My wonderful friend Karen tipped me off that Gymboree is having a great sale on Sunday: 30% everything in the store — in store and online. Plus, there is a 20% off coupon in Working Mother and Family Fun magazine that you can use on top of the 30% discount.
I just bought a ton of Gymboree clothes at rummage sales yesterday, and now I’m a little hooked. I might have to check out this sale, too.

Good luck! Let’s hope the Web site doesn’t crash with all the sale traffic.

There’s nothing I love more than a great rummage sale. And some of the best ones are neighborhood-wide sales that combine several families’ stuff into a giant festival of deals.

This weekend there’s one of these huge rummage sales in Oconomowoc:

Location: Hickorywood Farms subdivision, off Valley Road west of  Oconomowoc

Dates/Times:
Thursday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Items: Lots of kids clothes and gear, women’s and men’s clothes, computer stuff, household items, etc.

If you are having a rummage/consignment sale/public event — or know of one coming up — please email me! I’m setting up a calendar with this information. Thanks!

UPDATE: I dropped off some items at the rummage earlier today — my friend Becky has an insane amount of kids’ clothes! If you have a girl in sizes 4T and under, or a boy in 24 months and under, this is an incredible sale. Lots of Gymboree, Gap and brand-name clothes, shoes and gear that are in great shape. Most stuff is $3 and under — what a steal!

Last night I saw that Banana Boat suncare products are buy one get one free (BOGO) at Pick ‘n Save! I clipped a $1 coupon from last week’s paper, which doubled at the register. I picked up one bottle each of Ultra Defense 50 and Ultra Defense 30 for just $7.49 — a savings of $11.49, or 60%. That is one fantastic deal on sunscreen that will last all summer.

This stuff is awesome. It sprays on evenly and clearly, which is great for loading up the kids with SPF. I have experimented with other kinds of sunscreen, and this is definitely one of the best.

I hope it stays on sale for a while — this is a good one!

Update: This week’s ad showcases this Banana Boat deal. Stock up next week! I’m not sure how long it will last.

We are having a serious ant problem this year. In the last week, ants have started appearing all over the downstairs. I know they are coming in from the back of the house, but this year I discovered a fairly large ant hill in the middle of our lawn. Makes me think the ants have decamped for good this time.

I have extremely toxic ant killer, but I’m hesitant to use it. My 1-year-old just loves the look of those tiny pellets (they are blue and colorful and must taste good, right?!), and I don’t really trust the 2-year-old not to touch or eat it. I’m sure the 4-year-old will stay away, but you never know.

Does anyone have effective yet safe ant solutions? Or is toxic the only way to go? Please leave a comment and let me know what you would do. Thanks!

Are you ready for Memorial Day? I’m certainly gearing up: My shopping list for tomorrow includes rare items like potato chips and soda. We’re seeing several friends who are visiting from out of the country, and I know this long weekend is going to be busy. That Coke will have to give me the energy to keep going!

In addition to all the regular sales at the grocery stores and outdoor outlets, there are two deals to keep your eye on this week:

1. Walgreens is kicking off the summer season with this $5 off $25 coupon. Valid two days only: Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday, May 21. Good for online or in-store purchases. Print the coupon for in-store use or use the code SUMMER for online purchases. Sweet!

2. Kmart is also celebrating the warmer weather with hot deals on outdoor gear (think patio furniture and bikes), as well as this online coupon for $10 off $100 purchase. Offer valid in-store only, Friday May 22-Monday May 25.

Last week I did something out of character: I impulsively stopped into Bark River Kids, an upscale kids’ boutique off Hwy C in Delafield, to investigate the tiny “75% sale” sign in the window.

I blew my entire monthly clothing budget in that one trip.

But am I stressing about it? Nope. That’s the whole point of a budget. I have the power to spend our money the way I want to, within reasonable guidelines, and our checking account stays in the black.

Last month I spent my budget at several rummage and consignment sales, plus Kohl’s and Kmart. I got tons of great stuff. But even I get a little weary of second-hand and inexpensive-looking clothes. I admit that sometimes I covet cute, expensive clothes and accessories. 90% of my kids’ wardrobe is used, but I still love buying high-quality new stuff for them occasionally.

Less stuff, more fun

This month I got much less stuff, but I picked up a few items I’ve been searching for that I couldn’t seem to find anywhere else. Plus, these clothes are, well, boutiquey. They are cute and stylish in a one-of-a-kind way. They’ll make great birthday and Christmas presents for my girls, too. And most were less than $15!

Here’s what I picked up:

• A pink-and-white striped hat for the baby that ties under the chin. [Do you know how hard it is to find a hat that securely ties under the chin so my grabby-hands baby can't undo it?!]
• A stainless-steel sippy cup for the baby. [My attempt at avoiding BPA-laden plastic.]
• Lightweight, long-sleeved white embroidered jammies for the 2-year-old. [Perfect for summer nights!]
• Three funky stuffed animals (among them are a snail and an elephant). [Great for Christmas for all three kids -- they love getting matching gifts.]
• Several t-shirts, shorts, pants, skirts, etc. in multiple sizes for all the girls, now and later. [I love stocking up like this!]

Goes to show that even boutiques can offer good values, if you’re willing to wait and budget for them. Maybe I’ll go back next month to see what’s new on sale.

Local value

There’s another component of this shopping trip that makes me smile: I’m shopping locally at a family-owned business not 10 miles from my house.

One of the owners of Bark River Kids has a son in my oldest daughter’s preschool class. I like the idea that I’m helping to support their store. I also like knowing that the dollars I spend there are going directly back into my local community — not into the vast coffers of nationwide chains like Target, Kohl’s and Kmart. You can’t beat that kind of value.

I’ve heard of All You magazine for the last year or so, but I thought it was just for Wal-Mart shoppers. I was wrong! It’s a typical magazine (it kind of reminds me of Woman’s Day or Good Housekeeping), but it’s loaded with coupons. I know hard-core couponers swear by this magazine.

Save $13 on a subscription

Right now a one-year subscription is just $15 through Amazon, saving you $8.24. But if you order before May 31, you’ll save an extra $5 instantly. I’ve heard that this magazine pays for itself even at full price, so this is a worthy investment if you’re looking for more coupons. It’s also chock-full of articles and tips!

I just ordered my first subscription. I hope it’s worth it. Does anyone else subscribe? What do you love? What do you wish was different?

I stopped into Piggly Wiggly on Hwy P in Oconomowoc this week to pick up a few items for a friend. As I checked out, I asked (as I always do wherever I shop) if they take American Express. To my surprise, they do! And the wheels started turning in my head.

How much can I make shopping at the Pig?

As you all know, I’m a PNS fan, through and through. My biggest complaint is that they don’t take American Express. I have two AmEx cards with great rewards:

• My Blue Cash card gives me up to 5% back on everyday purchases — including groceries, gas and drugstores. I also get 1.5% cash back on other purchases.
• My One card is linked to a high-yield savings account (it’s at 2.75% right now), and it deposits 1% of all my purchases into this account. I don’t use this card often, but I love the savings account. I use it for our emergency fund, since it is easy to access and has a higher interest rate than most.

How do the numbers crunch?

I spend about $6,000/year on groceries. If PNS took American Express, I’d get 5% cash back on that $6,000. American Express has a handy little “What if?” calculator that tells me I could earn about $100/year just on those groceries purchases. Add in my other everyday purchases, and I could be earning about $300/year.

It’s temping to use this information to change my favorite grocery store to the Pig! But does that credit card rebate trump the savings I could realize with double coupons at PNS? Let’s find out.

Double coupons savings

First, let’s assume that grocery prices are, on average, the same at PNS and Piggly Wiggly. I know they aren’t always exactly the same, but I’m sure that as often something is cheaper at the Pig, there’s another item that’s more expensive.

So let’s look at coupon savings, since that’s where we’ll really see a price difference.

PNS doubles up to five coupons $1 or less. I often have five $1 coupons, but not always. Let’s say that, on average, I have three $1 coupons and two 50 cent coupons 45 weeks of the year. That’s probably a low estimate, but it’s fair enough for this purpose. With this calculation, I’d save $8/week with those doubled coupons — or $360/year. That easily beats the $100 rebate I’d get from shopping at the Pig with my AmEx card. I’m sure this estimate is conservative, so it’s likely that my savings at PNS are even higher.

Even if I put that $100 from the AmEx card into my high-yield savings account, it can’t beat the savings I realize from shopping with double coupons at PNS.

The silent reward

There’s another reward that I’m not factoring into this equation. The card I use at PNS is my WorldPerks Visa card from US Bank. It gives me one frequent flier mile for every dollar in purchases.

I’ve gotten several airline tickets by exclusively using this card to pay for everything. But now that we have three kids, travel rewards aren’t as useful as they used to be. That’s why I started using the AmEx card, since I need cash back more than I need a single plane ticket to Florida. (Although a trip alone to someplace warm sounds really nice!)

Just as I was about to cancel my WorldPerks card earlier this year, they changed the program to include more flexible rewards — such as gift certificates, tickets on multiple airlines, lower eligibility requirements and more. I kept the card, and I’m glad I did. Many places still don’t accept AmEx, and my WorldPerks card is, by far, the best Visa or MasterCard rewards card I have in my wallet. I earn enough points in a year to get at least one free ticket a year. I can’t wait to see what I will get this year with the new program.

Even though I’m missing out on AmEx cash back by shopping at PNS, I’m still getting something in return with my Visa card. Plus, I’m saving more with double coupons. It’s a win-win situation.

This is also a great example of how credit cards can be a useful savings tool. I know many people think credit cards are evil minions straight from the devil (and I agree that the companies are pretty devilish), but using cards wisely can add up in your favor.

How about you: Do you use credit cards? Can you find a way to reap rewards with them? Or is it too tempting to buy stuff you don’t need with plastic in your pocket?

This week I’ve decided to change my grocery shopping strategy just a little. We’ve had some unusual expenses crop up (extra insurance premiums, preschool tuition, etc.), so I’ve decided to trim the grocery budget to cover these items. We have an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses like these, but I’d like to reserve that money for a true emergency.

This is one of the nice things about stockpiling and stalking sales at the grocery store. I never have to spend or buy more than I really need on any given week. My stockpile can definitely handle a dip in inventory for a few weeks, and my checkbook will thank me.

I’m also going to do the majority of my produce and milk shopping at Good Harvest Market in Waukesha. I stopped there last week after getting my car emissions tested, and I was very impressed with the prices — they were comparable or less than Pick ‘n Save’s sale prices. I got a great deal on peaches (99 cents/pound), milk (plus it’s local!) and strawberries ($2.99/pound). I like the idea of shopping locally at Good Harvest, since my garden and farmer’s market haven’t kicked into high gear yet.

Even though the drive to Waukesha might eat into whatever cost savings I realize, I’m still going to do it. Maybe I’ll pick up some of my favorite chicken salad from the deli. My kids love the car trip, and the store has tiny shopping carts just right for my 2-year-old. What’s not to love?

My friend Karen just tipped me off to this coupon from Kohl’s: $10 off $20. Just scroll down a little bit to download a PDF of the coupon from Slick Deals. It’s good through the 10th, so now’s the time to hit up Kohl’s for some Mother’s Day gifts (hint, hint, dads).

Karen said she printed eight coupons and split up her order to maximize savings. Then the cashier combined her separate purchases to get good chunk of Kohl’s cash, too. WOW. I bow down to you, Karen.

I’ve never used Slick Deals before, but I know Karen swears by it. After seeing how sweet this deal is, I might have to check it out more often.

Thanks, Karen!