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It was like the Heavens had opened and rained down blessings when Wal-Mart announced their new $4 for some generic prescription drugs. That was back in 2006 and most major retailers followed Wal-Mart’s lead, creating an ever competitive market for prescription generics.

That kind of competition is always good for the consumer. Proof of that lies in Wal-Mart’s new plan to 90-day supplies for $10 of nearly 350 generic medications and to add discounts to several women’s medications. They also plan to lower prices on over 1,000 over-the-counter drugs to $4 or less.

The women’s medications that have been added to the discount program will be available for $9 (or 90-day prescriptions for $24) for a 30-day supply and include drugs for breast cancer and hormone deficiency.

Generally, I prefer to shop at Target over Wal-Mart. When the new prescription drug plan began at Wal-Mart in 2006, it was exciting and diverted a lot of my business back to Wal-Mart. As other stores began to offer generic prescriptions for prices close to Wal-Mart, I found myself shopping there less and less once more. With this new 90-day program, I can safely say I will be do more errands at Wal-Mart again. It’s worth it.

I’m in the market for a new laptop.

I have my old Dell laptop, and although the thing works well for the most part, the connector in the back where you plug in the power cord has a short and I cannot get the computer to charge enough to even fully start it up anymore. It’s irritating, because if I can get past the startup process, the only way to keep the computer charged is to have my finger in the back, pushing up the power cord connect at just the right angle. Eventually, my finger cramps and starts to burn from the heat of the connection. It’s not a good situation.

My warranty is up and I’m unsure if I want to send it off to Dell and be at their mercy. I have taken to a couple of local places that purport to repair computers, but they have been staffed by lazy wanna-be geeks who don’t feel comfortable with the issue. They just want to upgrade my system software or help me look for viruses. I can do that myself, thank you very much.

So, I thought since the thing is about 5 years old anyway I might just buy a new notebook computer. I know you can get basic models for pretty cheap now and I really just need it for e-mail, the internet, and Microsoft Office programs. I do all of my design on my desktop computer and really just like having a laptop for travel or meetings.

What you think, readers? Should I try a couple more computer repair places first or just bite the proverbial bullet and start fresh?

Or, a day in the life of my “skinny” pants.

Do you have a pair of “skinny pants”? You know what I mean. They are that one pair of pants that make you look great. And, it’s not just for women. I was walking behind my former boss one day and asked him if he had lost weight. He said h had not and I said he must just be wearing his “skinny jeans”.

He started wearing those jeans at least twice a week. Why? Because skinny pants make you feel confident. And, they make you feel great about your butt.

My favorite pants are khakis that make me look slimmer. I get compliments when I wear them, so I make sure I’ve got them on when I want to make a good first impression is a casual setting. I can almost imagine how full of responsibility and pride these pants would feel, if they could talk that is. They’d have an inner monologue going on: “Looking good! I’m a skinny pant, king of the closet, just try to trump that, baby!”

You know you have pants with a story. In fact, if you can put that story together and make a video, you can enter it into the Dockers TV Commercial Contest and win the chance to see your video on NBC’s The Tonight Show. I think my Skinny Pants would love being on TV – they’re pretty vain.

Reading over the rules for the contest reminded me that one of my absolute favorite pairs of pants is a pair of Dockers and I have them in storage. They’re a size too small right now, but that is pretty good incentive to get back into those pants.

Get on over to the Dockers contest website. You have to have your video in by May 29, 2008 – but that’s plenty of time.

Do you have anyone in your life that is next to impossible to buy for on birthdays and other gift-giving occasions? My mother is one of those people. For a while, we were able to take her to dinner and she was OK with it, but lately she won’t even admit that dining out appeals to her. She is going through a stage where she looks around her and sees that she has everything she needs.

I’ve settled on buying her gifts that are either consumable (like food and bath items) or necessary (like shoes and clothing). Shoes tend to work well. She has some Neuropathy in her feet, so she likes really comfortable shoes with good soles and foot beds. Specifically, Birkenstock is the ideal show for her and since they tend to be pricey, they are not something she normally buys on her own. Therefore, they are the perfect gift for me to buy for her. Problem solved.

Now, her birthday is coming up next month, so I’m already shopping around for some nice Birks. I like the Infinity Shoes website anyway, so it was the first place I went to look for Birkenstocks. They actually carry a number of better brands, like Miz Mooz, Tsubo shoes, Clarks, Seychelles shoes, and Dr. Martens. The prices on the Birks are good and they end up qualifying for free shipping, so all the better.

While I was on the Infinity site, I also found a cool pair of Minnetonka boots. They took me back to my childhood, when moccasins were totally in style. Are they back? If so, I’m in.

There is nothing like shopping online: no crowds, no rude sales people, no navigating the parking lot, and no wondering if I will find a better price if I just get in the car and burn a little gas looking at another store. I love that I can find the best price by comparison shopping across the net, as well as often finding sites that don’t charge tax or shipping.

I was at the mall tonight, which is what reminded me of the fact that I loathe shopping in stores. I was with my daughter as she attended some of the WebKinz Extravaganza events and she said she knew I spent most of my money on her and that she thought I should go ahead and buy myself some cute dresses. Thanks for the permission, my darling girl!

I suppose I may as well get my gear on for spring. The OhSoChicBoutique is having a Spring Event and if you use the coupon code SpringFling while you are shopping on their website, you’ll get 15% off your order as well as free shipping. I love free shipping. I cannot say that enough.

They have a couple of flouncy blouses I like called the Flaunt It! and the Bonita. When I think spring, I think flouncy. I also like the Guilty As Charged! dress, but sadly it is sold out. I have to keep my eyes open to see if they restock.

Yes, I think outlet malls rock and that is saying a lot, since I don’t generally like malls.

When I lived in Martinsburg, WV after college (a long, long time ago), there were two huge outlet malls in town. My favorite was called the Blue Ridge Outlets and they had been put together by a local developer (who also bought the old City Hall downtown and renovated it into his personal home!!!) and were housed in these old textile factory buildings that were about the coolest thing I had ever seen. They had all kinds of original exposed brick and ductwork, but also lots of new and lush hardwood and glass. They were amazing. Sadly, they are no longer open. I have heard the buildings now house the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College. I would love to see that.

I am still a fan out outlet stores, though. I just don’t always know where to find them. I’ve found a very cool guide: the eFactoryOutlets website. It’s an online guide to premium outlet stores, outlet malls, and factory stores in America. I just clicked on Florida on their locator map and got a full page of results. I had all but forgotten that the Prime Outlets at Ellenton aren’t too far from here. I just e-mailed my sister about setting up a trip for this weekend.

Yay for me!

I have some family members who are difficult to buy for on special holiday and occasions. It’s not that they are critical or even picky. It’s just that they pretty much have everything they really want and need. One year I finally hit on the idea of making personal photo gifts for them.

For example, a couple of years ago I made my step-mother a moue pad with a photo of her new grand-daughter on it. I have made t-shirts for my dad. I’ve done some stunning photo calendars for various relatives (and made one for myself in the process!). Before I was divorced, I used to have a mug made for my daughter’s father each Christmas with pictures of Gigi from that year, so he could have a handy little record of how she changed over the years.

In a society where most of us have too many decorative frames, coffee table books, and impersonal tchotchkes, the things I have had made with sentimental photos have always been a huge hit. You can find a stores online, like Sae Cheez, that actually specialize in varies lines of customizable gifts.

I’m pretty fortunate to live in a great location for things like shopping. When I was on a quest to find a new scanner a few weeks ago, I was able to hit like 5 electronics stores without going 5 miles from my house. Sadly, I did not find what I was looking for at the time. I have noticed that stores are stocking a lot less in the way of electronics these days. In fact, it seems like the bare minimum. If you want to find a better selection, you have to go to their companion website.

That’s fine with me. I like shopping online and I adore the fact that I can often find free shipping, lower prices, and coupon codes. Some sites even forego taxes.

When I went into Circuit City, for example, they had a number of all-in-one printer/scanner/fax machines available. Stand-alone scanners were a whole other story. They only had three models and they were all priced higher than the combo machines. It was insane. On their website, though, they have over 30 models. So, I got all set to use some Circuit City coupons I found online to buy one. Upon closer inspection, though, I noticed that manufacturers just aren’t making low-priced scanner fore the most part. You wither get a less advanced scanner attached to an all-in-one printer, or you pay out the nose for a high tech stand-alone scanner.

My theory is that the only people buying stand alone scanners anymore are professionals who are scanning in important documents or photos for photo restoration or to be able to work form old negatives. That is exactly why I want a stand alone scanner, but sadly my budget is not such that I can pay $500+ right now. I could sweat that a few years back you could get a high-quality scanner for less. I suppose it is all about demand and what the manufacturers are able to charge for the perception of quality.

So, now that my old professional scanner bit the dust, I am using the scanner on an all-in-one for the time being. The results are less than impressive. I’ll be keeping my eye out for local businesses selling off office equipment. That might be my best bet.

No, I really love my Dyson. I know it sounds silly for me to profess my love for a vacuum cleaner, but I think that my Dyson is probably the best household appliance purchase I have made in my entire life.

I know the initial purchase cost me a little more than I have spent on the past for vacuum cleaners, but when I decided to buy the Dyson, I took into consideration that I was burning through one vacuum clearer a year and had been since I’ve been on my own.

I like to vacuum the carpet daily. Plus, I use my vacuums for things like cleaning the dust off ceiling fans, cleaning the interior of the car, getting the sand off the indoor/outdoor carpet on the screened-in porch, picking up crumbs on the tile – I use it non-stop. I can thank my dust allergy for my desire to vacuum so often.

I bought my Dyson back in 2002 and it is still going strong. It an older model equivalent to the Dyson DC24. It is just as powerful as the first time I used it. There are no belts to burn out, and when I get a clog from hair or a stick or a piece of paper, there are quite literally no parts of the machine you cannot manually access at the various points on the design that snap apart. If there is something stuck in a Dyson, you can get it out quickly and easily.

Let me sum that up = you pay more, but it lasts longer and cleans better. You cannot beat that.

OK, here is an example of just how much more powerful a Dyson is than other vacuums. I had been running my old vacuum in Gainesville daily. I was under the impression I was keeping the dirt and dust out of my carpets. When the belt snapped and the motor burned out, I just gave up and went out that night and bought a Dyson. When I ran it in the family room, I filled up the canister with dust – twice! What in the world had my old machine even been sucking up? I felt ridiculous and realized I had been wasting my time all those years with other brands.

I have to thank my friend Kelly for turning me onto Dyson. I have since sold my mom and five different friends on the brand. In fact, my mom and my friend Bekah both bought The Animal model and now I have Dyson Envy.

Price does not have to be an issue, either. Online sellers like 1AwsomeVac.com have an excellent selection of Dyson products for a good deal less than you are going to find at department and warehouse stores. Plus, they offer free shipping. It’s a no-brainer.

I’ve done OK in the past when buying cars, but my experiences have always been rather stressful and no matter what anyone says – most car salespeople are looking at me as a single woman and trying to use typical tactics on me.

One time I was shopping at a dealership and the male salesperson came out with his boss, asked me to sit down, and then provided to stand over me as he talked. I tried to stand as well, he “politely” asked me to relax and have a seat. I asked them to sit with me and they said they would rather stand. It was a positional power play.

When I bought my van, I specifically told the salesman I would wait a year if fold down back seats were going to be on the next year’s model. I guess he really wanted to make a sale THAT day, because he swore up and down those seats would not be out on their vans for years. I had not had my van more than a few months when I started to see TV commercials fort the new model – with fold down seating in the back. Grr.

I could give you dozens of other examples, like trying to hide national rebates. I always prevail, but it takes a lot of work and energy.

Tell me some of your car buying horror stories, won’t you? Maybe I would feel better knowing I was not the only person people take for a chump.

I’m intrigued by the Car Buying Concierge service The CARCHEX Advantage™. They are a free nationwide service (I love free services) that acts as a car buying agent for you. They work with you to find out what it is you are looking for in a car and then they negotiate with multiple dealers or private sellers on your behalf. They will work hard to strike the best deal for you when it comes to price, trade-in value, financing terms, and pretty much anything else that will give you the most for your purchase money.

Best of all, CARCHEX does not partner with just one manufacturer or dealership, so you can be sure they are going after what is best for you. And, they have a proven track record as a consumer-focused company through their work in car inspections.

It was sometime last fall that I became aware of a company called JacarandaStyle. I had actually seen them in one of the magazines to which I subscribe, Food and Wine, and I decided to check out their website. I became an instant fan.

Before I go on, here’s a link so you can see for yourself: www.JacarandaStyle.com - Unique Home Accents & Fine Gifts

It’s not just about the merchandise they carry, even though the ceramics and ostrich egg art are some of the most amazing decorate and gifty type items I have ever seen in my entire life. No, it was the purpose behind this handmade South African crafts company that initially set my heart aflutter.

JacarandaStyle actually sets out to create jobs for artists in the world market, and they donate a part of each sale to the Ethembeni School for Disabled Youth, in South Africa. The school “serves 300 physically disabled and visually impaired children from all over Kwazulu -Natal, Kingdom of the Zulu.” There is a real feeling of “full circle” in this process.

One of my favorite parts of the JacarandaStyle website has always been all of the photos of the artists creating the crafts. I’m absolutely not talking about assembly-line stuff here. Each piece is hand crafted and often times even unique in the way it is turned out of decorated.

I’ve mentioned this particular piece of ceramic on my blog before, but I want to put it in the spotlight again, because I am still in love with it. Let’s just say it is on my ultimate wish list for next Christmas. It’s the hand painted Jazz Bowl, a bold design incorporating piano keys.

Check out their website when you have a minute. It is absolutely worth your time.

We have several clocks in the house, but I’m not so fond of the ones that are ultra modern. There is the clock on my cell phone, the clock on the DVR, the clock on my digital alarm clock – all clocks that keep great time, but tend to be great eyesores. I’m very attached to the old mantel clock I have out in the living room. It belonged to my great grandparents and the thing not only looks fabulous, it keeps impeccable time. How many of the clocks in your house still keep great time, even after five or ten years? This clock is probably 80 years old and still going strong. It says a lot of about quality craftsmanship. There is no reason to by a cheap clock that uses poor quality workings.

I think of all the things I could have been given from my great grandparents, I am happy that the clock is what I ended up receiving. It’s a lovely heirloom I will hand down to my daughter and one day she can show people how her great great grandparent’s mantel clock keeps impeccable time.

What I really want, though, is a grandfather clock. I want something simple and classic looking, not too ornate, and with a feminine edge to it. I’ve looked at several designs by Howard Miller. I keep going back to their grandfather clocks over and over. I love their Le Francais clock. Here, I will link a photo for you. See how the lines are soft, feminine, and at the same time classic? It would look great in my living room.

I could spend my money on a bigger flat screen TV or even another computer, but I honestly feel compelled to purchase things I can joyfully give my daughter when she is an adult. Right now I am fascinated with clocks. And, although the grandfather style is most traditional, I am intrigued by the small grandmother clocks as well. I sure have a lot of fun shopping around.

Yep. I found these pretty suede knee high boots for only $17.95 on the Heavenly Couture website. Of course, everything on their site is $17.95 or less, but I honestly never thought I’d find such hot boots for such a cool price. I get a kick out of shopping on Heavenly Couture, because I’m a self-described frugal fashionista and when I can pick up a couple outfits for close to nothing and get free shipping on top of it all, I’m a happy camper.

I always find something I love, even if it is for someone else. I like to buy outfits from the site for my niece, because she is 16 and super conscience about wearing youthful style. But, I cannot justify spending the money that a lot of the trendier stores charge. I found a cute crochet cowl necked wraparound sweater she can use all year around, especially in the over air conditioned mall where she likes to hang out. Since Heavenly Couture specializes in junior clothing, I can feel confident that almost anything I choose for her will be cool enough to pass muster. And, if all else fails, I just buy her one of the plain Zipup Hoodies.

Anyway, my main point here is that you don’t have to spend a whole lot of money to get clothing that meets the most up-to-the-minute styles. Plus, when I get good deals like this I can justify changing out my wardrobe more often.

Everyone I know has a digital photo frame. However, I still do not have one. Well, I did have one, but someone my ex husband walked away with it in the divorce. He did not take much, but if it was electronic you can bet he wanted it.

I’ve given digital photo frames as gifts on many occasions. I think people are endlessly fascinated by a picture frame you can use to display upwards of hundreds of pictures and never take up much room in the house. I even gave my grandmother one she can carry in her purse. She is not computer minded, but the idea of being able to pull out her little picture keeper and show her friends as many pictures of her great-grandchildren as she likes tickled her pink.

If you are unsure as to what exactly to look for when buying your first digital frame, Digital Frames Direct has a great buying guide that discusses size, screen quality, data cards, an overview of LCD technology, and more. Since digital frames are becoming increasingly popular as corporate gifts, you have to know how to get the best buy for your money. Read up on some reviews and you will have a better idea of what you are looking for before you buy.

I never have enjoyed shopping out in brick and mortar stores very much. First, it was the crowds that kept me home. I don’t like being surrounded by rude people and so I just never developed a true love of shopping for the sake of shopping. Then, I had my daughter. Have you ever tried shopping with a 5-year-old? They double your shopping time, because they are so busy asking you to buy every third item they pass. And now, these pesky gas prices have me going out less.

So, I am obviously a prime candidate for online shopping. Not only cane I stay home when I shop, I can do price comparisons quickly and often pair finding the best price with coupon codes for a percentage off or free shipping. It’s win-win.

With Easter right around the proverbial corner, I already have a list of things I want to find for my daughter’s basket. I’m not a candy traditionalist, so she will get more meaningful gifts instead. I like to check on things over at Coupon Chief to see what new online coupons are available.

I want to get Gigi a new Bible. Last year I got her the Gigi, God’s Little Princess Bible, but it is more of a devotional book and I want to get her an intact Bible. BooksAMillion has a great selection and I found a coupon for $5 off $25, which is basically 20% off. Not a bad start. I also found a $10 off $10 Toys R Us coupon, which is a fantastic deal for when I buy Gigi some new clothes for her Baby Alive doll.

Looks like I am all set for Easter shopping.