Walmart - Stuff Parents Need

Walmart Grocery Pickup Service: 5 Tips to Optimize This New Way to Buy Groceries

June 24, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

This review is not endorsed by Walmart. Referral links may be included. All opinions are my own.

I will always remember 2016 as the year that I stopped going to the grocery store. It started with my subscription to Shipt, which allows you to order groceries from Publix online and have Shipt shoppers buy the groceries for you and bring them straight to your house. It’s absolutely amazing, but not without it’s costs (the yearly membership fee is $99 and you get a slight upcharge in your groceries…nothing major, but it’s there…and tipping is not required but also not discouraged). It is the ultimate in stress-free shopping since you never leave your house and if you have a Publix nearby, it’s worth checking out (my referral link gets you $10 in free groceries and I believe they offer a 30 day free trial so you can try it out before committing to the membership fee).

So when I heard Walmart was in on the game to help busy moms like me take grocery shopping off their list of things to do, I was very intrigued. For me, another one of the problems with Shipt is the fact that Publix charges an arm and a leg for their produce, so I rarely buy any there. They do have excellent B1G1 sales, but beyond that, prices tend to be steep. So even when I’m using that service, I have to supplement with a trip or two to the grocery store to not totally blow our food budget each month. Walmart has the prices I like, but I don’t especially like having to go shopping there because it is hard to find help if you need it, and because I don’t like to go shopping with my kids (takes twice as long) and if I have time without the kids, grocery shopping is the last thing I want to do with that time.

Walmart is currently offering curbside pickup of your groceries, which you order online. As long as you order $30 or more of groceries, there is no charge and prices are no different from what you pay if you shop inside. And there’s no membership fee. The groceries don’t come to your house, but you only have to go to the parking lot to get your stuff.

It sounded almost too good to be true, but I’ve used the service 3 times now, and I LOVE IT!!!!

I wanted to offer some tips for your Walmart grocery pickup order to help you have a fantastic experience.

5 TipsFor WalmartGrocery Pickup

Sign up through a friend so that you get $10 off your first order. This isn’t necessary, of course, but why not get $10 off? My referral link will hook you up!
Put the Walmart grocery number in your contacts (it will be provided to you at checkout). You will receive a call when your order is ready, and you will call that number back when you are in the parking lot (there are designated parking spots for grocery pick ups). Best to have the number easy to recognize and access.
Be prepared to grocery shop a day before you need your groceries. So far, every time I’ve tried to order groceries (and I’m always shopping very early in the morning) the first available pickup times are either late in the afternoon that day or even the following day. I’m sure they are working out supply and demand kinks, and I also have to remember that at least for now, Walmart is taking the financial hit here by hiring employees to shop for you without actually charging you more. So it’s not going to be as convenient as it possibly could be, and that’s ok by me. But don’t expect to grocery shop online and be able to pick up your stuff 2 hours later.
Make use of the essentials section. Walmart keeps track of what you order, which is perhaps a little creepy, but also extremely helpful. If, for example, you have a favorite brand and flavor of almond milk, you can very quickly get it re-added to your cart just by looking over your essentials. It makes the online shopping experience take even less time, which is fantastic.
Think beyond the grocery list. I added a pencil sharpener and printer paper to my last Walmart grocery order. It was no problem! I’m guessing that anything on Walmart.com that is listed as being available for same day store pickup is eligible to go on your order. Woo hoo!

I’m not sure how long Walmart can continue to offer this service without some sort of convenience charge, but for now, it’s completely free and definitely very convenient. Give it a try and see what you think!

Keeping a Step Ahead of the Toilet Paper Bandit

June 23, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Walmart. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Excessive toilet paper use is my daughter’s. 😉

Do you have a toilet paper bandit in your house? I’m talking about the person who is responsible for a disproportionately large amount of the toilet paper use in your home.

I have one. Her name is Layah. I have spent countless hours talking with her about how much (or rather, how little) toilet paper she actually needs. But she can’t seem to wrap her head around the concept and continues to believe that more is more.

avoid the oops 1

After realizing that the house is 100% out of toilet paper one too many times thanks to this little t.p. fan, I’ve learned to avoid the oops by keeping a good supply on hand.

To do this, I just head over to Walmart.com and get stocked up on toilet paper and any other P&G household items I never like to run out of (this time it was toothpaste, toothbrushes, paper towels, dish detergent and floor cleaner). Did you know that you can get free shipping on Walmart.com orders over $50? Why make a trip to the store for these types of items when they can come right to your front door? My order arrived within just a few days of making the purchase.

avoid the oops 4

I think shopping online is one of my very favorite ways to go for bulky items that would take up a bunch of space in my shopping cart, and I also like just sitting down once a month, or so, and knocking out all of those items we use regularly and that would be disruptive to run out of. One of my all-time least favorite things to do is to have to make an emergency trip to the store and spend time I likely didn’t have and often overpay for items because I had to go to the closest retailer, and not necessarily the one with the best prices. Walmart.com gives me the right price, the convenience and the peace of mind so that I can carry on with my day. Head to AvoidTheOops.com to get all of your household necessities purchased and shipped straight to you.

avoid the oops 3

And if you have and tips for taming the toilet paper monster, leave a comment and help me out! 🙂

Celebrating the DVD Release of Inside Out with a Simple Feelings Headquarters

November 5, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutEmotions #CollectiveBias

Over the summer my husband took our girls to the movies to see the highly praised film, Inside Out, while I stayed at home to take advantage of a quiet Saturday afternoon and get some work done.

Not going to that movie turned out to be one of my big regrets of the summer, because my girls AND my husband, Tim, simply could not stop talking about how wonderful it was. Over the next few months Tim would draw on situations that happened in the movie when coaching the girls through emotional struggles. I was so thrilled to see what a great learning tool a movie could actually be. And I was definitely jealous that I couldn’t make use of it since I hadn’t seen it.

So I marked my calendar for the Inside Out DVD release date, which was November 3rd, and high-tailed it to Walmart that day so that we could watch the movie as a family, and also so that we could create our own Feelings Headquarters at home. If you didn’t realize that the DVD is out and you need to go high-tail it to your Walmart, no worries. I’ll wait for you! 😉

Headquarters is a really important part of the story, as that is where the feelings live, and where they take turns getting to play center stage. I thought it would be great to create our own little space in Layah’s room where the girls could hang out with the various emotions and also where we could talk about how we are feeling. Joy and Sadness have been with us since this summer, and when we went to Walmart a few days ago, we scooped up Fear and Anger as well (they were sold out of Disgust, so now she’s on our Christmas wish list!).

And of course, I snagged the DVD I’ve been waiting for months to see. I noticed that Walmart has 3 different DVD options (standard, Blu-Ray, and Blu-Ray 3D). You might even notice that Inside Out has its own cute display area!

While we were at the store, my girls tried to convince me to buy Bing Bong, as well, but since I hadn’t yet seen the movie, I had no clue what his importance was in the film, and so I refused. My girls, being clever little things, fashioned their own Bing Bong, complete with a sack full of “core memories!”

Now that mommy has seen the movie (and cried profusely during a certain scene starring Bing Bong) he’s been put on the wish list right next to Disgust.

If you haven’t seen the movie, friends, I am going to have to insist that you do. I don’t mean to be pushy, but this is honestly one of the best family movies I’ve seen in years. The story is truly engaging to people of all ages (I get bored VERY easily at movies and I didn’t budge from my couch throughout the entire thing). The opportunities for discussion are plentiful. And of course, the characters are just plain fun.

And it’s so easy to keep the feelings talk going by carving out a little headquarters in your child’s room. We used a simple chalkboard sign and some chalk markers, along with the licensed TOMY Toys that we have and some improvised products to round things out.

Just this morning my oldest was playing in this corner of the room and said, “Mom! Come and see how I’m feeling this morning!” and I found her holding both Joy and Sadness. She was happy to be going to school, but a little sad because she realized that she didn’t eat enough breakfast. We remedied that situation before she headed out the door, of course. But that was just such a cool moment, seeing my girl literally embracing her emotions, and recognizing that her feelings can be complex.

Have you seen Inside Out? I’d love to hear what you thought about it! And if you are looking for an awesome gift to give to a family with kids this holiday season, I think you’ll have a winner on your hands if you pick up Inside Out and some TOMY Toys from your nearest Walmart.

Got a Mess on Your Hands? Of Course You Do, So Stock and Save (Giveaway!)

April 13, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 128 Comments

The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. All messes are those of my little toilet-paper hogging resident artists.

If you have little ones in your house, then I’m guessing that you also have toilet paper hogs running amuck. The truth about how much toilet paper one needs during a typical potty session is a matter of much debate around here. My children seem to have reached a very different conclusion than mine, and so, I find myself running out of toilet paper frequently.

Fortunately for me, Walmart is currently running a Stock and Save event on a variety of great P&G products, including the Charmin rolls that equate to 72 standard rolls of toilet paper. Boom! Now through April 30th you can find some great savings at your nearest Walmart on all of the following products:

Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent
Tide Simply Clean and Fresh Liquid Laundry Detergent
Charmin Ultra Soft or Ultra Strong Toilet Paper
Bounty Mega Roll Select-A-Size Paper Towels
Luvs Super Absorbent Diapers
Pampers Swaddlers Huge Pack
Tampax Pearl Plastic, Super Absorbency
Always Ultra Thin Long Super Unscented Pads
Always Discreet Maximum Underwear
Always Discreet Moderate Regular Length Pads

I also made a point to get some Tide and some Bounty on account of all the art happenings around here. We’ve been working on a new art center for the girls (post forthcoming!) and the good news is that their art supplies are getting used a whole heck of a lot more! The bad news is that there more mess to clean up after all those creative sessions.

Big messes are no problem, now! I should have enough paper towels to last me through the summer, and my girls will be home more often than not over those months, so that’s really saying something!

So before your next big mess or your next toilet paper emergency, be sure to head over to Walmart to get stocked up on great products for a great price. Your future self will thank you!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a $25 Walmart gift card! Woo hoo!

Please remember, while Facebook rules prohibit me from requiring a “like” for an entry, know that your likes help increase the odds of more great giveaways just like this one, so they really do matter! 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter the other current giveaways, found on the right sidebar of the blog.

Awesome Adventurous Toy for Under $30: Razor Scooter

December 8, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Thanks to Walmart for partnering with me for today’s post on hot toys for 2014. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

Get ready, friends, because today I’m showing you the toy that you are going to take some of your best “post-Christmas playtime” photos with: the Razor Kick Scooter.

A scooter was actually on my list of things I wanted to get for Darah this year, but since it is her job to be a toy tester for the best of the best toys of 2014, she got to try this one out a few weeks early. This scooter was selected by a panel of kids as the very best ride-on toy this season, and you are going to LOVE the price point for it at Walmart: $27.72.

Darah still struggles a bit with her two-wheel bike riding, but I noticed that she felt much more confident on the scooter, instantly! I think one of the things that makes the scooter more comfortable for her is how easy it is for her to maneuver by herself. It’s lightweight and easy for her to pick up and move around.

The Razor Kick scooter is also easy to fold up and carry around, or put in the trunk of your vehicle, or even take on the bus, because it is made with aircraft-grade aluminum. It weighs just 6 pounds!

The handlebars on the Razor Kick Scooter are adjustable so it can grow with your child. And you can find the scooter in multiple colors (blue, red, green, pink or black). It can carry up to 143 lbs and is ideal for ages 5 all the way up to teenagers!

Walmart Layaway

You’ve still got a little time left to take advantage of Walmart’s Layaway plan, and if you already have a layaway account, the Razor Kick Scooter is a great item to add to your cart!

Walmart Savings Catcher App

And don’t forget about the Walmart Savings Catcher app, as it will help you make 100% sure that you got the very best deal in your area on your purchase. If Walmart didn’t have the best price they will refund you the difference via a Walmart eGift card. Boom! Just like that!

No Smartphone? No Problem!

If you don’t have a way to access the Savings Catcher app, you can still take advantage of the Ad Match program. Walmart will match the price of any local competitor’s printed ad for an identical item at the service desk. And yes, this applies to your items on layaway, too!

Fun, Quick Treat Seek & Stash Game (Great Purina Prizes Up for Grabs!)

October 29, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Triad. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

Need a little afternoon pick-me-up? Switch gears by heading over to the #SeekandStash game and try your hand at slashing some ghosts while getting lots of Purina® treats in your bag. This cute game only takes a minute to play, but it’s a fun little distraction, and unlike Candy Crush and other online games, you might actually win something when you play this game!

I didn’t seem to have the magic touch when I played, but I’ll try again tomorrow. It only takes a minutes, it’s totally fun to swipe at those ghosts, and after all, doesn’t Miss Hattie deserve a special treat from Purina®? And wouldn’t mama love to win it for her?

I’m actually headed to Walmart tomorrow, and since I know that Purina® treats are plentiful there and also quite affordable, I’ll just add them to my list. Everyone else in the house is getting plenty of treats this week with Halloween headed our way. I shouldn’t leave the cats out of all the fun! But maybe you’ll have better luck than me and get a FREE treat for your pets!

My Hairstyle Rut-Buster and Other Great Tips and Tricks at the Walmart Suave Hub

October 28, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to Global Influence for partnering with me to make this post possible. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always!

So my best friend and I have this running joke where we ask each other over the phone, in a voice of desperation, if we are remembering to roll our hair. The joke stems from the fact that during my first two weeks of college, my mom would call my dorm room (land lines…remember those???) and ask my roommate if I was rolling my hair. She just wanted me to make a great first impression with everyone I met, and she firmly believed that having hair that looked good was an important component of a great first impression. We actually took a picture of me sitting on my bed and reading with rollers in my hair just to put her mind at ease.

It was one of only a handful of times that I rolled my hair during college. I had other stuff to do, y’all.

Even now, an alarming 15 years after those phone calls were made, I still have a lot going on and my hair usually comes dead last on the list of things to give time and attention to. But this year I bought a set of steam rollers (after giving my hot roller set away a few years ago because they were COATED in dust from lack of use. And you know what? I hate to admit this, but my mama was right (at least somewhat!). Now that I have found a set of rollers that I actually like, I can get my hair in them in about 6 minutes flat and let them set while I put on makeup, or write content for the blog, or any number of other things. And then I just pull them out and run my fingers through my hair. The amount of hairspray I apply depends on how tight I want the curls to stay. But for at least 4 hours after doing this, I have hair that actually looks like a I cared about it, and it makes a significant difference in my overall appearance. So for me, rolling my hair is a 10 minute trick that can help me look totally pulled together. Do I roll my hair every day? Of course not. But today, for example, I’m meeting with someone at my daughter’s school to discuss a fundraising project. I hope they recognize my lack of ponytail when I show up!

Walmart Suave Hub

You can find lots of great beauty and hair tips just like mine above at the . You’ll also find product promotions (sweepstakes, coupons, samples, etc.!). When you combine these offerings with the awesome Suave Family Perks program I blogged about a few weeks ago, it’s easy to see how Suave is making life a little less hectic and a lot more fun for you and your family. And that’s a great thing, indeed!

The First Lunch: What I Packed (And a FREE Photo Printing Offer!)

August 18, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Del Monte, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #DelMonteBTS http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV.

My baby girl is at her first day of Kindergarten at this very moment. I was all smiles dropping my Darah off this morning for her first of approximately 2,340 school days that stretch from 8-3 from now until she graduates from high school.

I pretty much cried like a baby all the way back home. This is such a HUGE milestone. It feels much more monumental than her first day of preschool or her first time heading to a school program 5 days a week. Now we are fully in “the system” of American education. All day, 5 days a week, 9 months of the year. It’s like my baby has entered into the work force, only her job is to learn.

I will miss her, you guys. She’s one of my lunch buddies. But now it’s time for her to sit with her friends at lunch and form new relationships over soy butter sandwiches (peanut-free…that’s how our school rolls) and juice boxes. But lunch will also be an opportunity for her to feel connected to her mama, even if only for a brief moment while she inspects the contents of her lunch box. This is just one more reason why I want to have lots of ideas on hand so that I can offer her a fun variety that she will also love.

Del Monte

One of the brands I look for on the shelves to add to my lunch box supply arsenal is . They have some great healthy products designed to give your kids the nutrition they need to stay focused in school. We regularly use Del Monte Fruit Cups as add-ins to our smoothies. For school lunches, though, we go with Fruit Burst Squeezers.

These are a HUGE hit with both of my girls and Darah in particular gets tickled any time she gets them as part of a meal or as a snack. So I knew it was the perfect thing to include in her very first school lunch box. I can promise you that it will be the very first thing she eats. I really love it because there’s NO high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors.

Lunch Box Breakdown

Here’s the complete breakdown of what I packed in Darah’s first lunch box. Maybe it will give you a few ideas to have on hand if you are a bout to launch into daily school lunch packing duty!

1. Soy butter and jelly sandwich. We don’t have nut allergies at my house, but they are very prevalent in her classroom, such that we have been asked not to send any food with nuts in it. I found soy butter at the store and it tastes quite similar to peanut butter, so we are going with that!

2. Cream cheese and celery. Ordinarily I would go with peanut butter and raisins on a piece of celery, but that’s not an option, so I headed in another direction. Darah loves cream cheese, so she’ll go to town on this. The celery isn’t going to load her down with awesome nutrients, but it’s still a veggie, so that makes it a win. Plus it has an awesome crunch factor! Carrots would be another great “crunch-tastic” veggie to send.

3. Del Mont Fruit Burst Squeezers. I have complete and total success getting my kids to eat these. More so than if I send a piece of fruit. I think it has to do with how fun they are to eat, and how easy they are to eat. Darah is a very slow eater. She always has been. So she might not make even finish her lunch in time if some of it isn’t liquid. Totally serious about that. Fruit Burst Squeezers go from full to completely sucked dry in about 30 seconds. It’s quite amazing to watch, actually!

Free Photo Offer

Right now at select Walmart Super Store locations you will find a free back-to-school photo offer! You can take your first day of school photo (or really, any photo you want!) of your child to Walmart between now and September 13th (or while supplies last) and get a free 5×7 print with a back to school border (the photo will be 4×6 and with the border, it will be 5×7). I had one printed of Darah in her classroom so that I can see her in her element during the day.

But it gets even better! When you get your free print you will also receive a $1 off Del Monte products coupon in the photo envelope. I took mine and headed straight over to the aisle with the products I wanted and got stocked up for a great price. That was a total win/win! Prices vary by area, so I can’t guarantee that you’ll find the same prices at your store, but the Fruit Burst Squeezers for me were priced at $2 per pack of 4. So with my coupon, I only spent $3 (plus tax) for 8 individual squeezers. Woo hoo!

Do you have any great ideas for stuff to include in school lunch boxes? And have you tried Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers, yet? Did your kids love them as much as mine do?

On Being Southern and The Need to Be Ready for Anything

August 8, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

This post brought to you by Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

Wherever you might live, I think all parents can agree that it is important to be ready for anything. That means always toting around thinks like snacks, crayons, a spare toy or two and facial tissue.

But friends, I feel especially strong about the facial tissue matter as a Southern woman, whether my kids need the tissues or not. It seems that every time I turn around I've got yet another reason to reach for a tissue for myself; can any of you identify with thsese particular examples?

1. Steel Magnolias

I swear, friends, every other week I see a Pinterest pin or a Youtube clip of something hilarious or absolutely heart-wrenching from Steel Magnolias, the cinematic masterpiece that portrays the Southern woman to a T. I'll try to just read the one quote, or watch the one clip, and before I know it, I'm knee deep in Shelby and have to go find my tissues because I look like this:

photo credit: No|More|Saviours via photopin cc

2. Sweaty Sweet Tea

My poor sweet tea. It just can't help but break out in a sweat in these sweltering Tennessee summer temps. I feel the need to help my beverage out every 20 minutes or so by wiping her off real quick. It's so embarrassing to sweat like that! I'm ever so glad that I don't (if you didn't know, Southern women DON'T sweat. We glisten, and only when absolutely necessary…).

photo credit: Godverbs via photopin cc

3. Azaleas

There's nothing quite like the sight of a front yard full of beautiful azaleas. But bless their little hearts, they are the death of me.

photo credit: Cost3l via photopin cc

A trail full of blooms may be picturesque, but it sends me into a sneezing fit of epic proportions. It is CRITICAL that I have some tissues on hand. And I can't very easily carry a whole box of tissues in my purse, even though I might require an entire box before the day's end. Better to have something compact that will still provide me with plenty of tissues to endure all that beauty.

Angel Soft® On-The-Go Facial Tissues

I recently headed to Walmart and found these great tissues from Angel Soft®. They have, get this, SEVEN TIMES more tissues than 10 sheet facial tissue pocket packs. That'll get me through an entire week of pollen, sipping tea and hitting Ouiser. See if you can find them the next time you are out. They are so very handy to have around any time you find yourself in need of some tissue, even if your needs look a little different than mine!