Another big retailer is bowing out of the game. This time it's Home Depot's Expo Design Centers. The company is closing all of its 34 Expo stores, including our own Bethesda, Columbia and Fairfax locations.

These stores were a souped-up version of Home Depot's bath and kitchen departments, where you could find art deco pedestal sinks, modern wall-mounted toilets, kitchen countertops made of unusual types of wood like African teak or natural stone, showerheads with lighting effects and a toilet hidden within a walnut cabinet. But the company said the business "has not performed well financially and is not expected to anytime soon." A company press release went on to say that "the demand for big-ticket design and décor projects has declined in the current economic environment."

I never could bring myself to pay several hundred dollars for a bathroom faucet when I could get a similar one for around $100. But plenty of friends, as well as interior designers who I've interviewed for Shop To It, say it's a great place for high-end, unique kitchen and bath items. If anything, it was a nice place to get ideas.

So the question I had when I heard the news was, when is the sale? Inventory will get marked down by at least 10 percent starting today, according to Sarah Molinari, a Home Depot spokeswoman. A liquidation company is handling the sale so details on what exactly would be discounted and by how much is hard to know, she added. Many of its luxury manufacturers will not want their items discounted, so the sales could be spotty.

So will Expo be missed? Where do you find stuff for your bath and kitchen projects? Who has good tile and where are the best kitchen cabinets? Please post a comment below and answer our poll while you're at it.

Is it just me or is my dream of having major sales after the holidays coming true? Seems like everywhere I turn these days there are double-digit discounts and clearances. Not only are retailers trying to make room for spring items but they're also trying to make up for a ho-hum holiday season. Here are some of the sales I've seen lately:

The Lord & Taylor store in Alexandria looked like a rummage sale the other day. Racks were almost empty and things were going quickly. That's probably because you can get 70 to 80 percent off nearly everything in the store. Plus if you go to the store's Web site you'll find a printable coupon good for an extra 20 percent off clearance items. The Web site also has a printable coupon for 15 percent off its regularly priced items, as well as stuff that's on sale. Both are good until Feb. 1.

The only Filene's Basement in Virginia, located in Tysons Corner, is closing its doors. Their demise is the shopper's delight as several sale items are being marked down an extra 20 percent. I haven't been there lately but a Shop To It reader told me this week that she found 7 For All Mankind jeans for under $100.

Circuit City is finally throwing in the towel. The company tried to work out its problems through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection but it didn't quite work out, so the stores will be closing as soon as items are liquidated, according to its Web site. Liquidation sales started last weekend and will continue until everything is gone, which the company thinks will be by the end of March. The company has not revealed how high the discounts will be, giving the liquidators who were hired to organize the sale full power to figure that out. You won't be able to negotiate on those prices either. Circuit City gift cards can still be used at the store but you'd better use them before the store closes for good. The company's Web site has more information about its liquidation.

Nordstrom has also marked down a bunch of stuff by 60 percent, including women's, men's and children's clothing. Some handbags and shoes are marked down 50 percent. I saw a long $228 Classiques Entier cardigan marked down to $89.90, a Diane von Furstenberg camisole top for $65.90, down from its original price of $165 and a pair of True Religion skinny jeans for $77.90, a major drop from its $196 price tag.

Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft are both trying to unload their winter clothes. The Loft has marked down items by 80 percent and Ann Taylor has gone down 70 percent. You can get Ann Taylor sweaters for around $20 and pants for around $30. The Loft, the more casual of the two stores and my preferred shopping destination, has a short sleeve yoke front pullover for $4.88, a light weight cardigan for $6.88 and an embroidered peasant top for $9.88. If it's too cold for you out there, both stores' Web sites offer $6 standard shipping.

So what sales have you seen lately? What are you shopping for these days? Will you take advantage of any of these sales? Share your report from the field.

Who wants to lose some weight, get a little firm and look decent in a bathing suit? Who doesn't? Joining a gym these days kinda goes against my family's goal of saving money this year since gym memberships can be pretty pricey. But I recently spoke with Robert Krughoff, editor of Washington Checkbook magazine, about the best way to get a good deal on joining a gym.

Tip #1: Think about free exercise. The best way to save money on a fitness club is not to join it. Ask yourself if there's any kind of fitness you will do without the financial commitment of a club. Several sports only require the cost of the equipment such as running, biking and organized sports teams.

Tip #2: If you think joining a fitness center is the way to go, look into government facilities. Many offer large weight rooms, as well as tennis courts, racquetball courts and swimming pools. And most of them also offer three- or six-month commitments rather than the whole year that is often required of private clubs.

Tip #3: Never join a club that doesn't let you try it out for a few days. And use the trial during the hours that you think you will probably go if you were a member. That way you'll be able to judge how big the crowds are at that time. "The trial period would be a way to decide whether you want a club at all," Krughoff adds. "It's also a way to decide if you like that club."

Tip #4: Shop around. Private fitness clubs such as Gold's Gym and Bally Total Fitness have wide-ranging membership fees. And Krughoff recommends shopping around by phone because then you're more of a remote prospect for the club.

Tip #5: Check the clubs' Web sites for deals. At this time of year many will waive their start-up fees or they'll offer one month free if you commit to a certain period.

Tip #6: Krughoff says it never hurts to tell the fitness clubs that you're considering that you're also looking at their competitors. You may want to tell them about a better deal that another club is offering. It could force the club to match their price.

Tip #7: Don't pay for what you're not going to use. Clubs with things like swimming pools and tennis courts will be more expensive. And if you don't plan to use those things, you may want to look for something smaller. "Consider gyms that have what you want and you're not spending money on things you won't use," Krughoff says.

Tip #8: Find out what the club's rules are when it comes to cancelling and if you can sell your membership or freeze it. Look for clubs that will let you cancel within at least 15 days. See if the club will let you freeze it over the spring months when you'd rather exercise outside.

Gym deals:

Gold's Gym is waiving its $99.99 enrollment fee. So you pay a $19.99 administrative fee and then $56.99 a month with a two-year commitment.

Washington Sports Club is also waiving its joining fee. Its cheapest membership is $64 a month with a one-year commitment.

Bally Total Fitness will let you buy a 30-day trial membership for $19. Then the club tailors its membership fees according to lifestyle and goals.

Sport & Health is also waiving its enrollment fee and then like Bally, each club tailors its membership fees to the customer.

Montgomery County sells memberships for use of its weight and exercise rooms. County residents pay $150 for a year or $90 for six months or $65 for three months. Non-residents pay $165 for a year, $110 for six months or $85 for three months.

Prince George's County has 12-month memberships for its Fairland Sports and Aquatics Complex in Laurel for $205, six-month memberships for $150 and three-month memberships for $90. The fitness center at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex in Landover ranges between $36 and $66 per month depending on where you live and whether you want access to the aquatic center or the fitness center or both.

Arlington County offers one-year memberships for its fitness centers for $170 for residents and $485 for non-residents.

Fairfax County is having a sale on its leisure fitness passes for its nine fitness centers. A 12-month membership is $502 until February 14.

Where do you work out? Have you found any good deals on gym memberships lately? Post a comment below.

How many times have you gone shopping because a friend told you about an amazing sale? One by one she pulls out the loot she bought, piles it on your dining room table and tells you how ridiculously little she paid. You grab your wallet and head straight for the mall. Apparently this happens quite a bit. We want nice stuff at good prices and we trust our peers more than advertising and product reviews to lead us in the right direction, according to the National Retail Federation.

In a study by BIGresearch, 34 percent of consumers say word of mouth is the biggest influence in their clothing purchases. And 44 percent say word of mouth is what they use to buy electronics. That's some powerful influence. After that, consumers say their buying decisions are based on product reviews and advertising.

The inauguration is almost here and that means there's lots of stuff to buy. All of the campaign buttons and bumper stickers we stocked up on during election season are now re-worked with the Obama family's faces and the famous January 20, 2009, date. So I went shopping and found a few neat places to load up on inauguration gear:

You might remember hearing about Political Americana, a small shop that I featured in a post about campaign gear. The shop, which sits at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street, is loaded with merchandise with inauguration insignias, including baseball caps for $14.99, tote bags for $19.99 and shot glasses for $5.99. The day will be a frigid one so you can pick up a thick fleece scarf with President-Elect Obama's sunrise campaign symbol and his signature for $14.99. That can cover up the Obama necktie you can snag with the words "56th Inauguration, January 20, 2009" for $9.99. Some of the sillier items include a $7.99 Mush Bush doll, featuring a likeness of President Bush's head made out of smushy material, a finger puppet of Obama that also sticks on the fridge for $9.99 and an Obama bobble head for $29.95.

Just down the street from Political Americana you'll find a good selection of inauguration gear at the newly renovated National Museum of American History. You'll find paper dolls of the Obama family for $7.99, glass paperweights of Obama's face and the American flag for $12 and organic cotton T-shirts in black with Obama's name and the date of the inauguration for $15 or a sweatshirt for $25.

The Culture Shop, a Washington store that sells mostly fair trade items, has a small selection of Obama gear, including a greeting card set of the Obama family with a message of hope inside the cards for $12. The store is also selling a T-shirt featuring Shepard Fairey's pop art collage of the president-elect's face for $19.95.

Many of you recommended CafePress.com as a place for campaign gear. Now the site has a load of inauguration items. You can pick one of their many designs, including "Obama Mama," "Barack Is How I Roll" and "Yes We Can" and have it added to everything from T-shirts to a throw pillows. The site also has a very artsy commemorative Rolling Stone inauguration T-shirt for $15.

What kinds of inauguration gear are you buying? Where are you getting your memorabilia?

Sometimes the best part about visiting one of our region's great museums is taking a swing through its gift shop. That's exactly what I did on a Sunday afternoon visit to the National Museum of American History, which recently re-opened after a two-year renovation. The museum has a large, wide-open gift shop on the main floor, one of three stores in the place. It has all the typical Washington souvenirs like key chains and T-shirts, but also features some interesting finds. The main store, which was moved from the basement to the main floor in the renovation, is representative of all what the museum is about, according to a spokeswoman. Everything in it is tied to the collection in some way.

Near the center of the shop is a display of Ralphie bags, designed exclusively for the museum shop by Washingtonians Crislyn Lumia and Maureen Shore-Brown, bag designers who launched their business in 2006. The small handbags, which feature interesting patterns and handles, range in price from $45 to $60.

You can also find replicas of the diamond-and-pearl-heavy jewelry collection of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Among the pieces are $90 bracelets, $75 chandelier earrings and an $80 inauguration ball-worthy necklace. The store also sells Kennedy's signature triple strand pearl necklace for $150. The actual necklace that the First Lady wore is on display in the museum.

You'll also find a nice choice of silk scarves, including a delicate pink and white cherry blossom design for $45.

A back corner of the museum also has a large collection of vintage signs. These heavy steel reproductions of advertisements were largely seen in the early 1900s. You can pick up a railroad crossing sign, a Harley Davidson ad, a Route 66 sign and Smiley's Rest Stop plaque for $25 to $30.

The museum also has a large toy section where you can fill a small bag with shiny colorful marbles for $6, find freeze-dried ice cream for $5 and a pair of Ruby slippers similar to those worn by Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" for $22. You can also find character T-shirts featuring some of Jim Henson's creations for $11.99 and a metal "I love Kermit" lunch box for $15.

The shop also features a large selection of books on politics and history, as well as mementos of the upcoming inauguration and the Obama family. It has the largest selection of Star-Spangled Banner merchandise, according to a museum spokeswoman.

What have you found at local museum shops? Who has the most unique items?

It's hard to say good-bye to an old friend, kinda like seeing your favorite store close. That's exactly what we've been doing for the last year. Saying good-bye to old friends like Linens 'n Things, The Sharper Image and The Bombay Company. Some retailers like Circuit City said they're just closing some stores to try to stay open, but the outlook is not good. I'll sorely miss Linens 'n Things, where you could get a decent set of sheets for under $50 and nice-looking bathroom and kitchen gear. I outfitted my first house with items from Linens 'n Things.

I could hear my mailman struggling to get a certain envelope through my mail slot recently. It was the credit card bill and I knew it was bad when it finally landed like a brick on the floor.

So my husband and I sat down and analyzed every line of our credit card statement. What we discovered was about $200 in monthly expenses that we could do without. Everything from a Netflix subscription that barely gets used to more than $100 a month in dry cleaning. While Shop To It is a blog about the act of purchasing, it has evolved into a blog about the act of making the smartest purchases. Together as blogger and reader we've debated everything from the best grocery deals and the true savings at warehouse shopping clubs to the best places to board our pets and who has the best deals on photo processing.

This first blog post of the year will hopefully be another great debate on the art of figuring out the must-haves and the nice-to-haves. Here are a few tips on what I learned from my own experience of trimming the nice-to-haves:

Tip #1: Analyze every line of your most recent credit card statement. Make a list of all the items that appear there every month. I'm talking about things like gym memberships, movie rental subscriptions and dry cleaning.

Tip #2: Set some rules for yourself before you start slashing some of those monthly expenses. Our children's activities, like my daughter's weekly art class, were hands off.

Tip #3: Ask yourself which of those monthly expenses are key to your survival and which are just a waste. You'd be surprised how easy it is to forget about expenses that just live with you without being too obvious. For example, my husband and I realized we don't take advantage of our Netflix membership enough. Our $10 a month subscription was cut, which will save us $120 in 2009. I cut the e-mail and Internet service on my cell phone, saving $30 a month or $360 a year.

Tip #4: Pinpoint the stores on your credit card statement where you're spending the most money. Go on a fast from those stores for a few weeks. I'm banned from Target during January because I'm one of those people who walks in with the intention of just buying toilet paper but ends up with $100 worth of additional items.

Tip #5: Shop around for cheaper services. It's so easy to just stick with a retailer because it's part of your routine. For years we've used the same dry cleaner for its convenience but I called others near our house and found a place that charges $1 less per shirt and $5 less per suit. (My motivation to find a cheaper dry cleaner was not only driven by saving some dough but by my husband's suggestion that I start ironing his shirts.) Also, call your phone company and cable provider to see if you can get a cheaper rate. You may have signed up for a premium package during a promotion period and not even realize that you're paying for channels or phone coverage that you never use.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to continue cutting our monthly expenses. The goal is to eliminate at least $20 per month. That could mean buying more generic products than name-brand. Or stopping myself from adding a magazine to my pile of groceries at the check-out line. And asking myself if I really need that 10th tube of lipstick. What are your New Year's resolutions? What have you done to cut your monthly expenses?

Shop To It readers are savvy shoppers and I know this from all the comments that have been posted to this blog over the last year. Some of the most interesting have come from my monthly posts on updating different rooms of your home for as little money as possible. And many of you have graciously shared your own war stories on updating kitchens, bathrooms, closets and home offices. Here are some of the best tips:

Tip #1: When it comes to re-doing the kitchen, consider soapstone for the countertops. Grachel K writes that it absorbs and radiates heat so you can put a hot pot on it. The reader also recommends industrial-grade vinyl tile as a cheap kitchen floor alternative.

Tip #2: Install a few sturdy, attractive, reasonably priced kitchen cabinets for the "public" part of the kitchen and store everything else in a big walk-in pantry, writes Rebecca.

Tip #3: Replace a double-basin kitchen sink for a single, deep sink to maximize counter space, writes stodge.

Tip #4: Make sure you spend your money on the stuff that really matters to you in the kitchen and go cheap with the rest, writes Laura.

Tip #5: Understand what does not work in the current kitchen and find a fix for it, writes Brian.

Tip #6: You can get the best deals on kitchen and bathroom necessities by shopping carefully online, many readers say.

Tip #7: Use Verastone for the bathroom sink countertop. Reader B says it looks like granite or silestone but was about 30 percent cheaper when ordered online.

Tip #8: Mike Sorce writes that he spent less than $1,300 on a complete bathroom update by careful shopping and sourcing trades people from Craigslist. He adds that his wife found a Corian countertop with a built-in sink on Craigslist for $200.

Tip #9: If you're handy, consider doing most of a bathroom update on your own and hire a plumber and electrician for the hard stuff, writes ATB.

Tip #10: When it comes to keeping closets clutter free, several readers live by the rule "one in, one out," which means that when a new item is purchased and brought into the closet, something old must go.

Tip #11: Install a shelf 8 inches off the floor in an entrance hall closet, leaving enough room for a vacuum cleaner. "It is out of the way but easy to get to and there is the shelf to hold all the stuff that accumulates on the floor of the closet," writes charlie1.

Tip #12: A functional home office should include a good file cabinet, a printer stand with a drawer for paper and a big basket on the bottom shelf for cables, routers, etc., writes Olney.

Tip #13: Leslie adds that you don't need a traditional desk, which can be pretty costly. She uses two height adjustable tables placed end to end.

What are some of the most important lessons you've learned when it comes to shopping for home project supplies? Have any shopping dilemmas? E-mail me at shoptoit@washingtonpost.com.

I recently wrote about the hunt for The Perfect Gift. We all want to give it and get it, but that doesn't always happen. So we sometimes have to schlepp back to the store to make the dreaded return. Stores say they have customer-friendly return policies. Even still, we have anxiety about returns.

Stores are adjusting their return policies this holiday season as a way to provide good customer service in a down economy, reports the National Retail Federation. The organization surveyed 82 loss prevention executives and more than half said their companies' return policies would be more lenient. The names of the companies were not revealed but in my informal survey of about a dozen stores, only Sears said it would extend its return policy to 120 days for items purchased between Nov. 16 and Dec. 23. You'll have 90 days to return electronics, software or mattresses. This is nothing new for the store, however. Sears has been giving these holiday extensions for several years, said a spokeswoman.

Here are a few tips for making returns a happier experience:

Tip #1: Carefully unwrap, don't destroy. The packaging of the gift that is. This should be repeated to children with every gift they open. If the gift giver isn't in front of you to hand you the gift receipt, it may be somewhere within the box and can easily end up in the trash. A gift return will go a lot smoother if you have a receipt.

Tip #2: Run, don't walk to the store if you do plan to return, even if you have a receipt. Stores have time limits for making returns and the deadline will creep up on you sooner than you think. Be especially mindful of Amazon.com's return policy: You have 30 days within delivery to return an item. So you'll have to factor in time for the package to make its way through snail mail back to the company.

Tip #3: Look around the store before making a beeline to the returns desk. You never know if something else will grab your attention. That gift could actually turn into something you really want or need.

Tip #4: Go straight to customer service to make a return. Most of the big stores like Target and Walmart will only make returns at their customer service desks so don't waste time waiting in line for a cashier.

Tip #5: Don't assume that all stores have companywide return policies. Many retailers give their individual stores discretion over returns, especially those that come in without receipts. Nordstrom, which is known in the industry for its excellent customer service, doesn't even have a formal return policy. Every return is handled on a case by case basis, said a spokeswoman. So if you're not happy with the way your return is being handled, ask for a manager.

Tip #6: A receipt-less gift return will likely result in a store credit in the amount of the item's worth at that point in time. If you're certain feelings won't get hurt, ask the gift giver for a receipt. 'Tis better to receive a gift that you really can use rather than a store credit for $2.36.

What have you learned from returning gifts? In your experience, which stores have the best return policies and which have the worst? Do you ever tell the gift giver that you returned their gift? (I say don't.)