Escape the Mall Challenge (for charity) – part 1

When Scott Taber from Media Profile asked me to participate in PayPal’s Escape the Mall Challenge, I accepted. In exchange for my time, I’d get to do some good in the community and help those less fortunate this holiday season.

So, here’s how it works...
PayPal deposited $500 into my PayPal account. I was asked to buy gifts for five people, somewhat typical of what the average person would need to buy for immediate family members or close friends – the catch was all the gifts had to be purchased from online stores that accept PayPal. They also sent me $500 worth of Vanilla MasterCard PrePaid cards and asked to buy similar gifts for the same five people at the mall – the following week. The second part of the challenge was to document my experiences online. Scott even loaned me an Olympus E-PL1 camera (more on that in a future post.)

And why did I agree to spend my time doing all this shopping? Well, the cool thing is that I get to donate all items to a charity (or charities of my choice). Pretty sweet, eh?

Don’t tell anyone but I stepped outside the lines a bit and did all my shopping this weekend. I made one online purchase last night and the rest this morning. Dressed in my PJs while my family was still asleep and before the malls were open, I went gift shopping in the comfort of my own home.

At 2 p.m. this afternoon, I hit the mall, Yorkdale to be exact. What was I thinking? Who goes to an always busy mall two Saturdays before Christmas smack dab in the middle of the afternoon? Me, that’s who.

At first, I thought I’d do it the easy was and go when the mall opened on a weekday morning but no, that would be way to easy. I figured if I was being challenged, I’d do it right.

Over the next two weeks leading up to Christmas, I’ll be sharing the results of my Escape the Mall Challenge with you on the blog as shipments from the online stores arrive.

How you can help make a difference?
I’m planning on donating some of the items to HoHoTO’s silent auction on Thursday night. As for the remainder, well that’s where I need your help. Please leave a comment suggesting where you’d like to have the gifts donated. A subsequent blog post will include a poll for Bargainista readers to decide. (Hint: gifts include electronics, women’s winter clothing accessories, girls’ toys and yummy bath products.)

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Bargainista holiday shopping guide - part 3: toddlers

In the third installment of Barginista’s holiday shopping guide, Rebecca looks at the youngest age group of all.

Babies are cute and fun and have little to no idea what the holidays are… And yet many parents spend so much of their time agonizing over the perfect gift or running all over town to find the “hot” toy. As a parent of a toddler – I can tell you it’s really easy to fall into that trap. So whether you’re buying a gift to satisfy your feelings of parental obligation, or because you’re hoping to bring a sweet smile to an innocent face here’s some ideas on what to fill your shopping cart with.

1. Board Books: Kids love reading – or even just flipping through books or putting them on their head. Board books tend to be a sturdier option – especially in my house since my daughter may have a future career as a champion paper shredder. Friends of ours gave us some Sandra Boynton books which were an instant hit. Moo Baa La La La is a crowd pleaser amongst most toddlers passing through my house.

2. Learning Toys: Educational and fun, Leap Frog makes all kinds of great (and not too noisy toys). The 3. Art/Craft Supplies: Crayola’s Tadoodles line offers several different options for introducing your kids to art – everything from crayons that are easier for little fingers to grip, right through to those are made for the tub.

4. The box the toy came in: Seriously. Granted this won’t work if you’re trying to donate or buy a gift for someone else’s tot, but a box that can be turned into a fort or anything the imagination desires can also be pretty fun and cool to unwrap and play in – and it doesn’t cost a lot but will likely give hours of endless enjoyment and is one more present for them to open…

Some of these gifts can be quite expensive – especially if purchased directly from the store or online and shipped. I recently discovered Liquidation World where I live and wished I’d found it sooner. I was able to score some Tadoodles for half the price you normally find them for in the stores.

There are several other seasonal liquidation/discount stores that have popped up where I live in Fredericton, NB and I know in Ontario the Samko-Mikko Toy Warehouse sale is also quite popular. I also make sure to visit the dollar stores to supplement items in my craft bin and sticker collection.

What are some other places that allow you to get twice as much toy for half the cost? Where do you find the best toy bargains this time of year?

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Bargainista holiday shopping guide – part 2: school-agers

The first part of Bargainista’s holiday shopping guide focused on teenagers and this installment by Jenny looks at those just a few years younger.

If you have a school-aged child, niece, or nephew, you probably already have some idea of what to get for them – or who to ask. But what to get for the school-ager on your list who you don’t know well? They may be a far-flung relative, or the child of a friend or neighbor, or a friend of your child’s – or perhaps you want to donate a suitable gift to a toy drive and are not sure what kids of this age would like.

Clothes are practical, but boring; and, books, electronic games and DVDs depend a lot on personal taste, their parents’ approval, and what they already might own.

As the parent of a young school-ager (she just finished her first term of grade 1) and aunt of many older kids under 13, I can tell you that what their parents will most appreciate is anything that can fire the imagination and keep them busy at the same time. If it engages their brains and gives me a few minutes of peace, I’m in!

1. DIY kits: There are tonne of cool do-it-yourself kits for the budding scientist at stores like Mastermind. Motion detectors, FM radios, robot bugs!

2. Crafts: Likewise, there are a tonne of crafty things available at most toy stores, like doll-making kits, beading sets, and more. My favorites are the more open-ended kits that include a few wooden items and some paints, or piece of ready-to-frame board with glue and pieces of felt, that really let a kid’s imagination take over.

3. Art Supplies: Most open-ended of all is art supplies! Any art or stationary store will have sketchbooks and colored paper, and most toy stores will have washable markers and colored pencils (very important for the younger kids still working on their fine motor control). Stores like DeSerre have a wide-range of art supplies and craft kits you may not find elsewhere. They also have instructions for lots of age-appropriate crafts on their website.

What’s your favorite way to keep kids busy, or the best gift that keeps them occupied for long periods time?

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Help spread the joy with Magic Santa and you may win a Disney vacation

Magic Santa is a free online video service that lets you make a personalized video message from Santa for the kids in your life. You can either make the video online or use their mobile service. You can also share a link to your child’s video with family and friends on Twitter, Facebook or by email. I made one for my 12-year-old on my iPhone in seconds. Even though we don’t celebrate Christmas and he’s old enough to know the truth about Santa, he was mesmerized and impressed by how much Santa knew about him.

Support Kids Help Phone
The service was launched by Sympatico.ca last month and in turn, they’re donating $0.25 for each video made to Kids Help Phone, up to $50K. Making a Magic Santa video message is such an easy way to help support this wonderful organization that does so much to help kids all across Canada – free of charge. Last year, Kids Help Phone counselors responded to more than 235,000 individual phone calls and web posts from kids in more than 2,500 communities. All contact is confidential, the service is available 24/7 365 days/year and callers are treated in a compassionate and non-judgmental way.

Wanna chance to win a vacation to Walt Disney World?
All you need to do to enter is take a photo or video capturing your child’s reaction to his or her Magic Santa video and submit it through the Magic Santa contest site by December 19. A random draw will be made on December 21 and one lucky winner will receive a $10K travel gift certificate. See the fine print for details. Pretty sweet Christmas gift, eh?

Have you made a Magic Santa video message for your children? What did you think? If so, did you enter the contest?

Full disclosure: Sympatico.ca is a client of Echo Communications. I’ve been part of Echo’s team for this campaign

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