I've saved the best for last as my favorite store has finally gone on their 4 for 99 cent sale: one of my favorite parts to the holidays. The 99 cent stores didn't immediately go on sale in my neck of the woods but thankfully on the 16th they went on sale. I squealed like a little girl and ran through the Valentine's Day section, throwing anything to everything in my shopping cart. Thankfully there wasn't much competition because it was in the middle of the day but booyah! I only ended up spending about $25 dollars between two 99 cent stores but it was so worth it.
By the way, did I mention that my mom got into the spirit of giving recently? With her wallet tucked tightly into her purse, she ran from 99 cent store to 99 cent store with my brother to find anything to everything that would look good in the boxes. I'll show you her other additions in another post but I only grabbed eight of those pens so she pretty much bought all of them. They look quite familiar to the pen and notebook sets from the Christmas sales don't they? Well, it's because they are: it's the same set up and they are going to look freaking awesome in a box.
All of these I bought myself and I'm wishing I bought more of those clappers when I had the chance. Just like in Halloween, these clappers are in sets of two and totally perfect to fill in some spaces in those boxes. The headband was nice and the only one that didn't have "text me" on the hearts so off into my shoe box it went. I have seen many pictures of kiddies in funny headbands and enjoying the day away so I hope that this brings some girl some fun. Then I got three packs of stickers and I looked through them all and they are actually made of some good quality sticker material which is a rarity at discount stores like that.
I ended up buying most of these but my mom also found about four that weren't totally destroyed.
Do you remember that post I made about how jewelry just gives someone confidence? Well, my great grandmother had the same mindset and that has passed down (although not as strongly) down to my mother then to me. Obviously, my mother loves the concept of jewelry more than me. :) I bought only one pack of bracelets and my mom took off with all the rest.
Again, jewelry really is the key factor of my mom's shopping expedition. Each pack comes with three heart necklaces and she ended up buying 10 packs. Hehe.
My mom truly is a beautiful woman. She was able to find all of the color-in tote bags at a 99 cent store. Think about what a blessing that will be to have not only a bag of your own but also to make it yours with markers?! Seriously, what a wonderful blessing that is. I also ended up buying four packs of notepads of 6 pads each. There were some there that were not well put together so when you are out there shopping, make sure the notepads are well kept.
Before the holiday sales go through, I tend to check my nearby stores and scout out what will be worth it after the sales and what won't. I do this with Hobby Lobby, 99 cent stores and Wal-mart for the most part. These notebooks were at the top of my list when it came to my sales at the 99 cent store. I went there the day after Valentine's Day and no luck: they weren't budging and wouldn't put their products on sale yet. So, then on the 16th, I hit a 99 cent store and what luck! Everything is 4 for 99 cents as it should have been. I then messaged my mom that they were on sale again and to my surprise, she asked me which ones I've already been to and then took off on her own to three other stores, storing up on as many notebooks as she could possibly find. This picture is a collaboration of our efforts.
Last but certainly not least, we have these beautiful spin wands! I know they don't look like much from this view but what luck and what a scare for all those around me when I picked one up, pressed the button and screamed with joy that these would be the best addition to a box if I'd ever seen one. The 99 cent store really does have a way in surprising you with their products and these took the cake.
This is what the spin wands look like when I push the button. I seriously love the fact that it doubles as a flashlight as well as a play thing. I'm keeping the plastic pieces in the wands to preserve battery but man, what a great find at the 99 cent store of all places.
Now, this is just a little side note that I want to bring to attention. Here at Shoe Box Loving, we don't really get donations and if we do, it is a rarity, but I just want to honorably mention my mother who had gone way above expectations when it came down to finding gifts for my shoe boxes. All of these items are just a small portion of what she had bought for the boxes and it really warms the heart to see a family member back you up in your charitable endeavors. With that being said, I hope you all look to friends and family to partake in your OCC Journey: more likely than not, they will surprise you.
Happy Packing Everyone!
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