Win a $50 Toys "R" Us gift card!

ByKristen
569 Comments

This giveaway is now closed.   Erin W. is the winner of the gift card.   Congrats, Erin!!

Since Christmas is approaching (I checked out library books yesterday and the due date was in December. What the what???), Toys "R" Us has just sent out their Great Big Christmas Book.

Aaaaand they're also having several special events at their stores, called Ultimate Wish Saturdays.

Toys R Us Ultimate Wish Saturdays

They sent me over with a gift card to check it out with my kiddos (plus I have a gift card for one of you too!)

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At these special events, which run from 12-4, you get stickers, a shopping bag,   a wish list paper, and you get to meet Geoffrey.   Plus, this Saturday there are some fun Nerf events, and on the 22nd, there's a Lego-themed Ultimate Wish Saturday.

Sonia and Zoe and I decided to use our gift card to buy items to fill our Operation Christmas Child box.   They chose to fill one for a 7-9 year old girl, since they're pretty in touch with what girls that age love.   😉

We got plenty of art supplies...

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a little Calico Critter animal...

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plus a yo-yo, Play-Doh, hairbands, and an Etch-a-Sketch.

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(Not pictured is a hilarious $0.99 wind-up giraffe that will probably break after a few weeks of use, but it was so funny, we couldn't resist. And we figured it was balanced out by all the other long-lasting stuff in the box.)

We did not buy this car for our Christmas child.

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Or for Sonia and Zoe.

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We'd have to have a much larger house or garage to accommodate that, I think. 😉

Toys "R" Us participates with Toys For Tots, so they have a handy-dandy bin at their stores where you can donate new, unwrapped toys for children in your community.

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Sonia and Zoe and I thought for a while about what we'd like to donate.   We wanted to pick something that could work for a lot of ages and also for either boys or girls, so we opted for a Play-Doh set that had lots of fun potential.

(Some Play-Doh kits are kind of unitasker toys, you know?)

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So we chose one with lots of different colors and some useful accessories, like shape cutters and rolling pins.

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And since they were on a buy one, get one 50% off sale, we bought two.

After we paid, into the Toys for Tots bin they went.

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Oh, and Toys "R" Us wanted me to try out their free wishlist app (since I have a super-duper cheap smartphone plan now, I was able to give it a shot.)

Here's the app on Google Play, although of course I used the iPhone version.

Basically, it functions in place of a paper wish list: you scan the items in-store, and you end up with an electronic wishlist which you can use for yourself or share with friends and family.

(This would be a handy way to send gift ideas to grandparents.)

Toys R Us Wish List - Android Apps on Google Play - Mozilla Firefox 11122014 72425 AM

We tested out the app on some Calico Critter items because of course.

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It takes a little bit of work to set up each individual kid in the app, but once that's done, it's very very easy to scan items for the wishlist.   Scan the barcode, and poof, there it is on the wishlist, with a photo beside.

The last two Ultimate Wish Saturday events are this Saturday and next, so if your kids are into Nerf or Lego (or Geoffrey), don't miss out!

And do consider giving to others by choosing a toy to put in the Toys for Tots bin.   Have your kids help you pick something out!   They might be surprised at how much fun it is to choose a toy for another kid.

_______________________

The Giveaway

Toys "R" Us gave me a $50 gift card to give away to one of you.   It'll be sent out to the winner right away, in plenty of time to help you out with your shopping.

(To make your gift card go even farther, be sure to check out the coupons in the back of the Toys "R" Us Christmas book.)

To enter, leave a comment telling me what you'd buy at Toys "R" Us if you won the gift card.

We'll make this a quick 48 hour giveaway, so get your entries in before 7:00 am EST on Friday,   November 14th.

Toys "R" Us provided gift cards but this post was not sponsored in any other way. All opinions are my own.   NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.   Void where prohibited.   Chances of winning depend on the number of entrants.   Winner will be chosen at random.

More Giveaways

569 Comments

  1. If I won the gift card, I would buy some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for my grandson and a cute baby doll for my granddaughter!

  2. how wonderful.. we adopt a family every year at the holiday season ! it so great !!! I love teaching my son the value of giving not just receiving . if I were to win the card I would buy my son some lego for Christmas and then pick up items for my adopted family.

  4. Something long-lasting, flexible, and non-gendered to give to Toys For Tots. Lego? Lincoln Logs? Building blocks?

    Really cool to see your kids giving away their gift card. Was it a hard sell?

    1. That's what we liked about the Play-Doh! Much easier to give to either gender than a Princess McSparklePants doll...

      The girls were totally fine with doing the Toys for Tots and Operation Christmas Child with the gift card. I'm not sure they saw the gift card as their own personal gift card, so maybe that helped? And I did let them pick out a little Calico Critter for themselves during our shopping trip, so that might have helped too. 😉

  5. I just wanted to say that I love the Operation Christmas Child program. My daughter and I packed our first 3 boxes yesterday and it was so much fun! Definitely, something we will do every year! As far as what we would get from ToysRUs, it would be Legos, always Legos.... 🙂

  6. I buy Christmas presents for 10 children (3 are mine, 7 are nieces and nephews), so I would use the gift card to get a few things off their wishlists. Specifically, I would buy some "boy Barbies" for my 5 year old.

  9. I would use the gift card to buy art supplies for my 2 year old. I'm trying to limit the number of toys we buy this Christmas and instead encourage her to be creative and do some learning via drawing, painting, etc.

  10. Most likely I'd use the gift card for Legos or craft supplies. That is where we are right now! Using it for our shoebox would be good too! Thanks Kristen!

  12. Such a fun giveaway! I would buy gifts for my 2 older boys. Probably Nerf guns, since they saw friends get them at a birthday party and that's all they talk about right now. 🙂

  13. Sounds like such a fun shopping trip! I think if I won I would buy my 1 1/2 year old son to do with trucks or maybe something to do with music. Thanks!!

  15. Each year my husband and I participate in Kids In Need program through the Salvation Army. This year we have chosen two little ones to purchase Christmas gifts for and the gift card would come in handy when buying gifts for them 🙂

  16. I remember being very surprised when I moved to upstate New York to find that there are no angel trees here. Angel trees are standard in malls in Arizona. They're hung all over with "ornaments" listing the age and sex of the child, plus their clothes sizes and some toys or whatever they would like. The idea is you take an ornament and buy whatever while you're already shopping, then just put it in the big bin by the tree. I used to love doing that before there were any kids in our family, because Christmas is most fun for kids and getting toys and things for little kids felt much more Christmas-y to me than buying yet more junk for an adult who could just as well buy it him or herself.

    Here the only similar thing is a tree at our library to buy books for kids at Christmas. That's always fun, too, but the angel trees are more fun.

    1. We live in upstate NY and you can find angel trees lots of places. Just ask your local library, malls (think about the smaller malls), churches, schools or law enforcement. They can normally direct you where to find some if you haven't found any yet. We get ours from the school that I work at and it's for the kids who live only in that small, needy town. Good luck!

  17. Ooooooo.. I think I would buy a bunch of little things for stocking stuffers! I love the tiny little doodads as much as the kids!!

  18. if we won at our house it would most definitely be used on Lego. My kids love those things. I think they are great for their imaginatiOns too so I'm all for Lego.

  19. I would buy one of the lego sets my son has been asking for (my future enginerd 🙂 ) and some donation stuff for a local toy drive .

  21. We're doing one large gift for the entire family this year (a Wii u for all of us to play together and share!) So that gift card could help us make our gift go farther with more games or accessories for our new toy. Our maybe even allow us to get a few extra stocking stuffers.

  22. My daughter really wanted the Zoomer Dog toy she saw at Toys R Us, so that is what I would get.

  23. Not sure if this is open to Canadians, but I'd buy our Little Miss that exact Play Doh kit and a little keyboard.

  25. My 3 year old's Christmas list includes a "small toy wave" and a "small toy ocean." I'd look for those from Toys-R-Us or maybe just buy some new bath toys 🙂

  26. I would by some leg is. Also a few Toys for Toys for Tots. My Girl Scout troop always donates to Toys for Tots----it has become a tradition that the girls look forward to and ask about each year 🙂

  27. i'd buy my son books for his new leap reader. He's been spelling wIt's for quite some time now and can now spot them in the books I read. He's only 3 and I really want to encourage a love of reading!

  29. An angel tree shopping spree. We are teaching our four year old about giving to others during the holidays. He would have fun having such a high limit!

  30. I would buy items for my Holiday Stockings for the Salvation Army, and I would make a donation to Toys for Tots returned54 AKA Lois Cavanagh-Daley

  33. Love how you were able to stretch that gift card to impact several lives! I'd probably use a gift card to purchase a small table and chair set for my toddler.

  34. If I won, I might do like you and make some operation Christmas child boxes. And I'd probably buy a Christmas present for each of my 2 kids.

  35. This is easy. I would buy diapers and all newborn stuff for my newest grandchild coming in March! :)!

  38. I would stock up on gifts for OCC too! We've been doing shoeboxes for over 15 years, and I try to buy items at good prices year-round and keep a small stockpile. 🙂

  39. We typically do the Christmas boxes as well, but this year money is a bit tighter than normal, so I think I would use the gift card to continue with the boxes.

  40. I have nieces and nephews that I could shop for. Or, maybe, I could find a local "adopt a child" to shop for.

  43. How fun! Let's see... I would love to buy a LEGO Architecture set for my son ~ he would be super excited about that!

    Thank you!

  44. Our church does operation shoebox as well, so I'd probably fill one of those. It would probably be a good experience for the 4 year old I babysit as well. She has been wanting a Winnie the Pooh coloring book as well, so I'd buy her one for Christmas there, and something small for her 18 moth old brother.

  45. I'm not sure what we'd buy if we won. I'd take my boys and let them each pick out a gift for their brother and use the remainder to buy items for Toys for Tots 🙂

  47. I'd donate supplies to a shelter for women and children in my neighborhood. It is a truly wonderful place providing a "second step" towards independence for women leaving abusive relationships (and their children).

  49. having 2 kids makes it harder to donate as much as we would like at the holidays, so I would use the card to get toys to donate needy familys and get some stocking stuffers for the kids.

  52. I would pick up Legos for the boys. They are obsessed and looking forward to all the new sets coming out.

  55. My husband and I don't have children, but we try to participate in our church's angel tree every year.

  56. I'd buy Avengers figurines and accessories for my 6 and 7 year old boys. (My other 3 kids will get...still thinking...)

  57. I would use the money to buy my children more creative toys to get their faces out of the ipods and ipad! my husband is in the military so they don't have alot of friends in our neighborhood just yet, so it's nice for htem to be able to do things with each other that don't include fighting!

  59. we would like to buy things to give to the needy and also buy a cute toy for our baby girl. thanks and blessings!

  60. My daughters like Legos, Minecraft, and remote-controlled cars. So I'd buy something along those lines and a toy to donate to Toys for Tots.

  61. I would probably try to use it at Babies r Us for a few cloth diapers for my little one on the way. But if not, my nephew loves all this TMNT!

  62. I think I'd probably give it to a friend who's expecting her third baby in a couple weeks. This one is, shall we say, a "bonus" baby and is throwing a wrench in their financial plans. My son LOVES Lego and Nerf guns, but he has plenty. 🙂

  63. A play tunnel for our youngest and the Legos Junior Fire Emergency set for our oldest (his first set!)

  64. I'd look at the Legos for my son and also for something (possibly another Lego) for the Toys for Tots box.

  65. If I won the GC, I'd buy a few presents for my kids and donate a toy to Toys For Tots. Thank you for the chance to win.

  68. I work for a non profit that tutors homeless kids in Southern California so I'd use this card to buy toys for our learning center.

  69. I would pass the gift card onto my sister in law (whose income is more limited than mine at the moment) to buy presents for her 3 kiddos.

  70. I would get legos for the girls and use the rest for them to pick out something for the holiday gift drive.

  72. I would give the card to my husband and son. They would surely purchase Legos and Hotwheels. They love to gift these things.

  73. My girls and I would do exactly what you and daughters had done: we'd spend the gift card, paired with sales and coupons, to sponsor a child for Christmas, and would donate to Toys for Tots.
    Thank you for a chance to win!

  74. I would use the gift card to get Legos for my boys and for the boys on our Adopt-a-Family list.

  75. Toys for Tots all the way. I was a receipient one year when I was young and I will never forget the joy I had that Christmas morning. I want to pass on that feeling to some other youngster! Thanks for the opportunity!

  76. If I won the gift card, I'd use it to purchase a Lego city set from my son's wishlist and a Lego Friends set from my daughter's wishlist.

  79. I would buy art supplies. My 4 year old is really starting to tap into her artistic side and I would love to get an easel for her along with chalk, paint, and play doh!

  82. I work at a Children's Hospital and every year each department adopts a family in need. This year we have a family with 2 boys aged 7 and 13. This would a blessing for them.

  83. I would let my kids make a wishlist and choose something from the list to buy with the gift card. I would also have me kids choose something to donate.

  84. I think I would buy some Playdoh Plus if they carry it. Otherwise my 5 and 2 year old love cars, trucks, trains, and "construction workers". Anything that moves is good with them. My 5 year old saw Curious George have a shopping spree in a toy store and that might be fun too. Maybe half for him and half to donate. He likes to donate to kids who aren't as blessed as he is.

  85. If I won the gift card I would take my children to pick out gifts for a family we know who is having a tough time this year.

  86. If I won, I'd put it towards a new bike for my older daughter or the Fisher Price farm toys for my toddler daughter!

  87. We have two babies coming in March and April in my family so I would use the gift card to purchase some essentials for them. : )

  88. On Christmas goodies for my 8-year-old daughter. We've also been having fun shopping for Operation Christmas Child. We're doing a boy box and a girl box.

  89. I would probably buy some games our family could play together if I won the gift card. 🙂

  90. I love your idea of using it for operation Christmas child! I haven't gotten to do one of those in quite some time. I would also love to pick up yet another surprise for my darling niece who I love to spoil. 🙂

  94. What a great give away. I have ten grandkids to buy presents, cost a lot of money. Gift Card would help so much, Barbara

  95. Since I do not have small children, I have not shopped at Toys R Us in a few years. However, my team at work is adopting a family for the holidays and the children in the family have specific wishes for My Life Dolls and cars and trucks.

  96. If I won the gift card take my girls in for a mini shopping spree! Let them each pick out one gift : )

  98. Great timely giveaway! I would pass the gift card to a family at church so they could shop for their kids for Christmas.

  99. I'd use it to get toys for our oldest (she's 3). We had twins this year, so our Christmas budget is very tight!

    We had a charity toy drive at work this year and it was really fun to shop for! I never thought much about the importance of picking gender neutral toys to give away until we did that drive. Never know what kind of kid will end up with it!

  100. We have a local "Adopt an Angel" program for children who wouldn't get Christmas, so probably something for an "Angel" then art supplies for my grandson.

  101. Some Lincoln logs or wooden building blocks for my nephews because we had hours of fun with them as children.

    1. I would buy diapers and formula since they sell it there and donate to our local care center. This time of year my kids have everything they need and want and giving back makes better sense.

  102. Thank you for the giveaway! I would buy my boys a Matchbox spaceship set, they are into rockets since the failed launch.

    Good idea on the Play-Doh! I have to start thinking of what to get for our Toys for Tots donation, where our local volunteer firefighters collect the toys, and the kids get to see Santa arrive with a fire truck. I love it so much more than the mall Santa experience.

  103. If I won, I'd probably buy Stocking stuffers! That's something that anyone can use and somthing that's often forgotten. Plus the $50 would go further that way.

  104. If picked I would use the gift card, and the essential coupons on the back of the book to add gifts to our collection here at work for a local charity that a few of us banded together at work to participate in. PCYC in Minneapolis, MN where local youth pay $1.00 and get to pick out 5 gifts for immediate family and experience the act of giving to others. I imagine for $50.00 and a whole lot of creativity I could find some pretty cool toys although your mention of Calico Critter items has me intrigued - - as I've never heard of them. We live in the land of Legos (even 17 year old boys still want Legos)!

  106. I think I would use a gift card to adopt a child from the Salvation Army Angel Tree, I'm lucky to have a lot of blessed little people in my life, so I would love to give back to those who may not have as much at Christmas.

  107. We would buy toys to give away, including books and probably mine craft stuff. We would also crews the wish list for family members!

  108. I would purchase items for our Operation Christmas box. We do 4 boxes and I haven't finished yet! Yikes!

  109. Since my kids are past the "Toys R Us" stage, we would use the gift card to purchase items for our Adopt-a-Family for Christmas. My kids love doing this each year!!

  110. I would love to use the gift card to buy lego for my boys for Christmas ! They love to build but the sets can be quite expensive, so this would be wonderful!

  112. Very cool, we also enjoy doing the Christmas child boxes! Would enjoy using the gift card for Legos!

  113. I would buy Christmas gifts for my two kids. My husband lost his job in April, so a $50 gift card would go a long way toward giving my kids a Christmas this year!

  114. What great timing, we just filled our operation Christmas boxes!

    I would use this gift card to buy a Knex set for my budding engineers and some baby toys for my new niece and nephew who are both due right around Christmas!

  115. I would buy some items for the Huntington Center in Syracuse. This a multi function center for the disadvantaged. I usually buy a "classroom load" of books for them in September so this would be an added bonus for them.

  116. I would buy Christmas gifts - toys for my niece and nephews, and a nice block set our twin baby boys!

  118. Hi,
    I would give it to my cousin who just had a baby and
    needs all kinds of stuff for her daughter. Thank you to you and Toys R Us for this opportunity!

  121. Oddly, my Christmas shopping for my kids is done already! But I have two nephews to buy for, as well as the Christmas Angels we always choose at our church, so I'd use it to buy items for them.

  122. A BPA-free B. Dr. Doctor Kit for our 5-year-old niece, and Melissa and Doug classic wooden blocks for our 18-month-old nephew. I love being an Auntie!

  123. If I won the gift card, I would buy something that was Thomas the Tank Engine for my son, playdoh for my older son, and something crafty for my 8 year old daughter. Thanks for the opportunity!

  124. the office I work in is adopting 18 kids in foster care for Christmas. Everyone in the office usually donates money or a gift or two - money is very tight for me this year and if I won the gift card, I would buy as many gifts as i could for these kids!

  125. My daughter works for the Me Fine Foundation. The foundation was created to provide help for families that have terminally ill children in Duke and UNC Children's hospitals. They help with gas, food, electric bills and Christmas presents, etc. Basically the things that insurance doesn't cover. Many times a parent has to quit work to be able to take their child back and forth for treatments so their income goes down dramatically. When Christmas rolls around, there usually isn't any money for that either. So, one of the things the Me Fine Foundation does is to put out Angel trees and adopt a family and just take donations to help give these families the best Christmas possible even with all they are facing. Many times, this could be the last Christmas together for these families so they try to make it special. And sad, but true, they even help with funeral expenses. It's a wonderful foundation started by a mother that lost her own child to leukemia when he was just 3 months shy of his 3rd birthday. When people would ask him how he was, he'd say "Me Fine". That's how the foundation got it's name. Helping others is truly the most wonderful thing you can do this time of year. I say, Kudos to Kristen for sharing that with her children. I'm very proud of my daughter for the work she is doing and the lessons she is learning. What awesome lessons that can't be learned in a book. Blessings to all of you for a wonderful holiday season!

  127. If I won the gift card, I would do a happy dance.

    Then, I would likely buy some new and clean bathtub toys for my baby because the ones from the previous 5 babies are starting to make me wonder about health hazards when I look at them.

    Plus, my older kids keep looking over my shoulder, so I can't type what I might possibly buy for them.

  128. If I won the gift card, I would do a happy dance.

    Then, I would likely buy some new and clean bathtub toys for my baby because the ones from the previous 5 babies are starting to make me wonder about health hazards when I look at them.

    Plus, my older kids keep looking over my shoulder, so I can't type what I might possibly buy for them.

  129. If I won the gift card, I would use it to buy some science-type kits for my son. He is younger (5), but loves these kind of things. He is also a lover of legos and I will have to see if one of our local stores is doing something similiar this weekend.

  130. I would give it to my son and daughter in law, to buy whatever they need for my granddaughter as money is tight for them. They need the Christmas boost.

  131. I would get my daughters puzzles and art suplies. They love the Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles, I think I would stock up on those if I won the card . Thanks

  134. I'd buy some more Duplo for my toddler niece and something cute for her brand-new baby sister! 🙂 And of course something for Toys for Tots!

  135. If I won the gift card I would use it buy my son's Christmas - he loves mind craft toys and has been wanting a furby for a long while now.
    Thanks so much !!

  136. I would definately follow suit with you and use it for Operation Christmas (our 2nd year after learning about it from here). Thanks for all that you share!!

  137. I love your idea of using the gift card for the Opaeration Christmas Shoe Box so I would use it for that. I'm going to use your list of ideas of what to put inside since my kids are a little older and their "wishes" tend to run more towards the techology side these days hence not being in touch with what a younger child would like.

  138. Something for my now 3.5 month old, but honestly I haven't been in a Toys R Us in YEARS, so no clue! What do 6 month olds like to play with?

  141. Awesome! I would love to fill up a box for a local version of Operation Christmas Child with a friend of mine. It would be a great bonding activity 🙂

  142. It's been a long time since I've been in a Toys "R" Us store! I do have some kids on my shopping lists so I would have to look around and figure out what to get. I usually do the Salvation Army adopt a kid program for the holidays too, so it would be great to pick some things for that.

  144. The Y Glider 3-in-1 Scooter looks like a lot of fun - just the thing for our soon-to-be 2 year old!

  145. My own children are a little too old for Toys R Us, so I would use it either to cross off some Christmas gifts for the nieces & nephews, or I would use it to buy something for the Toys for Tots, or the Angel Tree program.

  150. Our church has a Christmas Angel program, where each family can adopt a lesser fortunate kid's wishlist and try to fulfill it as best as they can. I would use the GC towards that this year!

  151. We always give the kids family games every Christmas. I would use the money for the games and probably for some play-doh as well! Ours is getting pretty hard and dry! 🙂

  153. I would buy the Lalaloopsy doll my little girl has been eyeing.... she will probably get it anyways but free is always a plus! 🙂

  154. If I won the gift card, I would be buying more Lego...I have 2 boys that could spend hours just building!

  155. I'd love to win! Since I've already filled our O.C.C. boxes, I'd get baby toys or supplies for my soon-to-be-born, first grandchild!

  157. Good morning! If I won the gift card, I would buy the Despicable Me 2 Bee-Do Fireman Minion Figure. So cute, and I know my kids would love it!

    Sylvia

  159. Good morning! I would use some of it to buy some little toys for my 3 girls (4 yrs, 19 months, and 8 months) and the rest to get some toys for Toys for Tots. We do it every year (I aim for three bags full, one from each child) to donate and shop through the year for sales and clearance to make sure there are some good toys for the kids. A few more gifts for the bags would be awesome.

  161. I would buy some kind of a build your own train set for my grandchildren. Thanks for the chance to win!

  163. I would love to purchase some things for our Operation Christmas Child shoebox, but I also have a 2 year old great niece plus another on the way, that I would love to buy something special for!!

  168. I'd totally buy nerf guns/crossbows with enough darts to last my son a year. That's all he talks about anymore.

  169. I would buy Thomas the Train stuff....we lost ours in a long distance move and even after the great, pre-move purge that is the one thing my kids are still missing.

  172. We'd use the gift card to get our little 6 month old a bouncer and bumbo seat, and maybe get a gift for her cousin.

  176. I can see some good stocking stuffers coming from this gift card. Or Nerf guns could be a fun Christmas gift for my little boy.

  178. I'd probably use some of it to get some new activities for our 1 year old who is playing with all of her older brother's hand me down toys at the moment.

  185. I tutor a little girl every Wednesday in Chicago. If I won the gift card, I would buy her the art supplies and messenger bag off of her Christmas wish list.

  186. I would use part of it to buy some toys for our highly discounted Christmas store at church for low income families. And if there was any leftover, I'd pick up a couple stocking stuffers for Christmas.

  187. What an awesome giveaway! If I won the gift card, I'd buy some art supplies and some action figures for my 7 year old grandson.

  188. If I won, I would let my kids pick gifts for the Angel Tree at church. It would be fun for them and benefit others.

  189. I've never even been to a Toys R Us!! We only buy our kids 3 gifts per year (something they want, something they need, and something useful 😉 ) so it would be a neat service project for our homeschool to spend the $50 for Toys for Tots in addition to what we are going to donate from our local Dollar General.

  191. I would use the gift card to splurge on a video game (gasp!) that is not currently in the budget, but high on the wish list for my boys.

  192. We would probably buy some board games. Jenga is on our list for sure, I think the kids would like that. And I've heard that there is a kids version of Settler's of Catan. My husband and I play the regular version together all the time, and the kids like to help, so I think the kids version would be fun.

  194. I would buy Hot Wheels or Matchbox toys for my little boy who loves all things that go, and also some for the Toys for Tots bin.

  196. Since I've already purchased her pajamas and a book, I would take my niece with me to pick out toys for Toys for Tots. I'm sure it would probably be a baby doll.

  198. I'd buy calico critters for my daughter. She loves to check them out every time we go into toys r us.

  199. If I was lucky to win the gift card I would buy a Christmas gift for my four year old granddaughter - she loves to draw and craft and also loves anything relating to Frozen.

  200. Stuff for my great niece. My niece (her mom) is a single mom and is now in the hospital. She's had 3 surgeries in the last 10 days (she was in a motorcycle accident) and probably wont be able to work for at least 3-4 months (if that).

  202. It's gonna be a very tough Christmas for us this year, so this would help out a bunch. With the gift card we could buy a small Lego set for my 7 year old and art supplies for my 9 year old. With the remaining $, we could find something for our adopt a family.

  203. What a wonderful giveaway. I would use the gift card to purchase Christmas presents for my 3 kids and 4 nieces. It would help a lot. Even small items add up when you're buying for so many people.

  204. I would give the gift card to my niece , Shayna. Shayna is 17 and gave birth to a preemie on June 8th. Lewis was 1lb.10 oz. , we prayed and prayed he would make it and he is now 11lbs and home. It was a very scary summer, I don't think anyone in the family inhaled to deeply. My great-nephew Lewis has had a tough start and my niece is such a great mom. It would be so great to give her a little extra for Lewie's first Christmas. Shayna and John, Lewies dad are doing their best, but they are barely making it. We all help the best we can, but it is a tough time. So I would love to give them a little extra, even if it's for diapers. Thank you and have a Merry Christmas 🙂

  205. I have two little nephews that are very much into big trucks and "helicoppers," so I'd add some of those to their fleet. 🙂

  207. I'd use it like you did,to add to our operation Christmas box! My kids have been saving all year with their friends from church, so we are doing it already. But more $$ means more giving!

    Thanks!

  208. Lego for my 3 little ones they love building and creating. Also goes great with our homeschool down time play! Thanks for a wonderful giveaway.

  209. Oh heavens , Christmas for 5 grandchildren -need I say more ????
    Especially when the parents have no budget room .Board games for family nights , Legos ( sticker price shudder ...), anything on clearance !

  210. If I win, I will give it to my sister. She has 10 year old triplets & their birthday is also in December.

  211. I love that you all used your card to buy gifts for others. I think we would probably do that too. We're pretty minimal gift-givers at Christmas, so I like the idea of picking out something for another kid!

  212. We adopted our daughter this year, which is an expensive process, so money is tight but if we won this gift card we could buy more fun toys and a baby's first Christmas ornament for our daughter! 🙂

  214. If I were to win, I would use it to purchase gifts for an Angel Tree child. If you haven't heard of Angel Tree, it is for children whose parents are in prison. It is a great way to help my kids show Christ's love for others. Thank you for a great giveaway!

  216. If I won the gift card, we'd have to split it for Ninja Turtles and Loving Family doll house furniture. I'd like a book or two thrown in there but that is probably stretching the $'s. 🙂

  217. I would love to get some new outdoor toys for the Kids (9yrs, 18 months and one due in Feb). Everything seemed to be well used this past year and so ready to be thrown out.

  218. so nice of you! I would use it to buy my daughter more art supplies, she loves arts and crafts, but most of all painting rainbows and spiders 🙂 I would also buy her something of Peppa Pig, she's obsessed with her.

    Thank you!!
    crossing fingers!

  220. My little one will be a big sister after the New Year, I would love to get her some "baby" supplies so she can take care of her baby like I will take care of the new one 🙂

  221. Money is tight so I would probably use it to get clothes and a toy for our little one and something for the cousins.

  222. Logos! My son's birthday is in early December & he has been eyeing new Lego sets. Great giveaway.

  224. I would buy a Fisher-Price Little People set for my toddler and a gift for a friend who is having a baby.

  225. We would use it for our toddler's Christmas gifts! He loves "cooking" so I think some play food would make him happy.

  226. Well my wife and I have lots to shop for between both of our families. We have 10 neices and nephews alone to shop for, plus our 1 year old daughter. That doesn't include all the adults that we shop for each year so it would be great to have a little extra to spend on the kids this year.

  227. Hi, I love your blog!
    If I won the gift card, I'd buy my son some underwear and some Thomas bedding for his new big boy bed!

  231. In all honesty I’m not exactly sure what we would buy with the gift card, but knowing my wife and me we would most likely take half of it to buy gifts for another secret Santa wish list for a child. With the other half we would probably go for toys that our two year old could share with her new baby brother/sister (waiting to find out) when they arrive in February. Since she loves her bath toy's that’s probably what we would go for. Otherwise it would be spent on more breast milk bags for the newborn.

  232. I think I would head to the arts and craft section, my twins are really starting to like experimenting with different art mediums.

  233. I would buy a weaving loom for my daughter and find something for my son, who is 10 and has normally made his list by now. But he has been asking me and dad what we want and looking up things to get his grandmother who is having financial difficulties. She normally buys the majority of the grand kids gifts but can't this year.

  234. What a great give away. I would take my 6 year old granddaughter shopping to purchase items for the family that we will adopt this Christmas.

  235. My Isabelle is really getting in to baby dolls these days, so we would get her baby dolls, beds, strollers and clothing. What a fun giveaway!

  236. I have two little boys so I would have to buy something for each one of them. My four year old is excited to buy his brother a Christmas gift this year. I would probably have him go with me to pick it out.

  237. Hi, I'd totally use this to stock up our Lego stash, as this is only thing our girls are asking for and they deserve it.

  238. We adopt families at the holidays. Each child in the family gets clothes, toys and school/craft supplies. I would use the TRU gift card towards the toys portion of the donation. Thanks!

  239. I was at TRU earlier this month looking at things for my daughter's sixth birthday. I would grab a few things for the bin. Though I like to get coloring books from dollar stores, and crayons from school sales. I saw a snow mould to make mini footballs. I'm thinking it would be a huge hit w the little and big kids. When we get together for the holidays. 🙂

  241. I would use the gift card to buy the Disney Infinity game that my son is going to ask Santa for. Not sure Santa could afford it otherwise 🙂

  242. I would probably put it toward a Lego set for my son. He is always thrilled to get a new set at Christmas.

  243. I would put it towards the layaway I have for my 7 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter. It's been a tough year, and we are struggling to get Christmas figured out

  244. Every year my workplace takes 100 names from the local foster care program and buys gifts for the children to have something to open on Christmas. If I won the gift card I would purchase gifts for the children in this program.

  245. I've already done my shoe boxes so I would probably spend it on my nieces and nephews for Christmas :-).

  247. I'd use the gift card to buy something for my two granddaughters - the 6 year old loves Skylanders and the 2 year old loves Minnie Mouse! Easy peasy! Thanks!

  248. The $50 dollars would go towards the much coveted Lego Police Station that my son wants for Christmas. He is prison obsessed at the moment!

  249. I am a social worker and would love to have some extra funds to get gifts for some of the families I work with. No kids of my own, just nieces who are very well taken care of!

  251. I'm already done shopping for my kiddos (I know!), so I would definitely use that gift card for our Angel Tree ministries which gives a new gift to a child in need in my city. Also, let the kiddos go wild with their OCC shoeboxes! Great idea you had!

  252. If I won, I would use it to buy our new baby girl a couple of Christmas gifts! =) So excited for her very first Christmas!!

  256. It will be my daughters first Christmas, so I would use the gift card to get a few baby / toddler appropriate toys for her.

  257. Hi Kristen! This year has been a doozie for us so our three little ones got to pick one item each for Xmas. That's what I would use it for..to purchase their gifts and maybe a few little stocking stuffers.
    Good luck to everyone and happy holidays!

  258. I have 3 kids of mine own plus a brand new neice and a nephew to shop for this Christmas, so I'm sure I could find plenty to buy!

  259. I would spend about 40 on the one toy for four of my kids then have them pick a toy to donate with the rest.

  260. We would use it on skylanders or Disney infinity figures. We are using it as a joint gift for all of our kids combined.

  262. I would love to show my son how we can donate to Toys for Tots and make a difference in another child's life. What a great way to show him it can be fun to buy for others as well.

  264. I have a soon to be 8 year old (his birthday is 5 days before Christmas) and a baby who will be celebrating his 1st Christmas this year and will turn 1 January 10th! If I won it would help me get them gifts for their birthdays/ Christmas. My oldest loves Pokemon and Star wars and we want to get the baby more sensory and wood toys!

  266. I would definitely go the play doh route for my three-year-old daughter. She loves creating anything!

  267. I would buy christmas gifts for my 8 y.o. son. He wants Lego Batman 3 for the Wii. It will be a lean Christmas in my home this year. I am a single mother currently trying to dig myself out of debt.
    So this would help alot!

  269. I would also load up on art supplies or maybe finally buy some musical instruments for my toddler.

  271. I would buy gifts for my children for Christmas. They like Pokemon and Wii games. I'm short on money so this would be a huge help.

  276. I would help be Santa to my sister's three children! An Elsa doll for my niece and monster trucks for the two boys!

  278. I would pick up some Legos for my nephew. And probably art supplies for the small gifts I give to the other kids I see during the holidays.

  279. At this point, I don't know how I would use a $50 gift card to Toys R Us, as it would depend on how I could use it most effectively. We are participating in Salvation Army's Adopt-a-Family so I might use it for that. However, it would depend on the prices and items available at my local store and what I have on my list.

  281. I would use it to buy a building toy like Lincoln Logs or similar. My 1 year old hasn't quite figured out how to use the Megablox that she has yet, but she loves imitating her daddy when he puts things together. Then she takes them apart. I'm sure that giving them another medium would be exciting to watch.

  283. If I won, I would probably buy Shopkins. Both my kids have really taken to them, would be nice to get them some for Christmas.

  284. I would get something for my nephews for Christmas! Not sure what, but with so many items, I'm sure I can find something!!! 🙂

  286. I'd use it to get a learning pad or iPad (if Toys r us) has them for my girls for Christmas 🙂

  287. My daughter is pining for the $90 Frozen castle that is being advertised all over. We would put this gift card toward that castle for her "big" Santa gift.

  288. My husband had this model car that is about 6" long. It is my son'a favorite you. He will do almost anything to play with it. We keep it on a shelf and he only gets to play with it during special times, like when I nurse his baby brother. Anyhow, we would love to buy him another for Christmas. He would be so excited. I would like to use the rest of the GC for my operation Christmas child box or angel tree or to make some donations to our secret shop at church.
    What a great giveaway. Thanks so much. Ps. I love this post. Your girls are so cute and I love that you are teaching them to give to others. How special.

  291. I would use it to buy something for a teenager as they often get forgotten in the "toy" drives and donate it to the South Shore Women's Resource Center, a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

  293. This would definitely help with Christmas shopping for my 4 year old daughter! Dolls, princesses, Play-Doh, Minnie Mouse, etc. are favorites!

  294. My 7 year old niece's birthday is in January, so I would use the gift card to get her Christmas and Birthday presents. She'd love the Disney Frozen Sparkle Princess Elsa Doll and the Anna doll, and the Kristoff doll and throw in a Disney's Tangled Flynn Rider doll because she broke his arm last year, poor guy.... 🙂

  296. If I were to win I'd use it purchase a toy puppy for my daughter and my ASD son some movies and legos.

  298. I love the idea of using the gift card for Operation Christmas Child or to fill up the Toys for Tots bin! Maybe I'll add in a few craft items for my daughter too.

  300. I have an eight year old nephew who has been obsessed with Legos for about 7 years now. I would use the gift card for a nice Lego Christmas gift...he really likes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lego sets. Thanks for the giveaway!

  301. If I won I think I would use it to buy toys to donate to the local homeless shelter, or the food pantry that my father-in-law runs. They do other gifting at Christmas and art supplies would be awesome for them. 🙂

  302. As an "old Maid" I of course have no children of my own to purchase toys for but I get great joy from donating toys to a nearby women & children's shelter.
    If I win the gift card I think I'll just donate the card and let some needy mother choose what her child needs.

  304. I'd buy some legos for my 5 year old so we can spend some time building together (one of his favorite things!) plus a little something for my newborn daughter's first Christmas 🙂

  305. There's many items I will be purchasing, but probably a Wii game or accessorie, so all 5 of my children will get enjoyment.
    Who doesn't love Toys R Us......

  307. I would spend the money on buying etch a sketch, play doh and other fun toys like you purchased so I could donate them to someone in need. For me Christmas is about giving.

  308. Since we have no kids anymore nor grand kids yet we could fill up A TOYS FOR TOTS box with a gift card plus a bit extra from our own pockets. Cool deal.

  310. My children are both grown now,but I know several needy families with lots of children that I would love to purchase toys for this year. These children do not get many toys at Christmas or any other time of the year. They would be thrilled to receive any kind of toy this year . The gift card would help out in achieving this. Thanks for the opportunity to enter this giftcard giveaway .

  311. I have six nephews, two nieces, a daughter, and a baby due in 4 weeks....so a gift card to Toys R Us would not go unused! I would love to buy cars or diggers for my nephews and my nieces and daughter would love some craft supplies! 🙂

    I'm also doing an Operation Christmas Child box and plan on filling it this weekend. What a great organization.

  312. If I won the Toys "R" Us gift card, I would use it to buy gifts for a former student I worked closely with who, due to the home environment and financial situation, will probably never have a Christmas like you or I did.

  313. We do plan to do Toys For tots, so we could use it for that. Or, I have three kids to get gifts for, and Calico Critters and Legos are both popular around here.

  314. I'd probably use it to buy my niece and nephew a gift for Christmas. I already have my son's five gifts (five is the limit I decided on for gifts). She is two, so probably something that allows for imaginative play. Dress up outfit, perhaps? He is just six months old, so maybe some stacking cups or a cuddly stuffed animal.

    Thanks for the opportunity!

  315. I don't have any kids, so I'd use the gift card for the Toys for Tots program. At Christmas, I set aside some money for gifts for Toys for Tots, this $50 would help that!

  317. If I won the giftcard, I think I woud pick up some gifts for my nephew and probably something for Toys for Tots as well.

  320. I would also buy Operation Christmas Child goodies and then use some to buy gifts for a friend who is really struggling right now.

  321. I would use the card to buy gifts for my seven year old son. Probably a lego set and something from the sports area. He loves both!

  324. I would probably get some of the new Lego Junior sets for my 3 year old. Thanks for the giveaway!

  325. We would use the card to purchase Christmas gifts for our daughter and also some items to donate.

  327. Dress up clothes! Love the donation idea. I think my oldest is juuuust old enough to understand the concept.

  328. I would buy a some toddler musical instruments and a play and learn puppy for my baby's first Christmas!

  330. If I won the gift card, I'd give it to a struggling family at church, so they could give their children a Christmas.

  331. If I won the card, I would buy a game for my daughter. Things are going to be quite tight this year. Thank you.

  333. I'd buy a gift for one of my nieces it nephews. We draw names each year and we aren't sure who we'll have yet. But currently they like dinosaurs, Dora, and Pokemon.

  336. I would buy my little boy a little play piano, he loves to listen to piano so I think he would like to make some music of his own!

  337. My boys are spoiled by the grandparents so we'd get some toys for kids in need. I always enjoy adopting an angel!

  338. Normally, I would have just purchased something from the kid's wish list with a free gift card, but your post got me to thinking that I should like to fill our Toys for Tots box, too. What a great idea!! Thank you.

  339. I don't have any children but my Mom and I have adopted four little ones thru Family and Children services and this would certainly be helpful in fulfilling their wishes.

  340. If I won, I definitely would use it to buy Christmas gifts. Probably, legos since I have a few lego crazy kids on my list.

  341. Thanks for hosting this! If I won, I'd purchase gifts for grand kids. A big family is great, but can be expensive to get gifts for everyone:-).

  342. If I won a gift card I'd use it to buy a gift for a child's name off the giving tree at church. Such fun, picking out toys to hopefully delight a child who'll have no other Christmas! Last year we bought clothing and toys for the children whose names we picked, and I had more enjoyment doing that than shopping for my own family.
    I like long lasting, classic toys, too -- Etch-a-Sketch, crayons, Play-doh and books are some of our favorites, but we usually include a frivolous item or two as well.

  348. I would buy gifts for my nieces and a toy drive! Love that that is how you decided to use yours!

  349. If I won the gift card I would buy a gift for each of my grandkids and one for the Toys for Tots bin

  350. We would buy a bunch of Christmas toys for my niece and nephew who recently lost their father.

  352. I buy items to donate to the teachers gor thier classrooms. Since they buy supplies themselves, it would help some.

  354. If we are chosen I would definitely want to use it for my five girls to go and purchase gifts for others. It is always a great learning and bonding experience when they do for others.

  356. I would buy my kids so boards games like Jenga and Scrabble.
    Very generous of you to buy toys for donation!

  357. Christmas goodies for my nephews is certainly on my mind, so I'm sure I could find many things there that they would enjoy!

  358. I would split the prize and buy something for toys for tots and something for my "nieces" (my best friend's daughters).

  359. I'd buy lots of fun art supplies. Some for home, the school classroom and sone for Toys For Tots☺️

  360. Arts supplies for my boys - maybe some leap pad accessories to make it a more engaging experience for my 3 year old.

  361. We would buy learning toys for our 12 week old daughter. She absolutely loves anything musical and bright colors.

  362. If I won the Toys R Us gift care, I would probably buy some Lego items and/or Arts/Crafts kind of stuff. You see- I have 2 great nephews to shop for this Christmas season. And- their dad is still a HUGE Lego fan too! Thanks for the opportunity.

  363. I would put it toward a toy kitchen or tool workshop for my 18 month old daughter! She loves to do grown up things these days!

  364. We're in the middle of an outreach to kids with disabilities and their families in Kosovo. I'd buy toys that we could adapt to be used with a switch for kids that can't push on/off buttons!

  366. If I won the giftcard, I would buy a Cabbage Patch babydoll for my daughter. She will be two in January, and even at this young age she is very nurturing to all her stuffed animals, so I think an actual baby doll is a perfect gift for her!!

  367. We like classic toys also - art supplies, Legos, crafting items, and thanks for the Toys for Tots inspiration!

  368. If I won the gift card, I would buy toys for a little boy and girl and donate them to the Toys for Tots or Children's Hospital.

  369. I'd get a few things for my new daughter. Pretty much everything she has is secondhand from her sister (which is fine) but it would be nice to get her some new things I can space out over the years.

  370. We would buy Schleich figurines for our kids. The have a great collection of them (both animals and knights) that they play with almost daily. They're fabulous toys, very durable, and good for boys and girls in a variety of ages. My boys want to expand their collection to include dinosaurs next. 🙂

  372. If I won, I'd buy Legos or Playmobile toys for my son and nephews. I love the quality and potential for creative play with these toys!

  373. I'd find something for either of my kiddos. They haven't made lists yet so unsure what to get.

  374. Besides a tu-tu for my daughter and a ninja costume (if there are still in stores???) for the other twin daughter (TMNT are her favorite -why? I don't know, especially since I don't let her watch them. It could be because they eat pizza and save people ;)) we'd most certainly buy goodies for our shoe boxes, too. We usually do pretty well between the Dollar Tree and JoAnn Fabrics (I have a teacher discount there) but Toys R Us would be a bonus shopping place for this year if we won!!! Thank you for sharing and doing this, but most importantly, thank you for doing those shoe boxes! I love seeing you and the girls shopping for the treasures!

  375. So, I wrote a nice post but now it won't show up? Bummer....here's the shortened version:
    1. Thank you for doing this! And more especially, for doing the shoebox gifts 😉
    2. We'd get a pink tu-tu for one of my 6 year olds and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle something or other for the other 6 year old girl (why she likes them, I don't know. I could be because they eat pizza and help people 😉 And of course, make our own shoebox gifts even better since we usually stick to Dollar Tree, Old Navy (when they have their super duper clearance) and JoAnn Fabrics (discount section + my teacher discount = great scores!)

  376. Not sure what I would buy with the gift card. Would probably put it towards a play kitchen for my four kids. They love to "cook" and would love to have an oven to bake their play cookies and cupcakes!

  379. I would buy some pretend food( the nice wooden kind that will last) for my 2 year old since she is really into pretend cooking lately!

  381. I just had my 4th child 2 1/2 weeks ago so I have A LOT of Christmas shopping to do. Unfortunately, I have given little thought to what exactly I am going to buy...having a newborn and a toddler and homeschooling my older two for the first time this year has me a little bit behind on my Christmas list making. But, a $50 gift card would certainly help motivate me to make my list!!

  382. What a great app for my parents who live further away. Love the idea of occ, I'd like to use the card for angel tree gifts.

  383. Love the idea of using the giftcard for Toys for Tots, if I won the giftcard I would split it between a Lego set for my boys and something for Toys for Tots.

  384. If I win I will probably buy Legos. My kids do Christmas shoe boxes each year. I've been saving things all year to put into the boxes. My kids get so many little toys and crayon 4 packs from birthday parties and other things. The organizer of our shoebox program will use these small items to fill in some of the boxrs that aren't quite as full.

  386. I'd finish up shopping for my nieces and nephews, since I'm pretty much finished with my daughters' Christmas toys.

  387. I would buy some board games to play with our grandkids and then as The Lord leads me I will bless someone in the store with the money that's left.

  388. I love this whole post! Teaching your kids to give is so important! If I won the gift card I would purchase an item for a child on our church's giving tree and then maybe buy something that my three little ones can "share." It would help us get back to the true meaning of Christmas while still keeping the excitement of it all for my littles!

  391. my kids are really into legos and knex right now so that would be number one on the list

  393. Our family and my best friends family always provide Christmas for a family in need at Christmas. My kids are older and want more clothes and musical instruments so.... the gift card would be used for our Christmas family.

  394. Gifts for grandsons, granddaughter or to start on next years OCC boxes as I am nearly finished for this year.

  395. We already did our Operation Christmas Child boxes. Such a good way to teach children about giving. I would probably use it to buy my 5 yr old Legos. That is all he wants for Christmas!

  396. If I were to win the gift card....I would apply it to a new car seat for my son who is going to be turning one pretty soon....I would get the 3 in 1 so that we could have it until he really did not need any more....

  397. I would buy some presents for family on my shopping list. My toys-r-us has a baby section so a good majority of the gifts I gave would probably be from that section:)

  398. I'd get something Elmo related for my daughter - it's not just a puppy crush, it seems to be The Real Thing.

  401. I'd buy gifts for my niece & nephew and to donate. We usually do the church Christmas program, and I'd like to get something for my former student's kids (they come to our Christmas party and are some of the best people I know.)

  402. If I won the gift card, I would buy LEGOs because all of my kids LOVE them. I would also use it to donate to toys for tots.

  403. Since my girls have aged out of toys r us, I would use the gift card to buy toys for tots or angel tree gifts.

  410. It would be a blessing that I would share with a single parent. I would buy a couple sets of Legos for 2 of her 5 boys.

  414. That's a tough question since I have 3 little girls that love everything! I guess I would buy some lego sets because they all love legos. Thanks for the give-away!

  416. I would buy a tea set for my daughter & matchbox cars for my son. With the remaining amount I would have my kids pick out toys to donate to toys for tots. I love giving more than receiving & I hope my children learn the importance of giving to others.

  417. With another bad winter coming, I would use it to buy some sleds for the little ones, and adults as well. 😉

  418. I would buy my 5 year old daughter play doh because
    she loves it and for my 10 year old son I would buy him Legos

  420. Being currently pregnant with my first child, I would buy something for the baby I'm going to need!!

  421. Both my son (5), & my daughter (2) love Legos and can stay busy with them all afternoon. So Legos it would be...

  422. We "adopt" a family through our church and buy presents off of their wish list. If I won the gift card, I'd use it towards whatever toy the children ask for.

  423. I'd buy my grand daughter something for Christmas and a couple small toys for the less fortunate little kids.

  425. I think I would buy items for our church's giving tree! Isn't it so much fun to pick out gifts for others?

  426. Wait a second, this is supposed to be a frugal blog and the first post I see is about a shopping trip to Toys R Us??? I don't understand.

    What the what?

    1. Heh, I love that you used one of my favorite phrases (What the what??). 😉

      I'm a little confused about why you are confused? I do buy things even though I am frugal. And sometimes I buy things to give away, as I did in this post. It's good to save money, to be sure, but it's also lovely to be generous with some of that saved money.

      1. I had to agree with Karen! That was my initial reaction as I haven't read the blog in two weeks so I was confused when I saw Toys R Us. In fact I had to check to make sure I was in the right blog. But I understand. We do the same thing in Christmas with our 8 year old. She gets to pick a name for someone her age at the Women's Center and we include warm clothes and a few fun items such as toys or books. This year, we are giving a board game in addition to the clothes.

        1. So, is your surprise stemming from the fact that Toys R Us is more expensive than, say, Amazon? Or are you just surprised that I was shopping?

          (Genuinely asking here! No snarky tone intended.)

          1. I've been a reader of your blog for a while now and it was just the combination of you + shopping + Toys R Us + holiday season that seemed outside of the norm. I admit I saw the title and the photos first before I read the entire story. I'm a frugal online shopper myself and so between free shipping, ebates, and discounts, I usually don't go to Toys R Us unless I had a gift card or I was buying for someone other than my child and needed a brick and mortar gift receipt. Nevertheless, it was a great post - I like what you did with the gift card! And I would like to see what you are getting the kids this year!

  428. If I won the gift card I would use it to purchase gifts for a child in need that we choose off of the "Angel Tree" at our local mall. Thanks for the chance to win and pay it forward. God Bless you and your family. 🙂

  429. What a blessing you and your family are! I have 3 wonderful children and if I was blessed with the gift card I would purchase arts and crafts, dinosaurs and books! 🙂

  430. Hmmm...I'd probably use part of it to get a Christmas gift for my nephew who I watched come into the world this morning!! He's one of the last ones on my Christmas list aside from my own 3.5 month old daughter who won't need much 🙂

  431. Hands down, we will use this to buy toys for a child in need. We live in a very impoverished area and my neighbor is a school teacher. I would give this to him to use with his own discretion to provide for one of the many children who will probably go without this Christmas season.

  433. We just learned of a young boy fighting a cancerous brain tumor. While we don't know him personally, our preacher drives the school bus that this boy rides on and shared his story. Our church is putting together a care basket and we were told he loves ninja turtles. So, the first thing I would buy is something for this boy. Then, probably another of the same for my 4 year old boy.

      1. Well, that was embarrassing. My phone keyboard kept shutting and instead of hitting "a" or similar letters, it pressed submit. ::sigh::

        Anyway, I would get some art supplies and Legos for the kiddos I babysit. 🙂

  436. I'd pick up a gift for a new baby and a one year old that are both family friends. The rest would go toward picking out gifts to give to our gift drive at work!

  437. I have two granddaughters who are four and six....the pics of your two girls reminded me of them! They are so sweet and helpful to their mom who is working on her doctorate in education right now. I don t know what but I would love to get them something special...their dad has already entered their wish list!!

  440. I would use the gift card for a Daniel Tiger treehouse my daughter has been hoping for. Thanks!

  443. My 4 year old is nuts for blind bags - she watches the YouTube videos all the time. I'd totally stock up on some Shopkins & Hello Kitty blind bags. I love that you spent it on your OCC box! I've already done all mine this year though.

  444. I love how you used your's to help your daughters pick out some items for OCC - what a great idea! We've all ready filled our boxes, otherwise I may have stolen the idea ;o) If I had a gift card though, I would probably order the Plasma Car I'm looking at getting for my 3 year old.

  445. I would buy a grocery cart and fake fruits and veggies for my 15 month old son. He loves to shop!

  446. I'd probably buy Lego stuff for little dude's Christmas....if I won and had the card in time I'd get some of my Giving Tree for church items but I hate pushing it to the last minute LOL! I just went to wal-mart Monday afternoon and got stuff for my Operation Christmas Child boxes- thought I'd start with 4 - 2 boys/2 girls - and see how it goes time-wise since I want to make a couple of playmats for the boys' boxes (and hope it all fits in the plastic boxes I bought). I had wanted to make the felt 'paperdolls' I saw on a blog but felt stressed for time

  447. I would love to say that I would be as selfless as you and your children. But in all honesty I would use the giftcard to get my daughter the Lego set she wants for Christmas. We love Lego's at our house because they are timeless. We still have a set from my childhood and we all enjoy them. We do donate in our way though, within the community. It's one of my favorite parts about the holidays.

    *crossing my fingers*

  452. I would use the gift card to buy for my granddaughter. She loves playdoh, duplo blocks and everything princessy 🙂

  453. A TRU gift card would be super helpful with Christmas this year and I'd buy some diapers for a friend that just had twins.

  454. We are packing two boxes for Samaritan's purse, and it would be awesome to add a couple of higher quality items. And, I suspect my daughter would want something as well!

  455. Great giveaway, thanks! I loved doing OCC box shopping with my 3 yr old daughter this year. Never to early to practice thinking of others!! I'd buy a new Play-Doh set for her for Christmas!

  457. We would love to win the gift card to contribute towards buying items for our Angel Tree "children." 🙂 Thank you for the consideration!

  458. I would buy something from Thomas the Tank Engine for my 2 year old. For my 1 year old, I would buy some construction toys. And sippy cups,...they seem to disappear to the same place single socks go to never be seen again. 😉

  460. I think I'd use the gift card to let my son pick out Christmas gifts for his cousins. I love the idea of donating a gift for Toys for Tots, too.

  461. If I won this gift card, i would buy a new safety gate with a door, and a few new special toys for my son to play with when our next child arrives in February. 🙂

  468. Even though I have a 9 yr old boy who loves LEGOS!!!! I probably buy some toys for the 'Toys for Tots' box. My son (and us) have been generously blessed, so it only seems right that if I won the gift card, I would give it back.

    Have a happy start to the Holiday season... wow... does time go fast!

    1. I would buy tons of Play-Doh, to stock up for homeschooling. Then I would stock up on Nerf bullets for the kids. Then we'd have to get Legos. My kids love to build for hours. Thanks for the chance!

  469. We have a rule at our house that you can't go to Toys R Us w/o a Mimi or Papa - grandparents. So I honestly don't even know what I would buy... we would probably buy a Leap Pad game for our nearly 5 year old and more Linkin Logs for our 2 year old... they LOVE those retro toys.

  471. I would buy some paint/craft supplies. We just moved and had to get rid of all of our pains, so we're rebuilding our supplies.

  472. I would get craft supplies to get us through the long winter in northern Wisconsin! Already have 16 inches of snow on the ground!!

  473. I would buy some Legos, Transformers or Hot Wheels for my 5 year old son plus a toy for Toys for Tots and some trinkets for our Operation Christmas Child box.

  474. This would be fantastic to not only get our presents, but presents for the family the church adopts every year.

  480. I would by some books and crafts for my 3 grandchildren, as they love these types of items

  481. Holiday gift giving and receiving in our family typically follows as such:
    Something you want,
    something you need,
    something to wear,
    and something to read!
    This gift card would help us purchase those special "want" gifts our twins have at the top of their wish list this Christmas!

  484. I would buy my six month old daughter some wooden blocks and other wooden toys because they can be a bit pricey but tend to last a lot longer than plastic things.

  485. My kids took a sharpie to the big book and there are bunches of things circled! I'd probably nab a Star Wars Lego set for my son.

    Now I'm off to check out Operation Christmas Child. I haven't heard of it!

  487. My first grandchild is on the way. I'm sure I can find something to bless him/her with! Or send a shoebox to another country ^_^

  489. My husband's family decided to bless a family for Christmas--a former co-worker who was very recently laid off and has 5 children (3 are triplets). I would use this gift card to purchase items for the children.

  490. I'm pretty practical and as much of my Christmas shopping is pretty much complete, I'd probably stock up on some diapers for G.

  491. I love that you used your giftcard to fill your shoebox! I'd probably use the giftcard to purchase Christmas gifts...most likely legos for my kiddos 🙂

  492. I would get Christmas Gift for my Girl Scout Troop. They do many service projects throughout the year and I would like to reward them with something special!

  493. I would send it to my friend to help her with her Christmas shopping for her three kids. I think they'd by cars and princess related things since that is what they like. Thanks for the giveaway!

  499. I would buy my son some toys. He loves the McFarlane baseball figures and Star Wars toys. He plays with this stuff for hours ^_^

  501. My son has a speech delay and has just recently had a great breakthrough and is speaking more. He has found the Vtech Go Go Smart Wheels big ramps toy out this year and has let us know he would like that toy. I would love to be able to buy it for him.

  507. If I win the Toys R Us giftcard, I will use it to buy Christmas presents for my little granddaughter. My husband and I are stationed in Germany, in the Army, and aren't able to go home to the States for Christmas this year. My little granddaughter is in Arkansas with my son and daughter-in-law.

  511. There are so many kids in my family I know I would spend this in a heartbeat. I can't even narrow it down probably somewhere between Barbie and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. lol

  512. With 4 kids, there are a lot of options as to what I could buy at TRU for them! I like to buy crafty/art items that they can all use and participate in.

  514. Thanks for the opportunity to win. I would probably buy a little something for my grandson and spend the rest on Toys 4 Tots.
    And way to go on your bargain shopping with the girls for kids less fortunate.
    Made me smile.

  515. Legos and art supplies would be the top picks for my daughters. They are items in constant use in our house. Thanks for the opportunity!

  517. We normally adopt a local family, but i think this year we are going to do the heifer international donation. So, we'd use the card for my son who turns 1 next week. There are a couple Melissa and Doug beginner instrument sets that he would love to go with his wooden spoons and bowls.

  518. This would really help get my boys some Skylanders. There are so many that they want and the cost adds up fast!

  520. I would use the gift card to purchase a large green Lego baseplate and a Lego Bricks & More set for my youngest for Christmas and the rest would go towards Toys for Tots purchases.

  521. It would help me to finish my toy buying for my nephew and children. How awesomely helpful would that be?!?!

  522. I'd try to find a Lalaloopsy doll for one of the needy children the church adopted for Christmas.

  524. I adopted a family for Christmas. the list is long, but the gift card would help pay for a toy or two. Merry Christmas.

  525. We would put it toward the outdoor play structure we want to purchase for our children, or maybe a new game we could play together as a family. =)

  527. I would buy legos. They are so expensive but the boys love them and they are a great fine motor skill project !

  529. We have a gift exchange with our extended family. I would use it to purchase gifts for our family.

  531. We would use the gift card to buy our angel tree gifts. Our 4 children normally adopt a child of the same age and sex as themselves to give a child in need a gift. This year we don't have any extra money to provide for as I'm only working part-time and it's been tight. Our children receive enough from their relatives but we know many children do not and we'd like to give back to others more in need.

  533. My daughters birthday is actually tomorrow,she'll be turning 5! I've been really stressed because dad flew out for work and won't be back until Sunday so we also had to postpone her party,it would be so fun to win! I think I would get her some stuff for the kitchen we plan to get her

  535. I'd probably use it to buy diapers! They aren't cheap at Toys R Us, but we don't need any more toys in the house.

  536. I could think of several things I could use it for...diapers for our newborn, Calico Critters on my 3 year old's Christmas list, or items for our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes!

  537. I would put a gift card toward a kitchen. My three little ones boys, 2 and 3, and my daughter, 5, would all really enjoy it!!

  538. I would do a few back flips and be very thankful. Then this Frugal Mom would go find some coupons and attempt to buy a Lego Mindstorm with my consignment sale money. My son has wanted one for 2 birthdays and 2 Christmases. However, being thrifty he said ,"Mom , they are just not a good deal." He is right , but he loves science and excels in math. I am thinking possible STEM ideas as a homeschool mom.

  539. We get gifts for a local child from our town's giving tree each year, and this would help with that!!

  542. If I won the gift card I would buy toys and art supplies to fill our Christmas box for Juarez, that we send for a 3-5 year old girl. My daughter is very excited to fill this box and give someone a fun Christmas gift.

  545. Hi Kristen! Thanks for another one of your give aways, and thanks to Toys R Us as well. If I win the gift card, I will buy a Playmobile toy. My son LOVES them! He takes them everywhere - even the bathtub. Playmobile toys allow for hours of imaginative play. There are so many different sets to choose from They are always a great choice for a gift!

  546. I am a firm believe of "what comes around, goes around." The first year I became a single mom and Christmas came, I didn't have a penny for gifts... someone anonymously gifted me money for Christmas gifts. We all go through hard times and no, Christmas is not only about gifts, but what parent want their kids to wake up to nothing on Christmas Day?
    I always want to give back and support others, for I was blessed when I needed it most.
    Games- my kids and I LOVE to play games together as a family!

  549. I don't have any children at home anymore but I do always buy gifts for a family through our local school - so whatever is on their wish list is what I'd get!

  551. I would buy some stocking stuffers and Christmas presents for my daughters, probably craft kits and Calico Critters 🙂

  552. I would buy my husband two new pairs of pajamas...that is all he requested for Christmas this year.

  555. If I won I'd buy some Spongebob toys and some cute decor for my kid brother. Thanks for the lovely giveaway

  556. I would choose two identical board games - one that my 4 kids could enjoy playing together, and one for the Toys 4 Tots box...

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