5 Ways to Buy Discounted Gift Cards So You Can Save Big on Black Friday

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The concept of buying discounted gift cards is simple enough. You “stack” your savings by combining Black Friday sales with discounted gift cards as payment. 

And most retailers let you use their cards in-store or online. 

Here are five ways you can buy gift cards for less than face value.

1. Online Gift Card Vendors

Sellers that specialize in gift cards normally sell them at face value, but they do have sales. 

Typically, quantities are limited and the deals sell out fast, so check often. You can sign up on Doctor of Credit to receive phone notifications of these types of deals.

2. Discounted Gift Card Sites

Many websites help you buy discounted gift cards with unused balances. Discounts vary according to demand, and from site to site. 

Gift Card Granny currently shows that a Cold Stone Creamery gift is available for 14% off and a 1800Flowers gift card is available for 8% off.  

3. Local Store Promotions

I once bought gift cards for several retailers at Dollar General for 15% off.

To find these deals, check weekly ads online for various stores near you. Gift card promotions are usually on or near the last page.  

Gift cards at Sam’s Club (online and in-store) often sell at a discount, but the selection is limited and the best deals are usually for restaurants. You can currently get two $25 cards for Olive Garden, Subway or Starbucks — a total value of $50 — for $39.98 online.

4. Use a 5% Cash-Back Category Reward

If you have a credit card that pays 5% cash back on certain categories, you can use it to get 5% back on gift cards for non-category retailers. 

For example, Discover’s 5% categories currently include Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.

Discover doubles your cash back after the first year, so you actually get 10% back if you’re a new card holder.

Chase Freedom is another card with rotating 5% cash back categories (new ones every three months). Just remember that with both Chase and Discover, you have to activate your 5% bonus online at the beginning of each quarter.

5. Use Amex Offers

If you have an American Express card, take advantage of Amex Offers to get discounted gift cards. Just watch for offers at places that sell gift cards.

For example, my offers (each account theoretically gets different ones) once included a $10 statement credit for spending $50 at JCPenney. I can go to JCPenney, find their gift card rack, buy a $50 card for some other store, and get $10 back. 

American Express says they’ll credit your account within 90 days, but it has never taken more than two weeks for my credit to appear. 

You might even get gift cards for free. I used an offer of $10 back for any purchase at Newegg to buy a $10 Home Depot gift card — three times. There was no shipping charge, so I got $30 in Home Depot cards for free. 

Get Ready for Black Friday 

 To prepare for Black Friday, you may have to guess where you’ll spend the most money, and how much, in order to buy the right gift cards in advance. 

If you’re uncertain, just buy cards for places where you usually shop. That way, you can easily “liquidate” them after Black Friday if you haven’t used them all.

If you wait until the last moment (or are reading this on Black Friday), you can still buy digital gift cards as necessary and print them out at home. Most vendors say it takes up to a day to email you the link to print your “card,” but I’ve always received it within two hours. 

 If you’re a scientific shopper, you’ll prepare a list of doorbusters and other items you plan to buy, and where. Then you’ll find the necessary gift cards at the best discounts available. You’ll also use…

More Advanced Gift Card Strategies

Paying for Black Friday purchases with discounted gift cards is a simple way to “stack” your savings. 

But you can save even more if you add additional savings tactics, like using the right rewards credit card. Here are some examples of how to really stack up those savings.

Example #1

Suppose Gap and Old Navy gift cards are currently on sale for 20% off at Staples. Buy a $50 card with a Chase Ink or American Express Simply Cash Business card (I have both), to get $2 cash back on the $40 purchase (5% back at all office supply stores). 

Spend $50 on half-priced gifts on Black Friday, and pay with the gift card for a total net cost of $38 for things that would normally cost $100. 

That’s how you stack three savings tactics: a sale, credit card cash back and a discounted gift card.

Example #2

You plan to spend $140 on gifts at Michaels, so you do this:

1. Go to Cashback Monitor and enter Raise to see which cash-back portal pays best for shopping at that discount card vendor. At the moment, the best rate is 5% from Mr. Rebates.
2. Go to Mr. Rebates and set up an account, because they offer 5% cash back if you shop at Raise through their link.
3. Use the Mr. Rebates portal link to go to Raise.
4. Search through the many Michaels gift cards. As I write this, a card with a balance of $202.25 is listed for $174.95, a 13.5% discount.
5. Buy the gift card with a credit card that gives you cash back, like Citi Double Cash (2%) or Barclaycard CashForward World MasterCard (1.5%).
6. Buy stuff at Michaels for at least 50% off on Black Friday.

Here’s the breakdown on what you would save on the first $140 of purchases, if you buy only Black Friday deals that are 50% off:

• Half-off sale savings: $140.00
• Gift card discount: $27.91
• Portal cash back: $3.36
• Credit card cash back: $2.24

By stacking four savings tactics, you save $173.51, and pay just $106.49 for gifts that would have cost $280 at the regular prices.

Example #3

Add a coupon to the last example to use five savings tactics for one purchase. I once a five-level stack recently (not for Black Friday). 

I earned portal cash back (1) when I bought a discounted gift card (2) with a cash-back credit card (3), and then I used the gift card and a coupon (4) to buy items already on sale (5) — all just to get cheap cat food at Petco in that case, but the strategy can also work at all of your favorite Black Friday stores.

Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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7 Ways To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft This Black Friday

What does Black Friday protection mean to you? Maybe it's helmets and elbow pads as you battle your fellow consumers for doorbuster deals. Maybe it's protecting your space in line. Maybe it should be taking precautions to prevent identity theft.

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Decorating for Christmas: A Chore for Some. A Side Gig for You

For many Americans, inflating the 12-foot Frosty the Snowman, untangling strings of Christmas lights and setting up the reindeer display on the front lawn are merely tasks on a never-ending holiday to-do list.

It’s a hassle big enough to spark a trend for residents and businesses alike: leave the decorating to someone else.

For you, an entrepreneurially-minded go-getter, that means job opportunities – perhaps the most festive gigs of the season. 

Here are a few ways to find holiday decorating jobs.

Find Christmas Decorator Jobs Locally as a Freelancer

Helping neighbors with tasks they don’t want to do is the bedrock of side gigs. While the door-to-door approach is always an option, be sure to check out these locally-focused online platforms that make getting in touch with people in your area a little bit easier.

Craigslist

Synonymous with online classified ads, Craigslist is an invaluable resource for finding and listing local odd jobs. For holiday decorators, three features are especially helpful: “Gigs,” “Jobs” and “Services.”

Finding local work is free through the Jobs and Gigs features. Simply click the corresponding section from the homepage, and a list of local moneymaking opportunities will appear. (The website uses your IP address to automatically tailor the search to your locale.) The distinction between the two features is that a gig may be a one-time offer from a neighbor, whereas a job listing may be posted from a nearby business.

The Services feature, basically a looking-for-work ad, is where a little money will be involved. Typical listings on that section cost $5, but it’s a fairly cheap way to get the ball rolling.

Pro Tip

If you’re shelling out cash for an ad, be sure to include key details. What specific decorating services are you offering? What’s your hourly rate? Do you provide supplies or decorations?

Unless otherwise specified, all communication through Craigslist is anonymous. When creating a listing, you can specify in the description when and how people can contact you (at your own risk).

Nextdoor

Nextdoor is a social media website for entire neighborhoods. Locals can connect on the website to chat about goings-on about town, buy and sell tchotchkes and get recommendations for nearby businesses or services. That last feature is especially useful for spreading the word about your holiday-decorating enterprise.

To join Nextdoor, you’ll need to verify your street address and use your full name. Don’t worry. Your address won’t be public facing. It’s used to categorize you in the correct general neighborhood on the website.

Before you start firing off posts about your decorating skills, know the rules. You won’t be able to offer your services in the “For Sale & Free” section. Only tangible goods are sellable there. Instead, you’ll be able to woo locals who are specifically looking for business recommendations.

If you have some money to spare, consider making a business page and posting in the “Local Deals” section. While making a business account is free, posting in Local Deals isn’t. That’s the only section where you will be able to share unsolicited information about your business or service. Prices start at $3 but vary based on how long the ad runs and how large your neighborhood is. An average ad costs $75, according to estimates from Nextdoor.

TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit works like most freelance websites except that it focuses on “help around the home,” including personal assistance, errands, cleaning – and, yes, inflating Frosty.

Becoming a Tasker, as it’s called, is free. During the sign-up process, you will be prompted to create a profile, explain your services in detail, set your rates and plan a work schedule. Once your profile is ready to go, locals will be able to view it, book you or reach out with questions.

Potential clients will be able to see your reviews and previously completed tasks, as they’re displayed prominently next to your name in the search results and on your profile. New users may find it difficult to land initial Christmas decorator jobs due to a lack of those two distinguishing elements. 

To combat that condondrum, ensure that your profile is well-written and that you have priced your services competitively. If you’ve received feedback or recommendations elsewhere, include them in your profile description until you rack up reviews on TaskRabbit.

Pro Tip

Because TaskRabbit is a relatively small freelance platform, it may be worth expanding your services to include other holiday-related chores.

There are no fees involved to list services on the platform, but TaskRabbit does take a 20% cut of the earnings for all completed tasks. 

The company was founded in 2008 in Boston. It has since expanded to include more than 140,000 Taskers in 50 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. Before signing up, ensure that your city is on the list of available locations.

Work for a Business That Hires Holiday Decorators

If you’d rather not fish for clients as a freelancer, consider working for a local company that offers decorating services around the holidays.

With a typical part- or full-time decorating job, you’re likely to earn a lower hourly wage than freelancing, but you’ll have the benefits of predictable schedules and earnings. And considering that decorating can get dangerous — there are about 200 decorating injuries a day during the holidays, according to government estimates — having worker’s compensation coverage might be a welcome trade.

As with most job hunts, starting on Indeed or Glassdoor is a good idea to get the lay of your local job market. Check your local jobs section on Craigslist for temporary positions as well.

If you’re not seeing any listings for temp or seasonal decorating gigs on the traditional job boards, check in directly with local businesses. One way to do that is to search for holiday decorating services on Angie’s List, which aggregates local business recommendations. The website will generate a list of nearby companies that offer holiday decoration services. Then you’re free to contact them to see if they need help.

Launch Your Own Holiday Decorating Business

Perhaps you’re ahead of the curve and have already amassed a pool of jolly clients. The next natural step may be to scale it into a business. There’s a market for it. And there’s support along the way.

Just ask Josh Trees, owner of We Hang Christmas Lights. (And yes, that’s his real name.)

Trees launched his Christmas-lights-hanging endeavor in 1997. By 2000 – and despite many hiccups – he was netting nearly $140,000 a year in profit. These days, he travels across the country with a tiny home in tow to teach entrepreneurs how to launch lights-hanging businesses of their own.

Trees shared tips with The Penny Hoarder about how you can turn hanging Christmas lights into a business model.

“When we first started doing this, people were like, ‘Oh, that’s a cute little business,’” Trees told The Penny Hoarder. “We were like, ‘Yeah, cute,’ —  you don’t realize people are paying us $3,500 to put lights up on their houses.” 

And on Dec. 26 …

We can think of one task more thankless than putting up Christmas decorations: taking them down.

After the holidays have passed and the tinsel is starting to sag (and maybe your gut), be sure to contact your Christmas decorating clients and offer to come back and respool the lights, deflate Frosty and box it all up for next year. 

Adam Hardy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. He specializes in ways to make money that don’t involve stuffy corporate offices. Read his ​latest articles here, or say hi on Twitter @hardyjournalism.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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If Your Rent is More Than $1,200/Month, Make These 6 Moves

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If you’re paying more than $1,200 a month in rent by yourself, that means two things:

1. It stinks to pay that much rent, and 
2. You’ve clearly got some income. Not everyone can afford that kind of rent.

So you’re making money and living in a decent place. You’ve finally got a little cushion in your bank account. You’ve achieved a certain level of financial stability.

What should you do next? Well, we have six suggestions for you:

1. Give Your Credit a Boost to Save Money on Future Big Purchases

You’re doing pretty good. You’ve got a decent place to live, you make your rent payments — you’re not overly concerned with your credit score. In fact, you might not think much about it at all.

But what happens when you want to buy a house? Or a car? Even a five-point difference in your credit score could make a huge difference. That’s why it’s important to keep tabs on your credit score, which you can do for free through Credit Sesame.

Take the example of JP Clayton, a Florida software consultant who bought his first home with his wife, Ashley. When they finally found the home they wanted, JP’s credit score had dipped five points below where it needed to be to lock in the 3.75% interest rate they’d budgeted for. 

They had to settle for a 4% interest rate, costing them $15,000 over the life of their 30-year loan.

If you want to make sure your credit score is in tip-top shape, Credit Sesame will help. Just sign up for an account — it takes 90 seconds — and Credit Sesame will outline exactly what you need to do to give your credit a boost

2. Protect Everything in Your Apartment For as Little as $5/Month

While you’re renting, you’ll want to make sure you’re protecting your belongings. You don’t know what your neighbor’s up to over there or how weird the weather could get today, so make sure you’re covered.

The average person in the U.S. is paying $187 per year for renters insurance, but with Lemonade, you could pay as little as $5 a month, less than half the average rate.

And just because you’re only paying $5 doesn’t mean you’re skimping on coverage. In fact, Lemonade pays out 30% of its claims instantly. It even holds the world record for paying a claim in only three seconds! 

Even better? No phone calls. No lengthy sign-up process. Nothing. It takes just 10 minutes to get started.

3. If You Can’t Lower Your Rent, Cut Your Credit Card Bill

If you’re like most of us, two of your biggest financial burdens are rent and credit card debt. High credit card bills make it that much harder to pay the rent every month.

One problem: Your credit card companies are getting rich by ripping you off with insane rates. However, a company called Fiona could lower your monthly payment. 

Here’s how it works: Fiona will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. 

If you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

Spending less on interest helps alleviate the burden of rent. 

4. Invest Like a Hedge Fund (You Can Start with $500) 

We know you’ve got rent to pay, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be planning for your future. You can get started investing now, even if you’re only contributing a little bit each month.

An app called Titan lets you get in on hedge-fund-style investing, even if you don’t have a spare quarter-million dollars. All you need is $500.

Titan is a simple, user-friendly investment app that mirrors the financial moves of top hedge funds. It invests money in top stocks, based on what all those hedge funds have been buying — because it knows those are best set up for growth.

All three of Titan’s co-founders are former hedge fund guys who are now heavily invested in their Titan portfolios — the same stocks they’d invest your money in. It takes just a few minutes to launch your investing portfolio.

The company earns a 1% annual fee on what you invest.

5. Even Renters Can Easily Start Saving

Even if you’re able to come up with the rent month after month after month, sometimes it’s hard to find money to stash into a savings account.

But the thing is, you probably have more money to put toward savings than you realize. An app called Digit looks at your budget and automatically finds money you can tuck away.

Personal finance editor Matt Wiley used it to save $1,857 in a year without even thinking about it. “It feels weird saying I saved, because I really didn’t do anything,” he says.

Digit looks at your spending patterns and tells you exactly how much you can spare. It knows when to save and when to slow down so your funds don’t get too low. Have rent due soon? It’ll go easy on you. Just got paid? Sweet, let’s tuck some of that away.

To start, download Digit and connect your checking account. From there, it’ll get to work. Your first 30 days are free, then it’s $5 a month. Not bad, considering how much it’ll help you save.

Who knows — you could even start saving for a down payment on a home someday.

6. Save up to $865 a Year on Car Insurance

It may be difficult to negotiate rent, but you can negotiate some of your other monthly bills — like car insurance. When was the last time you shopped around for that? Was it more than six months ago?

If so, you’re probably overpaying, and possibly by hundreds of dollars. Yep. Experts say you should compare rates twice a year to get the best deal.

Twice a year? Yeah, we don’t want to do that either. 

A service called Gabi does all the shopping for you to find cheaper insurance — with the same coverage and deductibles you already have. And it saves customers an average of $865 a year.

You don’t have to fill out any forms. Just link your existing insurance account and enter your driver’s license, and it will start looking for cheaper coverage.

Plus, after you sign up, Gabi will keep looking for savings. No more shopping. 

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He doesn’t pay rent but he has a mortgage, and it’s huge.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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10 Last-Minute Tips for Frugal Holiday Cooking

Over the next few days, many families across America are celebrating Thanksgiving with a big dinner to be shared with family and friends, a big meal that requires a lot of planning and likely generates a lot of leftovers.

As many households gear up for this big meal, don’t forget to keep in mind that there are a lot of little money-saving tactics that you can pull together, even at the last minute. Here are 10 such tips, most of which I expect to see in action over the next few days.

Ask your guests to bring something simple, but ask today! Go through your list and ask each guest to bring something simple in lieu of a host/hostess gift. Perhaps you can ask a few guests to bring a bottle of wine, or ask another guest to bring dinner rolls.

Not only does this trim your cost a little, it makes your guests feel better about not showing up empty-handed to an elaborate meal without having to put in a ton fo work and it reduces the stress of preparation.

(If you’re wondering about what to do with the wine if they show up with a bottle that needs to be chilled, don’t worry — we’ll get back to that in a second.)

Do everything you possibly can — and even some things you didn’t think of — the day before or the morning of the meal. Every single possible thing you can do in advance, do it in advance.

Chop the vegetables tonight and put them in small containers in the fridge. Make the sauce tonight and refrigerate it so all you have to do is let it warm up a bit tomorrow. Do 80% of the work for all of the casseroles in the morning so you can just push them in the oven in the afternoon. Make your salads the night before and chill them in the fridge.

How does that make things frugal? It saves tons of last minute effort and drastically reduces the chances of food items and whole dishes going to waste because you’re overwhelmed. I’ve seen many holiday dishes and ingredients go to waste because people were overwhelmed with tasks at the last minute. Spread them out. You’ll be glad you did.

Save your vegetable scraps. As you’re chopping those vegetables, you’ll sometimes wind up with some edge pieces that are perfectly good, but tricky to chop, or some pieces that are marginal. Save those bits. Put all of them aside in a great big mixed bag of vegetable scraps and stow that bag away in the deep freezer.

After the holidays are over, pull out that bag and dump it in a slow cooker. Add some salt and a few peppercorns, then fill it with water and turn it on low. Let it run for a long time — 12 hours or even more if you want. Then, strain it and save the liquid.

That liquid is vegetable stock and it’s useful in all kinds of casseroles, soups, and other things. Any dish that uses broth or stock can use that liquid gold. Save it in the freezer in quart-sized batches so you can easily make soup going forward.

Use a slow cooker (or two) to keep an item warm while other items are cooking in the oven … or even cook an item in the slow cooker. You don’t have to make everything at once and perfectly time everything for the table at the same time. Rather, make some items a little earlier in the day and then use a slow cooker to keep them warm until it’s time to eat.

A slow cooker is perfect for things like sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, collard greens, dressing or even gravy. Almost all of those can rest for a while in a slow cooker on “keep warm” mode for an hour or two while you finish other dishes.

You can even make many of those dishes in the slow cooker, and even serve them if your slow cooker has a nice removable crock for serving.

Use a pitcher as an extra chiller. This is one of my favorite little tricks that seems to show up all the time during the holidays. Do you need to quickly chill a bottle of wine and there’s just no room to do so and it won’t get cold enough in the freezer in time? Just take an empty water pitcher, put your bottle in there, fill it about halfway up with ice, then sprinkle in some salt (a tablespoon will do), then fill it the rest of the way with water. Leave it sitting out on the table and rotate the bottle every few minutes. It’ll be really cold in about twenty minutes or so, and then you can just dry it off and serve it.

You’d be surprised how often someone will show up with a bottle of wine and you want to serve it but it’s supposed to be served chilled and the bottle is room temperature and the freezer won’t get it cold enough fast enough and you don’t want to serve mildly chilled wine and you’ve got fifty other things to do. This is such a simple way to handle it, as long as you have an extra pitcher or similarly sized container big enough for the bottle to fit in.

If you need last minute table decorations, go on a walk. Go outside and gather up natural elements for your table centerpiece rather than some prepackaged and expensive items. Find things like pinecones, leaves, pine tree branches, and other such items that will easily create a natural, rustic and festive look on your Thanksgiving table.

Most leftovers are freezable in resealable containers, so label them and save them. Almost everything served at a typical Thanksgiving dinner can be frozen and then reheated. After a day or two in the fridge to be eaten as short-term leftovers, save the items that are left in individual meal-sized containers and freeze them. Thaw them out at a later date.

You can do this with almost everything from mashed potatoes to sweet potatoes to dressing to casseroles, and most of it will turn out quite good. You can have a Thanksgiving dinner redux in a month or two.

Chop up every bit of leftover turkey and freeze it, as it can substitute for chicken in many dishes later on. Turkey is a special case because chopped up turkey can be used in so many different recipes. Any leftover turkey you have should be saved on its own in relatively small batches in the freezer.

You can use that turkey later for things like soup or stew or turkey tetrazzini or as an ingredient in a casserole. It can basically be used in anything that chicken would be used in.

Save your turkey carcass and scraps, too. This goes along with the earlier tip of saving vegetable scraps. It turns out you can make delicious turkey stock in much the same way, and that turkey stock is useful as the backbone of all kinds of casseroles and soups and stews.

Just save all of the scraps, break down the carcass a little, and save it all in a big bag in your freezer. When the holidays are over, pull out that bag, get out a big slow cooker or a big pot, and put the carcass and scraps in there. Add a few teaspoons of salt and some peppercorns and maybe some other herbs and spices of your choosing, then fill it with water such that the carcass is covered. If you’re using a slow cooker, turn it on low and leave it for a good 12 hours (or more). If you’re doing it in a big pot, put it over just enough heat for the liquid to barely simmer and occasionally refill it with water so that the carcass is always covered by a few inches of water and let it simmer all day. In either case, strain it when you’re done and save that liquid, as it’s turkey stock and it’s the delicious backbone of countless soups and casseroles.

Freeze that liquid in quart-sized containers (quart sized freezer bags are fine) for future uses of all kinds. You’ll find yourself making an amazing homemade soup in a month or two using that liquid gold.

Go grocery shopping on Black Friday. While there are a lot of shoppers out on Black Friday, they’re usually not in the grocery stores. However, grocery stores are typically unloading Thanksgiving items on Black Friday at a discount, so that’s a perfect time to pick up things you can store for the future.

Grab an extra turkey for the freezer — you can always cook it up in February. Grab some pre-made dinner rolls. Stock up on sweet potatoes and other vegetables. Everything you might have on a Thanksgiving table that doesn’t have a far-off expiration date is going to be on sale, so stock your pantry.

The best part? It won’t be very crowded because everyone is shopping at the department stores.

Although careful meal planning is the biggest holiday meal money saver, there are lots of things you can do at the last minute to cut costs and get the maximum value out of your holiday meal. It just takes a little clever thinking and a lot of leftover containers!

Good luck!

The post 10 Last-Minute Tips for Frugal Holiday Cooking appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Here Are the 15 Hottest Holiday Toys at Walmart and Target Under $20

Christmas is a magical time of year. As in, all your money seems to magically disappear — especially if you’ve got children to shop for.

The National Retail Federation predicts shoppers will spend an average of $659 on gifts for family and friends this year. Prices like $200 for a Barbie DreamHouse and $300 for a Nintendo Switch aren’t helping anybody.

We know you want to get the kiddos presents they’ll love — but you shouldn’t have to blow your budget in the process. 

We combed through the lists of this season’s top toys from mega retailers Walmart and Target to find affordable options for families on a budget. Here are 15 cool toys under $20 that won’t give you buyer’s remorse.

Note: The costs listed are the regular retail prices sourced online on Nov. 13, 2019. The price you pay may vary.

9 Toys Under $20 From Walmart

Walmart’s list of the top toys of the season include unboxing surprises, a little superhero cosplay and gifts that add a bit of glam. There are several options to choose from that won’t have you spending over 20 bucks.

1. What’s In My Purse Mystery Thoughts Pack

This pack may contain lip gloss rings, markers, erasers or charm bracelets. What your kid gets is a mystery until unboxing.

Cost: $8.99

2. Tic Tac Toy XOXO Friends Multi Pack Surprise

Your child must unbox this toy to uncover the hidden surprises. Each pack comes with two XOXO friends, three swappable wings, one accessory, one putty pack and one putty cutter.

Cost: $9.84

3. Blume Doll

With just a little water, this doll comes out of its flower pot into full bloom. This toy includes hidden surprises like stickers and accessories.

Cost: $9.88

4. Pikmi Pops Cheeki Puffs

These collectible plush toys come scented. This gift also contains two surprises — items like nail stickers, hair ties or temporary tattoos.

Cost: $10.88

5. Treasure X Alien Hunters Single Pack

Your little treasure hunt must follow 12 steps to unveil the prizes hidden within this surprise pack. Watch out for the slimy ooze.

Cost: $14.92

6. Banana Blast

This family game requires a little hand-eye coordination as players grab bananas from a tree and scramble to catch the monkey jumping from the top. Between two and five players can join in on this game, which is suitable for children ages 4 to 9.

Cost: $19.82

7. What’s In My Purse Surprise Pinkie Swear Doll Purse w/ Surprises

This little doll-shaped purse includes a lip gloss and two erasers. Play with the doll alone or snap on the attachable metal chain to carry as a purse.

Cost: $19.94

8. Blinger Diamond Collection Hair and Fashion Styling Tool

This styling tool allows kids to add a little bling to their hair, clothes and accessories. This gift comes with 75 gems in a variety of colors.

Cost: $19.97

9. Marvel Spider-Man Super Web Slinger

Kiddos can transform into the famous arachnid superhero with this toy, which allows them to actually shoot strings of “web” from their wrist.

Cost: $19.99

6 Toys Under $20 from Target

Target is beefing up its toy inventory with more new and exclusive gifts this holiday season. Target’s list of top toys under $20 includes a “Frozen 2” board game, a twist on a family classic and several options for toddlers.

1. Fisher Price Linkimals Musical Moose

This interactive toy for babies 9 months and up has a light-up belly and soft antlers. It uses music and phrases to teach colors, counting and more.

Cost: $9.99

2. Fisher Price Linkimals Lights and Colors Llama

This reimagined version of the classic ring-stacking toy uses lights and music to introduce your baby to colors. This gift is suitable to babies 9 months and older.

Cost: $14.99

3. Fisher Price Linkimals A to Z Otter

This light-up, musical toy introduces little ones to the alphabet. It is designed for those 9 months and older and earned recognition as a Toy of the Year finalist. 

Cost: $19.99

4. Disney Frozen Frantic Forest Game

“Frozen” fans can enjoy this board game, which incorporates counting, color matching and strategy. This game is recommended for two to four players, ages 5 and up.

Cost: $19.99

5. Pictionary Air Game

A twist on the classic drawing game, this Pictionary version uses an app and a special pen designed to capture air-drawn doodles on your phone, tablet or smart TV. This game requires two to five players and is geared to ages 8 and up.

Cost: $19.99

6. #Snapstar Pop Royalty: Echo’s Debut on the Pink Carpet

This toy incorporates technology and imaginative play as kids use the included green screen and an app to create different scenes for the doll. 

Cost: $19.99

Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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Will the Moneywise team be saving, spending or splurging on Black Friday?

Will the Moneywise team be saving, spending or splurging on Black Friday? The Moneywise Team Wed, 11/27/2019 - 09:06

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Potentially 'deadly' electrical items sold on online marketplaces including eBay and Amazon, charity warns

Potentially 'deadly' electrical items sold on online marketplaces including eBay and Amazon, charity warns

Online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay are failing to tackle the sale of potentially 'deadly' items from third-party sellers, a consumer safety charity is warning ahead of Black Friday

Stephen Little Wed, 11/27/2019 - 10:56

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Charity Electrical Safety First tested products found on Amazon Marketplace, eBay and Wish, including items such as hair straighteners, phone chargers, travel adapters and laser hair removers.

Of the 15 products which were purchased, 14 failed tests against the UK standard.

Failures ranged from minor non-compliance with markings to severe failures posing a risk of electric shock and fire.

During its research, Electrical Safety First found that a single-port charger bought on marketplace Wish came fitted with no protective devices. During testing the product ruptured internally, which could lead to a possible explosion.

Its investigation also found that a laser hair remover purchased from eBay posed a significant risk of electric shock to the user because of access to live parts, while counterfeit GHD hair straighteners were also purchased from Wish and found to pose a potential electric shock risk.

A hairdryer from Wish also ignited when put through a test to restrict the products air flow, while a modelling hair comb purchased from Amazon Marketplace exhibited a fire risk to the user due to a plug that failed to meet UK against safety standards.

Martyn Allen, technical director of Electrical Safety First, says: “No product that fails our tests should be being sold, and it’s very clear that the lack of regulation of online marketplaces – from government or from the sites themselves – is allowing those who sell dangerous goods to make a profit at the expense of consumer safety.

“As well as legislation, properly funded enforcement at ports and airports are necessary to stop these goods from entering the country.

"If you’re buying an electrical item, stick to a reputable retailer whom you trust and if you spot any safety concerns, stop using it and contact the manufacturer. Buyers need to beware.”

A spokesperson from Amazon says: “Safety is a top priority at Amazon. We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations and have developed industry-leading tools to prevent unsafe or non-compliant products from being listed in our stores. The products have been removed.”

An eBay spokesperson says: “The importance of our customers' safety is paramount. We proactively enforce our product safety policy using block filter algorithms to prevent unsafe products from being listed.

"In addition, our security team continuously patrols our marketplaces and will remove items and take appropriate action against sellers who breach our policies.”

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