Toy Clearance!

I have a love of saving money, couponing, and clearance hunting! I share a lot more of that on my instagram but I thought I would share a quick tip about toy clearance here on the blog today.

Every year in July Walmart and Target clearance out a ton of toys. They are looking to make room for the new toys that will be released for Christmas and they want them out of their store, ASAP! This is great news for clearance hunters because the prices drop fast. I have been to Walmart twice in the last week and from the first trip to the second the prices had dropped substantially. Many of the toys get up to 90% off, but if you see something you really want I suggest buying it at 50% or 75% since it could sell out.

On Saturday I went and stocked up on a ton of toys. Now, I know I have no idea what my daughter will be into yet. She could not care for Frozen at all, however most of the toys I've been buying will be gifted to her before she turns two. I'm guessing that up until age 2 she will be excited for any toy (I'm also hoping for the same with clothing since I've been clearance hunting for clothes for quite some time too!)

I always grab items for the other kids I buy for and do need to go back and get some more items for them as well. I love that by buying toys on clearance I can still spend the amount I want to spend on them but get them so much more for the money! (Also I buy for 4 kids who all have birthdays in December/ January so that's 8 gifts between birthdays and Christmas- clearance shopping is the way to go!)

Here's everything I picked up during my second round of shopping. The first round I picked up some Frozen barbie dolls. (Again, if my daughter has no interest in Frozen they are something I can sell at a yard sale someday- brand new in package or I can pass them on to someone else who does like Frozen)

Both of the bigger toys were over 50% off, which was great for larger toys. I love that I can give Ellie the little seahorse for Christmas this year and will save the other toys for future birthdays and Christmases. I actually picked up the puzzle because I know a ton of people who love to do puzzles and can use it as part of a gift and the LOL surprises are for some little girls who love LOL and opening surprises. 

I am planning on going back for another round because I desperately need to stock up on boy gifts for my friend Rachel's son and my new nephew Max. I find it much more exciting to buy for the girls, but there are great deals for the boys as well. 

I haven't been to look at the Target toy clearance yet, but generally the prices are higher than Walmart but you can get good deals there too. 

Do you stock up at the toy clearance sale? I know this will be great going forward when Ellie is invited to birthday parties and we need to purchase for more kids. It's not only a great way to save money, but an awesome way to be able to gift more. I love being able to give a ton of toys to my favorite kids!

Saving Money Preparing For Baby- Clearance Diapers & Wipes

On Sunday I ran into Walmart just to do a quick shopping trip and grab a few things we needed. Anytime I'm in Walmart I run through the baby section and just take a look for any clearance- clothing, gear, whatever it is I know buying it on clearance is a smart decision. I had seen a ton of couponers and clearance hunters mention diaper and wipe clearance at Walmart, but couldn't find any when I went on previous trips. This time however I was so excited because I was lucky enough to stumble across not one but two displays of clearance diapers!!!

 
This is the first display I saw which was mostly filled with pull-ups. I know at some point we will need pull-ups but currently I am most focused on diapers so I did leave those behind. I grabbed a few boxes of the newborn diapers because I am assuming that Ellie will be small enough for them for at least a short period of time. We also plan on having another child someday, so whatever we don't use up we will save for the next baby, or pass on to family and friends!

The second display I found was even better! It was packed with Hello Bello diapers in size 2 and size 4. I grabbed the two size twos that I saw and a few boxes of the size 4. Each box was $15 and the smaller packs were $7. My per diaper cost was no more than 20 cents per diaper which is precisely the top amount I would like to pay for all diapers. 

My trunk was filled with diapers and I was so thrilled! I honestly thought I wouldn't be lucky enough to score this deal because my Walmart is notorious for being more expensive then others around the country and I don't see a lot of the clearance that other people report getting. I am interested see if in the coming weeks they clearance out any other items and will definitely keep my eyes peeled. 

As I mentioned, I am working on creating a diaper and wipe stockpile and I plan to spend no more than 20 cents per diaper and 2 cents per wipe. It's been a slow process but here is where my stockpile currently stands...

I am keeping bigger size diapers in the basement along with my overflow wipes. I don't want to put too many in her room so I have been putting them down here for the time being. You can see that I maintain a pretty big personal care stockpile as well. I am trying to keep this stocked so we don't need to run out when Ellie arrives. I would like to have everything we need in our personal "store" so I will keep couponing and looking for good deals!

Not diaper related but on the other side of the basement I keep household goods. There are tons of bottles of laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, paper plates, napkins, dish soap, etc...I know it's not a huge stockpile but I buy in small quantities and am not an extreme coupon by any means. I love that I don't have to rush out to get items because we don't run out of these items. 

In the center I've started stacking boxes of diapers. I also try to keep a stock of toilet paper, paper towels, and gifts here. In the baskets there are razors, toothbrushes, etc... 

We haven't gotten too far in Ellie's closet DIY yet. I did order the pieces we need to get started but I have only taken down the existing shelf and spackled the insane anchor holes someone decided to drill. I plan to have baskets inside of her closet and they will hold the back-up diapers and wipes that we will keep in her room.

The top drawer of her changing table will hold diapers and wipes (see below) but I will put extras in her closet for quick access. The ones I plan to put in her closet are in the picture above. All others will be kept in the basement. I'm hoping that my plan will allow me to "restock" items from the basement when I have the opportunity to but never run out of items in her nursery. I will keep you updated on that particular organization plan when it's in use!

My friend Brittni gave me a bunch of diapers that she had leftover from her girls and I happily brought them home! I love all the Honest diaper designs they are just so cute! 

I would love to know if you stockpile anything in your house and if you built up a diaper stockpile before you had your kids?

Have a great day everyone!

Life Lately

Guys, life lately has been spent with my two favorite furry ladies. 98% of the pictures in my phone involve these little girls but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

Rory has been loving her new life and home. We've been spending a lot of time outside in the beautiful spring weather. She loves playing with her big sister and often they can be found chasing each other around the yard. Puppy zoomies might be the cutest thing in the world! Rory is the happiest puppy and is just thrilled to be included all the time. She has no idea why Sophie gets excited but runs alongside her excited as well, just thrilled to be along for the ride! 

Oh Sophie our neurotic princess! She absolutely adores her baby sister and bringing her home was the best  thing we could've done for Sophie. She loves being a big sister and is so good to Rory. She's so gentle with her and lets her climb all over her but also so playful. It was truly the best decision to get a second puppy even though it was a crazy first month as a family of 4 (+1 cooking!).

You don't often see one without the other, they stick pretty close! 

We took Sophie for her most recent grooming appointment and Rory worked on riding in the backseat with her sister. We were nervous at first but they do great in the backseat together. Rory is learning how to look out the window like her big sister does. We did discover she is a lot calmer than Sophie in the car and when we brought her home while Sophie was getting groomed, Rory was sleeping in the back seat...something that has never happened with Sophie!

Tim has been bringing home extra turf from work for us! Our goal is to get all the dirt areas in our backyard covered with turf to keep out house less dirty. We are hoping to have this done soon and possibly get our front yard done this summer too.

Please ignore our mess of a deck, we desperately need to get it redone. I'm hoping this might be our project next spring...right now we have too much else to get done first!

I still have a ton to do in Ellie's room, but my mom bought this cute E print from Marshalls and I love it! I need to find and order a rug and need to complete our closet DIY, but we are working on it! 

I have been very into clearance shopping for baby Ellie! You guys know I am always on the hunt for a deal and baby shopping has been my main focus lately. If you see any great deals please let me know!

Last Saturday I headed into Walmart where I found diapers for $6 and onesies for 75 cents! I also headed to TJMaxx where I spent $50 on a ton of clearance finds.  I know we will be getting a ton of gifts for Ellie and that everyone loves to buy baby clothes, but I just can't help myself. I love getting a good deal and I really don't want to pay full price for baby items.

Again, if you see any diaper/wipes/baby deals please share them with me!!

I hope you are all doing well and I will try to do better at taking pictures in the future!!