My Favorite Black Friday Shopping Place: GYMBOREE

My absolute favorite place to shop on Black Friday is: GYMBOREE

This is the time of year I get the kids winter jackets and fleece outfits. Jackets are currently marked down to $22.73 - add a 20% off coupon and a $65 jacket is just $18.18 which is almost a 75% discount!!

But hurry because the jackets are going fast. I ordered last night and they are already sold out of a few styles.

Fleece and puffer vests are also on sale:

Puffer vests: $12.93
Fleece Jackets $11.53 (before coupon)
Fleece Pants: $8.73
Fleece Skirts: $7.68

What's your favorite Black Friday spot? Are you going out all night or shopping online? Last year I went out, this year I'm staying in. Hopefully the deals will be just as great.

Shopping Off Season At Gymboree

I'll be the first to admit that I hate shopping off season for clothes. I know it's the best way to get a lot of clothes at the best price but I still don't like to do it. There's just something not fun about buying clothes that my kids won't wear for months but when the budget is tight this is just what I do.

Because I have the "luxury" of living in the north and visiting the south every summer I find it to be the perfect time to head in to Gymboree for some winter clothes. Since Florida never gets as cold as Virginia I have less competition for the thick jeans and sweaters.

With 20% off coupon in hand I went to Gymboree and pick up 2 bag fulls of clothes for just over $75 - I also received a $25 Gymbuck which is redeemable in July (a perfect time to buy summer clothes if I'm buying off season).

This is what I picked up:



It's hard to tell what the full retail value is of the items but it's well over $300! That's not including the socks or underwear :) The average price of each piece (again, subtracting the socks and underwear) is just over $5.75 a piece!! I got great jeans for right around $5 and they are BRAND NEW! I found 2 matching dresses for the girls for next winter (I'll find the third on eBay in the coming months), 3 beautiful sweaters for them and a great dress for my oldest daughter that she actually likes :)

Their save over 70% sale is still going on so if you happen to have a current Family Fun magazine then you happen to have a 20% off coupon which you can use on your entire purchase. And don't forget you'll also be earning Gymbucks if you spend more than $50 in one transaction. Just another perk of my recent shopping trip!

Hope you get some great finds too!

Gymbucks Redemption Starts Tomorrow!

A very important and easy way for me to save money on kid's clothes besides consignment sales is Gymboree. I know it seems crazy but combining coupons with sales means a lot of great clothes on the cheap.

Add Gymbucks to the picture and you're saving even more!

If you aren't sure what a Gymbuck is it's a coupon you receive during earning months for $25 off a future purchase of $50. The coupon can only be used during a redemption period which is now (for those who are Gymboree Rewards members) or tomorrow (for those who aren't) through April 17th.

Gymbucks can be applied on any item in the store regardless of whether they are on sale or clearance.

And now is a great time to redeem since all their Easter items are on sale.

Head over to Gymboree and check out all the great stuff!

(photo from Gymboree's website)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are still in Florida celebrating with family and I am looking forward to a great dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's house this afternoon.

- I'm thankful for my Savior, my family and my friends.

- I'm thankful for a week in the Caribbean with my husband and no kids - a huge blessing for us - it was great :)

- I'm thankful for coupons - without them I would never save what I do!

- I'm thankful for Jingle Deals at Gymboree - check it out - save money - jackets for $14.00!! Have a coupon? It's even cheaper PLUS you earn Gymbucks - can NOT go wrong!! In stores early tomorrow morning or on line right now - I ordered last night - spent $400 on 40 items ($10/each) and that includes the girl's Christmas dresses and matching faux fur jacket:


















Also included a jacket for each child - a jacket marked down from $49/each to just $14.00 a piece! When I have to buy times 5 this is a STEAL!!



You do have to shop now though because they are selling out fast!!

A Happy Thanksgiving to all :) And thanks to a reader for letting me know that my article has come out in the Bull Run Observer. I haven't seen it yet since it came out last week while I was gone.

I'll post a lot more when I get home in a few days!

Gymboree Circle of Friends Starts Today!

Starting today you can get 30% off everything at Gymboree including sale items - just use the coupon code GYMCLUB when you checkout. You will also receive FREE shipping on all orders over $100. Coupon is good until August 23rd.

And to top that off you will earn Gymbucks - you earn $25 whenever you spend $50 which will get you $25 off a $50 purchase at a later date. Earning dates are: July 29th through September 27th and redemption dates are October 1st until October 11th.

It's a great time to stock up and finish off your back-to-school shopping!

Shopping At Gymboree

Last night I took a trip to Gymboree and picked up some clothes for the kids. I think I wound up with a pretty good deal.

All of the above cost me: $108.14
The original retail price for all of this was: $340.70!!

Of course I would never pay that but if I were to have bought them at full price that's what it would cost.

At full price Gymboree is a very expensive kids clothing store.

At sale price Gymboree is extremely reasonable. In fact, it gets better - I earned a $50 Gymbucks on my purchase - meaning in the future I can take $50 off my $100 purchase (if you do the math this results in an extra 25% off my purchases). What I paid averages out to $6.36 a piece! That means for next year's swimsuits for the girls I paid just over $6!! That even beats Wal-Mart!

It may not beat a thrift store but I'm getting the size I need, it's brand new and I can re-sell the items when I'm done.

How did I do it?

Currently Gymboree is running a number of sales - woven shorts are $10 cheaper (instead of $22 or $26 they are $12 or $16 a piece) - they have items on sale for $7.99 - like the watermelon tops I bought which are from a brand new line and not an old line.

On top of that everything is 30% off right now plus I can use a coupon with the sale. There is a 20% off Gymboree coupon in the most recent issue of Family Fun magazine (June/July - on stands now).

It's the same basic principle as grocery shopping. You buy what's on sale and use a coupon :) I also hit the clearance rack - the bluish shorts with frogs were on sale for $5.99 before the sale and the coupon which brought them down to $3.35!! That's one way I can buy ahead (they are size 3 and 4 for next summer).

Obviously buying at the end of the season is the best way to outfit your kids cheap but it's not my favorite way to shop because 1. I generally don't have extra money for next year's clothes and 2. I have no idea how big or small my kids will be next year BUT when the deal is this good I don't pass it up. Plus I had my eye on those bathing suits for a while and the girls didn't need them this year :)

So before you right off a brand-name store as too expensive check it out - you may be very pleasantly surprised! And yes, I paid cash.