Clearance, Clearance, Clearance!!!

Now, I love to eat for a good deal, but I also looooove to shop for good deals. Today I won't give you any tips on what restaurant to eat at, but I will tell you that one way or the only way I looove to shop is getting stuff on clearance. I have to say one of my favorite stores is Target. If you've been to one before you know that they have great quality, clothes, toys, electronics, food etc. I love this store for a few reasons:

#1 It's clean
#2 It's always neat
#3 The lines aren't usually long, and that makes checking out a lot quicker and smoother.
#4 They have a rule that there shouldn't be more than 2 people standing in line.
#5 They have great customer service. If you can't find something they go look with you....they don't say "I don't know" or " I don't work in that department.."
#6 Clearance, Clearance, Clearance!!

This store is AMAZING with their clearance sections... Yesterday I went to go buy some formula.. Like I said before I have a 2 month old, Isabella Grace! Well, I began heading towards the baby section and found my formula, it was on CLEARANCE for $11.75 when it usually costs $16.79. Like many of you moms out there know, Enfamil and Similac will send you rebate checks for $5 dollars each. I had 4 $5.00 checks which was a total of $20.00 in checks. (Stay with me now) At regular price I would have paid: $33.58 plus tax, but since they were on CLEARANCE the total (before my rebate checks) was $23.50. AFTER MY REBATE CHECKS MY TOTAL WAS:::::::: $3.50!!!! I SAVED an astonishing amount of $30.08 for 2 cans of formula!!

I got my daughter 3 pairs of shoes for school at a CLEARANCE price of $4.54 each pair and the regular price was $16.99 for each pair. My total before clearance would have been: $50.97 but with the CLEARANCE price I only spent $13.62 SAVING $37.35!!!

One last item that I purchased was socks for my two boys and older daughter. Personally I'm not a fan of buying socks b/c you pay more than what I think is really worth. A usual price for a 4-6 pack of socks is about $6-$7. Well, I bought 3 of the 6 packs of socks on CLEARANCE for ONLY $1.48. The regular price for those were $5.99 each pack. Before clearance I would have spent $17.97 but I ONLY paid $4.44 SAVING $13.53
My daughters socks were a pack of 10 on CLEARANCE for $3.24 regular price for that was 9.99. I SAVED $6.75.

At the end of the day before clearance prices I should have spent: $112.51

I ONLY paid $24.80

I SAVED $$87.71 !!!!

If you shop for a big family like I do (7 of us included) GO TO THE CLEARANCE sections first!!! You never know what amazing deals you'll find.


Happy Shopping!

It's SMOKEY!!!

If you're like my family, you enjoy eating out.. Even my two oldest kids (6 and 4 1/2 yrs. old) ask to go to restaurants. We like it because it's an experience. You get there and the kids see the lights, the shiny tables and chairs, the colorful carpet, all kinds of people, and then come the kids menus. Those may not always get the attention, b/c they like being "a big person", so they take the adult menus instead. None the less, we have a great time. We order and the food comes out, it's that simple. So, we treat them and it would be nice if we got a treat from time to time as well... Wait till you hear this...

My next pick for restaurants: SMOKEY BONES!!

Now I have to be honest I used to hate going there... UNTIL.... they changed their menu. Now I enjoy going there.

Tip#1: Monday- Friday from 4pm-6pm and 9pm till Close you can order appetizers for half off the regular price. Not a bad deal!!

Tip#2: Here's the part we get back, and so can YOU!! They have a "club" called the BONES CLUB, it's a FREE membership card you can pick up at any Smokey Bones. You can activate your card on their website and you'll automatically get 100 points! Every time you rack up 200 points, you get a $20 credit!! How do you earn these points?? It's easy. Every time you dine and pay, you give your card and you get 1 point for every dollar you spend.. I.E. $30 bux = 30 points The great thing is on some items you can earn double and even triple the points, so you get to your 200 points even quicker!!
One more thing when you activate your card...... Once you do that, you will get a coupon for a FREE APPETIZER sent to your email w/n 2 days!!

You just can't go wrong. So if you have a late night craving and need some "girl time" head to Smokey Bones. And... we can't forget the men, they can go with "the boys" and have a great time too. I know mine loves watching the games at the restaurant...


Happy Eating! GO BENGALS!!

Back-to-School!!

As we get ready for Back-To-School, we spend lots of money on clothes, or uniforms, supplies and of course, FOOD!
I certainly know that making a menu for the week or month is the way to save the most money. But for those of us who may be a little frazzled by all the transition that goes on the first couple of weeks and you need a break I've got a restaurant that is a great place for food that is also MONEY FRIENDLY for your family. My first pick @ restaurants will be: Buffalo Wild Wings!

How can you save money there may you ask... well here's the scoop.

Tip#1 Every Tuesday is Wing Tuesday that means you can buy wings for $.50 cents!! So lets say you want to just get wings and not spend money on a tip, you can still order take out! Our family usually gets $20. bux worth of wings and then I make fries or something at home to go with it. Our family, like I said before, consists of 2 adults and 5 children, 4 of which eat actual food. I just had a baby soooo she doesn't eat this real stuff yet..

Tip#2 Every Thursday your kids can eat for $1.00!!! That's right you heard me... All kids meals are only $1 dollar!! So if you've got 4 kids like I do, we can feed em' for just a buck each!

Tip#3 Every Monday-Friday you can get appetizers for half off the regular price until 7pm!! That means you and your loved one can order from the appetizer section of the menu and order different kinds and only pay half of what it would cost. So lets say you and your loved one order 3 apps and at half the cost at most it would be about 4 bucks each, that equals to $12 dollars... and if you have 3 kids... at $1 each all you spend is........
a GRAND TOTAL of ONLY: $15.00

Now my husband and I like to give a little more than the 15% tip so if we raise it up to 18% your Total would be just: $17. 70 You just CAN'T BEAT THAT!!

This total is without soft drinks, we usually just get water, but if you do want to get a soft drink, we usually just get one b/c those are refillable and if you're not a germ-a-phob you can share.. and.... soft drinks are usually charged up to 3 dollars... You can buy (2) 2 liters at that price..

Happy Eating!!

The Check-Out Chick has 5!!

As a mom of 5 I know how hectic it can get in the daily life, and that means that sometimes making dinner just isn't an option. There is always a lot to be done before dinner time. There is breakfast, snacks, lunch, naps, snacks, and in between all of that, the park, getting kids bathed and dressed, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, the list goes on. Ocassionally I forget to take meat out of the freezer, and when I realize it, it's just too late. So those days I think what can I make that's quick?? Sometimes, I can't think of anything except where can our family go to eat. If you've ever expirienced this, like myself... I will show you different ways to save money while enjoying some of your favorite restaurants. Eating out can be expensive and with the economy not being so great and growing families we can use all the tips we can get, right?? Stay tuned for the ways you can save money and still have a good meal.