Trying to save some money buying toys this holiday season? Besides using coupons and snagging sale items, ShopSmart magazine has five money-saving tips in its January 2009 issue:

• Spread it out. Don’t give your kids all the gifts at once. Set aside some of the bounty for later, perhaps a snow day.

• Be cautious with used toys. Little Tikes sturdy plastic playhouses, ride-on toys, playground equipment, and good-as-new video games are good finds at tag sales, outlets and online at a fraction of the original price. With a thorough scrub, they will look like new. But first, go to www.recalls.gov for recalls on toys. Then make sure they have no rough edges or parts.

• Check out rentals. At www.babyplays.com, you can get four to 10 toys per month, keep them until your child gets tired of them (as long as your membership is current), and return them for a fresh batch for a monthly fee of $26.99 to $64.99. Toys for infants to age 5 come sanitized and assembled. All toys are third-party certified for safety.

• Set a limit. If your kids are flooded with presents from family and friends every year, set a limit on what you spend, whether on one large gift or a few smaller ones. To make less seem like more, pick a toy that starts or feeds a passion, lasts longer and has multiple uses.

• Look beyond the logo. Many popular toys are tied to TV characters such as Elmo and Dora the Explorer. Ask yourself, “If I took SpongeBob off this package, what do I have?” If a toy has nothing to offer beyond the character, don’t buy it.