I realize school has already started for a lot of your kids, but here in Michigan, school doesn’t start until after Labor Day. I got an email about checking out the great prices on back-to-school supplies at Walmart, and since I’ve always bought school supplies at Target, I was curious to see what the differences were in price.  Walmart offered to send me a gift card and a list of recommended school supplies so I could do some comparison shopping between the two.

WALMART:

I set off for Walmart with my list and the kids, and found the Back-to-School section right at the front of the store. There were multiple aisles filled with multiple blue cardboard boxes STUFFED with school supplies. We started at the top of the list and got shopping!  This was the list Walmart sent me, I think it’s based on what the average shopper needs for kids of varying ages:

• Avery Durable View Binder – 1 inch – $2.50
• Big Brite Liner Highlighters – 5 pack – $1.50
• Bic Mechanical Pencil (7mm) – 10 pack – $1.50
• Black & White Composition Book – 100 sheets – $0.25 – SOLD OUT. Paid $2.00 for a patterned one.
• Crayola Colored Pencils – 12 count – $1.00
• Crayola Crayons – 24 count – $0.25
• Crayola Marker Classic Broad – 10 count – $1.00
• Crayola Marker Washable Broad – 9 count – $2.00
• Dixon #2 Pencils – 24 count – $1.00 – Rang up at $0.88
• Elmer’s School Glue – 4 oz. – $0.25
• Elmer’s School Glue Stick twin pack – $0.25
• Index Card 3×5 Ruled – 100 count – $0.44
• Mead Reinforced Wide Ruled Filler Paper – 150 sheet – $2.50 – SOLD OUT. Norcom brand only $0.75 !
• Pink Eraser by Peachtree Playthings – 2 pack – $1.00
• School Backpack – $5.00 or $9.00
• Spiral Notebook Wide Ruled – 70 sheet – $0.15
• 3-pack folders – $2.50 – Rang up at $2.00
• 10-Digit Desk Calculator – $3.00

The total for the 18 items came to just $26.28 before tax!  Best of all, my kids can use everything on the list, and what we don’t need, their school is happy to take.

TARGET:

I took the shopping list to Target and looked for the same or similar items and jotted down the prices.  Here’s what I found:

• Avery Binder – $2.74  MORE
• Bic Highlighters – didn’t have, Target Value Pack 5 highlighters – $1.74  MORE
• Bic Mechanical Pencils – didn’t have 10 pack, 8 pack $1.20  SAME
• Composition Book – Target had the Black & White ones for $0.25, same price as Walmart when the books were in stock  SAME
• Crayola 24 count crayons – $0.25  SAME
• Crayola colored pencils – Target didn’t have 12 packs, 24 packs were $2.84. Walmart’s price is 8 cents each, Target’s is 11 cents each  MORE
• Crayola Classic markers – $1.00 SAME
• Crayola Washable markers – $2.00 SAME
• #2 Pencils – Target had Wood Barrel pencils, 24 count, $0.94  LESS
• Elmer’s School Glue – $0.25  SAME
• Glue Stick Twin Pack – $0.25  SAME
• Index Cards 3×5 Ruled – $0.44  SAME
• Wide Ruled Filler Paper – $0.75  LESS
• 2 pack Pink Erasers – $0.97  LESS
• Backpacks – Target had a clearance section, there were a few marked $10.48 and one marked $6.98  MORE
• Spiral Notebook Wide Ruled – $1.00  MORE
• 3-pack folders – the ones at Walmart are coated on the outside, heavy. Target has paper ones for $0.15, I didn’t see the nicer coated ones. I’ll call this “less” but I hesitate to do so since it isn’t the exact same thing, just so you know.   LESS
• Desk Calculator – Target had a space for a Sharp Basic Plastic Calculator for $2.99 but there were none hanging there, so I don’t know how many digits it would have calculated out to. I’m going to assume it would be the same.   SAME

Total for that list, assuming you buy the 24 pack of colored pencils and three of their paper folders, your total would be $27.05.

I was surprised how close the totals were!  Although I have to say, Walmart seemed to have more choices in the different categories, as far as patterns or designs go, and while Target was almost entirely cleaned out of backpacks, Walmart still had a good selection.  I’d say if you still need to buy school supplies and you do your grocery shopping at Walmart, check out their back-to-school section for some great deals. Even if you already bought school supplies, you can always use more crayons, right?

Walmart provided me with a gift card and a recommended school supply shopping list for this review. All opinions, etc., are, as always, my own.

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Okay, so that’s the official info, now here’s my take on this bag – if you are going anywhere on an airplane, I highly, highly recommend this bag. I stuffed it full of four days’ worth of clothes, two pairs of shoes, the TSA liquids bag, another makeup and products bag, and my laptop, and it was easy to roll and maneuver and surprisingly easy to get in and out of the overhead bin on the planes.

The bag:

The bag stuffed with everything I took to BlogHer:

The laptop pocket:

I was surprised how easy the bag was to maneuver through the airports and also how easy it was to get it in and out of the overhead bins.  And not having to carry a heavy laptop bag for the first time since I started going to blogging events was fantastic. My shoulder really appreciated it

You can certainly buy cheaper luggage, but one thing I’ve learned in the 20 years I’ve been traveling on airplanes is that you get what you pay for. Chris took our generic brand rolling suitcase on his trip to England and Holland, and by the time he got back, one of the wheels had almost worn all the way off.   If that happens to your Lands’ End suitcase, you just return it or exchange it, no matter how many years you’ve had it!

Lands’ End didn’t have to ask me to be a “brand ambassador” or anything, I’ve been one practically my whole life. My Mom bought us school clothes from the LE catalog, I bought my first diaper bag from there too.   With regular sales their prices are comparable to department stores with one major difference – the Lands’ End Guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied with your Lands’ End purchase, you can return the item at any time, for any reason, no questions asked (just save your receipts!). No other store gives you that.

So. Heading to a blog conference? Traveling on airplanes over the holidays?  Get this suitcase from Lands’ End, or browse the Luggage section of their site for other pieces that I’m sure are equally sturdy.  And thank you Lands’ End for hooking me up for BlogHer! The FlightWise Upright ROCKS!

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How about a notepad, portfolio, or beautiful writing journal embossed with your initials? Paragon has those too, click here for journals. Another great deal is pens, 200 of them for $.54 each.  $54.00 to get your URL in the hands of 200 people is a great deal!  Check out Paragon Promotions for all of the products they have available.

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Many people are on a very tight budget this holiday season, but still want to give gifts to their loved ones. Kids love brand name toys by companies like Disney and Hot Wheels, and with $5.00 and $10.00 prices at Family Dollar, gift-givers can pick up brand name toys without breaking the bank. These are the most popular $5.00 toys available at Family Dollar:

Top $5 Toys

1. Hot Wheels 5-Pack
2. Hot wheels Classic Play set
3. Handy Manny Bowling Set
4. Tea Set 29 piece
5. Disney Plush
6. Baby Maggie 12″
7. Bakugan Booster Pack
8. Disney Dress like a Princess

The current Family Dollar ad, which is valid through Dec. 24, has hundreds of toys and gift items for $5.00 and LESS. While you are picking up toys, grab wrapping paper, scotch tape, bows, gift bags, adult and kid’s gloves, slippers, sweatshirts, dish towels, brand name deodorant, mouthwash, baking supplies, cereal….see what I mean? It’s one stop shopping!

But, back to toys-thanks to MS&L (the fabulous PR firm I mentioned earlier), I was sent some Family Dollar merchandise to check out. They sent a Hot Wheels 5-Pack, a Tea Set, and a Radio Control Monster Truck.  Nathan had a friend over when I opened the package, and they pounced on the Hot Wheels and had them out of their box and were already playing with them in the time it took me to get the camera!

Kaitlyn LOVES the tea set, I keep finding pieces of it scattered throughout the house. When I ask her why, for example, there’s a tea cup in the back playroom, she always has a story about how a group of stuffed animals was having a party or something.

One thing to watch for is whether toys at Family Dollar need batteries. This Monster Truck takes batteries but didn’t come with them, we had some already. But that is one thing you will want to look for if you buy a toy that takes batteries.

MS&L is also sending me a Family Dollar gift card so that I can go check out the holiday deals for myself.  Use the Family Dollar Store Locator to find a store near you and let Family Dollar help you have a Frugal Holiday!

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Today is a very special day!  It’s Toy Tuesday, brought to you by Bill Me Later, the shopping service that makes online shopping easy, safe, and convenient. Go to the Toy Tuesday site to find extra-special deals today on the holiday’s most wanted toys and gifts from leading retailers such as Toys “R” Us, Walmart.com, Step 2, Little Tikes, eToys, drugstore.com, FAO Schwarz, HP, Overstock.com, MacMall, Mercantila and more.

To help promote Toy Tuesday, Bill Me Later chose 12 bloggers to each host a one-day giveaway of a $250 gift card to one of the participating retailers, and today, it’s my turn! I am so honored to have been chosen to be the host of Toy Tuesday itself, and I want to give a shout-out to the eleven bloggers who have each done such a great job over the past eleven days of promoting Toy Tuesday and hosting their own giveaways!

Ellen Seidman – Love That Max, Cassidy Engle – First Time Around Blogger, Elizabeth – A Nut in a Nutshell, Linsey B. Knerl – Lille Punkin Reviews, Carissa Rogers – Good N Crazy , Linda Sellars – Short Pump Preppy, Kim Becker – Mommy Knows, Jodi Grundig – Moms Favorite Stuff, Laurie Turk – Tip Junkie, Briana – Bargain Briana, and Lana Barhum – Loving It, Loving It.

They each shared memories of favorite toys from the past, and how they choose Christmas gifts for their kids, so please pay them each a visit to get terrific ideas for your holiday shopping. Each of these bloggers gave away a $250 gift card AND their winner had $500 donated to a local children’s hospital or charity thanks to the Toy Tuesday campaign. Toy Tuesday has donated $6,000 to charity so far!

Before I start the giveaway, I want to share with you my favorite toy from when I was a child. I don’t have the original any more, but I do have a good story to tell. My favorite toy was my Fisher Price Play Family House, with the yellow roof and the blue walls, that I got the year I was three (1971). It came with a family, and a dog, and some furniture, and a little car, and I LOVED IT. I don’t blame my Mom for selling it in a garage sale after I stopped playing with it; she had no way to know that when I grew up, I would wish I had it to pass on to my children.

Then, the summer after Kaitlyn was born, the kids and I saw an ad in the paper for a sale being held by a former preschool teacher who was selling all of her classroom items. It was held in the community room of a nearby church. Everyone in that room heard me when I let out a SHRIEK upon finding THIS:

There it was, my childhood dollhouse! Sure, the front decal is stained, some of the stickers are ripped, and the wood base is pretty chewed up, but it was MY dollhouse, and it was Only. One. Dollar. It was like fate had brought me and my dollhouse together again! I had to have it. I brought it home and showed it to Kaitlyn, and it’s been hers ever since. Dollhouses give kids a way to act out family relationships, to practice nurturing and caring for others, and to arrange and organize in a way that makes sense to them.

Give your child the gift of a dollhouse or another special toy by taking advantage of these SHOPPING DEALS from Bill Me Later retailers TODAY ONLY:

Toys “R” Us            Free shipping on purchases over $49
eToys                       Free shipping on purchases over $49
FAO Schwarz        $20 off $150 or more with coupon code
walmart.com        Free shipping site to store on toys
drugstore.com    $20 off $100
Step 2                       10% off sitewide
Little Tikes             Free shipping on orders of $200 or more
Overstock               Discovery Kids Digital Photo Video Camera, Today Only $35.99 (12/8) + $1 shipping
MacMall                  6% discount on iPod Nano
Mercantila             20% off scooter; 50% off trampoline
HP                              Savings on Dream Screen, Dv6Quad notebook, Envy
One Step Ahead    15% off $100 or more

**********************************

GIVEAWAY

Today, it’s my turn to give away a $250 gift card, and it’s for Toys “R” Us! Woo hoo! The winner of this giveaway is going to have SO MUCH FUN spending that gift card! AND, not only does the winner get the gift card, they get $500 donated to a local hospital or charity in their name from Bill Me Later! What an AMAZING opportunity to give back to your community.

But there is a catch – the giveaway is only good for 24 hours, so please don’t wait to enter! I have this post set to publish at 12:01 AM on December 8th, and comments will close at 11:59 PM – I will be announcing the winner by 1:00 PM on the 9th.

HOW TO ENTER: All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what your kids REALLY want for Christmas this year! The Toy Tuesday retailers are interested in hearing from YOU! I’m also curious to know if anyone else had the same dollhouse as me when they were little, or if their kids have a similar one now. Leave your comment by 11:59 PM tonight, I’ll announce the winner on this post tomorrow!

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Bill Me Later offers great shopping deals year-round, so I hope to be telling you about more programs similar to Toy Tuesday in the months to come! Find out more about great shopping deals by following Bill Me Later on Twitter, or by reading the Bill Me Later blog Free The Shopper!

disclosure: Bill Me Later is compensating me for participating in the Toy Tuesday program by sending me a gift card.

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