starbeck96

Quote: Originally Posted by Hummin Bird I use to think the same way, however a few years back there was a young woman in line infront of me with a 1 year old a few people made snarky comments about it and she could hear them ( i was nto one of them) eventually she and I got to talking and I found out she and her brother were the only living members of thier family and her Husband didnt have any family either (he was raised in foster care) And not even 6 months before her Husband had been killed (army) and then her brother had been injured and lost his leg (Marines) so she really had no one and didnt know anyone really. I felt really bad for her, I asked her what she was looking for and it was mainly just the deals ont he clothes for her little girl that she really needed. I asked her for her name and number and she gave it to me, needless to say I added a nother 2 people to my list that year and we are great friends now and her daughter stays with my kids at my home on black friday. Quote: Originally Posted by Hummin Bird Just typing it out made me cry a little. Her daughter (who is now my goddaughter lol) had a wonderful christmas that year (i got alot of people to help make it that way ), and they (mom, daughter, and mom's brother) are now apart of our family. Its the times like these and the friendships Ive formed that help me remember that its not allllllllllll about shopping during the Christmas season That is a really great story...I love children and I don't see the harm in taking your child, provided that you can keep them safe. Our Walmart is not really as bad as some of the others I've heard about. We live in a small town, and half of the people there are our friends, or our kids go to school together, or we go to church w/them. So, I have taken my kids with me. :) I think it is very sweet that some of the parents take their kids and use this day as a bonding day. I can't wait until my dd is old enough to take and really enjoy our day together. She is only 3 now, so that is still a time away. My boys are 11 and I have given them the choice if they want to go w/me this year and they both said NOOOOO!!! lol. Some people just do not have a choice but to take their kids. I am blessed that I have a wonderful hubby who keeps mine, but not all people are that lucky, especially single parents. But I do agree that if you don't want to be around kids, do your shopping online. Just remember that everyone was a kid at some point in their lives.

I usually sleep maybe 2 hours, but this year my friend and her kids (they are around the same ages as my kids) are coming to stay Thanksgiving night w/us so my husband can babysit. So, I very seriously doubt that there will be any sleep this year. I am going Thanksgiving day to get all of the papers (we don't have anything but a Walmart here) so we can pricematch when we go out of town. Then we are going to stay up planning our route. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL BF

I wonder if our Walmart will do the same? We are in a very small town, and ours usually opens at 6 am. I sure hope they do, that means that we won't have to stand outside in the cold or rain...lol

I usually do my shopping at Kmart on Thanksgiving Day because the deals are usually better then and so far it has not been extremely crowded. You are better off to price match at Walmart than to go to Kmart BF. Usually Walmart has some of the same stuff at a better price anyway..:) The closest Kmart to us is about an hour away and it is not in our line of stores that we usually shop, so it is easier if we price match.

Last year, if I remember correctly, the secret sale showed on walmart's website around thursday or friday. Then it was good Saturday (of course the really good deals were gone by 9) The sales started at 8:00 that morning (at least at my local store). My friend and I got there as soon as they opened at 6:00 (ours is not 24 hours) and had to wait in the back of the store to get the items we wanted. It was such a secret that many of the employees wondered why there were people lined up waiting in the back of the store...lol.. I just wanted to let everyone know what my experience was last year. Hope this will help.

We live in a very small town. Does anyone know of any organization that accepts good 'used' toys? My daughter has outgrown many of her toys and I would love to give them to someone that is in need.

We usually do at least three or four gifts off the tree at Walmart. Although the last few years we have not been able to do but something small because my husband has not been able to work like he used to (had knee surgery and is not able to handle it.) But I agree with you, there is always someone worse off than we are, and my two oldest kids are old enough to understand that there are others that have less, and my youngest one is not old enough to really understand anyway. We always let our boys help us pick out a couple of the trees at Walmart and let them pick one gift off a couple of them. My husband and I are over the youth group at our church, so I think this year we are gonna let our youth group buy some gifts for those in need. Many of our youth are children that have grown up in foster care, so they would love to do this for kids who won't get a Christmas otherwise.

My boys are 11 (twins) and my dd is 3. One of my boys says he wants a camera and a laptop if I can find a good deal... The other wants good hunting clothes and maybe some decorations for his room. But we'll see if that holds true.... My dd sees an ad on TV and wants everything...lol But I think she really wants a new kitchen. Hers is just one of the cheap ones that we bought last year just to see if she would play with it. She also says she wants a train table...but, I know that she will only get one of these. I think we are going to get a trampoline because that is something that all 3 of them would like.

That is us too..We usually don't buy anything for each other, we usually wait until we get taxes and buy each other something (nothing big) but just something small like a cd or something. We have to make sure our 3 kids are taken care of first..

Ok I have 3 kids, twin boys 11, and a dd 3. So this is the first year that my daughter has actually wanted Santa Claus to come and see her....lol. She was terrified of him last year and the year beofe and too young to care before that..(she just turned 3 10th of Oct.) But my boys do not believe in Santa Claus anymore..We told them the truth three years ago because they kept asking and my husband had hurt his knee and was not able to work for about 1 month. So we knew it was gonna be a slow Christmas and we wanted them to be prepared. But they know now (and it does have it's advantages). At least if I don't find what they want, or just can't get it before Christmas, we can always just give them money and let them get it after Christmas. I also remember when they would go shopping with me and I would put their gifts under the buggy.. lol I did that until they were prob 5. They never paid any attention to it...My little girl though doesn't miss anything. I've not been able to buy stuff and put it in the buggy for her since Christmas 2 years ago.. when she was 1. lol...She just is too smart and too nosy..lol:D

All I want for Christmas is for my husbnad's work to pick up just a little bit. I also hope to be able to get my kids at least a few things that they want...and to see their happy faces.. My boys (11) are old enough to understand, and my little girl is only 3 so if there is not too much under the tree it will be ok... My husband is self employed in construction, and we live in a small town, so things are very tight here. But that's ok, I look at it like this...Everyday that I can spend with my family is a good day.

Just wondering...If you see something that you really want from one of the stores, will they offer it online at midnight? So maybe you can get something from one store online, Walmart offers free shipping to their store, and then go to another one. Just a suggestion... Not even sure if you can buy online at midnight or if you have to wait until 5 online too.

Good Luck and have fun...just beware that you will be hooked...lol

My favorite part about BF is the fact that my friend and I get a whole day together with only one child (her youngest) to enjoy. It is a girls day out and everyone knows that on BF don't ask what time we will be home, because there is no time limit. It is the one and only day that is ours and ours alone.....even with the crowd...

My pet peeve is people cutting line. At our Wal-Mart (that is all we have in our small town) I usually line up around 3:30 or 4:00. Then there are some that come 5 minutes before they open and stand to the side of the line. When they open the doors they come running. That really makes me angry. I hope that this year our Wal-Mart will use the number system so that it doesn't matter if they cut line. Parents bringing kids don't really bother me. My best friend has to bring her youngest every year because she doesn't have anyone to keep her. My husband or her parents usually keep her oldest boys (but they are 11 and 10 now) so not much taking care of needed. lol But I have seen parents use their big huge strollers to block the isle with the baby in it, so no one can get by. Now that makes me mad. Teenagers don't usually get on my nerves grabbing stuff either as long as they are polite and not pushing people. In fact, I can't wait until my dd3 gets old enough to go with me...lol.. My boys don't want to go. OH yeah, and people that are mean and impatient get on my nerves. If you can't be patient on BF, then you have no business shopping...lol

Ok here it goes.....with three kids, it is hard to come up w/only 5 things. 1. trampoline--all three of the kids dd3, ds11, and ds11 (yes twins) can enjoy that. 2. at least one laptop for my kids to share.(if the netbooks are cheap enough i might get them one each) just depends. :) 3. one of my boys wants a camera, not sure what the other wants yet. 4. my dd wants a kitchen or train table (not really sure yet which) 5. 32 inch tv for boys room. I doubt that hubby and I will buy anything for ourselves this year...it is all about the kids...

I usually buy a mixture of both needs and wants. I do the majority of my Christmas shopping BF, but this is usually when I buy a jacket for my DD (3) and at least one or two prs of jeans for all 3 of my kids. My boys will be getting more clothes this year bc they are 11 (twins) and have hit their growth spurt so all of the jeans that I bought in August are too short. I bought one of my boys (he hit his growth spurt first) jeans about 1 month ago, but I only bought two pair just to get him by. I will also buy some shirts if they have them this year.

I live in a small town so we can't get any of the papers for Kmart or Toysrus or anything like that. I also usually have Thanksgiving dinner that night. So what I usually do, is cook whatever I can the night before. Then I usually go to Kmart for their Thanksgiving sale and try to get their paper. I also rely on this website and each store's website for their BF sale. Then after all of my company leaves, me and my friend call each other or IM each other and see what stores we go to first, 2nd, and so on.:)

My best friend usually takes her little one along, but I usually have her list also, so that her and the little one can sit in the car until right before they open the doors, and we both have our cell phones, so that we can meet in the store and update on what we have in our buggies. Her husband works weekends, and her parents go shopping that day so she has no one to leave her little one with. But I do not like to see the little babies out in the cold. I live in AL and it is usually one of our coldest days BF lol....or it is raining.

I have been going every year since about 2001. My boys were 3 the first time I went. I have went every year since then. My friend and I usually go together. We usually go to our local Wal-Mart first and then we leave and go to a bigger city (we live in a city w/only a Walmart, Dollar General, Fred's and Family Dollar.) :)

I have twin 11 year old boys.. I know that they want a flat screen tv. So that is their number one item. I am also planning on getting them some gift cards...i am going to get them cards to places like walmart and target, but also burger king and mcdonalds. They always are asking to go to McDonalds for a milkshake after school so I figured if I get them a gift card, then I won't have to tell them that I don't have the money (my husband and I are both in school and work is slow).

I usually set my limit to around 15 to 20 each on stockings. I had much rather wrap the bigger priced items. Usually I put candy and dollar toys in stockings, but since my boys are 11 and no longer believe in santa, then I don't put as much emphasis on their stockings because we spend more on their christmas. My little girl , 3, is happy with even the smallest things, so we spend more on her stocking since her toys and things dont usually cost as much as the boys stuff.

I usually wrap presents within a few days of buying them because I have too many people searching...lol

yes, toys r us does have layaway....i did not know that until i saw the post. So I went to their website. The only down side is that it is only available for larger or more expensive items it seems. But I am glad to see that they have it. I may have to go put my dd a kitchen on layaway.

We have a room that we put all of our guitars, amps, and drums and keyboard in. There is a decent size closet in there. So we use it for storage. So what I do is put them in some empty boxes and no one ever knows any difference because the boxes are usually marked with something that my kids would never think to look.. My boys are 11 and very nosy....So far they have never found any of their presents..My daughter is 3 so she is too young to pay attention. I also put smaller stuff in suitcases. I put stuff on shelves usually in unmarked cardboard boxes. Basically anywhere I can think of....lol :)