The Compulsion to Alleviate Stress by Shopping

In A Momentary Lapse of Reason J.D. focuses on the regret he felt after a recent shopping trip. During a particularly stressful time in his life he drove to a nearby mall and purchased a comic book he quickly deemed unnecessary. I immediately related to this post and his instinct to alleviate stress by shopping. … Read more

Sales Tax Holidays in DC and Virginia

It seems the good old Maryland General Assembly denied a tax holiday for the state of Maryland until 2010. Lucky for us, Virginia and DC are just a stone’s throw away. DC’s sales tax holiday runs August 2nd-10th and applies to all supplies, clothes, shoes, and accessory items that cost $100 or less. Virginia’s sales … Read more

Substantial Retail Discounts?

It seems that I am constantly receiving coupons in the mail from retail stores. In the past week the mailman has delivered coupons for Macy’s, JCPenney’s, Bath & Body Works and New York & Company. I know that the retail sector is getting hit hard and my current stack of coupons seems to be proof … Read more

Second-Hand Shops and Discount Retailers Thriving

As the prices of every day consumer goods rise it seems the typical consumer is spending less and less money for furniture and clothing. The earnings forecasts so far this year, (for the majority of retail stores), has been continually gloomy. After all, if we need to spend more to feed ourselves, we’ll have to … Read more

New Berry Bushes

Last week Spring Hill Nurseries ran a special $20 off $20 purchase special. I purchased two items, a strawberry kit complete with a 14” Dura-Cotta pot and 25 plants and a blueberry kit complete with one blueberry plant, 10″ pot, soil and saucer. To take advantage of the offer I purchased the plants in two … Read more

Is Organic Produce Worth the Money?

Frugal Babe’s recent post about green smoothies inspired me to pull my blender out of storage. Honestly, I’m not ready to drink spinach and kale, at least not yet. I figured I’d start with the fruit versions first and work my way up to the hard-core green ones as time progresses. My first smoothie concoction … Read more

New Purchase: Discounted Workout DVD and Kit

I checked out Gaiam’s winter clearance sale tonight and decided to purchase two items. The Yoga for Beginners II DVD which is on sale for $4.99 regularly $15.00. The Stretch Workout Kit which is on sale for $6.99 regularly $13.00 I used coupon code CSDJ to save $10 off my purchase. The total bill came … Read more

Spending Too Much Time Searching For a Deal

This month’s Money magazine had a great article by Jean Chatzky called “When Getting a Deal Just Isn’t Worth It.” In the article Chatzky discusses the extraordinary amount of time she spent searching for the best deal on a big screen TV. She started by reading consumer reports and a dozen reviews, then checked out … Read more

How to Stock Up on Free Items at Rite-Aid

As I mentioned in my previous post I purchase a lot of items for free or nearly free at my local Rite-Aid drugstore. The process for attaining items is easy. At the beginning of each month I click over to Rite-Aid’s Single Check Rebate page to view the current list of rebates available for the … Read more

How Clipping Coupons Got Me Into Trouble

About a year ago I began a subscription to the weekend edition of the Washington Post so I could try my hand at clipping coupons. Since that time I’ve managed to save a ton of money on personal hygiene products like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and razors. I’ve also saved a ton on cleaning products … Read more