This past week I’ve been in Sanibel Island, FL vacationing with my family and friends. I didn’t have access to our sale inserts, so instead I thought I’d share some of the deals we found while shopping in Ft. Myers, FL.

First of all, I must say the weather here has been pretty marvelous. My son, Thomas, and I have been enjoying collecting shells on the beach (great souvenirs to bring home and they’re FREE). We left Lawrence on Christmas Day after our neighbor had to help dig us out of the driveway. It wasn’t long before we left the treacherous weather behind us, and felt the miles roll away the cold and stresses of daily life.

While in Florida, we did our grocery shopping at Costco. Since there were 10 of us staying together, we were able to purchase items in larger quantities. Our favorite meal was prepared on New Year’s Eve. We grilled steak and jumbo shrimp, had wild rice, twice baked potatoes and salad. We fed our group of 10 (this includes 4 teenage boys and 2 husbands) for $75.

During the week, we shopped at JC Penney and Target. At Penney’s, I found a cashmere scarf on clearance for $10. I proudly showed my husband my find – he thought it weird that I would be in Florida and purchase a scarf!

At Target, I bought 2 v-neck cable knit sweaters for $3.54 each. I was getting pretty excited! I found a pair of suede flats for $9.98, holiday m&m’s (plain and peanut) for $1.49 each, and three 4-packs of the snowflake ornaments I have been using to decorate my tree for .25 cents each pack. My friend, Jenny, also purchased a pair of corduroy pants for $6.24 and a pull-over sweater for $4.74 for her son. But we decided the best purchase at Target was a maternity trench coat in black that Jenny found for her pregnant niece. The cost: $11. It was fully lined and had great detail work including a shawl collar and tuxedo -shirt pleats in the front. Our trip to Target proved to be a good outing away from the sun and poolside.

Now the reality of heading back to Lawrence and the Midwest weather is breaking my heart. A week on the beach has done wonders in reconnecting with friends and enjoying a slower pace. Although it sometimes did get chaotic with 6 teenage kids (4 boys and 2 girls) who stayed up all night and wanted to sleep all day. We had lots of laughs and created lasting memories that our two families will remember for years.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. And if any of you did any shopping this week, let me know what sales and deals you found.