Sometimes to find a good deal on things you need to buy, you need to think outside the box. I’m always on the lookout for good birthday party or Christmas gifts for the little kids in our lives. I’ll be honest; when I find a good gift, or a good deal, I’m likely to buy several so I have them on hand when it comes time to bless a friend with a gift. It is SO much easier to walk downstairs to the gift space in our closet than to have to run out to the store (inevitably at the last minute) and end up with whatever they have….AND pay full price for it.

If you read Shop Talk regularly, this is not new news, but if you’re a newbie you may not know that you can use 40% off Michael’s coupons, like the one in today’s insert, on any non-sale item in the store. This includes the toys in their growing kids’ section.

I’m a big fan of Melissa and Doug toys and my recent purchase of the Felt Food Sandwich Kit is no exception. I purchased this at Michael’s with a 40% off coupon for around $11 for SuperBaby’s birthday last week. I thought he would enjoy it but I had no idea what a HIT it would be with ALL of the kids.

What seemed like a cute idea is actually a brilliant one. There are 4 different types of “Bread”: pita, wheat, white and hoagie and ample fixin’s for some mighty fine “Dagwoods”. All three of my kids, and each of their friends (ranging up to 7yrs old…though he may never admit that he likes it publicly) have become deeply entrenched in the make believe land of sandwich artistry.

I’ve tasted so many pretend “Peanut Butter, Pickle, Ham and Cheese with Mustard and Ketchup” sandwiches this week I may never need another again.

I’ll be adding this to my list of great deals and stock up on a few of these sets for the approaching Holiday Season (less than 90 days to Christmas!). They have lots of other great kids gifts, including Crayola products (love gifting their dry erase boards) and Melissa and Doug Chunky Puzzles that are right around $10 when you use this coupon.

As a side note: Did you know that while you can only use one Michael’s coupon per visit, they accept competitor’s coupons? You can use one coupon from a local competitor and your Michael’s coupon in the same visit/transaction.