trbarginhunter

Santas--in all forms, St Nicholas, Father Christmas, etc. Figurines, paper decor, door holders, towels, dishes, cookie jars, statues....lots and lots of Santas. Snowmen, variety of materials, but mostly smaller than the Santas...it's the only way we do snow (I live in Southern California). DH says no more Christmas decor--the garage loft is overflowing. Hmmm well, we'll see about that!

I was at Big Lots yesterday and got Paper Bouquet paper paks for $1 each...and just the right shade of blue, too. They also had a lot of brads, ribbons, Rob and Bob stuff, and a variety of stickers.

Hmm, I'm too far to get the coupons to you by Tuesday as well. You might want to call them and see if they will give you the discount anyway under the circumstances..it's 10% off standard weekly rates, must keep the car 6 days. By any chance does the hospital have any ideas for a discount, sometimes the rent a car places offer discounts to local hospitals, employee groups, etc maybe they can help you? Or you might call a hotel in your area and see if they have any of those "coupon stands" aka local information stands with a coupon in it...even the smaller hotels/motels seem to have them...

You could try this link: http://www.comparisontravel.com/Untitled/Enterprise/enterprisenewjan07.shtml?OVRAW=enterprise%20rent%20a%20car%20coupon&OVKEY=enterprise%20rent%20a%20car%20coupon&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=1340521022&OVKWID=50021545022 which should get you an upgrade at least, which might make it easier with the wheelchair, etc.

Do you have an Entertainment book? I saved a bunch of money using the Entertainment book coupons on our last vacation!

Thanks for the rolling pin/playdoh idea, another Christmas gift purchased!

Thanks, great items for myself and for DD for Christmas! I might have to order some more, didn't think of teacher gifts :-(

I love my original Cricut, it suits my needs perfectly---just the right size for me. The bundle is a great deal, too! If you already have the Cricut, Doodletype will be avaliable for purchase soon, so will a Paper Dolls cartridge that looks wonderful. I've got that and the Design software on my Christmas list, but I will likely order it myself--I know where to get the bargins, DH doesn't.....

I went to Target here in Tustin (Orange County CA) this morning and picked up Glad containers, wrap n seal, Andes candy for Thanksgiving, a big bag of 30 lunch size bags of chips for $3.50, Betty Crocker fruit roll ups in Halloween wrap for half off, Bounty paper towels (also half off). I'm pretty well stocked up on lunch snacks for a while....oh and baking sprinkles were down to 25 cents. They also had the silcone cupcake forms for half off--I already have a set, but that's a great deal. The cupcake/muffin pan with cover was also half off--I didn't need any so I didn't buy one, but it's a full size pan with a snap on cover, the only thing "Halloween" about it was the orange cardboard insert. Dollar Spot was 75% off, I may drop by and see if I can pick up a rolling pin and some Halloween packaged playdoh, sounds like a great gift idea for the preshooler next door.

Depending on where you live, the Scholastic Warehouse Sale can't be beat--they do a couple of different sales a year, including 50% off nearly everything in the warehouse. You can sign up for email notices on their website ww.scholastic.com/bookfairs/events/warehouse/ Don't forget to sign up for the fastpass, it makes it easier to get into the store, and usually has a coupon on it. They are not at all particular about who gets in, I just signed up as a volunteer years ago, and they still send the emails. They have a lot of catagories to choose from to sign up, so go for it. Just remember it is a warehouse--the one near me (California) is dusty and it can take a while to go through the whole thing, mostly because I look at EVERYTHING. They even have all those crazy toy type items from the school bookfairs, often at more than half off. I have also found good deals on American Girl kits and the Klutz craft kits, too. Good books for adults (cookbooks, container gardening, etc) are often around as well. I do a lot of my Christmas and teacher gift shopping there. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving weekend....I'd DH to bring the boxes down sooner, but I don't have anywhere to put them all until the guests leave :-)

DD really liked her iQuest, but I suppose it depends on the subject. We haven't used a flypen so I don't have an exact comparison. HTH Tommya

Check for Wranglers...they are cut slimmer than many other brands. Also I think Lands End sells boys slims--but they can be expensive. Good Luck!

We were guests at a wedding this weekend, and I loved the favors, so I thought I would pass along the idea...they did small origami boxes in the color of the wedding (brown) with Jordan Almonds inside. The boxes were tied with white ribbon edged in gold and had a tag with the monogram and names of the bride and groom. My DD makes those boxes all the time, and they are easy, fast and inexpensive. She uses cardstock or scrapbooking paper--remember that a bone folder will make the cardstock fold easier (it scores the fold before you make it. You can goggle for directions, they really are easy to do, and you can fill the boxes with whatever you prefer. These boxes were about 2" square and have 7 almonds in them (tradition calls for an odd number of almonds. I don't know why, but I know the great Aunts would have a fit with an even number in the box :-)

I posted this in offline bargins, but I thought I'd post here, too--Jessica McClintock is having an outlet sale, check their website for detailed location information (www.jessicamcclintock.com) Spring dresses $20, Fall an extra 25% off (turns out about half off retail) There is some additional discount on Bridal Gowns in Montclair, CA as well. There was a bridal party getting dresses when DD and I were there this morning--4 dresses were $70 (buy 2, get 1 for $10). What a great deal!

Or get her the Curly Girl book and learn to love those curls! It only took me 40 years or so, but DD has caught on a lot faster! I did buy a flat iron, Conair at Target, it works pretty well if I want to go straight for a day...or a few hours. Although we live in Southern Calif with very low humidity as a rule it doesn't take much to get my hair curling again :-)

Our local Michael's has their ornaments in stock now. If you start now and use the 40% off coupons (see if a friend or neighbor has some they aren't using) you should be all set in a couple of weeks :-) I also have done the glass ornaments with the paint, be sure to allow plenty of time for the paint to dry. I also have one a cousin made for DD when she was born, it's filled with pink gift basket filler and the "paint" is sharpie marker. If this is the first year, do a set with blue for the boys, pink for the girls with their name and birthdate---great even if they weren't all born this year! Good Luck!

You might want to check with an inexpensive magazine subscription...I forget how to access them, check in the online forum...they can be really inexpensive!

Depending on the quality she is looking for, Oriental Trading has some in their wedding section.

I think this is wonderful...I would tend to keep it a secret even from my kids, just so the word doesn't get around and cause any problems. I've done the gift certs (in advance so they can be used for shopping) and food basket with an additional gift cert for the perishable items. Check Target clearance, CVS, etc for those small stocking stuffer items (I just bought some school supplies at 90% at CVS--and you know the boys will need more of those items by Christmas). I think you are wonderful for thinking of this! Have fun with it!

Fake. There is no good way to keep a real tree alive that long in Southern California. This way I can have it up a really long time (Thanksgiving till Jan 2) without it drying out and becoming a fire hazard. And it makes it easier for DH and DD's allergies :-)

See if your town is near a Scholastic warehouse, they have great sales! Check on www.scholastic.com everyone is welcome and you can get a lot of books for about half price (new). These are the people who do the bookfairs at the schools....

Great List, Thanks!

Check for outlet stores near you as well. Jessica McClintock has a couple, both in CA--there are GREAT deals there. A friend bought her wedding dress for about $30 and it was gorgeous. I just bought a formal for DD--total price was $13. If you sign up for the email list they will email you special sales. Without the special sales, the formals (not the wedding gowns) run about $50...still better than full price.