Dec 01
This month I’m going to focus on tips for staying organized and saving money (and your sanity) this holiday season on my Tidy Up Tuesday posts.
Even though Cyber Monday has now come and gone, the online deals are far from over. Today’s post will focus on several ways to find deals online. Most websites offer free shipping deals (good through mid-December) to hook shoppers in and compete with brick-and-mortar stores.
Here are few tips for those of you fishing for deals.
www.craigslist.org – I know this isn’t a new site but it really is a great way to find deals. I’ve had so-so experiences in the past but was tempted to try again this year on a suggestion from a friend when shopping for a Wii for my kids. I posted on the “Items Wanted” section and had a great response from a nice, normal person who gave us a great deal.
www.extrabux.com – This website allows you to compare prices, find coupon codes, and get cash back on your purchases. I’ve never used it but I’ve hear that cash=back websites are the wave of the future.
www.priceprotector.com – If you’ve ever bought something at a great discount and then seen it for less later, then this is the website for you. Just register your item and you’ll receive updates on special offers for that product. You can let them shop around and then price match for the difference if a store beats out the sale price. Either way you’re guaranteed to get what you want at rock-bottom prices.
www.savings.com – This website was recently considered the best website for accurate and up-to-date coupon codes for online shoppers, according to the experts at couponcravings.com. There’s nothing worse than hunting down a coupon code only to find out it 1) doesn’t work or 2) is now expired.
Question: What percentage of your shopping do you do online vs. in-store shopping?
Answer: 50/50 online/instore
Tagged with: deals • holidays • organization • shopping
Nov 30
Here’s an offer you can’t resist. But you’ve got to act fast to get the deal. Seehere.com is offering free 4 x 8 photo greeting cards to new customers. (Today only.) Just upload your photo, enter the code “newbaby” and pay just $3.19 for shipping. (This was a savings of nearly $30.) How can you resist that offer?
Also, CVS Pharmacy is offering 50 free photos to new online customers using the photo department. Order them online and have them shipped to you or pick them up at your local store. (This was a savings of nearly $10.) This offer is valid indefinately.
(Note: This week’s Mommy Mondays post will appear on Wednesday since I posted this week’s deal a few days early.)
Tagged with: holidays
Nov 24
Whether you’re preparing for your first big Thanksgiving at home or you’re a seasoned veteran, chances are there’s still many things to check off on your to-do list. Here’s a few things to help you prepare for the biggest eating holiday of the year.
Cooking Tips
First, don’t forget to defrost your turkey. During one of our first Thanksgiving feasts we ever made on our own, I oopsed and forgot to take the turkey out in advance to defrost. It all worked out in the end; we just had to move dinner time back a few hours.
The experts at Butterball recommend thawing your bird for 24 hours in the refrigerator for every four pounds of turkey. Or you can place your turkey breast-side down in cold water to thaw for 30 minutes per pound of turkey. For more turkey questions call 1-800-BUTTERBALL or go to www.butterball.com.
You can start doing the prep work for your meal a day or two in advance as well. Chop vegetables, prepare dough, or make pies before your guests arrive. At the very least, make a list of all of the items you are preparing and figure out what order you’ll have to cook them to make sure everything comes out hot at the same time.
Cleaning Tips
If your house is anything like mine, it doesn’t stay clean for long. So if you’re expecting guests, you’re probably worried about how to get all of the cooking and cleaning done in one day.
Get the deep cleaning out of the way early and then you’ll just have to wipe down and sweep up before you set out the appetizers and turn on the football game. You might also want to consider sending everyone outdoors for a bit (for a Turkey Bowl or a neighborhood scavenger hunt) to give you some down time to do last-minute chores.
Question: Do you prefer to cook your Thanksgiving dinner at home or do you hope for invites from family and friends?
Tagged with: holidays
Nov 16
I’m honored to be a guest blogger for Dr. Greene this week. He is a well-known pediatrician and author of several books. I will post tips each day on his website. Check out my tips for having a green holiday all week at this link — http://blogs.drgreene.com/perspectives/
His website, DrGreene.com, was cited by the American Medical Association as “the pioneer physician Web site” on the Internet. His award-winning website receives a half million hits per month because they’ve got such great health resources for parents.
Tagged with: green living • Guest Blogger • holidays
Nov 12
Want a jump start on planning your Black Friday shopping strategy? A lot of the deals have been leaked to the media and the deals this year are pretty amazing.
Retailers know that families are holding onto their cash and downsizing their holiday spending this year. In an effort to entice us out of our tight-wad ways, retailers are dangling big screen TVs over our heads instead of carrots. For example, Sears slashed prices on its TVs by $500 on already discounted prices for Black Friday.
In a year when deep discounts aren’t enough to fill up the stores, shoppers should look for coupons to enhance their savings as well as giftcard incentives on some purchases. Stores are going to great lengths to get shoppers to come in and spend this year.
Video games and other electronics are also big doorbusters on this unofficial national shopping holiday.
Check out a few of these finds from Target:
- Polaroid V130 2″ Color LCD Camcorder – $39.00
- Digital Decor Color LCD Key Chain Holds 48 Pictures – $10.00
- Dirt Devil Versa Power 3-In-1 Vac – $9.00
- $10 Gift Card With Any $100 In Store Purchase – $0.00
- Lexar Media 4GB Twist And Turn USB Drive With 50 Free Song Downloads – $10.00
- Wii Play Remote Bundle – $39.00
- XBOX 360 Black Controller – $39.00
Check out deals from your other favorite stores including Toys R Us, Best Buy, Old Navy, Kohls, and many others on www.blackfriday.info. You can even sign up to have emails sent to you as the deals are announced.
Question: Are you planning to shop on Black Friday? What deals are you looking for this year?
Tagged with: deals • holidays
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