Holiday Series: Toys (and Other Gifts) With Staying Power

Some toys last approximately 3 nanoseconds - or less - after Christmas. You know the ones I'm talking about: they have teeny tiny, breakable, and/or irreplaceable pieces that are lost before that second cup of coffee on Christmas morning. Or they don't match your child for age-appropriateness or size. Buying Christmas toys for today's marketing-savvy kids only adds to the challenge. We are a million light years away from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmases featuring a single penny, and orange, and a tin cup.

With this post, we're kicking off a holiday series on toys (and other gifts) with staying power. Generally speaking, the items will:

1. Be a good value
2. Be long-lasting/resilient
3. Inspire creativity
4. Span age groups

Without further adieu, here are some toys with staying power:

Makit's Make a Plate Kit
$12.24

My brother and I made a few of these back in the day, and they are still in their original format today on Amazon.com: "Each Make A Plate® Kit contains 5 drawing sheets and markers, plus one pre-paid certificate for processing artwork into one (1) 10 inch melamine plate at the Magic Factory™."

The recipient can send one sheet they have colored with the kit's markers in to the Magic Factory™, and after about 10 days, their design comes back in the mail emblazoned on a melamine plate that they can use again and again! These plates are oh-so dishwasher safe, and I am proud to say, still hold their colorfast properties decades (eek!) later - remaining bright and enduring (not to mention useful) tributes to the child's artwork. (My mom still treasures the ones she has at home that we colored for Christmas way back when.)

At just over $12 for one Make a Plate kit, this could be a stocking stuffer or part of the gifts under the tree - OR you could collude with the kids to color and process their own plates as a Christmas gift to their parents.

IKEA Lillabo train sets
$14.99 for the biggest basic set (found in the Woodbridge IKEA)
$9.99 for 12-piece train/track set
$6.99 for 10-piece supplemental track set
$3.99 for the basic 3-piece train with engine and cars

Let's face it: shopping for train sets for your kids can be like shopping for cars - there is a basic A to B function, and if the set delivers on that, most kids will be deliriously happy to build, rebuild, and choo-choo away for at least long enough for you to grab a shower or rustle up some dinner. Train sets that go beyond this A to B function with extra options and characters are cool, sure, but the costs can run away quickly, as any parent whose child owns an entire complement of Brio or Thomas the Tank engine sets will attest.

Word on the street (and on the IKEA website's Lillabo page) is that the IKEA train track sets, including the main Lillabo set, are compatible with higher end toy train engines, like Thomas the Train engines. So if the little one on your Christmas list is nuts about Thomas, consider buying some Thomas engines, and one or more of the extra track sets from IKEA.

And: Shhhh...it's OK...we won't tell if you're buying the train sets for the kiddos so that you can choo-choo on Christmas morning. Find your local IKEA here.

Note: We have not been paid or asked to endorse the gifts in these series; we just plain like the gifts!
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Organic Produce at Giant Cheaper than Regular Produce?

OK. I feel kind of silly. I've always been marginally aware of this portable green cart that hangs out in the produce section of my Giant, but I just checked it out for realz this past week - and WOW, there was all kinds of produce for super cheap! I'm talking cheaper than the loss-leader prices of regular produce. I think that in the past I had always been wary of the "Not the best but still a good buy" labels on the produce this cart carries, but now I look at the label more like this: "Not the best, but still a good buy!"

Check it out:

• $1.49 for three heads of organic romaine lettuce. The only discernable difference was that the very tips of the lettuce leaves were every so slightly pink - easy to excise when chopping the romaine up later. Three nights of salad for $1.49, woo!
  
  
• $1.99 for a three pound bag of organic apples ($0.66/lb!). I think these were relegated to the cart because they weren't the 'prettiest'. But after taking these for a bag lunch the next day, I discovered that they were perfectly crisp and white underneath the occasional brown spots (not bruises; just surface coloring). Blindfolded I wouldn't have been able to tell a difference in taste or texture.
  
  
• $1.99 for a three pound bag of organic potatoes ($0.66/lb.!). These looked exactly like the bags of organic potatoes in the organic potato section. I am boggled as to why these were so deeply discounted. They cooked up great, too!
  

Why, oh, why has it taken me so long to get over my prejudices and give the "still a good buy" cart a try? Not only are these steals, even compared to regular produce, but apples and potatoes fall on the "dirty dozen" list of produce that you should try to buy organics (as the items on the list retain the highest levels of pesticides and other chemicals ultimately consumed).

Click here to see all Redemption Unlimited posts related to organic and natural foods.

Visit Mambo Spouts for a myriad of printable organic, natural, and health food coupons and to request mailer packages of coupons!
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Over-the-Moon milk...wowza!

I know that I just did a post on cheap milk and other staples at Sam's Club (and reader Matt helpfully pointed out Wegman's low milk prices in his comment to the post - thanks, Matt!).

Before I knew that we would make it to Sam's Club, though, I had picked up some of the half-gallon 1% Over-the-Moon milk that I had bought for $1.49 after doubled $1 coupons at Shopper's Food Warehouse. This was still cheaper than regular milk prices at most grocery stores (~$2/half gallon or ~$3.50+/gallon), so it made sense at the time. Not usually the type to believe the hype of product packaging ("You won't believe how creamy it is!", etc.), I was just reflexively going with numbers on this one.

My husband had tried the Over-the-Moon first yesterday, and was instantly smitten - so I drank some with my breakfast toast this morning, inspired by his endorsement. It tastes like I'm drinking whole milk! There's a skim Over-the-Moon version...I wonder - does it taste more like 2%? lol

Anyway - if you loooooove creamy milk tastes, whole milk runs you a little under $2.50/gallon at Sam's and Wegman's, but as couponed, this Over-the-Moon costs $2.98/gallon for 1% calories and whole milk taste. For some of you, that little bit of extra coin may be worth the indulgence sans guilt. (At Over-the-Moon's standard price, though - $3.49/half-gallon, it's pretty cost prohibitive otherwise.)

Here's a PDF printable coupon for $1 off Over-the-Moon milk that doesn't expire until the end of the year!
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Check out the Shopper's Food Warehouse Shopping List for Freebies and Cheapies after Coupon Doubles!

Is it just me, or are the deals at Shopper's not as fabulicious as they were last time the doubling/tripling happened (Feb.)?

Nevertheless, there are several freebies, and enough cheapies to make at least a couple of $10 minimum runs so that you can get your two free boxes of cereal! Checkout our comprehensive (and growing) list of the deals at Shopper's this weekend. I think I'll probably be tracking down some boxes of the pricier Just Bunches (the Honey Bunches of Oats spinoff). The question is: how long will that stuff last in our household? Approximately 0.03 seconds, that's how long.
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Small Investments Going Miles - Making Sauces and Dressings at Home

I love my mini-chopper. I got it at WalMart years ago - where it still goes for $10 to this day - by exchanging a wedding gift that I did not need.

I use my minichopper for a variety of uses:

1-2 small smoothies
Blending homemade baby food (much cheaper, yea!)
Chopping vegetables for omelets and stir-fries

...but the most common use has been to make my own sauces, dressings, marinades, and rubs. The three removable pieces (cup, lid, blade) are easy to assemble and disassemble and all (woo!) dishwashable. Mine still performs like the day I bought it.

Of course, when I can get such condiments very cheaply with coupons, I do, since they are great step-savers.

But using my mini chopper - smaller than a dessert plate - enables me to use a wide variety of ingredients, including those "almost gone" sauces, dressings, etc. in the fridge.

Here is an example of some low-cost dressing/sauce recipes that can be made using a minichopper. Add all ingredients and chop until well-blended!

Tarragon Lime Dressing

Complements chicken or fish, to serve 2 people. Refreshing on salads!

2 tablespoons oil (safflower or extra virgin olive oil are good)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon mayo (your choice, regular or lighter)
Pinch pepper
Pinch salt
Pinch sugar
Generous pinch dried tarragon

The following two are great on almost anything where you want an Asian-inspired kick:

Sesame Ginger Dressing,
to serve 2:

1 tablespoon oil (safflower or extra virgin olive oil are good)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (cheaper at Asian grocery stores!)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (also cheaper at Asian grocery stores)
1 tablespoon plain white vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablesppoon (a small knob) finely chopped fresh ginger, or 1 tsp. dry ground ginger
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
Pinch salt

Peanut Sauce,
for dipping (for grilling marinade, thin with oil), serves 2-4
1 tablesppoon (a small knob) finely chopped fresh ginger, or 1 tsp. dry ground ginger
1/2 tablesoon dry chipotle pepper flakes
Pinch cayenne (skip if you don't want too much heat!)
2 tablespoons peanut butter (coarse natural gives the best texture but all kinds work)
2 tablespoons molasses
1 chopped scallion
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbps. Worchestershire sauce

For more marinade , sauce, and dressing ideas, check out allrecipes.com!

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The Beauty of Product Reviews - MakeupAlley.com

Many drugstores and beauty product retailers offer no-questions-asked color guarantees on cosmetics, to prevent customers from being wary of trying out products. The problem is: these kind of return trips soak up time and energy, and those are often more valuable than money!

Take heart, and head over to MakeupAlley.com. This is an independent site where thousands upon thousands of members submit reviews for their latest cosmetic and toiletries endeavors. It covers almost every product on the market - from Wet'n'Wild all the way up to Dior and other high-end cosmetics. Membership is totally free, and I have never, ever gotten spam of any kind. The cosmetic reviews database is vast and very informative - as members are listed by their age, skin type, skin color, eye color, and hair color. This way you can find reviews written by people with your characteristics who have already tried products that you've been wanting to try.

A big bonus is that I've discovered some low-priced drugstore gems via this site.

One is Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque (review here), which I never would have found or tried on my own. It got 4/5 lippies (equivalent of stars) from more than 2,200 people, and 80% said that they would buy it again. This was enough to prompt me to read some reviews and, curious, try it out for myself.

It's a minty-smelling clay mask that you apply, let dry for 15 minutes or so, then rinse. A great way to do this is to wash your face (to get inital makeup layers off), put on the mask and let it set while you do other tasks like brushing your teeth, then hop in the shower once it's dry. Your face feels very refreshed and deeply cleansed - like you just spent a day at the spa, but for pennies!

Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque goes a loooong way; if you did your whole face once weekly, a tube (which is very large) would probably last you several months. If you have some spare ECBs, you can snag some at CVS, where it's priced at $4 - haven't seen any coupons for it, unfortunately! ;)

Another highly-rated beauty item is an aspirin mask. No joke! 1610 people gave it 4.2/5 lippies, and 86% said they'd repeat the experience. There are variations on this recipe posted in the reviews, but the general idea is: wet some plain old aspirin tablets (don't soak), then crush them a little until a wettish paste-like consistency, and gently rub into your skin and let sit for a few minutes. Most people use water, some people crush the aspirins into their regular face wash like Cetaphil. One reviewer I saw compared the wondrous results to that of a chemical peel. Now I'm wondering how to work a small bottle of aspirin into a CVS ECB deal to try this out.

The price of aspirin being what it is (around a penny per tablet in big bottles), this could be the ultimate in frugal home beauty treatments! Has anybody out there actually tried this? We would love to hear reviews if anybody has/does!

What frugal beauty tricks are up your sleeves? Any home treatment recipes or other tips to share?

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