Despite bitching earlier this week about JCPenney, we did end up there tonight. They were having a big buy 1, get one for $1 sale on kid’s clothing, so the boy ended up with new jeans, and my oldest got new jeans and new shirts. I got a few new shirts, too! Long sleeved, of course, so that I’ll have something to wear on our vacation in a few months.

When we went to checkout, the cashier scanned a $20 off coupon, so we saved even more cash. I wish I had more time to shop, but the kids were hungry and antsy…

When you’ve got a great idea for a business, often, the biggest hurdle is getting the money you need to bring your dream to fruition. A business line of credit is what you need to get started, but banks are a bit leery about lending to people based on “great ideas”. EZUnsecured.com offers business owners the chance to get an unsecured line of credit for their business, or a business loan, quickly, and without a long approval process. The business line of credit comes with a low 8.25% APR, and business owners can receive up to $350,000 for a no doc line of credit. You can be approved in 1 to 3 days, and have your funds in 1 to 3 weeks!

When I was a kid, I had Shrinky Dinks. I had a Smurf package, and I remember coloring them with the little colored pencils included in the kit, and placing them into the oven to watch them shrink up. We had a few casualties. Papa Smurf in particular, started curling at the edges when I popped him in the oven, and he wasn’t ever the same. Once you baked your Shrinky Dinks, there wasn’t much left to do with them.

I haven’t seen Shrinky Dinks in the stores in years, but I found them online! You’ve got to be really imaginative and come up with your own designs. It’s probably too much work for kids today.

With our super secret trip to the mountains in January in the works, I’m on the move to secretly buy what we need in advance. I need to size up the kids and make sure that the ski bibs from last year will still fit. I’ll need to figure out a way to get the girls to try on their winter coats, to make sure we don’t need new ones. And Jim needs some things as well…at least he knows about the trip so I can get him to shop for his own things. He does want a pair of boots suitable for cold weather and snow. He wore his sneakers last year and those don’t really cut it for ice and snow. These Danner boots are along the lines of what he would like to buy. Looks like you could do some hiking in those Danner boots, right? Good thing, since the kids love to drag him around outside when we go to the mountains. The site offers free shipping for orders over $100, so we’d save some cash on that. The boots have Goretex in them, so they’ll keep your feet warm and toasty in bed weather, and the sole is made for being outside.

I hate Wal-Mart and their own hour photo.

I logged into their site today so I could upload a few pictures for a school project my son is doing. It was only AFTER I uploaded the pictures, edited the pictures, cropped the pictures, and added the pictures to my cart that I was told one hour is down…

And apparently it’s down at every store in my county? WTH? No, I don’t want to wait until next Tuesday to get my pictures. Can’t you let people know one hour isn’t working in advance? I switched to Wal-Greens and went through the same process, and have already received an email that my pictures are ready.

Take THAT, Wal-Mart.

I live in a relatively rural area, so my choices for shopping are a few smaller department stores, 2 large home improvement stores, and a plethora of mom and pop stores. If you’ve ever tried to buy anything for your home at one of those big box home improvement stores, you know that the selection is usually a bit limited. Take ceramic tile, for example. My local big box store has a very small section for it, and in limited quantities. You won’t find anything like what you see on shows like House Hunters or Flip This House. The tile is very plain jane and even a little bit…blah. If you want something special like glass tile…forget getting it there! That’s even if you can find an employee to help you!

If you really want to find unique flooring and tile accents for your home, you want to go online. Check out the selection at AnchorBayTile.com - they offer ceramic tile, glass tile, and even metal tile - in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. I didn’t even know that you could buy metal tile, but it’s really neat! If you’ve got a contemporary kitchen, pewter tiles would be a great accent for it. If you want to wow the visitors to your home, and impress them with your out of the box design ideas, this is the place to find what you need. Forget shopping at the warehouse home improvement store, and browse online. The prices for ceramic tile are in line with what you’ll pay locally, and the store even offers flat rate shipping in the USA.

I got coupons in the mail for JCPenney today. (Why is it that I always want to spell it “JCPenny”?) They’re having another gonzo clearance sale, and I’ve got coupons to save up to 70%. If we had a store in our town, I’d consider going there this Sunday to check out the deals. We have a store under construction, but it won’t be open for months. The closest JCPenny is a good 30 minutes away, and I’m just not that hot for their deals.

I also get irritated by their clearance sales, specifically the sales in the juniors department. The racks are always so jammed with clothes that it’s hard to find anything, and they cram extra racks onto the sales floor so that you can’t even move around.

I buy a certain brand of razor that costs me $20 for an 8 pack of razors. Each razor lasts me about 5 days (I shave every day, without fail, or I feel dirty.), so I’m going through a package in about 5 weeks. That’s another $20, for razors, every 5 weeks. I could buy a cheaper razor, but I’m kind of addicted to the job that the pricy one does. If I never had to buy a razor again, I’d be putting that $20 to much better use. And I wouldn’t be in my shower, leg on the shower seat, desperately making a 2nd or 3rd swipe at my leg, hoping to coax one more day out of my old razor blade. The infinity razor is a new razor blade designed to last FOREVER. It’s got some sort of special steel blade that won’t ever get dull, no matter how hairy my legs get! Gosh…I’d love to try that. No more dull blades, no more running out of razors…

What did you receive from your guests when you got married?

We got a lot of cash (yay!), quite a few things off our registry list (yay!), a few things that weren’t on our list, and were OBVIOUSLY regifted (boo!), and an assortment of those lame crystal gifts people seem so fond of giving for wedding gifts. You know what I mean - picture frames, a weird clock…things that you ONLY give to people at weddings. I think I regifted the picture frames and I don’t know what happened to the clock.

I came across a wedding gift that reminded me of those crystal items I got, but this Steuben Glass Signature Bowl is WAY cooler. Using a special pen with a diamond tip, your wedding guests can sign their names on the bowl, giving you a beautiful keepsake and a one of a kind way to remember your special day. At $2000, it’s not a gift I’ll be buying for anyone soon, but it certainly is spectacular.

Dude, you’re getting a Dell! Or en Français, “Dude, vous obtenez un Dell!” I think that’s it anyway. I only took 2 years of French in high school, and we didn’t really cover commercials. Dell isn’t just a big brand here in the states. You can buy Dell computers and laptops in the UK and Europe. A laptop offers you a portable computing option, regardless of where you call home though. I took a peek at the French site for Dell and tried to use my high school French skills to figure out what the computers had. It was interesting to see how Dell markets their products in other countries. They had the Inspirion line, but they also had a line called Vostro that isn’t sold here in the states. I wonder what the difference is?

The boy has decided he wants to be Captain Jack Sparrow for Halloween. I decided to search online for a deal on a costume, and I haven’t found one yet, not even on eBay! All of the decent Captain Jack costumes I found were $30 or more, plus shipping. Maybe I’m cheap, but I can’t see spending that on an outfit that will be worn for a few hours, unless it’s for me I know he won’t want to wear the same costume again next year, so I’m getting a single year out of each costume. It’s times like this that make me wish I could sew - I’d just whip up my own costume. Sadly, my sewing skills are limited to fixing buttons.

What happened to the days when kids would dress up as bums or hobos with old clothes from around the house?

Have you ever had a great invention or idea you wanted to turn into a product available in stores? Perhaps you want to take your existing small business global? Most people don’t know it, but most of these great ideas, and business expansions will never come to fruition, simply because it’s so costly. For example, when you have a new product idea, there are parents to be filed, prototypes to be created, marketing plans to be developed. When you’re ready to expand your business, you need capital to hire people, lease new offices, and buy inventory. It’s a lot for one person to take on.

The idea behind a new site called http://www.RaiseCapital.com is to make it easier for entrepreneurs to locate investors who can back their ideas and business financially. Having the financial backing to take your dreams to the next level allows business owners and inventors the chance to focus on the job at hand, instead of where the money is going to come from. If you’ve got a great idea, you simply need to register at the site and create your profile, which can include videos and other media about your business. Investors matching your industry are notified when your profile is complete, and they can view that profile to determine if your product or business would be a good fit for their money.

Go ahead - you’ve got nothing to lose!

It’s school fundraiser time again! This week, I got hit with a fundraising packet from the middle school and the elementary school. I went through the catalogs for each and wrote out a check for one school, and realized that the other school was offering online ordering. Online? Well, that’s for me! They had a neat system set up where parents could register and send out emails to friends and family, and the student would get credit for the sale. I did all of that, and then logged in two shop, and selected two items, which totaled $15. When I proceeded to the online checkout, I noticed the shipping card was $10. To ship $15 worth of merchandise I didn’t really want.

I left my card and put in my order the old fashioned way, and paid no shipping at all. It may not be as easy, but it’s definitely cheaper.

I watched this completely over the top wedding show this weekend called Platinum Weddings. It’s all about brides who go a little insane when planning their weddings, and end up spending $60,000 on flowers, or $5,000 on a wedding cake. Ay yi yi! I watched one episode with a wedding at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Beach, and another in Cabo, Mexico. These are brides with very expensive taste. Of course, you need not break the bank when you get married. We had a budget wedding, and you can get some absolutely beautiful gowns for $1000 or less, like these wedding dresses. I love the classic lines on this Dupion silk gown from Maggie Sottero! My own wedding dress had a similar shape to the skirt, and I absolutely loved it.

I’ve been thinking on my loaves and fishes problem for a good 24 hours, and the best I’ve come up with is pasta and sauce. Sounds messy, doesn’t it?

The problem with planning this meal is that it could be 30 kids, or it could be 80 kids. I need something I can cook up quickly (like pasta) depending on how many kids show. And, I need to be able to return the extra food to the store, especially if I buy 50 boxes of pasta and only use 20, right? I’d really prefer to buy something pre-made, but I can’t spend $100 feeding these kids.

Forget WWJD - what would the Duggar family do?

You’ve probably heard of the iPhone and the iPod - how about iGourmet? No, it’s not a new division of Apple. iGourmet.com is a family business specializing in gourmet gift baskets. How gourmet? How about champagne? Cassoulet? Angus beef? Perhaps you prefer caviar or truffles? Their selection is absolutely outrageous, with each product hand selected by the family. They take the gift basket beyond fruit and candy and make it a memorable gift for any occasion. iGourmet.com really goes the extra mile by offering a kosher selection for shoppers who observe kosher rules. You’ll find kosher preserves, candy, wine, cheese and more. Build a custom gift basket by selecting your favorite products, and the iGourmet.com folks will ship your food items safely for you to prevent spoiling.

I really love that each product has a rating and reviews, so you can see exactly what other people thought of the brands and flavors offered. It makes it easy to decide when you’re debating between two items! You can’t even find a lot of what iGourmet.com offers in your local delis and grocery stores, so be sure to treat yourself if you see something you can’t live without! (I’m thinking Triple Chocolate Truffle Brownies. Bittersweet fudge brownies dipped in dark chocolate? I’m already drooling.)

Looks like I’ll be making a trip to Sam’s Club this week!

I took my oldest to a youth event at church tonight, and somehow ended up volunteering to provide dinner for the group next Monday night. The “group” can range anywhere from 40 to 80 middle school kids. I think I need to put on my school lunch lady thinking cap. The meal needs to be easy, and not anything that will break the budget. Even a party sub from the grocery store is going to run me $100.

Anyone have some tips for buying food (and serving food) for a crowd?

I’m sure after you all read my review of the designer bars available at ShopBarbara.com, you immediately went to check the store out. Right? If not, what are you waiting for? If bras aren’t your thing, they have a huge selection of clothing, accessories, shoes - even designer panties from high end designers without the high end price tag. Everything at ShopBarbara.com, from the Hanky Panky panties to the Mary Green panties is reasonably priced. If you’ve been shopping for lingerie in your local mall, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the variety of styles & colors available to you! The site receives new styles each week, so you can be cutting edge and current with the trends without waiting for new fall lines and such. The site also offers some great tips on how to ensure the perfect fit with your bras and panties, and how to solve common fit problems. Among the best advice I found there? Bras and panties are meant to last about 6 months. SIX months! How many of you have bras you’ve had for years, or panties that are starting to get a little droopy? If you wouldn’t want anyone to see you in your bra or panties, it’s time to replace them with something new, pretty, and fun!

This is a sponsored review.

I’m making my list, and checking it twice.

Not for Christmas, but rather for the 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer I’ll be participating in next month. It requires camping out for 3 nights in tents provided by the group, but I will still need:

• An air mattress with portable pump (since I’m much too delicate to sleep on the ground)
• Medical supplies to carry with me, like moleskin, band-aids, Advil, muscle cream
• Ponchos in case it rains while I’m walking
• A sleeping bag
• A camping pillow
• Earplugs to drown out the noise of other campers at night

I think that does it for now, but I’m going to think about it over the next week, and see if I come up with anything I’ve forgotten.