With Christmas around the corner, there’s plenty to do and plenty to buy. So, after you hit up Christmas Village (or before 😉 head over to Prince of Peace Catholic Church on November 9. They’re hosting their annual “Christmas in November Craft & Gift Sale.” You’ll find all sorts of stuff just waiting on your wallet! Featured items include Christmas decorations, handmade clothes, monogramming, jewelry… Way too much and all of it good!

Where: Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Hoover
When: November 9, 9:30 am – 3 pm
For more information, call 205-477-4596
Entrance to the event is free.

It’s that time of year again, Christmas Village is here. This is a great way to cross some names off that list and not be stuck picking something up last minute.

Christmas Village is the largest indoor arts, crafts and gift show in our area. Exhibitors come from more than 35 states and Canada to set up booths offering you food, collectibles, gifts clothing and so much more. It’s a one stop shop for everyone on your list.

What you need to know:

When:
November 6th – 9th – 10am – 8pm
Sunday – Noon – 5pm

Where:
BJCC

Pricing:
$10.00 Adults
$4.00 Children (6-12)
Children under 6 are free.

If you don’t already have a UPromise account started, get one now! If you’re planning to buy anything at all, it can most likely be credited to your UPromise account. For example, if you plan to buy something from Target or Walmart online, you open the target link through Upromise and 3-5% of your purchase will be placed in your UP account. Simple!

An even easier way to go is to use your grocery card to rack up on the things you already buy. It may be a few pennies here and there, but it adds up. I started mine 2 years ago, and we have close to $1000 saved up in it! Granted, that is with the Upromise credit card. But some of my consistent purchases (Coke, Eggland’s Best Eggs, etc) are part of the plan and I usually make around $1 per $35 purchase.

There are even restaurants in Birmingham that participate: La Paz and Mudtown Cafe being a few. When we eat there and use our Upromise credit card, we get 3-8% cashback. Here’s a list of participating restaurants.

Renting cars, buying plane tickets… another way to save. My husband travels for work and we make his arrangements online after linking through Upromise. This combined with holiday travel plans has made us quite a few dollars!

It’s a great program, everyone should check it out. You can choose to let your savings go into an already established college account or just use the UP one. You can even link Grandparents’ and friends’ grocery cards to your account. There is college money out there, don’t let it pass you by!

We’ve talked before about Aldi & Publix – two of our favorite places to shop in Birmingham. Now, we’re going a little bit more in-depth into the grocery game and we’re taking you along for the ride. As we’re just learning the ropes ourselves, you can watch as we succeed and fumble.

So, what have we learned so far? Spend a little bit of time making a plan. I primarily shop at Publix so I spend most of my time mapping out a game plan just for them. I also shop at Aldi, CVS and Costco on occassion so I work in mini-stops there when I’m in those areas of town.

Anyway, back to Publix. First things first – research. Grab the weekly circular from your paper or view online at Publix.com. Publix sales run Thursday through Wednesday so keep that in mind as you do your shopping. So, now you’ve perused the sale items and are aware of what is on sale and what is on “Buy One / Get One.” Next, go through your manufacturer coupons and figure out what you have. A great place to go from here is www.couponmom.com. Under “grocery deals by state” she lists all of the sale items – along with how much percent off the sale is as well as any relevant coupons that are out there. Another great resources is Fiddledeedee. She also lists the sale items each week with coupon matchups. And if you are really wanting to check things out, head on over to www.afullcup.com – these people know what they’re doing and are always willing to help guide you in the right direction. Plus, they have an amazing database of internet coupons.

Now for the most important step of all (which you already know!) – make your weekly menu and make your grocery list. Don’t forget to include items that you like to indulge in – that way you won’t be tempted by too many impulse buys once you arrive. Now, go shopping and see if your bill is a tad lower – we’re betting it will be.

*don’t forget to check with your Publix about their store specific coupon policy – do they take internet printable coupons? Do they take free item internet printed coupons? Do they take competitor coupons? This is all information you need to know 🙂