My 70% Target Clearance Sale After Christmas Deals--December 30th

I had to take Anna to Crew this morning, so I didn't get to my favorite Target until 8:30.   I figured it had to be 70% off, because I thought it would be 70% off yesterday.   Sure enough, the non-food items were 70%, and food items were 50%.

This Rice Krispies treat is two pounds, and is a great thing to have when you are asked to bring a treat...for almost anything--when kids are over, or for the Valentine's day party, etc.  I brought one to my son's rugby game last year.  You take off the packaging, cut it up, and it goes in minutes.  The expiration is June, I think.   This was originally 9.99, so I paid 4.99.  I will get more if they go to 2.99 (70% off), and pack them for my son.  Apparently they all kind of share food in the dorm, and you have to have something to throw into the mix.   

I got these, because I will give them to my kids for Valentine's Day.  My kids don't know, or care, if the chocolate they receive is in a heart shape.  They were 2.99 each, originally 5.99.  When my children were in preschool, I would give one to each of the preschool teachers.  The expiration date on these is 10/31/15.  If you are familiar with Lindt chocolate, you will know that the bags always have this decoration on it...so it isn't Christmas-y, really.

The same goes for these Godiva bags.  They were originally $9.99, I paid 4.99.  I am bringing one to New Year's Eve, and then will give the other three to my children for Valentine's Day.  

These are my favorite things to buy--the things that I can use all year round.   For example,  I got several packages of Puffs for .89 each.  I realized how expensive tissues are...these are normally 2.99 each, or 1.50 a box, for 56 tissues, which is like .03 cents a tissue.   That seems like a lot, when I see my children grab handfuls of them...and my husband has allergies.  

I also got these three packs of Kleenex (will post the photo later).  These Kleenex were originally $6.29 each.  I don't know why.  Maybe because they look fancy?   I can't imagine who can afford $6.29 for Kleenex.   Anyway, they were on sale for 1.88, which I still think is pretty expensive, but I had a .75 coupon on a bundle pack, so they were 1.13 for three tubes of tissues.

I also got three of these Nordicware Gingerbread Pans with Cake sets.   These were originally $21, now $5.08.  The expiration on the cake mix is March, 2016, so I can still give them as gifts next year.  I will give one of these to my church to raffle, and the other two will be for CCD teachers.   Up until two years ago, they used to mark all the food items down to 90% off, but now they just go down to 70%, which really affects what I will buy. I was surprised these were 70%, not 50%, because if there is anything edible in an item, it usually is considered a food item, and would only be at 50%.

I almost bought this pack of three bowls at 50% off, but I held off.   These are three Nordic Ware bowls, originally $19.99, now $5.99.  I wonder about the colors, but I just need mixing bowls.  The ones I have are 20 years old, and I just need new bowls--these are great.  You can microwave them, serve in them, etc.

My husband seems particular about what Christmas lights he uses, but I got these...I can return them if he doesn't want them.   These Philips LED lights were originally $34.99, I got them for $10.49, which means I saved $24.50 by waiting.     So, for the people scooping up all the Reynolds wrap on the day after Christmas..this is what you should be looking for!!

I got a surge protector for 2.39, down from 7.99.   We needed several of these for when Jack went to college.  I think it is just one of those things you must have, and I have lots of kids leaving for collegein the next few years.....and we will use it.  I will definitely get more if I can get them for .79 cents at 90% off.   

So, that was it, for the first trip.  I arrived at 8:30, left at 9:30, picked up Chick Fil A minis for me and Timmy (delicious..and something I should resolve to give up in the new year), dropped off my stuff,  made the bed, and made it in time to my 10:15 Cycling class.     I really tried to limit myself to good deals, and not pick up extraneous things until it hits 90% off, because we don't need anything, but these items are things, I think, that can really be used throughout the year.   At 90% off, I will buy a lot more things to give as gifts.  

Target Christmas Clearance Sale at 70% Tomorrow???

I ran into the Target on the way to drop off Anna today...and everything is still at 50% (food is now at 50%).  I am really surprised.   The Christmas clearance items have gone 70% three days after Christmas for the last several years .   But then again, this is the first time that I can recall seeing Christmas being clearanced before Christmas.

Holiday Trip to Philadelphia--December 28, 2014

One of the few things Chris and I have never done with our children is take them downtown on the train to see the holiday light shows in Philadelphia.  When I was growing up, the only one was the Wanamaker's light show, which was great.  When I lived downtown, I can remember cutting through Wanamaker's during the Christmas season, and walking through while the light show was going on, and not bothering to stop and watch...I guess that is what happens when things are really convenient to you.    A few years, the Comcast Center started having a "Holiday Spectacular" in the lobby of the building, and I wanted to see it.

Because the weather has been so warm here, we decided to take advantage of the weather, and take everyone downtown on the train,  go to the Comcast Center light show, and then head over to the Wanamaker's light show.  This is us waiting for the train:

We got to the Comcast Center a little early, so we explored downstairs, which has this amazing food court...I am not sure you can really call it a food court.  It has really nice restaurants and specialty food stores.  One of them, Termini Bros, is a well-known South Philly-based bakery, and they were having cupcake decorating for $5....normally I would have said no, but I almost felt sorry for the girl sitting there.  She wasn't very busy, and I felt like we should give her business.   You got a cute little kit, which included a juice box, and a candy cane, the cupcake, and a special baker's hat.   Lily had fun...it was worth it.  

      Lily was having a little bit of problems...so Anna jumped in to help--such a great big sister!

 The finished creation...you might not be able to see, but it is Rudolph, with lots of jimmies on top!

  

                The show was great--much better than I thought it would be!!

                                               Timmy and Lily watching the show....

Afterwards, however, no one really wanted to go to Wanamaker's anymore...and we were hungry, so we headed over to Shake Shack...which is where we go most of the time we go downtown.  

                                                      In front of Rittenhouse Square

 

   On the train ride home, Anna and Lily were just laughing and playing with each other...I don't know what they were doing, but I couldn't help hearing them...Lily was laughing so loud!!

                                                  I love this one of Lily laughing out loud

It was a great way to spend a warm day...and Lily finally got that train ride she has been asking me about!!

Christmas Clearance at Target...I think it will be at 70% tomorrow, 12/29!

I really think Target's Christmas clearance will be at 70% tomorrow.  I just headed over to my favorite Target, and there is still a lot of Christmas stuff there, but the place is a mess...and I will have to stick with my plan to only get things I need.

Actually, what do I really need?    I do not need any more junk...in years past, I needed cookie sheets, but now I have 6 nice ones, all of which are still in nice condition, and all of which I got at 90% off.    But if I see them tomorrow,  and know they are only 2.99 each, it is hard to resist...but I don't need them.   I was planning on getting some more white Christmas outside lights, but they sold out before Christmas.  I am clearing stuff out, and getting rid of/donating stuff, so what do I really need?   The only thing I need-- I like to get a nice assortment of those specialty ornaments that originally cost $10  or so each, which I keep in a big box.  This way, I can give a few of these ornaments in a gift bag to those people I suddenly realize I need to give something to...or for a hostess gift for a holiday party.  So, other than that, or if I find some random paper products (unlikely...I didn't see any tonight), that is all I should/will get tomorrow.   Stay tuned....

Target 50% off Christmas Clearance--December 26th

I got to Target around 8 this morning--they opened at 7, but I wasn't going to get out of bed still tired just to go shopping, and I spent awhile cleaning up from last night.  When I got back to the Seasonal section, there was a lady there piled with 30 packs of napkins/paper towels/tissues...lucky her.    I really got very little.  I got a few of these Ziploc containers, for which I had coupons, making each pack .99 cents.

I got two of these Sprinbrush My Way MLB print spin toothbrushes for my two younger boys--these were 2.49 each, down from $4.99 each.  I normally would wait until these go to 70% off (so 1.49 each), and I have gotten these at 90% off, but I don't want to take the chance that these aren't there...my boys will get these for either Valentine's Day, or the "Leprachaun Man" comes to our house on March 17th, for St. Patrick's Day, and leaves little presents for my children.   The ones that are on sale are the ones with the little barcode sticker over the barcode.   The ones without the sticker are $6.49 I think.  These were $2.49.   I know there are coupons out there for these, but I didn't have them.

I got this Nutcracker for $4.99, 50% off of 9.99 to give to Lily.    There will still be some of these nutcrackers around when they go down to 90% off, which will make them $1 each, but I like this one with the curly red hair...which is what Lily looks like.

That was pretty much it.  I found one pack of napkins, and a few things of Puffs tissues, which I had coupons for.  I did pick up this three pack of NordicWare bowls that were 9.99, down from $19.99, but I figured I would take a chance to see what was left at 70% off, which I think will happen on Monday.   

Christmas Picture 2014

Jack got home early Sunday morning.....at 2 am Sunday morning.   Apparently, they got a late start, and it is a 12 hour drive from Notre Dame.   We hadn't seen him in two months, so it is nice to have him home.

The first thing we had to do on Sunday, was get our Christmas picture taken for our Christmas cards. Every year, starting when Jack was only two months, we have taken our children for pictures at Picture People.  They do a really nice job, although we always have to wait for at least an hour after our assigned time.  I made our appointment for 4 pm on Sunday, which would give us time to get up, go to CCD, eat, get ready, etc, before we had to leave to get there.

First, we did the kids....

Last year, for the first time, Chris and I got in. I always had an excuse...just had a baby, too fat, etc, but then I heard about this thing about Moms "Get in the picture" which is encouraging moms to get into photos, since they are the ones who are usually taking the pictures, or the ones who have excuses why they don't want to get in the shot.   This movement encourages moms to get into photos because your children will want a picture of you when you are gone...and they won't think you are fat, or that the shirt doesn't fit, etc.   So, last year, Chris and I got in the photo, and the picture turned out okay (although I am wearing a Lilly Pulitzer Shere Wrap which is fabulous in person, I think, but in this photo makes me look like I am being strangled).  This year, we weren't going to do it, but 3 minutes before we left, I threw on a sweater, so I said we would get in a family shot.



And then, Lily took her 8 year old shots.  This was her idea.  She is certainly not shy.

                                 She found numerous ways to pose...I love her confidence!!

So that is our Christmas picture for this year.  I like the picture, but the cards came out wrong...they left out the comma after Matthew's name...just a small thing, but as an English major, it is the kind of thing that makes me crazy when I see it in print...and it is all over my Christmas cards!!   Still, I have seen some pretty bad Christmas cards, and I think ours is pretty good this year.  

Jack is coming home...and Lily can't wait!

Jack is coming home from Notre Dame on December 20th, and Lily can't wait.   He didn't come home for Thanksgiving, which considering the weather we had the week before, I was okay with it...I am glad he wasn't on the road.   But, it means we haven't seen him since late October.

 Lily told me the other day that she didn't want anything for Christmas...she just wants Jack to come and be home with her. I found this little note the other day near her seat...she really misses him.

I have been surprised that my other children seem to simply accept that Jack is not here.  They don't understand the concept of missing someone...they just know that he will be back, and they will be together again.   I think the other three are busy doing their thing...but Lily just wants to hang out with her big brother.   Jack accuses her of being self-centered...it is all about Lily, in other words.  Which I guess is true.  Her world is fairly small, and very limited, and she can't even cross the street by herself, so understandably, she is a little self-centered.   But when it comes to missing Jack, she does seem to be genuinely upset...and says all the time that she can't wait for him to come home.

I really want him to be home,  for lots of reasons, but partly so we can get our Christmas picture taken.  Every year, I get the three boys matching shirts, and the girls wear a matching dress of some color, and we get the five of them in a nice professional photo.   It means a lot to me, not so much that we can send out the card,  as that I get a great picture of the 5 of them, once a year.   I have almost no pictures of me as a child, so I always want my children to have a great photo of them, with their siblings, while they were growing up.

 This year, we are getting the picture taken on December 22nd, which means my cards won't go in the mail before December 23rd, if I am really lucky, which means most people won't get them until after Christmas.   These are a few of our last Christmas cards:

                                              I think Jack is in 7th grade, so he is 13?

I think this was Lily's hairstyle of choice when she was 5, so this was our 2011 photo.  

Getting Ready for the Target After Christmas Clearance Sale 2014....

I wrote about getting ready for the Target after Halloween clearance sale at great length, you can see it at this post.    Now is the time to be getting ready for the Target after Christmas clearance sale, which will start on December 26th.     As I explained in my earlier post, I am mostly interested in stuff that can be used at times other than Christmas (I will,  however, buy a lot of Christmas gift items when they go down to 90% off, which I donate to my church for their Christmas raffle baskets). 

Last year, the 50% off items were from December 26th through December 28th.   Then, it was 70% off from December 29th through January 3rd.   It went 90% off on January 4th.  I think it will be the same schedule for this year, which is good, because January 4th is a Sunday, which means I will shop all that day.   Last year, I had all Saturday and Sunday to shop, but Chris' birthday is the 5th, and honestly, after two days, I have pretty much had it. 

Great items to look for the day after Christmas are napkins, paper towels, and Ziploc and Glad containers.  I have a friend who does a lot of Christmas baking, and she tells me she buys all her supplies for the next Christmas the day or two after this Christmas.   She buys the pretty Wilton boxes for cookies, the tins, etc.  that she will fill with cookies and candy next year.  She said she gets a lot at 50% off, but she will definitely be there bright and early on the morning when the items go 70% off.   I don't need or use them, but it is a good idea. 

As I explained in earlier posts, I buy very little at 50% off, unless I have a coupon for the item, and it will be super cheap.  I will buy a little more at 70% off, and I will buy a lot at 90% off.  Now is the time to gather coupons, if you can, for those items that you will want.   I bought a whole bunch of Reynolds aluminum foil coupons off ebay in early November that don't expire until early January.  Honestly, how many rolls of Reynolds wrap is too many rolls?  They stack nicely, and they don't go bad.   If you can get a roll of Reynolds wrap for .34 cents, that is a good thing. 

Some of my favorite Christmas clearance items items to buy are cookie sheets (usually .99 down from 9.99),  toothbrushes (in the stocking stuffer department, are .49 down from 4.99), Method Christmas scented dish soaps (.39 down from 3.99),  and all other little toys...which you will find back in the seasonal section along the walls in the bins.   Last year, I got these items, which I use year round--this is Method dish soap scented Peppermint Vanila--I really like it, and I got about 5 containers...I still have two left:

and I got this J.R. Watkins sugar cookie scented hand soap for .79, down from 7.99.   These are nice, don't look like they belong to a Christmas display, and look nice in my bathroom....I gave several of these to friends: 

I also stopped buying the boys expensive Lego Advent calendars, and this year I made up one each day using this one that I got last year for $2.50, down from $25 (although I miss the Lego days).    I put a clue in the numbered circle for the day, and they look for it.  My kids really like it--in fact, Lily asked if she could be part of it next year (her expensive Lego Friends set is apparently not that much fun!). 

I went to the Target in Abington a few days ago and took these pictures...honestly, there were ten big rows, and all along the back wall, of Christmas-themed items.   These are some of those pictures: 

The food aisle makes me sad.   They used to discount all food 90% off, now it just goes to 70% off, which makes me think twice about buying things.   A .29 cent bag of Pepperidge Farm Christmas goldfish is a no-brainer, but .89 isn't that cheap....

   Again, these are "specialty" food items I wouldn't normally buy, but at 70% off, I might consider...and use them to bring to a party within the next few weeks (we are having a going away party for friends right after New Year's Eve, so I would bring some of these items to put out there). 

Some of these novelty candy items could be used at other times of the year--like you could give those cute containers of candies in Easter baskets?  Or I see those bags of hot cocoa mix...definitely could be used for parties for the next several months.

                  I wouldn't buy most of this stuff, but the red and green salsa chips might be okay. 

This stuff makes me excited.  These will all go down to 90% off, and I will buy this...and use this all year for whenever we have friends over for a casual dinner, or for when we go to the beach for the weekend, etc.  

I don't ever buy these types of ornament balls, but for crafty people, you would really get a good deal with these.  Plus, I think they make nice gifts for newlyweds...a big box of Christmas ornaments for their tree.

Again, we don't use an artificial tree, but a few years ago, I passed over a whole bunch of artificial trees for 90% off, making them about $10-15 dollars each, and the next week, our preschool had a flood, and asked everyone to replace their lost items...including the artificial trees they lost.    The nicest trees are originally $500, so for $50, maybe I would consider getting a nice one...and using it as a second tree....or maybe I don't need to store it just in case I do that...

There are tons of ornaments...which, if you find at 90% off, are only 30 cents or so.  When my kids were younger, I would buy lots of them with a theme, and give them in a gift bag to their preschool teachers each year.   One year, I bought a whole collection of Nutcracker ornaments, and gave them to Anna's ballet teacher...she was thrilled!

  Now that my kids are a little older, I get lots of these CD's at 90% off.   I give them to CCD teachers, and I just gave one of Lily's friends a Barbie Holiday CD in a gift bag full of Christmas items for her birthday party today!

I don't need lights, but there are lots here--I would get these at 50%, and hope you can get some at 90% if you need them.  I think they disappear quickly.

This is one of my favorite things to buy.  I try to look for non-Christmasy looking boxes of chocolates to give to teachers for Valentine's Day.  The chocolate turtles always have a red and white striped box, which is perfect for Valentine's Day, and they don't expire until months from now.

They practically give this bagged candy away...and there are always coupons for them!

These wreath-type items are really nice, in case you want to replace yours.   For years, I would get one at 90% off...but we don't need anymore.  However, if you are willing to store them for 11 months, they would make great gifts for so many people next year. 

More decoration type things.....for next year.

These nutcrackers are my favorite, and I always get a few for 90% off.  I have a big Rubbermaid container of nutcrackers.   I got one dressed like a teacher three years ago, and gave it to Lily's kindergarten teacher the next year.    She made a big point of telling me how much she loved it!

More decorations...

                                                       More wrapping paper type things.

I like these things at the bottom, because they are not red and green...which means you can use them other than Christmas. 

  More paper....

And finally, more wreaths....

So, I think you should get an idea of the types of things that will be available this year at Target.  Of course, lots of these items will be sold before Christmas, which is what Target wants to do.  However, a good amount of things will be available after Christmas.    Gather whatever coupons you might want to use, but most of this stuff will not take a coupon....but you do need to get there early!!