Build-A-Bear was pretty much every kid's dream store when I was young.

Going inside the store, seeing all the cuddly plushies that you could take home with you, that you make yourself! It was pretty special. I only went a handful of times when I was younger, but I ended up working there for about two years! I led lots of birthday parties, saw lots of kids get Christmas, Easter, or "just because" presents. But I also saw many stressed out moms and dads gawking at the price tags. It can get suuuuper expensive if you're not careful. So I'm here today to give you some tips on how to save the most money at Build-A-Bear, what's worth spending money on and what's not.

Granted, I quit in September of 2016 so there might be some things that have changed, so *BEAR* with me. (Haha, get it? Bear puns? No? Okay.)

1. Stick with a basic bear, or utilize 2 for deals.

Right now, there are tons of animals besides bears that you can make. Dogs, cats, characters from your favorite TV shows, etc. I know that a couple of the animals are super popular, but if people were indecisive, I always suggested the $12 or $16 bears. They are completely customizable, which is what BAB is about! Making your own furry friend. BAB also runs a 2 for $35 deal almost all the time. So if you have more one person getting an animal, definitely utilize that. Often some of the trademarked animals will be on that sale.

2. Skip sounds (most of the time).

The sound station is super fascinating for most kids, I guess it has to do with pushing all the buttons, or on the newer digital ones, being able to put popular pop songs into their bear. Sounds are cute, but the batteries run out. They are supposed to last for around 1,000 clicks. But once those are up, the battery starts dying and the sounds become...well...the word we used to use was "demonic". It's not pleasant. The only time I encourage sounds if it's for a specific character and you want the full-blown experience. I have sounds in some of my own bears, and the only ones I like are the character specific sounds. The other ones get suuuuuper annoying after a while. Also there are almost never sales on sounds, and they run from $4-$8. Just more to tack on to the bill at the end.

3. Stuff Me: where the money is made.

Stuff Me is where you stuff your bear, after you picked out which one you want to make, and chosen if you wanted a sound in it. You now get to make it as squishy or firm as you want, and bring it to life in a cool heart ceremony. But there are also several add-ons that get asked about here. One of these are scents. This is the stuffer that I recommend the most, I feel it's worth it. They are $3.50, and it's basically a little bear head made of wax that smells like cotton candy, strawberry, berry, and there are tons more. They last a long time, well over a year or longer, and they're honestly just fun. The bear builder will take it out of a ziplock bag, have you smell it to make sure you like it, and then rub it all over the bear and place it inside. I have scents in almost all of my bears. The other two add-ons are beating hearts and a game called Hide and Go Beeps. The beating heart is basically a vibrating heart that you press inside the bear, and it feels like a real heart beat. Some people find it cute, most find it super creepy. It's $6 and has the same life span as the sounds. And the Hide and Go Beeps are a hide and seek game, and to sum it up, it gets old really fast. Those run around $5 if I remember correctly.

4. Pick outfits and accessories selectively.

It's no fun if you don't get to get a cool outfit for your bear! My advice here would be to look at the clearance section (if that store has one, not all do) and at the separates. The lowest price full outfit is $12.50, and they go up to $18-$20 for trademarked outfits (think Elsa, Paw Patrol, etc.) That does not include shoes, underwear, socks, and various other accessories that you might want to go with your bear. Also, you can make your bear roller skate! I honestly love that concept and it was so fun getting the opportunity to help someone get their bear to skate, but it does come with a price. Two legged animals need one pair of shoes, one pair of skates, and a harness to effectively be able to skate. Four legged animals need two pairs of shoes & skates, and a leash. If you want to do roller skates, I suggest picking one or the other: an outfit or skates. The skates and shoes can be used on any BAB animal, and most outfits do fit all bears. And of course, there are extra accessories like wigs (they get nasty fast), wands (again with the battery situation), crowns, flowers, literally an endless list of possibilities.

5. Know what's free and what costs.

What comes with each animal is the stuffing, a felt heart to put it in, a birth certificate, and a box to take it home in. Some stores still have free little bows for the bears to wear that are kept behind the counter (the company was trying to phase them out when I left so I honestly don't know if they are still there). There is also a bathtub for you to "wash" your furry friend with air after you stuff them and before you dress them. I highly HIGHLY suggest you talk to your kids beforehand and discuss what's in the budget for today. Let them know what they can get, and then let the bear builder helping you know about your budget. The bear builders have several things they are supposed to ask you and talk to you about as part of their job. If you let them know ahead of time "Hey, we cannot get sounds or heartbeats today, just a scent and one outfit", then they know not to overstep you, and ask the kids about something to get their hopes up, only to be let down later.

6. Birthday parties are actually super cost effective.

I won't detail all the party packages here in this article, you can go to any store or online and find information about them, but just know that you honestly save SO much money doing a party package. There's no setup or clean up, they have games for the kids to play, the bear builders are there to keep them on the budget and they say what they can and cannot get, so the parents aren't the enemy. There's not a space for eating cake, but most malls are okay with you sitting in the food court to have the cake portion of your party. And at some BAB's, they have partnerships with the food places for discounts, so always ask about those. You cannot use coupons or discounts on parties because the way the packages work, they are already severely discounted. But, you can use gift cards!

7. Seriously, join the rewards program.

When I was working there, I got lots of eye rolls and sighs when asking about the rewards program. But if you go to BAB more than once a year, it's totally worth joining and it takes no time at all. For every dollar you spend, you get a point back. Once you spend $100, you get a $10 reward certificate in your email. If you joined for the first time, once you hit 50 points you get a bonus coupon, usually for a free accessory. But every $100 you spend, you get $10 back. And if you turn on the emails, occasionally they send coupons (most frequent ones were $5 off $30). But you won't know about the coupons and flash sales if you don't get the emails. And they do not send one every day, the send it maybe once a week. And you usually get a $5 off coupon for your birthday!

8. Gift cards are where you save most.

If you've ever gone to BAB during Christmas or Easter, then you probably know about the $10 gift card for $5. Basically, if you spend more than $30, you qualify to purchase a $10 gift card for only $5. That is where people save the most money because half of that money is free. It goes up in increments of $30, so if you spend $60 you qualify for 2, and so on. Costco also has a deal where you can buy $100 worth of gift card for $75, but they only run that during the holidays. So if you're a Costco member, snag that up.