leefamily23

The joy is the mini version essentially. Really for small projects. The maker does everything and anything. It can cut more mediums. The Explore Air is the middle of the road version. I have the Explore Air 2. Personally, there’s nothing I’d make i need more for. It cuts the heat vinyl, regular vinyl. Paper. The easy press it the iron for the heat transfer vinyl. I have an actual heat press and I find I still usually just pull out my own traditional iron. So, the use for one is really dependent on volume of iron on projects. Accessory wise- weeding tools and the grip boards.

I picked up 3 DC Hero Barbie type dolls on Amazon this afternoon. Not sure if they were "Black Friday" sale items but they said "sale" and they were nearly 50% off what everyone else wanted for them. Went out around 8:30pm. Nobody in our group really had any must have's just more went to a few stores to see what was left. Started at Bonton, got the $19.99 boots, the memory pillows and comforters. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. No lines to check out, walked right up to a register. Went to Rue 21 because we actually went to see if Maurices was open (it wasn't) and it's right next door. Did pretty well there. Ended up with 3 pairs of jeans and 2 shirts for $52 (I love their jeans and the ones I bought 2 years ago are still in great condition-- which is surprising for cheap clothing). Funny enough, Rue 21 had the longest line we waited in :-). Went to Target, got a decent parking spot without much effort. Though it was close to 10:15 by this time. Long shot but checked to see if they had any of the beats left. Ours did have a ton of the earbud one's left but none of the headphones. Ended up with more boots and comforters, lol. Only had to wait about 3 minutes to get to a register. Ended at Walmart and it was deader then can be. It was about 11pm. I've seen 11pm on an average Friday night be busier. We got NOTHING. There was tons of stuff left Including those darn recliners they had (this is ironic because just a few days ago I bought the Serta massage recliner they had for $239) because I thought there was no way I was getting the one on sale knowing we wouldn't get there until late. I'm assuming the $99 Lenovo (?) tablet was not a big seller because they must of had several hundred of these still sitting there. I almost grabbed one but no real need for it. Anyway, they did have no lines you could walk right up and check out. For us, Black Friday is just gone. It's not the same as when we used to leave around 2am and wait for the stores to open and make a day of it. I do miss all that strategy and the rush of getting those doorbusters at the first store we'd go to.

Thank you so much, you don't know how much I needed some of that!!! It brought tears to my eyes to know that someone understood.

So, first I am blessed and I know it. However, I am so sad and I'm trying really hard not to have a pity party. I have 1 child, he's my "baby" in spite of the fact that he's almost 24 years old. He moved out several years ago, but he still came home on Christmas Eve and spent the night and we continued our Christmas morning tradition of opening gifts like we did when he was growing up. Last year his gf (he's been with for quite a few years and an engagement should be on tap sometime in 2017) came first thing in the morning too and we opened gifts all together, he still spent the night as they don't live together. It was even more special because we just adore her and she's really the daughter we didn't have to us. It only made it better to have her with us to celebrate. This year she has to work on Christmas a really odd shift that means she can't come over. My son kinda would like to move our "Christmas Morning" to another time and open gifts then all together again. Which in theory is great. I am sad about it though. It will be the first Christmas I don't potentially see my son on Christmas morning. On top of it because she has to work Christmas, they will only be making a brief visit to our larger family get together on Christmas Eve (it's the only whole family gathering we do over the holidays) because she needs to see her family too. Typically they spend Christmas Eve with us and then Christmas afternoon/evening with her family. Now, I get she needs to see her family and she told him they could each just go to their families and she did mean it. However, he wants to spend time with her too--- which I get that as well-- so he doesn't want to separate for the day. My son did tell me he could still come spend the night on Christmas Eve because he wasn't doing anything else Christmas morning anyway and we could just open a few gifts. Which is a possibility but idk why it seems awkward. Then the thought of him waking up on Christmas morning to no lit tree, gifts and family made me even more sad. I know he's not a little kid but this thought breaks my heart as well. My husband told me to try to think of this as we get to start a new tradition and we can kinda claim on non-Christmas day to celebrate. Then when the grandbabies come we will already kinda have another tradition going that doesn't interfere with the holiday. My son is taking a state job with the correction system starting after the new year so he'll probably have to work quite a few Christmas's coming up anyhow. So, I guess it was inevitable. I am curious how others celebrate the holiday's with their adult children? Ya know, I think if he were married and doing a Christmas morning thing in his own home with his wife/kids I'd feel differently. I'd be more okay with this whole transition. I don't know if I'm more upset that he won't be here or that he won't really have that exciting Christmas morning like we always had.

Once dh, my sister and I were first in line. It had to be a good 14-15 years ago. It was for Ames. They had the scratch off cards for the first so many people through the doors and you could get up to 50% off (we all got like 10% off, lol). I believe the opening was like 5 or 6am, I know we got there around 4am. It was so cold and snowy. To make it worse, we didn't get anything. We solely went to see if we could score a 50% off card to shop with.

It hasn't been the same for me pretty much since it is no longer "Friday". I used to love the 4am openings and spending all day shopping. Once they started moving towards to midnight openings I struggled with being able to stay awake to shop after a busy holiday. It started feeling like a task and was no longer "fun". We did go last year to just a few stores from 8-11pm and that wasn't half bad but nothing like that rush of being in line before opening.

I can't believe these full grown adults are worried over who got more. Sure are not setting a really great example for the kids they are raising. Once I moved out and my younger sister was still home my christmas gifts from my parents were significantly less, I didn't think twice about it.

Started Wednesday. Hit up the 50% off sale on city chic! using a $120 gift card I purchased for $43 on living social. That was a huge score. Also hit up Lane Bryant. Stayed up (east coast) waiting on JCPenneys to go live, got the jeans I was looking for. Went out about 7:30 tonight and hit BonTon, Target, Dicks and Kmart. In and out at each store. Not crowded at all, never more than 2 minutes in line. Got close parking spots and everything we were after.

I don't put much stock in that list, there's not a single city in NY (mostly NYC) on there. Not saying it has to be NY but it's too populated an area to think it wouldn't make a legit list.

I agree with others who said it's about what works for your family. It sounds like your all still enjoying the holiday together in what is your traditional way and that's awesome. Not Thanksgiving, but for Christmas my family celebrates the Saturday before the holiday. There are so many extended family and gatherings to go too that we found this allows us quality time with my parents, siblings and their families. BF used to be the one day a year my sister and I spent alone together. Leaving around 3am and shopping well into the afternoon. I miss it.

Waiting patiently on this one. Any word on if they will open Thursday or Friday?

Anyone know what deal the outlet does. I went 4th of July got 70% off! then another 20%. Wondering if they do something similar for Black Friday.

I guess I technically never went 100% alone. For about 15-16 years I went with my sister. I miss those days. Once the openings moved to late Thursday, I no longer went then but she did. I now go still around 4am Friday. Dh takes me but only goes in some places like Walmart (the last few years it's dead in there and we still get bargains). At the mall, he will drop me off at one end and pick me up at the other but he doesn't go in. Back in the day he used to go with my sister and I too. He'd drop us off at the door, fight for parking, then fight for a cart and go stay in a designated area at places like Walmart and Target. Then my sister and I'd run for items. I will say again, I miss the old days of Black Friday.

I'm shocked, there are no really great deals in this ad. I'm thinking maybe a secret sale??.

We are cash only for the holidays. I'll use my debit card but not actual credit cards. So, while I don't make a budget per se, only have the cash I have in the checking account. We also won't touch savings for gifts either.

I started in September, I'm not sure how far I'm yet. I haven't really looked over my budget. I have a small list of people I buy for. So I've been picking up clearance deals for my son and his girlfriend.

We used to do an ornament with a small gift card. Thinking back, they probably had more ornaments then they needed though. I try to always stay away from all food purchased or homemade. I'm allergic to protein in milk, so I think it makes me extra sensitive that many people have food allergies and most don't know that about them.

I'm about 97% done shopping. Aside from 1 gift card, I could be done but I know there are some other things I will pick up. I have everything I've bought this far wrapped. Took me all day Sunday but I'm glad to have that done since its the bulk of it.

When ds was younger the majority of everything was from Santa. A few were from us. Now that he's older everything just says from Santa. Up until last year the gifts never went out until he went to sleep and he was 20. Even as a teenager he still wanted the magic of waking up and seeing the gifts for the first time. We wrap everything including stocking stuffers.

My whole house is most excited for the laptop we got Ds's girlfriend. She will not be expecting it as she's currently using our old computer we gave her. She's never owned a new one.

My mother, she really hates them. SO, last year ny husband and bil decorated her vehicle with one.

We are very organized. Though I admit I am a little OCD about stuff like that, digging in would drive me crazy. Though dh's family does that. Like another poster, even though my son is now 21, I still wait until he goes to bed to put the gifts out. There is a pile for each of us. Then ds opens a few, then hubby and I take a turn. When he was younger there was special wrapping paper too that was only used for Santa gifts. I really like to make Christmas morning last, so it takes us about 2 hours to open our gifts. I also have to throw the paper out as each gift gets unwrapped.

First time in 20 years I'm not going out at all. However I stayed up last night and waited on some sales. I got a bunch of clothing from Penneys, bearpaws from Dicks and then this morning some hoodies from the Cabelas Thanksgiving sale.

Got all the clothing items I wanted. So far as each store has come up I've been able to get the items.

**Never mind, I found it. This entire sub forum isn't showing in the app. Have to go through a web browser to find it.