gina01

I am still waiting on the Lowes ad. My husband wants a tool chest.

Anything from Hot Topic, and Pop dolls.

We have a big Christmas Eve party with lunchmeat trays and party snacks. So on Christmas Day we make leftover pizza. We get pizza crusts and sauce and use the leftovers for toppings, like veggies from the vegetable tray, ham, pepperoni, shrimp, and anything else we feel like experimenting with.

I try to every year. Sometimes my boss lets me and sometimes not. This year she did!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/11/06/toys-r-us-30-hour-spree-defies-backlash-being-open-thanksgiving/93288860/ Toys R Us is opening at 5pm on Thanksgiving.

https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/new-nintendo-3ds-system-available-for-under-100-msrp-on-black-friday My friend is looking for a 3ds for his son, so this is exciting news.

We are starting to have a bird theme. We didn't really mean to at first, just randomly picked up ornaments and decorations that we liked that happened to be birds. Then one day we noticed how many birds we had and started looking for a few more every year.

I keep looking, too. I wonder if they are holding off because of the election tomorrow.

I am thinking of replacing our pots and pans. They are old and pretty beat up.

The Thanksgiving hours have bothered us too, so what we usually do is buy the big popular items online so we don't have to miss dinner, then go out around midnight for smaller items and just to have fun. The crowds and lines aren't too bad that late, and my daughters think it's neat being in the mall in the middle of the night. Although truthfully one of the things I miss about the Friday morning openings is the crowds and lines and chaos. It's very entertaining and satisfying when you have to fight through the chaos to earn that great deal!

Before you buy MS Office, have your son check with his school. Most colleges offer a discount on it since so many classes require it.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/black-fridays-inside-secret-same-deals-every-year-1478008801?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f Some reading material in case anyone is interested.

I bought video games from Target yesterday, but that's it so far.

I just do an excel spreadsheet.I make a column for store name, opening time, item, price, coupons, etc. Then I can sort however I need to, item or opening time or whatever, and go from there.

That sounds fun! Let's see... Plastic ripped off doorbusters early Cart left unattended Child left unattended Police arresting someone Teenagers taking selfies Finding a parking spot up front (or maybe within the 1st 10 rows) Hearing Jingle Bells played in a store Hearing Jingle Bells played on the radio Seeing a deer run into the street

I got mine at Hobby Lobby a few years ago and I love it. It's tall and pretty and has pine cones on it. I don't remember how much I paid for it, but they usually run 50% off sales around the holidays.

Turkey, mashed potatoes, baked mac and cheese, rolls, green beans, sweet potatoes, lots of pies, and canned cranberry sauce. I made fresh sauce last year but nobody ate it. Apparently if it isn't can-shaped and wiggly, they aren't interested lol.

Thanksgiving weekend, unless we decide on a real tree. Then it will be the following weekend.

Target, Kohls, Best Buy, Lowes and Home Depot.

We do jammies every year, too. Makes for great pictures on Christmas morning.

#1 We're in line over there so grab the toaster and hurry up. #2 The ad didn't say there was a limit so BACK OFF! #3 When your mom makes you skip dessert to go shopping

School supplies, tree ornament, or homemade goodies. But try to avoid peanut butter or nuts in case of allergies.

We have a big international grocery store near us so the last couple of years we got foreign candy and snacks. (Japanese pockey, British chocolates, and Mexican sodas are their favorites.) My kids (all teens) love it, especially if the labels are in a foreign language. Novelty socks, jewelry, and anything from Hot Topic also go over well.

I agree, it's just not the same anymore. Black Friday used to be a family girl-bonding thing. It was the only day of the year that my sisters, mom and I could all get away from husbands and kids and just hang out and shop! Now my kids are all teenagers and want boring stuff, the stores are opening earlier and earlier, my mom gets tired quicker these days, and my sisters usually have to work. Oh well, nothing lasts forever I guess. Since I do half of my shopping online now anyway, I am thinking of throwing a laptop party on Wednesday night/ Thursday morning when I know everyone is off work. We can drink wine in our jammies and shop online, all together like we used to.

I try to pay my bills early for a couple of months before BF so I can free up a whole paycheck to shop with.