Cheapo's "Live" Shopping Adventure!

Did you follow Cheapo's "live" Shopping Adventure on Twitter (@ItsToni) Tuesday afternoon?
Talk about some great deals and a fantastic start on Christmas!

Last week, I wrote a post, describing a few of my favorite websites to subscribe to. Well, guess what? The coupons and savings are already starting to come in! On Tuesday, I decided to gather them up and begin some Discount Christmas bargain hunting.

My first stop: Hallmark Gold Crown store - I have a $5.00 off coupon from the Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Certainly, I would be able to find some sort of gift for free or very low cost at that.

Now, I just needed to find the shop.

Found it! Except, I can't show you what the gift is because it's for a person that may or may not being reading this blog. What I CAN tell you, is that it came with two parts and totaled $7.50 - so with tax, I paid $2.68 for an awesome gift!

Also, while I was there, I signed up for the Gold Crown rewards card. It was free. I can't say I would normally shop at Hallmark (even though it smells so good in there and everything is so pretty!) But, when you sign up, they start sending coupons - and I was all in favor of that idea.

How convenient! J C Penny is RIGHT next door - and that was the next stop on my agenda. A few days ago, I received THE coupon - $10.00 off of any purchase. Score! I love this coupon - it tends to be sent out a few times per year. Another situation where you can easily find something for free or little cost.

As hard as it is to NOT shop for yourself with all of these great holiday sales, I headed straight to the boy's department. I found a great pair of camo cargo pants - which even comes with a belt = a two-fer.
Normal price: $34.99
Sale price: $14.99
Coupon: $10.00
Cost w/tax: $5.34

I'm so happy with my first two stops - now, on to Bath and Body Works - once again, right around the corner!

Can I just tell you how cute and friendly the girls were at B & B Works? So helpful and fun - I'll definitely be shopping there again. Especially since I received TWO coupons at checkout AND another for a free $13 item w/$10 purchase coupon in the mail today.
I did two transactions, since I had two coupons for use. I paired those with a freebie sale they already had going on. Here's how it worked:

#1 checkout
Room Spray $3.00
Travel Body spray - Free with coupon for signing up on website

#2 checkout
They have a deal: buy 2 signature items, get one free - buy 3 get two free
Lotion - $10.50
Lotion - $10.50
Body Spray - FREE with deal
Body Spray - FREE with mailer coupon
They even threw in a free cello bag with ribbon and gift tag.
$53.00 worth for $25.50 - good deal!

At this point, a Twitter friend asked, "@ItsToni awesome..so what's the secret to your shopping success?" My answer? NO impulse buying. A spree such as this requires some discipline. To continually receive "cheap" deals, you need to make a list, and stick with it. Otherwise, your trip will end up costing you LOTS more money. Of course, a feeling of savings is different with each individual. I prefer leaving with spending as little cash as possible.

Next stops: Toys R Us, Old Navy and Sears/Lands End.

Remember when we went to Jeffery the Giraffe's birthday party "bash" at Toys R Us? Well, we hung onto that free Hot Wheels Battle Force coupon until now. I roamed the store until I found the little car worth $2.99. If he wasn't already expecting me to bring this toy home, I would've kept it for a stocking stuffer.

Oh, hey...did I tell you that I won an Old Navy coupon over @CorrinRenee 's blog, "Oh Hey, What's up?" A whoppin' $45 off of $100 purchase! Right at Christmas time? That's perfect for me. I got all of the above, $180.50 worth for $65 buckeroos. I must say that I was pretty happy about that. See those t-shirts? They were marked down from $10.50 to $3.99!

The last, and final shop stop, Sears/Lands End. Recently, I found a great deal on a boy's down vest online (only paid $6 bucks - free shipping) - along with the purchase, they sent me two coupons: one for free shipping and one for $10 off any REGULAR priced item. Hmm...I don't like the words regular priced. Come to find out, this Sears store only carries ladies Land's End products and the cheapest item I could find was $29.95 - no thanks. I'm not spending *just* so I can use the coupon. I was really hoping to find a boys hat/gloves set or something of the like.

Time to head home. Oh...wait...ONNEE more stop. All of this money saving has made me hungry. Must have Wendy's chili - with cheese, onion and sour cream of course!

Dang, maybe I SHOULD have gotten something for myself...like a new pair of jeans?

"Out Damn Spot!"

More Tackle It Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom!