I am pretty excited about Christmas this year.  I have a new house to deck out and my parents will be visiting from out of state.  So…obnoxious though it may be, I plan to start decorating…or at least planning my decor…immediately.  Overstock.com is a great place to watch for Christmas decorations.  I’ve bought several packs of Handcrafted Recycled Glass Icicle Ornaments both for myself and as gifts.  These gorgeous glass icicles come in 20-packs with varied sizes.  Each icicle is different and the different sizes in each pack really add to the realism.  These are fantastic when placed near Christmas lights or other light sources. The price?  They are on sale at Overstock for $25.99 (45% off $47.50).  They are loved by shoppers other than myself and have a 4.7 star rating after 200 reviews.

While you are at Overstock, check out their deal of the day, celebrating day 6 of their 10-year anniversary celebration.  Today’s deal is the Dyson DC14 Animal Upright Vacuum (Refurbished) for $259.99.  This retails at $399 when new, and has a killer rating of 4.8 stars after 236 reviews.

Cheers!

Jill

I am two full episodes behind on “24″ and it has me understandably upset.  I decided to cheer myself up by checking out Boscov’s DoorBusters for the Home.  There are also some great surprises in the mix, and today is no exception.  IN FACT, today is the last day of a free shipping promotion that they are offering on purchases of $50 or more. This free shipping applies to regular old UPS shipping weight items and excludes the really heavy stuff.  Jill decoder ring says: don’t buy a TV, couch, or life-sized bronze depiction of Elvis and expect it to ship free.

While somewhere in the Mayan Riviera Santa Claus is lounging under a nice palm tree drinking a pina colada (extra pineapple), I am getting a real mood lift out of some of the off-season deals at Boscov’s.  How about a 12-piece Red Snowflake Dinner Set for $5.99!!?  It includes dinner plates, salad plates and mugs for 4.  The picture shows bowls, also, but they are notably absent from the product description, so just consider them a nice surprise if they are included.  What a great, super-inexpensive set!  If your 3-year old decides to play frisbee with his plate next December, you can all have a good laugh instead of threatening him with a decade-long time-out in the corner.  This is how Santa would want it.

In 7+ years of marriage, I have said at least 10 times that we need to remember to buy an electric carving knife.  I never remember.  Ever.   Holiday time comes again and again, and maybe today will be the day that I break the cycle and take advantage of the $9.99 Toastmaster Electric Knife. It retails at $20 and is looking great at $9.99.

Off-season deals are making me downright perky.

Cheers!

Jill

In a surprise move to even myself, today I am featuring this Johnson Bros. “Friendly Village” 5-Piece Place Setting at Macy’s.  I am not usually drawn to antiques or things which look old-fashioned, but something about this set just feels really special to me.  Obviously the price is special at just $9.99 for a 5-place setting.  That’s 80% off the usual $50 price.  Granted, I’d probably buy now at the rock bottom price and then store these away until late fall, but I think that these dishes have real charm and would make a meal feel quaint and memorable.  The wonderful scenes remind me of Currier & Ives idyllic settings.  Red barns flanked by an evergreen forest and wrapped in a fresh blanket of snow for good measure - I was instantly drawn in.  Each set includes a dinner plate, bread & butter plate, soup/cereal bowl, teacup and saucer.  The ratings are also great with a perfect 5 star score after 5 happy reviews.  And yes, your dishwasher is invited to the party.  This set is dishwasher safe.

Don’t quote me on this, but I think that this deal only lasts through the end of the day.

Cheers!

Jill

Maybe you want to spoil someome a little for the holidays.  Bloomingdale’s is a perfect place to find luxurious gifts, and thanks to their biggest sale of the season, some very luxury items have completely affordable price tags.  My favorite feature of this sale is Bloomingdale’s ‘Take Extra 60 Percent Off’ list.  Don’t be afraid of the prices you see because an extra 60% is deducted during checkout from all items on this list…even on items already marked with a sale price.

To me, a consummate gift of luxury for an under $20 price is a pair of Women’s Mink Trimmed Leather Gloves with Cashmere Lining.  They retail at $44 but are on sale for just $18.  The discount won’t be shown until you add the item to your shopping bag.  Now let’s review this deal again:  Leather. Mink. Cashmere. $18.

Sold!

Jill

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that you and all of your families and friends are enjoying your time together and enjoying the amazing smells and food of the day.  Today marks the divide between early Christmas shopping and adrenaline-fueled, all-out holiday bargain hunting.  Yesterday we were girls.  Today we are family-loving, unstoppable deal-grabbing machines.

A perfect gift for your mother, grandmother, or any woman who loves to entertain for the holidays is the Pfaltzgraff Winterberry 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4.  It’s a $120 retail value, but Amazon is selling these like crazy today at a Santa-pleasing price of just $39.99.  Shipping is free, and ratings are pretty good with 4 stars after 41 reviews.  I love great looking holiday tableware, and my practical side requires that dinnerware be microwaveable and dishwasher safe, and this set comes through with flying colors.

Cheers!

Jill

By the way, I want to apologize for the sad job I’ve done of updating the daily commentary lately.  I’ve been doing some web consulting and had a big deadline to hit.  I will try hard to step up my game now!

I don’t know about you, but my Christmas tree is going up in 2 weeks.  I am already very excited for the holidays.  My hubby and I are heading to my parents’ house in Tucson for Thanksgiving and I want our house to be decked out for Christmas before we leave.  Our artificial tree was one of the first purchases we made together 7 years ago, and for the last two Christmas seasons, we’ve vowed to replace it.  This year WILL be the year.  One tree that really surprised me at just $100 is a Mover and Shaker at Amazon today, the 6.5′ Pre-Lit Multi-Color Lights and Fiber Optic Noble Fir Artificial Christmas Tree.  Just $7 shipping, and it actually ships from Christmas Central.  It retails at $340, and I would usually expect to see this quality of tree on sale for about twice the $100 price.

I have 8′ ceilings, so this 6.5′ size is perfect for us.  After already owning a pre-lit tree, I don’t think I can ever turn back again to the standard, unlit version, and this tree delivers in spades with both pre-strung multi-colored lights AND fiber optics!  The tree stand actually has 2 different multi-colored discs that can add color to the fiber optics adorning the branches.  Slick.  Also, the tips of the branches are lightly frosted, so even a Texan like myself can imagine a white Christmas.

This tree has been kind to reviewers and reviewers have returned the favor, scoring it 4.5 stars after 18 reviews.  The general consensus is that it takes 30 minutes to get this tree up and ready for full-on decorating.  That’s not bad AT ALL.  Our poor little tree takes about an hour…most fluffing branches that no longer have a will to live.  30 mins?  Count me it.

Also, as part of Kohl’s 2-Day Sale, check out THEIR Christmas tree sales, too. The 7-ft. Green Douglas Fir Pre-Lit Christmas Tree is on sale for $99.99…half off the $200 retail.  It comes pre-strung with white lights.

And while at Kohl’s, take a look at the 6 Different Styles of $200 Ladies Coats on Sale for $85.  The Kohl’s sale ends Saturday but it looks like the coat sale is Friday-only.

Yay Christmas!!

-Jill