At least once a week, if not once a day, a woman will proclaim that if she only had more time, she could get one more thing on her never-ending list of duties done.
As we have mentioned quite a few times before on Woman Tribune, Alice is an amazing web service (and iPhone app!) that will help you take and keep stock of all the household products you use and need on a daily basis. It gives you a super easy and convenient way to order new household items and have them shipped directly to your house, and Alice will also alert you to let you know when something is running low that you may not have noticed. Gone are the mornings when you realize you’re out of shampoo and walk into work with a mop on your head. Typically, an Alice user eliminates the chore of going to the store for these much-needed items, saying them 30 minutes per week. Of course that’s according to Alice, because I’ve experienced shopping trips that last much, much more than 30 months and that is more than once a week; but nevertheless, you are pretty much guaranteed to save a half hour of time usually spent in the store when working with Alice.
Because Alice is the awesome household friend that just keeps giving, they are asking What would you do with more time? Your answer could very well give you $250 extra dollars to use on Alice.com and save a pretty penny on your household items.
To enter this contest, all you have to do is submite your story detailing what you would do with 30 extra minutes a week. Would you play with the kids, make an extra special dinner for the husband, take a bike ride or a yoga class, or maybe even take a nap? Whatever it is, Alice wants to hear about it. You can also submit a video, for no other reason than to accurately portray your desperation for $250.
Moving away from home can be both scary and exciting. Most of us have been there and remember how it feels to walk into the new space with not much more than a suitcase of clothes and a dream. You may have a child, or someone close to you that may recently be experiencing this same thing. This can offer a challenge this holiday season for gift ideas, especially when they might need so much, but you are on a limited budget. Don’t worry! We’re here to help ease those worries and help you with a few last minute ideas just in time for Christmas.
Getting in the Christmas spirit:
If your child has recently moved into a dorm or new home, their space may be lacking in festiveness. Filling it is last on their minds when they have other living costs to manage. While most kids aren’t worried about putting up a Christmas tree or stringing lights; these simple things will provide a feeling of home and comfort. So, let’s start with the tree. If they do not have one, that’s a good first choice. You can find trees at most retailers such as Walmart and Lowes. They supply the choice of both pre-lit and non, assorted colors and sizes ranging from 32″ to 6.5′ for $40 and under. Keep in mind that if the tree is not pre-lit, it would be polite to provide lights as well.
Now once the tree is taken care of, either by you or if they have one, they may need ornaments. These can be purchased and/or handed down. If you have some extra ornaments you don’t mind letting go of, perhaps a childhood favorite, considering giving those first. This will provide a nice personal touch. If you would prefer to purchase ornaments you can find them in all ranges of shops from second-hand stores, mall shops and retail stores. Most single ornaments can range from $1-$10 depending on location and style. You can also find sets of balls or other assortments for under $20 at most stores. If you are crafty, another option is handmade ornaments. However, if you are not crafty, but still wish to provide something a little more “put together,” a wonderful option is a cookie cutter. Just simple take a holiday shaped cutter, tie a piece of ribbon to the top and it becomes an instant ornament!
Aside from the tree and lights, most all other decorations range under $20 as well. These can range from wall hangings, window clings and table decorations. The options are many and easy to find at most stores and shops. In all cases, whether with ornaments, table top or other decorations, try to keep things mid-size and non-breakable. Since you don’t know where they may be placed or the kind of condition they may be kept in, delicate things may not be practical.
Gadgets and Gizmos
Most college kids want that new iPod or game system this year, and can leave a nasty mark in the budget. Fortunately, there are second-hand electronics stores like GameStop. These places can become your best friend this holiday season. These locations offer gently-used games, game systems and accessories for less than what you might find at other retailers. The amount differs depending on how new the product is from release, but you have the comfort of knowing that they will not sell anything that isn’t playable or usable, and you can always ask to look at it before purchasing. They also offer trade in discounts as well as new products if you prefer. While GameStop and places like it do not offer some items, like iPods, you can find MP3 players for the fraction of the cost that are very similar in function, such as the Samsung S3 4GB MP3 and Video Player ($69.99) as well as the SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4GB MP3 Player ($59.99).
If they are asking for a digital camera, electronic stores offer a wide range of styles and prices ranging from 3.1 megapixel camera for $42.99 to 9.0 megapixel camera for $69.99. Most websites are offering special holiday pricing, including shipping deals to make it to you in time for Christmas. Stores will usually offer insurance on the product for a small additional fee. Ask if they offer it on the particular product if they do not suggest it at the time of purchase. This is always a good idea for higher-end items in case of it breaking or malfunctioning.
Household Items
There are a lot of items that a college kid may need for their new space as far as appliances and household accessories go, but it’s important to remember what they will get use out of and the size of the space it is fitting in. Keeping in mind small and practical, some good choices here can include bedding sets, small appliances and other kitchen or bathroom items. If you do not know specifics about room size, stick with items that are universal and will go with something they might already have, such as Mainstays 200-thread count sheet sets, 3-piece towel sets or Simply Basic 12-piece Sampler Bath and Body Care Set. These products can be found in an assortment of colors, scents and size choices.
If you know they have a larger space to accommodate some smaller appliances or furniture, choice items would be items like coffee pots, blenders and small tables or chairs. The smaller items will tend to cost less and also take up less space. Depending on the individual, these gift ideas can include GE 5-cup digital coffee maker, Parsons end table or student desk, chair and lamp value bundle. Again, these and similar products come in a wide choice of colors and sizes.
Hopefully we’ve helped you add a few things to your shopping list and kept a few less worry lines off your brow. No matter what the budget or who the individual, try to keep in mind that it’s not totally impossible! Remember these simple pointers before making any purchase, practical, long term and fun, and when all else fails, gift cards! They may seem impersonal, but it’s a great way to show them you were thinking of them and also give them the freedom to get exactly what they want.
And remember, Have a safe and happy holiday season!
This giveaway is closed.
Walmart has put together an awesome site to help you through getting through the holidays in one piece without breaking your budget. The cost of food has continued to rise throughout the past few months and with the holidays right around the corner, you can be sure that people are spending more than they can really afford to put together their holiday feasts. Luckily, Walmart has put together a shopping list that will let you get everything you need for your Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners for a jaw-dropping price.
Co-star of the Food Network’s new series, Chefs vs. City, Chef Aarón Sánchez has created a spin on traditional holiday meals for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, including Ham with Mango Jalapeno Glaze, Chipotle Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean & Mushroom Picadillo, Coquito Egg Nog, Blue Cheese Stuffed Rolls and Dulce de Leche Sauce for Pumpkin Pie; these recipes are sure to create memorable holiday memories for you and your family. Be sure to check out Walmart’s Holiday Meals website for recipes from Chef Aarón Sánchez and more ideas for holiday entertaining.
Walmart’s Christmas Dinner for 8 for as Low as $30
Your Christmas feast for 8 for as low as $30 at Walmart starts with key, family-favorite ingredients, including:
- One 10-pound spiral cut half-ham
- Three 8-ounce cans Del Monte Green Beans
- One 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes
- One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
- One 10 inch Pumpkin Pie
This is an incredible amount of food to buy for as low as just $30, especially since that is less than $4 per person; less than you’ll pay for most fast food!
Walmart’s New Year’s Eve Dinner for 10 for as Low as $40
Your New Year’s Ever feast for 10 for as low at $40 at Walmart starts with these festive and delicious ingredients, including:
- Shrimp Tray (5 servings)
- Vegetable Tray (10 servings)
- Hillshire Farms Little Smokies (8 servings)
- Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (6 servings)
- Land O’ Lakes Egg Nog (8 servings)
- Red Velvet Cake
The holidays are such a great time for spending time and making new memories with your family; it is also a great time to reflect on memories you hold dear from past years or even when you were a child and that in itself costs nothing! But because the holidays have warped into such a consumer-ridden holiday, this year more and more families are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing the quality of the meals they are feeding their families.
My biggest money-saving tip for this holiday season would definitely be to shop with coupons, the holidays are a great time to spot some really awesome deals in your newspaper or weekly coupon magazines because a lot of companies are hoping you’re shopping closer to the holidays to get what you need for the big day. So look for coupons and shop on sale! Also, be sure to find out if your local grocery store has a store card because I’ve found that if you consistently use your grocery store card, you will accumulate so many points, but there are also a lot of deals going on company-to-company that you don’t know about. Every time I go shopping and use my grocery card, I find out I save between $15 and $20 a trip and every little bit you save helps a ton!
Giveaway
Thanks to Mom Central, we have the opportunity to pass on the Walmart holiday meals love to two lucky people who will win a $30 Walmart gift card.
To win a $30 Walmart gift card, share one of your favorite holiday money-saving tips! [REQUIRED]
For extra entries:
Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.
This contest ends Tuesday, December 22nd at 11:59PM EST. This giveaway is open to all US residents over the age of 18. The winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours to respond with their necessary information. If no action is taken, another winner will be picked.
Contest Disclaimer
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.
I just recently met Alice, a website that will help you take and keep stock of all the household products you use and need on a daily basis. Alice will remember the products you have in your household from bathroom and daily care needs, kitchen and pantry items and items your kids expect to be in the house at all times, even if you’re running behind on your weekly shopping.
And that is where Alice comes in…
Alice will notice when you are running low and remind you to re-order items you need. Alice will also give you coupons, saving you a bundle of money every time you shop and will also alert you to free samples of products you may love, depending on the items that are already in your house. Best of all, you can set it up where you can order the items you need right on Alice.com and get your items shipping automatically whenever you need them.
Setting up an account is super easy! First, just choose the amount of people living in your home and their ages.
Then, choose the types of products that you buy regularly.
Then, all you have to do is add your products and Alice will take care of the rest!
And don’t forget to stay signed up for regular emails from Alice, because she will be sending you some great coupons and free samples!
Alice.com is a life-saving resource for busy women everywhere and will keep all of your household items in check so you never run out again and you will be saving a whole lot of money! What could be better than that?
The new energy drink from Blu Frog isn’t just “Wildly Healthy Energy,” they are also behind some of the best contests and campaigns I have ever seen a company dole out to the people who support them. I have spent the early morning hours reading about their energy drink, about them as a company, as well as exciting promotions and contests they are running, but they have simply went above and beyond the call of duty with It’s a Blu World.
BluFrog is giving everyone a chance to win 1 of 5 prizes and three different ways to enter the contest. So what’s up for grabs?
BluGamer: The ultimate gaming package which includes an Xbox 360 Elite gaming system with a Rock Band 2 bundle.
Happy Blu-Year: A New Years Eve trip to New York with a friend or loved one.
Blullapalooza: A trip to Lolapalloza, the world’s most famous music festival in Grant Park, Chicago.
BluStreak: A Richard Petty racing experience that gives you the chance to experience stock car racing first hand, side-by-side action, drafting, passing, and everything that goes into stock car racing with a friend or loved one.
XtremeBLU: A trip to the 14th Winter X Games from ESPN in Aspen.
Did you get all happy and excited when you heard the prizes? Do you want to win? Well, here’s how:
Leave a blog comment over at It’s a Blu World and name what experience you absolutely, positively need to win and why!
Write a blog post on your own blog about the It’s a Blu World contest and which experience you would choose if you won.
Spread the word about this contest on Twitter! Tell your friends why you entered to win and which experience you would choose if you did win. Be sure to include #bluworld and http://bit.ly/UiiJy in your Tweet!
Summer has officially begun and with the start of the new season, comes all of the season’s celebrations–Graduation parties, weddings, house warming parties, and considering the baby boom we’ve seen as of late, lots and lots of baby showers. While we are always so grateful and delighted to share in the life accomplishments and celebrations of our friends and families, with each of these occasions comes the buying of the perfect gifts that the recipients are sure to love. Especially considering the economy and the downward shift of our cumulative personal finances, buying the perfect gift has become increasingly difficult given our budgets.
Until now.
eDivvy is a great service that makes gifting the perfect gift for any occasion so much easier because it gives you the opportunity to shop through their website and share the cost among other members of your family, your group of friends, coworkers, or fellow PTA members for end of the year gifts for accomplished and beloved teacher or summer camp advisers that touched your children’s hearts. There are a lot of really great gift categories, giving you ideas for unique gift ideas like handbags, MP3 players, digital cameras, strollers, and toys and games.
Divvy has finally given everyone whose ever been stuck in gift giving trouble by giving you great ideas and a great service to make paying for the perfect gift easier!
Many families take various approaches to keeping themselves, their families, and their homes safe from intruders. It is virtually impossible to have a true idea of the crime rate in your particular area and taking the necessary precautions to keep everything around you safe is the most important thing that you can do for everyone involved.
One of the most important and beneficial approaches to take to keep your home and family safe is having a security system for your home. Many families can recall a particular time in their lives where having their home hooked up to a security system would have proved to be very beneficial; and in some cases, could have potentially saved valuable items and even the lives of your family.
I used to live in a horrible area of town famous around the rest of the city for its crime rate. A place where the frequent drive by shooting, stabbing, burglary, and gang and drug-related crime did not surprise anyone and the stories of these occurrences on the news had turned into background noise because people hear it every day. During the time I lived in this area, I lived in a house that contained several different apartments. I did not have the assurance of having a home security system, but if I had, I would have felt tremendously safer living in that place that I was trying the best I could to make a home. As me and my significant other gear up and save throughout the next few years for a home of our own, a home security system will be the first thing we implement in our lives, regardless of its area, simply because of the amount of comfort it brings you to know that regardless of what happens, your family and your valuables will be safe.
Protect America specializes in giving families the comfort of knowing that they will remain safe in their homes by providing interactive wireless security systems. A wireless security system can provide limitless security and Protect America gives families just that, at a truly affordable price. Protect America’s Copper Package, at just $29.95 per month includes a talking control panel, which undoubtedly makes the process of setting up your security system and keeping your home safe for the many years you will have it in your home a breeze, regardless of your knowledge of electronics. It also includes one motion detector with three entry points, an internal siren as well as a door chime, a battery backup, and three window decals and one yard sign to alert everyone in your neighborhood that your home and family is protected by Protect America.
Astoundingly, Protect America is currently running a great promotion where not only their Copper Package, but also their Bronze and Silver Packages are completely free, saving you up to $595.
Now is definitely the time to implement a wireless security system into your home and life, if you have not already; and with such an amazing promotion currently going on, I can’t think of another product or another company who is better equipped to protect your home and your family.
The popularity of HDTV has certainly been growing exceedingly throughout the past couple of years and that popularity is not dying out any time soon. Now that it’s tax season, many people will begin thinking about what to do with their tax returns; given the economy, many people will certainly wish they could spend their tax returns on luxury items such as an HD television or perhaps a video game console or new computer, but will most likely end up using that money to pay overdue bills, catch up on mortgage payments, pay back rent, or even spend a significant amount of that money on groceries in bulk as we continue to see our economy deteriorate.
Charter Communications is working to meet the demands of their customers by offering service bundles that meet their unique and specific needs and save them money, but they are also creating a great buzz in a truly unique and fun way. Every day throughout April, if any current or new Charter customer orders Cable, High Speed, or Telephone services online, upon installation of their service, will automatically be entered for a chance to win a 22″ flat screen HDTV. As an added bonus, they are also offering their customers a chance to win the grand price package, including a 52″ LCD flat screen HDTV, a Home Theater System, and one year of free Charter Digital Cable service with HD programming. Imagine receiving a complete Home Theater System and the ability to literally bring the movie theater right inside to your own living room just for ordering either Cable, High Speed of Telephone service!
This isn’t the first time Charter has offered their customers an added bonus just for doing business with them. Charter is a company that truly does business a little differently than their competitors, injecting benefits and fun into their business models. In the past, Charter has run giveaways for laptops, Xbox 360 game systems, and even a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid. Charter is definitely a company that knows what their customers want in a service provider and goes above and beyond the call of duty to keep their loyal customers happy.
How much do you love Dunkin Donuts lattes? And how much do you love the change from summer to fall, when things start to quiet down and the leaves change and suddenly everything outside is a lovely earth-toned color? Well Dunkin Donuts is combining people’s love of lattes and love of fall and has a fabulous promotion going on from now until November 11th where you can get a small Dunkin Donuts latte for only 99 cents every weekday, from 2 to 5pm!
Not only can you get a small latte for 99 cents, but Dunkin Donuts now has a 99 cent menu where every day, there is a different featured item for you to feast on.
To find your local Dunkin Donuts and get your 99 cent latte, go here and enjoy!
