http://theshoppingnazi.com Fri, 18 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://theshoppingnazi.com/twas-the-night-before-christmas/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/twas-the-night-before-christmas/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:00:05 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6823 T’was the night before Christmas when all the last minute shoppers were in a panic. The traffic was congested. The stores had sold out of the most desired items. Still a peaceful look back to well over a century ago brought a us a poem. Now is the time to put away those plastic debit cards. Now is the time forget running to Target for one more item. Now is the time to enjoy what is really important in life. Every time I read Twas the Night Before Christmas I get carried back to a much simpler time. This poem takes us back to a much simpler time. A time where Christmas shopping is over. Children are waiting in their beds for Christmas morning and the opening of presents. My Christmas present to all of you on this night before Christmas is the poem below. May all of you and your have a very blessed and merry Christmas. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/twas-the-night-before-christmas/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/those-little-gifts-that-mean-a-lot/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/those-little-gifts-that-mean-a-lot/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:00:36 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6844 The sad part of the Christmas season is the undue pressure we put on ourselves. When we go out Christmas shopping we try to get a Christmas present proportionality to our feelings for that person. It is much better to step back and look at what we can afford. Then look for that little thing which will make the biggest impact. Well, it is not just at Christmas time. It holds for any other time of the year. We get in this mind set toward our love, our friendship, our caring must be measured by the size of gift we give. That is why, especially at this time of the year, we go into debt finding the perfect gift. That is why people rush around all crazy just to get all the gifts they need to give. One of the big attractions I love about where I live is how polite the drivers are. That is not true when it comes closer to Christmas. The individuals driving their various vehicles get more and more aggressive as it gets closer to Christmas Day.  When I think back to some of the Christmas presents I have been given over the years. Some I wish I could forget about [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/those-little-gifts-that-mean-a-lot/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-that-satisfies/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-that-satisfies/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:00:43 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6934 We are only just a few days away from Christmas Day. Christmas Day is the where we celebrate the birth of the Christ. The savior of the world. As part of Christmas we are taught from a very young age that, “it is more blessed to give than receive”. Through out the year we shop for ourselves, food, clothing, shelter, except for birthday, and anniversaries. During the Christmas season we get caught up in buying gift sets, iPhones, diamond necklaces, or various items for a loved ones. All to often we feel there is this obligation to buy and give. For some people it is more than duty, it is an enslavement. Fighting crowds, buying, hoping the person we are buying for will not get the same thing from some one else. The writer Mark Twain loved Christmas, but he hated the shopping. He would describe Christmas shopping as bringing, ” harassment and dread to many excellent people”. Mr Twain saw the result of all that Christmas shopping as, “weeks of hard and anxious work, and when Christmas morning comes they are so dissatisfied with the result, and so disappointed that they want to sit down and cry.” To often I am so looking [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-that-satisfies/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-party-trays/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-party-trays/#comments Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:30:10 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6837 Christmas time means a lot of food and a lot of parties. There will be people having parties at work, at clubs, around the neighborhood, and along with the usual family gatherings. One of the main attractions to a party is the food and drink. Without food, drink and the right Christmas music, some people will show up. Others will just walk in the door, say Merry Christmas and leave. It is human nature. The easy way to serve food at a party is just sitting it on a table in a tray. A good variety of food on party trays can please a multitude of likes and dislikes. A good party tray will have a variety of fruits, vegetables and meats. Hopefully not all on the same tray. One of the most successful party trays I have found has been bread with spinach dip. It can be bought at Winco  for $4.95. I can make the same one for just under $3.00. Besides saving money, people are impressed with making some over running out and grabbing some pre-made. It is easy to go to Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Winco, or whatever local grocery store that has a deli section, and buy pre-made [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-party-trays/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/last-day-for-christmas-delivery/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/last-day-for-christmas-delivery/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:00:40 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6800 Growing up one of my fondest memories of Christmas was getting presents in the mail. They came from relatives who lived across the United States. Aunts and uncles in Arkansas would send boxes of mixed nuts. They had a farm where they grew nuts. Other relatives in Los Angels  would send a box of candy. We could count on grandma to send winter gloves, or a hats to keep us warm. At the beginning of December dad would come home with boxes of towel sets, and other box gift sets. Then he would pull out all those brown paper bags from the grocery store. He had been saving all year. Each gift set was wrapped in brown paper and tied with course brown string. The labels were carefully hand written before being stuck on the package. We are getting close to Christmas. If you have not shipped off your Christmas presents, you had better get them wrapped, and down to the shippers office. Regardless as to what UPS, USPS, or FEDEX tells you. This is their busiest time of the year. Mail it to it may not get there. So in this post I would like us to look at [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/last-day-for-christmas-delivery/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/holiday-saving-planning/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/holiday-saving-planning/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:00:37 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6598 We are less than two months away from Christmas Day. The holiday shopping seasons officially starts in less than three weeks, with Black Friday. Already we are starting to see hints about Christmas shopping, and where the best deals will be at. Commercials from Wal Mart stating the best deals will only be from them. Kmart has ran some commercials about how we need to use their Lay-A-Way plan as part of our Christmas shopping. Many other stores have already started displaying Christmas decorations. Websites like TheBlackFriday.com have been posting what items are being sold and for how much. Then retailers like Target are wanting you to create an online account to see their Black Friday deals. Even the online retailers like Amazon.com are offering special deals from Black Friday thru Cyber Monday. With all this advance notice now is the best time to create your shopping list. Even the where and when to can buy what at what price. I do realize some of you just love the rush of being part of the crowd, storming the stores and malls for an advertised Black Friday deals. Then there are some of you, like me, who tackle the holiday’s in a [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/holiday-saving-planning/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/holiday-travel-prep/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/holiday-travel-prep/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:00:12 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6417 Traveling anytime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and even through New Year Day can be a double sided coin. It is great time reconnect with family members. On the other hand holiday travel can be worst than exploring the Brazilian rain forest with a three legged mule. Statistics show more people travel in the time period around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you remember seeing on TV, every year during this time of year all those people sleeping in airport terminals? What about delayed or cancelled planes, trains, buses, and cars? Most all of those problems were caused by weather. In the United States some of the busiest travel time is while we are having some of the harshest weather of the entire year. Traveling during these holidays is not always grim and bleak. If you must travel you may be able to side step a lot of the horrors of holiday travel and save a little money in the process. All you have to do is a few simple things. Plan Ahead - It is never too early to make holiday travel plans. In October you can take advantage of lower rates. Most flights have not started to fill up. Look for bargains from the [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/holiday-travel-prep/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-is-coming/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-is-coming/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:00:33 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6411 Halloween is still a couple of weeks away. We have over six weeks until Thanksgiving. Why am I writing about Christmas? It is bad enough for store to put out their stuff earlier and earlier each year. The traditionalist don’t want to see any Christmas decoration in stores until the day after Thanksgiving. I am part of those traditionalist who don’t want to see Christmas ads until after Thanksgiving Day. However, I am planning and maybe some Christmas well before the holiday season. This makes it easier to give what you want when you want it. I remember some of the best Christmas gifts that our family was given when growing up. We looked forward to those boxes of mixed nuts, canned jams and jellies. They were canned the old fashion way in Mason jar at the end of summer. Breads and cakes were other treats that made the holidays even more special. As time passed we all got busier. There was less time to make fruit cakes, knitted caps. Christmas gifts went from the homemade artsy crafty to store bought. Thanks to places like Wal Mart where we can walk in and get just about anything our hearts desire. [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-is-coming/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/merry-christmas-from-us-to-you/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/merry-christmas-from-us-to-you/#comments Sat, 25 Dec 2010 13:00:00 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=4610 This is Christmas Day 2010. Shopping mania is over for this year. I was privileged to help quite a few people save money and gain value in the purchases they have made. This year I would like to share with you a eBook that was written several years ago. The title is “Safe Computer Habits“. It outlines some basic that we need to have to protect ourselves from identity theft. You can view and download your very own copy by clicking on the following link: Safe Computer Habits. You can download it as a PDF save it and/or print it up to study. It is my understanding. Next year there is going to be an updated version. If you think you might be interested in getting advance copy of the new expanded version email me and I will get your put on the notification list. I am going to take a break from writing on the blog until after the first of the year. I will be taking this time to get some rest. We will also be doing some much need maintenance on The Shopping Nazi website along with our computers. So until January 3rd Merry Christmas and a Happy New [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/merry-christmas-from-us-to-you/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-for-a-cell-phone/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-for-a-cell-phone/#comments Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:00:39 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=4606 Last week I received a phone call from a gentleman who is in his mid 60′s. He was calling me for help in finding a cell phone.  He was looking for a cell phone that is just a phone. He did not want any 3G or 4G. He does not text  or want take pictures. As strange as it may sound, it is harder to find just a cell phone. At the end of 2010, it is much easier to find a handheld computer that is also a cell phone. Even though it is just a few days before Christmas,I set out to find just a cell phone. My hopes weren’t to high. I just wanted to see if I could find just a cell phone. My first stop was the Verzion, AT&T, and T-mobile stores. Verzion wanted to sell me the Droid. AT&T only would show me was the iPhone. T-mobile was trying to sell me a touch screen phone free with a 2 year contract. At this point I didn’t think there is any just cell phones available. My next set of stops started at Wal Mart. It was there I found some prepaid phones starting at $14.98. That [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-for-a-cell-phone/feed/ 0