Looks like today is the day for the Big Toy Clearance at Target.  Christy let me know that the toys are now 70% off at the Southcenter location!!  We have been getting lots of reports from readers that their Target stores also went 70% off today!! 

Let us know what awesome deals you find at your Target and which location!  HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

The post Target: Toy Clearance is now 70% off (Most Target Stores) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Wow! Target has also released a very high value $5/2 Starbuck’s ground coffee coupon, which you will be able use to pick up Starbuck’s bagged coffee for only $3.99 with stacked coupons.

Starbuck’s Ground Coffee $7.99 ~ Buy 2
$5/2 Starbuck’s Target printable coupon
(2) $1.50/2 printable coupon (beverages)
Final Price = $3.99 each

The post Target: Bagged Starbuck’s Coffee only $3.99 appeared first on Gather Lemons.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to check the individual price tags, DO NOT go by what the sign on the shelf says.   This is how you will find items at 70% off, they are mixed in with all those other items at 30% and 50% off.

Check out all of these girls jeans that were marked down to 70% off. They had pretty much every size available, these were $4.48.

I found some wall art at 70% off.

This sign said 30% off, but a good portion of this team apparel was 70% off.

These grooming sets (brush, mirror, etc) were 70% off.

The men’s razors I mentioned last were are now down to 50% off.

Window coverings are now down to 50% off. I have seen this price at a couple of stores and also gotten several reports from others too.

Lots of bedding and sheets at 50% off.

There was also a few decorative pillows and storage ottomans at 50% off.

Looking for a new set of dishes? I found several sets of dishes at 50% off.   Notice the sign on this endcap says 15% off, that is because the home fragrance items were 15% off.   This is a great example of why you want to check those red stickers.

It looks as if the space heaters have finally gone done to 50% off. Most stores I have been too have a large quantity of these, there is a good chance we may still find a nice selection of these at 70% off.

Let’s hear what you have been finding on clearance at Target.

The post Target Clearance Update (Lots at 50% off!!) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

I love hearing about your Target finds and clearance deals!!   Now, you can possibly get rewarded for sharing them!  When you submit a Target deal, clearance find, or shopping trip, you will automatically be entered to win a $20 Target gift card. I am giving away one $20 Target gift card every month!  If you can send along a photo of your deal, that would be even more wonderful.

What kind of Target deals am I looking for:

• Any item that has a great price and has a coupon that you can use to make the price even better.
• Super clearance deals (especially those that are 75% off!).
• Photos of your Target shopping trips (can’t wait to see all of the 75% off toy clearance photos).
• New Target coupons that are available on Target.com or a coupon book you received in the mail.
• Deals that are recent, things you have picked up in the last couple of day.

What you need to do:

• Email your deal to th****************@***il.com.
• When sending your deal, please include the following: Your name, blog URL (if you have one, because I will link back to you), location where you found the deal, price, any coupons you used and photos (if available).
• When submitting a deal, you may want to  click the “Target” link at the top of the page, so you can double check to make sure your deal hasn’t already been posted.   No need to check the link for photos of your shopping trips ~ send them all!

How the drawing for the $20 Target gift card will work:

• Everyone that emails a deal will be entered into that months drawing (even if I didn’t get the chance to post your deal on the blog).
• You will get one entry for every email you send.
• The entry period for each month is the 1st – the last day of the month.
• Winner will be chosen at random from all the emails I received during the month.
• Winner will be emailed within 5 days of the close of the contest and then announced on the blog.

Please understand I will not be able to post every deal I am sent, but I do appreciate seeing ALL of them.  Don’t forget you will be entered into the drawing even if you deal or shopping trip is not posted.   I will give credit to the first person that sends me the deal, but I will try my best to credit everyone if the same deal is sent.

Since, most of June is over, any deals I receive this month will go towards the July contest.  Now let’s see those deals!!!

The post Submit your Target Deals or Clearance Finds for a Chance to win a $20 Target Gift Card appeared first on Gather Lemons.

I just got back from Target and I will have the weekly deals up very soon, but I thought this deserved it’s very own post! We all know that the BIG toy clearance happened last week (for most of us). There will be similar markdowns in every department, so they can bring in the new merchandise.

Mondays are the markdown day for the baby department, and my store (Kent, WA) had marked down a whole aisle of baby items to 75% off. If you head to Kent make sure yo check over by the shoes, they had an extra wall of baby clearance there too. The baby furniture, strollers etc were still at 50% off.   Just look at all the items I was able to pick up at 75% off!!

No, I don’t have a baby, but my sister-in-law just had one, and I have 2 friends that are expecting.   I love it when people have their baby’s perfectly timed with the Target clearance!!

Remember that clearance will vary by store, so if your store did not go 75% off, chances are good that next Monday (or the Monday after) they will go 75% off.

Here are the details:

• Carter’s Just One You bibs 1.98 (reg. 7.99)
• Carter’s Just One You 2-pack Sleep & Play 2.24 (reg. 8.99)
• Carter’s Just One You Receiving Blanket 1.48 (reg. 5.99)
• Carter’s Just One You Plush Blanket 3.74 (reg. 14.99)
• Fisher Price Bear 2.74 (reg. 10.99)
• Baby Einstein Peacock Toy 1.98 (reg. 7.99)
• Petit Tresor Blanket 4.24 (reg. 16.99)
• Petit Tresor Sleep & Play 2.48 (reg. 9.99)
• Carter’s 2 pack PJ’s 3.74 (reg. 14.99)
• Circo Fleece jacket 1.75 (reg 7.00)

The post Target Clearance Update: Baby Department has lots of items 75% off appeared first on Gather Lemons.

UPDATE: Just because your store in not on the list it does not mean that it did not go 75% off, I have only included the list of stores that were reported to me. I think the majority of the stores went 75% off this week!! For the most recent updates, make sure to read the comments, I may not have been able to add them all to the list yet.

OK Folks, I think this may be the week of the BIG 75% off toy clearance!!     I will keep track of all the stores that have reported 75% off on this post here.    There are a few stores that have gone 75% off today (Wednesday 1/12/11), I think the majority of the stores will mark things down on Thursday.   If you store is 75% off, please comment with your location, and I will add it to the list.  You can also get lots of up-to-date information on the Thrifty and Thriving Facebook page.  Happy shopping everyone!

ARIZONA

Mesa
Sierra Vista

CALIFORNIA

Bakersfield
San Jose (last week)

COLORADO

Colorado Springs
Parker
Sheridan (Riverpoint)

FLORIDA

Lakeland
Port Orange

GEORGIA

Canton
Columbus

IDAHO

Boise
Idaho Falls
Coeur d’ Alene

ILLINOIS

Shorewood

IOWA

Ames

OHIO

Cincinnati
Columbus
Fairview
Massillon

MARYLAND

Hagerstown

MASSACHUSETTS

Milford
Painville

MINNESOTA

Roseville

NEW YORK

Chili (except Legos, Play Houses and Nerf they are still 50%)
Cicero

NORTH CAROLINA

Wilson

OREGON

Clackamas
Medford
Portland NE (near airport/IKEA)
Portland (Jantzen Beach)
Springfield
Wilsonville

TEXAS

Pflugerville

UTAH

American Fork
Jordan Landing

VIRGINIA

Forest Hill
Lynchburg
Midlothian

WASHINGTON

Bonney Lake
Kent
Factoria
Gig Harbor
Issaquah (last week)
Lacey
Marysville
Mt. Vernon
Northgate
Olympia
Puyallup (South Hill Mall)
Puyallup (Sunrise)
Renton (Landing)
Silverdale
Southcenter
Spokane
Spokane Valley
Tacoma
Vancouver (Hazel Dell, Vancouver Plaza and Fisher’s Landing)
Yakima
Wenatchee
Woodinville

WISCONSIN

Madison
Racine

The post List of Target Stores that are Reporting 75% off Toy Clearance (January 2011) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

I have shared with you how the Target toy clearance works, and how to make a game plan, so now I am sharing some tips for shopping the actual day of the Target Toy Clearance.

1. When you get to the store, don’t just look at the big red signs that says 30% or 50% off, you will want to actually look at the clearance stickers on the toys.  The employees may have marked the toys down, but may have not have had the chance to change out the signs. Each clearance sticker will have a small number at the top right hand of the price sticker, this will tell you what the actual markdown percentage is of each individual item.  It will usually read 30, 50 or 70.  You are looking for the items with the 70!!  You can also take a look at the tag, and do the math. If the item is usually $9.99, then it will be $2.98 if it is 70% off.  They like to end the price of their clearance items with an 8 or 4.

2. The BIG clearance day will probably happen on a Thursday (possibly a Wednesday or even Friday too), since that is the usual toy markdown day. The time they are marked down varies from store to store, they may all be marked down when the doors open at 8:00, or they may start marking things down around 9:00. There really isn’t anyway to predict exactly when it happens. Depending on how many toys there are to mark down it could take them several hours to get through all of them.

3. It is much easier to shop this sale WITHOUT your children, but if you have to bring them (I usually do) then you should practice saying stuff like “No, that Star Wars toy is not for you, it’s for your cousin Cason”.

4. The Thrifty & Thriving Facebook page is a great resource for this sale.   I will be able to post directly to Facebook while I am at Target.  I have lots of readers that post on Facebook when their stores have gone 75% off too. Make sure you “like” Thrifty and Thriving on Facebook to stay up-to-date.

5. For the best selection, get there early. Once the markdown has started, the news spreads pretty quick, and all the good stuff starts to disappear.

6. This is a big one!!  Put stuff in your cart first, decide what you want to keep later. Trust me on this one!  Its much easier to go through your cart later, and take out the items you decide you don’t want, then to try to go back down an aisle to find the Barbie you decided you wanted for your little niece.

7. Don’t always trust the price on the red clearance sticker.  Don’t pass on something just because it says 50% off.  Throw it in your cart and scan it just before you are ready to checkout.  Sometimes items get marked down, but the employees haven’t had the opportunity to change all the price stickers.

8. If they are in the process of marking things down when you get there and only 1/2 of the toy section has been marked down, don’t panic!  You are probably thinking ” Who in the heck would panic”?  A crazy bargain shopper like me would panic. Trust me, I have panicked before!  Here is what you do. You continue to put items in your cart like I mentioned in #6.

Just before you are ready to leave, you then scan items to see if they are in fact 70% off.  If not, you politely ask one of the Target employees with one of the pricing guns if they wouldn’t mind checking to see if the price on a certain toy has gone down. You hand them the toy, they zap it with there gun, and then they tell you, that it has indeed been marked down. You secretly get all excited and you put it back in your cart. They have to scan the UPC of one of each of the items for the price changes to take effect. So, if you want to buy 2 of the exact same Lego’s you only need them to scan one of them.  All of them will now ring up at the sale price.  I have found that most times they don’t mind doing this for you, after all they have to scan and change the price on everything anyway.

I will say that since this clearance sale has become more popular, it is hard for the employees to do their job and scan every toy people bring up to them. There may be a chance that they will not be able to scan your items. It’s definitely worth a try.

9. Get yourself a buddy! What I mean by this, is if you can’t make it to the sale find a friend to help you out.  If you are planning on going to the sale, help someone else out.  Better yet, if you and your buddy can both go, then hit separate stores and look for things that each other wants. My sister works, so she can’t make it to the sale when it first happens.  I always keep stuff in mind for her and pick that up too, it is a big help to her.  Friends don’t let friends pay full retail – be a friend!

10. If you stop at more than one or even two Target’s it doesn’t make you crazy. I like to think of it as being dedicated!

Happy Shopping! When the sale starts make sure you let us know on the Facebook page what you have found. I will also include a link on the blog, so we can see everyone’s treasures!

Welcome to Thrifty and Thriving! You may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or have the once a day email delivered to your inbox. My Facebook Page is an excellent way to stay up-to-date on the hottest deals.

The post Tips for Shopping the Day of the 70% off Target Toy Clearance appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Here are some ideas and pointers to help you make yourself a game plan for the Target toy clearance.   To make the most of this sale, you have got to get yourself a game plan!!  (Doesn’t that full row of clearance toys make you just a little giddy?)

1. You will want to visit all of your local Target stores now. I have 3-4 Target’s that are within a half an hour of my home, my plan is to check them all out now and see which location has the largest selection of clearance toys.   Not only will I want to see which store has the most clearance items, but I will see which one has more of the items that I am interested in.   If I see a store with lots of Lego’s, I may head there first.   If you check the stores out now, you will be familiar with the items that you hope to find.  The store that meets the most of your needs should be the one you shop at first.

2. If you see an item that you are extremely interested in, but the stock is very low, you may want to pick it up at 50% off. I do this for VERY FEW items, because I figure another amazing sale will always come along.  I have picked up Star Wars Lego’s before at 50% off.   The past couple of years, not many of the Lego’s make it past the 50% off markdown.

If you see an item that has been marked down to 70% off and you already purchased the item at 50% off, you will not be eligible for a price adjustment.   Target does not do price adjustments on clearance items.   You can buy the item at 70% off and then return the original item with your 50% off receipt.

3.  Once you have seen which toys are available, go home and check the reviews on Amazon. Some toys aren’t worth the money even at 70% off. I want to make sure I am not bringing home any items that aren’t worth the money I paid.

4. Don’t make any appointments on Wednesday or Thursday for the next 3 weeks.   I am serious about this one!!   It may seem silly, but you don’t want to miss the sale, because you had a dental appointment.  Seriously, what’s more fun – shopping the 70% off Target toy clearance of getting your teeth cleaned?

5. Get your hiding spot ready! Once you buy your toys, you are going to need a place to hide them.   I have kept things in my car a couple of times, because I wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted to store them.   On both occasions one of the kids saw something that I was planning to give them for their birthday.  I hate when that happens!

6. Figure out your budget now, and stick with it. It is so easy to go overboard when you see all of the great deals.   I would also make a list of  potential gifts you will need for the year.  It’s much easier to decide what to buy when you have specific people in mind.  When I am shopping for birthdays that my kids may get invited to, I just shop for general toys (Boys/Age 6, Girls/Age 10, etc)

7.  Check to see if there are any available coupons or rebates. You can make the 70% off clearance even better if you use any coupons or rebates available.

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Welcome to Thrifty and Thriving! You may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or have the once a day email delivered to your inbox. My Facebook Page is an excellent way to stay up-to-date on the hottest deals.

The post 70% off (was 75% off) Target Toy Clearance: Get you Game Plan!! appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Target will be “reseting” their departments in January (and again in July). When they do this, they clear out alot of the items to make way for the new, one of the largest markdowns happens in the toy section. The 75% off toy markdown happened last year on January 12th and 13th and July 28th and 29th.  This will give us some idea of when it will happen this year. If you aren’t familiar with the BIG Target toy clearance, I have put this post together to explain all the details for you. To get an idea of the deals you can find, you can check out the items that I picked up at the clearance last July HERE.

The Basics

Target follows a markdown schedule, they will markdown each department on a certain day. The markdowns usually go 30%, 50% and then 70% (only holiday/seasonal items go 90% off). Twice a year each department will get “reset”. This means that they will bring in a ton of new merchandise for the next season. So, the toy department will get reset in January, to make way for the upcoming spring and summer toys. The toys also get reset in July to get ready for the holiday seasons toys. I have a post explaining the markdown system in detail, you can read it HERE.

The Specifics of the Toy Department Markdown

Generally, they will start condensing all the clearance toys to one or two aisles. I have noticed that they have already started doing this at a few of the Target’s near me. Last year the markdown took place on January 12th and 13th. The markdown will probably take place on a Thursday,  or even possibly a Wednesday or Friday. 

How the Toys are Marked Down

The markdown for the toys and other departments are different than the holiday clearance that can be marked down via a computer. When the toys get marked down each individual item will need to be scanned with a pricing gun before the new price will take effect. If you are interested in two identical items, only one of them will need to be scanned with the gun, once one of the items is entered, they discounted price is good on all identical items.

In the past, the scanning team starts at my stores around 9:00 am, they are usually still scanning items when I get there. If there is something you want that still have a higher price, scan it with the store price check scanners. If it isn’t 75% off, then you can save it in your cart and then ask one of the employees with the pricing guns if they wouldn’t mind seeing if the item has been marked down. I have NEVER had an employee tell me no, they are generally very nice about it, however, I have noticed that as this sale gains more popularity it is harder for the employees to scan lots of extra items to see if the price has changed.   We may just need to be patient until all the price changing has finished.

Why Shop Now?

If you have never shopped this clearance sale before, you are probably thinking “Why in the world would I want anymore toys?” After all, your kids just got tons of toys for Christmas and they are taking over the house.   I use this clearance sale in January (and the one in July) to buy toys that I will need for gifts all year long. If you do some thinking, you can purchase lots of toys now that you can use to give as gifts all year long at a BIG discount.   Shopping all at once also saves time!  It’s so much easier to run to our “toys stockpile” for a gift than having to go the store every time a birthday party comes along.   I have 5 kids and over 50 nieces and nephews, so there are a lot of parties in our family!

I shop for the following items:

1. I buy items for my kids birthdays and even Christmas next year (there are some toys that you just can’t go wrong with, in our house, that is Lego’s, Playmobil, Games, and Arts & Crafts)
2. I buy items for nephews and nieces birthdays
3. I pick up gifts now for birthday’s my kids may get invited too (Since my daughter is 10, I will pick up items that would work for that age range)
4. I help my sister and other friends and family by picking up toys for them to give to their kids (my sister works, and she can’t always make it to the sale, so I help her out by picking up items for her)
5. I buy items now, so I can donate at Christmas time (Sometimes when you plan for generosity, it’s much easier to give!  It’s not so much of a strain on the pocketbook)
6. You can even find games for adults and teens

The post What You Need to Know about Target’s 70% off (was 75% off) Toy Clearance 2012 (January & July) appeared first on Gather Lemons.

According to the Target thread over at Gotta Deal, there are a some people that are reporting that the Easter clearance went to 75% off at their Target.   It seems that the stores that went 75% off, the Easter candy has only been marked down to 50% off.   Target has been doing that alot lately with their holiday candy, it gets marked down at a slower rate than the rest of the items.

I am assuming that if you Target did not go 75% off today, there is a good chance that it will be 75% off tomorrow (Thursday, April 8th).   If you want to stay up-to-date on what people are finding, make sure you check out the Gotta Deal thread HERE.   For the most current information, you will want to go to the last page of the thread.

Let us know if you find any great clearance deals.   If there is something you are particularly proud of, make sure you enter my clearance contest for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

The post Target – Few Stores Reporting 75% off Easter Clearance appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Spiderman & Iron Man Transformers set $7.48 (reg. 24.99) 75% OFF

Michael Graves shirt hangers 1.24 (reg 4.99) 75% OFF
**they had pants hangers too

White wire mesh CD holder 1.99 (reg 7.99) 75% OFF
**they had lots of mesh organizers and wire cubes 75% off, I was excited to find this, we are re-doing my daughters room and we needed something she could put her CD’s in. I can’t wait to do a post when we finish her room, I will show you all the things I got for cheap (Lots from Target)

HR Block Tax Software $4.98 (reg 19.99) 75% OFF

Pilates Mini Medicine Balls & DVD 2.24 (reg 17.99) 85% OFF
**I have no idea why this was 85% off, they lowest they go is usually 75% off – except for holiday stuff)

I also found lots of these storage cubes at every store I went to that were 75% off.    They had cubes with shelves, doors and drawers, and they were priced at $6.24 and $7.48. The had lots of colors too, white, red, blue, black, and wood grain.

I would love to hear if you found any great clearance deals at Target recently.

The post Target Clearance Finds appeared first on Gather Lemons.