Category: Shopping
Shopping trips
Great Lakes Crossing 2019
Presidents Day is a day off for both James and his Dad so the whole family took advantage of this and headed out to Pontiac for Great Lakes Crossing. We thought about going to Frankenmuth or Canterbury Village but both had malls that were primarily outside and it was 27 degrees outside so we decided on Great Lakes Crossing which is the largest mall in Michigan. It is truly gigantic and you could really spend a whole day seeing everything.
Mom picked up some items at TJ Maxx and James found a controller for his Nintendo game that he got. No big purchases but alot of fun for a mid winters day.
First Halloween Store Open For 2018
This year our first Spirit Halloween store that was opened and reasonably stocked was in Canton MI. The fact that its mid August did not deter the family as we made a quick visit and Mom bought a T shirt (she had a 20% off coupon she got in email). James really liked the blue fog (we took several pictures of it) and says he wants that for his Birthday, not sure how practical that is but the important thing was we all had a little Halloween fun at a very early stage of the year.
After Halloween Sale 2017
This year many of our usual reliable places must not have ordered as much as the selection was sort of light this year. Cracker Barrel had 70% off, Michaels 80%, Walmart 70%, Spirit 50%, Halloween City 50%, Home Depot 50%, and CVS %50. We did not find any 90%. Spirit and Halloween City had disappointing years in our opinion so there wasn’t much we even wanted at either of these stores. The big winner for sales this year had to be Home Depot and Big Lots (we can throw in Walmart for the cheap skeletons which were less than Spirit or City at 50% off and just as good). The big winner for after Halloween sales had to be Cracker Barrel and Home Depot, both had good selections of their stock left. Walmart did good as well but you had to find the right Walmart, same with Michaels. Some Walmarts and Michaels literally had nothing left, others were great (Belleville Walmart and Allen Park Michaels saved the day in our opinion).
One of the interesting things we found were toilet paper holders that when you spin to get toilet paper they make scary sounds. We also picked up some more projections since the ones we used this year did fine. For materials we were able to get more crafts from Michaels and door covers from Walmart. Life size we only got a were wolf from CVS and a toxic zombie from Spirit.
Bronners 2017
Mom had a coupon for Bavarian Inn so on the trip back from Mackinac we ate a late lunch in Frankenmuth and then proceeded to Bronners to round out the day. Mom also had a coupon for 15% off anything we buy at Bronners so we checked everything out and saved a little money along the way. James saw a $4,500 Christmas tree he liked that he liked in the Christmas tree forest, the tree was taller than our home. On the way out we saw the Bronners parade float and snapped a couple pics there as well. It was a really great finale to a wonderful time up North.
Canterbury Village 2017
Our first visit to Canterbury Village was fun but again we were hurrying to beat the rain. We dropped Mom off at Great Lakes Crossing outlet mall and then James and his Dad head straight to the Halloween stores at Canterbury Village (about ten minutes away from the Outlet mall on Joslyn street). We found plenty of Halloween stuff and more importantly discounted Halloween stuff. This is the time to buy Halloween, not October.
James found a weather center that he liked and also a large alarm clock, Dad told James if he graduates OW Best we will come back in June and get him one or the other as a graduation gift. James did end up buying a batter tester so he knows when his batteries are low in his games.
Valentines Day 2017
I think everyone will remember the election of 2016 as it was something I don’t think anyone expected. Unfortunately there were some sore losers after the election and when one of the major department stores decided no longer to carry Ivanka Trump clothing line, Mom and Dad just had to do something to protest in our own little way so our Valentines day consisted of going to Lord and Taylor and buying some Ivanka Trump clothing (for Mom). Afterwards we found out the clothing line had its best month in sales ever so we obviously weren’t the only ones who did not think what that other department store did was right.
Later when James got out of school we all went out for a nice dinner. Mom and Dad commented how this had been probably the most “different” Valentines day since we went to see the Pistons about ten years ago at the Palace on Valentines day. That day it snowed so I guess we were lucky this year.
After Halloween Sale 2016
I think that Halloween shops are getting wise to the fact that most of the Halloween are after Halloween and for half price. Lots of places did not have anything worth while left and we had to work extra hard to find what we did. We kind of saw this coming as items that were available in Sept were not reordered in stores. Fortunately we think we did ok, highlights were 80% off at Michaels on Halloween wreaths and two animated items that were store demo’s that we bought as is, but were allowed to try before bringing home. The demo’s were 65-75% off which made them worthwhile.
Our main goal is to get items that are used every year but not reusable, such as invitations, scene setters, napkins, plates etc. This year we did not find any scene setters but we did get a box of Spirit Halloween backgrounds for a $15 donation to charity. It is rolled up in the big brown box visable on the back left of these pics. In our opinion, the day after Halloween sales and garage sales are by far the best bet for Halloween.
Haunted Garage Sale 2016
This was a very busy day for the entire family as we left early for the annual Haunted Garage sale which took place at a new location in Westland on Cherry Hill near Newburgh. We don’t know if it was the new location or what but the place was packed and seemed to have many more dealers. We bought several signs for .50 cents and a buck and also picked up several items for Jame’s pirate room. We had to hurry through because we had to catch the Michigan game which started at noon. Luckily our neighbor gave us excellent directions on where to park and we made it to the pregame activities in plenty of time. On the way home from the Michigan game we stopped back at the garage sale just before they were closing and picked up a couple other items that the vendors figured was better to sell cheap than not at all. A very bush but wonderful day and a fun time was had by all.
Town Peddler Flea Market 2016
This event has a special place in our hearts because we remember selling here for a couple years. This is why we bought our tables that we use at the Halloween Party and garage sales and also where the “pop up” shelter came from (to keep us out of the sun’s path on these hot June days. However this day we were buyers and shopped around. Everyone came away with something, Mary got two pictures to hang up, James got two hats and a few small items, and Dad got 4 Halloween lightups and 1 big Easter bunny blowmold. Our total cost was only about $12 or $13 dollars so we were very happy with the haul. The sun was so bright this day we could not tell how good or bad the pictures were that we took so please excuse the several that have a finger or thumb in them.
Historical Dearborn Garage Sale 2016
Each year on the first Saturday in June Dearborn has its historical district garage sale. The main area is Edison street and surrounding blocks. These blocks are located between Beech, Nowlin, Military, and Monroe so for those familiar with our area drive down Monroe past Outer Drive toward Michigan Ave and turn left on Gregory or Edison which are a few blocks past Outer Drive (although you probably won’t be able to park on either street).
James and I went last year as well, Mom was working our own garage sale that weekend so this year was the first year we went together as a family and while we did not buy much, we saw some interesting sights and had a great time. Plus all the walking had to be good for us.
