This Years Holiday Deals

The weather here in our part of Wisconsin has moderated a little.  It has actually been quite pleasant even though the full moon tonight is called the Cold Moon.   The past week or so, my husband and I have taken the opportunity to bum around to stores we usually don't go to and track down thrift stores we haven't gone to in a long time.  We have eaten out and had a lot of fun.  As a result I have gotten some very good deals for Christmas presents and things for us.

December 6, 2014 full moon is called the "Cold Moon"

It's sunny, bright and the snow is melting.

I have written about this topic before, but for those who didn't see it here is the link.
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/04/cash-back-shopping.html

I will give you some examples of the games I play with getting good deals.  I can't tell you what I bought because certain people may read this blog.  I can say that I was shopping online for a certain item.  $70 was the lowest price I could find.  Then on the Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I went online.  I found the item, which retailed for $110 was sold for $99, on sale in the store for $49 but for that day was $29.99.  I ordered two through ebates so I got another 6% back, free shipping and $15 in a cash coupon.  I won't mention the store, but I think everyone knows who gives $15 cash.  Then as we were shopping at this store on Friday, I found something else I wanted on sale for $13.00.  I ended up getting it free and I still had $2.00 left over.  It makes shopping a fun game.  I don't usually like games but this one gives me something in return.  Kind of like winning at gambling.  I figure I saved $80 times 2 = $160 plus $3.60 plus $13 plus shipping.  I don't know what that is because I rarely pay shipping costs.  I just know I got a really good deal.

Next I ordered an item for my granddaughter.  It came in record time.  It came in just a few days, but the top I ordered was very very small.  I ordered a medium and it looked like an extra small.  I was so disappointed so I emailed their customer service department.  I got an answer back in just a few hours.  They told me they were sorry for the problem, and they would gladly order me another at no cost.  They said I didn't have to return the original item or incur shipping costs.  I ordered a bigger size and will be able to donate the smaller set.  Someone else will go to a thrift store some day and be thrilled with this item.  Nice.

Another example of online shopping that worked out well was last week.  The credit card I use gives reward points. I only use this card from home for my online purchases because it has protection and safety features.   I use ebates, shop at home or mrrebates for all my online purchases.  I have all my  rebates transferred to my account and save them for the holidays.   I ordered a $50 toy and only paid $8.  Yippee!

 I also went to a store that gives reward points.  I bought $60 worth of stocking stuffers.  I got $15 off the total bill and $10 more in reward points added back.

I did lots and lots of other online shopping and used codes for discounts and shipping.  Sometimes it is hard to keep track of all of this, but it is so worth it in the long run.

Then I went to St. Vincent du Paul.  I always look for items that fit with my collections.  Many years ago my mom gave me the start to a collection called All Through The House.  It was retired and the pieces couldn't be purchased in stores any longer.  Last year I found three pieces.  Yesterday I found a Christmas Tree from the Department 56 All Through The House collection.  I paid $4.  I looked it up when I got home.  It is a retired item that can be purchased through a reseller for $44.

This is the tree I found this year.

There are two trees in this collection.  The one is this picture I also found at a St. Vincent du Paul thrift store.

We also found a brand new pair of Nike shoes for my husband.  If you watch carefully, places like Kohls and Target donate to these stores.  The style of the shoes are still being sold.  I saw the exact shoe for $55 and we paid $10.

If you are patient, eventually good deals can come your way.  I don't like shopping so this makes it a little more fun.