MMMM, yummy, reading

Five Ways to Watch TV on Your PC--They're either cheap or free, try it!

Warren Buffett heads list of top 2006 donors--When you don't have to worry about saving your money any more, this is what some people do with it.

Why Women Have Fewer Babies--Some of the reasons may surprise you, and some of them have to do with finances.

Rethinking Retirement Savings (or Not)--Do Americans save too much for retirement?

A great site

Post Secret is a community art project wherein people are asked to send in homemade postcards that anonymously disclose a secret that they have. Some of those that are sent in are posted on their website and are changed every Sunday. There have also been a number of Post Secret books that have been published featuring cards that did not make it to the website. I like to check the site out once a week to see the beautifully expressive artwork that everyday people are capable of, but more importantly, I am always moved to read the secrets and imagine the heavy burdens that all of us quietly carry around with us every single day. Last night however, this one couldn't help but make me laugh...





Let this be a warning to you! Sometimes its best to keep your bargains to yourself!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY 2007 EVERYONE!!

I hope everyone's New Year has gotten off to a great start! This is the very first post I have made in the year 2007, and frankly, I am ashamed I did not get to it sooner! But alack and alas, sometimes life throws things at you, and my time management skills were caught on holiday! In any case, I do have a whole bunch of things I want to post about, so the next week or so you can look forward to:

~a new Celebrity Looks for Less: Shakin' it Like Shakira
~helpful tips and interesting trivia about shoes
~some new VicPicks:V05 Silky Experiences Shampoo, slice and bake muffins, and Hannaford's store brand chocolate molten lava cake
~I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT the holiday recipe I promised (still enjoyable in the post-season)
~and now the long past overdue secrets of some of your favorite stores, like Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, and Walmart

So stick around--there's lots of great stuff to come!

VicPick: Reese's Peanut Butter Trees

We haven't had a VicPick in quite awhile, so I thought I would point out in similar fashion to one of the first I selected back in October, Reese's has their holiday Peanut Butter Trees out! While I usually enjoy these in the convenient 6-pack tray, I found a bargain at my local Rite-Aid, where if you bought the individually packaged ones, you could get 3 for 99¢! So rather than get the 6 in the tray for $2.50, I was able to get 6 for only two bucks! A great stocking stuffer, refer to my previous post on the pumpkins as to why I believe the holiday inspired treats to be more tasty, and satisfying, than the traditional cups.

Baskets full of gift ideas

One of the best parts of the holiday gift-giving season, particularly for shop-aholics, is that buying for others rather than just yourself is guilt-free! Though, this is still not an excuse to go haywire--I doubt your friends and family would enjoy their gifts very much if it meant that you had to file for bankruptcy. The most artful aspect of Bargain Hunting involves your ability to think creatively when faced with spending limits. My favorite thing to do for Christmas gifts, and also the plethora of December birthdays I know, is to put together "gift baskets." Below is a list of some ideas to get you started, and where to find many of the items at affordable prices.

Some basic items you will need for all your baskets: various sized baskets or decorative boxes, tissue paper, clear plain or colored plastic cellophane, ribbon.

All of these items can be found at a dollar or discount store.

If you want to get especially creative and fancy with your baskets, you can also get mulitple kinds/colors of ribbon, silk flowers, and tulle or crenoline.

These items can be found at your basic craft or fabric store.

The hardest part is probably brainstorming the ideas or theme for your basket. While a general theme is very cute and clever, sometimes just filling a basket with different things that you know the person you are buying for likes or enjoys can be very heartfelt.

Some theme ideas:

~a movie night basket filled with: a dvd or movie passes, microwave popcorn packets, assorted candy

~a gardening basket filled with: gloves, small garden tools, seed packets, sunscreen

~a reader's basket filled with: a recent bestseller or classic favorite, a large mug, packets of tea or hot chocolate

~a writer's basket filled with: a decorative pen, a blank book, stationary

Many of these items can be found at stores like the Christmas Tree Shop, Pier 1, or Home Goods. Even discount retail chains like Big Lots, Ocean State Job Lot, or Xpect Discounts or Marc's will have great deals on basics and regular items like Christmas decorations, mugs, picture frames, gardening tools, or even drink mixes (tea, cider, hot chocolate, or otherwise). If you do a good job with your presentation, no one will ever guess where you got the particulars.

Those are just a few to get you started on your own brainstorming. You can even get creative about the container for your "gift basket" itself--mix it up a little by stuffing a stocking, filling a large mug, or even a tote bag or purse. Remember--its bad luck to give a purse without putting money in it, so make sure you drop a few cents into one of the pockets before you present it to its recipient!

Monday, Monday

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and have hopefully by now digested all that turkey and stuffing, and worked off some of those calories by grabbing some fabulous bargains! This year’s Black Friday sales were greater than expected, with a respectable 6% growth from last year’s figures. Apparently, the American Black Friday phenomenon has also gained perspective with international markets, as tourists from other countries now flock to major U.S. cities to experience the event and perhaps get their own deals. I noticed another trend in my area, as it seems a long day of bargain hunting following a day of cooking and feasting is most satisfied by a good ol’ Friday night pizza. The local pizzeria’s in my town had crowds waiting out the door as dozens of people found it was most convenient to eat their pizza with one hand and comb through their deals with the other.

In the spirit of this, and as promised in a previous article, I have a great tip for a cheap home made pizza for those times when you just can’t afford to order out. This solution also comes courtesy of Walmart, where they sell a Sam’s Choice pizza crust mix in a pouch that retails for about 33¢! After adding the water to make the dough, I find that it takes only 2 packets to make a pizza the size of a regular sized cookie sheet. After you’ve spread the dough, brush it with a little olive oil, then spread on your choice of jarred pizza sauce and grated cheese, and toppings if you choose. To keep costs as low as possible, you can get many of your veggie toppings from a can such as sliced black olives and mushrooms, but you can also get fresh or frozen peppers or broccoli, or tomatoes. Pick up a small pepperoni and slice it yourself if you are a meat-lover, or take out some hamburger from the freezer and fry it up in a frying pan before adding it to your pie. It only takes about a half an hour to cook them up, and the results are delicious. Another fun recipe you can make taking advantage of the low cost of the dough packets are an appetizer veggie bread by mixing the dough as directed then brushing it with Italian dressing and then adding veggies such as broccoli, peppers, or olives, and then topping it with shredded cheddar or asiago cheese. This a quick and cheap option for small dinner parties when you want to serve appetizers that don’t cost a lot!