Christmas Gift Ideas 2019 - Deals, Discounts, Giveaways, Specials - How to Save Money

Last year's Christmas Gift Ideas blog post didn't get posted until the end of November. I'm trying to be on top of it this year and post by September and then add to the blog post through December.

As most of you know, I buy Christmas presents year-round. It brings me back to when I was 20 years old, I just started my job and I was strictly commission. I thought my pay would be consistent since I had the hang of things - until Christmastime hit. What I didn't realize is that a lot of people don't want to spend money on unnecessary things in December. Me being one of them. So that month was a struggle and I don't think I had any money for Christmas gifts. Since then, I vowed to make a change so that I'm not in that boat again. I would rather purchase items throughout the year instead of relying on having enough money in December to buy gifts.

I can say that as of now, I have my nephews Christmas gifts all bought. I have some of my nieces, some of Jace's, some of Timmy's and some of Rosie's. If you are looking for children's gifts, this is the section for you. Keep in mind that most of the deals that I take advantage of are temporary deals or run through certain dates so you do want to hop on the deals right away. But if you do miss them, don't worry, there are always more! I will provide links and apps and discounts that I see. Locations may vary.

This Minnie-inspired dress for Elli below is the first item I wanted to discuss and it was only $19.49! I also purchased the one below that one - Frozen inspired - for my niece Emerson for only $22.49. **The Frozen dress is now sold out** You can join the Hunny Bee Kids - VIP Group HERE as she does many pre-orders and orders of cute kids clothes! You can also visit her website HERE. Total: $41.98

I am currently in this Facebook group called Walmart Clearance Shoppers HERE and a few weeks ago Walmart had some major clearance sales that I took advantage of. From what I understand, some Walmart locations still have clearance items and there are also "hidden" items which can be found within the group. If you go to the toy aisle at Walmart, there should be a section called "Clearance" and those items are typically a lower price than listed. When I went, I used the Walmart app and at the top right in the app you will see a barcode. You can click on that and scan each item and it will tell you an "online price" which is sometimes lower than the listed price. I was able to get Jace all five of these items for only $10.75! We already opened and played with the football :) This batch included a Ninja Turtle figuring for $1.00, an Avengers 48 piece puzzle, a Spiderman and Fortnite figurine. Perfect stocking stuffers! Total: $10.75

Another Walmart Clearance purchase was this watercolor pain set for only 50 cents. 

And Walmart had a whole rack of cute kids clothes for super cheap. The Paw Patrol shirt below is for my nephew and I got it for $1 from Walmart! The Spiderman shirt was $5.43 which I thought was a good deal too for Marvel. The Legend All Star jersey was $3 at Dollar General. Total: $9.43

Most of you know that I love Dollar General. If you have read some of my past blogs, it goes through a lot of my Dollar General penny finds, clearance items, and discounts. I am a part of two Dollar General Facebook groups. The first one is Dollar General Couponing, Hauls, Deals & Steals whose main focus is the clearance sales and discounted items. The second group I'm in is Dollar General Penny Shopping where people discuss their penny finds. I only have one Dollar General near me so it's been hit and miss with penny finds. I use the DG Dollar General app when I go into the store, click on "List" and then the bar code at the top and scan items to see what their prices are. When I penny shop, I use the app Penny Finder (I think it was $2.99 one-time) and it's ONLY for Dollar General Penny Items. If you click on "Penny List" and then the barcode, you can scan items that you think are a penny and it will tell you how many people paid a penny and how many paid full price as locations vary. It also shows you a huge haul list of everyone's penny items. It's good to study this list if you plan on penny shopping and reading my previous blog Penny Shopping at Dollar General HERE. I purchased the bows below from Dollar General during the Clearance Event for my little niece Elli who is obsessed with Minnie Mouse. The bows were half off so they were only $2.50. If you know me, you will know that I hardly ever pay full price for anything. 

I also got this Play Pack at Dollar General for my niece Presley. It wasn't a penny like the other Play Pack's but it was half off so only $1.

During the Dollar General Clearance Sale I typically buy things for Christmas since that's when a lot of items are half off. I initially saw these Mermaid Peals and Unicorn Eggs and wasn't sure if my nieces would like them. They were only 50 cents each and they seemed like good quality so I took a chance. They seem fun and you can add pearls and watch them grow and add eggs and watch them grow. Total: $1

Another Dollar General haul was these cute shark shoes for my nephew and a truck. Typically I don't buy items full price but the shark shoes were only $5 and I kept seeing them every time I went so I couldn't resist. The truck was a clearance item and was 75 cents and then during the sale it was half off so it ended up being 35 cents. Total: $5.35

A place I don't shop at often but when I do, I always find the cutest items is T.J. Maxx. It's right down the street from me which is convenient. What I love is they have super cute name brand kids clothes for a lot cheaper than you would find them anywhere else. For instance, left to right, I purchased these cute clothes for Rosie Rose for $6.99 (Carter's), $9.99 (Jessica Simpson), and $6.99 (Carter's). Talk about cuteness overload! Total: $24

I follow a lot of deal pages on Facebook and saw this cute Tye Dye kit that I thought my three nieces could do together. I don't remember the exact page that I saw the deal on. Initially it was $30 and I purchased it on August 6th for $13.97. As of September 8th, the price is at $18.99 which is still a discount from $30. It comes with up to 36 projects and 14 colors. You can click HERE to view on Amazon. Total: $13.97

If you like shopping at Kohl's, they are having a deal through September 22, 2019 for both cardholders and non-cardholders. If you are a cardholder, you can use the promo code HARVEST30 at check-out and receive an additional 30% off your entire purchase and free shipping when you use the code SEPMVCFREE at checkout (you can stack codes). If you are like me and are not a cardholder, save an additional 15% off any online purchase or 20% off a $100 online purchase with the promo code YOUSAVE at checkout. More details can be found through hip2save HERE. 

Another secret to finding great deals is using a website called BrickSeek which can be found HERE. This searches Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Lowes, and Target for further deals. This goes alongside the Walmart Secret Clearance deals. It will typically list out a deal and then you can put your zipcode in and it will tell you if the stores near you offer the deal. Following the Walmart Clearance Shoppers Facebook Group, they often mention BrickSeek and have found amazing deals. Some items are as low as three cents. If you have several Walmart or Target locations near you, this would be a great option. They also list out online deals that you can take advantage of. You can also type in or scan a UPC/SKU and location and it will tell you the price in-store. 

I went to Walmart and scanned these plates through BrickSeek and they were only $1.95 each! 

On Facebook, I follow quite a bit of groups that provide deals and Naptime Deals! is one of them. Whenever there are deals on Amazon, they go up on this group. I was able to get nephew Timmy a Toy Story 4 Lego Set for only $8.00 with tax through Amazon PRIME. 

If you have children or need to buy for someone who loves Hatchimals, here is a deal for Hatchimals Christmas for only $16.99. If they like Little People Toy Story 4, you can get a 7-friends pack for $12.99. If you have a small child, you can get this Calico Critters Nursery Bus for half off at $12.02. Last year I shared a Facebook group that I purchased items from as well called Sales-Aholic. I still buy from them and still recommend them! They always post deals and sales on Amazon as well. I also subscribe to Maxwell's Attic emails and they always send me sales and discounts that they notice. 

I placed an order for Old Navy and received it today. I purchased these super cute Unicorn leggings for my niece. They were originally $8.00 and I ordered them for $6.40. 

I also got Emerson this cute long sleeve top that matches the leggings. This was originally $6.00 and I got it for $4.80. You can find the link to purchase HERE. 

I got Jace this Limitless Skate Club Pullover Hoodie for only $4.78 HERE. 

I also got him a Spongebob "Eat. Sleep. Floss. Repeat" shirt which was discounted from $15 down to $12. Normally I don't spend that much for a shirt but Jace loves Spongebob and he loves doing the floss so I couldn't resist. You can find the shirt HERE. 

I went to Dollar General and I always coupon, look at the clearance section, or wait until the clearance event. They currently have a buy 1 get 2 free (!!) but I didn't find anything that I actually needed or wanted. I still found good deals though including Buy One Get One 1/2 Off for kids clothes. I purchased the Paw Patrol Outfit for my nephew Timmy for $10 and then got the sweats for Jace for $4. I didn't even realize until I got home that the pants are matching ❤️❤️

I also went through the coloring book section and purchased a $1 coloring book for my niece since she loves Vampirina. 

I also found some penny items today. If you are curious about Penny Shopping and what it all involves, I wrote a blog on that too - Penny Shopping at Dollar General

I also saw this tank for Jace that was only $3.75. I thought it would be a fun lounge shirt or one he can wear outside when he plays basketball at our basketball courts.

I went back to Dollar General on September 27th, 2019, and they had 50% off clearance items so I was able to purchase this thermos/coffee cup for only 63 cents!

As of September 23rd, Target is offering a Buy 2 Get 1 Free on Books, Movies and Music. 

As of October 6th they are also offering amazing deals on kids clothes:

Girl shorts for $1.75

You can also click HERE to see all the clothes available and most are in the $1-$2 range.