discounts Archives - Rave & Review

Back to school with Gymboree – Let’s Color Together

You know how all kids go through various stages and it’s easier to connect with them at certain times? About two years ago my sweet girl was going through a stage that left me frazzled by the end of the day. What I realized was that we needed something for just the two of us, and it was going to be even more crucial as she started school full-time. There were three main criteria I needed to address: 1) The activity had to have no rules that I needed to enforce since I was the enforcer the rest of the day. 2) It had to be something that wasn’t extra work for me so I didn’t have to plan, execute, and then deal with clean up. And 3) It had to be something we both enjoyed that allowed us to reconnect so that we could weather this stage we were both going through.

One day it hit me that the answer to reconnecting with my daughter was through art. We both love just about every type of art and we both find it relaxing, so it was the perfect solution for getting us both to enjoy each other’s company and rediscover how much fun we have together. Since that day we’ve worked side by side to draw, paint with water colors, sew, and even build together on our doll house we’re renovating… and it has been amazing for all of us.

Budget-friendly grocery shopping with kids at Grocery Outlet

A few years ago I realized that saving money on groceries was going to be an integral part of our financial plan. Eating out, dropping $150/week on food, and impulse buys at the store were going to have to be a thing of the past. Either that, or I would need to shop at different stores than I had previously frequented.

I started noticing many friends sharing their couponing successes online and started clipping myself, but some weeks I simply did not have time to fully plan for each shopping trip. And, then I noticed that a friend of mine was posting shopping success stories without ever clipping a coupon.

Her secret? Our local Grocery Outlet store that she swears by for great deals and steals. What surprised me most wasn’t the low prices she paid, but the quality of the food she was buying. I’ve always known her as someone who was the picture of health – organic preferences, homemade whenever possible, and foods with as little ingredients as possible, so I was shocked to find out that she got nearly all her groceries there each week.

Kmart makes fiscally responsible Back to School easy

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the Kmart Back to School commercials with the kids on the playground telling “Yo Mama” jokes to compliment each other’s new Kmart gear. Just like the infamous “Ship My Pants” commercial of earlier this summer, it’s clever and funny, and every time it comes on, I find myself stopping what I’m doing to watch it.

I mean, who doesn’t want to be so fashion forward and fiscally responsible that the kids are talking about it on the playground? Well, now you can be that cool mom simply by shopping at Kmart for back to school.

And, their fall sales and deals couldn’t come at a better time, because in addition to back to school items and school supplies, fall means the start of many different activities that all cost a good chunk of change. With so much going on, your budget can get pulled in a lot of different directions, and it’s easy to realize you’re over budget before school has even started.

Valentine’s Day shopping, on a budget

If you know me, you know how much I love to save money. I rarely buy items without a discount, and I love to help others save on the things that they buy as well. Because of my love of savings, I'm no stranger to RetailMeNot, which is a great resource for online coupon codes … Read more