New TV!

We have been looking for quite a while to upgrade our old tube-style TV. We had been kind of waiting until the day that one died, but it was seeming like that would never happen. We finally just bit the bullet and went and purchased a new LCD TV. The quality of anything on it is SO much better and it looks so much more modern and sleek. Of course, this meant that we needed to get a new TV stand because it would not fit in the other one. We found one that matched our other furniture and had enough spots for the components, but it has no drawers or hidden storage. There is one shelf that is completely empty, so there is room for us to put stuff on there, but now we just need to find some kind of wicker baskets to put on there.

I have gone to all of the stores in town that I thought I could find some at (Shopko, Target, Walmart and Kmart), but I didn't find anything that I completely loved. I searched online, but it's hard to shop for such a thing online when you can only see a picture of the item. We may just have to wait a while until we get out of town to check at Hobby Lobby. We do have a trip to Sioux Falls planned in the next couple of weeks, so I'm hoping we'll find something there. For now, the plastic storage totes will have to work!

Rewards programs

I am a fan of rewards programs that stores offer to their customers for free. I am a member of several of them including Shopko, Kmart/Sears, Hallmark Gold Crown and Best Buy. Each program is a little bit different, but great in their own ways. Recently at Kmart when I was checking out, the cashier told me that I won a prize! It was a 20 oz Coke - not a huge prize, but it's still cool winning something! Also, with the Kmart/Sears rewards for every dollar you spend you earn points and those points turn into dollars that you can redeem on a future purchase at the store. They also have bonus points every once in a while on certain items, so those points can rack up fast!

I also love Best Buy's reward program. We have bought some high ticket items at the store, such as laptops, SLR camera and a video camera. Their program works a lot like Kmart's, you earn points for every dollar you spend and those points turn into certificates to redeem on a future purchase.

The drawback to some of these programs is that it results in junk mail and e-mails. Some of them though include coupons and extra savings, so it can be worth it. So next time you're at a store and the cashier asks you if you want to sign up for a rewards program, I highly recommend it (as long as it's not a credit card or anything you need to pay for)!

Valentines

Recently while in the Dollar Tree, I started looking at the Valentine's Day cards. I couldn't find any that had a good message inside. I guess that may be why they are 2 for $1! For some occasions, it is just necessary to make a trip to Hallmark. I went to Hallmark today. I stood in the Valentine's Day card aisle for a very long time. I think I read almost every single card in the aisle until I found the ones I liked. When picking out one for Ted, I knew I found the right one when it brought tears to my eyes as I read it. It seemed as the message was meant specifically for us. I bought several Valentines for other family members also, which is probably why it took me so long in that aisle! As a bonus, I had a coupon that I received in the mail for buy 2, get 1 free!