My Curated “Before Christmas” Gift Suggestions

November 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

If you hunt around on Stuff Parents Need, you will find several hundred (likely approaching 1,000!) finds I have discovered over the past 4 years that could be great holiday gift suggestions for folks on your list.

But today I want to talk about the things I think you should consider getting BEFORE the holidays are here (and they are almost here, so hurry up!). Think of them as gifts to yourself! These are items that can help make the holidays more festive and fun, and prepare you for send out yearly family letters or make some fun crafts without costing you an arm and a leg. Here’s a list of the products and services that I’m loving RIGHT NOW:

1. The Elf on the Shelf. This has seriously got to be the best $30 I have ever spent. Darah is completely nuts about her elf, whom she named Owen. He moves around the house daily, and he is NOT a naughty elf (mama ain’t got time for that!). Darah talks to Owen, dances for Owen, brings Owen marshmallows, and sings for Owen. I almost die pretty much every single day from the cuteness of it. He has brought some serious Christmas joy to our house, and a feeling of magic. He has only been with us for a month (yes, he cam early) and he is already a family treasure that I know we will have for decades to come.

2. Tiny Prints cards. For today only you can get 25% off your entire order (no minimum!) AND free shipping, which is a smokin’ hot deal because these are some of the prettiest cards around, and they are already reasonably priced. The code to use at checkout is exclusive to affiliates of the store (that’s me!) and I’ve been told this is the very best deal they offer on holiday cards. The code to use at checkout is ~~HOLIDAY25FS~~. (Edit: new code is SW1119 for 25% off). I got mine ordered already and they will be here soon so that I can get all the holiday cards ready for the mail for the day after Thanksgiving.

3. Groovebook. I’ll be adding an additional printed photo to each of my holiday cards, and I can do that for SUPER DUPER CHEAP thanks to Groovebook! You can read all about Groovebook here, (and learn how you can get 100 prints 100% FREE!). Basically, for this month, I picked a photo on the phone that I really liked, and printed 30 copies of it into my Groovebook. The other 70 prints for the month are just other things I like. Now I’ve got an extra photo for my friends and family to enjoy, and got it printed and delievered to my doorstep, along with 70 other pictures I like, for $3! Groovebook is my favorite app of all time, hands down.

4. Stitch Fix. If you have some festive parties to attend and you need an updated outfit or two, leave the work to the stylists at Stitch Fix. They will hook you up with something gorgeous that suits your taste and your budget. You’ll save time and you’ll look great! Here’s a link to all my past fixes to give you a sense for what it is like!

5. Kiwi Crate. This is one of my very favorite subscriptions, as it helps busy and/or non-crafty parents like me put together truly awesome crafts and activities for the kiddos. We adore our Kiwi Crates, and plan to order more in the near future. Right now they have special holiday-themed crates that you definitely need to check out. How much fun would it be for your kids to get to make some of the decorations for Thanksgiving, Hannukah or Christmas?

6. Amazon Prime. I’ve been a member of Amazon Prime since January of this year, and I’m planning on renewing when my membership expires. The ability to ship SO many things from the site without meeting the minimum shipping amount (which I heard has gone up to $35…can anyone confirm that?), and the 2 day shipping is SOOOOO nice! You get to try it out free of charge for 30 days, and if ever there was a time to give it a whirl, it is during the holiday shopping season!

7. Ebates. This is the time of year when I make sure I’m checking in regularly with Ebates, as well. You can read all about how Ebates works to get the full scoop. It is a totally free service that will give you cash back on the online purchases you are already making. So far they have sent me over $215. For real. Yes, the checks cleared. This is legit! 🙂

Your turn: what are some of the things you are buying to get ready for the holidays?

Red Alert! Free $5 to Amazon!!!

October 5, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

I’ve been meaning to write another open love letter to Amazon Prime, and just now I found my reason to finally do it.

Right now, if you purchase three $15 Amazon gift cards you will earn a $5 bonus Amazon gift card. I probably make a purchase on Amazon twice a month, and even more often during the last 3 months of the year, so I’ll have absolutely no problem putting that free $5 to work! And those $15 cards are going to fill in some gaps for some of the “hard to shop for” people on my list (which is pretty much all the men).

This promotion is open to Amazon Mom members who have either a paid Amazon prime membership, or who have signed up for the free trial of Amazon prime.

And let me tell you, there is no better time than RIGHT NOW to get your free trial on! Just think about how much of your holiday shopping you can take care of without having to worry about if you have purchased that pesky minimum $25 amount. And your purchases arrive sooner which means you can wrap them faster and be done with the shopping sooner and then just enjoy the holiday season!

And by “enjoy” I mean EAT ALL THE COOKIES. At least that’s what I’ll be doing. We are wrapping Christmas presents today (yes, I am totally serious). Checking stuff off that list, baby!

Here’s how to get the free trial: Join Amazon Prime

And once you are signed up, here’s how to get to the Amazon Mom Gift Card promotion. Hop to it, friends!!!

And by the way, the Amazon mom program rocks so hard. MAJOR discounts on lots of things, most notably diapers and wipes! It doesn’t cost anything to join beyond the Amazon Prime membership, either!

I’m an affiliate of Amazon, but I only promote what I already use and love. I paid for my own prime membership and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Why I Pay for Amazon Prime (And How You Can Get It for Free!)

July 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 8 Comments

Amazon Prime Review

Affiliate links are included. I only recommend what I use and love, as always.

I’ve been a member of Amazon Prime since January. If you aren’t familiar with Amazon, then you aren’t reading this, because the internet must not exist in your mind.

But if you aren’t familiar with Amazon Prime, that’s a bit more understandable. It is a yearly subscription service that allows LOTS of perks, which I will detail in a minute. It costs $79/year. Which is not chump change in my world. I weighed the pros and cons for about a year before I decided that I just needed to try it out.

So now I’m a full 6 months in, and at this point, I believe that I’ll renew next year! Let me tell you why:

1. The number one reason, for me, is the complimentary 2 day shipping. It isn’t offered on everything, but it is offered on LOTS AND LOTS of things. I have used it 3 separate times in the last week. My goal is not to see how many boxes I can get from Amazon, and I’m happy to buy more than one item at a time. The trouble is that I rarely remember multiple things that I need at once. Before I had prime, I was always scrambling to try to fill that $25 minimum. This is a non-issue now. And anything I order gets here faster, too! Last-minute gift needed? No problem! Running out of diapers? Why go to the store when you can just click a few buttons and be done?!

2. Amazon instant videos. The selection is not stellar, and for a while, I didn’t really use it much at all. But they had the latest season of Downton Abbey (when Netflix instant, which I also subscribe to, did not). I enjoyed that so much that I declared my $79 to be well-spent. They also have some Nickelodeon cartoons that Netflix doesn’t have, which is a plus for Darah. They have over 40,000 titles just waiting for you. Totally FREE!

3. I don’t have a Kindle, so this is one perk I cannot use. But many people do. And if you do, you get to borrow books from the Kindle Owners Lender’s Library FOR FREE. Yes…FREE!

photo credit: sⓘndy° via photopin cc

Free Amazon Prime?

I hear you…what’s this about the FREE Amazon Prime option, Tiffany? Well, right now they are offering a 30 day free trial. No obligation. No strings attached. FREE! Get yourself signed up. Order a few packages. Watch a few movies. Read a few books. Amazon is so confident that you’ll want to stick around that they are offering up a one month free trial for you. Nothing to lose, and LOTS of perks to gain!

I’m a member, myself. My recommendation is based strictly on my experience. Amazon didn’t gift me a subscription. Nor did they ask me to write this. Just sharing something that makes my life a little bit easier, and that I have determined to be worth the money!