Holiday Stress

Sorry I have been such a bad blogger the past few weeks. Things have just been crazy between holiday activities, work, the kids and school functions.

Other than a gift card and a few small items I am DONE with Christmas shopping. Sounds great huh? Well it is except I am waiting for 12, yes TWELVE, items to still be shipped. They are all supposed to be shipped in the next few days and have a promised delivery of December 24, but honestly I am starting to worry that they will not be here. And believe it or not, I did not wait until the last minute either. They have all had been ordered a week or more ago. Plus I still need to pick up an item that was backordered at Sears and finally came in.

Then wrapping... ugh it stresses me out even thinking about it. I have so much to wrap. And when will I find not only the time, but time when no one will be home? Add on top of that I still need to hit the post office and that idea stresses me out even more than wrapping and the shipping combined. Maybe I will just send UPS and avoid the whole post office scene.

My holiday baking has not been done, nor even thought of yet. I had plans to send stuff to my clients and some friends in Illinois, however I honestly don't see that happening. Maybe I will do "Welcome 2008" baking instead. How cheesy would that be?

I need to just slow down and take a deep breath. Holiday's don't need to be an elliptical that we never seem to get off of. I need to remember that Christmas isn't about gifts and cookies and pretty wrapping paper. It is about the birth of a special little boy. A little boy who was sent here to save us –– Jesus.

Tuesday's Tips: Christmas Shopping, Already?

Yes I am one of those crazy people who stand in line at 5 am the day after Thanksgiving trying to get the best bargains possible. Do I like getting up at 3 am just to get in line for a reduced price Tickle Me Elmo or mp3 player? Not really, but anything to save a dollar.

So imagine my excitement to see that this year I have found an alternative to standing in line on that dreaded black friday. Online Black Friday!

Black-Friday.net will allow people to purchase Black Friday items online without the hassle of standing in line (most likely out in the cold) at 5am. Yes you heard that right... NO STANDING IN LINE! And not only that, but the site will send email alerts saying when new Black Friday ads have been listed.

I have already written down at what I want to get at stores like Old Navy, Target and Walmart. Heck there are even deals for those looking for plasma cutting. I can't wait to see what awesome deals and how much I can save all while I sit in the comfort of my office chair on November 23.

Tuesday Tips - Online Shopping

Last week I posted about one place I use for online shopping codes. I had such a great response that I thought for my "Tuesday Tips" I would give a list of places I frequently use for online and printable coupons.

I rarely buy anything online without a code for something –– free shipping, percent off, BOGO, etc. I also make sure I do a quick search for printable coupons before heading out to stores. I almost always have a printable coupon for Children's Place, Express, Borders, Barnes & Nobles and World Market. And if you are lucky enough to be near me in line at one of these stores I usually have extra that I give away.

So here my friends are some good places to find great online, and sometimes offline, deals.

• Current Codes
• Deal Catcher
• Flamingo World
• Wow Coupons (GREAT for printable coupons)
  
• Coupon Chief
• Coupon Cabin
• Coupon Craze
• Momscape
• Deal Detectives

Happy shopping!!

Online Shopping and Deals

Since my birthday is around the corner I thought I would share some great deals so people can start their shopping. You know I really want a new video Ipod. Ha ha

Joking aside I have to say I am guilty of online shopping... especially shoes and electronics. I can get so much better of a deal by shopping online than at a store. In fact I recently used online coupons from Circuit City and saved almost $100 on my new digital camera. And an added bonus was I was able to pick it up at the store – no lines, no hassles – for almost $100 less than if I were to buy it in the store.

I know I have a few friends who are in the market for a new digital camera. I love my Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom. (in fact Jamie and Val both own the same camera and no Panasonic is not paying me to promote my camera) Besides the zoom feature, my favorite part is the different "scene"settings. At the Nascar race the setting I used allowed the cars to not appear as blurs. And it works great for sporting events and beach scenes (or snow scenes for my northern friends). I noticed some Circuit City coupons offering 12 percent off digital cameras and an additional $20 - $80 off as well. Add in free shipping or in store pick up and you are good to go.

Online shopping tip: Whenever you are planning on buying something online, do a little search for coupons or promotions. Many times you will be surprised at the coupons you find. I got the kids crocs (hush Val) for $15 with just online codes. And the same goes for shopping in the store, especially at Borders, Barnes and Nobles and Children's place. Maybe next Tuesday I will do a post with all my secret online coupon places. You will be amazed at what I find.