Best Buy: Why I Already Shopped There This Holiday Season

November 20, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All thoughts and opinions belong to Tiffany, as always!

So last week my Toshiba laptop, which I purchased at Best Buy 3 years ago for the AMAZING price of $350, quit working. More specifically, the screen decided it didn’t want to turn on.

EVER AGAIN.

That laptop has been my partner in crime ever since I got it. We spent A LOT of time together, mostly working on Stuff Parents Need, but also watching our share of The Office and lately, New Girl and The Mindy Project. I was sad that it broke, and I was bummed knowing that I was about to have to drop some cash unexpectedly, but I wasn’t mad at the laptop. It put in its time, and it served me really well, especially for what I spent on it.

best buy joy with new tech toys

And I knew exactly where to go to get the immediate replacement. You see, in my line of work, without a computer, I have no way to get my assignments done. I couldn’t afford to wait for a new computer to arrive in the mail. I had to have a new one right away. And Best Buy is where we went. Why? Because I knew that the prices would be super competitive, but more importantly, that we would get great customer service on the spot. Between the Geek Squad and the folks in the blue shirts, all our questions would be answered and we could buy with confidence!

Best Buy: A Great Holiday Shopping Destination

Perhaps the best thing about the death of my laptop was its timing. The holidays are a fantastic time to get great deals on electronics! For example, right now there’s an exclusive offer (just for certain blog readers, like you!) for 15% off health & fitness, Mattel and Fisher Price tech toys (valid 12/1 – 1/15). Just use code bloggers15off at checkout. The code bloggers10off will get you a 10% discount on a wide selection of speakers and headphones! See? Aren’t you glad you read this post! Great is your reward! Here are some gift ideas that you can use the coupon above to save big on:

o Digital Barbie Makeover Kit

o Fisher Price Little People Apptivity Barnyard

o Misfit Shine

o Fitbit

o Jawbone Up

o Logitech Headphones & Speakers

You can find more gift ideas at the Best Buy Gift Center!

Additionally, there are over 100 products on the shelves at Best Buy that are completely exclusive to the store for the holiday season; you can only get them there!

And if you are looking for a laptop, like we were, you will find them to be a market leader in the selection of laptops, as well as of tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and titles, wearable technology, health and fitness gear, mobile accessories and much more.

Low Price Guarantee

best buy low price guarantee

I really appreciate the Low Price Guarantee at Best Buy. You don’t have to freak out about what other sales might be happening at other stores. You can rest assured that you are getting the most competitive price possible at Best Buy!

I’d love to hear what tech items are on your shopping list? I’ve asked Santa for a remote control for my camera so that I can snap photos while I’m actually in front of the lens! Taking fashion/style shots is REALLY hard to do while the hubs is at work! 😉

5 Small Space Garden Ideas

November 19, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

Thanks to Keter.com for partnering with Stuff Parents Need to provide this great post on making the most out of a small garden space.

If you are fortunate enough to have a home with a garden, you realize what an integral part the garden plays in your life. When properly maintained, it is a source of pride, enjoyment, and relaxation. It can be a haven from the hustle and bustle that is apparent just outside your front door or even just inside your back door. But what happens when you have a garden but it is small? How can you best benefit from having a small garden?

Following are five ways of maximizing your garden when it is perhaps not as large as you would like:

Go Vertical

photo credit: mlinksva via photopin cc

If you don’t have the space for a large garden, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the height for one. There are numerous ways for you to have green before your eyes wherever you look. Vertical trellis placed against a wall is perfect as a frame for climbers. Also the colors and design of trellis available today mean that even when the climbers are in their infancy, the trellis adds a decorative element.

Box frame fence planting is another way of using your vertical spaces to best advantage to add color to your garden. However, the ultimate in vertical gardening has to be the green wall whereby your wall is converted into a garden of its own with rows and rows of plants and a dedicated watering system.

Go Spiral

An effective and efficient way of maximizing garden space is with a spiral garden as the shape is space efficient and it also adds a vertical element further optimizing space.

Herb/Vegetable Garden

photo credit: Jill Clardy via photopin cc

Just because you don’t have a large yard doesn’t mean that you can’t get great things out of it. A herb garden gives you ample reason to spend time in your garden as well as a sense of satisfaction that you are creating something. A herb garden provides color, aroma, and healthy flavors for your cooking. Similarly, a vegetable garden need not be big to provide to provide your family with much of its vegetable requirements.

Stackable Planters

Stackable planters are a great way to maximize your space. Planting ivy or flowers conducive to a planter environment adds color to your garden.

Storage Solutions

Plastic deck boxes and storage sheds provide a great storage solution as well as, depending on their size, doubling up as outdoor furniture. They come in a variety of colors and sizes and are weatherproof and practical.

Small-Space Gardening Solutions

Explore innovative ways to maximize your small garden space with these five creative ideas. Consider integrating Cornish Cross chickens into your garden to make the most of limited outdoor areas. With their compact size and efficient foraging abilities, Cornish Cross chickens provide natural pest control and fertilizer production, enhancing the productivity and sustainability of your small-space garden.

Do you have any garden/yard stuff on your holiday wish list? Tell me all about it!

Look What I Found for $5.99!

November 19, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Sometimes, when those days seem to stretch into eternity, with me covered in bits of banana and glitter and with countless hours logged in the bathroom, working tirelessly to convince my youngest to use the potty, I just need a break.

Specifically, I need a little retail therapy. But I can’t afford to go spend $100 on a whim. This girl needs some cheap thrills. Something to give me a pickup for less than the price of a combo meal at a fast food joint.

Perhaps something for $5.99?

599fashion.com is just the place, my friends! It is an online shopping destination for discount clothing and trendy accessories. And everything they have is $5.99 or less!

I was recently sent 3 items to check out. Two were hits and one was a miss. The miss was this yellow belt, which I can tell you really is cute in person. Unfortunately, it is meant for a VERY little person. 🙁 If you are very little and need a statement belt, this is one to snag! Too bad it didn’t work out for me.

Now let’s check out the big winners!

I’ve got some cute new black sandals tucked away for the first signs of spring next year. I love the silver beads on them, and I love the fabric backing. They are comfy and cute, and their price is similar to what I find at my local thrift store. Only these are brand new, of course!

I also found this adorable blue cardigan, which is so perfect for the days when you need long sleeves, but can go without a jacket.

Ladies, you are going to find some really cute cheap clothing on this site. You are also going to find some things that are probably not your style or your taste. This is definitely a site where you need to do a little digging in order to find your treasures, but the treasures are most definitely there!

It’s a fun place to head to when you have had a bad day and could use a little retail therapy, but also don’t want to spend much money! They have jewelry for $1.99, which is a great way to try out the trends without investing much in them, and they even have an under $20 outfit page, which I love for inspiration!

Take a look around the site and see if anything catches your eye. Any awesome finds for the price?

Shopping at Modnique.com: Room to Grow, But I’m Hopeful!

November 19, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

I was recently provided with the opportunity to do a little shopping on Modnique.com. Have you heard of it?

How about Totsy? Remember Totsy? Well, Modnique has a very similar concept (daily deals on really fabulous stuff) and they actually bought out Totsy earlier this year. While their focus remains on fashion for adults, they now carry great daily deals for the kiddos, too, typically from more upscale brands.

But for this shopping experience, I wanted to get just a little selfish and treat myself. If you are like me, you are always buying for your kids and often forget to buy for yourself. It’s often hard to justify the expense. But that was part of the joy of shopping at Modnique.com for me. They had so much really gorgeous stuff, and it was all marked down like crazy!

My New Boots

I first purchased something I needed (ok, “need” is relative). I pretty much live in my tall brown boots from November-March, and I thought they might appreciate having a partner in crime (and a break!) by way of a similar pair in black. Modnique.com had some really amazing boots, and some of them were priced WAY beyond my reach (Jimmy Choo boots, anyone? Yours for only $435!). But then I kept hunting and I found these:

I dig everything about these boots, most especially the price ($39!). In my basket they went!

My New Bling

I had a little money leftover, and since I already knew that Modnique had some amazing jewelry, I decided to spoil myself with something I totally didn’t need, but would love to have: a sparkly new necklace!

After searching and searching (with no ability to sort by price, and no ability to remove items that were sold out…two things I did NOT enjoy about my shopping experience), I landed on this pretty jewel:

Isn’t that pretty and fun? It is sterling silver and came with a retail price of $350. But Modnique.com had it on sale for 89% off! I got it for $39! What a great price on something fancy and fun! This piece is already sold out since it was such a hot deal, but you can find many other great finds with great prices on their site. And those rockin’ boots are still available in certain sizes, FYI!

Room for Improvement

As I mentioned earlier, I found the website to be lacking in some areas. I’m on a budget, and even if you have a piece of jewelry that is breathtaking and 83% off, if it is still $2,000 I just can’t buy it, so I don’t really want to have to look at it while I’m searching for a gift for a friend for under $75. I also personally found it frustrating to have to look at all the things that are sold out as I was searching for great buys. If they are sold out, why am I having to look at them? I can’t buy them, so at best you are wasting my time by including them in my search results, and at worst you are breaking my heart because I spot the perfect thing, only I’m too late. Either way, you don’t leave me feeling happy!

Why It’s Still Worth a Look

I still think that Modnique.com is worth a look, and I have confidence that the brand will evolve its website to better suit its customers over time. If you really like premium brands and can afford the occasional splurge on them, then this really is the place to shop, because the price is going to be much lower than what you will find by shopping in a store or on those brands’ websites.

You can also discover really fun finds that are on-trend but totally affordable (like both pieces I scooped up a few days ago!). Don’t be intimidated by the labels that you’ll find in Vogue…you, too, can snag something beautiful, even if those brands are out of reach for you (and they are most definitely out of reach for me, even on mega markdown)!

20 Days of Deals

One more fun thing of note: Now through November 27th, at 6am PST every day, new daily deals are revealed. And they are AWESOME (they also sell out fast, so log in during the morning to check them out!). You can keep up with the latest SUPER hot deal on the Modnique Facebook page or the blog!

Have you tried out Modnique.com yet? Tell me all about it!

$100 Visa Gift Card and a Clean 2014 with ARM & HAMMER!

November 18, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

One of my favorite things to do around the holidays is to find great deals and awesome giveaways for my readers. So when I had the opportunity to join a small group of bloggers and ARM & HAMMER (a brand I love and use all the time!) for a REALLY good giveaway, I jumped at the chance!

Up for grabs today is an ARM & HAMMER Seasonal Savings Gift Pack, and you are going to love it!!!

The winner will receive the following:

2-3 ARM & HAMMER products (from those featured in the picture above and based on availability). Possible prizes include: ARM & HAMMER™ Sensitive toothpaste, from the makers of Orajel™, Spinbrush: ProClean Sonic, Tooth Tunes™, ARM & HAMMER™ Ultra Power 4X Liquid Laundry Detergent, ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda, ARM & HAMMER™ Simply Saline™ Nasal Relief, ARM & HAMMER™ Double Duty Clumping Litter
$100 Visa Gift Card (to get you stocked up on more ARM & HAMMER products for a clean 2014!!

Go ahead and take some time to find out where you can buy ARM & HAMMER products (gotta get prepared for your shopping spree!). And you can stretch that $100 even further by signing up for the ARM & HAMMER Savings Center and score some coupons. Woo hoo!

Tim very faithfully uses this brand for his baking soda shampoo. The gift card in this prize package would buy him all the baking soda he would need for the rest of his life! 🙂 What about you? What are your favorite ARM & HAMMER products?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the side bar of the blog. Good luck!

Citi Tuesdays Offer Bonuses to Citi Card Holders at Walmart.com

November 18, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

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

Attention all Citi® credit card card holders! From now through 12/17, if you shop at Walmart.com on a Tuesday and make a qualifying purchase of $100 or more, you will score a bonus $10 Walmart eGift card! This Citi Tuesdays bonus will allow you to pick up some of the bigger ticket items on your shopping list, as well as have some bonus shopping money for stocking stuffers! My strategy would definitely be to put the gift card toward candy, which is one of those thngs I forget to buy until the last minute. $10 worth of candy can put a dent into the space I need to fill in the stockings this year for sure!

Alternatively, you could use the gift card as a gift for someone who might be difficult to shop for. Leave the choosing up to them! Since the card is for Walmart, there's bound to be lots of things that the gift recipient would love to have there, and you know that they will get a great low price, too! Everybody wins!

So what would I purchase for my qualifying order? Right now I've got my eye on the Step2 Fort Slide Away. My youngest is currently obsessed with going down slides, and my oldest loves to create little secret hideaways. They would both be thrilled to find this under the tree (well, it probably won't fit UNDER the tree, but you get what I'm saying!).

So what are the bigger ticket items on your list this year? I'd love to hear and see links for them! And for all you Citi® card holders, what will you use your bonus $10 to purchase?

Black Friday Tips and Tricks for Both In-Store and Online Shoppers!

November 18, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Ok, so how do you roll on Black Friday? Are you up hours before the sun in order to get those awesome deals? Or do you kick back at home and do your shopping online? 56% of consumers believe that Black Friday is the day to get the most savings out of all the major winter holiday sale days (source), so the odds are good that you are going to be buying something that day, and for a good price! And whether you are in the stores or just in cyberspace, I’ve got some information that is going to save you even MORE money this November 29th! Here’s how to get instant access to over 500,000 coupons at over 60,000 stores!

For the Brick and Mortar Shoppers

You simply MUST download the . It is free (see? saving money already!) and it will send automatic alerts to your phone when deals are at nearby malls. It gives you the ability to save coupons and to receive notifications about when they are about to expire. I think this feature is fantastic all year long, as I have thrown away countless great coupons simply because I forgot to use them before they were expired. Additionally, since in-store shoppers need to have a very smart strategy to maximize their time on Black Friday, you may want to save some of those sales that last more than one day for later that weekend and focus your energies on the one day only blowouts.

To use the coupons that you have on your phones in the stores, you just show your phone at checkout and the person ringing you up can either scan the barcode or enter the code provided into their register and BOOM! Savings for you! Nothing to print and remember to fish out of your purse!

For the Online Shoppers

If the “in your jammies” shopping is more your style, I’m right there with you! But you don’t have to wait for Cyber Monday to scoop up some FANTASTIC deals. And you also don’t have to scour the papers and plot your strategy for an hour before shopping. Just do what I do, and head to to scoop up your coupons. Want a sneak peek of those amazing deals? Check out their constantly updated page! I’m dying over here at some of the bargains!

And since great deals are happening every single day online, and not just on Black Friday, can I suggestion that you sign up for RetailMeNot and their newsletters, which show you the very best deals across the site each week? RetailMeNot is making it SO easy to save as much money as possible, and for that, I truly love them! 🙂

Not Sure What to Buy?

If you know you want to get a great deal this year, but don’t know what you want to buy, RetailMeNot can help you out! They offer (tied to great coupons, of course!), and if you are in a bit of a hurry and need to quickly find the best ideas and prices, check out which offers gift suggestions , savings tips and the best sales of the week, all in one spot.

Save More, Earn More!

If you become a member of RetailMeNot and make 2 purchases of $10 or more each by using their coupons, you will get a $5 eGift card to use. If you make 3 purchases, you ! Is the awesomeness of RetailMeNot sinking in? They work hard to save you as much money as possible, make access to these savings totally free, and then, on top of it all, they are giving you extra money back?!

Snow Me The Money!

In addition to all the savings you can expect from RetailMeNot on Black Friday (and every day!), you also need to check out the Snow Me The Money Sweepstakes! Use the RetailMeNotMobile app, which you have already downloaded because you are super savvy, and simply shake the snow globe for a chance to win a $25 eGift card, or the grand prize of $10,000!

There are SO many ways to save with RetailMeNot this holiday season. I’ve saved a ton of money over the years thanks to this website, and I’m getting geared up to save even more this year. Thank you, RetailMeNot!

This post is brought to you by RetailMeNot. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Piccadilly Catering: Make Your Holiday To-Go!

November 17, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

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

For me, the best part of the holiday season is getting to have quality time with family. I have lots of memories of great talks I have had with siblings, fun adventures I have had with my nieces, and lots of laughs with my parents and in-laws.

And of course, food is part of those memories. There are several things my family eats around the holidays that don't really make an appearance any other time of year. The food evokes memories and comfort.

And can I be real? Now that I'm one of the main people preparing it, I know that is is also a pain in the rear to make. In order to have all that yummy food available AND to still get that quality time with family that matters so much to me, I've got to spend a LOT of time planning how to get the food together, and by and large, that means I have to get up early, or worse, stay up late, to get it done. Boo to that!

Hosted by imgur.com

So I've been pouring over the Holiday To-Go offerings from Piccadilly this year. You may recall the Piccadilly review I did earlier this year. They are a homestyle restaurant with a really fun buffet and lots of delicious food offerings. They have great packages meant to help the folks preparing family feasts get out of the kitchen and have more time with their families, which is exactly what I'm looking for.

for $54.99, you can get the turkey feast, which includes the following food, meant for 10-14 people

1 pint cranberry sauce
2 quarts cornbread dressing
1 quart turkey gravy
1 dozen rolls
1 whole or 5 lbs sliced turkey

The ham package is available for the same price, and also comes with 1 whole or 5 lbs sliced hame, a dozen rolls, and your choice of two sides. If your family gathering is smaller, there are also junior feasts available for families of 4-6, and those run $29.99 for turkey and $25.99 for ham.

And can I make a suggestion for maximizing this great offering? Pick up a gift card for yourself to cover the cost of the food you'd like Piccadilly to make for your holidays. For every $50 you spend on gift cards, you will be given a $10 gift card that is good in the restaurant during the month of January. Save yourself some time now, and some money later! 🙂

You can keep up with all the great happenings and promotions at Piccadilly through social media, so be sure to like Piccadilly Restaurants on Facebook and follow @EatPiccadilly on Twitter

Safeguard Your Family’s Skin with Baby Mantra!

November 17, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Review by Alanna Peters

Like Tiffany, I do my best to avoid chemical cleaning products in my home, especially in products used for my family’s skin and hair. I want to make sure that I’m not covering our skin with harmful carcinogens! I was thrilled when Baby Mantra asked if I’d be interested in reviewing their 100% natural skincare line. Baby Mantra is chemical-free, cruelty free, dye free, toxin free and made with organic ingredients. What’s not to like, right?!

Baby Mantra products are all Natural Products Association (NPA) Certified, and come in recyclable packaging. The products they offer are Newborn Shampoo & Body Wash, 3-in-1 Baby Bubble Bath, Shampoo & Body Wash, Calming Massage Oil, and Calming Lotion. Since it won’t be long before I’ll be cleaning my baby’s delicate newborn skin, I was sent a bottle of Baby Mantra Newborn Shampoo & Body Wash.

I tried the shampoo & body wash first on myself. To be honest, I wasn’t really impressed with the way it worked for me. First of all, I had a really hard time getting the pump to actually dispense the product. Once I finally got it started I put it on my loofah and could not get a lather at all. I had to keep adding more and more to be sure I was actually getting enough product on my body. The instructions say to use a quarter-size amount in your palm, so that may be the way to go rather than using the loofah.

I also tried the shampoo & body wash on my 3 year old daughter, and again, I was not impressed. I put it on her hair and felt like it wasn’t doing anything at all. I’ve heard that getting a lather is not necessary in order to get hair clean, but I sure feel like it helps. I have a hard time knowing what areas of the head have been washed if I don’t see a good lather! After my initial disappointment, I read the description of the Newborn Shampoo & Body Wash and discovered that it is advertised as a “low foaming” wash. While I wouldn’t recommend it for adults or older children, I do think it will be great to use on my newborn when she arrives. Since her body will be so tiny and she’ll have a lot less hair than my 3 year old, I can totally understand why a low foaming wash would be perfect for a newborn.

The wash itself has a nice, light scent. When I first smelled it I thought of Christmas trees but after using it in the bath I feel like it has more of a sage/lavender smell to it – love! I’m a huge fan of coconut oil so I also love that this body wash is moisturized by coconut oil and aloe. I will be putting the rest of my Baby Mantra bottle on the shelf until my baby arrives, but I’m definitely looking forward to using it on her! I’d also love to try the 3-in-1 Baby Bubble Bath, Shampoo & Body Wash to use on both girls once the little one gets a bit older.

If you’d like to give Baby Mantra a try, right now they are offering a 20% off coupon for all Baby Mantra products at Amazon.com. Use the code “RAD6BKJY” to get your discount! The code is valid from now until December 31st. To find out more about Baby Mantra, you can visit them online at www.babymantra.com. You can also find their products at Walgreens, Drugstore.com and Diapers.com.