fluffkin79

Do Menard's rebate still require that you spend them in the same state you earn them? Can I even get the rebate if If the receipt doesn't match my home state?

I wouldn't count on getting to Walmart by midnight if you stop at TRU. TRU tends to be very crowded, and the checkout line takes a while. Are these bags available before BF? It's only $8 less than the normal price. If you think your daughter would love it, you might consider buying it now for $13 and avoiding the hassle on BF. You can always go to TRU after Walmart (and any other stops you might be making) to see if they have any left on BF. If they do, you could repurchase the $4.99 one and return the one you got for full price another time. If it was another store I would suggest getting it before BF, then take your reciept to the store on BF to return/rebuy at a lower price, but I don't think that TRU allows returns on BF. The ad says that this bag is "only at TRU", but maybe another store has something similar?

I couldn't find these on the site before, but they are there now. The 20 packs are now 9.99, BOGO, free shipping.

I say go. Don't count on getting everything on your list (none of the limited quantity stuff), but some of it might still be there. Walmart is probably your best bet, sometimes they have lots of leftovers. I've seen kids PJs, toys, cheap movies, and even some electronic stuff later in the day on Friday. It can be really random. I've seen things sell out in one Walmart within the first hour (or minutes), while the Walmart on the other side of town still has a pallet full 2 days later. Cheap home goods seem to go as fast as hot electronics, but you may find them discarded around the store. I'm guessing it won't be worth your time to go to TRU or Best Buy, but take the ads with you to another store that price matches. If they carry the exact same product you may still get the deal you want. This is a great option if you are looking for movies, games, or toys that every store carries. It needs to be identical, though, no store-exclusive bonus packs.

Hehehe! On the forum page this thread just says "I need your pillow pet." Well, you can't have 'em! They are not 'The World's Greatest Toy' and, yes, they are a bit pricey for pillows. But I'm sure you can find them for less than $20 and I think they are worth it, especially if they are on your kid's list. My kids asked for them last year. DD7 wanted it the most and was disappointed when she thought she didn't get one. (It came from her aunt, who we celebrated with on New Year's). Last Feb. we did a purge (The pillow pets went into storage with a bunch of other toys. The kids earn them back with good deeds) and all 3 kids "bought" their pillow pets, even though there are still plenty of other toys great toys to choose from. They don't get played with much, but they are always on the beds and the kids use them as pillows. The kids are camping out down in the living room right now and the 1 pillow they each brought with is thier pet. They are super soft, sturdy, and great for road trips.

I've found several DS games on clearance lately 7.48 - 9.98 each. These work with the B2G1 sale going on thru 11/5. There were games for other systems too, but I just tried the DS ones. Some titles I found: Monster Jam Pets Hamsterz Superstarz Brain Age 2 Hello Kitty Birthday Adventures Loony Toons Duck Amuk Bolt UP Imagine Babyz Suzuki Super-Bikes: Riding Challenge Dawn of Discovery

A smartphone. One I can use all I want without paying more for service than I do on my current voice-only phone. A pad or tablet of some sort would be nice. I used to talk to other parents at the park, but now they are all busy looking at screens. I might as well get one, too. New beadspead. New flatware set. I'm not sure where mine went, but there aren't many pieces left. Microwave. Mine is on it's last legs. Set of feather pillows. Baking stone. Jewlery. I won't get the tablet. DH and I don't exchange gifts and it is above the limit for family exchanges. I might get myself the microwave and flatware if I find the right deal. I am due for a phone upgrade; if I can find a descent plan DH and I might both get smartphones. So, that leaves feather pillows, a baking stone, and jewlery on my wish list for family - or gift cards so I can go get them. Now I just have to decide - should I ask for gift cards from Kohl's or Target?

I wish I knew! It seems to change every year as the family chages. In the past the one constant has been that DH's Grandma insists everyone spend Christmas Eve night with her, but this year she is talking about going to visit family out of state for Christmas, so who knows what will happen. Christmas Day is spent with DH's family. Thanksgiving is at my sister's this year, then she will come to my house for "Christmas" sometime TBD - based on work schedules and weather it could be anytime between Christmas and New Year's. Since my family is a smaller group (me, sis, dad, and sometimes some cousins), we're able to be flexible. We tend to do all the "in-law" gatherings when they have them, then get together on a differnt day (often New Year's Eve) when we can spend some time without rushing off to other things. Last year things didn't work out so great because I put our family on the side. We went to the big family gathering on Christmas Eve, then to MIL's on Christmas Day. Grandma wanted to see the kids in the morning, so we went over there first thing, right after the kids opened their stockings. Well, the rest of the family didn't get there until hours later. We ended up staying for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By the time we got home my (young) kids were asleep in the car. I wanted to wait till the next morning to have the kids open thier gifts, but DH insisted that they should open them on Christmas. Well, I started passing out the gifts, the (overtired) kids were going nuts, and DH managed to fall asleep on the couch! It was choas and not nearly as fun as it could have been - for me or the kids. I put a lot of work into the holidays - too much work to rush through it in our sleep. This year I know better. We will take Christmas morning for our family (and my sis, if she's in town), but I'm not leaving my house until the kids get a chance to open the gifts.

It never hurts to ask. If Walmart doesn't do it, maybe anther store would. If you adopted the families through a non-profit, mention the name of the group you are working with. No matter where you go you are likely to have to go through a manager. Tell them what you are up to and ask what their best deal is. Call around and compare. You might have better luck online. Maybe you can find a coupon code that could help you save some $$.

My daughter saved for over a year for a DS. She finally got enough on her 8th birthday. We did a lot of research and this is what we decided: DSlite: No. It's older and doesn't have a camera. My daughter didn't already have a camera of her own and it's one of the features she was interested in having. DSiXL: Nah. Her hands are little so I can't see getting her the biggest handheld. DSi: Possiblity. It had everything she wanted and there are a lot of games out for it. My one concern was that the newest games are being made for the 3DS so she might not be able to get the same games her friends are getting. 3DS: Possibility. It had just come down from $250 to $170, putting it in her price range. Being the newest system, this is the one that should last the longest as far as the games that are being produced. I gave my daughter the information and let her decided which way to go. She had tried the 3DS at Target and didn't like the 3D feature - she liked it better turned off. She chose to go with the DSi and use the $20 difference toward games. There are plenty of DSi games out there, and since the system is older there is a good supply of used games as well (I found some at a garage sale for $3!). It may not play the newest games being released, but I honestly think that it was a good choice for her. Even though she takes good care of it, it will probably be broken (dead battery, broken hinges, etc.) before stores stop carrying games and accessories for it. We ordered from Amazon about a month ago. She paid $150, but it was tax-free and they were running a deal that gave here a $30(?) credit. She plans to use the credit for games. The first night she got it she didn't have any games, but she had a bunch of fun playing with the camera and voice features. Now that she has games, she still loves to play with the camera and voice. Our favorite game so far is Super Monkeyball. Our kids are 8, 6, & 4 and they all love it.

Are there any toys out there near the 5.99 mark?

Black Friday, right after my post-shopping nap.

Other than some special buys, Kohl's sales (the ones they are always having) are not too different than their BF sales. I wouldn't be surprised to walk in there on any random day and see the towels you want 40-50% off. If they aren't, then wait a few days.

###LIV Doll 2.48 (75%) ###Transformers Dark of the Moon party supplies .38 - 1.24 (75%) I found invitations/thank you's, goodie bags, table cloths, napkins, rubber bracelets. There were lots of swim goggles, dive sticks, kickboards (1.24), kiddie pools, aqua shoes, etc. 75% off.

DD8: mini car, mini house. Not toys. Real car and house, just child-sized. DD6: real Dora (not sure what she means by that) DS4: a full-size Tansformer robot/car that can walk, talk, and transform itself. Basically, he wants Bumblebee as he is in the movies. If he can't have that, he wants this: http://www.evriholder.com/images/Pepperidge/Goldfish_Container_collage.jpg

I probably use about 3 rolls a year. Of course, that really depends on what the gifts are. My kids are still pretty young and a lot of toys come with big packages. I got a wrapping paper container several years ago. It's one that stands up, is about 18" x 18" at the base, stands about 3.5' tall, holds about 16 rolls, has a place for cards, gift tags, tape, bows, etc, and is always in my closet. I keep holiday, birthday, and general wrapping paper on hand at all times. I've never been able to make a color-coordinated tree look good, so our tree is multicolored and I like to have lots of different wrapping paper under it. Most of of the paper I choose has a red, green, or blue background and I make sure to mix it up when I wrap. I try to use up the dwindling paper from the previous year before buying new. Most of my paper comes from post-holiday clearance or Walgreens (they've done the 3-for-the-price-of-1 deal as long as I have been buying wrapping paper, nomally a couple times per season). I have a seperate roll I use for family gifts. When we go to reletive's houses use a classier-looking paper then the cartoonish ones we use under our tree. When family gets together there are gifts everywhere, and it is easier to find ours if they are all wrapped in the same paper.

I've been debating whether or not to have the discussion with DD8 this year. She not really feeling the magic and has mentioned it in passing a couple time throughout the year. I haven't decided if I should talk to her about it directly in an attempt to keep the magic alive for the younger ones, or just let it go and see what happens. My sister attempted to squash the magic out of my holidays at a very young age. I never let my parents in on it. I was dissappointed the year I turned 18 and the magic was completely gone. It was never the kind of magic that would leave you squealing in delight in our house - just a bit of pixie dust to put a smile on your face - but I still missed it.

Cash. So far, at both schools we've been to, a room mom sends in a note asking each parent to contribute $5. Then she will put it all together and buy one bigger gift for the teacher (usually gift cards and some small trinket). The gift comes from "The Class" so no child is individually recognized or left out. My kids are young. They know that I contribute to the class gift fund, but they like to give their teacher something they participate in so I do have my kids give the teacher a little something extra, too. Last year one child gave her teacher 100 pencils. My DD had a habit of "losing" her pencil and her teacher was constantly giving her new ones - it only seemed fair for me to replenish the teacher's stock. This year the kids each picked up a little something that goes with the theme of their classrooms. One classroom is decorated with Disney stuff and so we chose a pointer that looks like Mickey's gloved hand. The other classroom has a monkey theme (and my kids love those super-long erasers from Staples) so we picked up a monkey-shaped eraser for the teacher. One year I made gift bags from coupon & clearance items: BBW hand soap and good-smelling hand sanitizer, lotion, chapstick, candles, cookies, and a homemade ornament from the kiddos. Each year the kids make a homemade card for their teacher.

Good to know, I'll have to go check it out. I got quite a bit when they did this last year. I remember having to sort through a lot of junk, but we got quite a few t's, short, shoes, and kid's clothes for dirt cheap!

I don't much about it as I don't have a smartphone, but I've read that Target has an iPhone app that allows you to use your phone as a price scanner. Here's an article: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20003548-233.html

I'm not sure how long it will last, but my DD8 and her 8-9 year old friends are really into Monster High Dolls. They do come apart fairly easily though, so I'm not sure if it's a good toy in your house. She'd have to put them away so they don't get broken or the little ones don't put small pieces in their mouths. My daughter's whole 3rd grade class is addicted to the "Diary of a Whimpy Kid" books so we might get some of those. I am thinking of giving my DD a guitar (she wants to learn to play an intrument), some music for her MP3, a movie (Alice in Wonderland?), a game(Cranium?), and maybe some craft stuff (bracelet making kit?). My kids also love Legos but then, again, there are lots of small pieces. What does your DS5 like? Is there a sport he likes? Maybe he would like a football (or scoccer ball, baseball, basketball, etc.) and/or a jersey. Does he have his share of cars, planes, trains, and dinosaurs? My DS just turned 5. He said that he wanted transformers for his birthday. He got some, but he hasn't even played with them yet. The gifts he was most excited about were more trains and track for his existing Thomas set, the "baby dinos" (Playskool Kota and Pals Hatchling, he already had one and was thrilled to get 2 more), and - most of all - a plastic Toy Story snack bowl and water bottle set (his sister got a princess one for snack at school and he wanted one soooo bad). For Christmas he'll probably be getting a Shake 'n Go raceway and cars, more parts of Chuck's Stunt Park, a Gears! Gears! Gears! set, and a movie (Up?). How about learning games for your twins? If you already have some electronic devices they love (Leapster, V.Reader, any game system) get them some new games. Or go low-tech. My kids like playing a ABC bingo game we got at Walmart for about $4. On the list for my DD6 this year is Dora Links (and accessories), an American Girl mini-doll ($20) and book, game (Sequence for Kids), movie, and a craft (Build a Bear make-and-take?). DS2: a big, chunky dumptruck or firetruck. Building blocks. DD1: a ball popper toy, a stuffed animal. If you think they already have too many toys, buy a family pass to a children's museum or zoo, spend the night (or just the afternoon) at a water park hotel, go to a performance (circus, Disney on Ice, etc.), or take them somewhere else they would have a good time (Chuck E. Cheese, bowling, somewhere with bounce houses, etc.)

Do you have a ball popper toy yet? I never met a baby that didn't love it. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002B555QQ/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002B555RU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0XXWTD5V23DZY05TEVG5 Membership to a zoo or children's museum Diapers Or just continume to tell them that while it isn't as much fun for the giver, baby really needs college fund contributions.

I'm not fond of "Shop While You Wait". I want to go to several stores and if they all choose 2 starting times for thier sales it just makes it harder to do my rounds. Didn't TRU have 2 starting times last year, too? I'm not liking the trend. I don't want to wait at the same store twice in one day. It just forces me to make choices, or PM at another store so I don't have to go both times. Whatever Walmart does, they need to do it well. If a sale is supposed to start at 12 (or 5), then start it at that time. I don't want to show up for cheap PJs, games, or movies at 11:00 just to find out that they opened the pallet at 9:00 and everything is already gone. Worse yet, I don't want to be caught in a free-for-all when they do open a pallet, or when another customer creates a rush with a "false start". Maybe for the palleted items they can create lines, only let a few customers look at a time, and limit the quantities? Or skip the pallets and set it up like a cigarette counter - create a line, have items on display, customer indicates what items s/he wants, employee hands them over. It seems a bit extreme for $5 video games, but it could prevent injuries. Oh, and please remove the ropes when they are no longer needed. When I got to Walmart last year (6am?) it was a busy as a normal Tuesday. There weren't any ropes, but when I started for the back-right of the store the employees stopped me and directed me to the left, where I was then directed to the back, then allowed to go to the right. Seriously? What about those people who really just want to get to the grocery section? Kinda crazy!

Last year I brought my own cloth shopping bag and it worked great! Especially at Target. I got there about 30 minutes after opening and you could barely move a body in the store, a cart would have been impossible. I was getting a bunch of small items that would have been tricky to hold onto without dropping, but my handy-dandy shopping bag worked wonders. I had another store's ad in my bag to PM a video game. Since I was PMing I HAD to check out at customer service, which saved me about an hour in line. I actually got the idea from GD. There was some discussion about whether putting stuff in your personal shopping bag would attract scrutiny from security. I don't know if security was watching me and my bag or not, but if they were I didn't see them and nobody said anything to me. I didn't think it would be a problem as long as I used an open-topped shopping bag. Shoving items in your purse might be a different matter!

PJ's on Christmas Eve something they want something they need something to wear something to read (sometimes I fudge this one and do a puzzle or a board game instead) 1 gift from Santa, and Santa fills their stockings LOVE IT! As for us, we are in a better position this year (its hard to be worse than last year - zero income!), but I still try to not go overboard with gifts. We finally have a good system in place to eliminate clutter in our home and I never want to go back! We do this: PJs on Christmas Eve. 1 "Big" gift each from Mom & Dad ("Big" is relative. I've seen other posts where our "Big" is someone else's "Filler" or "Little"). Each of our 3 kids get a small gift for the other 2. Santa generally bring a game and fills the stockings. Clothes as needed. Then they get unneccessary clutter from the extended family!