It feels as though my daughter has had countless birthday parties to attend this year. That is so fun and great for her, but quite frankly, gifts can really add up! It’s one of those things that you don’t really think about when planning your $100/week for entertainment and miscellaneous costs, and an oversight that most parents make.
Planning ahead for birthday gifts can save the budget, but can also save time. Planning ahead can reduce those trips to the toy store to pick up a suitable gift minutes before the party, where you are likely to overpay not only for the gift – but for cards and gift wrap too.
Here are some of the ways that money can be saved on children’s gifts:
Shop Sales, Shop Early
Look for sales that advertise 40% or more off of the regular price of gifts. Shopping these sales is a great way to get brand name toys, high quality wooden toys and themed toys, for less. Large retail stores, like Toys R Us, have certain brands on sale every week. Consider the popular toys for your child’s age group or future toys that can be stashed away and pick them up to get the most bang for your buck.
Buy Quality Toys
Buying high quality toys, from well known brands that are going to last is going to save on the cost of replacing these items in the future. Especially handy when you're purchasing gifts for your own family. High quality toys don’t have to come with high price tags; shopping sales and comparing prices reduces the cost, and the chance you are going to be running off to replace the toys.
Think Outside of the Toy Store
Toys R Us may be the first place that you think of when it comes to shopping for toys, but there are many online boutiques offering low prices and even deals including free shipping. Signing up for communication from these Canadian online toy shops can give you deals like 40% off of the entire store, reduced shipping and even free local pick-up if you live within driving area of the store. Some great places to look are Amazon.ca, Chapters.Indigo.ca or Mastermind Toys.
Use Coupons
We’ve been seeing more and more coupons for toys over the course of the last year. From coupons released through Websaver for Fisher Price toys, or the same coupons found in the pages of Today’s Parent magazine, it makes it that much easier to save while shopping for toys. Try to combine coupons and sales to save and keep your eyes open for coupons for leading toy stores to save even more.
Buying toys doesn’t have to break the bank. Using these tips, you can stop the pre-birthday mad dash to the toy store and save money on holidays for your own children, too.
I'd love to know your tips for saving on birthday presents! Let me know in the comments below.
I’m a fan of Pur Gum because it’s aspartame free. So I like to have some on hand when my daughters asks for a piece of gum! This deal from Amazon will ensure you have quite a few packs on hand! Get 12 packs of Pur Gum in either Peppermint or Spearmint for only $13.19. Coolmint is only $14. (reg. $20). Here are some details:
Freshen your breath with the #1 best-selling Aspartame Free gum that has the whole world talking! We’re certified Non-GMO, Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free and Dairy Free. All our products are diabetic-friendly and safe for pregnant moms.
PUR Gum is naturally sweet! We’ve made simple substitutions to promote a healthier worry-free lifestyle. Xylitol looks and tastes identical to sugar and is proven to promote oral health by reducing cavities by 33% with regular use. Xylitol also contains 40% less calories than table sugar.
PUR Gum is 100% Swiss Made with the highest quality ingredients!
Here’s the Keurig coffee deal of the year! Get the Keurig All-Time Favorite Coffees 30 Count for only $12.99 from Amazon! (reg. $19.97). I think this would be a great thing to have on hand when you have company. There’s something for every taste! Here’s what’s included in the box:
5 Van Houtte Original House Blend (Medium Roast)
5 Van Houtte Vanilla Hazelnut (Flavoured Light Roast)
5 Timothy’s Colombian Excelencia (Medium Roast)
5 Timothy’s Rainforest Espresso (Dark Roast)
5 Donut House Collection Donut House Coffee (Light Roast)
Love getting books at a discount from Book Outlet? Well, now you can get an extra discount with this offer!
Book Outlet’s annual Booktoberfest Sale is almost here and, to celebrate, they are offering a $5 coupon to use during Booktoberfest!
All you have to do is sign up with your email, share the promotion, and you will receive a coupon code in your inbox on Monday, October 2, that will be valid during Booktoberfest – from Tuesday, October 3 10am EST until Friday, October 6 at 10am EST.
The price is currently $0 but please be aware that this can change at any time. Also note that these free downloads are especially for Kindles but you can download a free app which allows you to read these Kindle ebooks on your computer, tablet or smartphone!
Double check that they are still $0 before purchasing!
Do you want to know my secret for a stress-free Thanksgiving? (or any big family meal for that matter…) Yeah? Okay. Just have your Dad, who loves to cook, prepare all the main dishes and Turkey, then all you have to do is bring along the dessert. 😉
While this is a realistic scenario for our Thanksgiving and special occasions, (my dad is the best!) I’m sure it’s not for most families. We can get away with this because we usually have a maximum of 8 people to serve.
Since I know big family meals can be hectic (I’ve experienced many of my husband’s extended family get-togethers), I thought creating a checklist would be really helpful to those of you that want to cut back on some chaos.
This checklist doesn’t tell you what to cook (I trust you have your family favourites) but I’m hoping it will give you a guideline for when things can be completed. While I called this a Thanksgiving checklist, I think this checklist can be used for any holiday dinner.
