Shoes, shoes, shoes!

Anyone who has kids knows that the single most expensive thing we buy them every year is their shoes!  I cringe at the thought.
However, you all know I am a big bargain hunter so I always have my eyes peeled for some major savings.

Today while grocery shopping I bought 8 pair of girls summer shoes, several different sizes, which should cover my kids for a couple years.

Here they are...

If I had paid full price for all these, my total would have been $114.00.  But you know I did NOT pay anywhere near full price.  My total for 8 pair of shoes was...

$29.00

The mocassins were $4 each, and the "Mary Jane's" were $3 each after all discounts.  I love a good clearance find, especially when I'm not expecting it!

You all know I LOVE a good bargain, and I love to plan ahead.  While shopping at Target I spied my favorite sign...75% off. 
I found these hats marked down to $1.24, so I bought 4 of them for next year (2 in each style; no fighting).  I'm so proud of myself, and the girls love the hats, so that's a bonus!

Gia prefers the polk a dots

Tia liked the tassles

I also got them matching gloves for .25 cents.  Yay me!

What Girl Doesn't Love New Shoes?

I was with Gia in Target the other day just scoping out the clearance racks.  This is my favorite time of year to shop since most stores are trying to get rid of all their Christmas stock as well as make way for the spring line.  I happened to walk by the shoe department and saw a 75% off rack.  I told Gia she could pick out a pair of shoes for herself, and one for her sister.  Um, this child who claims to be a girl told me she didn't want any new shoes.  What?!  I told her I honestly had never heard of a girl who didn't want new shoes.  Oh well, her loss.  I saw these Mary Jane's, which I had noticed many times before and thought were adorable.  I knew Tia would love them (they're so 'fancy').

So many times I had walked by these shoes and wanted to buy them but refused to pay the full price of $16.99.  I know, go ahead and call me cheap, I've heard it before.
But, take a look at this and maybe you'll understand my madness...

Yup, that's right.  I got BOTH pair of shoes for half of what I would have paid for one pair at full price!
I was right, Tia loved them, especially the pink ones of course.  They're a tiny bit big so she'll be ready to wear them in early spring, and I thnk that's just perfect.
I love a good bargain!

Swimming in Bargains

You know I love a good bargain. I was on the hunt for some clearance priced swim suits for the girls since they are in swim lessons now and will probably continue throughout the winter months. I hit the jackpot at Target, finding these suits for $3.29. That's my kind of price!

The lighting at the indoor pool isn't great for picture taking but here are the girls at their lesson. They had a great time, and loved showing their teacher the new suits. So much fun!

A bargain fit for a Princess!

I have a cousin who is getting married in August. Lucky for us the happy couple is planning to wed in Michigan (not NY) which is so much closer! We were planning to attend anyway, but then the bride called and asked if Tia could be a flower girl in the wedding. How could we get so lucky! We were told we could pick out our own flower girl dress as long as it was white. The bride to be suggested we start at JC Penney's.
Yesterday seemed to be as good a day as any to take a look at what they had to offer. The girls always love a trip to the mall, no matter what the occasion. Well, I must say we hit the jack pot! All the flower girl/communion dresses were marked 60% off, and of course we had coupons.
Tia found this adorable dress, which I must say makes her look like a princess, and said "Mom, this is the dress for me!". After all discounts were taken, we paid...are you ready for this? We paid...

$20.00

The dress was originally $80, and I'm sure plenty of people paid that price! I'm so glad we didn't.
Tia is so proud, she's telling everyone she meets that she's going to be a flower girl. I can't wait to see this little princess walk down that aisle!

I love a good bargain

My kids were trained pretty early on that when we go into a store, they aren't going to get a prize. We never started that with them, so they don't expect it. However, even I couldn't pass up these adorable nightgowns when I saw the price!

Original price $10. Clearance rack price $3.

And the best part is that it wasn't a toy that would be played with for a day and then tossed in the toy box and forgotten. They can wear these all summer long and really get our $3 worth. I love a good bargain!

My Kind of Deals!

It's been a very long time since I've found a really good bargain, a deal worthy of writing about. Well, today I hit the mother lode! Here's just a sampling of what I got at Target today.

Five rolls of pink/red wrapping paper .87 ea.

Valentine's for the girls to give out to their classes for the next few years .24 for small boxes, .49 for larger boxes.

Chenille bath rug $2.50 and valentine shower curtain $2.50.
Yes, we will be decorating our bathroom next February.

Long sleeve t-shirts for next year, and the year after (I bought 6 of them).
They were $1.49 each. I just couldn't leave them there!

Go ahead and laugh at me when you see this next one...

Bras, .78 each!

I know my girls are only 3 and 4 so you'll think I'm weird for buying them bras! Well, they were only .78. I'm 100% positive that when they actually need bras, and I have to go shopping, they will NOT be .78. When that time comes, I'll go to my favorite drawer and pull these out. Nothing like planning ahead!

So, overall I had a very successful and productive shopping experience at Target. This almost makes up for missing out on my usual post Christmas deals.

Christmas Crafts in January?

I'm not sure why I get myself into these messes. I was in Michael's (craft store) the other day and they had all their Christmas "kits" on sale for .99. I figured they would be fun for the girls to do on a boring afternoon. This particular one was for making a gingerbread Christmas tree.


It sure was fun for the girls, and VERY sticky!

I can't believe how much frosting was involved, and I only mixed one of the two packages that came with the kit.




Gia was actually sucking the frosting out of the piping bag! Look at the smile on Tia's face. I'm not sure if she's excited, or just completely hyped up on sugar.
Nonetheless, they had a great time, and it really didn't make a huge mess since I kept everything on the baking sheet.
Oh, the things I do for my kids!

Planning Ahead

It's been quite a while since I've posted any good clearance rack finds. We all know I LOVE a good sale. Well, last night while in Walgreen's picking up my pictures, I was pulled by magnetic force over to the "75% off" section. I found the girls' costumes for next year. There weren't a lot left to choose from, but we were able to find 2 girl costumes, in a size a bit too big.

Tia's was $2.75

Gia's was an astronomical $3.00!

As soon as they woke up this morning, they wanted to try them on (hence the crazy hair). They love them, and hopefully I can actually convince them that they're for next year!

A Great Find!

It's not really a big clearance time of year, so I wasn't expecting to buy anything when I went to JC Penney today. I had to go in and pick up the girls' pictures that we had taken a couple weeks ago. They were ready last week but since I was in NY, and D.R. totally forgot, they've been sitting there for a while. Of course I had to walk past the little girls section on our way out. I saw a big rack with girls underwear and a sign that said $1.19. I grabbed 6 packages, since I have 2 girls and they will always need underwear. There were some socks marked clearance too but I wasn't sure how much they would be.

When I got to the register the clerk told me all my items were ringing up regular price. She sent a girl back to check the rack and sure enough, I was right and everything was on sale. However, when she rang up the discount on the underwear, they came down to .98 a package! That's my kind of bargain.

So, I got 18 pairs of underwear, and 12 pairs of socks for a grand total of ...

$9.74

The original prices were $7.99 each package. My receipt tells me I saved $54.88 today. I'm pretty proud of myself on this one!

Spring in in the Air!

I told the kids it was warm enough to have our snack outside today. Tia specifically wanted to have a picnic on the grass. Well, I happened to have this great blanket that is designed just for that. I was grocery shopping a couple months ago and found it on the (you guessed it) clearance rack. It was originally $14.99 and it was marked down to...hold on to your hats...$1.49! It folds up into a little square with a handle so you can carry it to the park. The underside is lined with nylon so the blanket won't get wet if the ground is damp. I bought two!
The blanket was a big hit and I have the feeling we won't be able to go to the park without it from now on.

After she was done with her snack, Gia wanted to check the mail.


Tia got nervous about her baby sister being so close to the road and decided to take control of the situation. She dragged her by the hand back to the blanket (several times). You can see by the look on Tia's face, she is all business.
Safety first!


After a snack, a few trips to the mail box, and a couple test drives of the tricycles that have been in the garage all winter, it was time for a cookie!


A little warmer weather and sunshine is all it took to get us out in the fresh air, and away from the TV. By the time we got back inside it was nap time. Time flies when you're having fun!

Smoochie Smooch

I took Gia to my hairdresser yesterday to get her first professional haircut. I had high hopes that it would go well because each time I asked her if she would get her haircut her response was "yes, I do!". Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. She screamed, kicked, squirmed, cried, and did everything except sit still.
I was planning on putting a picture up of her new do, but since she has a bow in her hair, you can't really see it. Miraculously, it actually turned out quite cute even though she was a moving target.
While I was taking pictures of the girls in their new dresses, they turned to each other and kissed. I'm glad I captured the moment!
The dresses were on the final mark down rack at Penney's for $4. I just had to share that since, as we all know, I am a proud clearance shopper!

Gloves Galore, and more!

Anyone who knows me knows I'm really into clearance shopping. I am always on the look out for a good bargain. Every once in a while I am so proud of my findings, I just have to share with all you blog readers.
Here's what I found...

I think I got enough gloves/mittens for both girls for the next 3 years.
The gloves were $1 each, the hats were $1.50.


I couldn't resist this silly T-shirt for Gia, at a mere .24 cents. Do I care that it says "Thanksgiving 2008"? Nope, I don't care if she rolls around in the mud in it for that price. I got one for myself too, but it was a whopping .75 cents. Maybe we'll roll around together.

I even got a couple pants for myself, including these that Tia wanted to model for me. She told me they were just a little too big right now.
I paid $1.98 for this pair, and $1.24 for a khaki pair.
The most expensive thing on my receipt was a pair of gloves I bought for myself that cost $1.99. I figure I'm worth it!

I have a clearance rack smile on my face tonight.

Post holiday shopping

I took the girls to JC Penney today to look for shoes for Gia. She has a pretty wide foot and was in desperate need of something a little more comfortable than her current sneakers.
Of course, anyone who knows me knows that I had to run by the Christmas clearance. I absolutely love the after Christmas sales. "75% off" is my kind of sign.

I found these adorable plates there. I noticed their original price was $11.99. I would love to meet the person who actually paid $11.99 for a plastic plate, and give them a good shake and a firm talking to! You've got to be kidding me. They're cute, but not that cute.
After all the discounts I paid $1.49 each. I let Gia pick one too. She liked Winnie the Pooh.


They were both so happy with their new plates, they could care less about the stacks and stacks of toys all around them.

The only problem is that Tia thinks there should be something in every reservoir. She's a very concrete thinker. There are 5 spaces for food, so there must be 5 foods in the spaces.
This might not seem like such a big deal except for the fact that she's a vegetarian! I went with it, and got creative (notice the dry cereal, used merely to fill the space).
I told the girls we were having 'fancy lunch', and made it sound REALLY exciting. Gia kept saying "oooooh" and Tia said "I like fancy lunch". She is such a girl!

So, $1.49 helped, if even for just one day, to get them to eat a well balanced, healthy meal. That's my kind of bargain!

Another great bargain

Tia's room gets super cold in the winter. We have tried to get her to use 2 blankets, but for some reason she really doesn't want to, no matter how cold it is in her room.
D.R. and I figured maybe she would do better with a comforter. I had been looking and really was not excited about spending $30 on a comforter for a toddler bed!
I happened to be in K Mart the other day so I ran through to check out the bedding. They had some Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty blankets for $27. I was not thrilled with that price. On my way out of the bedding department I ran across an entire toddler bed set which includes a fitted sheet, top sheet, pillow case, and comforter. There was only one left, and it was Little Mermaid. Tia likes Ariel but I hesitated because it wasn't pink (she wants a pink room). Then I looked at the price.
It was originally $35.50, marked down to $27.00, final mark down price...

$7.00!

When I brought it home Tia freaked out. She immediately wanted to make her bed and hop in. She didn't care one bit that it isn't pink. She told me this morning that her new bed set helped her sleep better.
This is my kind of deal!

More closet adventures

Since Tia asks every day which dress she can wear, and usually begs to wear one that is not appropriate for the weather, I have come up with a solution.
I saw this rack on clearance (of course) at our local Toys R Us that is going out of business.




It is perfectly eye level for Tia. I hung about a weeks worth of dresses that are appropriate for the season on the new rack. Now when she goes in her closet she knows she can pick something off the lower rack, and there's no arguing, no tears!

I also thought this would come in handy when she is in school. I can hang a weeks worth of outfits on the rack so when it's time to get dressed in the morning we aren't hunting around for something to wear at the last minute. Maybe she and I can pick out 5 outfits on Sunday before bed, and save tons of hassle during the week.
I swear I am a genius!

Out of the house after 3 days

Ahhh, it felt great for both the kids and myself to get out of the house after being cooped up for so long. We are used to being on the go almost every day. It was a rainy morning so we headed to the mall. They ran around, rode the toy cars, discovered the Disney Store (first time, many ooohs and aaaaahs) and of course, had ice cream.
What a treat.
Since I never shop at the Disney Store, I had forgotten how fun it can be, and had no idea they have clearance items! woo hoo for me.
We have a couple little girls in our neighborhood who absolutely LOVE Ariel. I had them in mind when I saw this back pack and lunch box. They were sold separately but hook onto each other. The back pack and lunch box together totaled about $7! I couldn't believe it.



Of course I bought 2 each in anticipation of being invited to one or both of their birthday parties. Now I have their gifts all set.
If for some reason we don't get invited, then Tia will have a new set for new school next year (and a spare)!
What little girl wouldn't love to carry this around.
On a side note, can you believe with all the Princess stuff in that store that Tia was absolutely fine walking out of there without buying a thing for herself!?

More bargains

I am so proud of my bargain hunting abilities, I just have to share again.

Here is Tia wearing a beautiful Gap Kids corduroy dress that I got from a garage sale for $1. Her leather shoes (honestly, real leather) I bought on clearance last spring for $3.50. I just cut the tags off this morning.
I got so many comments today on how adorable she looked. Can't beat the price!


To round out the day in true thrifty fashion, I broke out these pajamas.

You can't really tell from the picture but they are thermal which is great because Tia's room is the coldest room in the house and I worry about her all winter long.
I just dug them out of her dresser, still in the package. I bought them at end of season last year at Target for, get this....$1.98! Needless to say I bought 4 pair (2 for each girl).

I think I am a bargain addict! I was at Target again this afternoon and found a package of 7 pairs of girls socks for less than $2.
I must be stopped!

Bargain Hunter Bounty

Anyone who knows me knows I am a bargain hunter. Not just bargains, but I am a serious clearance shopper. I can smell a clearance sign a mile away.
I often go to Target a day or two after a holiday and stock up on things for the girls that have been marked down to $1-$2. Last year I paid $4 for their winter coats at the end of season! I guessed at what size they would need for the following winter, and happened to guess right. I figured, what the heck, for $4 if I am off about the size, at least I'm only out a few bucks.

After the 4th of July I went into Target and found blue and white bathing suits marked down to $3.98 because they were considered "holiday" stock. I was pretty darn proud of my find.
Then, today I was in Target again, for some groceries, and I came across my favorite sign...
"75% off". It draws me like a magnet! I found these suits for the girls.

Check out the price tags! $1.72, $2.24, $2.48...I was in clearance heaven!



I got two of this pink one (one for each of the girls). Tia has hers on right now and won't take it off!
I totaled up what I paid for all 6 suits (including the 2 blue ones from the first sale). Ready for this?
A whopping $16.98 for 6 bathing suits!
Now that's a bargain!