A family tradition since 2010, my kids have been asking for weeks when we’re going to do our annual Walmart #FilltheTruck shopping trip, but our December has been jam-packed so far. We finally squeezed in a quick trip tonight in between soccer training and dinner, and did we ever fill that truck up!
This year we did things a little differently… As a blogger, I receive a lot of products for review — some of it I’ve requested, while others just randomly show up in the hopes that I’ll mention it on my site.
I donate the vast majority of it throughout the year, but a few months ago, I decided to start setting aside all of the extra toys (like the Dora and Friends toys I mentioned earlier today) so that we could place them in the Walmart bin for Christmas. So we already had a good amount ready to go when we pulled into the Walmart parking lot today.
I’m not sure if the Salvation Army stopped by to pick up toys earlier today or what, but when we got there the Fill the Truck box was empty — which made my kids all the more excited, because when we left, that box was filled to overflowing!!! In addition to the two cartfuls of toys that we brought with us, I gave my kids a spending limit of $40 each to choose more toys on their own, and they filled up another entire cart.
I always love to see how my kids decide to spend their allotted budget. They all make good decisions overall, but some will go for one or two bigger ticket items, and there’s always at least one that will buy an assortment of smaller items using the bulk of their cash.
For instance, my oldest boy decided to spend $10 of his budget on Hot Wheels cars this year. Knowing how much he and his brother loved playing with their cars together when they were little, I think that was a very wise choice.
Walmarts across the U.S. are participating in the Fill the Truck program or another locally sponsored program this December. Plus this year you can also make a donation online in the form of a Walmart Gift Card, which I think is a fantastic addition to this program. Donate anywhere from $1 to $1,000 as many times as you wish this season, and the Walmart Gift Cards will be distributed by The Salvation Army to families in need so they can buy toys, clothing, gifts and more!
I hope you’ll consider making a donation, either at your local Walmart or online, to help brighten a child’s Christmas this year!
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