Want to do the American Girl store experience with your kids and not have to empty their college fund? With some planning you can. Here are some of the best tips and ways to save at the American Girl Store from Southern Savers readers.
Plan It Out
You want to get the most bang for your buck. Before you make the trip set an amount you want to spend. You can then look up prices online for clothes, dolls, etc. to get an idea of how much things are. Depending on the ages of your children, you can decide how to spend the allotted money or let them decide.
Look for Sales
American Girl does put things on sale so check those clearance racks. Younger kids especially will not know the difference and will be just as happy. You can also check the American Girl website and order things ahead of time. Your kids can go into the store with dolls dressed in new outfits so you can focus on the salon, restaurant, etc. if you prefer spend money on those things.
The Great Restaurant Debate
Whether or not you want to eat at the restaurant is all about personal preference. Many readers reported that the food is mediocre at best but that they still had a lot of fun. If you are looking for a way to save, this may be one of the best parts to cut. You can see a sample menu here to get an idea of foods that are available (they leave off the prices though).
If you do want to eat at the restaurant, go for lunch or tea for a cheaper option. You can make a reservation online.
Purchase Discount Gift Cards
Costco sells $100 American Girl gift cards for $79.99. You can purchase them ahead of time to save on anything in the store. This also gives your child a preset amount to spend. $80 may seem like a lot, but you’ll be amazed at how quickly it gets spent. At least for you you’ve already saved 20%!
This week at CVS you can get deals on All Detergent, bath tissue, Gillette razors and more! Plus, take a look at all of the extra CVS store coupons they are giving out this week. It always helps me to know what is coming at the Coupon Center.
Always stop at the CVS coupon center first before shopping and don’t forget that you can scan your card twice to get even more coupons! To get even more coupons from CVS, make sure you are signed up for their emails and for the CVS Beauty Club.
Here are some coupons people are reporting this week (you won’t get everything listed, but you’ll get some of them).
Expires In One Week
$3 off Gillette razors, blades, excl. disposable
$2/2 Colgate toothpaste or any other toothpaste
$2 off Bounty or Charmin purchase, $9.99+
B2G1 any gum
$2 off Vitamin purchase, incl. CVS brand
$4 off Proglide, 8 ct. or Fusion Power, 8 ct. razor cartridge
$3 off CoverGirl, Maybelline, Revlon, L’Oreal or any cosmetics purchase, $15+
$1.50 off Facial moisturizers, cleansers or acne care purchase, $5+
$1.50 off Body wash or bar soap purchase, $4+
Expires In Two Weeks
$2 off Advil, Aleve, Bayer, Excedrin, or any pain medication purchase, $8+
$3 off Shampoo, conditioner, hair styling or hair spray purchase, $15+
$3 off Almay cosmetics purchase, $9+
$4 off Razors, blades or shave creams & gel purchase, $10+
$1.50 off Mascara, nail polish, lipstick, foundation or blush purchase, $4+
$4 off Diapers, training pants or wipes, incl. CVS brand, purchase, $20+
Read More→
Remember all those folks who insisted you need to eat breakfast before a test, or even better all the Total cereal commercials of the 1980’s? I have been realizing lately just how right they all were. My day can be made or broken just based on how breakfast went. Skipping breakfast isn’t a problem I’ve ever had, but not eating the entire package of cinnamon rolls… that’s a real problem.
Breakfast is actually a stressful time, trying to get kids set and get the day started without running late. For the past few months I’ve been trying to find easy quick and healthy breakfasts that are grab and go. I also have the goal of being under 250 calories total for the meal to leave some extra calories for a mid morning snack (it keeps me a lot more full and happy this way). The best advice I can give you on getting your small breakfast to hold you is to go protein! Cereal isn’t going to cut it.
For folks that don’t have time to prep ahead of time, these have been my favorites lately.
VitaTop Muffin Tops are all 100-125 calories and are packed with protein. They are sold in the frozen section and are individually wrapped. Grab one, stick it in the microwave and you have breakfast in 15 second.
Special K Flatbread Sandwiches range from 170-220 calories each. They are also sold frozen and individually wrapped. Microwave for 1 minute and breakfast is ready. I’ve been very pleased with how filling they are, so don’t let the size fool you. I’ve tried the spinach and egg and bacon, egg and cheese types so far.
Nature Valley Protein Bars are my go-to when I need to really eat on the go. They are 190 calories and have 10 grams of protein. Yesterday I flew out to a conference in San Diego and this was my go-to in the airport. There are a number of protein bars out there, but Nature Valley (or Fiber One) makes the cut because of price. You’ll notice the same amount of protein, fiber etc. in these bars as the Special K and other brands, but these are almost half the price! You can also find coupons and sales regularly.
With 20+ chickens that live in my yard I can’t just eat store bought breakfast. So I’ve been making breakfast egg muffins that you can keep in the freezer and heat up quickly. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow for you. They are about 150 calories depending on what you add in, and take about 25-45 second to heat up.
If you are looking to make some changes, I encourage you to start at the beginning of the day and revamp breakfast. After you do great for the first meal of the day calorie and food choices wise, you really are motivated to keep the day going in the right direction.
This weeks progress:
Starting Weight (6 weeks ago): 202
Last Week: 186.5
Current Weight: 185.6
Goal Weight: 170
I’m down almost a pound since last week. It’s not huge progress, but anything counts! This week help two birthday parties with cake and a Smashburger milkshake. I should have said no, but I really am a person that food makes life more fun. If I can’t lose and eat things I want every now and then, the weight will just all come back later.
Here are the top Publix deals that you can grab 4/20-4/26 or 4/21-4/27. There are great deals on Charmin, Bounty, and more!
You can see the full list of Publix coupon deals here.
Top Publix Deals
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats, 8-ct. 6.2 oz box, B1G1 at $2.99 ($1.49)
-$1/2 Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats or fruit snacks printable
(makes it 99¢ ea.)- Yoplait Go-Gurt Portable Yogurt, 8 pk. 2.25 oz, at $2.59 ($1.29)
-.40/1 Yoplait Go-Gurt, Kids Cup or Trix yogurt printable
(makes it 89¢) (if doubles – makes it 49¢) Read More→
Have you considered getting an Amazon Prime membership? If the year long commitment is a concern, you can now pay monthly for a subscription!
Pay $8.99 for a monthly Prime video membership or $10.99 a month to have the other Prime benefits including FREE 2-day shipping and more!
This does give you flexibility, but it will cost you more than if you get the annual Prime membership for $99.
The monthly plan could be a good option for the holiday season if you think you might just need the shipping benefits then. If you will use Amazon Prime less than 9 months per year, it is cheaper to do the monthly subscription.
Go ahead and check out Prime with a 30-day FREE trial.
See more Amazon deals.
Need some new shirts? Right now there are some great Target Cartwheel coupons available good for 50% off Mossimo women’s tanks and tees!
Target Coupons:
-50% off Mossimo Supply Co. Women’s Boyfriend Loose Tank, Target Cartwheel printable
-50% off Mossimo Supply Co. Women’s Boyfriend V-Neck Tees, Target Cartwheel printable
-50% off Mossimo Supply Co. Women’s Long & Lean Tank, Target Cartwheel printable
If you’d like to shop online, you can use code MSC50 to get 50% off. Plus, select tanks and tees are 3 for $24, making each shirt cost $4 after the code!
The online code is valid through 4/21. Shipping is FREE with orders of $25 or more.
Read More→
There are some new Wet N Wild coupons to print to save on makeup!
You can use these coupons at the drugstores to get cheap nail color, lipstick and more.
Wet n’ Wild Coupons
-.50/1 Wet n Wild product printable
-$1 off Wet n Wild 1-Step Wondergel nail color printable
-$1 off Wet n Wild Max mascara printable
Walgreens Deal Ideas:
- Buy:
(2) Wet ‘N Wild Shine Nail Color or Angled Liner Brush 99¢ ea. at B1G150% off
Use:
-.50/1 Wet n Wild product printable
makes it 24¢ ea.
Rite Aid Deal:
- Buy:
Wet n Wild ColorIcon Kohl Eyeliner, Nail Color, Eye Shadow Single or Lipstick 59¢ (thru 4/23)
Use:
-.50/1 Wet n Wild product printable
makes it 9¢
Check out these deals too:
As Sport’s Authority is struggling through bankruptcy court proceedings and beginning to liquidate assests, Dick’s Sporting Goods is reaching out to their customers with a pretty sweet offer.
For a limited time, Dick’s Sporting Goods is giving a free $20 Reward when you bring in your Sport’s Authority ‘League‘ card and becoming a Dick’s Scorecard Member.
The membership programs at Dick’s and Sport’s Authority are free to join, so you should jump on this if you don’t already have a Dick’s Sporting Goods rewards card.
Note: Many are finding that you don’t qualify if you already have a Dick’s Scorecard account.
Look at this fun deal for all Dunkin Donuts fans. When you join DD Perks and use the promo code STARS when you first sign up, you automatically get 125 points towards a FREE beverage. The best part is you can pick any size beverage for this deal.
The DD Perks program gives you a FREE beverage on your birthday and every time you earn 200 points. You can earn an additional 125 points during your second and third visits whenever you make a purchase using your enrolled Dunkin’ Donuts Card. That is almost another free beverage!
See more freebies.
