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A Yarn Celebration

Posted on June 24, 2011 by auburnchick

So, as you know, I am officially finished with my alternative certification program.

In fact, I danced the afternoon away a few days ago.

Well, I wasn’t finished celebrating, oh no I wasn’t.

See, such a milestone as this one deserves a BIGGER indulgence.

For a knitter, this means YARN SHOPPING!!

So, on a somewhat rainy morning that turned more and more sunny the closer I traveled to the beach (which isn’t far from my house, by the way), I headed to the two “real” yarn stores closest to me.

By closest, I mean over an hour away.

Hello, my name is AuburnChick, and I transverse great distances in pursuit of fine yarn.

The first yarn store on my route was not my favorite of the two.  The place is nice enough, but the selection is a wee bit limited compared to the other store.

Still, I found myself lovingly petting a skein of Tilli Tomas Rock Star…

Although the yarn desperately wanted to come home with me, I resisted.  The $40 price tag was a huge reason for this.

I decided to check out the other yarn store, which is my favorite.  I know.  I keep repeating myself, but I have to.  See, the other yarn store is my first love.  It is the place where I purchased my very first skeins of “real” yarn.  It is where I bought my first set of “real” knitting needles and pattern book as well.  The shop is small but very inviting and packed with a GREAT assortment of very nice yarns.  I really wish I lived closer, because I would love to attend knit nights with the ladies who run the shop.

Anyhoo…what I saw when I arrived this afternoon did not disappoint…

That is a basket of Frog Tree sock yarn.

Now, if you’re not a knitter, you must understand something about yarn shopping.

It.

Is.

Fabulous.

It is an experience that requires the interaction of sight and touch.

When I go yarn shopping, I can’t even think about projects until I walk around and touch everything.  I simply refuse to knit with or wear yarn that is not soft.

So, that’s what I did…enjoying the peace of the day…my mind free from the concerns of assignments.

My only assignment of the day was to buy nice yarn.

The store had a couple of knit shawls hanging over the shoulders of mannequins.

What a great way to sell some yarn!

I fell in love with the Shetland Triangle shawl that was made in a red, DK weight yarn.

Ok, so that’s not the red one from the store, but my head was so much in the clouds that I didn’t get a picture of it.  I am showing you the above picture because it really shows off the stitch pattern.

The gal working in the store explained that the original pattern calls for a lace weight yarn, but that she had used seven skeins of a heavier, glossier yarn that provided a nice drape and more stitch definition.

As she pulled out the book that is home to the pattern, I realized that I already own the book, Wrap Style…a giveaway I had won during a New Year’s Eve KnittingHelp.com knit-along that I had participated in a couple of years ago…

Although I didn’t buy the yarn for this project, I have tucked the pattern away in the back of my mind.  I will definitely knit it in the future.

Meanwhile, I continued to shop.

The other shawl that was hanging up was the Ishbel…

Because the sample was knit in just over one skein of Malabrigo Sock yarn, I decided this would be a good way to go.

For some reason, I am finding myself drawn to shawls.  Chicky thinks they look like things that old people wear, but I counter her contention by saying that a shawl adds a touch of class to an outfit.  I think shawls are beautiful accessories that can be used to dress things up a bit.

With the Ishbel in mind, I picked out the following yarn…

Isn’t that just divine?

Sigh…

Can you say happy?

But the happiness did not end there.

The Frog Tree yarn kept calling me back.

I kept touching the yarn.

Finally, I made up my mind.  What kind of knitter would I be to leave those frogs there?

Here’s another picture…

Cookie A. didn’t know it, but she was with me when I made my decision…

You might remember that I test knit a pattern for Cookie’s book last summer.  I have not had a chance to knit a pair of socks since.

I intend to rectify this situation.

Immediately.

One final item that kept calling my name in the store was the following…

That, my non-knitting friends, is a shawl pin.

I have found myself in need of one of these do-dads in the past, and it looked lovely against the red shawl in the store.

It came home with me too.

And home I am…happy as can be.

Final thoughts on my shopping adventure:

As I composed this post and researched the shawl patterns, I decided that I am going to use the red Malabrigo to knit the Shetland Triangle Shawl.  I looked up the pattern on Ravelry (yay for this web site) and discovered that other knitters had used two or fewer skeins for this pattern.  I will probably knit eleven or twelve repeats.  More research will be done, but I am pleased with my plan.

The Mr. knew of my shopping adventure because I went ahead and told him about my plans yesterday.  When he walked into the house this afternoon, he asked to see the stash because, in his words, “I know it’s here somewhere.”

LOL

Then, he asked me how much I spent.

I balked.

He then threw out a number.

Dang.

He’s good.

He got it, spot on, minus the price of the shawl pin.

His eyes bulged a bit.

Then he left the room…to recover, I presume.

Either way, his reaction was much better than I had expected.

At this point, I sincerely doubt that I will ever get my Master’s degree.

No, it’s not because I think I’m not smart enough.

It’s because every time I complete a set of college courses, I spend all of the future proceeds I would have been earning…ahead of time.

teeheehee

Celebrations are definitely much better when there is yarn involved!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

Lofty Sales

Posted on June 21, 2011 by auburnchick

Chicky went shopping yesterday and came home, excitedly telling me about cardigans she’d found on sale for $4.88 at Ann Taylor Loft.

She didn’t pick up any before she left, but she really wanted them, figuring they would be great to do her student teaching in when she returns to school.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a sweater or two for myself as well, so I headed to the store today.  Since she had to work, she left me her debit card with strict instructions, written down to ensure understanding, on the colors, sizes, and styles she preferred.

When I walked in, I spied a woman looking through the small rack.  I made a beeline for it, snatching up three colors…right out from under that woman’s nose.

teehee

I don’t think she appreciated my tactics.

What can I say…I’m ruthless when I want something.

Anyhoo…the sweaters were very picked over, let me tell you, so I got what I could…

When I got to the register, the sweaters did not ring up for $4.88, as marked on the tags…

Nope…I didn’t get the price advertised.

Each sweater rang up for $3.45…30% off of the clearance price!!

I could not believe it!  What a deal!

I started to leave the store, but I took one more look at that clearance rack, which was very slim in offerings by this time.

That’s when I spied a couple of pairs of black slacks…marked at $4.88..

One of them was in my size, but I was leery of the length.

I tried the pair on.

To my astonishment, the pants fit…perfectly…which very rarely happens to me.

Naturally, I decided to buy them.  I would have been stupid not to.

Again, I did not get the price advertised because these were ALSO 30% off, making them $3.45!!!!!

Look at what they were originally priced at!  Oh my gosh!  It’s almost like I won the lottery of clothing sales!

I’ve got to hand it to my Chicky.  She’s one smart cookie.  She’s shopped on clearance racks for the last few years…just like her mama.

I am so proud.

I learned something today.

As much as I loathe to shop for clothes, I think it would behoove me to get out there a little more often.  Finding sales is as much about being in the right place at the right time as it is being on the lookout for coupons.  It’s also about finding classic pieces that will withstand the ebb and flow of clothing trends.

I think that Ann Taylor Loft is one of my new favorite stores.  I can’t wait to go back!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

How To Fix a Crappy Day

Posted on February 25, 2011 by auburnchick

One word…

Folks,

I did not have the best day.

Teaching is like that.  You have good days, and you have bad days.

During the course of a day, you have good moments, and you have bad moments.

If you’re lucky, you are able to string one good moment after another for an entirely great day.

If you’re not lucky, you get the opposite.

Kids are humans.  They have good moments and bad moments, and those moments don’t always line up with the teachers’ moments.

Today’s bad moments took the wind out of my sails, and I went home very down-in-the-dumps.

I still love teaching, mind you.  I was simply having a downer kind of afternoon.

I called my friend, Christina, and I cried on her shoulder.  She’s a wonderful listener.  She’s also very funny, and she cheered me up.

Then I sat on my couch, ready to settle in for the weekend.

Until the Mr. came home and made an announcement:

“I’ve got a coupon, and there’s something I want from Kohl’s.  If you want to go, I’m leaving in a few minutes.”

I don’t know about you, but when I hear “if you want to go,” I know that means that someone is willing to spend money.

I did not hesitate.

Neither did Rooster.

We parted ways as soon as we entered the store.

I bet you know which section I headed to first…

SHOES!!!

Oh.

My.

Word.

Shoes are the bane of my existence.

I.

Simply.

Love.

Them.

Take a gander of what I saw (and tried on)…

Obviously, I am into wedges and all things glittery right now.

Speaking of glittery, I saw the most FABULOUS pair of shoes ever…

This pair reminds me of Dorothy’s red shoes in the Wizard of Oz.  Sure, they are totally impractical, but I did not care.

I.

Wanted.

These.

Shoes.

Look how amazing they looked on my feet…

When the Mr. and Rooster came looking for me, they saw me wandering around with one pink, glittery shoe on.

I did my best to convince the Mr. that owning these shoes would make me a better teacher.

Can you imagine the connections I would make with my female students?  They would ogle my shoes.

They would think I was cool.

The Mr. wasn’t buying it.

In fact, he gave me the same look as last week when I asked him if there was any way we write a sauna off of our taxes as a “business expense” since I do my best lesson planning while in a hot, steamy shower.

Yeah.

You can’t blame a girl for trying.

I left the Mr. and Rooster so that I could find a potty.  All of that shoe shopping was a little too exciting for me.

When I exited, I walked back to the front of the store…taking a different route…one that led me to the clothes section.

Oh boy.

I usually HATE shopping, but something had gotten a hold of me.

I began scooping up clothes to try on.

Before too long, I had quite an armful.

That’s when the Mr. and Rooster caught up with me again.

Rooster sighed.

He has been through this a few times.

Fortunately, there were comfortable padded seats beside the dressing rooms.

I tried on more clothes that I’ve tried on in two or three years combined.

Nearly everything fit, thanks to this healthy diet I’ve been on.  I am able, once again, to comfortably wear the sizes I’ve always been accustomed to wearing.  I felt like my old self as I tried on item after item.

Some things were discarded immediately.

Most things, though, found their way onto the “buy” pile.

Rooster groaned.

He had one shirt and one pair of shoes on his “pile.”

The only problem I had was with the blue jeans.  Being 5’2″ has its drawbacks.

Pants are always too long.

One pair of jeans was only an inch and a half too long, so I told the Mr. that I was sure that buying a pair of high heeled shoes would make the jeans fit perfectly.

😉

We headed back to the shoe department.

We walked around and around.

I moseyed over to those pink shoes.

I sighed wistfully.

An eight-year-old girl lovingly handled “my”shoes.

The Mr. gave me a pointed look.

I told him she had good taste.

I don’t think that’s what his look implied.

I ignored his subliminal message (“If an eight-year-old likes it, that should tell you something.”).

He did not change his mind.

Darn it.

When I win the lottery, I’m totally buying those shoes.

I did find a couple of other pairs I liked, though, and we headed to the register.

I won’t tell you the total.  We did save quite a bit of money when we combined sales with the coupon we had.

I floated on air as we made our way to the car.

Wanna see what I wound up getting?

First, the clothes…

And now, the shoes…

These are the cutest sandals!  They zip up the back (kind of strange, but it works).  They are so comfortable too!

And my other pair of shoes…

I adore these shoes!!  In fact, as I was trying them on, another lady was watching me.  She commented that I had better be careful not to fall.

I didn’t.

I’ve been walking in heels for more than twenty years…

What I love about these shoes is how great they look with blue jeans…

The lady who had watched me try them on liked the way they looked on my feet, and she decided to try them on too.  She wound up buying a pair.  I should have made a hefty commission!

Oh, and did I mention that these shoes were designed by someone famous?

Look at the cute little insignia that I discovered on the sole…

And so my crappy day turned out A-Okay.

I am so grateful that the Mr. took us shopping.  It was the perfect way to end the week!!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

A New Year and a New Pair of Shoes

Posted on January 1, 2011 by auburnchick

Can you believe that it’s 2011?  Wow!

Molly spent the last few days of 2010 catching up on sleep…

She came back from the kennel where I had boarded her over Christmas not quite herself.  I’m not sure if she picked up a doggy bug, was sick from eating their food, or was just emotionally drained.  She’s a skittish dog.  Her nerves are constantly on edge, and I don’t know why.  Regardless, we’ve been giving her an extra amount of loving.  I also gave her some canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie kind) in her food to help her go potty.  I’m hoping this improves her disposition.

Anyhoo…

A couple of weeks ago, I found a Kohl’s gift card in my billfold.  I found out that it still had a balance of $7.  I felt like I’d won the lottery!

Yesterday, armed with a 20% coupon I found online, I headed to the store.  I didn’t plan on coming home empty-handed.

When I got to the store, I found two pairs of shoes I liked.  They were very different styles, so I had a hard time making up my mind which pair to get.  I called Chicky and asked her to meet me at the store.  She declined.  She’s so kind, that one.  I will have to remember this when her birthday rolls around at the end of the month.

So, what did I do?

I made friends with a lady who was sitting in the shoe department.  She was dressed stylishly, so I figured she had good taste.

I asked her opinion, and she told me she liked the pair below…

I liked them too because they looked “teacher-y.”  Plus, I figured I could wear them with my all favorite uniform…blue jeans!

The second pair was cute…in a different way…

They reminded me a bit of Mary Janes…a style I have fought against buying.  But they were oh so comfortable and cute with my blue jeans too…

This pair was also very comfortable…extra cushioning inside.

What to do, what to do?

My new friend changed her mind and told me she liked the second pair better.  Then, she brought over her daughter and granddaughter.  The daughter liked the second pair.  The teenage granddaughter liked the first pair.  I figured Chicky would agree with the granddaughter’s opinion.

I got out my handy-dandy phone and did some figuring.  These Croft & Barrow shoes, which are regularly priced at $54.99, were on sale for $20.99.  With my 20% discount, I could get them for $16.59.

Plus, I had the $7 gift card, which meant less of an out-of-pocket expense for me!

So, I did what any woman would do.

I bought both.

Happy Dance time!

There is nothing like ringing int he new year with new shoes!

And glittery nail polish…

(and a little rain…)

Happy New Year all!!

Filed under: Saving Money, This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Two Things You Do Not Deny a Woman

Posted on July 25, 2010 by auburnchick

There are two things a man should never deny a woman…

Chocolate…

And shoes…

Oh, the Mr. knows better than to argue with me when I tell him I MUST have chocolate NOW.

However, the shoe thing…well…hmmm…let’s just say that he tried.

As you’ve probably suspected, we here at Chez AuburnChick seem to think that we have a money tree growing in my otherwise naked back yard, hence our multiple forays into various stores to buy a plethora of items lately.

Of course, I can justify every single item purchased thus far.

I am in serious need of office supplies for my classroom.

I am also trying to ramp up my wardrobe so that I can teach in something other than blue jeans and t-shirts.

Plus, I broke my black flip flops last week while painting.

So, I went on the hunt for new shoes.

A stop at Target did not yield the shoes I desired; however, I hit the jackpot with the following dresses…

Please allow me to pause a few moments to explain a couple of things.

First of all, yes, I am standing on the toilet in which I had the tank replaced last week.  Notice the handle on the side?

And yes, I have become an expert in flushing the new toilet.

Another thing you must notice is that yes, I did take the picture of myself while looking in the mirror.

When Chicky saw the pictures on Facebook, she was mortified.  Apparently, I committed a faux pas by taking a “Mirror Pic,” which is something that ONLY middle school girls do.

She was afraid someone would make fun of me.

Seriously?

She and I then had an argument about me allowing her to take a better picture of me.

She really wanted to do this for me.

I finally agreed…

Chicky did get my head, but you know…the blog and all…

Moving along…

The next day, the Mr. and I were out and about, and we stopped at Kohl’s, one of my favorite stores, where I found these…

They were marked down 50 or 55% off.  Woo Hoo!

BUT…

I saw another pair I wanted as well, and the Mr. emphatically told me no.

I carried them all the way to the register in the hopes that he would change his mind, but he didn’t.

So, I handed the pair to him to return to the shoe department, and I paid for the black pair.

BUT…

Visions of the other shoes danced in my head all night long.

Today, after church, I told the Mr. that I was going back to get them.

He started to object until I told him that I would be using the money he “paid” me a few weeks ago when I mowed the yard.

Oh joy, oh joy when I finally got them on my feet…

Aren’t they pretty?

Chicky says I have a thing for dangly stuff.

Yeah, I know.  I just can’t help it!

BUT…there’s more to this story…

When I went back and found the shoes from the day before, I saw another pair that begged to be tried on.

That is when I entered the danger zone.

I knew I shouldn’t get another pair…especially given the strong “no” I had received the day before.

BUT…

I wasn’t about to be denied…again…

And so I got them…

The brand is MUDD, and oh my gosh, but they are so comfortable!!

I am hoping that the wedge heel play nice with my foot and the arch issues I’ve been having the last few weeks, and the height will enable me to wear a longer pair of black pants that I own…

Did I mention that they were on sale for $23.99…marked down from $49.99?

Chocolate and shoes…all in the same week.

I am a happy girl indeed.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

AuburnChick Gets a Deal on a Knitting Bag

Posted on April 17, 2010 by auburnchick

Today, my church’s youth group had its annual yard sale.  This is a chance for the kids to earn money that can be used to offset the expenses associated with various trips during the summer.  Students earn money by donating items and working the sale.

Because Chicky had to go out of town for soccer practice, I offered to work her shift.

I should get MAJOR Mom Points for this because instead of sleeping in, like I had originally planned, I had to wake up at 5:30am!!

Oy!

I will say that working garage sales is hectic but fun.  You see a lot of interesting characters, that’s for sure.  I mean, people have to be missing a few marbles to actually get up and drive around at 6am to hunt for good deals!

Hey, what am I saying.  If I had a chance to do this at a grocery store, I would totally be there.  Then again, I KNOW I’m a few eggs short of a dozen.

Doors were set to open at seven.  By 6:45, there was a line all the way to the parking lot.

At seven, on the dot, an older woman, who’d obviously not taken the time to have her happy pill, started pulling on the locked door.  She made quite a show of it, rattling the glass door several times.

I walked over and put my hands together in a prayer position to indicate that the workers were praying before beginning.

She didn’t get the message and proceeded to tell me, “It’s seven.”

Grrr…

I opened the door just a crack (I was afraid I’d get trampled), and explained that the teens were getting last-minute instructions, and the group was praying.

Again, this woman did not seem to care.

HELLO!  I wanted to ask her if she’d forgotten that this was a CHURCH garage sale.

Good gravy!

“It’s seven o’clock,” she said, again.

Grrr…

I walked away, praying that I won’t be that impatient when I get to be her age.

Yeah, right.  Who am I kidding.

Whatever.

The doors finally opened, and we got busy.

As I said, you see some interesting things at yard sales.  One woman brought her pooch…in a stroller…

Her young child was walking beside the stroller.

Strange.

By 9:00, a few of us were starving, so the youth pastor ran to Burger King for some yummies…

Oh yeah, baby.  They tasted as good as they looked!

There were some good deals to be had, and people took full advantage of them.

One woman brought up an assortment of things but changed her mind when she saw the price on a purse she had brought to the payment counter.

I fell in love with it…

It was a brand new Vera Bradley Cargo Sling.  The color is Riviera Blue.  The bag still had its tags on it.

The family that donated it had also donated two others.  This family has three teenage girls, and they had been gifted the same bag multiple times.

The price sticker had $10.

Folks, this bag retails for $90.

Seriously good deal, eh?

I will say that I pondered it over for a couple of hours, lovingly admiring the pockets that adorn the inside and outside…

All I could envision was placing my knitting notions into those fabulous compartments.

It also has a wide, adjustable strap, which is perfect for me because I take my knitting EVERYWHERE…

The bright blue and yellow colors ensure that I will not leave this baby anywhere!

After considering the pro’s and con’s (were there actually con’s?  I can’t recall thinking up any…), I broke down and wrote a check.

I’m tickled pink.  I love my old bag, another Vera Bradley, which was a gift from Coupon Queen and Grand Pooba, but the straps are getting quite worn.  I will keep it as I can always use another tote.

But, it’s going to be fun to have something new!

Filed under: Knitting, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 5 Comments »

Shopping Day with the Family!

Posted on April 3, 2010 by auburnchick

The Mr. declared today Shopping Day.

He had a coupon for Kohl’s, and he wanted to take the family out shopping for summer clothes.

Why, pray tell, would I blog about this seemingly everyday task?

Well, because it is highly unusual for the AuburnChick family to do such things…together…these days.  Money is tight, and the kids are growing up.  Chicky usually shops by herself or with friends.  I, on the other hand, cannot stand clothes shopping, so I prefer not to go.

My dislike for shopping goes back to years ago, when we lived in South Florida.  We lived within 30 minutes of numerous malls…most of them much nicer than the one that is in Podunk, USA.  We lived about ten minutes from Boca Raton…shopping mecca for the rich (I’m surprised we were allowed to even window shop in that ritzy area).  We were only 20 minutes from one of the largest outlet malls in the nation.

Most weekends, we stuck the kids in the car and headed out.  We bribed them with food.  I’m 100% pro-bribing, even though all the “books” tell you not to.  What do they know?!

Anyhoo, we spent hours shopping.  The Mr. comes from a long line of get-the-best-deals kind of people!

Oh, and for those of you who are married to men who hate to shop, I will hire the Mr. out on an hourly basis.  He loves to shop!  I used to tell the kids, “Hang in there.  Just keep Daddy happy, and he’ll buy us food.”  And he did.

So, I was less-than-thrilled to go out today.

As soon as we hit the store, we scattered.  Chicky had just responded to my rhetorical comment about my thighs (kids, always tell your Mamas they look good, no matter what they say about their butts and legs).  I got mad because she was her usual, blunt self (some things do not have to be said…”Yes, Daughter, I know that exercise will help get rid of my flab, thank-you-very-much).

But I digress…

I didn’t want to look at Chicky while I shopped, so I went my own way…to the Still Teensy for a 40-year-old Eat Your Heart Out Teenager Daughters Section (otherwise known as Juniors).

Let me tell you…it didn’t take me long to get in the spirit.

Man oh man, but I do love Kohl’s.  This store puts on some great sales, and the clothes are good quality!  They are stylish…conservative, but cute!

I quickly made some selections and headed to the dressing room, where I glared at my thighs a while before trying everything on.

After discovering that yes, I still fit into the same size I wore in high school (not bragging…that’s for Chicky, should she be reading this), I headed to the shoe department…my favorite.

Now, let me ask you a question.  Are you like me and try on the shoes stores have out on display, or do you find the size you need from a box and try that one on?

See, this is where I’m lazy.  I will squeeze my foot into a size 5 if I have to…just to give me an idea of how it looks on me before making the effort to hunt for the right size.

Years ago, stores were dumb.  They put out the smallest sizes possible.  Perhaps it was to discourage people like me from putting their nasty feet into sample shoes.  I don’t know.  But nowadays, they put the bigger sizes out!  Woo Hoo!

I never have trouble finding shoes I like.  Plus, I have longer feet, so there are always sizes available.

I quickly found a pair I liked and headed over to the rest of the family…clothes hanging from my arm.

Chicky’s mouth dropped open at the number of things I had.  She had selected three for herself.  Rooster only found a couple of things he liked.  The Mr. had picked a few.  I had the most.

I heard Chicky mutter, “Of course, Daddy probably won’t say no to you.”

And he didn’t.  The Mr. has a lot of faults (as do I), but he can be very generous, and he knows that where it comes clothes shopping, he never has to worry about me spending too much.  In fact, he knows I never buy clothes and that my dresser is sorely lacking.

So, here’s what we got…

My haul:  Three shirts (all of which I can wear while I teach), two pairs of shorts (love the plaid ones, which are a little longer and cover my icky thighs), and a pair of nice sandals, which I love so much that I took a few more pictures (please excuse my ugly toes…no amount of working out will fix those):

Chicky’s selections were practical…

Love the shirt on the left! Hope she leaves it at home when she goes to college (wink)!

Rooster couldn’t resist the shirt.  The vines intertwine to make a set of drums…

And the Mr.’s haul…

And you know me…ever the deal-finder.  We managed to save a little over $250 during this shopping trip!

The next thing we did was go for lunch at Moe’s, where I had a coupon for a free entree from my birthday (sign up at their website, and you’ll get this coupon a few days before your birthday).

Moe’s is located next to Best Buy, and since I still had birthday money, I asked if we could go in.  What a dumb question.  I was with the Mr. and Rooster (Chicky had departed for the beach).  Boys love electronics!

The store has its Nintendo DS games Buy 1, get the 2nd for 50% off.  The only game I’ve had since Christmas is Brain Age, so I was more than ready for something new.

Here’s what I got…

I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon playing the Mystery Case Files game, and boy is it fun!!

We bought a fourth game, but it’s for my nephew’s birthday.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic day and a great way to kick off Spring Break!

Filed under: Saving Money, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

AuburnChick is a Shopping Fiend

Posted on November 9, 2009 by auburnchick

Despite my crazy schedule, I had to repeat a few of the deals I did on Saturday.

The savings are really adding up as I’ve spent less than $30 this week.

Yesterday, I spent less than $6 on the following:

The deli meat for Rooster’s sandwiches was priced at more than $6 alone…

Which means that I saved mucho bucks on lip gloss (yes, more of the stuff if you read Saturday’s post)…

Imagine how dolled up I'd be if all of my makeup was free!

And the Zantac was a moneymaker again…

Today I hit the stores for Round 3.  I got the following goodies for $.57 (that’s cents, not dollars, folks)…

The Zantac was a moneymaker, and I payed $.75 for all six boxes of pasta and $.45 for both cans of soup.

My regular Publix was out of the Tylenol I was looking for, so I headed to a different store, where I got the following for a little over $8…

The Tylenol was free, the yogurt was $.67 each, the TP was around $4, and the buns were $3.

I’ll be heading out for Round 4 tomorrow…getting B1G1 bratwurst and visiting Target for a little snooping.  Wonder what I’ll come home with?

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My Week – In Picures

Posted on October 30, 2009 by auburnchick

The cookies were buy 2, get 1 free, making them $.50 each! The cereal was $.75 after my $2 coupon! Woo Hoo!

This is one of those nyla bone things that we've had for about three years. Pele cared not one iota about it until Molly dragged it in from the yard. Now they take turns with it.

Molly thinks everything belongs to her, so she's waiting for Pele to make a wrong move and drop the bone. He's watching her out of the corner of his eye.

I'm a happy girl, yes I am, yes I am!

Pele and Aubie love hanging out in Rooster's digs.

The Mr. woke up to find a flat tire on his work car. Great way to start the day, eh?

More candles! I paid $.19 for each set of two! It was such a great deal that I went out the next day and got six more, using up all of the coupons I had (can't let those coupons go to waste!!).

While shopping at Target yesterday, a lady behind me in line had one of these in her buggy.

I honed in on the red clearance price sticker...

Don't you just want to make a waffle now?

It folds and stands up for easy storage!

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GREAT Deals at Target!

Posted on October 22, 2009 by auburnchick

So, I haven’t posted super in-depth shopping tales because I was worried that maybe I was starting to bore you.  But, Tabby told me she misses my stories, so I thought I would share my latest and greatest.

This week, I scored BIG TIME…two different days…at Target.

I got the stuff below for $1.08…

The next day I went back to Target and did even better by only paying $.52 for everything in the picture…

Everything in both pictures was free.  All I paid was tax.

Now, I know you’re wondering how in the world I do what I do.

First off, I am subscribed to Attention Target Shoppers.  It’s a free website that lists the latest and greatest Target deals.  By using Google Reader, I am able to keep up with posts on all of my favorite shopping sites.

Now, the way I got everything free was that I was able to capitalize on HUGE coupons that were money makers on several items, thus allowing me to use the overages to help pay for the other items.

There were $1.50 mfr coupons off of one Degree deodorant or body spray and $3 Target coupon off of one Degree deodorant AND one Degree body spray.

The body spray was on sale for $3.29, and the trial size deodorant (located in the travel size bins), only cost $.97.  Many times, coupons will specify “Excludes trial sizes,” but my coupons said “Any size.”  Thus, I bought the cheapest items I could find.  By using a $1.50 mfr coupon on each deodorant and mist (saving $3) and stacking them with the $3 Target coupon, I made $1.74.

It might make more sense if I list it this way:

Body Mist:
Deodorant:  Total:		 $3.29
$0.97
$4.26

Subtracting Coupons (“Q”)…

Target Q:
Mist Q:
Deo Q:
Total:		 $3.00
$1.50
$1.50
-$1.74

See how that works?

I did something similar for the Ponds facial wipes, although I did not have a Target coupon to stack.  Instead, I had a $1.50 mfr coupon.  The wipes were the trial sizes and only cost $.97, so I made $.53 on each one.

The dog food was $4.26, and I had a $3 mfr coupon (from last weekend’s paper), making it only $1.26.  However, I used the overage from the other items to help pay for them, so I got them free.

I also had $3 mfr off of the Neosporin Lip Balm.  It cost $3.34.  Again, the overage from my other deals was substantial enough to pay the remaining $.34.

In my second picture, you’ll note the absence of the lip balm.  Thus, I had to find “fillers” to help offset the overage.  You see, Target doesn’t like its items zeroed out.  So, I got two loaves of bread and a trial size soap (which we had also run out of) for free.

God’s timing, as usual, was perfect.  We had run out of dry dog food (yes, all of those free bags were GONE!), and we also needed bread…and we needed both items to get through the week until the Mr. got paid.

What an awesome God, and what an awesome week for shopping!!

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