Prudent and Practical

November 25, 2008

Cutting costs during Thanksgiving

Filed under: saving money — Tags: food, holidays, meal, saving money, shopping — K @ 12:59 AM
Example of an American grocery store aisle.
Image via Wikipedia

How can we save money over Thanksgiving?  That’s a question I found myself asking over and over while purchasing the ingredients for my younger sister’s first (potluck) Thanksgiving. She was affected by the June 2008 flooding (in Eastern Iowa) and is trying hard to get things back in shape. Even with numerous home repairs looming over her head, she wanted to have Thanksgiving at her house this year for a change of pace, and to try to bring back some good memories of her home.

When I arrived home, D greeted me and grabbed the four measly bags of groceries I had. Upon setting the goods on the counter, he anxiously asked, “So, what’s the damage?” “$55.” “Well, that’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.” “Really?”

So, $55 gets us a lunch and a dinner for two. We will have lunch at his aunt and uncle’s home, and dinner at my sister’s home. That averages out to $27.50 for each meal and even further $13.75 per person per meal. We could go to the local buffet and eat cheaper than that, even if we both ordered steaks and drinks!

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November 23, 2008

Can you really save money at outlet malls?

Filed under: saving money — Tags: saving money — K @ 1:38 AM

I mystery shop regularly and had the opportunity to get some free goods and bonus pay if I went to my nearest outlet center to do a couple assignments. With Christmas fast approaching, I really needed to get a start on shopping, so I took the assignments and spent the afternoon moseying through the outlet mall - I visited ten stores in all. Most of the deals left me unimpressed, and the deals that I was impressed with, I either didn’t need or want or couldn’t afford. The best deals were at the following stores:

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