RobD

The Gap and Old Navy slim sizes have the adjustable waist band in them so I've found they were wonderful for my youngest. Gap also has the long and lean cut to boot so that helps. I've found that other stores brands aren't as "slim" as those even if they have a slim label. JCPenney and Limited Too slims have always been too broad for my skinny minnie :) I have also tried Abercrombie slims (because folks told me they were cut slimmer) but they were still too big. If you look in some of the dept. stores (Kohl's I know for sure) they carry some pants in the Mudd brand that are slim and have the adjustable waist too, along with the Levi slims. My youngest has always had to wear the slim size plus take the adjustable waist in 6 buttons on each side. I was always happy when short and capri weather came along so we didn't have to worry about the length :) When your DD gets a little older, remember that Aeropostale starts at a size 00 and they have short, regular and long lengths. My DD is wearing 12 slim capri's from Gap, size 14 slim jeans from Gap and 00 regular or longs from Aeropostale. RobD

But on the other hand...Aeropostale is the only place that I can find clothing to find my youngest. She is long and lean and all the other stores (including all the slim lines) are cut for teens/tweens who have hips and other curves. Aeropostale pants come in short, regular and long which is a huge plus for her as she has really long legs (she wears a 00 regular or long depending on the pant, and no she's not anorexic. She's a 12 y.o. who is almost 90 pounds and 5' 4" tall.) As narrow as their shirts may be, they have always been much longer than the other stores that cater to the tween/tween crowd and their pants are not as low cut in the waist (compared to say Abercrombie or Hollister,) so the "bimbo" factor in terms of abdomens showing isn't as severe (well, plus that style isn't really in now anyway.) I throw EVERYTHING in the dryer and I haven't noticed a problem. Now we do have to go up a size for my older DD (who is extremely curvy) and she won't wear their pants (except for sweats) because they're not cut well for her. RobD

My DH had to go to Target this morning so I asked him to check on the MM boxes while he was there (he had been with me a few weeks ago when I had found some, and I had filled him in on the great deal.) With specific instructions in hand, he went to the store and found 4 fruit punch MM's! I had told him to scan them to make sure and they came up 69c, so he bought them. He said he felt almost "dirty" taking advantage of the deal. LOL! Our youth group is gearing up for the 30 hour famine, and they need juice for the fasters so I am so happy that we've found some again. RobD

I belonged to both for a number of years (I piggybacked on my FIL's Sam's Club business membership for only $5/year until they changed that) because the Sam's was only 2 miles from my house while Costco was about 10 miles. When we moved and both warehouses were located a mile from each other, I quickly realized that I did most of my shopping at Costco and that there were only a handful of items that I bought at Sam's. So I stopped renewing my Sam's membership. Another reason for that was because Sam's will let you have a day pass and will let you purchase things without a membership for a 10% premium while Costco will not let you shop there unless you're a member. RobD

What about one of the Xyron machines? They sell them at Michaels and Joanne's and there is always a 40 or 50% coupon for those stores in the Sunday paper. I have two: the 510 which works for sizes up to 5" wide and the 900 which works on sizes up to 9" wide. I've had them for years and my kids use them a lot now for their own school projects. RobD

Thanks for reminding me about the $25 off $75 code! My original order was $53 so I went back and added a few basic shirts and plugged the $off code in: 1 011024636 Contour Wst Sateen Pant Blk 8 8.04 1 011024680 #Cypress Sateen Pant Oak 8 8.04 1 011024680 Cypress Sateen Pant Blk 8 8.04 1 031023050 Interlock S/S Tee Shirt DkL MED 2.68 1 011042203 #Lace Detail Scoop Tee Ivy MED 4.69 1 011042203 #Lace Detail Scoop Tee BuS MED 4.69 1 011042203 #Lace Detail Scoop Tee Grn MED 4.69 1 011042517 #Pima Cap Slv Crew Tee Blk MED 4.02 1 011042283 #Rounded Sq Cap Tee Wht MED 6.02 Total Product $: 75.91 Adjustments: -25.00 Net Product$: 50.91 Not bad for 3 pairs of work pants and 6 shirts! RobD

We (my DH & I) were making a road trip to a foreign Best Buy to look at TV stands that were in stock there and not in our local one and lo and behold there was a new Target right next to it. We decided to stop in there first to see if they had different TV stands and I got to take DH on a perimeter run :) First, he got the golf balls he uses (Nike Ones) for half price and he was thrilled (he says they were selling last years version of that golf ball at the golf store on clearance for $24.99 and these were $19.99.) Then I found two packs of the Minute Maid apple juice boxes and I threw them in the cart. He made a comment about that and I explained the whole .69 situation to him and he was floored. He asked me how I knew about them and I told him: you know that website I look at every day...well that's one of the tips I picked up He was totally impressed, so thanks all...I think I can shop all I want at Target for a while without worrying RobD

We just had to buy a new washer in November because the transmission on our 4 1/2 y.o (!) washer went and it was just as much to fix it as it was to replace it. The service tech (who wasn't affiliated with a store so he didn't have anything to gain by telling me to buy new) asked me if I was looking for a front loader or top loader. When I said I didn't really have an opinion, he told me that while the front loaders are more efficient they are MUCH MORE expensive to repair than top loaders. He had had to replace some hosing and couplings on one the day before and it cost over $200 for a 1 1/2 y.o. machine. Yikes! He also told me that 10 years ago the manufacturers went away from belt drives to sealed transmissions which is why they are so much more expensive to fix now (instead of just replacing a belt they have to replace the whole thing.) In addition, in January 2006 the government changed the minimum allowable efficiency ratings for washers. What this has done is make the washers more energy efficient but they are much less efficient in terms of the job that they do. The 2006 Consumer Reports on washers actually states that they couldn't recommend a Best Buy on any washer (or something to that effect, I don't have it front of me anymore) because the tests they run on them came back with much worse results than usual. Sigh; gotta love it when the government "helps" us :) The tech finished up by pointing to all the controls on the back of my old washer and asking me "do you use them all?" to which I replied "no." He then explained that once you pick your brand, the only difference along a price point line are the various setting options. Internally the construction is all the same. So if you don't use all 7 wash settings, or 5 load sizes etc. don't buy it. I ended up getting Whirlpool top loader at Best Buy with 3 load sizes, 3 water temp options and 3 load settings. It wasn't the bottom one, it wasn't the second one up (that didn't have a bleach dispenser which I use) but the next one up. HTH, RobD

We've been Costco members for years and I can't say enough good things about them. It's not just the bulk items (we're a family of four so I don't always buy my staples there.) We get our eyeglasses and contacts there (for about a quarter of the optician's price,) tires, all of our meat, iTunes cards, batteries. In addition, we set up our Sharebuilder accounts through Costco, and we've bought cars using the Costco auto buying program. Their "house" brand (Kirkland) is frequently listed as a Best Buy in Consumer Reports for various products: I use Kirkland dish washing liquid, laundry detergent and garbage bags. Kirkland has to be as good or better than the leading national brand for them to start carrying it. HTH RobD

Thanks to all for the great holiday heads up. Today I found: a pair of the Pooh Holiday "Robeez" for $1.39 on an endcap with the regular $13.99 ones a large, red Smith & Hawken adult duck for $2.99 mixed in with all the $29.99 ducks a travel case with the game "Trouble" for $1.99 in the holiday aisle

I am the queen of crystal scratching. Last year DH bought me a nice Citizen Eco-Drive from Costco and it still looks brand new. I never take it off; wear in 24/7 in the shower, pool and while sleeping.

My DD found the iHome iPod pillows in black & pink a few weeks ago at our Kohl's marked down to $5 in the clearance section of bedding.

If I need non-rechargeable batteries, I always buy the Kirkland Signature brand from Costco. There are 48 batteries in the pack and they sell for around $9.00. Kirkland Signature has to be of the same quality as the leading national brand, and they are always cheaper. HTH, RobD

Yea, we all really want Rock Band but already have 2 guitars for Guitar Hero and microphones from SingStar so I'm not going to buy the bundle just to get the game and drum kit. I heard February for the drum kit to be available separately for PS2 so it looks like an Easter kind of present :) RobD

I bought my DH the Product Red Nano last year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at apple.com. I found out about the discount here on GottaDeal the next day and called apple on Black Friday and they allowed me the discount. I believe it was a 10% discount. HTH Rob D

I'm on their email list and jumped on first thing this morning. Three things in my cart came up as unavailable after my card info went through. This was a problem as I was ordering pj's for both my girls for Christmas (things have to be even you know!) Their customer service people were great. I called right away and asked to have different clearance pj's instead. They couldn't add to the first order, but the girl did waive the second shipping fee. On a product note: my youngest is very slim and Aeropostale is one of the only places that carries 00 and xx-small pants. They are very appreciated by me.

We saw some with the sunshades in REI the other day. Costco has portable ones but I don't know if they have the shade. HTH RobD

FYI, if you are a Costco member, there is a coupon in the new summer "Passport" for a HP 15.4" Core 2 Duo notebook with 2GB RAM and 160 GB hard drive, web cam and DVD RW that will be available 8/6-12 for $849.99. This coincides (partially) with our TN Tax free days and since they now offer the Costco concierge service for computers and televisions, the warranty on this is extended for 2 years for free. So I can really walk out of there with that laptop for $850; no tax and no extended warranty fee. Yay! RobD

If you're not in a rush, and can wait till the end of the summer, I know quite a few states have "tax free" back to school days. In TN, it is the first weekend of August and since our sales tax rate is 9.75% that is a huge deal. Computers up to $1500 are included in this. I am waiting until then to buy a new laptop. I almost bought during the April tax free days, but my classes were ending within a week and I could wait (and 3+months in computer land means more computer for the same price.) One thing I will say is that if you are planning on buying for college level classes, you may want to spring for 2GB RAM. A lot of schools are just beginning to incorporate 3D web (such as Second Life) into the classroom and by the time this years new students graduate in 4 years or so, that will be pretty common.

I'm pretty sure that ours have always been half off the cover price. And if you register for a "fast cart pass" you get an online coupon to print out for $10 off any purchase of $50 or more (which isn't hard in my house, especially with summer reading lists and a new niece/nephew on the way.) RobD

We use Costco, but it takes about a week.

I completely agree, and while I've never had a theological issue with Santa (I can easily separate the secular Christmas from the religious Christmas) I've always wondered how a physiologically impossible rabbit bearing chocolate has anything to do with the resurrection of Christ :) So, when my kids were younger I made sure that I got them each an age appropriate Easter book, along with say a Veggie Tales video; I usually threw a Spring beanie baby in too along w/a smallish amount of candy. Now that they're older I still keep up the book/video tradition and I usually make sure they are of the more uplifting variety, although not as much so as when they were younger. As my friend's son once said "Oh, you can't listen to Metallica on Easter :)" So I would probably not put "Captain Underpants" or the "Borat" movie in an Easter Basket. But that's just me. RobD

I'm in Middle Tennessee.

Got a few small things last night. There was a small 8.5 oz Listerine w/breath strips attached for 1.25; got the sunsilk conditioner for 1.64-1.00 coupon; the sunsilk cream for 1.64-2.00 coupon; the mead two packs of notebooks were finally marked down to 1.24. And then I paid full price for a light up rubber duck for DD's easter basket

The TN stores will be Belk's also. I am not happy about this. There is no Nordstrom's here and while I don't buy too much from those stores, they are the only one's that carry some of the better brands I like for special occasions.