For an entire week, I had the luxury of driving around a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, courtesy of Chevrolet’s Driving in the Heartland team, dedicated to the heartland of America! You can check out their website or follow their tweets, @ChevyTexan, for their latest adventures, offers, fantastic finds, and more.

As a savvy deal finder, I definitely wanted Chevrolet to get their money’s worth, I tweeted #chevyhaul like crazy and during Black Friday I managed to make it to 20 different stores, starting at midnight with my friend and fellow blogger Gita of the uber-fashion blog, Mimi and Chichi.

Top 10 Black Friday Shopping Tips

In preparation of Black Friday 2012, here are 10 things that every savvy Chevy Haul shopper should know:

1 – Do the math! It is very easy to think you’re getting a good deal on Black Friday. You wait the entire year for sales like these. The only day of the year Apple deems worthy of offering a discount…but to feel good at the end of the day, make sure you’re getting a good deal on quality items!

Walmart was offering an Emerson 32? 720p LCD TV for $188 but who could beat the quality and discounts offered by Best Buy’s Sharp 42” 1080p LCD HDTV for ONLY $199.99. Plus, with the Walmart horror stories on the news and talking with other shoppers in line, I doubt I’ll ever  visit Wallyworld on Black Friday.

2 – Map it out! With many stores opening at midnight (and some even opening on Thanksgiving day — too early if you ask me…) you’ll not only want to make sure you understand where you’re headed but WHEN you need to head there. Before I hit the road in my Chevy Equinox, I made a list of all the stores that opened early, in the order they opened here. There tends to be a gap between the stores that opened at midnight, and the next round that opens at 4-5am…this will keep you busy.

*Another thing to consider, visit stores more out of the way. Although the drive might be longer, the wait will be shorter and more variety will be left untangled. Especially for high demand items, go the extra 20 miles to a remote location that you know won’t be as hectic!

**Many stores open earlier but end the incredible sales before 11am or noon. Get there early if you want to get the best deals!

Click on the Foursquare image below to see the stores that I stopped at and the deals at the time.

3 – Bring a snack! If you’re always snacking like my friend Gita and I you’ll want to bring some holiday leftovers (brusselsprouts and cookies) as well as some water and energy drinks. At every store we visited, people were complaining of hunger pains, impatiently waiting for the food courts and other restaurants to open. Crabby people make impatient shoppers who are more willing to just buy things they don’t want. Give your wallet a fair chance.

4 – Leave the kids at home! We were waiting in line at Old Navy, for 30 minutes outside (so many people showed up for the free digital camera, fire hazards limited the number of shoppers allowed in at one time…) and it was fairly cold for us Texans. In front and behind us were were sobbing toddlers, begging to go home. Finally, seconds before being let into the store, the mothers staggered off with their children. MAKE CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENTS! There are a lot of children friendly daycares, gyms, and play places that offer moms and dads Black Friday shopping drop offs, starting early in the morning until the afternoon.

*With the new midnight shopping time, I also noticed a LOT of tweens running loose at the mall. Apparently their parents dropped them off with friends, while waiting for their stores to open, you could see some inappropriate makeout sessions going on. PARENTS – shopping is not the only thing that goes on at the maul…I mean mall.

5 – Go big or go home! Some of the best deals that I saw being offered were in department stores! For all your houseware needs, Macy’s and Sear’s were the way to go!

• KitchenAid Pro 500 Series Mixer for $199.99 at Sears
• Macy’s offered 20% off additional Black Friday sale prices! Gita got amazing sheets, retailed at $600 for less than $250!

6 – Fight the Crowds! With the explosion of online Black Friday sales, who in their right mind would consider fighting the crowds when all of your shopping can be done from the comfort of your own home? I’ll give you one reason why. Every year, without fail, there are significant online outages or slowdowns because of the crazy amounts of traffic generated from the 20 million other people who want to shop from the comfort of their own homes.

I remember one year I spent 3 hours painfully fighting Kohls website, adding things to the shopping cart, trying to checkout with them, being told they were sold out or having my cart emptied prematurely. In 2.5 hours I probably could have fought the masses, tried on clothes, AND checked out! Never again!

7 – Keep it social! Above was a list of all my foursqaure check ins. Make sure you take advantage of all the social and in-store promotions being offered! Many Foursquare venues offered additional discounts to shoppers. At Old Navy, Gita won an additional coupon for being the first to bring up a nail file during a contest. Many retailers on Twitter offered their followers Twitter only coupons AND additional #hashtag contests. With everyone else busy shopping, the chances of your winning is increased greatly!

8 – Chevy-sized vehicle for haul! This year I was blessed to have a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox to haul around all our deals! Buy a new car, borrow a friends, clean out your trunk before hitting the road!

Our Equinox offered:

• great gas mileage so we could go the distance
• plenty of storage space for our shopping haul
• comfy seats when we needed to give our feet a rest
• hiding places so we didn’t get mugged (always be wary of your surroundings, don’t be sitting ducks…)

9 – Additional tips and tricks! Here are some more helpful tips and tricks for making the most out of Black Friday:

• Sign up for email alerts from your favorite stores ahead of time
• Buy the newspaper on Thanksgiving for printed coupons and tons of store ads (nice consolidated view for the last minute shopper)
• Download a Black Friday mobile app like BF Ads that gets updated with new ads all the time, is easy to use, and works without an internet connection (mall 3g can be shady)
• Shop the off hours! Old Navy was CRAZY and had a long line at midnight, but everywhere else we visited between 2am to 7am had virtually no lines! Traffic starts to pick back up around 7am…
• Make sure you get a place in line. If you’re battling it out for the best Best Buy offer, get there early and get the ticket. Ask for one. You need proof you were there at 24 hours before midnight and not some random person who waltzed up when the clock struck 12.

Driving in the Heartland invited me to:

So, what better way to ease some of that holiday shopping stress than by taking a brand new Chevy for a spin to get all of your shopping done in comfort and style? This year, Chevrolet will be giving five fabulous bloggers a Chevy vehicle to drive while they take on their holiday shopping throughout the Heartland. Three bloggers from Texas and two bloggers from St. Louis, Missouri, will be riding comfortably in Chevy cars and crossovers in the next few weeks, and you can follow along as they navigate the madness on Twitter using the hashtag #ChevyHaul.

Check out all the details here.

Related posts:

1. 2011 Black Friday Store Hours
2. Black Friday 2011 Deals
3. Eversave San Antonio

Looking for some back to school coupons? Below are almost 50 coupons at various clothing and office retailers to help meeting all your back to school clothing needs while staying within your budget!! Let me know if you’d like to see coupons from particular stores in the future, this is a list of stores that I found currently offering discounts.

*Click on the store image to be taken directly to the offer page or coupon.

Notice that some coupons expire soon and some don’t expire until the end of the year!

Retailer	Discount	Coupon Code	Expiration
	15% off + Free shipping on $50	SCHOOL	08/08/11
	$20 Off $80 purchase	20SCHOOL	08/07/11
	$10 off $50 | $15 off $75 | $20 off $100 Purchases	KIDSBTSPrintable Coupon	08/06/11
	$10 off coupons	Printable Coupon	09/25/11
	$10 off $50 Kids School Uniform Purchase	12DOCKERS10Printable Coupon	09/17/11
	Free Amazon Prime for college students for one year	Online Offer
	25% off Your Entire Purchase	10071	08/07/11
	Free Shipping on Any Order (No Minimum)	FREESHIP711	08/08/11
	20% off purchase	29756561	08/07/11
	15% Off Any Order	79361031	09/01/11
	20% off purchase	39456721 Printable Coupon	08/07/11
	30% Off Any Order	FRIENDSFB	08/07/11
	30% Off Any Order	FRIENDSFB	08/07/11
	20% Off Entire Order	AUGUST20	08/31/11
	20% off $100, 25% off $150, 30% off $200	BRNEW	08/07/11
	15% off entire purchase	ENTXB24	12/31/11
	40% off entire purchase	AUGFLASH11	08/09/11
	20% off entire purchase printable coupon	Printable Coupon
	$15 off $30, $30 off $100, $60 off $200 or $90 off $300	1605	08/07/11
	25% Off Entire Purchase (Regular Priced Items)	124864343Printable Coupon	08/25/11
	15% off $89	LKS1TCB3	10/29/11
	$10 off $60	EXTRA60	10/15/11
	30% off entire purchase	30OFF	08/07/11
	25% Off Your Entire Purchase	30180	08/06/11
	20% off $60+	HTA20AUG	09/02/11
	10% off purchase	DBGAFF10	01/26/12
	20% off entire purchase	CCAUG62	08/09/11
	Various Michaels coupons	Printable	09/30/11
	$25 off $75+ purchase	1290	10/31/11
	$10 Off $50	15863609Printable	08/09/11
	20% off purchase	42565	08/31/11
	$25 off Your Purchase of $100 or more	SASV815	09/05/11
	15% off entire purchase	H3E2011	09/05/11
	20% off + Free Shipping	465	08/18/11
	$15 Off $100,$30 Off $150,$75 Off $250,$150 Off $500	FA1127349	08/15/11
	$15 Off $100,$30 Off $150,$75 Off $250,$150 Off $500	DIVEIN20	08/07/11

Related posts:

1. 2011 President’s Day Sales and Coupons

Free stuff for reading? Yes please! Check out this list of retailers and local libraries offering incentives for kids to read with their families or on their own this summer! Beat the heat and reap the rewards, literally! In no particular order here are a bunch of great programs!

Barnes & Noble’s Summer Reading program encourages kids to read by asking them to download a journal, read 8 books, and then pick a FREE book at the nearest store near you. Now through 9/6/2011!

Downloads:

• Kid’s Journal
• Teacher’s Resources & Activities
• Parent Resources

Borders book store is offering you a free book after the 10^th book read! Now through 9/5/2011! Download the reading form here. You get to pick which 10 and Borders is offering a great selection of freebies to choose from (see complete list of freebies here!)

Even Chuck E Cheese is getting in the spirit by offering this reading calendar in exchange for tokens!! Print our calendar here.

From now until 10/1/2011, you can join the HEB Summer Reading Club and after reading 10 books you’ll get a cool prize!

After printing out the form (download here), mail it in to this address:

H•E•Buddy® 2011 Summer Reading Program,

10530 Sentinel, San Antonio, Texas 78217

Download your summer reading log from Half Price Books here and spend your summer keeping track of all the great books you read! Start turning in completed logs between July 25^th through August 7^th and receive $5 Back to School Bucks reading rewards cards!

Scholastic if also offering freebies in their summer reading program here. Log your minutes to win rewards! This is by far the most modern and technologically filled summer reading program. Your child will sign up for an account where they log the hours they read each day. Meet the reading challenge each week and win FREE downloads and other prizes.

Related posts:

1. 2011 Lemonade Day San Antonio

Ready to shop until you drop? Check out the 44 printable coupons and promotional codes for in-store and online savings at your favorite retailers! Hurry thought because more expire at the end of President’s Day although a couple don’t for a couple days, weeks!

Let me know if you’re looking for something in particular, it looks like a great time to do a little retail therapy!

Retailer	Discount	Promo Code	Expires
	Printable President’s Day Coupon, 8am-12pm	ETNZF	02/21/11
	Online, save $10 Off a $60 Purchase	PRESIDENT10	02/26/11
	44 styles already marked up to 44% off; save an additional 30% w/promo code	GAPSALE30	02/21/11
	20% OFF Sitewide; free shipping >$65	president65	02/22/11
	Everything 50% off Sale; in-store printable coupon here ($10 off $50 purchase)		02/27/11
	25% Off Your Full-Price Purchase; Free shipping on all orders $125 or more	PRESIDENT	02/21/11
	Save 35% Off Your Entire Purchase; Free Shipping >$50	PRESIDENT35	02/21/11
	15% off your Entire Purchase (online & in-store)	THINKSPRING	02/21/11
	$30 Off a $150 Purchase	LHD30	04/30/11
	Extra 40% off entire order (in-store,and online)	733	02/21/11
	$30 Off $75, $70 Off $150 + Free Shipping	3306 ($30 off $75) 3303 ($70 off $150)	02/21/11
	$5 Select Styles + 30% off already reduced items (Online + In-Store); free shipping >$50	FSPRESIDENTS	02/21/11
	33% off List Price of 1 item	BAX3447N	02/21/11
	20% off Everything; Free shipping on orders $50 or more	PDAY11 & PIN 2162	02/21/11
	Extra 50% off clearance (online & in-store)		02/21/11
	An Additional 30% Off Sale Items		02/21/11
	$5 Off your purchase of $25 or more (in-store only)		02/21/11
	70% off Gift Certificates	EAT	02/21/11
	20% off Entire order & Free Ship + $10 off Button down shirts (Online)	29864001	02/21/11
	20% Off Entire Purchase plus 6 more coupons; 40% any one item 2/22-2/26		02/21/11, varies this week
	Extra 25% Off All Sale Merchandise	PRESIDENT25	02/22/11
	15% Off $50, 20% Off $75 (Online + In-Store)	ONPDAY	02/21/11
	15% off Select Items	makeover	02/21/11
	Extra 20% Off Clearance Boots, Coats & Sweaters	20SHOP	02/20/11
	Extra 25% Off Alreay Reduced Items	BRPRES25	02/21/11
	30% off your entire order	CHIEF30	02/21/11
	$10 Off a $50 Purchase (In-Store)		02/21/11
	Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store – 20% Off Your Entire Purchase		02/21/11
	25% Off Your Full-Price Purchase; Free shipping on all orders $125 or more	PRESIDENT	02/21/11
	Extra 15% off all clearance items	SAVE15	02/21/11
	20% Off Women’s Items on Orders of $150+	FABFEB	02/21/11
	20% Off Entire Purchase		03/06/11
	20% off $60		02/21/11
	$10 off $50 or $25 off $100	SAPRES10E	02/21/11
	$10 Off a $40 Purchase	28264592	02/21/11
	$25 Off $75 or more (Online + In-Store)	5521	02/21/11
	Extra 10-15% Off Regular, Sale, & Clearance (Online + In-Store)	PRESIDENT	02/21/11
	Extra 40% off Entire store		02/21/11
	20% Off Any Purchase; $15 Off Every $50 Purchase (Online + In-Store)	664; 241
	$10 Off $50 (Online & In Store)	62601225	02/21/11
	50% Off Sale Items + Free Shipping		02/21/11
	20% Off Online Price for Kids’ and Teen Books	A8T7C7M	02/21/11

No related posts.

Congratulations! You’re getting married! Stores want to reward that as well! By taking the time to create registries in their stores or on their websites, here are some popular ways retailers want to help celebrate your wedding:

1 – Bonus gifts: If you register for a certain number of items, certain items from specific brands, etc. you’ll get gift cards or freebies! If your gifts spend a combined $200 you’ll get a $20 gift certificate (from JCPenny)! Register at Bloomingdale’s for $200 worth of Emeril Cookware and get a 2 piece set of Ramekins, valued at $39.99!

2 – Discounts for Guests: Kohl’s hit it out of the park, not only do they offer FREE announcement cards to slip into wedding invitations but they also offer wedding guests a 15% discount for purchasing items on registry! To me this is a no brainer.

3 – Discount Post-wedding: After the dust has settled from the wedding, the newlyweds are offered discounts ranging from 10-20% off the remaining items. Most post-nuptial discounts are offered through email notifications; make sure you watch out for them. Some are offered regardless of time, some expire after a month to the first year.

4 – Gift Card and other Freebies: Some companies offer $25 gift cards just for creating the registry. JCPenny also offers a free engagement portrait. Lots of retailers offer online wedding tools, free printable planners, magazine subscriptions, and other benefits.

5 – Mingle and Scan: Macy’s and a couple other companies offer events throughout the year where engaged couples can come for an evening of FREE drinks and refreshments while scanning their registry with other smitten couples.

6 – Mobile Apps: Some stores offer mobile versions of their sites or mobile apps for quick updates, checking on registries.

These were the most important aspects to notice about gift registries that I found. It’s pretty standard to offer the tools/online resources so I didn’t include the links to those. The images are links to the wedding registry home page for each retailer. Happy Scanning! Let me know if you find any others!

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for ALL your favorite retailers, restaurants, and travel sites with your anniversary. You’ll get more freebies and gift certificates then!

Retailer	Benefits	Discounts Post Wedding	Other Special Offers
	Bonus Gifts – register for specific items for additional freebies, list here.	The Completion Certificate gives you two separate opportunities to acquire the remaining gifts on your registry for 10% less (once in-store/online).
	FREE announcement cards Tuesday night registry workshops	10% off remaining items in registry Add desired items registry after wedding Doesn’t expire until 6 months after wedding
	Traveler’s Joy is an online honeymoon registry. Friends and family visit your page and use their credit card to give a gift toward part or all of your trip.
	Sign up and create your own unique registry full of amazing wines.	Email registry@bottlenotes.com after your wedding for 10% off all wine purchases.
	$25 gift card for registering	10% off purchases + 2 events w/ 20% off in the first year (no brand exclusion) 0% financing first year for purchases over $300
	Offer the choice of either: Traditional Registry – gifts are mailed within 2-3 days Consolidated Registry – gifts aren’t mailed until requested, if you no longer desire item, exchange before item is shipped	15% completion discount Registry Rewards program – rewards if purchases from your registry exceed certain amounts
	$25 gift certificate w/ registries values $2500+ Registry Rewards program FREE wedding portrait just for registering Free wedding organizer	10% off remaining items in registry for up to a year!
	Option of selecting pre- and post-event shipping addresses for gifts
	$100 giftcard from reward points program Points from purchases made and gifts received		Search for local events to like this one 1/26/2011 at Macy’s La Cantera FREE refreshments, drinks, and gift
	Free monogramming Bonus gifts program Registry guide Test drive table settings app	10% off remaining items in registry for up to 6 months after wedding date
		10% off items purchased from store (on registry or not…) for 6 months after wedding
	Request announcement cards for invitations Vendor offers if you register for certain items Facebook app
	Additional gifts if guests purchase certain items Free announcement cards by request Refer a friend, $25 a friend Bridal book	Completion discount (amount unmentioned) once online and once in a store – anytime up to three months after your event.
	Free gifts for registering for certain items Announcement cards Bridal shower resources	15% off remaining items on registry for up to 3 months after wedding	Guests receive 15% off entire purchase
			Give gifts as a group of people
		20% off the remaining regular priced items in registry, 60 days after wedding, for 2 months
	Welcome Kit

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Are you excited about the reunion tour of the Backstreet Boys AND New Kids on the Block?! The NKOTBSB Tour, originally scheduled for

Below are SIX fool-proof ways to get pre-sale tickets and other incredible offers for this (OR ANY) concert or sporting event.

1 – Buy VIP

This option is not for everyone since the tickets for this range from $295-$1295! VIP Club tickets (from bronze to platinum memberships/packages) are available for early purchase.

2 – Stalk Live Nation

This tour is being produced by Live Nation – you want tickets? Sign up for everything you can!

1. Email Offers – by becoming a member
2. Download iPhone App – get alerts on exclusive app pre-sales
3. @LiveNation – follow their tweets
4. Become a Fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LiveNation

3 – Stalk Ticketmaster

This tour is being produced by Live Nation – you want tickets? Sign up for everything you can!

1. Email Offers – by becoming a member
2. @ticketmaster – follow their tweets
3. Become a Fan on Facebook:
   http://www.facebook.com/Ticketmaster

4 – Become a Fan

This option is not for everyone since the tickets for this range from $295-$1295! VIP Club tickets (from bronze to platinum memberships/packages) are available for early purchase.

• Backstreet Boys – $39.95, includes access to presale tickets
• New Kids on the Block – $39.95-79.95, includes access to presale tickets

5 – Charge It! American Express

1. Sign up for email alerts
2. Check out perks for Amex cardholders
3. @americanexpress
4. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/americanexpress

6 – Join the Club

One of the best ways to get presale tickets to this or ANY concert is to subscribe to email alerts from the place the venue is showing. They will normally send out special URLs for presale tickets and promo codes. That’s how I was able to get my tickets early! If you don’t sign up in time to get the presale email, follow them on Twitter and Facebook, they’ll probably post the promo codes for their fans too! There are normally additional offers in their tweet stream or on their Facebook page!

	DATE	LOCATION	VENUE – Presale Offers	TICKETS	Twitter		Facebook
	Thu, Jun 2	Uncasville, CT	Mohegan Sun	Buy Tickets	@mohegansun		Facebook
	Fri, Jun 3	Washington, DC	Verizon Center	Buy Tickets	verizoncenterpr		Facebook
	Sat, Jun 4	Boston, MA	TD Garden	Buy Tickets	@tdgarden		Facebook
	Sun, Jun 5	Philadelphia, PA	Wells Fargo Center	Buy Tickets	@WellsFargoCtr		Facebook
	Tue, Jun 7	Montréal, QC	Bell Center	Buy Tickets	@evenko_en		Facebook
	Wed, Jun 8	Toronto, ON	Air Canada Centre	Buy Tickets	@Nassau_Coliseum		Facebook
	Thu, Jun 9	Toronto, ON	Air Canada Centre	Buy Tickets	Twitter		Facebook
	Sat, Jun 11	Long Island, NY	Nassau Memorial Coliseum	Buy Tickets	Twitter		Facebook
	Sun, Jun 12	East Rutherford, NJ	IZOD Center	Buy Tickets	Twitter		Facebook
	Wed, Jun 15	Pittsburgh, PA	CONSOL Energy Center	Buy Tickets	@consolenergyctr		Facebook
	Thu, Jun 16	Auburn Hills, MI	The Palace of Auburn Hills	Buy Tickets	@DTEEnergyMusic		Facebook
	Fri, Jun 17	Chicago, IL	United Center	Buy Tickets	@unitedcenter		Facebook
	Sat, Jun 18	Chicago, IL	United Center	Buy Tickets	@unitedcenter		Facebook
	Tue, Jun 21	Nashville, TN	Bridgestone Arena	Buy Tickets	@brdgstonearena		Facebook
	Wed, Jun 22	Atlanta, GA	Philips Arena	Buy Tickets	@PhilipsArena		Facebook
	Fri, Jun 24	Lafayette, LA	Cajundome	Buy Tickets	@cajundome		Facebook
	Sat, Jun 25	Houston, TX	Toyota Center	Buy Tickets	@houToyotaCenter		Facebook
	Sun, Jun 26	Dallas, TX	American Airlines Center	Buy Tickets	@insideaacenter		Facebook
	Tue, Jun 28	San Antonio, TX	AT&T Center		Twitter		Facebook
	Thu, Jun 30	Phoenix, AZ	US Airways Center	Buy Tickets	@usairwayscenter		Facebook
	Fri, Jul 1	Los Angeles, CA	Staples Center	Buy Tickets	@STAPLESCenterLA		Facebook
	Sat, Jul 2	San Jose, CA	HP Pavilion	Buy Tickets	@hppavilionsj		Facebook
	Sun, Jul 3	Las Vegas, NV	Mandalay Bay Events Center	Buy Tickets	@mandalaybay_LV		Facebook
	Wed, Jul 6	Anaheim, CA	Honda Center	Buy Tickets	@hondacenter		Facebook
	Fri, Jul 8	Tacoma, WA	Tacoma Dome	Buy Tickets	@TacomaDome		Facebook
	Sat, Jul 9	Vancouver, BC	Rogers Arena	Buy Tickets	Twitter		Facebook
	Sun, Jul 10	Vancouver, BC	Rogers Arena		Twitter		Facebook
	Tue, Jul 12	Edmonton, AB	Rexall Place		Twitter		Facebook
	Wed, Jul 13	Calgary, AB	Calgary Stampede		@calgarystampede		Facebook
	Fri, Jul 15	Minneapolis, MN	Target Center	Buy Tickets	@TargetCenterMN		Facebook
	Sat, Jul 16	Kansas City, MO	Sprint Center	Buy Tickets	@sprintcenter		Facebook
	Sun, Jul 17	Tulsa, OK	BOK Center	Buy Tickets	@BOKCenter		Facebook
	Tue, Jul 19	St. Louis, MO	Scottrade Center	Buy Tickets	@ScottradeCenter		Facebook
	Wed, Jul 20	Louisville, KY	KFC YUM! Center	Buy Tickets	@kfc_yumcenter		Facebook
	Fri, Jul 22	Orlando, FL	Amway Arena	Buy Tickets	@amway_center		Facebook
	Sat, Jul 23	Greensboro, NC	Greensboro Coliseum	Buy Tickets	@amway_center		Facebook
	Sun, Jul 24	Columbus, OH	Schottenstein Center	Buy Tickets	n/a		Facebook
	Tue, Jul 26	Indianapolis, IN	Conseco Fieldhouse	Buy Tickets	@cfh_events		Facebook
	Wed, Jul 27	Cleveland, OH	Quicken Loans Arena	Buy Tickets	@TheQGirls		Facebook
	Fri, Jul 29	Atlantic City, NJ	Boardwalk Hall	Buy Tickets	Twitter		Facebook
	Sat, Jul 30	Hershey Park, PA	Hershey Park Stadium		Twitter		Facebook

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Last year I wrote a Day After Christmas Sales post on my blog and got over 1500 visitors that day after Christmas. Here are the deals, sales, and coupons I found for 2011 to start the post-Christmas, ready to save money season off right. As I find more deals I’ll add them to this post, check back frequently!

*Post-Christmas is one of the BEST times to buy large electronics and appliances…just saying…

Added 12/26/2011:

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The holidays are sweeping the Hill Country by storm.  First stop on Santa’s sleigh?  The Westin La Cantera!

Legendary Holidays

December 13 through December 24: Join Bandera-native and storyteller and singer “Makin’ Dust”.  When:  Nightly, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Where:  Gather in Tio’s Lobby Lounge, outdoor walking tour.

Celebrando Navidad

The Esparza library converts into a folkloric-themed gathering spot for holiday story book readings.

When:  Monday – Friday at 3:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm

Enjoy light refreshments like Mexican Hot Chocolate and Churros!

Frost

November 18 through January 8, enjoy outdoors ice skating from 11am through 8pm.

“Is it real ice? No. The skating surface is constructed of a unique, environmentally sound, Hybrid-ice®. It is made of a non-toxic mixture of recyclable plastics and polymers.”

You can bring your own ice skates or borrow a pair while you enjoy the magic of Christmas.  The cost is $10 for 45 minutes!

Look for my blog post about Frost’s Tasting Menu!

Family Activities

Trip to the “North Pole” –  Westin Kids Club converts to the North Pole from 11/18/10 to 1/8/11, where kids can create seasonal arts and crafts. Daily from 10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Santa’s Workshop (in the San Augustin room 12/13 to 12/24) to make a personal keepsake holiday toy with the elves.

Visit Santa (San Lorenzo room 12/13 to 12/24 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm).

Decorate cookies (San Jacinto room 12/13 to 12/24).

Nutcracker

A holiday comedy performed by The Magik Theatre. 7:30 pm on November 20, 27 and December 4, 11 and 18. Cost is $5.00 for adults; children under 5 are free. Cash or room charge only.

Toys for Tots

The Westin La Cantera Resort is proud to be a drop off location for Toys for Tots again this year.

Bring a new and unwrapped gift to The Westin La Cantera Resort for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to collect and distribute as Christmas gifts to needy children in our community.

Westin La Cantera Social Networks:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/westinlacantera

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/westinlacantera

No related posts.

Back by popular demand (from this article last year), here’s all the gift card purchases you can buy for loved ones (or yourself!!) that are accompanied with extra incentives to buy.  Gift cards can still be an incredibly thoughtful gift without taking up too much space or time.  Since you’re going to be getting the gift cards anyways (or if you want to save additional money when you make purchases for yourself…) check out these great seasonal offers that will not only bring a smile a friend to the person receiving the gift, but also the one giving (FREE stuff for you!!):

*For those gift cards that I missed, here’s a link to 54 more gift cards w/ a comparative checklist.

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Although I’m one of the physically in-active people that I know (and I know a lot of inanimate nerds…), I thought it would be helpful to post information about the 3^rd annual Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon and half marathon and of course, I found a deal!

10.10.10 Promotion – save $20 on ANY* race in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series!

*In honor of 10/10/10, register on October 10, 2010 from 10 am PST – 10 pm PST with online code SAVEON10!

WebSite: http://san-antonio.competitor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RnRSanAntonio

Twitter: http://twitter.com/RunRocknRoll

Event Date: November 14, 2010

Start Line Village: Lion’s Field at Broadway Street and Mullberry

Start Location: Broadway Street and Millrace Ave.

Finish Location: Cherry Street – behind the Alamodome- Parking Lot C

Register Online by Nov. 11, 2010 and confirm registration here.

Interesting Bits:

• Check out all the bands along the courses! Here… for the complete list.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure: 86-cents of each dollar raised toward funding valuable research and community outreach programs.

Now Kids Can Rock, too!

Register kids for the 2nd Annual ING KiDS ROCK San Antonio presented by YMCA, a non-timed, non-competitive fun run for children in grades K – 5!

• Date: Saturday, November 13, 2010
  
• Location: Brackenridge Park/San Antonio Zoo- Course Map
  

Participants Receive:

• Official race number
  
• T-shirt
  
• Race goodie bag
  
• Colorful finisher’s medal post-race refreshments
  
• FREE admission to the San Antonio Zoo after the race
  

Kid’s Registration Deadlines:

• Online – Nov. 7, 2010
• One day in-person – Registration WILL be available at the Health & Fitness Expo on Friday, November 12

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