Holiday wish list

About five years ago, money was tight and so my husband and I agreed not to spend more than $10 on each other for the holidays. It was one of my favorite years ever because we got a chance to really be creative. To get my idea, I paid attention to what he complained about more than anything else. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was pretty miserable about how cold it was in our Bellingham apartment. So since I had an Old Navy coupon, I got him a pair of pajama pants. They were $9.99 and therefore I didn't break any rules. (We hadn't discussed tax!) He was absolutely thrilled. They were the first pair of pajama pants he'd ever owned (no joke) and I just got him to get rid of them a few months ago. Due to being worn all the time, they had a few hundred holes in them. He's gotten other pairs since then, but those first ones were always his favorite.

Well, the holidays are racing up on us again, and of course, money is still tight, but I really want to get something for Ben. He will be 2 by the time Christmas and Hanukkah roll around and I believe he will be old enough to appreciate a gift from his parents. (Last year, we figured everyone else got him so much stuff we didn't really need to get him anything.) But since it will most likely be on video as well, I am wanting to get him something meaningful, something he'll remember. I am leaning toward just using these Petsmart coupon codes to get him a goldfish, because I know that is something that's pretty affordable and he will really love. My only concern is do I get a cheap one and replace it every time it goes belly up in the bowl, or do I get a more hardy, but less interesting Beta? Stephen is leaning toward a regular goldfish because Ben likes them a lot and they move around constantly, which is much more exciting for a toddler than a fish that just kind of sits there.

Regardless, I know that wherever I do my shopping this year, there's a ton of ways I can save money online by shopping with coupon codes. This is one of my favorite sites, because they are constantly adding more coupons from stores I shop at anyway. And plus, when you do your shopping online, you avoid lines and crappy customer service by over-worked and under-paid employees.