nadia boots are only $14.99).

Click here to take advantage of the deal of the day. Don't forget, you can take an additional 5% off your order with code N9DWZLKY3ISA and shipping is FREE for the month of December!

Another Day...Another Crocs Deal...Another Christmas Gift For Me

I'm starting to feel a little selfish. Every deal I post, I mention the pair that I'd like (although to be honest, the Lena and Nanook are my favorite shoes I've posted about so far!) Crocs Nanook are only $14.99 (and girls Nanook are only $9.99). These are cute, comfortable, and warm. It doesn't get much better than that! It's a good thing I have feet the size of your average Sasquatch...(and the big sizes tend to sell out really quickly). Otherwise, I'd only be getting Crocs for Christmas. Which I guess when you think of it wouldn't be that bad at all!

Also, they are carrying over their Licensed Mammoth Deal through today, so you should be able to get some sweet deals on warm shoes.

Take an additional 5% off your order with code N9DWZLKY3ISA, ends 12/18 and is stackable on all offers!

Don't forget, FREE SHIPPING on all orders in December.

Click here to get started on your shopping!

Crocs Deal of the Day: Sports Team Mammoth Shoes only $19.99

In my family, we're all Philadelphia Eagles fans. After all, our parents believed in raising us the right way! That's why I was so excited to see this deal. Crocs has their Licensed Mammoths (the shoes with the fuzzy inside) for only $19.99 (or $14.99 for kids).

I've been wanting a pair for a while and although I was originally thinking black would be nice, an Eagles pair would be great too and I think these might end up under my tree this year. They're perfect for wearing to the gym since we can't wear street shoes inside the gym. They are easy to slip on and off and they're cozy on a cold day!

So here's the deal...
Sports Licensed Adult Mammoths are only $19.99.
Sports Licensed Kid's Mammoths are only $14.99.

You're not just limited to the Philadelphia Eagles (although personally I think that is your best choice. They also have Colts (I'm a big fan of them as well) and some other lousy teams like the Dallas Cowboys.

Take an additional 5% off your order with code N9DWZLKY3ISA.

PLUS...FREE Shipping during the month of December!

Click here to order your Crocs!

Make sure to check back daily as Crocs will be posting new deals every day during the month of December!

Happy Shopping! Check back tomorrow as I will have tomorrows Deal of the Day posted first thing in the morning!

$8 for a $50 Snowboarding Game and a $25 Restaurant.com Certificate

UPDATE: Deal is dead. You can still receive 70% off Restaurant.com gift certificates, but there will no longer be a free Red Envelope Gift Card.

Restaurant.com has a smoking deal available now through December 8th. You can use the promo code PRESENT to score 70% off a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate + you'll get a free $15 gift promo code from Red Envelope.

To get in on this deal, go here and add a $25 gift certificate to your cart. At checkout type in promo code PRESENT --which will deduct 70%--making the gift certificate just $3! Your RedEnvelope promotion code will appear on the purchase confirmation page after you place your order and will be sent to you by Restaurant.com in an email that you will you receive within 24 hours. The promotion code will also be available in the My Account section of Restaurant.com.

To redeem the RedEnvelope $15 gift code, enter the promotion code at checkout. To enter it in the correct box at checkout--Make sure to get to the page where you enter your payment info. On this page, UNDER the "Payment info" box, is a spot you can click on to enter the gift code. After entering the gift code, click next and then it will give you your final total (after the $15 deduction) and let you enter your credit card info. Please keep in mind the gift code DOES NOT go in the promotional code boxes. I didn't realize this at first and got very confused!

The best part about this $15 gift code is that it covers shipping! I purchased this Snowboard Video Game (which is regularly $49.95) for $9.99 plus shipping. My total after the gift code was only $4.98. Not too shabby for a great gift for my kids and a night out for my hubby and I!

Thanks It's Hip 2 Save!

Great deals at Walgreens

I purchased St. Ives Mineral Therapy Body wash, St. Ives smoothing body scrub, 3 bottles Dove Advanced conditioner for color treated hair, Sunsilk shampoo (with bonus mousse) and Sunsilk gel, 2 tubes of Colgate Maxfresh toothpaste, and 3 Cover Girl lipsticks (which are not in the picture because my daughters had already tried them on by the time I got around to taking this picture!)

Yesterday, the cashier at Walgreens dubbed me the "Bargain Champion of the Day". I was quite proud of myself. I went in to pick up some Colgate Toothpaste. It was on sale for $2.99 and I had a few $1.50/1 coupons. They were also offering a $2 RR on the toothpaste which means I actually make money! As I was walking through the aisles, I noticed they had tons of stuff marked way down. They had Cover Girl lipsticks for $1.50 each. They also had a promotion on St. Ives. As I was getting ready to check out, one of the other customers mentioned some other clearance stuff in the back of the store. When I headed back there, they had Dove conditioner for $1 a bottle. They also had some Sunsilk products on clearance. I had $2.50/2 and $1/1 Cover Girl coupons, as well as 3 $1.50/1 Dove hair product coupons, and a $2/2 Sunsilk products coupon in addition to my Colgate coupon. When all is said and done I paid $3.35 OOP (out of pocket) and got a $2 RR. There are tons of great items on clearance right now at Walgreens. Take your coupons with you when you go. You never know when you're going to get a smoking deal!

Eat your veggies...they're good for you (and tonight they were free!)

Tonight I purchased 20 bags of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers (they have yummy veggie flavors!), a can of Campbells Select Harvest Soup, 2 Martha White muffin mixes, and 2 half gallons of skim milk. The grand total for my purchase at Kroger tonight was $3.50. By combining the sales at Kroger with coupons I had, I was able to get one heck of a deal. My total savings was $51.40 or 93%. The cashier who checked me out was genuinely surprised! He kept saying "Wow, that's ridiculous...in a good way, of course." To see some of the other great deals at Kroger this week, check out Nickels -n- Dimes printable list!