Saving Money on Toys

This post is part of a multi-part series on Saving Money A to Z here at Frugal Follies.

The toy-buying season is upon us!  Last week's Sunday newspaper was chock-full of toy catalogs from all the major stores.  My youngest daughter had fun looking through all the catalogs and making a list of what she would like to get.  Luckily, the list wasn't too long, and of course she won't get everything.  But here are some ideas to save money on new toys:

• Keep an open mind about where to buy new toys.  Besides the obvious toy stores and national discount chains, look at drug stores, grocery stores, craft stores, and office supply stores.  With the state of the economy as it is, consider shopping at a locally-owned small business, where your dollars will stay in your local community.
• Look for coupons for stores which give money off a certain purchase.  There is a new Toys R Us in my area, and a few days ago, a flier came in the mail offering $5 off a $25 purchase.  I am looking forward to using that!
• Look for store-issued toy coupons.  You can find these in the catalogs, or at the store.  Target has many store coupons for toys at their website (scroll down and click on "Coupons."
• Look for manufacturer-issued coupons.  There are some toy coupons available right now at Coupons.com, and there are DVD coupons as well.  Coupons may appear in the Sunday inserts as well.
• Combine two different coupons, or all of these coupons, if your store allows it, to save even more!  Check with the service desk to make sure this is allowed.
• Check the weekly advertisements to see what's on sale that week.  Match sales with coupons to save.
• Buy needed household items at CVS which give Extra Care Bucks, which you can then use to purchase toys.  Or, at Walgreens, buy items which will print Register Rewards.
• Join Swagbucks and earn points by doing searches, watching videos, and filling out surveys.  Once you've earned 450 Swagbucks, you can get a $5 Amazon.com gift card, which can then be used to buy toys.  Or, use your Swagbucks to purchase toys directly from their catalog.  Click here to join Swagbucks.

Any other ideas on how to buy new toys inexpensively?  Leave a comment below!

Check these sites for more great tips and frugal ideas:

• Frugal Friday @ Life as MOM
• Making Dollars out of Change @ Madame Deals
• Penny Pinching Party @ The Thrifty Home 
• Works For Me Wednesday @ We Are That Family
• Thrifty Thursday @ Coupon Teacher 
• Fantastic Frugal Fridays at Frugality Is Free and Being Frugal and Making It Work
• Money Saving Monday @ Family Friendly Frugality