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I really miss shopping in person at Target. Like, REALLY miss it. And so do the kids. We always had a routine: I would shop for the stuff I needed and then we would head toward the toy aisles where they would browse for at least 20 minutes and listen to me say “no, we can’t buy that” over and over. And then there were those blissful evenings where I would go by myself after everyone went to sleep and check the clearance shelves.

They’re still open and I could go in-person if I wanted, but it just wouldn’t be the same. A shopping trip would be filled with more stress and paranoia than joy.

So I created my own Target at home, both to satisfy my own Target withdrawal and also as an incentive for the kids to work toward this summer.

It’s simple: the kids get paid for doing various chores and worksheets. The cost? Almost nothing because everything on the shelves are either Christmas/Birthday gifts we hid or items from our pantry. I did splurge and buy the astronaut ice cream.

I also had to buy the fake money. Yes, I could have printed it out but I actually think it was cheaper (and def more convenient) to buy it.

I designed some price tags to look just like the ones at Target, but using made up numbers and product descriptions. Not like the kids really care, but I do. It must be authentic!

Summer break is almost over now and we have just had our 5th shopping day. Zach is still working toward the giant Star Wars Lego set. He saves about 80% of his earnings each week to put toward the set. Andy saves about 20% of his earnings and the rest he uses to purchase snacks. Except the last few weeks we told him he really needs to save more agressively if he wants that Paw Patrol plane. He did, and he finally was able to buy the plane this week and was so excited!

Soon Target At Home will have an end of season sale and those red clearance tags will be place on some of the items!