teach2nuts

I will be staying home this year. The ads are very disappointing! My mom and I have always went out together but we have already decided to stay home this year. I have a child and have already picked up wonderful deals from Amazon.

Thanks for the shirt Brad! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! Also, liked the extra goodies. I can't wait to wear my new shirt. Thanks again!

Black Friday means staying up and saving money.

Do they fish or hunt? Fishing or hunting gear. My 8 year old got a tackle box and some lures last year and he was very excited. Do they have a favorite sports team or Nascar Driver? Some hats or other apparel. My son was eight last year and he was very happy to get a VT hat. Kids don't always have to get a toy to be excited. Gift certificates to a movie and McDonald's or their favorite place to eat. My son does not always get toys from everyone, he gets other things as you can tell and he is very happy. You might not like any of these suggestions and that is okay. Just throwing out ideas! My husband and I have 14 nieces and nephews to buy for. I understand how you feel!!!! Sometimes Christmas is hard.

At my particular school it is expected that we give some type of goody bag at Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and an End of the Year treat. Classes sizes vary each year from 15-21 students. I always buy the seasonal cups and fill those with pencils and treats. This runs into a lot of money throughout the year. Any suggestions on cheaper gifts for the kids? Thank you!!

I agree that gift cards are nice so we can purchase supplies needed for the classroom. I have been teaching for 18 years and I do appreciate mugs and dish towels. However, over my tenure as a teacher I have probably received 50 mugs and probably that many dish towels, figurines and ornaments. Please don't misinterpret this post, I am very thankful for the gifts. I am easy to please, give me post-it-notes, paperclips, scotch tape, treats to help with the goody bags we give to the children at each holiday ( a bag of smarties or tootsie rolls). You would be surprised at the little things we are thankful for.

I am a teacher and seldom receive gifts. I received a clipboard, some pencils and a tablet one year that said teacher. I was ecstatic!! Something very simple such as a little basket of paperclips, pens, pencils, post-it notes and white-out would make me very happy. Teachers spend so much of their own money each year and small items such as those I listed help out a lot in the classroom. Some parents think that candles are nice but I am allergic and end up regifting or giving them away. Stay away from candles and scented items as many people are allergic. Gift Cards are always nice.

I have already started shopping thanks to gottadeal. Many presents already wrapped and hidden so they will not be found. I love the rush of getting up early on Black Friday and getting out there with all the people. My mom and I look forward to this day every year!!

My son is 9 and keeps asking for Kung Zhu Pets. I have told him so many times that he is too old for something like this. I am leaning towards games for his game system and whatever else he might be into by Christmas. He is at a hard age. Too little for somethings and too big for others.

My nieces birthday is the first of June. Thanks for all the help!!

I have never purchased an American Girl Doll. This year my neice is asking for Lanie for her birthday. Do any of the American Girl Dolls ever go on sale? Are there any free shipping codes or coupon codes that can be used? Thanks for your help!! I have boys and am accustomed to buying cars, trucks, and video games.

I ordered six sets of the reusable totebags and it charged me $5.99 shipping and handling. I thought when I hit submit order it would take the shipping and handling off my order but it did not. I used the above code and got the discount but not free shipping and handling. I am so aggravated. Sent them an email asking why it charged me $5.99. I do not want the order now!!

I live in a very poor school district where all my gifts from the children are from the Dollar Tree. Personnaly I like the Dollar Tree Items! They have teacher supplies: bulletin board sets, award certificates, pencils, erasers, etc. I am easy to please! Keep in mind the teachers always buy gifts for the children at Christmas. Ask your child's teacher if he/she would be willing to accept a donation towards the gifts. Ask if you could help wrap the children's presents. Volunteering your time is a great present if it does not interfere with your work schedule!!

Love GottaDeal! This is a great website. Saves me alot of moneythrouhgout the year.

I am a teacher and there is a better chance of my catching the flu at school than in the stores. Most people if they have the flu will be too sick for shopping. I have the flu almost every year and I lay in the bed for a week. Use precautions if you are worried. Wipe your shopping cart off with a clorox wipe before rolling it throuhg the store. Use a lot of hand sanitizer. Do not put your hands near your mouth, eyes or nose. I use a lot of precautions because of my job. You can never be too safe. If you do not want to take the time to wipe the cart off make sure you use hand sanitizer after handling the shopping cart. I hope this advice will help any die har shoppers such as myself. I will be out there with you all at 3:00 a.m. I live for this day every year!!!

Simply send a card to school wishing me a Merry Christmas. I am easy to keep happy!!

The Box Car Series. I am a teacher and my kids love listening to these books.

I vow to not be an impulse shopper!! Last year I got so caught up in the excitement that I bought tons of stuff I didn't need. I tried to buy one of eveything on sale and I did not have anyone to give the stuff to. I took almost everything back to the stored for a refund the day after Black Friday. I need help!! I am a Black Friday junkie!!!!

I wanted my son to realize that not every child gets presents for Christmas. At the age of 4 we started doing the "Good Samaritan" shoeboxes for children. My son always picks a boy his age and picks out things he likes and puts them into the box. He has been very creative through the years buying combs, toothpaste, socks, coloring books, crayons, matchbox cars etc. He looks forward to this every year and he is only eight years old. I am hoping we will continue this tradition and it will carryover to his own children one day. :)

I am basing my assumption on school sales. Schools sales were down. Only necessary supplies were bought. I think Christmas sales will also be down. I think kids will go back to the old days of getting 1 or 2 things from Santa rather than a whole tree full of toys. I could possibly be wrong. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Ace Hardware October 4

Black Friday is the one of the greatest days. It really gets me in the spirit of Christmas. I love the rush of the shopping day. Waiting for the Black Friday ads to come out is torture. I get so excited when the first ad is posted. I am addicted to Black Friday.

1. The store that has the best Black Friday was Walmart. The toys were cheap. Leapster were $25.00, Wii games were $15.00, Pajamas were $4.00 a set, Children's bedroom slippers were $4.00, Christmas trees were on sale for $25.00 pre-lighted, DVD's were $3.00-$5.00, High School Musical dolls were $5.00. I am always looking for the children's items that are on sale. My husband and I have 13 nieces and nephews to buy for. 2. Piece of advice. Take your sale papers, circle the items you plan to purchase at each store. Take all papers with you to Walmart and ad match as much as you can. This will help with you with not having as many stores to visit. Find other friends at work or church that love the rush on Black Friday. Divide stores with your friends. Make a list of what you want for example at Kohl's. Have your friend give you a list of what she wants from Walmart. You send your friend to kohls for you and you go to Walmart for you. My friends at work share their list. You keep cell phones handy and make contact with one another and let them know if you were able to make their purchases. Everyone at work helps each other out. I even have friends purchasing Clarks at Belk while I am buying a shopping cart of toys at Walmart for 4 people. Everyone gets what they want and you arfe not running around crazy from store to store. 3.A store can get me to shoe there by having unannounced specials. Many stores will tell you if you are a frequesnt shopper there will be deals every hour on certain items. Also, may stores have good sales throughout the year and always have discounts around every holiday. Many stores can get me to shop there by offering great online specials on Black Friday. I love Black Friday and all the craziness. Live for it every year!!!

Anyone have any idea what the hot toys might be this year for Christmas? I am looking for some idea for my nine year old. He already has the WII and Nintendo DS.:)

You are correct! It does depend of where you live as to how much each school district pays. I have been teaching for 15 years and finally this year reached $30,000.