Kayakmom

AAA has Amex Giftcards for $4.95. Wachovia Bank sells Visa Gift Cards for customers for $1.95. Commerce Bank offers them free to customers. Bank of America does not offer any. You might want to check with your bank or, if you have AAA, head there. The ones at the stores are typically $9.95.

I saw them for $5.99 near the checkout at Walgreens. I looked at them because I was thinking of getting one for my hubby, who loves Wonka candy! They had two different kinds, I think.

I finally caved and went into WalMart yesterday. It was on the way home from a birthday party and I needed flour and sugar for baking and WM is cheaper than the grocery store. Hubby waited in the car with the napping kids and I went in. It was extremely empty for the second to last Sunday before Christmas. There were no crowds to fight and no lines at the four open checkouts. I had to wait behind one person. If this keeps up, WM is going to be in serious trouble. I was in Target on Saturday evening and it was busy, but not as busy as would be expected. I wonder if online shopping is having an impact?

I've used it a few times with no problems. I've never tried it with Toys R Us, though, and I should probably be glad for that. My Sierra Trading Post transaction was perfect. I've been doing business with Sierra for probably about 8 years and have never had a problem at all. I'd hate to see them lose customers because of Google.

I bought the roaster and the Cambridge Bradford 53 pc flatware. My hubby saw me ordering the roaster and asked for new silverware. It seems to have a way of disappearing around here. I think when the little guy cleans his plate, he throws out EVERYTHING. We especially have an issue with spoons. Roasting pan reg 49.99 and flatware reg. 29.99 both delivered for $40.85. Not too bad.

My hubby and the mail lady's hubby LOVED the oatmeal scotchies when I made them last year! I usually do chocolate chip, oatmeal, and peanut butter kisses and then kind of rotate what else I make. Those oatmeal scotchies went over really well, so I may do those again. I think I'll also make some 7 layer bars. Usually I do those from scratch but I have a kit from Costco in the cabinet that comes with the condensed milk and everything, so I think I'll whip that up. I'd better get moving on cookies. They're coming up soon on the agenda, lol. At least they'll be fresh for Christmas!

No matter how "done" I am, I am never truly done until I fall into bed on Christmas eve, lol. I'm really naughty about that, so the past couple years I have deferred shopping until December. It's really not harder for me that way. I did get a few things on Black Friday, but other than that I started on December 4th when we returned from vacation. I have a few gift cards left to buy and stocking stuffers. I'm about 1/2 wrapped and I'm ok with that. I'm used to it by now.

We don't even have our tree up yet and they're already nagging me, lol. They saw some wrapped presents from me and dh (clothes) in my room and were begging to open "just one". My 10 year old told my 5 year old to pretend like they were crying so they could open one and then the 5 year old really did start crying, lmao. The suspense is killing them. They also see all these packages come from Amazon and keep asking if they can open them, lol. Hubby has to swiftly take them off to the garage hiding area. It's a detached garage and we've been keeping the remotes well hidden! When we get our tree up we'll put out the presents to other people (not in our family) and maybe the presents from us that are stacked in my room. Santa presents always come out after they're in bed on Christmas eve.

My 5 year old is getting the most because none of his are really expensive. He had a couple of $30-$40 items, including the Roboreptile. That will be his "big" gift because it's expensive and LARGE, even if I did get a good deal on it. The baby's big gift will be the Roll Around Dinosaur thing that her brothers have been saying for months that she would love. She is getting a few other things, but mostly stuff she'd be needing anyway and then a few small toys. She's 9 months old, so she won't be able to handle opening a lot. The stuff she's getting is more for her brothers' benefit. Santa is bringing her stuff like princess sippy cups, lol. My 10 year old, on the other hand, is getting a laptop. He has a writing disability and this is something I've wanted to get him for a long time and his teachers are very pleased because hopefully it will help him educationally. His other presents consist of some clothes (he needs and I'd have to buy anyway) and a board game, along with some stocking stuffers. I may cave and get him a DS game for his stocking. Oh yeah, I did get them both Cars sheets from Disney and their baby sister is getting them both the Hot Wheels Radar guns that they've been drooling over. She always picks the best presents.

Me too! My hubby was supposed to check because we haven't had new phones in over 18 months (I think that's the deal) but I don't think he got around to it. I don't think the deals are as good for us as for new customers.

I won in Round 4 for the runner up RoboReptile. I ordered it on Tuesday and it is here already with free shipping. I've placed 6 orders within the last 8 days and 4 of them have arrived already. The most recent orders are not here yet. On Tuesday I ordered 34lbs of stainless steel Lodge items with free shipping, lol. I even called in for some price adjustments when a couple of prices went down and the rep was SO nice. Overall, I'm very pleased with Amazon this year.

I actually asked about this in Deal Finder forum a few days ago, but didn't really find any useful information. I know that you can buy the American Express gift cards for $4.95 at AAA. I wanted to buy several, including one for my son's teacher who is in a bit of a bind right now. We will be doing the usual class gift collection and thought that this would be the best thing for her right now. I know that Commerce Bank offers Visa gift cards free for customers and Wachovia offers them for $1.95 for customers. I checked with my bank, Bank of America, and the telephone banking center said they have them at the branches but the branches do not have them. Most of the ones you will find at gas stations and other stores have a $9.95 fee. The other thing to remember with most of these cards (and tell the receivers) is that after 6 months, they start to accrue a monthly fee, typically about $3.50. It's wise to use them within the 6 months to avoid the charge that begins on the first day of the seventh month. Be sure to read the fine print on the specific card that you end up buying.

My ten year old is on his third pair since last year. Let me start by saying that this is a boy who kills shoes and whines and everything hurts his feet. Santa brought him his first pair last year and they were still intact in the spring when grandma replaced them. His second pair (the ones from grandma) were still in reasonable condition, but I bought him a new pair when school started. My ds5 also has them. They rarely actually put the wheels in any more. Ds10 just likes them because they're comfortable and they fit him well. I used to have A LOT of fights getting him to wear his sneakers, but not any more. Ds5 on the other hand is a pain about tying and untying him, so I think Santa will bring him some Merrell Jungle Mocs, lol.

Great list. We have or will have (Santa is bringing some): Ice Age 2 (gift), The Wild, Cars, Over the Hedge, Ant Bully (gift), and Garfield. I would NOT recommend Monster House for small children who are easily spooked. We saw it at the movies and my 5 year old liked it, but his friend was all freaked out by it.

I used my debit card through Google Checkout for Sierra Trading Post on Thanksgiving day. It showed on my checking account on 11/27 as CHECKCARD #### GOOGLE *Sierra Trading.google.com/etc. My package arrived on 12/4.

I called on Sunday because a couple of items I had purchased went on sale. The girl happily refunded the difference and even helped me to check current prices on the other items I've purchased recently. I was VERY pleased with the customer service. I had to look on the internet to find the phone number, as it's not on their website. I had to hold only about 5 seconds for a representative. A++ service in my book.

I didn't mean your pic was bad. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. I was just trying to help people who might not know about low light photography. Believe me, I didn't know until I got an expensive camera last year and then had to read and read and read some more. I still don't really know how to use most of the features. The tip I shared with you is one of the few things I *do* know, lol. The pics of the trees with the lights on are so pretty. :)

Beautiful trees everyone! A little tip for those taking pics without the flash... If you don't have a tripod, use something to set the camera on. When you take a picture in the dark, it takes a long shutter speed. If you move even slightly while the shutter is open, it causes blur. Set the camera down on a table or a large box or anything stable and get the shot lined up and then click the shutter very carefully. The less you move, the more clear your pic will be. Hope that helps. :)

Mine are not even for a couple of reasons. The baby (almost 9 months) is not getting nearly as many because she just doesn't need any more junk! I got her a few outfits, a few toys, and I was so desperate to give her "things" for the boys benefit that I bought her sippy cups that she'll be needing soon, lol. Ds10 is getting a laptop, so his other gifts will be a lot more limited. He is also getting some nice outdoor clothes (a Mountain Hardwear jacket and hat, an Arc Teryx sweater, Patagonia undergarments) and a few other small things. Ds5 is getting a mountain of toys, lol. I really need to weed out his room to get ready! Ds10 also goes to his dad's and gets gifts there, so I don't feel bad at all that he has "less" gifts here. The kids think Santa splits his gifts between two places. The little one doesn't have a clue about the value of a dollar. The big one does and knows he makes out like a bandit. He'll be getting a PSP at dad's house along with a bunch of other stuff.

I think so. I haven't gotten any since before Easter, but that name rings a bell.

I use the internet, too, but I'm always trying to remember the number when I'm on my cell. I think I'll program it so that it's handy. On the weekends it's free minutes for me, so it's even better!

Anyone?

My mom and stepfather are super hard to buy for and I bought them both robes, too. When we recently visited (they live 1,200 miles away), my stepfather was wearing the robe and I could tell that he uses it daily. :)

I was thinking about getting some gift cards for nieces and nephews. I know that AAA has the Amex Gift Cards, but they cost $4.95 each. I was searching online and found one bank that issues them free to customers, but they are not very close to my home. I like the idea of gift cards rather than cash. Any suggestions as to where to get them? I noticed that PriceGrabber has the Visa Gift Cards with no fee, but I'm not sure how reliable they are and if they'll get here in time. I have a bunch to buy, so I don't want to spend a lot on fees. Any suggestions?

I just tried it and it said Merrell is not participating in the 1HOLIDAY06 promotion. Weird because I copied and pasted the 2HOLIDAY06 code. I'll try again since it worked on Merrell for you. My ds5 loves jungle mocs. He had a pair with dinosaurs that he wore until he couldn't possibly jam his feet into them any more and then finally succombed to getting rid of them, lol.