So long for now, Savvy Star Baby

Thanks to everyone that has been visiting Savvy Star Baby. The fun's not over yet, though. The saga continues over at Bay Area Mommy-Nomics. And this week, to kick off the new blog, I'm hosting a week of giveaways. So head on over and see what there is to win!

Venus Embrace Coupon!

There's a giveaway going on over at Bay Area Mommy-Nomics! Hurry over to enter!

Safeway deals 11/19-11/27

Although there is no "48 hour sale" this weekend, Safeway is extending these prices through Thanksgiving Day, so keep that in mind as you plan for your meal.

Safeway or Manor House Turkeys up to 16lbs. are $5.99 each. Over 16 lbs. are $7.99. *You must have a minimum $25 purchase to get the turkeys at this price. Limit 2 per transaction.
If you prefer the Honeysuckle brand turkeys, get one up to 16lbs. for $7.99 each. Over 16lbs. are $9.99 each. Get a coupon for $1 off at smartsource.com.
Beauregard or Garnet Yams are $0.69/lb.
Celery, $0.49 each
Clementines, 5 lb. bag: $5.88
Pillsbury Crescent or Cinnamon Rolls: $1.75 each. Use with $0.35 off Crescent Rolls printable coupon (coupons.com) or $0.35 off Cinnamon rolls printable coupon (smartsource.com) to get them for $1.40 each. {These also are part of the Home for the Holidays promotion, which is that you get a $5 reward coupon when you spend $25 on participating products in one transaction, or a $10 reward coupon when you spend $40 on participating products in one transaction.}
Organic Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples are $1.29/lb., which is less than the price for their conventional counterparts.

Hawaiian Vacation

I'm back! Overall, it was a great trip...despite Husband being sick the entire time and me catching his cold halfway through. Oh, and the rain. But a great trip nonetheless.

We stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu. Normally we wouldn't have been able to afford to stay there, but I got a great deal through Expedia. North Shore is more secluded than Waikiki and Honolulu and we had a great view. The drawback to being so secluded is that going out to eat or to the grocery store is at least a 20 minute drive.

We bought food at the grocery store to eat for breakfast and lunch and then ate out every night. We had breakfast at the Hukilau Cafe (in Laie) one morning (very inexpensive, especially considering how prices in Hawaii are so much higher than even the Bay Area). Husband was dying to stop at one of the Shrimp Shacks that dot the side of the road near Kahuku. It was expensive, but the shrimp was juicy and delicious!

We went a little over our $100/day budget due to an extra trip to the store for cold medicine and other paraphenalia to make me comfortable. Expedia did not include a $20/day resort fee in their package price, so that was extra. I don't think we did too bad, budget wise.

The bonus to booking through Expedia is that I got 1% back from Ebates. If you aren't clicking through Ebates before you purchase things online (including trips!), you're missing out on some serious money saving. (Also, right now Ebates is offering DOUBLE cash back on hundreds of retailers. I always check Ebates before I do my Christmas shopping.) If you want to join Ebates, click here. You'll get a $10 bonus just for signing up (it's normally $5). (I'll also get a bonus for referring you, so thanks!)

I'm so glad we went, but I missed my babes terribly. Next time I think we'll stay a little closer to home.

Could have been a spoiled trip

Husband has always been a saver. Lucky for me, because when I met him, I was your typical spender. Of course, I'm reformed now (mostly), and often grateful for Husband's ways.

One of the things that is important to him is buying a car with cash. Instead of making a car payment (at outrageous interest rates), he makes the car payment "to himself". He would take $300 a month and put it into a special savings account just for his car. That way, when the time came to buy a new car, he already had the money saved.

This account has come into play not only as we have purchased our last two cars with cash, but also when a big car repair cost rolls in. We don't have to dip into our emergency savings to cover the bill.

I'm particularly grateful for that now as Husband's car sits in our driveway with a gas leak. We found it the night before we left for our trip, just after returning home from dropping off our babies at my parents' house. We quickly made arrangements for a shuttle service to take us to the airport and plan on taking care of the car trouble when we return home.

Had we not had that car account, I might have worried about it our whole trip. I'm grateful to say that I didn't have to worry about that one bit.

I'll be back tomorrow and can't wait to share my trip with you!

Funny Name...

When I came up with the idea to start writing a blog, I had no idea what to name it. I sat and thought...but nothing came to me. "Savvy Star Baby" came up one day as I was feeding my baby girls their breakfast. I thought it conveyed that the blog would be about things related to baby (clothing especially) and that those who read it were savvy themselves.

As my blog is evolving though, I'm realizing that the name doesn't really fit. It doesn't tell people right off the bat what this blog is about and who it is for. After much thought, I've decided to change the name (and web address) of my blog.

The new name will be "Bay Area Mommy-Nomics" and you can find it at http://www.sfmommynomics.blogspot.com/. I'll make the transition gradually, posting on both blogs until the end of the month.

I'm also planning on some giveaways as the holidays get closer, so stay tuned for that!

Thanks for coming along with me this far. Things are only getting better!

Culture at a price you can swallow

Where can you get some great entertainment for an even better price? That's the question the Mercury News posted to its readers earlier this month. Some of the suggestions for an evening out that won't break the bank:

• The MOMA in San Francisco has free admission on the First Tuesday of the month.
• The San Jose Museum of Art is free every day, and many of the surrounding galleries have free admission as well.
• Check out your local bookstore for their schedule of book readings. You can meet some of your favorite local authors and mingle with the learned at stores like Kepler's Books in Menlo Park.
• Did you know that the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra performs for free? Their schedule for 2009 is now online and they feature some performances geared for a younger audience, to introduce them to the world of classical music.
• And don't forget that your local library is a great source for books, DVDs, and CDs...all for free.

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to enlighten your mind! Share your ideas for entertainment for cents on the dollar!