Kids' presents: We're frugal and totally clueless! Help!

[Dodie]

While our family has FINALLY gotten past buying presents for the adults, we are still buying things for the kids. After all - Christmas is FOR kids anyway.

We don't have kids; we don't spend time around kids if we can help it. ; and the budget is REALLY tight this year.

We need to buy SMALL, TOKEN GIFTS (i.e. $5-6 apiece) for the following great-nephews and great-nieces:

8 year old girl: tomboy, smart, not into girlie things, artistic
18-20 month old little girl
5 year old girlie-girl
8 year old boy: a real boys boy, likes NASCAR, anything Earnhardt, cars, etc. (probably the easiest on this list!)

Any suggestions for any of these kids? I spent 30 minutes in the toy aisle at K-Mart today and about had a melt down! Came out empty-handed!

 

[kinlaw6450]

8-girl books
18-20 girl - doll
5- girl, dress up stuff (this can be found really cheap)
8 boy, Matchbox!

How's that?

 

[Dodie]

Thanks a lot.

Would anyone else like to chime in? I'd appreciate all of the advice I can get.

 

[The LK 4]

For the 8 year girl who is artistic, you might want to buy some sidewalk chalk if she has a place where she can use it. My kids love to draw pretend roads and stores all over our driveway and then ride their bikes on the "roads".

For the toddler, a small stuffed animal or doll would be perfect.

For the 5 year old girly-girl - I agree: you can't go wrong with dress up clothes!

For the 8 year old boy - how about a bag of the little green army men (like in Toy Story!).

I'm sure you could find a bunch of great stuff at a dollar store.

Happy shopping!

 

[nativetxn]

Great suggestions. You can also get toddler proof books for that 18-20 month old

 

[Rajah]

I was thinking for the artistic girl some colored pencils and a sketchpad or something along those lines.

I like the stuffed animal for the smallest one.

Maybe pretend jewelery for the girly-girl?

And I agree with the matchbox stuff for the boy

 

[Robinrs]

Is there a Dollar Tree near you? There are some really great little stocking stuffer things for kids there!

I just got some Spiderman coloring books! (my fave!)

Also, the Disney Store is having a sale on their stuffed figures, really great deals.

Kmart has a SORRY collection of toys, IMHO. I've left mine empty handed several times.

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by Dodie
[.

We need to buy SMALL, TOKEN GIFTS (i.e. $5-6 apiece) for the following great-nephews and great-nieces:

8 year old girl: tomboy, smart, not into girlie things, artistic
18-20 month old little girl
5 year old girlie-girl
8 year old boy: a real boys boy, likes NASCAR, anything Earnhardt, cars, etc. (probably the easiest on this list!)

Ahh, here I am.. the frugal queen.


8 year old girl. -- art supplies are great, there are sets in Target right now for $3.33 yes $3.33 with pencils, markers, colored pencils, paints, etc, in a nice case.. they were on an end cap near the office supplies/stationery aisle.

18-20 month girl.. Target always has books on clearance in the end caps in Target... there are always a great selection there. There are also stuffed animals as well... or even small things, would be great. Also in the sporting goods aisle at Target, they had playground balls (the nice bouncy ones) for $4.99.

5 year old Girlie girl (I have one!) Dress up is good, sometimes you can find that clearanced in Target as well. Also you can't go wrong with a Barbie.. some are about $3/ Real Barbies, not the fake ones... and some go about $5-6 / also another thing would be a board game.. Pretty pretty princess can be lower, same with candy land, and I got Disney Uno for $6.

8 year old.. my 8 year old loves games I 've seen clue, battleship for about $7 (Target), and also regular Uno. Also some handheld electronic games (Star Wars and something else) were about $5
Also Lego Bionicles you can get pretty cheap as well.. I've gotten them as low $2.99!

Kmart, Target and Walmart, also have an aisle where it is there brand of toys.. Kmarts/Targets are in blue packaging... not sure of Walmarts colors. They are packaged in boy/girl toys, and they are cleary marked $5 / $10 or $15. there are some good buys there as well.

I would suggest you wait until Sunday. Then look at all the ads in the Sunday paper.. Kmart will price match anything in a competing store. I went on Black Friday, and had Kmart Price match KB toys, Toys R Us, and other things.. It has to be exact match item.

Since some store were reporting lower than expected sales this past week, I am anticipating better sales this coming week.

Hope that helps

 

[Kallison]

Hi Dodie -

For the older girls, you can get craft sets at a AC Moore or other gift and hobby shops, usually on sale now for around $6.99 & up. They have glass bottles you can paint that my DD loves. She also likes the black felt posters that you color in. If they still like Barbies, there are Barbies to be had for $5. My DD is 8 though, and she is done with them. DD loves beanie babies too. Dollar store is a good idea, you could get some crafts, colored pencils, pad of construction paper, glue stick. Sometimes K-Mart has games on sale, they just had a Parcheesi for $6.

Boy - Hot Wheels does sound good to me.

Another idea for the older kids, a gift certificate for a movie ticket and maybe one giant box of movie candy like nerds or gummiworms.

for the younger child, any kid's book would do. You can get the $1 golden books at the dollar store. Goodnight Moon is an oldie but goodie, if they don't have it. Or some kind of stuffed doll such as Bert or Ernie or big Bird.

 

[Kallison]

I just thought of some other relatively cheap games my kids love so much we often end up buying replacements:

Candyland
Hi Ho Cherry - O - both good for the younger girl

Uno cards (never leave home without them)

Believe it or not - checkers of chess for the boy. My boys love chess.

 

[Cindy B]

I personally don't like dollar stores.. the selection is just really yucky when you do find a dollar tree around... (I have to drive almost an hour to find one) Also by the time you buy five or six passable things... you could have found one nicer looking/quality item at Kmart/Target/etc..


Other board games that are good... Clue/Life /Sorry/Scrabble/Monoploy/Chess Checkers...


Dominoes! My kids love them!

Heres another thought... my local barnes and noble had in the clearance kids section, things like... make your own airplane kit (complete with book/models etc.. for $6.99, and they had one for princess as well.. make your own dress up.. it had fake nails, nail polish, book, etc..

I bought both of these for my kids.. one 1) it did have a book, maybe not the most educational book, but its still a book and 2) something that they can do for fun as well..

 

[crazyme5kids]

Drawing paper and crayons or markers for all of them! I do agree movie passes are nice, I know my kids love them, even the 4 year old. I know kids like stuffed animals, but personally I hate when my kids get them - how many do they need? Play doh is also good for that age range (even for the youngest). Mine also love books or gift cerificates for the book store.