Confession: I think I enjoy Father’s Day more than Mother’s Day. Where Mother’s Day is high-profile and social, Father’s Day feels quieter and more intimate. Plus, having grown up raised by a single mom, I’m completely in awe of my husband as a father and I enjoy the opportunity to reflect on it. He rocks! The kids and I are better for having him in our lives.
And so he deserves our love, and admiration and…some presents!
I’d been asked to participate in a financially-savvy Father’s Day promotion by the team at RocketXL and received two gift cards-one from T.J.Maxx and one from Marshalls- just in time to put to use in my Father’s Day shopping.
Though both stores are within a 15 minute drive from our house, I’d never been in either. (Another confession: I do at least 90% of all our non-food shopping online, a figure which seems to surprise most people that hear it…but oh, how it saves me time and appeals to my personality). One of my shop-aholic-iest friends heard about my participation in the promotion and assured me she’s had much success founding a variety of great deals at both stores in the past. ”You just need to be willing to look,” she said.
So on Saturday morning, I set out willing to look, though with very little time. The weather was turning and I had to meet another friend for lunch in another part of the city, so I was concerned that I wouldn’t have enough time to find something good. But I did, and fast! I was out of both places in less than a half an hour, including the walk between the two, and came out with the perfect gifts for my husband.
Here are the gifts I purchased:
- Digital money counting coin jar- from our older daughter, who loves to watch her dad empty his pockets, and help him put his loose change into the coin jar he keeps in his closet. Now we won’t have to wonder how much money is in there!
- Bourbon grill sauce- from our son, who loves to watch his dad grill, and is delighted by anything with the potential to be sticky.
- Designer-brand dress tie- from our younger daughter, a total daddy’s girl, who loves it when she sees her dressed-up daddy off to work.
- Designer-brand t-shirt AND
- Stereo-quality headphones- from our two dogs, who had to give good presents in order to redeem themselves for their frequent and badly-timed barking while my husband tries to take work calls at home.
(what did I give my husband for Father’s Day? the only thing I didn’t get at either store, because though they carried books, this title was not available- The Angel’s Game (just translated into English) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
Here’s what I could have spent (based on the items’ reg. dept. store prices) : $136
Here’s what I spent: $56…after gift cards: $6
Verdict: If I can tear myself away from my beloved online shopping, I’ll be back! And for those of you who love the hunt for a good bargain, if you haven’t already, give T.J. Maxx and Marshalls a try.
