Blu-Ray Players

Hhgregg: Panasonic HD Blu-Ray player: $99 (after $30 rebate)

GPS Systems

Walmart: TomTom 4.3” screen & spoken street names: $89

HDTVs

There are lots of deals on TVs this year, but stay away from 720p, you will regret it in a few months. Opt for the 1080p models that are a little bit more.

 Hhgregg: Toshiba 40” HDTV 1080p LCD TV: $549

DVD Players

Hhgregg: Sony progressive scan DVD player $29.97 (great for kids movies)

Camera

Walmart: Kodak 12MP 3x zoom: $69

iPod

Walmart: iPod Touch 8GB w/$50 iTunes gift card: $195

Toys R Us: iPod Touch 8GB w/$50 Toys R Us gift card: $199.99

Photoframe

BestBuy: Pandigital 9” digital photo frame: $59.99

Games

Walmart: Nintendo DS Lite: $98

Laptop

Walmart: HP 15.6” laptop with Intel & Windows 7: $298 (also available online)

Kids Toys

Walmart: Barbie and Bratz dolls, popular board games and sports balls like footballs and basketballs : $5 (also available online)

Walmart: Barbie or Hotwheels Ride on Jeep: $88

Toys R Us: Imaginarium train table set: $79.99

Big Lots: Elmo’s Restaurant: $29

Kitchen

1. Walmart: KitchenAid 10 speed stand mixer: $139 (only in stores)
2. Best Buy: Samsung Front load Steam Washer and Dryer: $1198
3. Home Depot: LG Front Load washer and dryer: $798
4. A better value may be the (a) LG Extra Large capacity washer and dryer for $998 with free delivery and haul away at Home Depot or (b) the Samsung HE washer and dryer at Sears for $1000 that also includes free delivery

Home

IKEA has some great deals including a sofa for $199 and 20pc flatware for $9.99 great for extra guests during dinner, great prices on gift bags, wrapping and tissue paper too. Many just for $1. And to top it all off, you can have FREE breakfast when you present this coupon: http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/

Home Depot: DeWalt 18V Drill/Driver kit: $99

Home Depot: Ryobi 10” Miter saw: $69

Home Depot: Rayovac 60ct. AA batteries: $10 (great deal for all the electronic gifts that need batteries)

Gift cards

BestBuy: $30 iTunes for $25

Costco: $60 iTunes for $48 this is just for Friday but they always have great gift card deals, so take time to look around

Worth noting

1.  Walmart now has a really cool feature on their website where you can print a map of your local store. This can be really helpful in planning your route and saving time while you save money.
2. Free Breakfast at IKEA: http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/
3. Free 64ct Crayola crayons with any purchase at Toys R Us
4. Shop till noon at GGP Malls on Friday and Saturday and get a free $10 mall gift card when you spend $100 at the mall. You can also receive a free one year subscription to Martha Stewart Living (this could be a nice gift for a Martha fan on your list.)
5. Dick’s Sporting Goods is offering a $20 cash card with every $100 purchase (quantities limited.)

All the other major brands also have exclusive sets for this event. You can take a look at those items online at the Nordstrom website, however they won’t start shipping until July 18th.

The easiest way to distinguish BPA bottles from BPA-free bottles is to look at the plastic. The hard clear plastic (polycarbonate) has BPA, the milky colored and non clear bottles are BPA free. If you are wondering if your bottles are BPA free or not, this is a great reference source http://safemama.com/2007/11/22/bpa-free-bottle-and-sippy-cup-cheat-sheet/

In an unusually consumer-friendly move Babies R Us and Toys R Us are actually taking back all your old BPA bottles. Now this is not across the board and some stores are not aware of this and some stores will not acknowledge this over the phone, but I can attest it is true. I took back five Dr. Brown’s bottles without receipt to Toys R Us and was a given a store credit with no questions asked.

I first heard about this from BabyCheapkate.com. I think that post has the most number of comments I have ever seen on BabyCheapskate. Many are sharing their stories, so you can see how others have fared with their return attempts.

Here is a run down of all the discount drug programs offered in stores:

1. Wal-Mart & Sams Club offer 300 generic drugs for $4 for a 30 day supply. For their complete list visit Wal-Mart’s discount drug list. According to their site: “The eligible drugs in this program represent over 27% of the prescriptions Wal–Mart pharmacies dispense each year.”

2. Costco has actually been the quiet leader in the discount prescription drug movement. They charge around $10 for a 90 day supply of most generics. Their prices are consistently lower than the corner drugstore. You can check all the prices on the Costco Pharmacy site.

Remember that you DO NOT need a membership to shop at the pharmacy at Sam’s Club or Costco.

3. Publix is offering a 14 day supply of the most common oral antibiotics for free. According to their site: “These antibiotics account for almost 50 percent of the generic, pediatric prescriptions filled at Publix.” You can find a complete list of the free drugs at the Publix Pharmacy site.

4. Meijer also offers free antibiotics for a 14 day supply. You can view their list at the Meijer Pharmacy site.

5. Kmart offers a 90 day supply of over 150 generic drugs for $15. Here is the complete list of KMart’s discount generics. They also have an On Time Guarantee program at their pharmacy. Your prescription is ready when promised or they will give you a $20 gift card.

6. Target’s program is similar to Wal-Mart. They offer 30 day generic supply for $4. They have a selection of over 300 drugs. Here is the Target discount drug list.

While Costco’s new return policy for some items is no longer open ended, I still think it is still generous compared to other companies. The new return policy relates to electronics. Most electronic items can only be returned within 90 days. In true Costco fashion, they have reduced the return period for electronics but have increased the manufacturers’ warranties most of the affected product categories.