Saving Money Buying Toys

Attention, recession weary shoppers! You can save money buying toys this holiday season. With a little effort and some planning, you can buy great toys and save some money doing it. Start shopping early this year. With this recession, less inventory will be stocking the shelves during the holiday season.

How to figure out what the hot toys for 2009 will be. Mark October 28th on your calender. Its the day that Toy Retailers Association will announce the Hot List of "It" toys for the upcoming holiday season. Return to this entry on 10/28, select "Toy Retailers Association" and you'll get redirected to the list!

A Few Thoughts on Where to Shop...
Toys R Us. While the rest of the country celebrates Christopher Columbus, you'll find me at Toys R Us annual toy sale where Buy One Get One Free Hasbro Games is happening.

Michaels. Almost every week, Michael's Craft Store offers a 40-50% off one item at the retail price. Great selection of arts and crafts, puzzles, and model toys. And at this price, why not pick up something you can donate to your local Toys for Tots campaign.

Wal-Mart. Wal-mart will be offering more than 100 toys for $10 each during the holiday season. Additionally, Wal-mart will match any local competitor's advertised price on the same toy product if it falls below $10.

Borders and/or Barnes and Noble. Good selection of speciality toys and games which can often be bought at 20% - 30% discount when you use a coupon. Just google "Borders" or "Barnes and Nobles" and "coupon" to find the latest promotion.

Luxury Sample Sale Boston Design Store

Furniture. Lighting. Flooring. Rugs. Art. Accessories. Antiques. Oh, my! Time to hit the Luxury Sample Sale at the Boston Design Center this weekend. It's quite the treasure hunt for extraordinary, unique home furnishings. Great place to pick up an designer accent piece or conversation item for your great room of yours at bargain prices. Up to 75% off! That's nice!

Admission is $10. Paid parking available nearby. 10 - 5 on Sat (10/3); 12 - 5 on Sun (10/4)

Visit Boston Design to pre-register and enter a chance to win $500 shopping spree and other prizes.

Time to buy that new rug you've been thinking of...
Happy Shopping!

The Perfect White Shirt

Time to re-stock the closet with timeless classics for work and play. This week, my focus was on affordable white shirts with classic style. Why? I'm dashing out of the house awful early these days, and I just want to grab something that always looks good with whatever I'm wearing for the day. My favorite look for fall is a stark white French Cuff shirt. Classic. Timeless. And looks as good worn with jeans as it does with a designer pantsuits. Luckily - it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Check out my finds below...


Lands End Modern Long Sleeve: $49 (and currently 20% off at Lands End Shops within Sears). Affordable no-iron dress shirt with a bit of stretch. Nice French cuffs too! An excellent basic utility dress shirt.

Ann Taylor Cotton French Cut Shirt. $70. Nice V neck and rhinestone button cuff links. If you can't afford diamond cuff links, rhinestone buttons may be the way to go!

BrooksBrothers French Cuff Shirt. $89 or 2 for $149. Tailored fit. with French Knot buttons at the cuff. Definitely a prepster's fashion statement and one of Oprah's favorite picks for Fall last year. Seems pricey, but its quite a bargain. High quality. Maintains it shape. Great cut of fabric. I buy one every year. Love them!

FYI - What's old again is new. You can always update that old white shirt you have hanging in your closet. Spruce it up by replacing the buttons with french knot buttons (sold at JoAnn Fabrics. 4 for $1.89). Tres trendy (and thrifty too!)

Pizza

Nothing like a good pizza pie to kick off a holiday weekend. I've just prepped my dough and toppings for my own little celebration. I thought I'd share my favorite recipes for homemade pizza that you can make for your family and friends. Better yet, save yourself effort by making a simple pizza dough and provide the toppings. Let your guests have fun doing the rest.

Recipes. Here are two great recipes for homemade pizza dough. You'll save time making these recipes. They're quicker to make than ordering take-out and much cheaper to make than buying a pre-made pizza.

King Arthur Flour - Easiest Pizza You'll Ever Make. Great basic recipe that is easily completed by hand. Consider adding 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and 1 tablespoon of a herb (e.g., rosemary or Italian seasoning) for an extra flavor boost.

Sarah Moulton Food Processor Pizza Dough. Another great recipe but this recipe requires you to use a food processor rather than hand mix. Try making her Middle East Pizza or Grilled Southwestern Pizza. Fantastic combinations of flavors that can bring out the very best in your pies!

Music. When I make pizzas, I play Italian music. I think music adds alittle something to the dinner. So head off to the library, and check out compilation of Italian bistro music or perhaps so Pavarotti. Or download some songs:
- songs for your Italian dinner. recommended by my friend Robert
- the ideal Italian dinner party - recommended by Global Journey
- The Godfather and Cantable for the Violin and Guitar - by LastFM

Games. While the pizzas are baking in the oven, it's always good to have a few activities planned to keep friends and family entertained. A few ideas listed below that are fun for both adults and kids.
- Personalize Chef Hats.
- Kitchen Charades
- Hot Pizza (a twist on the "hot potato" game)
- Trivia (take a few cards from a Trivia Pursuit Game and pass them around for guest to read and ask others for answers)

Tent Sale. Cheap Deals on the Holiday Weekend

When most folks think of Labor Day; they think Back to School. When I think of Labor Day, I think great Tent Sales where the bargains are many, the merchandise is good, and the deals are cheap. Here are a few great tent sales that I'm aware of. If you know of any great warehouse sales or tent sales this weekend, let me know and I'll post the information.

Restoration Hardware. Sept 3 - 7. Rugs, lightening, furniture, and linens available at steep discount. Additionally, Restoration Hardware is offering an additional $25 for every $100 spent.

Eastern Boarder. Sept 4 -7 in Leominster, MA. 40 - 50% off all things snowboarding related. Great opportunity to upgrade your bindings, buy new boats, or grab a fashion jacket at discount.

Reebok and Rockport. Thru Sept 7. Stoughton, Ma. Shoes, hats and workout gear. You'll never look so good heading out to the gym!

LL Bean Outlet Sale. Sept 4 - 7. Concord, Nashua, & Claremont NH. Save up to 70%. Technically, this isn't a tent sale, but honestly, the discount too good to pass up.

Happy Shopping.