All I Want For Christmas Is Crazy Cash Back

December 3, 2016Leave a comment

*Post contains referral links, so if you join through my referral link, I get bonus cash back and so do you!*

I am not a savvy economist, don’t make a lot of money, and have two children in full-time childcare, so I have to ask you guys, “Why is every toy $50 or more this Christmas season?” Did everyone but me get a Christmas bonus? Was there some across-the-board cost-of-living increase that passed me by? I literally could not find any $10-$20 baby dolls for my kids this year for Christmas.

So, my shopping strategy this year is twofold:

One, they are getting less stuff. They already have infinity toys and our house isn’t getting any bigger, so… less stuff.

Two, I’m shopping exclusively through Ebates.com, so I can at least earn a portion of that money back. I know it’s the end of Cyber Week, but hopefully some of you guys can cash in on some of these great cash back offers:

JCPenney 15% Cash Back Sitewide – This goes for household items, clothing, toys. I found very few exceptions and lots of Disney-licensed characters. I’ve never seen anyone offer so much cash back. Definitely take advantage of this!
Groupon 9% Cash Back – Do you need a massage to get through the holiday season, want to get your nails done for New Year’s Eve? Shop through Ebates and you can earn enough cash back to buy one for your friend!
Kohl’s 8% Cash Back – I can’t even with these generous offers. I really like Kohl’s for things like towels, kids clothing, and other houseware items.
Walgreens 7% Cash Back – You can use this for stocking stuffers, candy – even your photo needs. Buy your Christmas cards through Walgreens and get 7% cash back.

If you don’t already have an Ebates account, make sure to click this link or the button below so we can both get a bonus bump in cash back!

Did you guys think that toy prices were way out of line this year? Let me know in the comments.

Holiday Gift Guide for Preschoolers by Preschoolers

November 20, 2015November 21, 2015Leave a comment

I swear this is my last post about Christmas gifts, because DUM-DUM-DUM… I am DONE shopping for my kids! To that end, Gabby wanted to write a gift guide all her own, so here it goes.

If it’s a pink princess dress, I want it. Even if it is too fancy to ever be worn by a three-year old, I want it. Especially if it is a Victorian-style princess dress with what looks like a corset, I want it.
Elsa’s castle. Seriously, kid? That movie came out forever ago and my kids still want all things Frozen. Sigh.

Image from Walmart.com
All of the crazy expensive tents from The Land of Nod. My fault for letting her look at the catalog.
More baby dolls with blinking eyes and a pacifier. Because it only took me 2 months to find the one I got her for her birthday…
Books! Well, luckily I can handle this one. Remember that review I wrote for Bookroo? Well, they have a new incentive program for current subscribers so you can get one free box for every friend you refer this holiday season! If you are not currently a subscriber, you can sign up here and make sure you share Bookroo with your friends so that you can get free boxes too!

*This post contains referral links, but all thoughts and opinions belong to my three-year old.*

What’s on your kids’ wishlist this year? Let me know in the comments!

Holidays, Schmolidays

December 17, 2014Leave a comment

I love Christmas, I really do, but the holidays are such a stressful time for me for so many reasons. It’s not even the financial aspect of the holidays, I actually love bargain hunting and researching the perfect gift for everyone and strategically buying for my kids. It’s the other stuff that gets to me.

My husband’s family is split between Florida and Long Island. Because my parents are divorced and everyone has a problem with someone in the family, there’s really NO chance of spending any time with my family as a whole. I always feel a nagging sense of guilt that I would choose to spend the holidays with my in-laws versus my own family, but I like the traditions we have with them and want my girls to experience that. Maybe in the future we can extend the holiday and trek down to PA to spend time with my dad and sister, but it seems like a hell of a lot of driving to me and honestly, I am already too stressed out about all of the traveling we do.

In addition, traveling makes the Santa ~~lie~~ ~~myth~~ story difficult to pull off because depending on the day we leave, we might have to give the kids gifts early or late and then Santa comes to Grandma’s house, but then there’s also stuff at our house when we return home almost a week later. And what if we need to leave on Christmas Eve? When they’re older won’t they be looking for Santa’s sleigh in the sky? We’ve been telling them Santa only comes if you’re sleeping. It’s exhausting to me to have to continually maintain the story. I am a bad liar. Everyone knows that.

Then we add to the mix the overwhelming influx of new toys when they already have so much. My kids are spoiled. They have a ridiculous amount of toys. When anyone comes to visit, they bring toys to bribe my kids to open up to them (I’m looking at you, Grandmas). I am on an endless quest to rotate toys, get rid of broken toys, find lost puzzle pieces, and salvage toys they don’t care about so I can sell them at consignment so I can buy them more crap they won’t take care of because they are TWO and 10 MONTHS OLD. The struggle is real, my people. The toys don’t go away as fast as they come in. I don’t know how this will affect my kids. Are they going to be entitled little brats? Am I overreacting? I don’t know.

The worst part of the holiday season for me is the crushing disappointment when the holiday season is over and it’s just cold and cloudy for 4 more months. The toys aren’t new, the gift cards have been spent, we go home to Buffalo and are left to face the fact that we are stuck inside for the foreseeable future mediating fights over toys, cleaning up messes, and knowing that we will do it all over again next year.

I really don’t mean to be a Scrooge. I really am a Christmas nut. I just get exhausted by all of the sameness and start wishing the holidays to be over before they begin. Tell me I’m not alone in this!