Shopping, shopping and more shopping

The rush of holiday shopping is in full swing. Have you ever noticed that the younger generation's wish lists are becoming much more costly? I haven't figured out if it's because their tastes are more expensive or if things are just costing more. Either way, this time of the year makes a dent in everyone's wallet.

So how do you control the rising budget? Do you stick to your guns and set a limit and buy what you can within that limit? Or do you just buy what people want and let those purchases dictate the budget? Personally, I go with the former. I have to. I don't make enough money not to budget. When January credit card bills hit the mail, I don't want to hear a drumroll before I open the envelope. The holidays have gotten expensive but that doesn't have to break you. Set a limit and stay within it. Gift giving is not mandatory, it's voluntary.

Happy Holidays.

Jingle Cash at Walgreens

First, my apologies for not keeping up with this blog. That is changing soon as a whole new moneycents.net will be launched soon. It will be more user-friendly and much more money-saving deals will be available.

As for Jingle Cash at Walgreens, I am bit late on this one but it appears to be going on throughout the season. Basically, it's the same as their year-round Register Rewards, where they run promotions for certain items and you get "cash back" in the form of a coupon toward your next purchase. For example, this week you can buy 4 bags of Holiday M&Ms for $10 and get $5 in Jingle Cash. Or buy two Vicks products (Nyquil/Dayquil) for $10 and get $5 in Jingle Cash. Even better if you pair money off coupons with it.

The "cash" is printed out at the end of your purchase and is good for two weeks. There are a couple tricks you may want to know if you want to take advantage of deals more than once. For example, if you buy the M&Ms and then try to use the $5 Jingle Cash on buying the M&Ms again, it won't work. You cannot use the Jingle Cash for the same item. Plus, make sure you have enough items when using your Jingle Cash if you're looking at buying a more expensive item. You must have the same or more items than you do Jingle Cash and/or coupons. So you can't use $5, $2.50, and $3.00 Jingle Cash receipts if you're just buying one $10 item.

Happy Holidays!