tj maxx and marshalls :: back to school shopping

I received money to go shopping.  Yes, it’s true!  But not just any shopping.  We used this for Back to School Shopping for our Lili.  It’s her first year in school so this adventure was quite fun!  And the special part about it was it was just her and I!  My husband watched the other two little ones.  I thought this was going to be necessary because, I will be honest here, I haven’t shopped much at either of these stores in the past.  I was worried about the aisles being crammed among other things and I didn’t think having to push a cart around with three total kids would work.  I was wrong!  It would have been fine.

Now on to the main point of this post. We went to Marshall’s to use our $50 gift card for back to school shopping.  We found deals galore! Who doesn’t like a fabulous deal?  I mean, come on! If you like deals, these are the stores for you.  My goal in this shopping experience was to get as many tops as we were able to and stay within our $50 budget.  I was hoping for 4-5 shirts but honestly didn’t know what to expect.

Are you one of the mom’s that (60% of moms)  does your back to school shopping only 2-3 weeks in advance? Or are you in the 25% who wait until the last minute?*  That’s me! 😉  Also, are you in the 81% of Moms who said that they rising cost of items (i.e. gas, groceries) negatively affect their family’s back-to-school budget this year?  TJ Maxx and Marshall’s can definitely help BOTH of these items!

Here is a little about them:

“…T.J. Maxx and Marshalls carry high-quality merchandise – the same as you’ll find in mall, department and specialty stores – at up to 60% less! So from backpacks and pencils, to zip-up hoodies and graphic tees, and even boots and hair bows – you can find the looks your kids are coveting all in one place, at a price you can afford.

T.J. Maxx and Marshalls want to help. They offer incredible value on the most in-trend, quality designer fashions and footwear for kids of all ages, as well as great selection of accessories, supplies and other BTS essentials – making T.J.Maxx and Marshalls a one-stop shop for your back-to-school shopping needs.”

My best find that day was this adorable cardigan/tank top combo.  Lili liked it immediately and when I looked at the tag ($7.00!), I liked it too!  It’s super cute and will last all winter…assuming she doesn’t have a major growth spurt.

She also got this super cute set.  The cool thing about it is she can wear the sweater over her dance leotard too. Multi-purpose clothing.  I love it!  It’s her favorite back-to-school clothing item yet!

Overall my experience at Marshall’s was great.

• There were plenty of styles in different sizes so we were assured to get what Lili wanted in her correct size.
• The fitting rooms were clean and handled well by the employees.
• The wait time in line to pay wasn’t very bad.  There were lots of cashiers on hand and lining the aisle was stuff to look at too. So that kept Lili’s attention.
• AND…5 tops for just over $50!  And three of them were sweaters.

Have you found a fabulous find at TJ Maxx or Marshall’s that you are dying to tell someone about?  Spill the beans!  What did you find?

Click the image below to head on over and get entered to win!!  But hurry, the opportunity for this ends 9/23/11.

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of T.J.Maxx and Marshalls and received a gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for taking the time to participate.”

*Stats pulled from results via a Mom Central online survey.