This is just a reminder that a few minutes of shopping preparation can save you a lot of money!  This is actually a good rule in many circumstances, but specifically, I’m talking about preparing for Christmas shopping, or a shopping-for-fun trip.  The women in my family have a girls-only shopping trip planned for tomorrow, so tonight, I am doing quick Google searches for printable coupons and special promotions.  So far I’ve found a $10/$25 for Macy’s (good until 1pm) and a 20% off at Gap.  I’ll be honest with you and say that neither of these are probably going to do me any good this trip–we won’t make it to Macy’s before the coupon expires at 1pm, and the Gap is just not my thing.  But we’ll have two teenagers with us–shh, don’t alert the Board of Education–and plenty of people doing Christmas shopping, so I printed a couple of them anyway.  Just think about the places you’re going, and type “StoreName coupon” or “StoreName printable coupon” and see what you find.  You never know.  Recently, I ended up with $10/$10 coupons at two different stores by doing this.

(This same method should be used every time you shop online, too! Google for a discount code before you place your order.  It can’t hurt and might just save you some cash!)