Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Tips for Shopping Going Out of Business Sales

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The news is abuzz with the news that Toys R Us and Babies R Us are shutting their doors in Puerto Rico and the United States. Parents everywhere are in panic mode as to where they will find all the latest and greatest toys and kid trends in the coming years. But more than that, people wonder how to take advantage of the going out of business sales that began Friday, March 23rd.


These are some things to be aware of when shopping going out of business and liquidation sales.

Return Policy

Many stores modify their return policy when they enter the liquidation phase of their sales. Most purchases will be sold “as-is” with no returns or exchanges available.  If you are purchasing electronics or other high ticket items, ask to open the box and make sure everything is included and in working order.

It is also important to inquire about any warranties on the product and whether they will be honored.  If they will, how do you go about accessing services.

Shop Late in the Sale

There is a lot of money to be made during liquidation sales. As a result, there are a variety of discount games and gimmicks store will play.  In some cases, they mark up the prices of the products, then offer a general discount, resulting in no discount at all.

The real discounts come later in the sale. However, you will also face a limited selection of goods at that point.

How You Pay

ToysRUs.com has listed all the financial policies on their FAQ regarding the US Liquidation.  Important things to note include:

  • They are no longer accepting coupons or loyalty points.
  • Gift cards will be accepted through April 21, 2018. (You cannot redeem a gift card for cash.)
  • If you have items on layaway, you have 21 days to complete the transaction or you will forfeit your right to the product and it will be sold during the liquidation sale.

Shop Smart

Not all going out of business and liquidation sales are created equal. In this day and age, you have the power to price shop in your hands. There are many popular apps for comparing prices. Download them, use them.

The Bottom Line

“You should shop a liquidation sale the same way you shop a normal sale — with caution. By knowing your brands, comparing prices and verifying warranties, you’ll make savvy purchases. Don’t be fooled by the hype: Even bankrupt companies want to make a buck.” The Washington Post

 

 

Saving on Family Fun

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Saving on Family FunOne of the biggest changes in our budget is the need to account for an additional person when it comes to family outings.

Everything from plane tickets, to dinners out to attending our local hockey team now have three people instead of two. Though this is something we obviously expected with a child, it was nice to enjoy the early days!

Gone are the newborn days when she would quietly sleep through the odd dinner out or stay snuggled in my arms, usually asleep during a local hockey game. The little girl is a full grown toddler who now demands her own meals and requires her own seat and if we’re not careful, it can get crazy expensive.

While there are certain things we can’t do anything about, like extra seat for airplanes there are many other areas you can save on.

Meals Out

Eating out isn’t a huge part of our lives (I’d much rather entertain at home) it does happen occasionally. When possible, we opt to look for restaurants that not only have a kids menu but offer discounts for kids such as kids eat free.

Growing up we would go to a restaurant where they offered free Shirley Temples for kids and my parents had to pay $0.10/pound of body weight for kids under 12.  Though restaurants probably can’t get away with literally weighing kids in the restaurant anymore, there are still many places the have kids eat free with the purchase of a regular entree.

Online Deals

Online sites such as Groupon can be a great place to find coupons and deals for a family that makes an otherwise unattainable event, possible. This can include things like buying discounted restaurant (I often buy gift certificates for our favorite restaurants when they come up at 50% off) or deals on ticked events.

Take Advantage of Specials

Our local movie theater caters to families during regular school breaks such as spring break and Christmas break by putting on discounted days and promos like buy one ticket get one 50% off. During the rest of the year they offer a cheap ticket price on Tuesday. Going to the movies on Tuesday if the only way I pay, especially with children. If you don’t know, call and ask!

Friends of ours always take advantage of our local stage theater by taking their kids to ”pay what you can” night. Basically you show up on the first Tuesday of the seasonal performance, stand in line and pay whatever you can. Tickets normally start at $40 per person but on this night you can pay as much or little as you want.When you have a family and a budget this sort of event is perfect. This is something the theater has always done but never makes a big public announcement.

Good deals usually require some digging!

Membership Discounts

Sometimes it pays to have a kid (in terms of savings acquired).

If I wanted a membership to our local rec center I would be looking at $600 per year as an individual or I could get a family price (no limit on children) for $750 for the year. My husband, daughter and I can all capitalize on the gym, pool, rink and hundreds of classes for only $150 more per year and as our family grows the price stays the same (as is it locked in as long as you renew annually). This membership also gives us some ”free” events to partake in during the year when we’re looking to have a little family fun without breaking the bank.

How do you save on family fun?

Discounts for Parents of Twins and Multiples

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having twins is expensive!Having twins is wonderful but it is also pretty expensive!  Well,  having children is expensive but when you are blessed with two or more babies at one time, things add up really fast. The good news is there are several companies who understand this and are willing to give parents of twins and higher order multiples a break. Some companies will send you freebies or really great coupons. Be aware that in some cases, you will be asked to provide the babies’ birth certificates, to prove that you do have multiples.

Here is a list of discounts parents of multiples can receive and for even more money saving tips check out my post on tips for buying for twins. I will do my best to update this list from time to time but you will definitely want to check with each of these companies to make sure they are still offering their multiple birth programs, discounts or freebies. If you know of a multiple birth program that is not listed, please let me know I’d love to add it! 🙂

American Baby Magazine

(possible) Free 1yr Subscription

When I called I was told that you just need to enter your name, due date and number of children and when they see you are expecting multiples you will get the discount. I don’t know for sure if this works but it’s worth a try and if it doesn’t automatically apply the discount I would call customer service 1-800-678-1208

Please let me know if you do try it and whether it works or not. Thanks!

Babies R Us

10% discount to parents of multiples (in-store)

This discount applies when buying two or more large items such as, furniture, high chairs, swings, pack-n-plays, strollers (I am told this also applies to a double stroller), etc. Be sure to ask before making your purchase since these discounts can change at any time.

Baby Depot

(part of Burlington Coat Factory)

20% discount on anything in the baby department when you buy two or more identical items.

This could be a substantial savings, especially if you are buying furniture. Be sure to ask in your local store about the discount because discounts can change and possibly vary by region.

OshKosh and Stride Rite

Provides discounts for parents of twins, as do many other national retailers.

Carnation Good Start Formula

The Carnation Company will send you six containers of its formula. Send a copy of the babies’ birth certificates to: P.O. Box AW, Wilkes Barre, PA 18703. Address it “Attention: Nestle Infant Nutrition.”

Pampers

Call 1-800-726-7377 to request a freebie package as part of their Pampers Multiples Birth program. They’ll also send you coupons.

Luvs

Call  1-800-665-3257 for a freebies package from the Luvs Multiple Birth program. You’ll get coupons for diapers and wipes and product samples.

Huggies

If you call the Kimberly-Clark Company at 1-800-Tel-Scot, you will be sent free mailing labels to send in your babies’ birth certificates. Then you will receive coupons for free diapers.

(I recommend contacting all three companies. I used all three brands for the boys. Luvs were my favorite because they worked well and were the least expensive but I used pampers or huggies at night because they both carry and overnight diapers which help prevent leaks)

McNeal Consumer Products

(The makers of Tylenol)

Free welcome packs for your twins
Call 1-800-962-5357 ( option #5) and make sure you tell them you have multiples.

Tomy ~ First Years, Learning Curve, Boone and more

(Free baby gift package)

You must submitt a birth announcement, birth certificate or some other proof of multiples by fax or mail.

1-800-533-6708 ph | 1-563-875-8263 fax

Tomy

Attn. Multiple Birth Program
2021 9 St. SE
Dryersville, IA 52040

Once the kids are older you’ll want to ask if there is a multiple child discount for preschool, lessons (swimming, art, music), and sports. Most will automatically offer it but if they don’t be sure to ask.

I hope this has been helpful. Please pass it along to anyone expecting twins! 🙂

Money Saving Tips for Christmas Shopping

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save money when buying Christmas presents

Image from Christmasstockimages.com

Christmas is a time for giving and sharing and expressing love and gratitude and being with family. Yes, it is. But all this love and sharing can also lead to a lot of over-spending. According to CBS moneywatch.com:

According to this year’s National Retail Federation holiday survey, the average American will spend close to $700 this season on gifts, cards, decorations, and the like.

If I convert this to my currency (Philippine Peso), that equates to around 30k PHP. WOW! That is a big, big, big amount to spend to feel the Christmas spirit. Now, I love Christmas and I am all for the gift-giving and the shopping. I love all the Christmas decor that comes up for the season. I love the window displays and the twinkling lights and all the multi-colored trees. But I make a conscious effort not to spend too much on Christmas, regardless of whether I have 30k or not. Here are some money saving tips that work. I know this because I’ve tried them.

1. Planning is the root of all saving.

Yes, I am a firm believer in planning. Ask anyone who knows me relatively well and they will tell you that I have a list for everything, I worship MS Excel, and my organizer is a perenial brick in my bag. I’ve found though that listing down the poeple you want to give gifts to, the gift you want to give (if you know this already), and your budget, all work to set your expectations and to keep to workable numbers.

2. Stick to the Plan.

Ok, you didn’t just go through all that effort of listing people and thnking about who would be on the list this year given your budget and who would just get some warm wishes on a pretty card, only to not follow it. As hard as it may appear, and as tough it may be to fight off the urge to get that perfect thing for your friend whom you haven’t seen or talked to in almost a year, RESIST!

3. Start Early.

In Manila, folks start Christmas shopping as early as September and October. I can see the collective eyebrows rising. There is a practical reason behind this over-exuberance. Items almost always become more expensive from November to the end of the year. This is true for most stores. We do have sales but these sales are often for items that aren’t as nice or as good or as up-to-date as others. You have to start shopping early on the first day of a sale in a shop to get the good stuff with slashed prices. Otherwise, you will be competing with a crush of people for so-so items. Usually, things that are non-perishable and aren’t dependent on size (like books, appliances, etc.) are still priced low or normal compared to Christmas prizes. You can also find a lot of variety in the months before the Holiday season. We aren’t limited by season so a lot of items are applicable all year round. You can also find a lot of bargain items in the bazaars that start springing up end of September onwards. These bazaars are different from stores in that they have often homemade items, rare items, unbranded but really good stuff and they compete with brand stores in price and try to beat them by offering good stuff at even lower prices, earlier. Shopping early can mean you are done with this way before the Christmas crush, still have a lot to choose from and not just the left-overs after the buying posse, and get items at normal or low prices.

4. Use discounts and gift cheques.

Discounts from stores you frequent or vendors you regulary go to, and using gift checques you’ve been given is one way to cut expenses. You aren’t actually spending at least the full amount here.

5. Do NOT use your Credit Card.

It may seem odd. It may be throwing a major kink in your Christmas budget plans. But using your Credit Card for shopping might just be the way to put you in debt for the next 12 months. I did this for one gift last year. I bought my son a big boy bike. I got in on installment, 6 months to pay. My goodness. I was still paying it off even after I had to get its flat wheel and busted breaks fixed. Never again.

6. Go for the Envelope Approach instead.

What is this? Well, it is simply putting your budget, in cash, in an envelope, ready for the days of shopping. You can allocate certain amounts for certain people as well. I like separating amount by indicating the person in colorful post-its and then separating by using paper clips. This way, you prepare your budget for the people you want to give gifts to this year; you aren’t in danger of over-spending on one person and not having enough for the rest; you do not go into credit debt.

7. Go Wholesale and/or Homemade.

If you have people in your list you feel have to be there, like groups of officemates, or your boss, doctor, dentist, etc. try going for wholesale products. What I do is I get 1 item for all my female officemates, like a pretty notebook, and 1 item for all my male officemates, like a nice money clip. This way you aren’t stressed out about having to think of forty unique, small gifts; you won’t be stressed over offending someone by maybe giving something “nicer” to someone else; you can get small stuff cheaper if you buy by bulk. Ok, maybe you can make an exception for your boss here.

On that note, what person wouldn’t like receiving something unique and from the heart? Seriously. So, instead of giving your boss a uniform gift, why not bake him a cake or your speciality pastry? Or you can give him something he can use like a hommade desk organizer. These are things that will cost you less than store-bought gifts because the individual ingredients or parts required cost a lot less put together. Plus, if it’s simple enough, not dangerous at all, and relatively fun to do, you can get your kids in on the action!

8. Finally, Be Prudent. If you really can’t afford a Santa sack this year, forego it. They will understand. Trust me.

Hey, times are hard for everyone. Sometimes, there are pressing matters that just require more attention and more of your resources. I’ve had a Christmas where I gave all my family and friends a nice photo calendar of myself and the kids with some warm holiday greetings instead of gifts becuase I just needed to allocate a Christmas budget for something else. I try to make sure my kids and god kids always have gifts, even small ones but I know the adults will understand.

So, I hope you all have fun and reasonable shopping trips over the next few days!

Cheers,

Vicki