6 Steps to Making the Most Out of Black Friday Sales

We have all seen our share of holiday chaos on Black Friday where people push, scream and trample over each other in order to get the "best" deals. The holiday event has even made it to the big screen. "Jingle All the Way" is a holiday comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two fathers frantically shopping for one special toy both of their sons desperately want for Christmas. What ensues is approximately two hours of Christmas shopping madness.

The reality is, this film is surprisingly close to the real-life experiences of Black Friday for millions of Americans. Black Friday has become synonymous with holiday chaos, as thousands of shoppers actually camp out the night before in front of their favorite department store. In a single day, consumer spending on Black Friday reached $52.4 billion in 2011, CNN reports. Follow these six tips to avoid Black Friday chaos and get the gifts you want for the holidays.

1. Scout out the Deals

Most of the deals this year will be released weeks before Black Friday in a media explosion. For instance, the deals on Black Friday at JC Penney will be displayed weeks before on their Twitter and Facebook accounts. Research where the sales are and list your priorities, compare prices and draw up an action plan. Build up your coupon arsenal before you step into the retail store. Keep everything organized neatly in a binder.

2. Get You Reward Cards Ready

Having a reward card is a big advantage on Black Friday. Since you are going to be spending money anyway, why not get some of that money back into your pocket? Be sure to check with each credit card to see if there are special awards or points to be won if you use your card on Black Friday.

3. Look for QR Codes

In case you don't know, QR codes are black and white patches of randomly patterned squares. QR stands for quick response, and these codes were developed for print and online ads. For the purpose of Black Friday, these codes will let you know special offers and BBB Business reviews. You will need to install a QR reader app on your smartphone so your phone will be able to read the codes. After that, it is pretty simple: you fit the code into the lens of your phone, let the red line run up and down, and in a few seconds, you will be able to view your special Black Friday deal.

4 Check Exchange and Return Policies

The rules can change for Black Friday deals, and returns should not be taken for granted. Make sure you know what the return and exchange policy is on your Black Friday deal. Some deals are final sales, have a very short return window or offer in-store credit only, so do your homework.

5. Shop Safely

Remember what happened to Arnold and Sinbad's characters once they forgot the meaning of Christmas? Bad things. Getting a big deal is important, but it is not worth putting yourself at financial or physical risk. Shop safely by taking your time, and formulate an attack plan with a maximum number of hours. Be sure to get plenty of breaks when you need them, and drink lots of water. Also, a great way to ease the stress of Black Friday is to:

• Make a priority list, including which stores you plan to visit and in what order.
• Brings friends along for the ride, possibly taking two different cars to cover more ground.
• Keep the receipts, and keep them organized in case you need to return things.

6. Don't Neglect the Internet on Cyber Monday

Don't neglect online deals for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. As much as 50 percent of today's gifts are bought online, The Washington Post reports. Make a list, and stick to it, keep an eye out for coupons and get on early for the best deals on Monday.

      

New from Our Generation

 Zion has a mini-me now!  How cute is this doll from Our Generation?  When a representative of Our Generation reached out a couple of weeks ago to see if I'd be interested in reviewing some of their newest items, I couldn't wait to see Zion's reaction when she opened the box.  I honestly hadn't really discovered Our Generation dolls and accessories before this.  Kind of shocking considering how much I love Target!

In case you've missed out as well, let me just tell you how awesome these dolls are!  They come in a a huge variety - so it is very likely you can find one that looks very similar to your little girl.  The outfits and accessories are so cute, modern and fun - also a huge variety available.  They even have these fantastic playsets like an RV camper set, laundry room set and horse barn.  I was amazed when I started browsing the Our Generation collection on Target.com.

Our Generation just launched a few new items for the Holiday season.  Me & You Outfit Sets ($29.99) feature beautiful matching attire for your little girl and her doll to wear.  As you can see in the pictures above, it really brings out the similarities of the doll and Zion.  I was impressed that these outfits are made so well.  The dress set we received could easily be worn out to a Holiday party.  The new Me & You Outfit sets come in six different styles, shown below.

Our Generation Me & You Outfit Sets by baxtronlife on Polyvore

Our Generation has also created a couple of new interactive accessory kits: Me & You Jewellery Set and Me & You Tutu Set ($15.00/ea).  Each set provides instructions and materials to create fun accessories for both your child and their Our Generation doll.  We played around with the jewelry set, which comes with 5 wooden rounds and plenty of different ribbons to make these creative wrap bracelets.

The bracelets were very easy to make, though will require some help from a parent for oversight.  Even though the kit came with embroidery thread as well as ribbon, I did find that it was very difficult to untie the embroidery thread to be able to use it for the bracelets.  Other than that, I felt the kit was a lot of fun for Zion and I to do together.

Now that we've discovered the Our Generation doll collection at Target, I know we will be browsing the selection frequently.  We already picked up a new ballet outfit this past week and a cute little pug puppy dog for her doll.  Thankfully, the prices are really good, most outfits are between $10-$20 depending on how many accessories are included.  The dolls are usually right around $20!

Are you familiar with the Our Generation brand at Target?  What doll would you choose for your little girl?

      

Hawaiian Islands Vacation: Oahu Day 4Part 1: Hanauma Bay

 I'm back with more of our Hawaii vacation pictures, and still determined to finish sharing them!  Today I want to share our trip to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.  Snorkeling at this location is epic and a must-do activity if you visit the island of Oahu.  The water is crystal clear, and the reef is stunning!

We arrived to Hanauma Bay early so we could make the cut off (they limit the number of people and once the limit is met, the bay is closed.  I've also heard that the water gets more murky as the day progresses, so the best snorkeling is first thing in the morning when they open.

Sadly, you can tell that a lot of the reef closest to the shore has been damaged by human contact, and even with the crowd control measures in place I think they still allow too many people in the area at a time.  We still were thrilled by our experience here, and think you should definitely put this on your must-see list when you visit Oahu.

Also, I totally recommend buying a Lifeproof case for your iPhone if you don't have an underwater digital camera.  We picked one up the evening before for about $80 and we loved being able to take photos underwater.

More of our Hawaii Vacation:

Oahu Day 3

Oahu Day 2

Oahu Day 1

A Tour of Our Ko Olina Resort

Trip Itinerary

      

Last Minute Halloween Fun:Creepy Candy Land

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleTarget  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

 Life is busy!  Family has been visiting, the husband is in and out of the city on business and I've got a to-do list a mile long!  I almost forgot that it was Halloween this week!  Now that the daughter and I will be heading on a business trip Thursday, I knew I had to come up with a fun Halloween activity we could do as a family while we were all together.

 I love putting together fun activities using just the things we have in the house.  It is amazing what you can come up with in moments of creativity.  I decided that since my daughter is currently obsessed with board games of any kind, I would convert her Candy Land game into a "Creepy Candy Land" with candy prizes and fun costumed game pieces.  I knew exactly what to grab to make the costumes, a roll of Cottonelle.  I have been to many bridal showers where Cottonelle toilet paper was used to make fake wedding gowns or used for fun baby shower games - I couldn't resist the opportunity to apply those experiences to my game idea.

 I started out by making a ghost.  Easy and simple.  Using one square from my Cottonelle Triple Roll, I placed the game piece's head in the center of the square, fastened a rubber band around the neck, and then cut a hole for the arm to come out.  After I added a ghost face using a black sharpie, it was perfect.

 Next, I took a square of the toilet paper and cut a swirl pattern into it.  I wrapped the swirl all around the game piece and then added kitchen twine and black eyes to make a mummy.

 I decided for the third piece to make a pumpkin.  I started by coloring a square of toilet paper orange then adding lines for the pumpkin.  I cut a little slit in the center for the game piece's head to slip through, and another one for the hand.  Then I tucked the edges up and under and fastened a rubber band around the legs and toilet paper to give it the round shape.  I added a little piece of spiral paper colored green for the stem and taped it to the game piece's head.

 I had planned on only doing three game pieces, but couldn't resist using the Dora game piece to make a fun witch.  I colored the toilet paper and cut it, then using tape applied it to Dora.  I love how she turned out!

 After the pieces were in costume, I added chocolate candies to the game board.  Each colored spot on the game board received one piece of chocolate candy.  And a jackpot of candy awaited the winner at the finish of the game.  It was time to play the game.

 To play Creepy Candy Land we just set everything up as usual, but added chocolate candies to the game board.  Whenever a player landed on a piece with a candy, they got to take that candy and save it in their own little stash.  The first person to end up at the finish received a candy jackpot.

The game was a huge hit with Zion, who played the ghost character.  She assigned the mummy to me, because I'm the mummy.  So clever that little girl is.  And Jerry was given the pumpkin.  We enjoyed winning chocolates around the board and even though I won the jackpot, the fact that Zion felt rewarded with little candies at every turn made this a win-win for everyone.

Use this coupon when you buy Cottonelle Triple Roll 12 pack at Target, you will get a FREE box of Kleenex! (While supplies last!)