Christmas Challenge

I added one more item to my Christmas stash for the kids. Kate was short an item. I know she will never have a clue, but I will. So, thanks to Fab.com I received a $10 credit that I used for this...

A must have, right, for every one year old?

Originally this is $19.99. With the Fab.com  discount and the $10 credit, it became $3.99 and then the lovely $4.95 shipping bumped it up to $8.94. Still, though, more than half off.

But wait, there's more! You too can receive the $10 credit if shop at Fab.com! It's good through Monday. And, if your 1 year old is in the market for an engaging pull along toy, well you too can get it for $8.94. And it's guaranteed to get here before Christmas. Awesome huh? And if you click on any one of my Fab.com links  I'll get credit. Isn't it lovely how that works?

So, here's my Christmas challenge total:

Oh and I'm still planning on getting Kate a pillow pet too, but banking on my $25 Amazon gift card that's in the mail to get here in time to order it.

The smaller items will be going in their stockings.

Total Spent: $53.72

Toys bought: 2 pillow pets,4 hairbows, a dollhouse with accessories, Citiblocs, a rainmaker, GeoBaby, Iron Man shooter (a gift I got a year ago), Lego Walkie Talkies, Mario coin bank, a vintage barbie (I got a year ago), a gear toy (I got a year ago), and a pull along toy, 2 chapsticks from Target's dollar section, the coloring tablecloth

The vintage Barbie I got at Target's winter sale last year. I spent $11.23. The gear toy I got during last year's black Friday for probably about $9. And the Iron Man mask and shooter I got at last year's black Friday for about $6. So, if I factor those prices in my total spent is:

$79.95 which will be my grand total, as long as that Amazon card gets here soon!

For fun..here's what I would have paid if I paid full price for all of this:

$370.54 (based on Amazon prices)

A savings of almost $300!

Not bad!

Christmas Challenge

I think I'm done. Or really close.

I've been saving Amazon credit to buy Hannah a new dollhouse. It wasn't this one. I was saving up for the My Loving Family Grand Dollhouse. However, at the local consignment shop I'm using to sell clothes and toys I stumbled across this dollhouse.

It's smaller. But it's also cheaper. And it came with people and furniture. Granted, it is used but in mint condition. So I bought it. The good news, I had around $28 in store credit thanks to items I'd sold. I ended up paying $15 out of pocket. Also, I'm happy to not have a lot invested in it just in case(which happens frequently here)she realizes it wasn't her deepest desire to have a dollhouse after all.

And, that $25 I had in Amazon credit, I used to buy Grant this...

They were $19.99 but I spent $0. I think he and Hannah will have a blast with these. So, here's where I'm at...

Total spent: $42.78

Total remaining: $57.22

Total gifts bought: 2 pillow pets, one dollhouse, walkie talkies, mario brothers coin bank, GeoBaby toy, rainmaker, coloring/reusable table cloth, Citiblocs, 4 hairbows

10 gifts (counting the bows as one)averaging out to $4.28 each.

Not bad. 

I may get Kate one more toy. I have a toy in my gift closet that I've had for a year that likely will go under the tree for her. I also may switch the coloring table cloth for a Barbie I've also had in my gift closet for a year. It's a retro Barbie I snagged for dirt cheap at the Target toy clearance last winter. I think Hannah would love it. If I do, I'll adjust the price. And I may buy a few little things for their stockings. But I think as far as big gifts go, I'm done. I try to keep Christmas simple...giving them three gifts each with a few stocking stuffers. Though, I'm tempted when I find a deal to add something more, though I'm trying to not do that. I don't want to be labeled a hoarder!!

Christmas Challenge

You guessed it. I snagged this coin bank for Grant's Christmas. He is a huge Super Mario Brothers fan as well as a coin fan(this should bring back memories for my loyal readers). And, thanks to Nomorerack  I snagged this for $8 total, which, between me and you, looks like it should not be worth much more than that. But, believe it or not, it costs $30. Grant actually came in the office when I saw this deal and asked me if it was on sale because he'd like that. Hopefully he'll still think it's awesome come Christmas morning.

Nomorerack  is, you guessed it, another daily deal site. It has 8 new deals starting at 12pm daily. Some of the deals are cheapo, but some are really good. Most of the items are marked down 75%-90% off! They usually always have a kids' deal and then lots of other different deals...clothing, jewelry, etc. for adults. Then, the best part, shipping is ALWAYS $2. That way, you're not making up for the money you saved in the shipping cost.

If you've never signed up, click the link(s) above. Yes, I receive credit but I get credit by you simply signing up, not buying anything. Then, when I get x amount of friends who've signed up, I can get certain rewards. There was a Wii game I could get for the kids with 40 friends.

Oh yeah, a month or so ago I got Hannah and Kate two hairbows each FOR FREE (including shipping) from Savemore. I will put these in their stockings.

So, here's my Christmas breakdown:

total spent: $27.78

total left: $72.22

total gifts bought: 2 pillow pets, Super Mario coin bank, reusable coloring table cloth, Citiblox, Gbaby toy, rainmaker, four hairbows($3.97 per item...not including the hairbows)

Christmas Challenge

I just purchased the above toy for Kate's Christmas. Thanks to Eversave  I used credit to purchase a deal for $25 worth of products from ToysCamp. The above toy was $24.99. I just had to pay shipping, $7.95. I know, who's ever heard of Gbaby, right? Well, I haven't but read some good reviews on the toy. It's so hard to buy anything for Kate simply because we've either had that toy or have it now. And, I want to get something for her that will last a few years, not something I'll end up consigning in a few months. So, that's what I got. Here's the rundown:

Total spent: $19.78

Total left: $80.22

Total gifts bought: 6- 2 pillow pets, Citiblocs, Reusable/washable coloring mat, rainmaker, GBaby toy (averaging $3.30 per toy).

                

If you're new to Eversave, click on the link above. You'll get $3 right away.

And the challenge continues...

Christmas Challenge

Thanks to Zulily credit, I was able to snag another gift for Christmas.


This time, I purchased Citiblocs. Anyone heard of these? I looked them up on Amazon and they've gotten great reviews. I thought this might be a big hit for Grant (and I'm sure Hannah too). They both love to build.


So, with my $15 credit I ended up paying $3.94.

I love Zulily more than other daily deal sites because they let you use your credit toward the shipping as well. Shipping was $5.95 but some of my credit went toward that as well.



And here's my progress thus far in my Christmas Challenge (to spend no more than $100 on my three kids' Christmas):

Total spent: $11.83
Total remaining: $88.17
Total gifts bought: 5 (2 pillow pets, a reusable/washable coloring table cloth, 100 piece CitiBlocs, rainmaker)

Now that money is super tight, I'm likely not going to spend near $100, but for now, I'm sticking to that number.

Oh and if you'd like to check out the CitiBlocs I think they're on sale for the next few days.

Christmas Challenge

Still working towards our Christmas and planning to spend no more than $100 for the total cost of our kids' Christmas. Yesterday, thanks to the Huggies reward program, I cashed in points to "buy" this rainmaker for Kate.

I know, real exciting, right? But what do you get for a third child who has so much already due to older siblings? Thankfully, she'll only be one. And being a one year old, the "wish list" consists of anything that makes noise or anything she can throw or put in her mouth. I believe this makes the cut.

So, it cost me $0 out of pocket...well...it actually cost me hundreds of dollars in diapers if we want to be real honest. While I enjoy the reward system for buying diapers...I really think they could be a bit more generous with how many points they delve out. This baby cost 350 points. A big box of diapers earns you 16 points. So after buying 22 boxes of diapers (retailing at $440 if I had paid full price, which thankfully I did not nor ever will) I earned enough to snag this $10 item. Thanks Huggies for such grandiose generosity.

So, here's the rundown...

Total of $100 spent: $7.89

Total remaining:  $92.11

Total gifts bought: 4 (a reusable/washable coloring table cloth, 2 pillow pets, and this state of the art rainmaker)

And the challenge continues...

Christmas Challenge

Christmas Challenge 2011 continues. For those unaware of my new goal, I've alloted myself $100 total to spend on our three kids' Christmas. Today, I spent $2.93 to purchase the above Pillow Pets (though I don't think this is the NAME BRAND but they're still cute) for Hannah and Grant. This is a perfect gift for them because they love pillows...come see my living room floor in the middle of the day. It's a pillow extravaganza. And they love stuffed animals. Okay, I can't stand stuffed animals but this, I figured, could stay on their beds since they are also pillows. I may regret this purchase in the future.

So, they were regularly $20. On Zulily, they were on sale for $11.99. I had $30 store credit thanks to friends who have signed up through me. So, that left me a total of $2.93 to pay out of pocket. The great thing about Zulily is that your store credit also can be used toward your shipping. Love this.

If you haven't signed up for Zulily, you can sign up under me
here
It's a great website that has sales each day on a variety of items from kids clothes to toys to maternity clothes.

So, as far as my Christmas Challenge goes...here are the totals:

Total of $100 spent: $7.89
    Total remaining: $92.11
 Total gifts bought: 3

Christmas Challenge

Christmas Challenge 2011 is on! Several days ago I earned a $15 credit to Zulily thanks to a friend who signed up under me and purchased something. So, I've been looking through the daily deals to see if anything caught my eye for my kids for Christmas. Honestly, the thought of "buying" more toys for my kids is a bit overwhelming. If you're anything like us, toys are beginning to take over our home. And, it seems that half the things I think they will LOVE, they never end up playing with. Instead they choose sticks, pillows, rocks, and whatever else they can find around the house that AREN'T toys. So, I'm trying to be wise with what I "buy." Well, today I did find something from International Playthings. It's an activity mat (like a tablecloth) with pictures, mazes, and other activities to do. You use washable markers and then after they're done, you wash it and you can do it again. My kids love coloring. What kids don't? It was regularly $30. It was on sale for $13.99. So, with my $15 (which can be put toward shipping too!) I purchased it. My grand total was $4.96. This will be under the tree for Hannah, but of course I'm sure she and Grant will both play with it. It's big enough for 6 kids. So, first Christmas purchase: check.

Total of $100 spent: $4.96

Total left: $95.04

If you are interested in signing up for Zulily (I really do love their site), then click my "Christmas Challenge" title. Then, ask your friends to sign up with you so you too can start earning some free $15.

Mommy's Moment: A Christmas Challenge

Okay, so, Christmas is clearly a ways away. But today I had an idea. I am setting a goal to spend no more than $100 on my kids' Christmas. That is $33.33 per child. I'm a bit hesitant to make that goal. BUT, I want to TRY to do it. Money is tight these days. But thanks to programs like Swagbucks, Zulily, MyPoints, survey sites and a new site I just joined, EverSave...I can earn free money to put toward's my kids' Christmas. If you aren't a member yet of EverSave or MyPoints, sign up through me! Let me know and I'll send you an email! I'll get free money to put toward a purchase. If you aren't signed up with Zulily...click the link below. Every time someone signs up under me and makes a purchase, I'll get $15. And of course, the same goes for you when someone signs up under you! Here's the link:

http://www.zulily.com/invite/jharman454

As I make purchases for my children, I'll post what I spent and what I bought. I also have a few items in my gift closet that I purchased during the Target clearance sale back in January. I will include those prices (they're still on the box) as well if I decide to put those items under the tree.

So, I'm excited. Excited to see if I can do it. Excited to see the Lord's provision in creative ways. And it holds me accountable for making wise decisions regarding spending money toward our Christmas.

And of course, with this post I can't not put a button on for Swagbucks. I've earned over $500 in Amazon gift cards simply by searching the web with their search engine. So, if you're one of the few out there who have not jumped on the bandwagon..click the button below. For every 450 points you earn you can cash it in for a $5 Amazon gift card. And they've added lots of new gift cards too that you can earn. And, I'll earn your points along with you up to 1000!




So, Christmas Challenge 2011 is on! Anyone want to join me?