Freaky Friday Deals!

Greetings everyone! It's the Friday before All Hallow's Eve, and I've got some great deals for those of you looking to not break the bank to celebrate Halloween.

*TGI Fridays is celebrating Halloween all weekend - come in costume on Friday or Saturday and get a FREE appetizer (mozzerella sticks, pot stickers or green bean fries). Make your money go even further on Saturday, and use this coupon to buy one entree and get the second for half off. If you come in on Halloween, kids in costume eat FREE (one child per paying adult).

*IHOP is giving away FREE scary face pancakes to kids 12 and under today, Friday October 29th. No costume necessary but you must dine-in. Call ahead because not all locations are participating.

*Chipotle is doing their boo-rito campaign - go to a Chipotle location between 6 PM and close on Halloween and for $2, get a delicious burrito, bowl, salad or tacos. The catch? Dress up as a "horrifyingly processed food". The money goes towards Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, which encourages people to make better choices when it comes to eating better food.

*Buy 1, get 1 FREE item at Gap Outlet stores! This offer is only valid on Saturday, 10/30 and in-stores only. Here's the coupon!

*Buy 1, get 1 FREE Pumpkin Smash smoothie at Jamba Juice with this coupon. Good today, October 29th - Sunday, October 31st.

*New York and Company is having a great sale - get $50 off when you spend $100! Plus, they've got a lot of cute stuff on sale.

*Go door-to-door in your neighborhood to get FREE candy! Oh, you knew that already? Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Hot (Deals) for Teacher!

Are you a teacher or do you know someone who is? First, please thank them. Not only are they in charge of educating our young minds, but they put out fires on a daily basis, they have to deal with under or over involved parents, the politics of schools...it's a tough job, that's for sure. Thanks teachers!

To make sure you know how much you're appreciated, I found some surprising deals you are eligible for just because you're a teacher - and some of them have nothing to do with education (unless, of course, you count dressing smart as a part of your curriculum).

1. J. Crew - I just found this out a few weeks ago! J. Crew offers a 15% in-store discount with a valid teacher's ID. College students are also eligible for this discount with a valid ID - but if you're a college student and you can afford J. Crew, you'll have a rude awakening when you join ranks in the Real World. Or maybe I'm just jealous.

2. Apple - in the market for a new computer? Apple offers up to $200 off a new computer purchase for students and teachers with a valid ID. I'm not sure if it's only valid in stores, but when my husband and I bought our new Mac, I definitely took advantage of shopping with my mother-in-law (high school Spanish teacher) AND purchased in Oregon (sales tax free). Booyeah!

3. Ann Taylor LOFT - sign up for LOFT Loves Teachers and you're eligible for an immediate 20% off introductory offer, plus 15% off every time you shop. And um, I may have also signed up for this (I'm not a teacher but I work with kids in schools) and it has yet to ask me for a valid teacher's identification. I may feel too guilty to use it, but just sayin'...

4. Bookstores - obviously this makes a lot of sense, but stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders offer at least 20% off purchases in store and online with their educator programs. If you like to frequent your small local bookstore, ask to see if they offer teacher discounts.

5. Office supply stores - this is another no brainer, but Staples, Office Max and Office Depot have special perks for educators. The reward programs can be 15% discounts, cash back on purchases, special times of the year to save more...check them out!

6. Home discounts - yep, I'm serious. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has a program called Good Neighbor Next Door. You can get up to 50% off the list price of a home if you are a teacher (or a law enforcement officer, a firefighter, or emergency medical technician). It sounds like there's potential for a lot of red tape (you have to purchase in a certain area, you have 5 days to purchase the home, etc), but check out the listings nonetheless. You could save a TON of money!

7. Cell phone companies - this isn't just good for teachers, but cell phone companies offer discounts for employees of many companies. Talk to a representative or go online at your specific carrier. Usually, you just put your work email address in and it will let you know if you're eligible for a discount. It's not much, but every little bit helps!

Keep in mind these discounts are good to teachers year-round! Some stores do other promotions during back-to-school time or Teacher Appreciation Week (the first week of May), so definitely keep your eyes open for other deals at certain parts of the year. Not only that, but feel free to ask your favorite retail store if they offer discounts for teachers - the worst they do is say no, but the best is you save some money! Just be prepared to have your school identification with you.

Any other cool teacher discounts you know of? Anyone thinking about a career change?

Friday Deals!

Sorry I'm a little late in posting this (internet problems!), but here are your Friday Deals!


*FREE Quizno's small sandwich when you buy a bag of chips and a regular fountain drink. Coupon expires on 10/27, so you have a few more days to use it.

*Ann Taylor LOFT is clearing out their sale items - take an extra 50% off all sales! They definitely have some cute stuff left, but sizes and colors are limited so go quick!

*FREE sample of Garnier Ultra Lift moisturizer.

*$2 for a $25 gift certificate at Restaurant.com when you enter the code PUMPKIN. Ends on Monday.

*Old Navy is having all kinds of sales! Use this coupon to get 30% off now, shop online and get up to 50% certain items, take an extra 15% off when you shop online using code ONTREAT aaaand....FREE shipping when you spend $50 or more (use code ONSUPER50).

*Old Navy's big brother Gap is having an online sale of their own - take 25% off TODAY online for online purchases when you use code GAPSAVE25 at checkout.

Any other good deals you guys see out there? Leave me a note in the comments!

Have a great weekend!

Halloween Decorations on the Cheap

Halloween is just a few weeks away - can you believe it? If you want to make your house festive and not drop a ton of money, I'll let you know what I did with my house this year.

I didn't want a ton of cheesy looking decorations, so I looked to Young House Love for some inspiration. Of course, I am no John and Sherry (they are ah-mazing), but I loved some of the ideas they had...and I stole them.

First, I went to Michael's and found a ton of fall stuff on sale. I got a bag of 6 plastic gourds for $5 and got a can of white glossy spray paint for $5. I spray painted the gourds white, and I'm planning on using them beyond Halloween for the rest of fall and Thanksgiving. Plus, even though I spray painted the crap out of the gourds, I've still got at least 3/4 of a can of spray paint left for other fun projects though. Bummer? I spray painted my walkway...oops. Lesson learned - make sure you have a place to craft that won't make your spouse mad.

Next, I wanted to create a kind of macabre (oh yeah, I just threw out macabre) look for our console table. I picked up a 12 inch apothecary jar (for $7 at 40% off), 5 59-cent fake carnations and a can of black spray paint for $5. I spray painted the carnations black and put them in the apothecary jar for a funeral-y look. Kind of reminds me of the rose in "Beauty and the Beast" - right? I also thought this California condor was totally cool and spooky looking, so I picked him up for $5.

To complete the look, I picked up 12 black tealights at Target for $3.

And nothing says Halloween like candy - pick some up! But if you have a hard time resisting grabbing a handful every time you walk by (or worse, making up excuses of why you have to walk by so you can get your candy on), make sure you only fill the bowl when company's coming so you can have some help eating it.

My total spent on Halloween decorations: $33. Might be a little steep, but when you consider I'll be using the gourds for the next few months AND for another holiday, plus the spray paint can be used for other projects, I think I did pretty well.

Other ways to save on Halloween decorating:

*Use things you already have - candles, black tableclothes, scarves, vases - you'd be surprised at how much you can do with a little creativity and a lot of resourcefulness.

*Try to plan for multipurpose use when purchasing to get a bigger bang for your buck - just like I did with the gourds, think about how you might be able to use the same thing for multiple holidays or occassions. I'm thinking the apothecary jar would look really cool with Christmas ornaments in it. Maybe some silver candlestick holders would look really festive for New Year's Eve but you can put blood red candles in them for Halloween.

*Shop sales - duh. But Michael's is just one of many places having sales on their fall craft items. Look into your store circulars to see what you can get for the lowest price.

What about you all? How do you decorate for the holidays? Any money saving tips?

Friday Deals

Hey all! Apologies for being MIA... here are some good deals for your Friday!

*30% off denim at Gap when you "recycle" (or bring in) your old denim! Your old jeans don't have to be a Gap brand either! Offer good through October 20th and only on full-priced denim.

*An extra 40% off sale items at Ann Taylor LOFT! Enter SAVE40 online and free shipping for orders over $125. I can't seem to find a date, but since it's their Columbus Day sale, I'm guessing good through Monday?

*Restaurant.com is offering 80% off gift certificates. You normally pay $10 for a $25 gift certificate, but from now through October 12th, pay $2 for $25 worth of food! Enter code ENJOY at checkout.

*FREE sample of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo from AllYou.

*Want to get a FREE drink at Starbucks? Purchase a 6-pack of their new flavored VIA Instant Coffee drinks and get a FREE tall drink of your choice through tomorrow (Saturday).

*FREE sample of Crest Pro Health Clinical Gum Protection at Walmart.com.

*Good Borders coupon - save 40% on one item through Saturday!

Have you seen other good Columbus Day sales? Leave a note in the comments!

Have a great weekend!