Anyone who has taken a small child to the Build a Bear workshop, the place where you stuff and accessorize your own teddy bear or other plush animal, knows how easy it is to spend a lot of money at that store. Normally I try to steer clear of the place for that reason alone. But I had two coupons good for $8 off any purchase (a total savings of $16) and I knew thanks to the national recession, the retailer had vastly expanded its offering of animals that cost only $10 to $12. So I took my children to the store and told them they could select any animal priced at $12 or less and that we weren't buying any of the cute but pricey outfits, accessories and sounds. Both of my children picked and stuffed animals priced at $12, including a moose with light-up antlers that had been marked down from $18. The kids did talk me into a "Jingle Bell Rock" sound accessory for both animals, but only because they were only $1 each (marked down from $4). We nearly made it past the cute outfits, but the kids both really wanted one for each animal. I told them they could think about it overnight and if they still wanted them, each would have to take $20 from each of their piggy banks and I would bring them back to the store the next day to buy the outfits. So we left the store, having paid only $5.34 for each stuffed animal, including the sound accessory and tax. The next day, neither child seemed willing to raid their piggy bank for the $20 it takes to buy any number of outfits and shoes. My daughter said it all, "The outfits are cute, but that's a lot of money. If they cost $5, I'd think about it." By the way, if you're thinking of taking your child to Build a Bear sometime in 2009, pick up a calendar now. It has a $5 off coupon in it.