It’s now a little over a week until Christmas, and everywhere you look it’s “Sale”, “Clearance”, and “% off your order”. Almost every store seems to be having a huge sale where you can get great deals!

The big question is, should you buy now or wait until after Christmas? In the past, prices would go even lower after Christmas. Of course, this was when the economy was better. This year there have been great sales for a while already!

So, if there is something you want, should you buy it now or wait and hope prices will go down?

Well, it depends. If you are happy with the price it is at now, I’d say buy it. If you aren’t giving it as a gift or going to need to use it right away, keep it in the bag with the tags on it. Then, wait a week or two and see if the price goes down. If it does, most stores will adjust the price and give you back the difference. Make sure you look at their store policy before buying the item though, as different stores have different amounts of time you can adjust the price until.

My guess is that these prices aren’t going anywhere though. I have a feeling a lot of the stores will keep similar prices until the new year - but that’s just my guess. All I know is that I’m really enjoying being able to get the few items I want at a great discount!

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If you enjoy shopping on Black Friday, I do NOT advise getting sick for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, I woke up the day before Thanksgiving not feeling all that well, and by Thanksgiving I was too sick to go to the dinner with family that I had been looking forward to.

Of course, since I had been looking forward to Black Friday for months and months, I loaded up on DayQuil, and went out anyway. I originally had planned on going to a bunch of different places with one of my closest friends, but was lucky enough to make it to 5 stores. I was able to get what I wanted the most though, so I really can’t complain.

What was high on my list this year? Mostly DVDs. Yes, really. I didn’t need much, and wasn’t looking for much, but there were a lot of great DVDs on sale for a lot lower price than you can get them otherwise, so I had fun with that. I got a few other things as well, but was happy to be home by 10am so that I could go back to sleep!

I am one of the crazy ones that loves going shopping early on Black Friday, so hopefully next year I’ll be in better health and will be able to enjoy it more!

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When going on vacation, there is a good chance you’re going to do a lot of the attractions in the area. For example, if you’re going to Los Angeles, you might be going to Disneyland as well as Universal Studios. If you’re going to Toronto, you might be going to see the CN Tower, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Science Center, etc. Since this is the case, a few companies have come out with packages where you pay once, and get tickets to many of the attractions in a city at a great savings.

For example, when we were in Toronto, for one price, we got an entrance into the CN Tower, Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario Science Center, Casa Loma, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Toronto Zoo. It would have cost a lot more to buy tickets individually to each of these. This was known as the Toronto Citypass, and if you were going to at least 4 of the attractions, it made sense to buy the pass.  We had no intention of going to the Zoo as we didn’t have enough time, but since we were planning on going to 5 of them, it was still a savings for us to buy the pass.

Citypass is not the only one to offer such passes to different cities. There is also the Go Card which has similar passes for other cities. There are even some that are not part of a program, and just have a pass for one location, such as the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass, which included the Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk, Butterfly Conservatory, and the People Mover Bus.

We did that one as well, although we skipped out on the White Water Walk due to lack of time.  We still saved money, and got to see everything we wanted to see.  It was also great since these count as tickets, so you don’t have to wait in line at each location…you can go right in!  So that was an extra little perk.

So if you’re going to a city that has a lot of well known attractions, first take a look to see if they have some sort of savings pass where you can pay once and get into many of the attractions.  You’ll be surprised at how much you can save.

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When you think about AAA, you probably just think about your car, and how they can help if you get a flat tire, get stuck, or anything else like that.

While that is all very true, AAA can help you get a lot of discounts in other ways. Although I have to admit, sometimes it can be hit or miss.

We have AAA, and every time we are getting ready to book a hotel, we check both the regular rates, as well as AAA rates. Most of the time though, the regular internet rates are lower than AAA rates. I always check, because you never know.

Well, this past week, we were able to use AAA rates for 2 of the hotels we stayed at, one a Courtyard Marriott, and the other a Comfort Inn - both in Canada. Not only did the AAA card get us better rates, but it got us free buffet breakfast at the Marriott that is normally $18 per person per day. Not bad right?

AAA did even more for us this trip. They offer discounts to a lot of attractions as well. We knew that and have used them in the past, and even went to a AAA office in Asheville, NC last year to get a discount to an attraction. Well, we were able to get AAA discounts at both the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and at Howe Caverns, which is about 45 min away from Cooperstown. So we ended up saving quite a bit on our trip due to having the AAA card.

They also offer discounts to theme parks, and even some stores (both in store and online), so it’s defintely something to check out, especially if you already have a AAA card, and hardly use it!

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If you like Amazon as much as we do, one thing you’ll know is that you can get free shipping if you spend at least $25.00. That’s great, but sometimes the item you want isn’t quite $25.00, and you don’t want to have to buy something else just to get over the limit. What you might not know, is that Amazon has a program called “Amazon Prime” that will give you free shipping no matter how big or small your order is.

Amazon Prime actually has another benefit as well. Not only does it not matter how small your order is, but your free shipping will be free 2-day shipping! So now not only will you save money on almost everything (since Amazon usually has the lowest prices…) but you’ll also get your items a lot faster, and you won’t have to pay for anything.

This will come in handy if you need to buy something, but need it that week. Before you’d have to either pay more and go to a store nearby, or pay more to have Amazon ship it out sooner. Now you can pay less, and still get it sooner! If you have Amazon Prime and 2-day shipping isn’t good enough, for $3.99 you can get overnight shipping. This is still less than regular shipping for most places.

The best part about Amazon Prime is that right now you can get a free trial. You’ll get 1-month of Amazon Prime for free, where you’ll be able to get free 2-day shipping no matter how small your order is! I recommend trying it. You’ll really enjoy how quickly you’ll get your products!

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As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m a member of She Speaks, where every once in a while I get to test products, and give my opinions on them.

Well, just a few days ago I got an email from She Speaks offering me the chance to watch a Food Network TV Show (my choice of either an episode of Ask Aida or Cooking for Real). For watching it and filling out a survey, I was able to choose to get a free Food Network Book!

They also had this great offer, which I’ll share with everyone here:

Receive a FREE Rachael Ray 3-Pack DVD with any purchase over $50 at the Food Network Store. Enter coupon code C98278 at checkout. Offer expires 9/15/08.

I thought that was a pretty good deal if you plan on buying anything at the Food Network store in the next few weeks!

I enjoy being a part of research panels like this, since I get to learn about things I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I had never seen Cooking for Real before, and I really enjoyed it! Plus, we all know that by cooking at home, you’ll save more money than by going out to eat…and when you find a new recipe to try, it makes it easier for you to want to stay home!

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I recently got the book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois out of the library, and decided to try it. I had tried making bread once before, but it was such a pain and was so time consuming, I didn’t think I would ever try it again. Once I heard about this book though, I knew I had to try it.

First off, there is no kneading, or anything else complicated. It took me less than 5 minutes to mix up the ingredients with a wooden spoon, and put it in the fridge overnight. The next day all I had to do was take some of the dough out of the fridge, let it sit for 40 min, and then cook it. It couldn’t have been easier.

One of the big questions is…was it any good? I was shocked. It tasted REALLY good. I was really excited! I loved having the bread, and to know that I have enough dough for 3 more loaves sitting in my fridge makes me happy!

The next question is - how does the cost compare with buying a loaf of bread at the store? Well, I can’t exactly compare it since this is more of a nice bread you’d get at a bread store instead of a loaf of white bread, but let’s try to compare them anyway. At the store, you can spend anywhere from $1.00 - $4.00 for a loaf of bread. With the ingredients used in this loaf, a plain regular loaf of bread cost me about $0.55 a loaf. Granted, the loaf is a little bit smaller than a regular loaf..but it tasted really great. Plus, you know exactly what is in it since you made it yourself. Which also means you can add additional ingredients if you like a special type of bread.

Also, that was just me buying the ingredients at my local grocery store.  If I decide I’m going to start making bread more (which I probably will), I might get the yeast and flour at Costco, which I’m sure will save me a lot  more money.

One of the things I really liked was the size of the bread. Every single time I buy a loaf of bread, I always end up wasting at least part of it. There is no way 2 of us can go through a whole loaf before it goes bad. Here, I have up to 2 weeks to make and the 4 loaves, and this way it works out perfectly.

I will note that depending on what you have in your house, you will need to buy a few items if you don’t bake often.  You’ll need a pizza peel and a baking stone.  I got both of them together for $15.00 and then 20% off at Bed Bath and Beyond, and it worked well for me.

So from an economical standpoint…is it better to make your own bread, or just buy it? I’d say there really isn’t too much of a difference, especially if you just buy what’s cheapest. But if you like being able to control exactly what is in your bread, and you enjoy making homemade items, then this book is really for you! I really can’t stress enough how easy it was. I look forward to trying a few of the other recipes before I return the book.

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SheSpeaks is a company where women can test new products and have an input into what these products become.

Basically, this is how it works. Every so often if you fit a certain profile (different products have different suggested audiences) you’ll get an email asking if you would like to test the product. If you do, they’ll send you the product (for free of course). You get to try the product and keep it. You then report back to them telling them what you liked, as well as what you didn’t like. If you have any suggestions on how it could be better, you let them know that as well.

They also have a forum with other people who like yourself are also testing the product. There you are able to talk about the product as well. They will even sometimes give you coupons that you can give to your friends.

Last week I got a product in the mail to test, so I was really excited. They sent me the EOS Shaving Cream in Island Blue. They have 3 different fragrances: Pomegranate Raspberry, Vanilla Bliss, and Island Blue. They asked which I would prefer to test, and I chose the Island Blue.

I have had the chance to try it a few times, and I really like it. The scent definitely has an “island” type smell, although I can’t really pinpoint what the scent is. I really like it though, and that’s what matters. I also really like the can it came in. It has a pump you press to get it out, which makes it very easy to use with just one hand.

It also came with a bunch of coupons, and while I’ll happily give some to friends, I have to admit I’ll keep a few for myself! I know that it’s sold at Target, as well as online at Drugstore.com.

If it wasn’t for SheSpeaks, I would never have tried it, so I’m glad I got to test the product, and give them my feedback.

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Travelzoo is a great website, and an even better newsletter. If you sign up for their newsletter, every Wednesday morning you’ll receive a list of their Top 20 travel deals on the web.

They range from airfare to vacation packages, to cruises, to hotels, and more. The locations vary as well. You’re just as likely to see a deal for a hotel in New York as you are for a cruise in Europe.

Beyond the 20 deals you’ll get via email, they also have their website where you can visit anytime to look for deals.

Personally, what I think this is great for is if your vacation is far off, you haven’t booked it yet, and you’re just seeing if there is anything that comes along. You can check it out every once in a while, and see if something comes up.  That’s also what I use their newsletter for.  You never know when just what you’re looking for will show up.

It’s also great if you want to book a vacation, but don’t know where to go. You’ll be able to see where all the great travel deals are, and choose from there.  They make it nice and easy to search too, so that if you’re looking for a specific type of deal, you don’t have to search through all of the deals.  For example, if you want to search for deals in Orlando, you can just click on “Orlando” and just search there.  It’s not just by location either.  You can search for Romantic vacations, Sports vacations, and more.

If you’re looking to book a vacation, or enjoy seeing what’s out there as far as deals, I’d really recommend signing up for their top 20 deals newsletter.  You’ll really get to see what is out there as far as great deals, and maybe you’ll come across  the perfect deal for your  next vacation.

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Orbitz has just announced that they now have Price Assurance when you book your airline tickets through them.

What exactly does that mean? It means that if between the time you book your flight through Orbitz and the time you fly, another customer books your same flight for less, you’ll get the price difference.

I don’t know about you, but considering that prices change so often for flights, this sounds pretty cool. I would have been happier if it said that you’ll get the difference if the price goes down at ALL, but considering that would never happen, this is a pretty close second.

It’s definitely a reason to look at Orbitz before you book your airline tickets. If the price is the same between booking through Orbitz and someone else, you’re better off going with Orbitz since you have a chance to get money back. They say they will refund anywhere between $5.00 and $250.00, so that’s pretty impressive.  You’ll also get the check about 30 days after your trip, so you don’t have to wait all that long to get your money back.

It’s definitely an interesting idea, and will make me continue to check and use Orbitz when I fly.

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