She says:

I am a real bargain hunter and consider myself pretty good at finding “great deals”. My local Target store is one of the places where I have had the most success. If you didn’t already know, Target has a regular method of clearancing merchandise, and will follow a progression of marking things down to 25%, 50%, 75%, and, yes, even to 90%. What you have to do to find the bargains is to find your particular store’s markdown schedule per area, and be the first one at the store the days of the sale. Apparently, a lot of other people know about these clearance sales, employees and customers alike. I’ve also seen a lot of folks who snatch up everything at 90% off with the intention of selling their stuff on Ebay.

After Christmas the merchandise is all marked down to 50% but it does eventually go to 90% off. It does include Christmas decorations but also things like Christmas gifts too, like the perfume sets, bath sets, even things like car wash kits! All seasonal items go through clearance as well including the patio sets and barbeque grills. Clothing is another great area to watch. I rarely pay full price for clothes for the kids, and my children know if they want something, they’ll have to look for the red clearance sticker. 

Another tip you’ll want to try is scanning everything. Sometimes the clearanced items are not marked but you can find the price at the scanner. Here is a list I have used to get an idea of the clearance schedule. However, each Target store is different so you will have to find out what happens at your store.

Traditional Holiday clearance schedule
50% off day after holiday for three days
75% off fourth day after holiday for three days
90% off seventh day after holiday for 1-2 days.
Other than Christmas this is the schedule used for holiday clearance, including Valentine’s Day, Easter, July 4th, Summer, and Halloween.

Weekly Mark Down Schedule:
-Mon. — Electronics, Kids Clothing and Stationary (Cards, GiftWrap, etc.)
-Tues. — Domestics, Women’s Clothing, Pets and Market (food items)
-Wed. — Men’s Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden items
-Thur. — House Wares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor and Luggage
-Fri. — Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry

Someone asked me the other day how to budget money.  I had written an article on that topic a while ago.  So check out How To Create A Budget which includes a link for a free budget worksheet. 

If you do not know how to budget money, then take small baby steps in learning how.  It is much easier to begin slowly and stick with the budget, then throw something together quickly, only to abandon it in a very short time.

One of the most important things to remember when you are making a budget, is that it will take time to change your spending habits.

He says:

When you get married, your life and your money become one.  It is no longer, this is mine and that is yours.  It is this is ours.  100% of everything you have together is hers and 100% is his. Or sometimes when you first get married and you do not have much money, you could say, “two halves of nothing is a whole nothing,” as Fog Horn Leg Horn use to say.

So you have your budget. You’ve got your categories (auto, clothing, groceries expenses etc.).  You have set your percentages of each expense. But what happens when one of you goes out and breaks the budget and buys a want and not a need.

Let’s face it guys, we like to ask our wives, why are you spending all this money and where.  In reality, they are buying what the family needs.  The guys will go out and buy one large item and break the budget.

That is where the $100 rule comes in.  It is simple.  No one buys anything over $100 without discussing it with the other first.  This prevents unneeded problems and helps facilitate communication on your money. 

Also, if you see something that you do not need but want, write it down on a piece of paper and put it on your bathroom mirror or refrigerator door.  Wait 24 to 72 hours to see if you really want this.  This one works well with the kids also.  They will soon forget about it or go on to the next one.