Halloween is only a couple of weeks away, and Halloween shopping is in full swing. Besides the obvious (costumes), people are scooping up Halloween decor and treats. Cindy and Tricia review Halloween merchants and tell you where you can get some of the best deals and unique items (even places that are not known for their Halloween merchandise).

Show Notes:

• Tricia and Cindy wing it this week by not planning out in advance what they are going to talk about. That itself is scary.
• You can spend some big money on spooky Halloween decorations. Look for coupons at Sunshine Rewards!
• The Grim Reaper from SpiritHalloween.com really scares Tricia, and you can see a video of it here. Make sure that you enter to win the Grim Reaper from Sunshine Rewards.
• Congrats to BuyCostumes.com on their Commission Junction University win! Be sure to check out their deals under $10.
• Some popular costumes this year that Tricia has been working on promoting are Sookie Stackhouse, the Smurfs, and Wizards of Waverly Place. Twilight is still hot.
• A fun place to get candy for an adult Halloween party is Old Time Candy because they have candy by decades.

Click here for Halloween coupons and discounts.

Show Notes:

* Travel and Entertainment: Some great ways to save money while staying at home include Entertainment Books and Restaurant.com. If you are trying to work in some inexpensive trips, check out Go Cards from Smart Destinations and Priceline for flexible plans ($12 rental cars!).
* Outdoor Fun: Have a pool? We like In the Swim and PoolProducts.com for our chemicals. Swimsuitsforall.com is a great place for a variety of swimsuits at good prices. Stock up on suntan lotion online so you don’t get stuck paying high prices for it at the grocery store or amusement park.
* Membership Clubs: Netflix and Blockbuster are obvious, but have you heard about BookSwim? It’s a fun way to read a lot of new books for one low monthly price. Gamers should check out GameFly. If you’re into audiobooks, Audible is a good option.

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.

As May draws close to June, we start seeing more about graduations. Whether the graduation is from preschool, kindergarten, high school, college, or even grad school, we are all looking for the perfect gift and party ideas. Today the She Shops Around ladies reviewed three merchants that you do not necessarily think of first when you think about graduation: TheFlip.com, Shindigz. and Magazines.com.

Show notes:

• Tricia and Cindy relived Tricia’s high school graduation and the fact that Cindy repainted the whole house.
• Cindy reviewed TheFlip.com, the official store of the Flip videocamera. Who does the Flip make a great graduation present for? Pretty much everyone on your list.
• The ladies talked about the different ways that they use their Flip cameras, including for fun, work, and school projects.
• Angie walked us through the Shindigz website. In addition to party supplies, they have tips for throwing parties and party activities. Check out these Shindigz coupons and videos.
• Tricia discussed Magazines.com and how to find a magazine that fits for your graduation gift recipient. Get Magazines.com coupons plus GREAT cash back through Sunshine Rewards.

No major glitches today. Next podcast: weddings and anniversaries.