shoppingonabudget

Personally, I am not the best baker. When it comes to meals, I take the simplest approach. It usually involves a meal coming from a box or something you heat from the freezer. I am the same way with desserts. I never make cookies or cakes from scratch; instead, I buy the boxes or the bags. For me, it is cheaper and a lot easier.

Since we are Christmas shopping on a budget this year, I spent a little bit less on gifts for everyone. As an added bonus, my four year old and I are making sugar cookies for everyone. I purchased a couple 4-pack of foil container with the see through tops from the dollar store. These will hold the cookies.

We bought a few Betty Crocker sugar cookie bagged mixes, a couple tubs of frosting, and we already had sprinkles here. Most grocery stores have these Betty Crocker bagged cookies on sale. They are regularly selling for 3 for $5 around here (about $1.67 a bag). That isn’t bad considering they make almost three dozen cookies and are a lot quicker than cooking from scratch.

Right now, you can find a coupon for .75 cents off 1 bag of Betty Crocker cookies. You can find the coupon at either BettyCrocker.com or EverydaySavings.com. If you wish to add frosting and sprinkles, also look for sales and coupons. In fact, the Betty Crocker frosting tubs I purchased yesterday had coupons right on them! Each container had a .50 cents off coupon. It was $1 for each tub of frosting.

Each bag states the cookies make about 3 dozen. We get about 2 dozen because our cookie cutters are kind of big in size. So, for a total of $8.42, I am able to make gifts for 7 different people! Not to mention by daughter and I have a great time.

Christmas is quickly approaching. If you haven’t finished your shopping yet, you may be looking for last minute Christmas shopping deals. Unfortunately, many retailers have already reached the cutoff date for standard shipping guaranteed by Christmas. Some retailers still have their guarantee, but you must order by tomorrow (December 17, 2008) at the latest. Since express shipping can cost a lot, your best bet is to finish your last minute Christmas shopping locally. But, what should you get?

Gift Sets

I was in Wal-Mart tonight and they have a lot of gift sets left. These gift sets usually range in price from $3 to $20. You should have a lot of items to choose from, but the selection will dwindle down as Christmas gets closer. I purchase a hot chocolate gift set with two mugs, and two different holiday candy gift sets.

Gift Certificates

You can’t go wrong with gift certificates. Luckily, you can purchase them right up to Christmas. Tonight, I purchased a few Wal-Mart gift cards. What I like about Wal-Mart and many other retailers are the same way, is that you can purchase other gift cards too. For example, Wal-Mart had iTunes gift cards and much more available for sale.

If you have to do anymore Christmas shopping for your kids this year, I recommend heading over to Amazon.com right now. They have a December Deals section (click on the link to get there). I found it by chance yesterday and I felt like a kid on Christmas. Lol, hopefully my daughter will be as excited. I could not believe the great deals they have.

This is what I purchased:

The Playskool Cherry Blossom Market for $17.99. Unfortunately, it is now listed for sale at $29.99, but that is still a good price considering it sells for $59.99.

The Playskool Cherry Blossom Fruit and Cheese set for $11.97. It is originally priced at $14.99.

The Playskool Rose Petal Table and Chair Dinette for $14.99. It originally sells for $24.99.

The Horton Hears a Who You to the Rescue Game for $5.99. It was originally priced $19.99.

The Hannah Montana Song Doll with Swing for $5.99. It originally sells for $19.99.

The Hannah Montana Malibu House Bedroom and Living Room set for $6.99 each. They both originally sell for $29.99 each.

The Playskool Busy Ball Tivity Center for $6.99. Unfortunately, they just raised the price (within five hours of me buying it) to $8.99, but it is still a good deal considering this toy sells for around $34.99.

These are just a few of the many items you can find on sale right now at Amazon.com. I am not sure how long the sale lasts, but as you can see from my examples, they have slightly raised a few prices within only a few hours. So, you may want to buy right away.

Most of these items do qualify for Free Super Saver shipping. According to their website, you have 4 more days to order before Christmas (today being Sunday December 14, 2008).

If you click on the 50% or 70% off sections from the link below, check the headings. They have boys, girls, and so forth. More items are on sale than what appears on the main sales page.

Happy Shopping!

As Christmas quickly approaches, you may be finishing up your Christmas shopping or even just getting started if you are a last minute shopper. Shopping online is nice, but you may prefer to shop locally. If so, be sure to pickup a copy of your weekend newspaper. These newspapers not only contain moneysaving grocery coupons, but stores sales fliers. Around this time of the year, stores have a lot of sales and they are advertised.

You can also view most store sales fliers online. Visit the website of local retailers, like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Best Buy, and so forth. Somewhere on the website, you will find “View Ad,” link. If you are like me, however, you may prefer to have a printed copy of the flier. I mark which items I want to buy and actually take it with me to the store.

There are many good tips on how to save money on groceries and other purchases. A lot of these tips are listed right on my blog. The best tip I have to offer is don’t buy it if you don’t need it.

Whether you found a great sale or have a coupon, think about the product you are buying. Do you already have 3 winter jackets? If so, you are wasting your money by buying another even if it is on sale. Do you have a coupon for a new food product? Only buy the item and use the coupon if you truly want to try it or think you will like it. Otherwise, toss the coupon and save your money.

In one of my last posts, I shared links to moneysaving coupons for over-the-counter cold medicines. Winter is also the time that many of us get cold sores. If you get one, you may turn to an over the counter product. Before making your purchase, checkout the coupons below. They can help you save money.

These coupons were available online as of December 11, 2008. Their value and availability is subject to change.

Save $1 on Any Campho-Phenique Cold Sore Treatment (Link on Bottom)

Coupon for Abreva Cold Sore Medicine (No Value Listed)

Now is the time when the cold and flu runs crazy. If you are sick, you may turn to over the counter medicine to get relief. Unfortunately, if you are shopping on a budget, you may be worried about costs. If that is the case, please continue reading on. Below, you will find a lot of coupons for over the counter cold medicines. Most of these coupons are printable, so have your printer ready!

NOTE: These coupons were available online as of December 9, 2008. The availability and value of these cold medicine coupons is subject to change at anytime.

Some of these coupons are for children’s cold medicines. If it is important to proceed with caution when giving young children medicine. Please consult with your doctor or pharmacist first.

Various Coupons for Sudafed Products

Save $2 on Any Coricidin HBP Product (Link in Lower Right Corner)

Save $1 on Any Ziacam Purchase (Link at Bottom)

Save $2 on Zyrtec (A Popup Will Appear for the Coupon)

Various Coupons for Claritin Products (Click on Special Offers Box in Middle)

Save $2 on TheraFlu

Signup for Coupons and Special Offers for Halls Cough Drops

Save $1 on Aleve D Sinus and Cold (Link on Top)

Save $2 pm Robitussin DM Max (Must Wait for the Middle Image to Fully Load)

Save $1.50 on Triaminic Cough Medicine for Kids (Link at Bottom)

Save $2 on Breathe Right Nasal Strips for Kids

I will never forget when Ames went out of business. I went in thinking I was going to get some great deals. I decide to pickup some makeup. I intended to come back later when I had more time, but that never happened. Why? I picked up a small package of liquid Cover Girl foundation. Working as a manager at Dollar General at the time, I knew this sold for less than $4. So, imagine my surprised when I was charged over $5 and this was with a liquidation discount!

Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of stores are going out of business now or closing some locations. There is the possibility to get good deals, but you need to proceed with caution. One of my favorite blogs, The Consumerist, has been talking about this. Some of the blog’s readers are experiencing a problem at Circuit City, among other retailers. You can click on the link to read their latest article, which includes a firsthand account from a consumer.

So, if you are looking to get cheap Christmas gifts or just do some cheap shopping for yourself, always use your best judgment.

Free Sample of Airborne

NOTE: This free sample was available as of December 8, 2008. Its availability is subject to change at any time.

We all get headaches and joint pains from time to time. For that reason, it is good to have pain reliever on hand. Unfortunately, this can be difficult if you are shopping on a budget. The good news is that it is easy to find coupons online. Below you find links to coupons for pain relievers. Most are printable coupons, so have your printer ready!

NOTE: These coupons were available online as of December 8, 2008, their availability and value is subject to change. You can also look for similar coupons in your weekend newspaper inserts, but getting them online is much easier.

Save $1 on Aleve (Link at Bottom)

Save $2 on Excedrin Express Gels (Link in Middle)

Save $1 on Any Motrin Product

Anacin – No Coupons Available But Signup for Coupon Notification

Save $2 on Advil PM