Crazy as it seems, Halloween is right around the corner. I heard somewhere (besides in the podcast) that decor sales for Halloween are second only to decor sales for Christmas. It’s not surprising when you see all of the cute stuff out there. It was hard to pick only three merchants to discuss today when we have a lot of favorites. Angie took over the “MC” position for me as I didn’t want to cough the whole time.

Show Notes:

* Tricia and Angie will be spending Halloween on a Disney Cruise. Group costumes are apparently in order.
* Cindy walked us through BuyCostumes.com their selection of both Halloween costumes and party supplies. Did you know that they have a $5 deal each day? Terrific bargains on costumes if you can catch them in the morning. Also be sure to look for coupons and free shipping when you can get it. (Get BuyCostumes.com coupons and cash back from Sunshine Rewards)
* Tricia drooled over The Popcorn Factory. Bad idea to diet and review that merchant because you’ll want to buy everything you see. They have a great selection of flavored popcorns as well as gift samplers. (Get The Popcorn Factory coupons and cash back from Sunshine Rewards)
* Angie introduced HalloweenMart and pointed out not only the plus sized costumes but also the extremely scary decorations. Once we started talking about the “adult” costume section, we needed to end the call. Our conversation continued afterward and suffice to say you can find some really unique costumes that your friends would get a kick out of. (Get HalloweenMart coupons and cash back from Sunshine Rewards)

It was hard to keep this podcast down to time because we could have talked all day about these three merchants. We’ve seen great feedback about all of them and enjoyed reviewing them. Click here to see the entire Sunshine Rewards Halloween shopping category.

In the absence of a good theme this week, we decided to talk about the last place that each of us shopped online. Interestingly, we had all shopped at the places that the others had last shopped (that sentence seems weird). It was our second week using the free conference calling site instead of Skype and it went well.

Show Notes:

* Cindy explained why she shopped at KraftyKid.com despite the fact that she has no kids at home. She got so caught up in the excitement of everyone else buying the craft grab bags that she ended up buying some for her grandsons. (Earn 10% cash back at Sunshine Rewards)
* We’re hoping that KraftyKid.com will be able to stay in business even though their site says that they are no longer doing the Craft of the Month clubs. The grab bags are terrific.
* Tricia talked about drugstore.com and the volumizing hairspray that she purchased there the other day. Everyone was in agreement that drugstore.com has a huge selection of different types of items as well as regular coupons and discounts. (Get drugstore.com coupons and earn 5% cash back).
* Cindy loves the “BOGO.” Angie thought Tricia’s talk about the Sexual Well Being section was TMI.
* Angie introduced Restaurant.com and everyone talked about what a great deal their restaurant gift certificates are as well as how it helps you to try out new restaurants. (Shout out from Tricia to Mudsocks in Noblesville, Indiana!) (Get Restaurant.com coupons and earn 7% cash back)

Next time we will be back to a more traditionally themed podcast. Maybe.

Although it seems like summer just began, it’s actually time to start getting ready to head back to school. Whether you have preschoolers, high schoolers, college students, or non-traditional students in your life, getting ready for school to start means buying school supplies of different kinds. Our three merchant reviews today run the gamut of everything from clothes to electronics to sandwich makers.

Show Notes:

• Angie reviewed her favorite shoe site, Shoebuy.com. Shoebuy is a wonderful merchant both from a customer perspective as well as an affiliate perspective. Free shipping, free returns and great deals. (Earn 9% back on purchases plus use Sunshine Rewards Shoebuy coupons)
• Cindy talked about Kmart (while reminiscing with Tricia about Icees and pretzels with cheese). Did you know that they sell many name brands as well as French Toast school uniforms. And you can now combine your Kmart and Sears purchases into one shopping cart. (Earn 2% back on purchases plus check out all of the Sunshine Rewards Kmart coupons)
• Tricia extolled the virtues of Children’s Place, including how she mixes and matches her kids’ clothes throughout the year. (Earn 3% back on purchases plus use the Sunshine Rewards Children’s Place coupons)
• Announced the winner of the Sunshine Rewards luggage tags.

Although this podcast was about “Back to School,” don’t let it stop you from listening if you don’t have kids. We tried hard to provide a little something for everyone in this one. Next podcast? Mystery merchants!

Summer has officially begun, and we wanted to review some of our favorite summer merchants. Although we kept with our same She Shops Around podcast format this time, we tried to incorporate some feedback from our listeners and keep the podcast at only 30 minutes. What do you think?

Show Notes:

* Cindy reviewed Bealls Department Store, a site that specializes in Florida fashion and housewares. No matter where you live, Bealls (pronounced “Bells”) is a great place to get summer clothes and outdoor items. Check out monthly Bealls coupons.
* Tricia walked through the KraftyKid.com website. Krafty Kid is an excellent place to get kits for your kids to use during the summer, at church, or for sleepovers. The kits come in different varieties, including bead kits for adults. Krafty Kid should also be looked at by scrapbook fans.
* Angie gave a nice overview of Eastern Mountain Sports. They frequently offer coupons and discounts on their wide variety of outdoor and athletic items. (EMS will even teach you how to build your own climbing wall, which I think Angie just might do). Get some great Eastern Mountain Sports coupons.
* We announced the winner of the last podcast contest (Nina P!) along with a new contest.

Next podcast…summer travel sites.