Are you planning to go to the big grand opening of the new Charlotte IKEA next week? If you are, I want to talk to you!

Send me an e-mail with a number (or numbers) where you can be reached.

Are you a consignment sale shopper?

If you are, you may want to read this post from Sarah over on our Mom2Mom site about new federal guidelines that could shut down consignment sales selling children's products as early as next month.

Sarah's post has all the info and also a link you can use to e-mail her. If this change would affect you and you'd be willing to speak with her about it today, she would love to hear from you. Please include the phone number where you can be reached in your e-mail.

I know of at least one group from the Triangle that is already busy making plans for a road trip to Charlotte when IKEA opens its first store in the Carolinas on Feb. 18. Do you know of others? Are you planning to be there? I might just want to talk to you. Send me an e-mail!

Does your workplace decorate to the hilt for the holidays?

Got more Christmas trees than you can count?

We're looking for photos of some of the Triangle's best-decorated workplaces.

Please send a photo (higher res, jpeg is best) and a little info about your office to Alan Wolf.

Include details such as the name of the company, what the company does, how many people work there and (if you like) a little bit about your decorations this year.

This year, I am hoping to find a few savvy shoppers to help with our Black Friday coverage. I'm looking for shoppers who are planning to shop till they drop on Black Friday, starting early and staying late. Ideally, I'd like to find people who plan out their route in advance and will shop for several hours.

If you volunteer, you'll be committing to chat with a N&O reporter for a few minutes in advance of the big day about what you are planning to do and hoping to accomplish. And you'll also be committing to providing us a couple of updates throughout the day via cell phone. We'll want to know about all your good deals and what you're observing as you shop.

Sound like fun? Volunteer by e-mailing me your contact info. Please include all the phone numbers where you can be reached!

I moved this to the top of the blog for now because you guys seemed into helping each other out, and I don't want you to stop just because the post got bumped off the main page!

It's Monday, so I thought this would be a great time to put up one of those posts where readers of Taking Stock can help each other out. Is there an item you've been desperately combing the stores for? What are you in search of? (ISO for short) Post it here and maybe one of your fellow readers can help you out.

If you're posting an ISO item, be as specific as possible. Give the brand, describe the package, etc. If you're responding to an ISO posting, be as specific as possible. Give the store name, location, etc. so that the other person can actually go find it!

I heard today from reader Pamela, who asked a really good question:

"I am a mother of 3 wonderful children and really need some great tips on how to figure out how "santa" is going to be able to provide Christmas gifts under the tree this year since times are quite tough in our home right now. Other than scaling back on presents for each child, (which we will do anyway), what advice can we give to "Santa" on getting quality gifts on a budget for our kids? I have a few coupons for a couple toy stores in the area, but most are for a small percentage off only 1 individual item. Any other ideas from your readers for buying children's gifts at a discount?"

I told Pamela about the Tookies Toys 20 percent off storewide sale, which begins tomorrow and runs through Monday. But I am sure there are other great ideas out there. Please share yours!

I heard Monday from two readers with holiday-related bargain hunting questions. But unfortunately, both topics are things I don't really know that much about. So I thought I'd put them both out there for all of you. Please chime in if you know of good deals!

1) Stephanie wrote:  "Every year at about this time I start looking for deals on turkeys from grocery stores. Do you have insight into what our local stores are going to be offering for deals on turkeys closer to the big day? I believe in the recent past I have been able to get a turkey for as little as $0.29/pound and would love to know if a deal like that is going to be offered again this year."

2) And Lucy wrote: "I was wondering if you had any tips for finding coupons or discounts on ordering American Girl dolls? My 7 year old daugher REALLY wants one for Christmas, but $100 for a doll is a little out of our reach. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated (and make one little girl very happy!)."

I heard this evening from reader Kristal, who was searching for recommendations for good consignment or thrift stores in the Raleigh-Cary-Clayton-Garner area.

She was specifically looking for women's plus-size clothing, nice used furniture and good quality used books. Fire away. (Please be as specific as you can about why you are recommending a certain store, and please remember to include its location!)

I heard today from loyal Taking Stock reader Sandy, who was searching for John McCann's Steel-Cut Irish Oatmeal. It comes in a round metal can. She does not want the kind in the box and says Harris Teeter no longer carries it. Anyone know where to find it? Sandy (and her husband) will be eternally grateful...