Now that the holidays have been forced down our throats with cheap egg nog and stale candy canes (do they even get stale?) I'd like to offer you some tips I've been using to save money this holiday season. In no particular order...

1. Sign up for ebates. Yes, I'm gonna whore myself out here with a self-promoting linky - but you don't need to use it (unless you really want to and remain on Sandi's good list). This cool website gives you cash back if you go through their site to access the places you normally shop at (online). For example, I love Sephora and needed some more spackle for my face. I shopped through Ebates last night and got 8% back for my purchase. It may not seem like a lot but it adds up.

2. Looking for cheap books? Check out sortfloorbooks.com. These books may have slight blemishes, black binding marks, etc., but they are priced exceptionally well. Use the code "jolly" for an additional 10% off, and if you spend over $14.99, you get free shipping. If you visit the site, be sure to plug in "sets" in the search box. They have these funky little sets you can order for a coupla bucks and they make great stocking stuffers.

3. Buy a Prime Membership through Amazon.com. It's $79, but it guarantees you free 2-day shipping or $3.99 overnight shipping for a year. I save a fortune each Christmas, by not having to pay for shipping.

4. Check out deal sites like fishingfordeals.net or slickdeals.net. They are updated several times an hour with fantastic deals and coupon codes.

5. Before you place an online order anywhere, always Google to see if you can find a coupon code. I'd say 90% of the time, you'll be able to find a small discount if not a free shipping code.

6. Select "ship to site" or "site to store" when possible. For example, I need to find three bean bags for the munchkins and found some I like at Walmart.com (2% back at Ebates). I did not want to pay $40 to have them shipped so I selected "site to store." They will arrive at my closest Walmart in a few weeks and when I'm there anyway, picking up the Easy Cheese and Spam, I can easily grab them.

7. Buy local! Avoid the shipping fees altogether and support your local businesses.

8. Go homemade - well kinda. This year I'm using my photography to create calendars, photobooks, etc. for family and friends. A really cool place with great prices for this kind of thing is Artscow.com. They are located in Hong Kong so shipping take forever. However, if you sign up for daily deals, you can get some really cool stuff with free shipping - sans the bird flu ;-).

9. Don't forget to check our your local Craig's List. You can buy, sell, trade, barter - pretty much anything!

10. When all else fails, wait for the after Christmas sales and stall. A simple, "Oh crap! I forgot your gift at home!" will save you a fortune in after Christmas sales. And yes, I speak like a woman with experience in this category. Sorry mom!

What do you do? Anything helpful we can add to this list? I'm always looking for bargain hunting ideas.

Posted by Mommazilla at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Alright, here's your chance to get not one, but two Snuggies, plus two booklights, for less than $15. You know you wanted one at Christmas so scoop up the deal now. And then send me a picture. I love to see fugly fashion!

Posted by Mommazilla at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Check this out! Ok, just for clarification, I'm not really buying you anything but it's the thought that counts, right?!

** The link originally went to a Denny's site where they are advertising a free Grand Slam breakfast, to anyone, from 6AM to 2PM, today only. I haven't tested this out and DO NOT know if it works, so don't be pissy if you get stuck with a craptastic breakfast that you actually had to pay for. **

Posted by Mommazilla at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm classifying this posting under the category of "Bargains," although Hubby probably wouldn't agree too heartily with this classification. Let me first explain that I'm now the proud owner of an additional player piano. Yes, you heard that right, I now own two pianos and don't even know how to play. I guess you could say I have great expectations combined with a side of pure OCD pack rat.

In my search to purchase some player piano rolls, I found a lovely lady who was trying to sell her 1919 Davenport-Treacy Cabinet Grand Upright Player Piano. The piano had been completely restored and came with 250 piano rolls - and the price was a steal since she really wanted to get rid of it. When I initially contacted her, I was just interested in purchasing a handful of the rolls but as soon as I laid eyes on it and heard it play, I was sold. Hubby was none too thrilled to learn that I wanted to buy it.

During the whole bargaining process, Hubby made it very clear to me that he was not supportive of my quest to be a mini-Mozart. His gripe was that none of us knew how to play and that we already had a defunct, yet cool, player piano. I argued back that a player piano took the guesswork out of having to learn how to play. Plus, he knew that it was going to drive me absolutely batty to own piano rolls I couldn't play because I couldn't get the original piano working. And, what's better than having a working example of the exact item I'm trying to refurbish?

Ultimately, I knew I'd win this battle because I can be a very hard person to deal with when I'm discontent and pushy. Hubby needs his sanity so he finally agreed.

We went out yesterday morning and picked it up with the help of Grandpa D. Pianos are very heavy and this one was no exception. Thankfully, we were able to get it loaded up and placed it into it's new home with relative ease. Well, it was easy for me because I just sat back and pretty much watched the guys do their thing.

After we had the piano properly seated and the 250 rolls ever so nicely organized, I sat down and showed off the magnificence of the piano. I played Hubby and Grandpa D songs like, "Tip Toe Through The Tulips," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," and finished with a contemporary, "Tears In Heaven." My dad was all grins and Hubby appeared to be in awe whenever I looked at him. Of course, when he saw me watching him he'd quickly change his expression and give me, "Yeah, it's a'yight."

He tried it a couple of times with the assistance of Taterbug, and I think he liked it a little bit more each time:

The afternoon turned into evening and several more songs were played. I found Hubby to have a particular fondness for "Tears In Heaven" (usually sung by Eric Clapton) and he kept playing it over and over. What started out to be his goofy rendition actually turned into Hubby bellowing out his best vibratos and false ivory tickling, much to the delight of his fans. For someone who disliked my idea so much, he was enjoying himself quite a bit.

Needless to say, we love our new family addition. I just ordered some Billy Joel, Beach Boys, Grease, and Phantom of the Opera piano rolls. Do you know they even have Britney Spears? I just couldn't defile my piano by playing "Oops I Did It Again," or "Hit Me Baby One More Time," no matter how much Tater begged and pleaded. I did succumb to the "Indian Outlaw" song because I love me some Tim McGraw. Maybe Hubby will channel him while he's playing. A girl can only hope.

Posted by Mommazilla at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Want a great way to track Santa's whereabouts and keep your kids insanely attentive for hours at a time? Go here.

Posted by Mommazilla at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love Dickies clothes and was super excited to see that they have an awesome clearance section here. They have a great variety of clothing items and their stuff is well made. Plus, they are currently offering free shipping with any order. You just can't beat that!

Don't forget to go through Ebates for an extra 5% off!

Posted by Mommazilla at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several times a year, my kids bring home book orders. I'm a mean mom and rarely order from them because I know I can get the books or other items a lot cheaper. However, I recently stumbled upon the Scholastic Store which is one of the places that these orders originate from. And guess what? I ordered from them - several times in fact. Why, you ask? Why take away the thrill of allowing my kids to participate in the book order? Because of this:

COUPON CODES!!!

Currently, you can get 25% off your purchase and free shipping when you use this code at checkout: FSN25. Also, don't forget about Ebates! You can earn a whopping 10% back for your purchases! Don't have Ebates yet? Sign up and if you're super duper nice, you can use me as a referral and we'll both get more money back :-).

I placed an order this morning at the Scholastic Store and was so surprised to see they had a great selection of books, toys, reading kits, Nintendo DS games, and so much more. They have a great clearance section that the 25% also applies to.

Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here are some great bargains for your kiddos:

Step 2 has the Tower of Doom castle in a two-pack for $199.99. Use coupon code TOWERBOGO at checkout, and get $100 off plus free shipping. You are essentially getting one for free!

Want a pony for your kidlet but don't have the barn? Get a FurReal Butterscotch or Smores Pony at a Amazon.com. They are currently running a promotion that offers an additional $100 off of the steep $179.99/$199.99 price. It does not show up checkout, but many people are calling and successfully getting customer service to knock the $100 off the price bringing it down accordingly. The c/s number is 1-866-216-1072 .

Also at Amazon.com, the Hasbro Playskool Dream Town Rose Petal Cottage is currently priced at $29.99 (normally $79.99). This seems to be a hot item this year.

Enjoy the sales, but be quick if you want the deal. They may or may not be there!

Posted by Mommazilla at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's eight free downloadable songs from Oprah. Our stereo has been blasting a "Redneck Christmas" CD so this will be a nice change.

Posted by Mommazilla at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sorry if this blog has turned into the Home Shopping Channel of blogs, but as the Christmas season progresses, I tend to stumble onto a lot of deals I like to share. Here are a couple I found today:

Amazon.com is currently running their great grocery deal where you get $25 instantly off if you spend $75 on certain grocery brands. Plus, if you spend over $25, most of it qualifies for FREE shipping. Score! Here's a link to what qualifies. Be sure to use the coupon code Q4DEAL25 at checkout, in order to get the $25 off.

Walmart.com has great deals come of their Wii games and DS games. Certainly not the most popular of games but if you're shopping for non-picky children, they're great! Currently, there are about ten that qualify for "-2- for $30." Here's the Wii link, and here's the DS link.

Artscow.com is a great photo printing website that I recently discovered. They are out of Hong Kong and the shipping prices are outrageous (because of international shipping) but they give you a ton of freebies. Currently, they are running a deall where you can get a personalized rubber coaster for $.99 with free shipping. Enter 99COASTER at checkout.

Posted by Mommazilla at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don't forget your free 20 oz. Dr. Pepper! Use this link to learn more and get a printable.

Are you a digital scrapper? If so, this site is having an awesome deal for $29. It ends tomorrow night so hurry if you're interested.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Posted by Mommazilla at 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Do you like bargains and the high that a valuable grab bag can give you? Check out Yakpak.com. In the bottom left corner of their homepage, there is a red button where you can order three unknown bags for $10 ($15.50 total with shipping). I've ordered these a bunch of times and have gotten anything from diaper bags to I-pod carriers, as well as purses, backpacks and messenger bags. I've never been disappointed. Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After much anticipation, we adopted Piper's half-sister today, Gracie. Gracie is a little butterball of orange fur and energy. She's almost a week younger than Piper, but her fluffy hair and round little belly make her look a lot bigger.

She's also an avid reader of A Beachcomber's Blog, which I thought was pretty amazing for a kitteh kat (look in the background).

Gracie is totally sweet but such a clutz. Her chunky little butt is not the least bit graceful - knocking things off of shelves and throwing her food around - she's a messy little gal but we love her anyway. Piper has stopped hissing and swiping at her, which is a good sign that she's going to do just fine. It's so nice to hear the pitter pat of little feet thumping around and sliding across the linoleum. It's been a long time.

Posted by Mommazilla at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ebates

Just a reminder, if you haven't heard of ebates.com, check 'em out! They have a ton of stores on their website that give you "ebates" (think rebates), or percentages back for shopping at their site. I get a check every four months based on these "ebates." Since I've joined (about two years ago), I've made almost $400 for shopping! If you'd like to show me some love, you can even use me as a referral :-). Currently, you'll get $10 just for signing up.

Fig Leaves

Looking for some new undergarments? Try Fig Leaves. Everything is currently at 50% off and their stuff is really cute. Go through ebates and earn 6%!

KB Toys

Here are some links to some great toy deals with free shipping. Go through ebates and earn 2%!

Secret Stylin' Doodle Bear
Gross Out Doodle Monster
Hooked on Phonics Get Ready To Read

Walgreens

Go here for a printable $5 off of $20 coupon.

Posted by Mommazilla at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

She's giving out free Snapfish photobooks. You pay shipping. Click here for the page and then follow through by setting up an account at Snapfish. I've used them before the prints are great. Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

They are having a Friends and Family sale. Use coupon code 20FRIENDS to recieve 20% off your entire purchase. Last time, this included clearance items so it ended up being a pretty good deal. The deal is good through November 16th. Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just got back from a week in Napa. My brain is fried but I'm excited to share some great bargains currently going on:

Need make-up? Do you love Bare Escentuals? Sephora.com is having their annual 20% Friends and Family sale. This is about the best discount you'll get all year especially on the B.E. make-up. Use coupon code FF2008 for your discount. Orders over $50 will also receive free shipping and you get three free samples. The sale is good 'til November 10th.

Love Gymboree? Gymboree.com is also having their annual Friends and Family sale. Receive 30% off by using coupon code CFFRIEND to get your discount. The sale ends this weekend - not sure on the exact date.

Got candles? Yankeecandles.com has an excellent clearance section and they currently have some fall items. I ordered a ton of Halloween stuff last year and used them for gifts this year. Try coupon code XF811S4 for free shipping over $40 or coupon code 9537PC for $10 off your $25 purchase.

Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Walmart.com currently has a few games listed for two for $30. They have eight different games to choose from and some of them actually look pretty good. Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There is a Woot Off today. If you're not familiar with Woot, check it out. They typically list one product a day at a very good price. On Woot Off days, they list a product and then as soon as it sells out, they list another, and another. What you want to get is the BOC (Bag 'o Crap). This is some random item that Woot will send you for really cheap. You don't get to pick it, but that's the fun of it. It's like paying $5 for a really nice grab bag of whatever. Check it out if you get a chance.

Posted by Mommazilla at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm not into scrapbooking (I'm not creative and really don't have the patience) but I know many people are. My sister-in-law even travelled to Provo, Utah for a scrapbooking mecca. She seriously works magic with her scrapping stuff and her end product looks absolutely incredible. I sadly know that even if I tried, my scrapping would never look as good as hers'.

Since I'm far too scared of the commitment of a Kaboodle full of expensive scrapping supplies, I've briefly dabbled in digital scrapping. I have discovered a site where you can digitally scrap even if you have the creative abilities of a skunk - just like me. It's called Scrap Blog and I used it to create my blog headers.

There are tons of different themes or you can start from scratch. When you're done, you can publish it to their site or download a jpeg file so you can later print it out. It's super easy and actually pretty addicting once you get going. The best part about the whole thing is that it's free - no glue needed, no cutesy scissors or stamps - my kind of scrapping.

Posted by Mommazilla at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Check here for the latest ads.

Posted by Mommazilla at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Children's Place is having a great Labor Day sale on selected items. I was able to get each of the kids five long sleeved shirts for just a little over $4 an item. If you shop online, use code FA78 for an extra 15% off. Shipping is only $5, so I'd just do the online shopping rather than battling the lines at your store.

If you do Ebates, you can get 3% back on your purchase.

www.childrensplace.com

Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Amazon.com currently has Photoshop Elements 6 as their "Deal of the Day." They have it on sale for $59.99 with an additional $20 mail-in rebate for those with previous versions. I use PSE6 for all my photo editing because it's simple to use and produces great results. Trust me, I don't think you'll find it any cheaper (about six months ago, I bought my copy for about $120).

Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

Posted by Mommazilla at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Children's Place is having their annual Monster Sale. All of their clearance items are an additional 50% off. If you order online (only $5 to ship and less hassle than dealing with the crowds) you can Google for an additional coupon code. I already had a 15% off code due to being a Place Perks member, so in essence, I got 65% off my items. I bought the following for $135 and some change (shipping and taxes included):

11 girls size 8 shirts
3 girls size 8 pairs of denim cargo shorts
2 girls size 8 pairs of bootcut jeans
3 cute pairs of girls shoes
4 3T toddler shirts
3 3T denim cargo shorts
2 3T pairs of carpenter jeans
3 awesome pairs of boy shoes for C-dub

31 items for an average of less than $4.50 a piece! The Eureka store still had a pretty good selection when I went today but I hate dealing with crowds and I had three angry, hungry kids in tow so I really didn't get to look that well. Please have patience with the site because it is getting hit HARD. Also, if you have Ebates, you can get an additional 3% back. Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Do you order online prints? Do you like to make creations out of your favorite photos? Do you have tons of CD's and camera memory cards with pictures you've never printed? If you said yes to any of those questions, check out artscow.com. I recently heard about this site through one of my photography boards and I'm getting ready to make my own order. They are fairly new to the printing world so they are offering some pretty powerful deals to establish a strong customer base. Right now, if you sign up for an account on their website, they're offering 400 free prints and all you do is pay shipping. I did hear that shipping can be high since the prints are shipped from Hong Kong although their business offices are in Texas.

Here's what I think about them after doing some research:

Pros:

* Cheap prices
* Lots of freebies
* Decent quality for the price
* You can pay with your PayPal account which adds some protection

Cons:

* Expensive shipping
* Takes a bit longer to receive due to where it's shipped from
* The paper is reported to be on the thin side but it is Fuji paper
* The photo uploading on their site can be a bit tedious
* Some of the site's grammar is a bit off but I think it's a language issue

I've googled the crap out of this site and overall, the reviews are on the positive side. It is a little scary to be ordering items from Hong Kong, especially in this day and age, and I strongly suggest you do your own research before placing an order. Also, try to use some sort of account (such as PayPal) that will offer added protection and security of your credit card number. I'm no expert, but I do like good deals without the hassle of identity theft.

On a side note, if you do need prints and you want professional quality, check out mpix.com. I typically use mpix on my very good prints. They have this awesome metallic paper that will really make your pictures "pop" and the prices are not too bad. Their shipping is super fast and reasonable, usually less than $5 on any order. I have been extremely happy with every order I've placed through them.

Good luck and happy picture taking!

Posted by Mommazilla at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you shop at Gap, you might want to stop by tomorrow. I heard a rumor that all of their clearance will be marked down an extra 25% off tomorrow. Not sure if it's true or not but wanted to pass it along...

Posted by Mommazilla at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I don't consider myself to be a girly girl, but I do love my make-up. Up until last year, I had never really found a make-up that I really liked and considered buying over and over again. I'd tried tradional concealers and foundations, but my face was so oily that everything looked gooey by the end of the day. Plus, I had super sensitive eyelids and some eyeshadow formulations made me peel like an orange. My mom suggested that I try bareMinerals and ever since then, I've been hooked. It's all powder based but does so well with my oily skin and cavernous pores, TMI - I know! The stuff is just awesome and I'm getting ready to re-order for the third time.

Bare Escentuals (which sells bareMinerals) currently has a "Friends and Family" sale going from June 19th to June 22nd. If you use coupon code FRIEND8, you'll receive 20% off your total purchase, plus free shipping on orders over $75.

The stuff runs on the pricey side but will last you a really long time. Good luck and happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The Children's Place is having a great sale in their online outlet. Their outlet clothes are at least 50% off and if you use code S1A48, you can get an additional 15% off. Shipping is only $5 and their selection was great as of this morning. I paid about $122 and got 32 items for my three kiddos. You may be able to find some deals in-store as well. Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I know this may sound weird, but you can get some really good grocery bargains on the internet. Amazon.com is one such place that offers outstanding sales on some grocery items. Here's what I found today:

Amazon.com is offering great deals on certain products, plus free shipping if you spend over $25.00. It averages out to about 42% off the sale price of the product. I used this website to help me figure out what was on sale and the best deals (it has the Amazon list at the very top left of the first page):

Grocery Smarts (www.grocerysmarts.com)

I placed two different orders because I couldn't get two different coupon codes to go through. Ultimately, this is what I got for just about $92:

1 of: Crystal Light Fruit Punch On-The-Go, .9 Ounce Unit (Pack of 6)
1 of: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Sponge Bob Square Pants Shapes, 5.5-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 24)
1 of: Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)
1 of: Betty Crocker Deluxe Loaded Au Gratin Potatoes, 7.7-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)
1 of: General Mills Cereal Breakfast Pack, 1.14-Ounce Boxes in 8-Count Packages (Pack of 5)
1 of: Betty Crocker Complete Meals, Chicken & Buttermilk Biscuits, 27-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 3)

Any other good deals out there? Walmart.com was having a decent toy sale with .97 cent shipping. Feel free to add!

Posted by Mommazilla at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Were you one of the lucky buggers to get a Wii for Christmas? If so, you know how stinkin' expensive their games are. Amazon.com has several popular Wii games on sale right now, with free shipping to top it all off. Here's the games on sale:

* Thrillville: Off the rails $33
* Victorious Boxers: Revolution $30
* Dragon Blade: Wrath Of Fire $30
* Manhunt 2: $27

The Thrillville: Off the rails is supposed to be a really fun game and has great reviews. I'm not sure about the other three due to the subject matter not necessarily being too cohesive for my brood. Happy shopping!

Posted by Mommazilla at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Do you love grab bags? Do you love wild purses and backpacks? Do you love bargains? I'm a sucker for all three, so each year I visit Yak Pak (www.yakpak.com) when they're having their 3/$10 deal. Pay $10, with $5.50 to ship, and they will send you three random bags of their choice. One year, I got three cool Skip Hop diaper bags (real value is over $50) and the rest of my orders have been random purses and backpacks (mainly Dickies). They come in all sorts of colors, textures and fabrics. At Taterbug's last birthday party, I passed out a bunch of the purses as party favors - they were a total hit! If you'd like ideas of what kind of stuff they sell, checkout their site or e-Bay. Happy bargain hunting!

Posted by Mommazilla at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)