A PENNY SAVED | Kohl’s department store is offering “friends and family” an extra 15 percent off today and tomorrow. The coupon works when shopping online, too, just enter ” FAMILY15″ when you checkout.

In other Kohl’s news, the retailer is opening it’s 6th East Bay store in Livermore next Wednesday. Kohl’s started out as a local chain of 40 stores in Wisconsin and has exploded to more than 800 stores in the last 20 years.

Here’s a list of Kohl’s stores in the East Bay:

Pleasant Hill: 2302 Monument Blvd., (925) 691-9650
M-F: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Brentwood: 5511 Lone Tree Way, (925) 513-3370
M-F: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

San Leandro: 15555 E. 14th Street, (510) 317-6420
M-F: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Pleasanton: 4525 Rosewood Dr., (925) 924-1060
M-F: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Fremont: 43782 Christy St., (510) 687-0460
M-F: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

A PENNY SAVED | The Andronico’s in Walnut Creek said it will clear out of its location at 1181 Locust St. by Dec. 22 and the sales have begun. The posh gourmet grocer has some garish signs all over its stores declaring savings of at least 20 percent off most items. The prepared foods section doesn’t count. Darn, their sushi is pretty decent but steer clear of the cornbread-it’s terrible.

A PENNY SAVED | I read an article this past weekend about celebrities who make tons of money and then blow it. I am not a celebrity nor have I made tons of money in my life, but I do think I can accurately be described as someone who blows money from time to time. My issue, however, is not that I make big implusive splurge purchases. I have never bought myself the Prada purse I’ve covetd for years. But, I allow myself mini-splurges that add up over time like a $60 Adidas sports bag (featured in a previous blog entry), $50 carrying case for my new lap top (already had one), $600 for a weekend in Vegas (I could’ve stayed home) and one I’m contemplating now, $20 for Estee Lauder mascara (I do consider my eyelashes one of my best features). All of those purchases can be rationalized in some way, making them less like splurges and more like vital purchases (think milk and eggs). Nonetheless, a stream of buyer’s remorse filters in at some point later on and I find myself asking questions like, Did I really NEED a new lap top? Regardless of the answer, the question, the doubt rather, persists.

I don’t have the end-all solution to splurging or the art of proper budgeting, which I have not even begun to master. But, one thing that stuck with me from the careless-rich-celebrity article was a quote from George Foreman (former boxing champ and grill pitchman): Respect every dollar. Does that mean no more Starbucks breaksfast? For now, I’ll try having Special K right out of my kitchen cabinet and feel good about that.

Here’s a link for the article mentioned above;
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/business/yourmoney/17broke.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

A PENNY SAVED | A whole shower in one bottle… kind of. Bath and Body Works is selling 3-in-1 body wash, shampoo and bubble bath for $5. The line is called Temptations and comes in Daiquiri, Tropical Colada and Pomegranate (my personal favorite — the scent is unbelievable!). Bath and Body Works in Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek said the $5 sale will end soon.
You normally don’t see 3-in-1 products like this in the United States, whereas they are commonplace in Europe. In France, those type of products are called “shampooing.” I think it’s an interesting concept that could save time and money.

A PENNY SAVED: I stopped by Blackhawk Plaza in Danville on Tuesday and discovered Karen Bittarini and Leta Amon getting major shopper’s highs at the store-closing sale at Gottschalks.
The two friends, both wearing pink tank tops, were giddy as they snatched up marked down items like a $20 denim purse Bittarini found. That find won her a “You go girl!” from Amon.
“It’s so cute!” Bittarini said. The purse looks like the top of a pair of jeans complete with a silver sequin belt.
Amon found pink polka-dot thongs and a $12 black Nine West shoulder purse she called her “happy thing.”
The store, slated to close Aug. 26, is hawking it’s remaining goods at 30 to 50 percent off and some items have additional percentages off, too.
Now seems like the best time to hit up the sale since the markdowns are significant and the selection is not that picked over yet.
I took the time to buy some Clinique pressed powder, which unfortunately was still full price. The cosmetics aren’t reduced.
“The sales are great,” Amon said. “But I’m sad they are closing.”
Gottschalks is the only department store in the Plaza and will be replaced by a gourmet grocery store called Draeger’s, which has three locations in the Peninsula. New owners bought the Plaza at the end of last year and are planning lots of changes to the shopping center. More on the that later.