I've always dreamed of an area inside the front door that is large enough for a bench and hooks/cubbies for the kids. Well, the space in our house does not allow for a bench, so that was out. And if I were to hang hooks near the door, they would have to be placed up too high, out of the reach of the kids so that simply defeated the purpose.
After some thought, I was able to come up with a reasonable solution to compromise and, well sort of make my dreams come true! Don't you love those little compromises. We do what we can!
The solution:
I purchased 2 Command Brushed Nickel Finish Large Hooks at Menards when they had them on sale, and yes I used a coupon too!
:-) (If you are interested, you can currently grab a coupon for them here.)
At the top of the steps of our split-foyer home, is a closet door. I hung the hooks on the outside of the closet door, at a level within reach of the kids. The kids helped with this part. The hooks were super easy to hang and they are made with a beautiful nickel finish, so they look cute even when they are empty!
The kids now hang their backpacks and their coats as soon as they get to the top of the steps. They do look pretty cute when the backpacks and coats are hung on them. And even more importantly, I no longer have random bags or coats laying around the house, hung over my banister or missing from action in the morning when we are getting ready to for school.
The kids know where their items belong and are responsible for putting them away each time we come in the door. The 3 year old thinks it is the coolest thing ever! And it certainly makes this Mommy very happy!
The project cost just around $10 (2 hooks), so I didn't break the bank either! As for the bench, we bring in a foot stool to sit on while putting on and taking off boots so the kiddos don't get wet.
I know it isn't the beautiful picture in my dreams, but it is certainly a functional area and helps the kids take ownership of their items, so I love it! What do you think?! What other ideas do you have?! Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!
One great way to save money, is to pay attention to receipts you receive from, well, pretty much everywhere.
Many receipts from HyVee and others offer advertisements on the back, which include valuable coupons at local businesses! One of my favorites is the $.75/1 Juice Stop Smoothie! Or even the $5 Ace Hardware coupon! Savings where you rarely find it!
Other receipts offer freebies for your next visit when you complete a survey! I have noticed these deals on Burger King and Subway receipts and now, pleasantly surprised, there was a freebie offer on my Culvers receipt! Now this was not the normal receipt that they handed me when I made my order, rather it was the receipt that came on the tray to our table. So keep your eyes posted. For a quick survey, I can snag a free treat!
What great receipt deals stick out to you? Which ones are your faves?! Let us know, so we can keep our eyes posted as well!
There are several stores busy offering clearance prices on their holiday merchandise. Below I have put together some of my findings. I have also included a list of coupons you may want to clip and take with you if you are going out.
Please feel free to leave your clearance findings in the comments. I would love to hear what you are all finding! And if you have other favorite stores that I have not included, leave a comment with your findings as well!!
Hobby Lobby - 66% off Christmas items. I just love grabbing baking items (like sprinkles, cupcake wrappers, frostings) and craft items! And don't forget cute ornaments!
HyVee - It appeared most items left from their Christmas supply were marked down by 75% off. I hope you find the same. It seems many HyVees may price on different schedules. The other day (when it was 50% off) I found holiday themed reusable shopping bags marked to $.50. I am thinking these will make cute (and GREEN) gift bags next Christmas. And at $.50, it will be harder to find gift bags this size for that price!
Michael's - Items marked down to 75% off. Enjoy grabbing the "stocking stuffer" items that are originally $1, now just $.25. Items like crayons, notepads and more are good any time of year for birthdays, spare of the moment projects, etc!
Shopko - Christmas items are marked anywhere from 50-75% off. There are several clothing items marked down up to 60% off as well. (Note: Be weary of their signage, it can be confusing!)
Target - went 70% off on all Christmas items, aside from a few select candy items still sitting at 30% off. However, many candy items are included in the 70% off!
Toys are also beginning to be marked on clearance 30-50% off. Am holding out yet again for those hot 70% clearance sales to get stocked up for birthdays/Christmas for 2012!
Walmart - some items are trickling in at 75% off on Christmas items, as others are still sitting at 50%.
Toys are also being marked down to 50% off.
Holiday Clearance Shopping Tips:
*Don't take prices for face value. It doesn't hurt to scan prices, you just may be surprised to find it is less than what the sign indicates (and it saves you from any negative surprises at the register)
*Scan aisles for "holiday themed" items that may not have been moved to the designated clearance section. Things like Ziploc baggies, Kleenex, Aluminum Foil, soaps, etc! If you locate some, SCAN THEM! (I located 15 ct gallon size Ziploc baggies in the normal aisle at Walmart tonight, no sign, for just $.56. There are coupons for $1.50/2 that made these Free!)
*Check for shopping carts loaded with items just sitting around the clearance area. Now of course, be sure they are not a fellow shoppers first! These are typically return carts or carts of items being moved over to the clearance area. You just might find those special items that no one else has yet.
*Relax and Have Fun! It can get chaotic in some stores around the clearance aisles. Don't let others ruin your fun of bargain shopping! Enjoy yourself!
Coupons you may want to bring:
Reynolds Aluminum Foil 11/13 SS
Ziploc Baggies $1.50/2 or $1/2 12/4 SS or 11/20 RP
Ziploc Containers $1.50/2 12/4 SS or 11/20 RP
Ghiradelli (target cpn) $1/2 here
Nestle Christmas Characters Cookies $1/1 12/4 RP (found these marked to $1.75 at Target)
Pillsbury Cookie Dough $1/2 12/4 SS or 11/13 GM (also marked down at Target)
Kleenex Hand Towels $.75/1 12/4 SS
Scotch Tape $1/3 8/7 SS (expires today)
*Leave a comment if you know of others!
Spotted these cute file folders on clearance for just $1 near the school supplies at Walmart. They had a few different designs to choose from.
I like using a file folder like this to organize my coupon inserts. I file them in order of the week received and move them back a spot when a new insert comes out. This makes for easy access to the inserts when you need to find a specific coupon and know the date of the insert! And for a buck, this is a great deal!
One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn over the past year and half (when my obessision with coupons started...lol), is that you cannot trust the face value of a sale and the product on the shelf.
Yes, one would think that stores are held accountable for the products they sell and would ensure that these products would not be outside of expiration. However, I have found SEVERAL examples of expired products on shelves of many of the stores I shop and trust(ed).
In the picture above, the microwave popcorn I was going to purchase on Sunday (9/11/11) actually expired on December 16, 2010. Don't let the Month and Day fool you, I'm talking about 9 months worth of expiration here, still on the shelf! Not 1 box, but more than 10!!!
Here are my tips and/or suggestions while shopping:
*ALWAYS check expiration dates on products (ALL products).
*Keep in mind that some of the really *hot* sales or unadvertised deep discounts can be an alert for 'close date' (or expiring soon) products. Businesses are looking to make something off of a product that may be expiring soon, so they drop the price.
*If a product is 'close date', consider your usage for this product. Can you use it by the date suggested for use? If yes, be sure to store the product at the front of your pantry, refrigerator, etc to ensure you do not forget about it!
*If the product is expired, *PLEASE* take it up to Customer Service to avoid others from accidentally purchasing the product!
*If you are purchasing multiples of the same item and stockpiling, check for later expiration dates to the back for the ones that you know you will not be using right away. And then be sure to store accordingly with the closer expiration dates to the front!
*And of course, be sure to rotate your own stock at home to help avoid your pantry becoming filled with expired items!
There's nothing like getting a deal on something and then going to use it a week later and finding out it expired 9 months ago!!
What tips do you have about expiration dates?! Do you agree with my tips or have anything to add? Please share!
