dawnelise0004

Didn't get "everything" I wanted but got most of it. Overall it was a great BF experience (due in large part to the planning and Gottadeal)!!! Started off at Kmart on Thanksgiving Day - got there about 6 - was in line for an hour, nothing to crazy or hectic. Came home and did all the Thanksgiving activities. Went to TRU around 9:45pm Thursday night. Our group was like 69-76 in line. Me and 1 other person in my group wanted Zhu Zhu pets, she got a ticket for one and I got a ticket (and my other friend and my aunt each got a ticket for one for me too). I was completely thrilled because I've been trying to find them for months. Already have the funhouse, beds, etc. none of which would do me a bit of good come Christmas morning w/o the pets themselves...lol. We were out of TRU by about 12:30 which was great. The line there to get in had grown to insane proportions by the time the doors opened though - one of the longest BF lines I think I've ever seen. From there went and stood in line to get in Old Navy. Was in line outside freezing my behind off, only for us to be let in the mall at 3 and find out that they weren't going to open the store till 6. There were like 300+ that had waited in line so we got out of there before there was too much craziness. Went to Wal-Mart - they were an unorganized disasterous mess as usual. Some employees were letting people put doorbusters in their carts at like 3:30 am and others were being super strict and would about curse you out if you even looked at a pallet...lol. Every year that store gets more ridiculous on BF - I'm hoping to possibly avoid it entirely next year. Spent the rest of the day shopping at various places and finished up about 8 pm on Friday night. Anyways here is what I got (I think this is all of it - I'm trying to do this from memory): K-Mart Thanksgiving Day Disney Micro Pix Camera (x2) 1 pr. Kids pjs 1 2 pc Toddler Outfit Gator Golf Game Guess Who Game 2 DVDs Essential Home Toaster Oven 2 Pink Snuggies 2 of the $2.99 Fleece Throws 10 of the $0.79 2 Liter Pepsi Products Toys R Us 3 Zhu Zhu Pets Madeline Tea Set Princess Project & Draw Crayola Arts & Crafts Set Little Pet Shop VIP Plush (x3) Scrabble Slam Littlest Pet Shop Go Fish Pink Leapster Little Tikes Handiworker Workhorse Kawasaki Powerwheel Mr. Potato Head Jumbo Set Moonsand Treasure Kingdom Wal-Mart Pyrex Casserole Dish $4 Mini Chopper Leapster Games (x4) – Price Matched Target Crayola Color Me a Song – Price Matched AC Moore Several of the $3 PJ Sets 1 of the $3 Track Suits Belkin Wireless Router Rubbermaid 30 pc. Set Hotwheels 10 Car Pack Elefun Game Several $2 DVDs Cars Table & Chairs Set Cars Comforter Set K-Mart Black Friday DVDs Mens T-Shirt Bath & Body Works 3 for $10 Handsoaps (not a BF deal but just being detailed…lol) Buy 3 Get 3 Free of the Lotions, etc. 2 of the Reindeer Wallflowers things (free w/ coupons) 2 Wallflowers refills for $5 each Yankee Candle 4 Large Jars (had the buy 2 get 2 coupon) Gymboree Red Moose Fleece Outfit ($9/$9) Couple things off the sale rack + 25% off Aeropostale Pajama Set Slippers 2 short sleeved shirts 2 long sleeved shirts 1 Mens L/S shirts Aero bracelet Old Navy 3 Men’s graphic tees ($5 each) 1 pr. Toddler jeans ($10) 1 pr. Women’s jeans ($15) 2 kids fleece pullovers ($5 each)

I'm in.

I was able to get 2 of the games my DH wanted...thanks for posting :)

ToysRUs, Kmart, and Target would get my $500 ($498.16 was my exact total - but close enough right :) ToysRUs - $351.20 Nextar 2GB Mp3 Player - $17.49 (x3) Li’l Kawasaki Trail Rider Ride On - $59.99 Hot Wheels 10 Car Pack - $4.99 Bandai Pop Pop - $0.99 (x3) Need For Speed Shift Game- $34.99 Halo ODST Game - $34.99 GeoTrax Starter Set - $10.00 Little Tikes Little Handiworker Workhorse - $12.49 Kailan Game Tub - $9.99 Elmo Hideaway Tent - $9.99 Diego Doodle Pro - $9.99 Princess Diaries DVD - $3.49 Littlest Pet Shop VIP Plush - $2.98 (x2) Blues Clues World Travelers DVD - $4.99 Max & Ruby Christmas DVD - $4.99 Barbie Thumbelina DVD - $4.99 Land of the Lost DVD - $9.99 13 Going on 30 DVD - $3.99 Crayola Arts & Crafts Set - $9.99 Crayola Glow Station On the Go - $9.99 Apples to Apples Kids Game - $9.99 My Sims Kingdom DS Game - $9.99 Pets Horse Ranch DS Game - $9.99 Spyro DS Game - $9.99 DS Accessories - $5.00 (x2) Kmart - $39.97 Crayola Color Me a Song - $17.99 Crayola Color Explosion Board - $17.99 Beethoven's Big Break DVD - $3.99 Target - $106.99 Littlest Pet Shop Beach DS Game - $17.00 Playdough 24 Pack - $6.99 Bissell Steam Mop - $50.00 Sandwich Maker - $3.00 Kids & Toddler PJs - $5.00 (x6)

Got my husband's pay Had no sleep since yesterday Move out of my way

Concord Mills? This is one of those things I really want answered but for my own well being maybe I don't want it answered...LOL!

Last year was the hardest on me so far. I was up at 4 or 5 am on Thanksgiving morning and didn't got to sleep till about 10 pm BF night. So that's like 40 something hours straight I guess (math is not my strong point unless it's calculating percentages off...HAHA). I don't think I've ever slept Thanksgiving Day night in all the years I've done BF. I find it wayyyy harder to get up and get motivated after a couple hours sleep than to just stay awake the whole time.

I vow to be nice to other shoppers and to store employees even if they are aren't being nice to me.. I vow to enjoy the experience and time with my friends even if I don't get all the deals I want, because years from now I won't remember the deals but I will remember the funny moments. I vow to find a balance between needs and wants when shopping for my family. I vow to be more organized and less impulsive on Black Friday. I vow to say a prayer for the safety and sanity of all those I know who are out shopping that day.

I'm hoping for good deals on a 32" 720, a netbook, a PSP bundle that actually includes a game that I need to get, a dollhouse (big wooden one), and GeoTrax Timbertown Railway.

We got to Olive Garden every Christmas Eve. It feels very family because it's usually less crowded than usual and everyone is in a festive, good mood - or at least that has been our experience. We started it one year and enjoyed it so much we kept it as a tradition.

I'm "asking" for the following - of course I don't expect to get all of it but have to put some variety in there so I don't exactly what I'm getting till Christmas morning: Paula Dean Cookware Set (w/ the copper bottoms) Pink Ipod Nano Camcorder Yankee Candle candles (various scents) Pink Snuggie Nintendo DS Bundle (the lime green one w/ the cooking thing) Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Duke Blue Devils Purse & Wallet (the strap broke on mine this year and need a replacement) Misc. DVDs New Bedding Set & Pillows

I'm going to try and get him most or all of the stuff on his list: PSP Case for PSP Several PSP games Computer Monitor Wireless Router Wireless Headphones Several XBox 360 games Gift Cards: Movie Theater, Barnes & Nobles, etc. And if there is a good deal on BF and I can get one I'm going to try and suprise him w/ a laptop - but we shall see. We have hardly ever bought for each other in years past and we decided this year we were going to start planning/saving earlier than usually so we could both buy for each other.

I'll post my husband's absolute favorite. His grandparents are Dutch and he used to get this every year at Christmas from his grandmother: Banket Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup butter 1/2 cup water 1 1/2 cups almond paste 2 eggs 3/4 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 pinch salt 1 egg white, beaten Directions: In a large bowl, cut COLD butter into flour until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Make a well in the center, add cold water. Mix together until the mixture forms a ball. Do not overmix. Chill dough. (I find it does best if it chills for at least 1 hour). Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (225 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, blend together almond paste, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, almond extract and salt. Divide dough in 4 parts, and roll into 15 inch strips. Place filling along the center of each long strip of dough. Roll up, and pinch the ends to seal. Place strips 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Brush with egg white, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

Snowmen for my livingroom and anything and everything Gingerbread for my kitchen!!!

Gosh - figuring out exactly which things are in my top 5 is tough (so this list is subject to change...lol) Zhu Zhu Pets 32" LCD TV Nintendo DS PSP Powerwheels of some sort (one of the smaller ones preferrably)

Winston-Salem, NC and possibly Concord, NC

CrystalP I'm the same way about telling people. I was paying my car insurance this morning and started telling my agent about GottaDeal. She's never been BF shopping, but by the time we got done talking she was like, "I think I'll have to go out this year". I think a big draw for people is when they found out they can have some advance notice about what's in the ads. A lot of people I know never shopped BF but once I showed them ads from here several weeks before BF last year, they ended up going out because they could really plan a strategy and get in and get out as quickly as possible. I start thinking about BF in like July...lol.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both about equally 2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial (only cause I put ours up so early) 3. When do you put up the tree? Week before Thanksgiving 4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Christmas 5. Do you like eggnog? Nope 6. Favorite gift received as a child? A baby doll that I named Missy, she still lives at my parents house :) 7. Hardest person to buy for? My mother 8. Easiest person to buy for? My middle daughter 9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes (looked for 3 years to find the one I wanted) 10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Blue lipstick...lol 11. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life 13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Summer 14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep 15. Favorite thing to do at Christmas? Snuggle on the couch with hubby and the kids with the lights off and the tree and garland lit up. 16. Lights on the tree? Yep, white lights 17. Favorite Christmas song? What Child Is This, Mary Did You Know, and O Little Town of Bethlehem are probably my most favorite favorite ones (I loveeee Christmas songs!) 18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay Home 19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Donner (or Donder), Dasher, Vixen, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Prancer, and Rudolph 20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel 21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning, except we open the boxes of pajamas on Christmas Eve so everyone looks cute for Christmas morning pictures. 22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who are scrooges...lol 23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Our tree is decorated with burgandy, gold, bronze, and hunter green, with pinecones and gold snowflakes. 24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Ham 25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Spend time w/ my family and friends - and I wouldn't mind a Wii ... lol.

My daughter is 8 and she is getting: (she is fairly girly girl so not sure how much this will help) 1) Acoustic Guitar 2) Barbies & Barbie Clothes, Etc. 3) Mp3 Player 4) Hannah Montana Bean Bag Chair 5) 1 or 2 Nintendo DS Games 6) My Meebas 7) Hannah Montana Stationary Stuff w/ Binder 8) Password Journal 9) DigiMakeover 10) Pajamas 11) Kaboodle /w Make-up & Nail Polish

It's not something I "personally" would do, but if it makes em' happy I say go for it. I love the waiting in line as long as you get around some fairly social people. I waitedin line for 4 hours to vote last month and met this couple and a young guy and we had a blast just talking and such. For me it was far more entertaining than sitting at home watching TV or doing the dishes...lol. I don't think I would ever line up any earlier than 6pm on Thanksgiving, just because Thanksgiving Dinner is something you simply just don't miss in our family...period. I doubt we have anyone lined up here in Winston-Salem, but maybe by tomorrow night we will have a few. The ONLY way I would ever possibly line up this far in advance is if they were giving away a TV or laptop for FREE for the first X number of customers...lol.

Who knows here, we seems to only get snow when they aren't calling for it...LOL. That I can remember over the last few years the only decent snows we had were things that developed quickly (less than 24 hrs. notice) and they would say we were gonna get an inch but then ended up with quite a few more than that. They are saying it's gonna be a low of like 33 and a high of 56 that day. Other than tornado warnings (our house was hit this year by an F2) I have stopped check weather all together except for the daily stuff - heck they have trouble getting today's weather right so I am sure not going to trust tomorrow's forecast or any further out.

This is my "probable" list - it always changes by one or two things at the last minute or when I actually get in there I see other stuff and pick it up. (and just ignore all the other numbers out to the right - like the $2 movies it says $30 - it's just implying that I'm budgeting to buy 15 max but may not get that many - I just copied and pasted from my word document where I have my master list...lol.) Baby Alive Sip & Slurp Doll - $10.00 8” Digital Picture Frame w/ Clock & Calendar - $39.99 Kung Fu Panda DVD - $9.00 Faded Glory or Athletic Works Jackets for Family - $8.00 each - $16.00 Fleece Seperates for Boys, Girls, & Young Children - $4.00 each – 24.00 Girl’s 2 Pc Pajama Sets (HM, & Hannah Montana) - $4.88 - $10 Hot Wheels 10 Pack of Vehicles - $5.00 Mainstays Cotton Bath Towels - $1.50 each Mainstays Cotton Hand Towels - $1.50 each Nintendo DS Game Assort. - $16.00 each - $32.00 Pixos Bonus Pack - $10.00 Select DVD Movies - $2.00 - $30.00 Kodak Easy Share CD1013 10 MP Camera - $79.99 Vtech Vsmile Pocket Learning System - $25.00 Phillips 2GB Mp3 Player w/ Screen - $29.99

We are doing the midnight opening of the outlet mall in Concord, NC. Shopping there till 3 am, driving halfway back and stopping at Wal-Mart & Kmart (there is a town half way between here and Concord that have a WalMart and Kmart that face each other so we only have to park once there). Then we will drive another 30 min. back to the Winston-Salem area and go to Target, then TRU, and after that probably hit Hanes Mall. All in all it's going to be a blast! As far as what I'm buying - it's mostly toys, but I'm grabbing an Ipod Touch for the hubby and some random stuff like towels (you can never have enough of those) and other things that aren't really gifts but more for daily use around the house that just happen to be really good buys.

See, I knew Walmart would do this to me. I was soooooooo determined not to set foot in there this year. And of course they come out with the mother of all ads...ugh. So looks like I'm going to fight the good fight and be at WalMart on BF.