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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’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.