December 8, 2011

We love the Melissa and Doug toys for the under 6 crowd in our home, and today they are 50% off as Amazon’s deal of the day:

Melissa and Doug Sale

A couple of our favorites are $10 instead of $20:

Melissa and Doug Cutting Food Box

And for some fun early pattern and math skills, this keeps my 3-year-old intently busy for up to 30 minutes.  That’s a record! 

Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards

Enjoy!

 

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

December 6, 2011

In addition to homeschooling, I’ve always been an avid bargain shopper, so I hope you’ll excuse the occasional deal post.  Amazon seems to always have the greatest discounts this time of year, plus it’s delivered right to my door.  Win, win!

Here are a few tips that have helped me out:

1. Get a free Amazon Prime Membership Trial, which gives you free 2-day shipping and also removes the $25 order requirement to get free shipping.  You can only do this if it’s been 13 months since a previous free trial. (Make sure to go into “My Account” and “Manage Prime Membership” and review whether you want the Prime to automatically renew after the trial.)
2. Check out the Movers and Shakers Amazon page.  In the left hand column, you can click on the category you’re looking at like ‘toys’ or ‘books’.  This will show you products that have started selling much faster than usual.  This is usually the really popular items along with the ones you’re looking for – the best priced deals.
   • Like these two expansions to our newest family favorite game, Dominion.  We love it because everyone from age 5 to adult enjoys it.  The expansions are usually around $45 and today they dropped to $22 and quickly made the Movers and Shakers page.  Yay!
   • 
3. The Lightning Deals- These go on all day and have specific starting and ending times.  Here are ideas to help you get the items you want:
   • If you’re at all interested in an item, and they are going fast, click and add it to your cart.  You will have 15 minutes to think about it before you need to check out.  If you don’t buy it, it will go to the next person in line.
   • Lightning deals later in the day often only have a clue about what they are.  However, I have found that if you cut and paste the text of the clue and then do a google search for it, with the word “Amazon” you can often figure out what many of the upcoming items are.
4. Finally, if you want to avoid the urgency of the Lightning Deals, you can check out the Deals of the Day or The Gold Box.  Here’s an idea to sift through the many pages of deals offered in the “Best Deal” slider box.  Here’s what to do.
   • Go to the “Best Deals” slider box in the middle of the page (which can be hundreds of pages).
   • Go to the “Sort by” drop down menu and choose “Percent off (high to low)”
   • Click on the category you’re interested in (toys and games, video games, etc.) just below the product images.
   • Buy the good ones: like this $20 Littlest Pet Shop set for $12
   • 

And I appreciate any shopping you do through my links – I get a small referral commission for Amazon purchases made through my links or by using the Amazon search box in the sidebar on my homepage.

Thank you and enjoy your holidays!

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

December 6, 2010

My little kids enjoy practicing their letters with these LeapFrog fridge letters and they just dropped from $21.99 to $10.00, a great gift price!

Plus, a lot of Amazon’s Preschool Toys are 50% off.

Enjoy!

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

December 3, 2010

One more quick deal for your art supply cupboard (Because what homeschooler can’t use a few more art supplies?):

Since the Melissa and Doug toys sold out, Amazon is now offering 60% or more off a handful of Crayola gifts to finish out the day, like the:

Crayola Color Wonder Magic Light Brush – $9.99 (originally $24.99)

or the

Crayola Crayola Color Twister – $6.00 (originally $14.99)

Enjoy!

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

December 3, 2010

Today, Amazon has 50% off a lot of their Melissa and Doug toys if you’re looking for a semi-educational toy for your toddler!  These are our favorite to use for the younger kids’ schoolwork . . . if you can call it school

They have two of our favorites included in the sale:

The Birthday Cake – I have blown these wooden candles out and made wishes too many times to count.  When a real birthday only comes around once a year, this is a great way to relive the excitement or heighten anticipation for an upcoming birthday.

The Cutting Food Box -  My toddlers have always wanted to ‘help’ in the kitchen, and they love using their own toy knife on the fruits and veggies.  Great practice.

A second deal is on the Melissa and Doug big floor puzzles:

Many are marked down with an additional 10% off if you buy $30:

This pirate is one of my boys’ favorites and it’s marked down to $9.82

My youngest loves their Safari Puzzle like this (a previous edition).  This one is 4 feet long with big pieces he can handle easily and lots of animals to keep his interest.  It’s also on sale for $9.99

And don’t forget to get a free 3-month Prime Membership if you’re a caregiver to get free 2-day shipping on any size order.

Enjoy!

(P.S.  I appreciate anyone who orders through my Amazon links, which supports this site!)

Posted under Homeschool Bargains, Toddler Tips

November 23, 2010

One last deal today – A great gift for your Harry Potter Fan – or to add to your gift closet::

Harry Potter Years 1-6 Giftset (Widescreen Edition) – for $23.99 while it lasts!

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

November 23, 2010

I was raised as a bargain hunter. My mom sent us kids down different check-out aisles with coupons clutched in our hands to get multiple deals. And I continue the tradition.

But, my favorite way to save is at the computer, having the gifts delivered to my porch. Which for this time of year means Amazon.

And if you haven’t considered it, it’s also a great time to stock a ‘gift closet’ in the house for quick birthday gifts throughout the year. I send $30 gifts to birthday parties year-long that I paid $5 to $15 for the previous holiday season.

Here’s how I get the best deals:

1. Browse the Movers and Shakers pages daily from the 3rd week of November up until Christmas.  You can choose the specific category you’re looking for like ‘Toys” or “Video Games”.  This page shows the top 100 items that have suddenly jumped in sales recently.  This usually includes two types of items, the suddenly popular (think Zhu-zhu pets last year), or the best deals (what you’re looking for).  If a popular toy is suddenly discounted 50% and everyone starts grabbing one, it’ll show up on the Movers and Shakers page.
2. Check the Lightning Deals page whenever you have a chance.  This is a bit more time intensive, because Amazon will have a few Lightning Deals activating every hour or two all day long.  Many are also a secret or have a hint about what it will be.  But, you can sort it by category to give yourself an idea of what is a movie, electronic item, toy, etc.
3. Browse the Bestseller Pages.  This won’t give you the best deals like the Movers and Shakers, but it will give you an idea of what is popular.  This helps more with choosing gifts and getting ideas.  A game on the Bestseller list is likely to be something fun and worth your money.
4. Sign up for free Amazon Prime trial membership.  Amazon Prime gives you 2-day shipping on everything, which lets you shop the deals right up until Christmas.  It also removes the $25 requirement to get free shipping, so if you find a movie on sale for $5, you can just get it without trying to get $20 more in your order.
5. Be prepared for Amazon to match Black Friday prices.  Many retailers are now offering their Black Friday deals online and Amazon often matches them.  Check out BFADS.net – my favorite Black Friday site.  For example, if you are waiting for a $150 Wii that goes on sale at 5 a.m. the morning of Black Friday here are some of your choices.

• Line up a few hours earlier outside the store and hope to get one when they open.
• or make sure it is carried online at the store’s website.  Add one to your online shopping cart before 5 am.  When the price drops at 5 am, be prepared to check out really fast.
• In a second browser window, do the same thing at Amazon.  When 5 am rolls around they may also have it at that price.  If not, keep an eye on the Lightning Deals page, because it may show up there.

I hope that helps some of you make your Christmas dollars stretch and even stock up on some gifts for the future.

Good luck!

P.S.  These links give me a small commission through my Amazon affiliate account.  If you use them, I appreciate it.  But, you’re welcome to go directly to Amazon if you’d like.

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

November 22, 2010

I’m an Amazon Deal junkie this time of year, so I thought I’d share a few money saving tips with my readers:

1. If you’re a parent, you can sign up for a free 3-month Prime membership as a parent here:
   Amazon Parent Program

This will give you fast 2-day shipping on any Amazon order for free and also without having to meet the $25 minimum.

2. Also, in advance of Black Friday, Amazon is starting their Lightning Deal craziness with new deals popping up all day long.
3. And finally, for the music fans out there, you can get a free $3 credit for Amazon here by clicking on the “Enter your Code” button and typing in “GET3MP3S”.
   A ton of Amazon’s bestselling MP3 albums are on sale for under $5. Plus for the bargain hunters out there, check out the many free MP3 albums, especially if you’re looking for some free holiday music, like this Christmas Album from The VeggieTales:
   Amazon’s MP3 deals

Enjoy the deals!

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

October 12, 2010

For my frugal readers:  This is a quick tip if you plan on doing any Amazon shopping this holiday season.

A couple of my friends have asked me about how Swagbucks works, since I keep getting free $5 Amazon cards from them.

Basically, you sign up for a free account and next time you need to do an internet search or go to a website, start your search at the Swagbucks site and every now and then, you’ll earn a few Swagbucks.  These add up over a while and when you have 450 swagbucks, you can order a $5 Amazon gift card.  (You also get 30 free Swagbucks when you start a new account through my link)

You can also go to the Swagbuck toolbar section and install a plug-in, so you can use the little search box at the top of most browsers to automatically use Swagbucks when you search without going to their website to do it.

What’s the catch?  The Swagbuck searches mix in advertising with the search results and when you click on them, they are getting paid advertising dollars.  The only difference is that they pass some of that on to you in the form of ‘prizes’.

It’s not a ton of money, but if I’m going to be on the internet anyway . . .

If you’re curious as to how well it works, here’s how many I’ve earned in the last year:

So, I get a free card about every month or so.

And finally, when a friend signs up through you, you’ll get matching Swagbucks for the first 1000 they earn.  (Thank you, if you decide to sign up through my links )

I hope this helps some of you!

Enjoy!

Posted under Homeschool Bargains

August 12, 2010

With school supply season here, I’ve been picking up supplies and just found some fun deals on Amazon:

70 % and up off of Melissa & Doug Arts and Craft Supplies

Like this nice sticker collection for your princess – $5.73:

Enjoy!

Posted under Homeschool Bargains