Tell me all about your Black Friday bargains and steals!
It was a little sad today waking up at a decent hour knowing I missed the crazy sales.. though waking up to a smiling chubby baby face certainly helped!
My favorite find wasn't even for me. I took shopping requests from a friend and ran to Walmart right at 5AM to get her things while she paid for a second cheap digital frame for me at Kohls (good brand digital frames for $30 - got one for each dad's winter birthday!).
I wandered around Walmart looking for a toy she needed (I think it was 60% off). I couldn't find this toy anywhere and thought I was too late. I asked an associate and she confessed that they couldn't find the pallets of them. I found a manager in the garden section outside who was quickly unloading pallets from a truck and I chatted it up with him as he unloaded items. He kept digging until he found the lost toys and brought me the very first one! Patience and a cheerful attitude paid off!
Oh, I also got the last Matchbox transporter at TRU for Babytaffy. I had been looking for them for about six weeks and only TRU carries them. I didn't want to pay $20 for a Matchbox toy but I was able to get it for $9 so I was very excited to get it.
Best of all, none of the stores were very crowded. I was in and out of Kohls in 20 minutes at 4AM and I got all the doorbusters that I wanted. Walmart took awhile just because they needed to find the pallets first and then I had to wait in a line of about a dozen people. I was annoyed they didn't have their dressing rooms open as I wanted a pair of $9 jeans but wasn't going to buy any without trying them on. TRU was empty by the time I got there around 6:30 - no lines at all. I also found two DVDs that I had wanted that people had discarded/hidden in other parts of the store. It truly is the thrill of the hunt!
Toys R Us - my mom bought DS the Laugh and Learn Farm & LNL cookie shape surprise - I had a coupon for $20 off a $100 purchase, but they weren't on "sale" otherwise.
My sister and I hit up the black fri at Target - I got in line at 4 am so we got pretty much everything on our list. She got a great Nikon camera for about $90, we got some deep pocket 700 thread count sheet for $30, I got my niece the barbie scooter for $17, pajamas for $5, digital picture frame for $30, The Office Season 4 for $12, lots of movies for $3 each. Fleece jacket for DS for $7.
I didn't do the early morning thing, but we went later in the afternoon and I got some great Martin + Osa sweaters at 50% off. ?Check a few things off the DH's Christmas list! ?And I may have snagged a few cardigans for mama, too. ?;)
the bug & bee blog
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
I got the Pottery Barn Kids Pink retro kitchen for 20% off. I also had a 10% off coupon to add to the initial discount. Plus, for every $100 you spend at PBK, you get a $20 gift certificate to use after Christmas. So, I was pretty darn happy with my find.
Ali and I went out with my sis and mom . . . some store up here called Home Goods or something like that? Got all my co-worker gifts and two gifts for DH: a mini ping-pong table and a wallet-sized digital picture frame that stores 1000 pictures so that he can take all the pics of Ali he wants with him when he goes on these darn business trips.
(PS - luuurve the new pic of camy! Look at those baby blues!)
Kohl's - got a great deal on a Kitchenaid mixer because my hand-me-down 1960's era Oster Kitchen Center broke beyond repair recently, fleecy pjs for MIL, wireless weather station for FIL, mom got a couple of toys we wanted for the kids: a bathtime baby doll and play food. Was pleasantly surprised that the wait time was a fraction of what it has always been before.
WMT - didn't really find anything but long lines this year, but my mom got an awesome dinosaur toy for C
Target - pjs for niece
TRU - good deal on craft sets for nieces, doctor set for $5 for Rhett that I am saving for his birthday, their clearance clothes were an extra 50% off!! so my mom got the boys some Astros t-shirts for $2-$3
Sears - got Rhett's Cozy Coupe from my grandparents' for $40 with a coupon, got shoes for both Rhett and I really cheap with another coupon, bought toddler shorts for $3.98 to go with some $4 shirts from Children's Place I bought a while back for my nephews
That finishes off my shopping...yay! I didn't feel like there were as many things that caught my eye this year in the ads, but that may have more to do with the fact that I knew I could only get the things we really needed. The only thing not on my initial list that sucked me in was the $5 doctor kit for Rhett, but it really was too good a deal to pass up!
Kimberly, DH Monte, Angel baby 10/06, Angel twin 7/07, Rhett Kaden, our IVF miracle, born 3/23/08, Mason Robert & Wyatt David, our FET miracles, born 8/2/09 at 36 weeks, 3 days Our Blog
I didn't do the early stuff. We (me, mom, sister) got to the first stores around 9:30am.
Hastings (do they have these in Austin??) - Mavericks calendar for my mom's bday for $5.
Best Buy: Ipod touch for SIL (we're going in on it with MIL). We got the ipod, wall charger, 2 skins, and a $15 itunes gift card for only $215. With the exception of the refurbished one, it's the best deal I've seen.
Target: large matted picture frames for photo gifts that we're giving our grandparents, for $12 each. My mom found some great Bose speakers for $99.
Old Navy: Jeans for me (that fit!) for $15, 2 $5 graphic tshirts (for me), a skirt for $12 (for me), an argile sweater for DH for $15, a pullover sweater (for me) for $15. I never intended this trip to be so much for me... but I could not resist the sales.
World Market - nothing... total bust.
Kirklands - I got 2 adorable aprons with their initials on them for my co-workers and an beautiful wall cross for another. Not great sales, but good finds.
I am only looking for gifts for DH's aunt/uncle and my aunt/uncle and I'll be done with Christmas shopping for another year! woohooo.
Re: Let me live vicariously through you...
JcPennys - NB shoes for DH, remote control helicopter for dad, slippers for me, and 2 shirts for Grandma.
Target - Dyson Animal vacuum (my christmas gift) & fleece jacket for DS.
52 Choices For Better Health
I saw your facebook status and wondered how they did.. I can't believe he chickened out! Come on, Jaaaaason!!!
Did you hit any online sales instead?
Oh, and did you have a chance to check out that Land of Nod catalog? I can't wait for Camy to be old enough for some of that stuff!
The O'Baby Blog
Our Family Blog
My favorite find wasn't even for me. I took shopping requests from a friend and ran to Walmart right at 5AM to get her things while she paid for a second cheap digital frame for me at Kohls (good brand digital frames for $30 - got one for each dad's winter birthday!).
I wandered around Walmart looking for a toy she needed (I think it was 60% off). I couldn't find this toy anywhere and thought I was too late. I asked an associate and she confessed that they couldn't find the pallets of them. I found a manager in the garden section outside who was quickly unloading pallets from a truck and I chatted it up with him as he unloaded items. He kept digging until he found the lost toys and brought me the very first one! Patience and a cheerful attitude paid off!
Oh, I also got the last Matchbox transporter at TRU for Babytaffy. I had been looking for them for about six weeks and only TRU carries them. I didn't want to pay $20 for a Matchbox toy but I was able to get it for $9 so I was very excited to get it.
Best of all, none of the stores were very crowded. I was in and out of Kohls in 20 minutes at 4AM and I got all the doorbusters that I wanted. Walmart took awhile just because they needed to find the pallets first and then I had to wait in a line of about a dozen people. I was annoyed they didn't have their dressing rooms open as I wanted a pair of $9 jeans but wasn't going to buy any without trying them on. TRU was empty by the time I got there around 6:30 - no lines at all. I also found two DVDs that I had wanted that people had discarded/hidden in other parts of the store. It truly is the thrill of the hunt!
Toys R Us - my mom bought DS the Laugh and Learn Farm & LNL cookie shape surprise - I had a coupon for $20 off a $100 purchase, but they weren't on "sale" otherwise.
My sister and I hit up the black fri at Target - I got in line at 4 am so we got pretty much everything on our list. She got a great Nikon camera for about $90, we got some deep pocket 700 thread count sheet for $30, I got my niece the barbie scooter for $17, pajamas for $5, digital picture frame for $30, The Office Season 4 for $12, lots of movies for $3 each. Fleece jacket for DS for $7.
My SIL got the train ball popper for $8 at Walmart.
My parents got us a GPS for about $100.
It was a great Black Friday...I am now 100% done with my Christmas shopping!!!!!
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
Ali and I went out with my sis and mom . . . some store up here called Home Goods or something like that? Got all my co-worker gifts and two gifts for DH: a mini ping-pong table and a wallet-sized digital picture frame that stores 1000 pictures so that he can take all the pics of Ali he wants with him when he goes on these darn business trips.
(PS - luuurve the new pic of camy! Look at those baby blues!)
Kohl's - got a great deal on a Kitchenaid mixer because my hand-me-down 1960's era Oster Kitchen Center broke beyond repair recently, fleecy pjs for MIL, wireless weather station for FIL, mom got a couple of toys we wanted for the kids: a bathtime baby doll and play food. Was pleasantly surprised that the wait time was a fraction of what it has always been before.
WMT - didn't really find anything but long lines this year, but my mom got an awesome dinosaur toy for C
Target - pjs for niece
TRU - good deal on craft sets for nieces, doctor set for $5 for Rhett that I am saving for his birthday, their clearance clothes were an extra 50% off!! so my mom got the boys some Astros t-shirts for $2-$3
Sears - got Rhett's Cozy Coupe from my grandparents' for $40 with a coupon, got shoes for both Rhett and I really cheap with another coupon, bought toddler shorts for $3.98 to go with some $4 shirts from Children's Place I bought a while back for my nephews
That finishes off my shopping...yay! I didn't feel like there were as many things that caught my eye this year in the ads, but that may have more to do with the fact that I knew I could only get the things we really needed. The only thing not on my initial list that sucked me in was the $5 doctor kit for Rhett, but it really was too good a deal to pass up!
Our Blog
I didn't do the early stuff. We (me, mom, sister) got to the first stores around 9:30am.
Hastings (do they have these in Austin??) - Mavericks calendar for my mom's bday for $5.
Best Buy: Ipod touch for SIL (we're going in on it with MIL). We got the ipod, wall charger, 2 skins, and a $15 itunes gift card for only $215. With the exception of the refurbished one, it's the best deal I've seen.
Target: large matted picture frames for photo gifts that we're giving our grandparents, for $12 each. My mom found some great Bose speakers for $99.
Old Navy: Jeans for me (that fit!) for $15, 2 $5 graphic tshirts (for me), a skirt for $12 (for me), an argile sweater for DH for $15, a pullover sweater (for me) for $15. I never intended this trip to be so much for me... but I could not resist the sales.
World Market - nothing... total bust.
Kirklands - I got 2 adorable aprons with their initials on them for my co-workers and an beautiful wall cross for another. Not great sales, but good finds.
I am only looking for gifts for DH's aunt/uncle and my aunt/uncle and I'll be done with Christmas shopping for another year! woohooo.
"The House We Built."
A journey of building the dream.