Did you venture out on Black Friday, or during the Thanksgiving holiday? I did, but I was still sleeping in my bed early on Friday, when some were out trying to grab the best deals. My best deals so far include Guitar Hero III (with 2 guitars) for $89 at Target. I purchased it for $109 earlier in the week, and noticed it was on sale Friday, so I got the difference back after a short wait at guest services.

Another great deal was at Beall’s, which is a department store chain in Florida. All of their clearance merchandise was 50% off the original price, plus another 50% off that. I got my oldest a pair of Roxy shoes for $8, and Roxy t-shirts for $4!

What was your best deal of the weekend?

While in Las Vegas this weekend, we decided to make the 4 hour trek to the Grand Canyon in Arizona for an overnight visit. My husband had been to Las Vegas 3 or 4 times before this trip, so the kids all have Las Vegas t-shirts, and even glasses he bought at one of the hotels he stayed at previously. We opted to not buy them anything in Vegas, and waited until our arrival at the Grand Canyon to go souvenir shopping.

While on the shuttle route through Hermits Rest Road, we stopped at a small shop at the end of the line. We found beautiful matted photos of the canyon there, and got a few for family members, as well as for ourselves. We shuttled back down to Grand Canyon Village and hit Verkamp’s, which the original Grand Canyon souvenir shop. The store has been in the same spot, in the same building, for over 100 years, and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The store actually started prior to that though, when John George Verkamp began selling trinkets on the south rim of the Grand Canyon in 1898! Talk about a visionary!

Inside, we found t-shirts for the children, as well as an ornament for our Christmas tree. Every single ornament on our tree has some meaning behind it, so I like getting new ornaments on our travels to add to our collection.

If you’re ever at the Grand Canyon, plan to stop at Verkamp’s, even if it’s just to see the building and admire the view!

I have quite a few purses, but I generally don’t swap them out too often. I’m lazy, I guess! Yesterday, I was in Beall’s and saw a purse I couldn’t live without. It was the Liz Claiborne Money Maker in red, and it was calling my name.
I normally never spend over $30 on a purse - I’m just too tough on them! This purse retails for $60, but it was on sale for $40. With my trip to Vegas in just a few days, I decided a new purse was just the boost my wardrobe needed!

The purse is compact, but it has plenty of room for my fat wallet, my cell phone / PDA, my allergy medicine, and the case for my sunglasses. The strap is short enough that it fits under my arm when I walk, instead of banging against my rear end, like my last purse. And it’s red, which is my favorite color. A red purse goes with anything! Black clothing, brown shirts, prints, solids. I’m wearing a black skirt and a black sweater today and the red is a nice punch of color against the black.