Tara3117

Will they take the 10% moving coupon on BF? We just moved and we have literally 5 of them! I just checked the back and they say "Coupon cannot be used in conjunction with any other coupon or discount." Do they mean discount like the military discount or discount like "This is the best sale you're ever going to get so don't be greedy" discount. We need a washer/dryer and every penny counts.

So the one thing that I really want to shop for (new bathroom decorations) is not an early bird deal. I don't think I'll make Kohl's my priority this year, unless someone's wish list makes it one. As much as I try to plan for BF, I really never know what I'm doing until I see what my family asks for and they're never good about getting that to me early!

HA! So true! None of the ads that have been leaked yet are stores I would normally shop at on BF, so I'm sitting tight. I have high hopes for an awesome washer/dryer combo for cheap. :)

I just saw on the news this morning that Macy's and Target are doing midnight openings. I've never done a midnight opening, but I'm willing to try! Maybe I can be back in bed by 6am! :)

I would say that it scans about half the time. If they can't scan it, they can always enter the number or look you up another way (phone number, etc). The biggest problem I had was at AC Moore, because I seemed to not have been in their system (although that might have been cashier error). I think as more people use these apps, stores are getting better at accepting them.

Me too! It's my favorite app of all time.

DH and I are moving into our first "real" house this month. We want to send a photo Christmas card this year announcing our new address. What sites do you use to design your Christmas cards? There are so many to pick from!

I've always wanted to string popcorn and cranberries! Maybe you could make a gingerbread house. You can also do things outside the house - go to holiday fairs, paint some holiday themed pottery, go ice skating. I think Tinkrbel is talking about Elf on a Shelf. My friends all do this with their kids. You buy him at Hallmark and then set him up in random positions - at the computer, eating cookies, climbing up a chair - and he's supposed to report back to Santa how the kids are behaving. I like the idea of decorating her room. You should definitely take your son up on his offer to spend the holidays with them.

See if you can hide them at a friend's house. I keep some gifts for my friends' kids at my place every year. They bring them over right from the mall so their kids never have a chance to snoop.

Reusable shopping bags! We used trash bags one year at Kohl's so we didn't need a cart, but they got pretty ratty by the time we got to the checkout. Bring a buddy. I really don't think you can be successful if you're alone. BF is a team sport. If you get to a store and there's a long line, get in it immediately and take shifts running around the store getting your stuff. The line at some of the big stores, like Target, Best Buy and Kohl's, can get crazy long. Don't wear a coat into the stores. If you're waiting in line in the cold, have one of your friends run them to the car when the store opens. If you have a smartphone, download all the stores' apps. The best is that a lot of them have price scanners built in so you can find out the price immediately. You can also do your own price checking if you see something you weren't expecting to buy. This came in really handy last year. Also, you can shop the online deals while waiting in line. Honestly, the best thing you can bring is a good attitude. Make friends with the people in line and laugh off as much as possible. You're all in this together.

DH and I did a lot of Amazon shopping from our smartphones while waiting in line. We actually overslept this year and ended up waiting in longer lines than we thought we would. We really used our phones a lot - ordering online, checking lists from our families, using different store's apps. It was actually kind of awesome!

We won't be cutting back on Christmas gifts this year. I put $30 into a Christmas club from each paycheck, so we have a designated Christmas budget. We always go over, but that's okay. The Christmas club will cover about 2/3 of our budget and I don't even notice the money missing from my paycheck. If anything, we'll be spending more on BF because we're set to close on our first home in October. We're going to put off the big purchases, like the washer/dryer, until BF. *fingers crossed*

I haven't tried emailing yet, but I will. They told us we could return the gift card but 1.) we already spent it and 2.) it's not worth losing the $10 gift card for the sake of the $1.85 they wouldn't give us back. It's just kind of the principle of the thing.

My husband went back last night and fought with them for a half hour. He even called Guest Services. They showed him the screen and there wasn't even a manager override button. If our gift recipients try to return their gifts using the gift receipts, they're not going to get full value back. It's such a scam for a stupid $10 gift card. This is the last year I fall for that "bargain."

Has anyone else had issues returning things you bought on Black Friday to Target? Target had a deal where you got a $10 gift card if you spent over $100. I spend about $180. I need to return one $35 thing that we thought was on sale but wasn't. They won't give us full value because we got the gift card. They're prorating the $10 gift card among all the items we bought. It's frustrating because even without this item, we still would have eligible for the gift card. Even with the gift receipt, we can't get full price and without a receipt at all, we get even less. Has anyone else had this experience? I feel like I'm being punished for a scam I'm not trying to pull!

I got the Sony S370 for my parents. It was on sale everywhere for $99. Of the reviews I read, it seems that it does everything well except stream Netflix, which isn't an issue for my parents.

I went a few years ago and it wasn't great. There were some raffles and stuff, but there wasn't any special sale going on. We'll probably go this year just because, but I'm not expecting much out of it.

Wait, so they want me to get out of bed early on Thanksgiving for a 1 page ad? Really?

Me too! Who can we bring this matter to?

My family does a gift card swap. I'm covering a paint can, filling it with Hershey Kisses and tucking the gift card inside. The instructions are here: http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/09/diy-wednesdays-covered-paint-can.html

I'm really torn now that they've announced that there will be doorbusters. I had been hitting up Kohl's first every year and Target at the end of the day, but I might need to switch that up. I still don't know what I'm buying people, but it's looking like Target might be where it's at.

Yep, I included it in the text of my message. just click "share" and it should take you right too it.

I just found this cool wreath idea that I thought I'd share. I haven't tried it yet but it seems easy enough. I might take a stab at it in January when the ornaments are on clearance. http://www.designspongeonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Emily-thirtyeight20-technicolorwreath1.jpg

Target doesn't usually do Doorbusters, do they? I thought their sale usually ran for two days. I usually hit Target last because there's no time pressure. Of course, if the open at 4 AND have time-sensitive deals, I'm going to be in trouble!

I have a Christmas Club too. $30 from every paycheck goes in (direct deposit so I don't even see it) and then I have about $780 to spend. I usually try to get it to cover all the Christmas decorating and the cost of Christmas dinner, but that doesn't always happen. (Why yes, I don't have children.) When I budget by person, I try to be really fair. $30 on each of the "nieces" (my friends' kids - 6 little girls ages 4 to newborn). We do $25 gift card swaps with our extended families, and then just our parents and siblings. Since I start out with a limit in mind, I just divide it among the family I have to shop for. "Can I afford to spend $60 this year on all 4 parents? No? How about $50?" I just play with it until it comes out right. To your other question, if I get a $25 item on sale for $10, I call it $10. If I'm trying to spend $25 on the person, I look for another gift that I can spend $15 on. That way they get the benefit of the sale. My family knows that I spend the same on everyone so I don't think anyone feels slighted if I got a better deal on one person's gift than another. I don't know what my in-laws think about it, but, since it's coming from me, I'm sure the answer is "not highly".