All I can say is “WOW”!!  From everything I have heard about IKEA, I knew that Carol and I would have fun shopping at our new IKEA store.  We left early Saturday morning while our families were still asleep with directions in hand and our tummies ready for the 99 cent breakfast.  We got there with plenty of time to enjoy our breakfast before the store opened.  The cafeteria was beautiful, but a little overwhelming.  We had planned on the 99 cent breakfast of eggs, hash browns, bacon and free coffee, but quickly realized that there was so much more—cinnamon rolls!!!  We enjoyed our breakfast in anticipation of getting to the real reason we were there.   And we were off!!

Geri and I can’t wait until Saturday when we get to shop at our new Colorado IKEA store!  We’ve heard so much about how great the store is but never had one close by. We’ve already poured over the catalog, made our list and checked it twice, and plan to leave in plenty of time to get there early.

On most Saturday mornings, you will find Carol and me at one of our local thrift stores.  Many times we go with something in mind that we need for either a family member or our homes.  It may take a few trips before we find what we’re looking for, but the wait is usually well worth the huge savings.

In this down economy, we are all looking for the best bang for our buck.  Money is tight for most of us, but who wants to give up shopping.  By finding the best bargains out there, we can have our cake and eat it too.  We should all know the 411 on how to save money with coupons, clearances and seasonal discounts, but don’t forget about the outlet malls.

A huge part of simplifying your life is to let others do the work for you, and for you to take the credit! This may sound horrible, but it’s true. How many of us create our own recipes from scratch every night? No! We usually take someone else’s creation and take the credit for whipping up a wonderful meal.