Meals, Steals & Family Deals

The Ultimate Toy Guide…Plus Coupons

In this months issue of OC Family, there is a feature story on the ultimate toy guide. The “Time Tested Toys” brought back some great memories, while the as “As Green as it Gets” section gave me pause. I think more than a few of us were just happy to rip open a gift when we were little, so who would have thought we need to worry about chemical content of toys? For sure, not my mom and truth be told I’ve never put much thought into it myself. But, I really admire (borderline jealous of) those moms who not only pull of Christmas but also make sure they are not poisoning their children.
Note to self: work on this.

As I saw the article, it occured to me that many OC Family parents would be buying these and or very similar items for their children this Christmas. I put on my coupon thinking cap and got to work. Im really excited to be able to give links to some great savings for all these items, plus a few more. Don’t forget every dollar you save this year on toys can be used for mommy later.

When I saw the feature, it reminded me of my youth. Does anybody else remember getting the giant JC Penney catalog and flipping straight to the toy section? I would sit for hours and look at all the toys. Then I’d find
a pen (by pen a mean highlighter) and circle every toy I felt I worthy of receiving that year. Never mind that at that point I was keenly aware there was no Santa Claus…I just needed my mom to know I had clearly done my research. Plus, I was making it easy on her. Not only did I give her a visual with the circled pictures, but
I also wrote out my list on a separate neatly written, piece of paper with the catalog page numbers cross
referenced…you know just in case she had any questions.
As it does every year, Christmas would come and I was always thrilled with my choices and a few surprises that
my mom and family had bought me as well. Later in the day, my family gathered over at my Grandparents house for dinner. I would always get astonished looks from my cousins at my Christmas haul. In some form or another they would ask how I got so many presents. (Let me add, being an only child doesn’t hurt matters.)
I would try and explain to my younger kin, “It’s a whole system, you have to circle the things you want, write a list, pretend to mail a letter to Santa”…then I would watch their eyes glaze over a bit with my explanation.
…clearly this was too much detailed information they never planned on using. They just wanted to get back to playing with the toys. It was Christmas afterall, gifts were here or they weren’t.
There was no longer a need to discuss how they got here. In my head I thought ” You’ll wish you listened to me next year” but I said nothing. We went back to playing Simon, Rock em Sock em or begging one of the adults
to plug in the toaster oven, yes even in the hallway since the kitchen was being used, so we could get a jump start on our shrinky dink making activities.

My favorite part of Christmas is always the memories of Christmas past. Yet we have current year business at hand. So readers, here are all the money saving links I could find for the items in the OC Family Toy list.

COUPON LINKS FOR TOYS:

Hasbro.com is offering direct print coupons for this holiday season.
You won;t find it on the main website, you have to sign up at HasbroRewards
They have 6 coupons available for a total of $28 in savings.

Save $5.00 Hasbro when you buy one LITTLEST PET SHOP FAIRY FUN ROLLERCOASTER Toy
Save $3.00 Hasbro when you buy one KRE-O BATTLESHIP COMBAT CHOPPER Building Set
Save $5.00 Hasbro when you buy one KRE-O BATTLESHIP AIR ASSAULT Building Set or one KRE-O BATTLESHIP MINE STRYKER Build set.
Save $5.00 Hasbro when you buy one KRE-O BATTLESHIP ALIEN STRIKE Building Set
Save $5.00 Hasbro when you buy one KRE-O BATTLESHIP U.S.S. MISSOURI Building Set
SAVE $5.00 MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRE when you buy one MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRE Game (Item No. 98838) from Hasbro

Currently Coupons.com has 11 Toy Coupons Available. During this time of year they do go quick so print now ( you can print 2 per computer) Click here to Print toy Coupons

TOYS R US:
There are several items on this ultimate toy list that can be purchased at Toys-R-Us.

Currently Wendy’s is offering a $10 off coupon at Toys R Us with a $75.00 purchase. All you have to do is buy the $1.99 kids meal. Here is the link for the coupon for the kids meal $1.99 Coupon
I would suggest buying several kids meals and splitting your purchases up to maximize the savings.

KMART: Not just for toys, but currently Kmart if offering a $25 off $125 purchase. Use code 25OFF125 under promos during online check out. This deal expires 12/31/12 but retailers have the right to pull deals once a certain number have been redeemed. ACT fast! This code is offered by CouponCabin.com, you may need to register if this code changes.

This adorable little monkey by SkipHop listed as #1 on the list says it’ll make little one go bananas, let me just say, it is so cute I wish I had a little one to buy it for. It says it’s available at Skip Hop for $18 which is a great deal.

SkipHop.com cyber monday deals ended on 11/26 but I have found a few coupon codes for other retailers that carry the brand.
YOYO.com sells the same item for $17.99 plus if you use code SKIPHOP15 you save 15%
YOYO.com also offers a 30% discount on one toy, first purchase only with code YOYO30. Get your order over $49 and get free 2 day shipping. No matter how heavy the item is and they carry may items, not just toys.
Macys has a HOT but expiring coupon out right now. Print it now and save 25% on regular, sale and clearance items. Here is the Q
but the link for printing is here: 25% OFF at Macys

#2 Plasma car
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Available at Target for $49. As listed above YoYo is offereing a 30% discount on one item, you could use this and only $41.65 plus it's free shipping once you hit $50.00

#3 Fisher Price Poppity Pop.
Item available at several toy sites. As listed available at Kmart.com, you could include this in the $25 of $125 order.

#4 Leap Pad 2 Learning Tablet

As a mom I have always been such a huge fan of Leap Pad Products, I was glad to see this on the list. And while yes, many of the 3-7 age range are fully capable of using an Ipad, as my friend mentioned in facebook post, she was a little tired of sharing her Ipad with her 3 year old son, nor did she think the cost was appropriate to give him as a “toy”. I didn’t tell her but her comment made me smile.
So lets find some savings on the Leap Pads shall we? The good news is that LeapFrog.com offers FREE shipping on all products.
As for savings, there are several different ways to order and bundle your leap pad. Some are specifically made more for girls, like the princess ediction. So I would suggest if ordering from the site directly, choose the option that suits your childs needs best.
However, Leap Pads are sold at many many retail locations. If you are looking to save money, I would consider adding this item into a cart through any of of the above stores listed and use the savings that way.

#5 Rockboard Scooter

This Item is available at Sears. Sears is currently offering 2 Coupons that could be used towards saving money on this purchase. Use code STOYS20 at Sears.com to save $20 on a purchase of $250.

If you are planning on purchasing additional gifts at Sears this year, you can use code SEARS35OFF300AFFILIATE to save $35 off a $350 purchase, same as 10% coupon but that is not curently offered. Both codes end 12/31/12

# 6 & # 7

As article suggests, items are available direct through Landofnod.com and Disneystore.com. Disney offers free shipping on orders of $75 or more with code FREESHIPTODAY Please note that both items are also available at other retailers and can be combined with other coupons.

DISNEY FREE MOVIE BONUS: details HERE Buy a qualifying movie on Blu Ray DVD , ebter code and get free passes to see FaankenWeenie OR Wreck It Ralph

#8 SPOT IT. Available at Target $10.00… NO Coupon. just a great stockinng stuffer.

#9 Justin Bieber…… stand up poster. Reminds me of my Scott Baio days. I wish my mom had never let me spend money on all those posters. This stand up has no current offers but if you have a teen daughter that is still really into the Biebs, you can cure her BielieberFever by buying her some prints at Allposters.com If you join now, you can save 25% off your order, no codes needed. If you are already a member, you can use code DEWQ67 to save 20% OFF all orders.

#10 Awkward Family Photos game. AKA the coolest game to hit the scene in years. can you beliebe ( pun intened after #9) I actually found a coupon for this?
Here you go: Save $5.00 off $20.00 purchase at Shopko.com with Code SAVE283 at check out.

And there we have it. How to save money on everything, even the toys listed in OC Familys hot 10 list.
If you are looking for a specific coupon, I am always available to help. Just follow Meals, Steals & Family Deals on Facebook and write me a post. If I have or can find a coupon for you, I’m always glad to help.

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