UPDATE: Site Status December 20, 2009

Well I have some very exciting news. Beginning (hopefully) sometime this week, $in City $avings will be branching out and becoming a more encompassing blog. It will now be called {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker. The new blog will include more than just coupons & savings, such as tips & tricks for parenting, cleaning, cooking, and a lot more. I will still post sales, coupons, etc. but it will not be the central theme. The central theme will now be simplifying your life in whatever way possible!
I will sporadically update this blog while I wait for my amazing web designer to finish my new blog, but I hope that you’ll follow me there! I will soon have product reviews, giveaways, etc. and I will have a special giveaway for readers who subscribe to the new site through this blog. Details will come when the new site is up, but bookmark this blog (sincitysavings.wordpress.com) so you can learn how to enter!

Hot Amazon Deals for Twilight Fans! December 20, 2009

 

Check out these amazing deals on some hot Twilight merchandise:

-Get Alice’s choker from New Moon marked down to $4.99 from $21.99 here

-Get the Twilight movie board game here or the New Moon board game here, each priced at $3.99 from $19.99 and $14.99, respectively.

-Get Bella’s Crest Ring for $7.99 from $21.99 here or Edward’s Mason Ring for $4.99 from $21.99 here

It’s definitely too late to order for Christmas but any of this stuff would make a great birthday gift for someone OR it’d be a great way to spend any Amazon gift cards you receive!

Countdown to Christmas: Sending Last-Minute Cards December 18, 2009

Countdown to Christmas: 7 days!

If you’re like me, you probably still have a bunch of loose ends to tie before Christmas arrives. One thing that I had put off until two days ago was sending Christmas cards! I had never done it before since this is our first Christmas as a family and so I was afraid to overwhelm myself. I was going to take a family photo, make a greeting card online, have them shipped to me, address them out, stamp them all, bring them to the post office…. augh!

I was about to just send eCards when I found Hallmark’s website & saw that they send your cards FOR you! I used their really easy editing tool to create a card using pictures of my son that I had already taken in his Santa costume, collected addresses, typed them in, and was done! And you still have until Sunday to order them for them to arrive before Christmas!

To make it even better- spend $30 or more on Holiday cards and use code HOLIDAY30 to save 30%, or use code SPECIAL10 to get $10 off an order of $20 or more!

Free Sample of Mariani Dried Plums! December 18, 2009

Go here to fill out a short survey to get your free sample! The promo code is SUPERFRUIT. Samples should arrive within 7-10 days!

Thanks, My Frugal Adventures!

Aria finally opens! December 17, 2009

Last night the Aria resort finally opened! Aria is the epicenter of the $8.5 billion City Center project that has been in the works for a few years now. All eyes are on City Center right now as the whole city anxiously awaits to see if it will be enough to pull us out of this 2-year “slump”, as MSN calls it.

I want to go see it but I am definitely not brave enough to face the crowds until they’ve dispersed a little. Has anyone been inside? How was it? I’d love to hear!

Countdown to Christmas: Free shipping day! December 17, 2009

Countdown to Christmas: 8 more days!

Today is FREE shipping day, and this year 719 retailers are participating! Check out the website here to see if any of the stores you need to shop at are participating. Hurry though, because this offer only applies on Thursday, December 17. Deliveries are supposed to arrive by Christmas Eve, so finish up that shopping!

Some of the participating retailers:
Apple Store
eBags
The Body Shop
White House Black Market
& 715 more!

Happy Hanukkah! December 16, 2009

I’m a few days late on this post but I wanted to say Happy Hanukkah to everyone out there who celebrates it! My son was dressed for the occasion today. What are some traditions you are enjoying? I’d love to hear them!

Countdown to Christmas: Cheap Wrapping Paper Ideas December 16, 2009

Countdown to Christmas: 9 more days!

I wanted to share some great ideas for cheap gift wrapping that I found at About.com- you can read the full article here.

1. Cardboard oatmeal containers are the perfect quick-wrap solution. Just wrap a band of wrapping paper around the outside of the container, and stick your gift inside. For a truly spectacular finish, cut a circle of paper to go on the top of the lid.

2. Gift bags are pricey, and it’s sad to think that many of them only get used once. Get in the habit of saving all of the bags that you receive, and you’ll have a near-endless stash of Christmas bags to draw from.

3. Do you have a budding artist in the house? If so, save his or her larger drawings and paintings, and you’ll have a steady supply of wrapping paper. Want to work in that Christmas theme? Encourage your child to draw Christmas pictures – and prepare for an explosion of red and green artwork.

4. Rinse out empty Chinese take-out containers or ask for a few extras when you order, and you’ll have a clever gift box that doesn’t cost a thing.

Visit the original article here for four more smart ideas!

12/15 My Trip Today: Walgreens December 16, 2009

Paid: $19.06 (+ tax) OOP
Saved: $44.33
70% Savings!
&thats not counting the $11 in RR I received, which would make it 75%!
Not bad since I had to get some things that weren’t on sale.

I Bought-
Huggies: $8.99
Colgate Total: 2 @ $2.50 = $5
Gillette Fusion Razor: $8.99
Ziploc Sandwich Bags: 2 @$3.89 each = $7.78
Hunt’s Tomato Sauce: 3 @ .99c each = $2.97
Golden Grahams: $1.99
Nivea for Men: 2 @ 4.50 each = $9
Hallmark Color Studio wrapping paper: 2 @ $1.99 each = $3.98
50 pk sheet protectors: $5.29

I Used (coupons):
-$2 Huggies
-$.75 Colgate Total from 12/6 SS (2)
-$4 Gillette Fusion Razor from 11/29 P&G
-$3.80 Walgreens in-ad coupon for Ziplocs (total)
-$1 off 2 Ziploc bags coupon from mailer
-$1.97 Walgreens in-ad coupon for Hunt’s Tomato Sauce
-$1.00 Hunt’s Tomato Sauce
-$1.00 GM cereal coupon from MyBlogSpark
-$1 Nivea for Men (2)

I Applied (RR):
-$5 Walgreens cash for $25 purchase
-$5 Neutrogena
-$2 Stimudent
-$2 McNeil- whatever that was

I received (RR):
$4 Nivea for Men
$1 Colgate
$2 Huggies
$4 Gillette

Highlights: FREE Hunt’s Tomato Sauce, $0.99 Gillette Fusion Razor, & $4.24 Huggies Jumbo Pack after Caregivers Marketplace Rebate (see here)

Free calls from Santa! December 15, 2009

This would have been so fun when my brother was young- I used to pick up the phone and threaten to call Santa when he was being a brat! Smith’s Food & Drug has a link on their site here to set up FREE phone calls from Santa, Sammy the Snowman, or Nascar driver Tony Stewart. This would be very cute to get little ones excited for Christmas! (like they need any help with that!)