Black Friday Experience

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! If you went Black Friday shopping, I hope you were able to get everything you wanted. I had a wonderful experience. We moved to New Jersey 3 1/2 years ago and since then I have gone Black Friday shopping by myself. This year my husband went with me and we had a blast.

We started off at Toys R Us. We got there around 7:15PM and were number 25. When they opened the doors at 9:00PM my husband rushed off to the electronics line while I went off to the rest of the store. He was 5th in line and quickly paid and joined me in getting everything else. We found everything we were looking for and were in our cars by 9:30PM.

From there we went off to Walmart. We arrived and were in a long line (there were easily about 300 people in front of us) and it was about 10:15PM. We finally made it in around 10:55PM. With no carts in sight, we ran off to grab what we could. Luckily my husband found a basket (hey! it's better than nothing) and we continued our journey. Somewhere down the store a man gave up and just left his empty cart in the middle of the aisle and my husband grabbed it! We finished getting everything we needed (only one thing was already gone) and then the real fun began...

No one, not even the employees had any idea where or how the checkout line was working. No one new where it ended how to get there. They were so disorganized and there was a major communication gap. People were mad, yelling at each other to get in line, but no one knew how to explain which way the line ran. It was total chaos. We spent 35 minutes trying to decipher who was in line and how to get there. Once we were in line, the line wasn't moving at all.

I was really disappointed because this is my 4th Black Friday shopping at this Walmart and I had never seen such chaos. Luckily, an employee decided to open up a cash register by the auto parts and started pulling some of us to go pay there. We were saved! When we finally got out it was 1:30AM and even though I knew it was a long shot, off to Target we headed. We were in line and in the store in about 10 minutes.

Everything was very organized. We went straight to get what we wanted and were out in about 30 minutes and even had time to go to a different Target for one final look. We got everything except my daughter's Kindle. It was 3:30AM and I was exhausted (having been up since 6:45AM making Thanksgiving food). We headed home.

The best part, however, happened that afternoon around 4PM. My daughter kept searching all day to see where we could get her Kindle (she's stubborn, set in her ways and really wanted to start using it). My husband helped her search and off to Staples we headed. When we arrived, I took her to look at them and quickly found someone to help us.

Just our luck, the one helping us was the day time manager. He went off to get my request and returned to tell me they were all out. He was all set on selling a more advanced (and of course more expensive) model. I said no and he kept insisting telling me all the great features. I didn't want to pay that amount of money, so I said no thank you and was about to go on my way when he said he would knock $20 off the price and with a rebate they were offering, I ended paying less than the one I was about to buy.

So off I went happily with my daughter's new Kindle. All in all we had a great shopping experience, save a lot of money and the icing on the cake: I'm done Christmas shopping!

Check out my Facebook Page

Make sure you don't miss any deals and check out my facebook page. There are a lot of deals coming out and I haven't had time to post them here. Follow me on facebook to make sure you get them all.

How Different Kids Can Be

Hello everyone! Tonight's post is about how different kids can be. My oldest daughter, who is 12, loves movies and the theater. She is very smart but does not like to challenge herself and just goes with the flow. For this reason her grades fluctuate and she is happy with this.

I used to constantly nag her about doing her homework and bringing up her grades and then I decided to back off. I didn't back off because I don't care or don't want her to try her hardest; I did it because I wanted her to realize she should do these things for herself not to get me to stop nagging. It actually worked. She's working harder and even asking for help when she doesn't understand something.

I know this technique might not work for everyone, and I was very skeptical abut using it, but in this case it worked. I know all kids can't be straight A students, but it is frustrating when you were and your kids don't show that same enthusiasm for school. It has been very hard for me to realize she is her own person and I can't be constantly trying to turn her into someone she isn't. I still monitor her grades and nudge her to do her best, but the fighting regarding grades has stopped.

My middle son, on the other hand, needs no nudging or nagging to get things done. He is in Kindergarten and doesn't get homework too often, but when he does he wants to get it one right away.  He missed school yesterday and when he returned today he got a "We missed you folder" with all the work for the day he missed. He got home and pulled the folder out of his backpack right away and began working on the assignments.

He gets a book from the library and wants to read it right away. He asks when library day is and gets all excited that he will be checking out a book! I don't have to tell him to do his work; he has to remind me he has work to do.

Yes, it's hard to deal with kids when they are so different. I am just learning to stop making comparisons and try to focus on the strengths each one has. It's a constant learning experience for both kids and parents.

Black Friday Ads

All the most popular released Black Friday ads are on my facebook page. Click like on facebook so you can follow them. If you would like a particular one posted on here, let me know and I will post it.

Just for fun Giveaway

I feel like you all deserve a little something, so you have until 10:00AM EST to comment on my facebook post for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift card. Good luck!

$1.00 off Brawny Paper Towels (Facebook Offer)

Click here to get a coupon for $1.00 off Brawny Paper Towels.

Ebates

I just received a check from Ebates in the mail! I have been buying through Ebates and just got my quarterly check. If you are not shopping through Ebates, you are missing a chance to get cash back. Click here, and join now.

Old Navy Sale

Old Navy is having a great sale where most outerwear is 50% off. They are also having a 30% off sale where the discount will be taken at checkout when you use code ONFRIENDS. This coupon can be printed here and used in store as well.

If you shop online, there is free shipping on all orders over $50 (this doesn't require a code). Also if you use Shop at Home you get 3% cash back, but if you use Upromise you get 10% cash back! Great time to stock up on winter clothes.

Shop at Home

Are you still skeptical about Shop at Home? Do you dislike having to install toolbars on your computer? Well I've got great news! I dislike toolbars as well. I usually stay away from anything that asks me to download toolbars. Thus, I've been using Shop at Home without downloading the tool bar. I still get all the cash back deals and I don't have to deal with downloading anything I don't want to.

Now, the real question is does Shop at Home actually work? I'm happy to report that I just received my first check today. They pay on your earnings on a quarterly basis and I just got my check for this past quarter. So it does work! Now every time I have to buy something online I verify if they are available through Shop at Home. I also look through all the coupons they might be offering on Shop at Home as well. I can usually get it cheaper, even with the shipping, than actually going to the store plus I get cash back in the process!

Don't wait any longer; click here and start using Shop at Home now.

$5 Bounty Coupon

Today at 1:00PM EST Bounty will be giving away 5,000 $5 coupons! Don't miss out!

Disney's Rock Star Mickey

Has your little one been asking for a Rock Star Mickey for Christmas? This week starting Sunday, November 6, Rock Star Mickey will be available at Shoprite for $39.99. So make sure to check out the toy section when you do your grocery shopping.

$13 for a 1 year Subscription to Family Fun, Parents and Family Circle Magazine

JDeal is offering a 1 year subscription to these three magazines:

Family Fun

Family Circle

Parents

for only $13. As an added bonus, you will be helping out the American Heart Association because a portion of each sale will be donated. Click here and take advantage of this offer now!

Shop Taste of Home Sale

Shop Taste of Home's $5 sale is back until November 7. They have lots of books for $5 and if you buy $20 worth you can get free shipping with code LST88. As an added bonus, shop through Ebates and get 5% cash back. These titles go fast so hurry and don't miss out!