Publix Online Shopping List and Meal Deals

A parent of my little girl's friend told me a great tip for those Publix shoppers. Not only does their website have a great tip for meal deals for $15 updated weekly, it also has a list of the BOGO (buy one get one) items of the week! How neat is that! I could not believe the wealth of information on the site.

The best thing was the online shopping list. You can create you own list ready to go to the store using featured products, weekly ads, and the Aprons Simple Meals. All you do is show the shopping list for that Aprons Meal and click next to the item and it is on your list, ready to go to the store.

And I hate going to the store without a list! A definite time saver- the recipes, the ads, the BOGOs, and the shopping list. Too much excitement for one site!

BTW- I made this Angel Lush cake this week for an Easter party- and believe it or not- my mom made it today (without ever talking to me) for our family Easter dinner! It is a definite winner!

I tried it! Coupon Mom- Preparing for the Grocery Store!

In preparing for my grocery trip today (I hate going to the grocery store) I tried out Coupon Mom via recommendation of Betsy. I also resorted back to an old site, Menus4Moms to get some inspiration for dinner this week. I did not get to fully investigate Coupon Mom, but I did find some good coupons to print. Her free ebook about cutting your grocery bill in half looked promising, but I did not have time to read it during my prep time. Menu4Moms is great since the grocery list and recipes are all ready for you. I did not resubscribe, but went to their archived lists and selected a menu with all food items I would eat. I then gathered up my cut coupons from other weeks and pulled all the coupons before I left the house. While it did take less time at the store, overall, it all takes a lot of time to shop with coupons. But hey--- I did save over $20 using coupons, plus I went to Walmart and bought all my packaged goods so overall, I probably saved more than my typical trip to Publix. I will go to Publix tomorrow to get my meat and the local produce stand for produce. A lot of trips, but saving the money is worth it!

Tips for Smart Shopping

Today on yahoo.com, one of the main stories was how stores get you to buy more than you think you are buying with special wording, product placement, and "sales". I think that this information is so prevalent for moms, since we try us best to get our money's worth. As a Smart Mom, I try hard to keep expenses at a minimum and be a smart shopper. For some of my ideas on smart internet shopping, visit the Smart Mom site for tips and details.

Black Friday Online Shopping Deals

If you are doing more shopping online this year, I have some deals for you for Black Friday. Some of these are deals for the holidays so check all of them even if you missed Black Friday!

Black Friday Product Deals from Overstock.com! Valid 11.22.07 to 11.25.07

Thanksgiving Weekend Sale - get an extra 20% off clearance items at BareNecessities.com. 5 days only! Sale ends 11.26.07.



eToys: FREE Shipping when you Spend $99+ on Qualifying Orders (see details, ends 11.26)




Netflix - Only $4.99 a month. No Late Fees. Try it for Free!













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Buy Nothing Day!

I am a lover of Black Friday. I love the excitement of people rushing out to buy the greatest deal ever. Last year, as people were swarming into Target to fight of the three electronic items that were available, I got in the shortest line ever... Starbucks. No one wanted coffee, they wanted the deal.

So now, in opposition to Black Friday, there is Buy Nothing Day. On November 23, people are to ban together to buy nothing. There are even some cute ideas, like cut up your credit card protest and buy nothing samples. The purpose is to stop shopping and go green. It is for people to "escape from the marketing mind games and frantic consumerism that have come to characterize modern life."

But do they go shopping on Saturday?

The other interesting thing is this coincides with the biggest shopping day in the US- Black Friday- but takes place in the UK and Canada... they don't celebrate our Thanksgiving- so is it Black Friday in other countries too? Actually, the North American date is November 23. Internationally, the date is November 24.

I am not going shopping this Friday, but I may shop. The Buy Nothing Day is a great idea, but I want to get the kiddos gifts and the deals are good.

I will consider it.
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Are You Ready for Black Friday?

It seems a little early to start making preparations for Black Friday, but it is never too early to start making a plan. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when all of the stores have the greatest deals, before 8:00 am! I live in a rural area, so for the past few years, my mom, my sister, my sister-in-laws and I have pack up Thanksgiving night and drove at least an hour and a half to go to the closest biggest city, spend the night in a hotel (one time the hotel was IN the mall) and then we get up at 4:30 am to be at a super store at 5:00 am when the doors open.

And it is crazy! No carts, people fighting and pushing for the best deals (of which there are usually on one or two per store), and mass chaos for the first hour or two of your day.

Then we go to the mall. More craziness and more deals, but at what price! Not to mention I buy so many things that are not even Christmas presents because I cannot resist the deal!

This year I have a new plan. It is a great website that provides you with all of the black friday ads by email alert before anyone else. You don't have to wait for the Thanksgiving newspaper! You can purchase all of the items online WITHOUT standing in line through direct links from the Black Friday ads.

The store I go to first every year is Target. And Black Friday list Target's after Thanksgiving specials via email right when they get them. Then you can sit at the comfort of your computer and place your order for the same deals that are available in the stores (I am sure there are some limitations to some deals and times to purchase, but it is STILL better than standing in line!).

As the holiday season gets closer, the Black Friday website will be my main source of planning for the great deals! I WILL NOT be in line this year at 5:00 am! I will be in the comfort of my home with my crazy family instead!