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This post was sponsored by Kmart. All the opinions are mine.

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid my mom would often take us to Kmart for things like school supplies or new sheets for the bed or so we could choose a special new toy. Almost every time we were there I would hear that random announcement: “Attention Kmart shoppers…” and then that disembodied voice would direct you to the current Blue Special somewhere in the store. Under that light would be some product (from patio furniture, to grills, to jewelry) on sale for a really low price and that price would only last an hour. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

It was always so exciting for me and my sister to run off and locate that iconic blue light.

I’ve missed those blue light specials.

And now they are back!

Kmart Bluelight specials are flat out a piece of Americana, something distinctly middle American and comforting – like apple pie and ice cream in the summer and baseball game with your folks. That’s why I’ve been excited to see that Kmart is bringing them back. This summer, Kmart has been bringing back their super low priced limited time specials on certain days – usually on Saturdays.

Last weekend, Kmart stores staged great sales on more than 40 items. For example, they offered all of their patio furniture for 70% off. That’s a steal, huh? They also had filler paper priced at two packs for just a buck. With school just around the corner, that’s a price worth getting up and going on over to Kmart.

It it silly that I feel a sort of relief to see Kmart going back to the way they used to do things when I was a kid? The world just seems to be changing SO fast. I feel warm and fuzzy when I see that old blue light.

Of course, that’s not to say that Kmart is behind the times either. This is, after all, the age of technology and you can even follow Kmart on Twitter!

That cute little Mr. Blue Light has never been this busy!

Back in the mid to late 70s, my mom made my sister and I sock monkeys. Sock monkey dolls have been around since the early 1900s and have always been made with Rockford Red Heel® socks, positioned so that those red heels become the mouths of the cute monkey toys. I loved mine to pieces, literally I think. I cannot find it anywhere and seem to recall the stuffing eventually coming out of the thing. Sadly, I am pretty sure I will not be able to talk mom into making me another.

The good news is that I do not have to depend on mom if I want to get my hands on another sock monkey. You can buy a vibrant, updated sock monkey at www.genuinemonkeez.com. They sent me a Colonial Candle Sock Monkey night light to try out and the entire family has fallen in love with the cute little guy. It’s a little bit of nostalgia in the face of the modern world. And, it’s been a great way to introduce my six-year-old daughter to the classic Sock Monkey of my youth. The updated versions come in red, blue, green and orange and really appeal more to kids my daughter’s age than the classic brown monkey dolls. Plus, this version has magnets in the hands and feet that can cling to one another or any metal surface. The options for fun are endless. The site offers clothing for the dolls and related accessories. That’s where you can find the link to buy one of the night lights like the one I have pictured in this review.

Vibrant, stained-glass style colors.

The warm glow of the light when it is switched on in a dark room.

Even though I am no longer married, I still think back to when I got engaged and remember how wonderful everything about that evening was. The most amazing part of the night was seeing the ring he had picked out for me – all on his own. All of my girlfriends had been in on choosing their engagement rings. While there is some level of safety in that scenario, it surely eliminates all elements of surprise.

And I love a good surprise.

I was thrilled and deeply impressed with the ring my ex-husband chose to give me when he asked me to marry him. In fact, when I look in my jewelry box now I find that the pieces that I like best are the ones past boyfriends have picked out for me on their own. I love the way those pieces really reflect two things: their own personality and just how well they all knew me and the things I love.

Two Tips for Men:

1. Let Your Own Personality Shine
When you are choosing jewelry for your women, allow some of who you are to come out in the piece. If you’re classic and tailored, don’t be afraid to choose a streamlined design. If you’re whimsical, choose something quirky and off-beat. It’s not as much about what you like, as much as what you ARE LIKE. You want your partner to look at that ring or necklace and know without a doubt that you bought it for her.

2. Know What She Loves
I was just reading an article on the Bella True website called “Color Her World” and it reminded me about how important it is for a man to know certain things about their wife or girlfriend – without having to ask. You should already know her favorite color, her birthstone, colors to which she has an aversion, if she likes dainty or chunky jewelry, etc.

While diamonds and pearls are generally a safe choice, it’s really an amazing feeling to receive a color gem from your man. It’s even more amazing when that gem is one you love. Me? I love amethysts. And, I feel very special when I receive amethyst jewelry without having to ask for it. One thing this article mentioned that I hadn’t even thought about is the fact that “many colored stones are surprisingly affordable.” So, you can wow your woman and not break the bank while doing it.

I went ahead and read through all of the articles on the Bella True “Tips for Guys” section. Finally, a whimsical little set of tutorials that not only seeks to let guys in on what really matters when it comes to buying jewelry, but also succeeds in making the whole process seem a whole lot less intimidating.

Ladies, you might just want to gently forward a couple of their links to your man.

…and more.

Now that I am back in town, I am back to my couponing hobby. I love getting more “bang for my buck”, so to speak, when it comes to groceries and personal care items. I have found that if I plan carefully, I can combine weekly sale prices with coupons and often come out on top.

This week at Publix I came home with 10 free packs of Bic Soleil Bella razors, 8 free packs of Fisher Fusions fruit and nut mixes, as well as 6 free pints of Starbucks ice cream and a couple of Morningstar Farms entrées. I also bought a couple of pints of Starbucks for less than 25 cents each last week, before the very cool $2/1 coupons that came out in this past Sunday’s Smart Source insert. We love coffee ice cream that actually tastes like a cup of rich coffee.

Now, if I only had a bigger freezer.

In addition to the free food items I got this week, I also picked up a couple packs of Perdue breaded chicken breast nuggets – which came out to about $1.20 a pack after the Buy One Get One sale and coupons in this Sunday’s Smart Source. Even without the coupons these nuggets were a great deal with the Publix sale price.

I picked up a couple of Duncan Hines cake mixes for about 35 cents each after using Target coupons (my Publix will accept Target coupons as “competitor” coupons). I like to make my cakes from scratch, but at that price it will be nice to have a couple of mixes on hand.

There are a lot of good deals this week if you carefully pair the sale prices up with coupons. I’m looking for my coupons for Honey Maid graham crackers and Dannon kids’ yogurts. Free or almost free will be the outcome if I can locate those particular coupons.

Money is tight for everyone. Be a smear shopper. Make sure you get your hands on the weekly coupon inserts. Save them from week to week, because they might not garner the great deal for a month or so out – but it will always be worth it. I go to my local Wal-Mart where they package two copies of my local paper on Sundays and sell them for the price of one. I pick up two or three sets and I always recoup my investment tenfold. Be on the lookout for coupon booklets available at grocery stores. Look for online printable coupons (they tend to have the highest dollar amounts).

About an hour or so of planning a week for me always returns great results.

My sister got my daughter a Hannah Montana MP3 player for her birthday this year and I have been downloading songs I have on my computer to sd memory cards. It was such a time saver that I already had a little folder on my hard drive just for Gigi’s songs and now she can run around and listen to her music without having to ask me to play it on my PC for her.

It’s just an inexpensive MP3 player, but adding those Hannah Montana graphics to the gadget and packing it with girly colors and lots of pictures of Miley Cyrus makes it a product that is now irresistible to girls like my daughter. Clever marketing is such an amazing thing. I love the idea of being able to charge more for a low quality item simply because you have the licensing rights to a hot music artist, even though less flashy products might indeed be higher quality.

Wait, let me clear something up – I do not love having to be the one paying for those low quality flashy items. I just love the irony of marketing said items. The MP3 player we have is actually a piece of junk. It does not turn on consistently and it is hard to charge. However, that picture of Hannah Montana on the front means my daughter is willing to overlook all of the crappiness and focus on the cool factor.

If you happen to have saved your Buy One Get One Free Schick Disposable Razor coupons from the April 5 Smart Source coupons insert, now is the time to use them. Publix has Schick Disposable Razors Quattro High Performance 3-packs or 3 or 4-packs for Buy One get one Free this week. Since you can legitimately combine the manufacturer’s B1G1 coupon with the store sale, you walk out just paying tax for two packs of razors.

Overall, you save $6.29 x 2 = $12.58

About a year ago, I noticed the prices for razors and replacement blades went way up. Turns out it was due to an increase in steel prices. Now, more than ever, free is a very good thing.

Here’s a deal for you. Right now CVS has 3M Command hooks on sale two for $5, or $2.50 each. 3M has a current newsletter on their site that has a coupon for $2.50 off of one Command Metal Hook. That means a free Command Hook.

The closest CVS to my house did not have metal hook, which are the only variety covered by this coupon. A mile down the road, they did have metal hooks. Score! The smaller hooks are marked with a sign that says they are 2/$5. The large size is not. Though signs say they are $6.99 each, I scanned one of the large hooks and it came up as $2.50 as well.

Here is the link to the 3M printable coupons. They look great on your monitor, but be aware that they are actually very low resolution and some stores will not be able to scan them. They will have to manually input them. I just made sure to mention that I did indeed print the coupons off of the 3M website.
Now, if you want to buy multiple 3M products, CVS is giving you $5 in Extra Value Bucks if you spend $15 on qualifying 3M products. Since the CVS where I bought my Command Hooks will honor multiple coupons, I went ahead and bought six – which generated a $5 EVB on my receipt.

On another note, I found a little Hannah Montana Easter egg kit for 90% off (39 cents). I’ll tuck that away for next year and hope my daughter is still into HM by then.

Here is one more great thing about living in Florida – we only really have two seasons. OK, that might not sound like a great thing you, especially if you think about missing autumn leaves and spring bulb flowers. However, having only two seasons means that you only need to buy two wardrobes! Now, I love clothes as much as the next girl, but I also like thrifty living. Plus, I really have no desire to sacrifice precious storage space switching out seasonal wardrobes.

I generally wait until the end of the season to buy clothes. I get a literally thrill down my spine when I am able to pick up a new outfit for 75% off or more. I love the idea of doubling or tripling my spending power.

Take, for example, the green top I have pictures here in this article. It’s cute and I can wear it most of the year around here. Right now Sears has it on their website for only $14.99. And while that is only 38% off the full price, it goes perfectly with a pair of jeans they have on sale now for 75% off. Yes, deals all around. And those jeans – they can be worn all year.

Sears has all of their winter and fall clothing on sale through April 18, so there is plenty of time to browse and find a deal you can’t resist.

It’s kind of nice that thrift stores are becoming trendy again. The bad economy has made more people re-think their spending and most second-hand stores are seeing a huge surge in business. Unfortunately, at the same time all of those people who are re-thinking their spending are holding onto their old items a little longer and the thrift stores are also seeing a downturn in donations.

Still, I love browsing at my local Hospice thrift stores. In our area, they tend to get the coolest stuff and they always keep their prices down. My favorite Hospice gets full sets of high end China all of the time. I have been looking for about two years for a set to come in that I like and is also complete. Last week I got my hands on a full set of Noritake Edgewood in pretty much unused conditions – 8 full place settings as well as fruit bowls and an array of serving pieces. I got it all for about $150. It was a steal.

That same Hospice store also tends to get overstock and old merchandise from at least one Hallmark store and a drugstore. My daughter saw a huge display of incontinence products this week at the Hospice and loudly announced to everyone around us that she no longer needs diapers, she has dry nights now. She looked so proud of herself that I did not bother to explain that those particular “diapers” were not for children.

I’m not sure how old kids are when they stop getting excited about new clothing that is not exactly new. My daughter is still thrilled when I come home with a pair of Calvin Klein jeans that I got for a buck or a sweater that cost all of 59 cents. They are new to her and that is all that seems to matter right now. I will count my blessings, because the say that those second-hand clothes stop being exciting for her is the day my budget will need a huge overhaul.

I think I am down to just one TV in storage now. I took yet another one out to use in the house after giving away the ones that are not working as well as I like. I did not get the big screen in the divorce, which turned out to be a good thing since it stopped working a few month s after I moved in and my ex ended up having go buy a new television anyway.

I’m OK with my old-style sets for now. We have the TV in a smaller room and the picture is fine. My daughter is not picky and I am not watching a lot of movies on the set. I spend my money judiciously and make larger purchases less often than I used to. I have been shopping around for an LCD TV and will buy one – one day. I want to get a phenomenal price and never have to look at thing and wish I had not forked out the bucks.

The truth of the matter is that I see things like televisions and audio equipment as pure luxuries. They are absolutely not necessities and I can live happily without the latest, trendiest version. I do not need a Blueray. I do not need an iPod. I do not need an LCD mounted to the all of my family room. These are things I want, not things I need. Because of my ability to separate want and need, I have a healthier savings account that most people I know, even though I make much less money annually than most of my friends and family. Spend less, save more buy a house sooner than later. It works for me.

When my daughter was first born, I admit that I went overboard buying amazing outfits for her. She was definitely the best dressed baby in our social circle. And although I loved seeing her in pink and bows and flowery prints, I also went out of my way to buy her little black “Chucks” (Converse All Stars) and baby-sized Ramones t-shirts. My girl was a rocker from day one, sporting retro threads and mini versions of some of the t-shirts I loved wearing back when I was in high school. Hip Baby Clothes are what make a child stand out in the crowd of pink and blue clad kids.

To this day, I keep a few cool pieces in her wardrobe. When she chooses her own clothing she usually goes for pink and girly, but she also loves her skinny jeans and her rock tees. Sites like The Retro Baby makes it easy to find cools kid clothes. They have a ton of great onesies, like the Ramones design I have her on my blog. They’ve also got an impressive assortment of quirky Dr. Seuss designs and a Space Invaders onesie that’s got me all nostalgic. I even see some Peanuts t-shirts that I swear I used to own back in grade school. I can’t think of a better time to be a kid than the 70s and 80s.

Looks like it’s time to order some new t-shirts. She is growing out her current Ramones items. I can’t let her do without.

I moved backwards just a little this week – weight loss, stress levels, housework, etc. It’s been a difficult combination of sick family members, bizarre demands from my ex-husband, and a complete lack of energy on my part. I’m just happy it’s over – the week, that is.

I went along with 39 of the high school students and two other chaperones on a field trip today. I had been looking forward to it for a long time, but when faced with my low energy level all I could think about as I crawled out of bed this morning at 5:30 was that I could hardly wait to get home and go BACK to bed. The fieldtrip ended up being a lot of fun, though. I’m glad I pushed through.

And even though I fantasized almost all day about going to bed and sleeping as soon as I got home, I am actually up typing this even though it is going on midnight. I came home and realized I wanted to get so many things done. Earlier in the week I combined great manufacturers’ coupons with Buy One Get One sales at Publix to get 24 cent bottles of Glass Plus and 4 cent cartons of Progresso Broth. I made another grocery run tonight to use additional coupons I finally located here at the house and came home with free cans of dog food, 15 cent cans of Progresso Soup and bottled of extra virgin olive oil that only cost $2.50 a bottle after the sale and the coupons. Not a bad run, if I must say so myself.

In case you have a Publix close to your home, here are the details on the deals. Some have printable internet coupons and some require that you have coupons from past weeks that came in the Sunday paper. Remember that with the internet coupons, once your screen tells you the first coupon is printing, click Back on your browser once or twice to trigger a second copy of the coupon. Most coupon sites allow you two copies and you’ll want both for a B1G1 deal.

Glass Plus Glass & Multi-Surface Cleaner (32-oz bot.): $2.49, buy one get one free
$1/1: HERE
Price after (2) Coupons: $.24/each – save 90%

Progresso 100% Natural Broth (32-oz pkg.): $2.59 buy one get one free
$1.25/1: HERE
Price after (2) Coupons: $.04/each – save 99%

Progresso Soup (18 to 19-oz can or 15.25-oz bowl): $1.25
$1.10/1: HERE or HERE
Price after (1) Coupon: $.15 for 1, save 94%

Crisco 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil (16.9-oz bot.): $6.49 buy one get one free
$1/1 in the 2/8 Redplum newspaper insert
Price after (1) Coupon: $2.74/each – save 58%
Price after (2) Coupons: $2.24/each – save 66%

I’ve got some sleeping in planned for tomorrow morning, and then I am going to complete as many additional assignments I can for my online Instructional Strategies class. Of course, I will reward all of my hard work by meeting two of my girlfriends for dinner.

Sometimes it does not take much to make me happy. Life is busy and sometimes even hectic, but despite that – pretty much all that surrounds me is peacefulness. It’s times like this when I can take the time to look around and enjoy the small things.

For example, if I combine the Buy One Get One sales at Publix with phenomenal manufacturers’ coupons, I will be getting free boxes of Post Trail Mix cereal and free bottles of International Delights coffee creamers. Free is always exciting, and I love being able to supplement the grocery budget with goodies like these.

I am really beginning to adore when Publix Supermarkets does a sweeping buy-one-get-one (BOGO) sale. If you have the right coupons, you can really fill out your grocery budget.

Here is a sample of what I got this week in the way of super-deals, all at Publix:

1. Lysol All-Purpose Pourable, BOGO. I had a $1 coupon for each bottle, so in the end each bottle cost 59 cents.
2. Fantastic Cleaner, BOGO. I had a $1 coupon for each bottle, so in the end each bottle cost me 44 cents.
3. Halls cough drops, BOGO. I had a 50 cent coupon for each bag, so in the end each bag cost me 35 cents.
4. Rotel canned tomatoes, BOGO. Publix has a coupon for $1 off of 2 in their in-store ad, so in the end each can cost me a little under 10 cents.
5. I also got great deals on Juicy Juice, Dole Fruit Cups, and a couple of other items by combining sale prices with manufacturer’s coupons.

I had a couple of coupons for free items I had been sent by manufacturers (Downy, Dr. Pepper), so I paid $11.03 for a haul that would have cost me over $50 retail.

I’ve always understood that when it comes to fashion and looking great in your clothes, shoes make the outfit. You can look fantastic from head to ankle, but if your shoes look out of place with the rest of your outfit, it throws off the whole look.

Now, I have never been a shoe hound. I like shoes. In fact, I think I probably even love shoes. However, I don’t just buy them to buy them. I don’t collect them. I carefully choose each pair. I’m meticulous with my research and preparation. I like my shoes to be very well-made, to look amazing, and to work with my clothes. I’m more of a shoe connoisseur. Of course, that is just a hair’s breadth away from a shoe snob, but who’s measuring?

I enjoy window shopping for shoes. I like to take my time and see what other people are wearing. I spend some lazy evenings watching television shows I have recorded on my DVR and I have my laptop open, browsing online for shoes. I find it comforting.

For a look at what’s hot right now, daniblack shoes is a great site to browse. Take into consideration that the President of the daniblack shoe line is Danny Schwartz. He is also President of Schwartz & Benjamin, which produces shoes for Diane Von Furstenberg, Juicy Couture, kate spade, and 7 for all Mankind – as well as their own daniblack.

I especially enjoy the “Latest Trends” part of their website, since that’s the info I’m after when I’m shoe shopping online anyway. Amidst all of the new trends, it somehow feels comforting to see something like the Mimosa rose-adorned ballet flat. It’s a style that has come back full-circle more than once. I wore similar shoes in the 80s. The Mimosa has an updated edge, of course.

Or, what about these Ravens? They remind me of shoes I had in the mid to late 70s, but they also have such an air of today’s flirty styles. Again, there is that feeling of comfort and nostalgia about them that makes me keep coming back to look. In fact, I’ve got them on my To Do list for this week. I want to head over to Macy’s and try on a pair.

I’m happily astounded at how deeply they discount when they put a hoe on sale. Typically, you’re going to pay 50-60% less than the original price. Now, THAT’S a sale.