Gifts Under $10 that aren't Junk for Kids: Games

My number one rule when deciding whether to purchase a toy for my kids is to ask, "Do I really want this in my house?"  If I think the answer is yes I then break it down into more questions.

• Can this toy be used in more than one way for different types of play?
• Will it make my kids think?
• Do we have the storage room for this toy?
• Does it contain pieces or need batteries?
• Is it made to last and stand the test of time?
• Will it make me become crazy mom when the kids leave it out on the floor?

Here are some of my favorite under $10 board games from Amazon (affiliate links) that make the cut.  All ship for free with prime or $35 purchase. If you don't have prime, now is the time to try it out.  You can get a free 30 day trial that will take you right up to the week before Christmas which I hope you have all of your shopping done by then.  Just create a reminder on your phone to cancel if you don't want to pay the $99 annual fee.  We've had prime for 6 years and love it!

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 Connect 4 Game :  My older kids played this for hours when they were in 2-5th grades.  Ciarra was declared the Connect 4 Champion in her 4th grade class.  Last month at the Octoberfest the entire family chose sides and played each other on a huge life-size Connect 4 wooden game structure.

Guess Who Game:  I recently began playing this with Camryn, age 6 at our library.  The kids' section has a great selection of board games for free play.  She is just beginning to understand how to phrase her questions to narrow down the choices.  Fortunately for me she always picks a girl with blonde hair.  Ha!  My older kids played this when they were younger too.  They even used a timer to see who could guess the other player's person the fastest.  Caleb managed to get it down to about 3 specific questions before he could pinpoint who we had chosen!  There's even a cool Super Hero version!

Toysmith Pick-Up Sticks, 41 Piece:  Still the same, still as awesome as you remember it!

Mastermind:  The teacher in me wants to scream "Please buy this for your child.  It will make them think!"  Patterns, puzzles, and math all in one neat little game.  This was my choice for free play in the gifted room way back then!

 

Spot It  We recently bought this original version of Spot It during the summer.  Can I tell you that everyone in this house loves to play!  It was our game of choice for summer electricity outages and we always kept playing when the lights came back on.  For a game to hold the attention of 5 teenagers and a 6 year old at the same time is amazing to me!  There are several versions including an animal version that I think my kids would like.

The time is now to Stock Up on Baking Supplies plus other deals at Winn-Dixie thru Tuesday

Credit:  Caroline at Mycouponexpert.com

This is the week for buying your pantry staples for baking goodies for the coming holiday season and beyond.  In the month of November I try to buy a 6 month supply of these items since it will be around Eastertime that they are rock-bottom priced again.

The items to buy this week at Winn-Dixie include vegetable oil, powdered sugar, and brown sugar.  These are only good thru tomorrow (Tuesday) and I have confirmed that these prices are lower than Walmart or the Dollar stores or any coming sale for the next week.

Baking Items:

SUGAR:  Stock up price is $.40 per pound
50% off Dixie Crystals Sugar, 4 lb. bag ($1.79 after 50% off)
50% off Dixie Crystals 16 oz Confectioner's, light or brown sugar ($.65 after 50%)
$0.30/1 Dixie Crystals 1 Lb Sugar printable
$0.45/1 Dixie Crystals Sugar printable
$0.75/1 Dixie Granulated, Poly Light Brown, Dark Brown, Powdered, Redi-Measure Light Brown printable


CHOCOLATE CHIPS:  Stock up price is $1.50 per bag
50% off Nestle Morsels or Chips, 10-12 oz - $1.70 after 50% off
$1/2 Nestle Toll House Morsels, exp. 11/30/14 (SS 09/28/14) [9-oz. to 12-oz.]


COOKING OIL: Stock up price is $1.99 for this size
50% off LouAna Vegetable Oil, 48 oz - $1.90 after 50% off
$0.50/1 Lou Ana 100% Pure Oils printable

FLOUR:  Stock up price is $1.99 for this size
50% off Gold Medal Flour, 5 lb bag - $1.70 after 50% off

Other Deals:

Boneless Cubed Steak $3.99 per pound

Winn-Dixie Clear Value Bleach $.99

All Detergent $2.99

Plus Use $1 off All in the SS 9/28 or SS 11/02

Libby's Canned Vegetables $.50 at Walmart

At Dollar General: Buy 2 cans of Libby's Pumpkin and get 2 cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk for free

Goals for the Week of November 3rd

October was a difficult month around here.  It seems that everything that could break did!  I also felt like I was just going through the daily motions with seemingly no plan.  Since it's a new month, I'm nipping that in the bud and going to try to have more focus for each day, week, and the month. 

Mothering/Marriage Goals:

• Pray for each of my children and my husband daily
• Help Christin this week as she will be vying for Miss BHS on Saturday
• Register Brandi and Christin for ACT for December
• Make Caleb's birthday cake (a week late)

Homemaking Goals:

• Take down all Fall Decorations.  Thanksgiving will be at my grandfather's house so I can get a head start on  decorating for Christmas.
• Scrub all floors and clean carpets.
• Clean ceiling fans and light fixtures
• Do a snowflake craft with the little girls

 Money Saving Goals:

• Use no heat or AC for the week.  
• Continue to use the timer on the hot water heater so that it is off 18 hours a day.
• Sell some stuff and get rid of clutter at the same time
• Eat all meals from home
• Drink more water 

Homeschooling Goals:

• Begin reading "Thanksgiving on Thursday" aloud to Camryn and Annika
• Begin our study of the Pilgrims
• Continue working on math patterns that make 10 and 20
• Continue working on making tally marks and related bar graphs
• Begin a unit on nouns
• Make a Thankful Tree