Steals at the Dollar Tree
One of my favorite places to shop these days is the Dollar Tree. I’m very selective about what I buy and only buy things that I know are a great deal and that we can use. I went there today and was delighted to find some great deals on some unexpected items. Also, on a side note, all of their Christmas stuff is 50% off. I was able to get some super cheap Christmas things.
In addition to the Christmas items, here’s a list of some surprising things that I saw and bought (in some cases) at the Dollar Tree:
- Chicken broth (32 oz.) — I bought 3 of these. Normally these run $2-3. You can use them for everything. Definitely a pantry must have.
- Minced garlic (9 oz.) — I bought 1 of these. This would run $2-4 in the grocery store. You can always use garlic!!
- Wine glasses — I didn’t buy any of these but I was shocked to see high quality wine glasses at the Dollar Tree. Granted, you can get them for $2 at Pier 1 but that is still a $1 savings.
- Roasted red peppers (19 oz.) — I bought 3 of these. This is a steal! Normally, smaller jars run for $3-4 each. These are large jars and they were only $1!!
- Soy milk (32 oz.) — I bought 1 of these. I’m not a big fan of soy milk but I drink it occasionally anyway. These tend to run $1.50-3 in grocery stores.
Those are the deals that I was most excited about today. All for $1! Yay! Have you found any consistently great bargains at some of your favorite stores?
– Stephanie
Frontline Plus Savings
As the owner of 5 pets, we are always trying to save money while providing the best care for our pets. One product that we use monthly for the dogs is Frontline Plus. Frontline Plus protects against harmful parasites such as fleas and ticks. It isn’t the cheapest product but it truly is the best. We don’t normally use it for the cats because they never go outside.
Frontline Plus tends to be pretty expensive. I have been buying it online for a couple of years now through Pet Shed. I wanted to share the website with you all because the prices are way better than any that I have seen in various vet offices. I have never had any product quality or customer service issues with the company.
Check out the links below for more information.
– Stephanie
Cute Video
I captured this moment while spending Christmas at Ben’s parent’s house. Jazia didn’t realize that I was recording her. I thought it was really cute. The kitten is very very patient. The quality of the video isn’t the best but I hope you enjoy it anyway!
– Stephanie
What a Christmas!
We are happy to report that we arrived safely in Atlanta tonight after our whirlwind tour of SC and NC. Our trip began on Christmas Eve. We drove to Ben’s parent’s house and arrived pretty early in the day. We spent the first part of the day with Jazia (niece), Darius (nephew), and Marsha (Ben’s sister). We helped the kids make a gingerbread tree centerpiece for the dining room table. That evening, we had a wonderful dinner with Ben’s family and waited for the kids to fall asleep so we could play Santa. We collapsed around midnight.
Bright and early the next morning (Christmas), Darius woke up energized and ready to see what Santa delivered. Jazia, on the other hand, took some coaxing. She’s only 3 so it appears that sleep and grumpiness outweigh Santa for the time being. After the kids were fully wound up, they opened lots and lots of gifts. The adults opened gifts next. We were delighted to receive several practical gifts including a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, a blanket, sheets, gas gauge for our grill, and landscaping books. We also received some really fun gifts like Godiva chocolates and Settlers of Catan. We absolutely love everything and are very grateful for the extremely thoughtful and useful gifts. Later that afternoon, we enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner with Ben’s family.
Early Christmas evening, we headed to spend the night with our friends Blair and Jamie. We chatted with them for a while then went to bed. On the 26th, we spent a few hours with my mom in the morning and then headed to High Point, NC for our annual Close Friends in Smiles but Not in Miles Christmas Bash. This is the 6th year that my 5 closest friends (and their significant others) have gotten together on the 26th. We always have a great time and never want to part ways. Time flies way too fast! We also exchange gifts every year. Every year we choose a theme for the following Christmas get together. Last year we decided that everyone would have the theme of art combined with a mystery theme that we picked from a cup. For example, my theme this year was tacky art. The theme of “tacky” was the mystery theme. Ben and I decided to make art using Post-It notes (tacky = sticky = Post-It notes; get it?). All of our friends did an amazing job incorporating their themes. We received some really awesome gifts including a personalized wedding ornament and note pads (thanks Heather!), a chili pepper sun catcher for our kitchen (thanks Blair!), a personalized photo mug (thanks Kristen!), coasters (thanks Kristen and Hannah!), and a framed Ireland photo (thanks Donna!). After the get together, we headed back to Blair and Jamie’s house for the evening and talked until bedtime.
On the 27th, we headed to my mom’s house. We spent the morning talking and laughing with her. My brother, Robert, and sister-in-law, Angela, came over that afternoon. We ate sushi for lunch and went shopping for a bit. We then went bowling and played some arcade games. That evening, we headed to Blair and Jamie’s house again. Today, we ate breakfast with Blair and Jamie and drove back to Atlanta.
We had an amazing time these past few days and are sad that our trip is over. 😦 Thanks to our friends and families for an amazing time and delightful company. To those of our friends and family that we didn’t get to see this holiday season, we miss you tons!!
We hope you enjoy the photos below! We will probably post some more over the next few days.
– Stephanie
Uncle Ben decorating the gingerbread tree with Darius and Jazia.
Darius wrapped his old toys as gifts to us. Very cute. Check out the wrapping job. 🙂
Uncle Ben and Darius.
Table centerpiece made by Darius and Jazia.
(Soon-to-be) Aunt Stephanie hanging out with Darius and Jazia.
The view out the front door on Christmas morning. Gorgeous!
Darius super excited on Christmas morning.
Jazia super sleepy on Christmas morning.
More sleepy Jazia on Christmas morning.
Darius couldn't wait to open gifts!
Marsha helping Jazia try on her new butterfly wings.
Jazia surrounded by toys.
Ben's parents (Betty and Richard) opening their gifts.
Ben and his dad hugging in the kitchen. 🙂
Pretty Jazia posing for the camera.
Stephanie's mom hanging out outside.
Stephanie's brother (Robert) and sister-in-law (Angela).
Merry Christmas!
We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. We are in NC and SC visiting friends and family this holiday season.
We feel blessed to have all of you in our lives! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
– Stephanie and Ben
Life is Beautiful 