Stuff Parents Need - Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

How I Save Money When I Shop Online With Zero Effort!

June 6, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I’ve been a member of Ebates since 2007. In that time I have been sent checks totaling over $130. For what, you ask? For doing online shopping that I was going to be doing, anyway. It has been awesome! And honestly, I could have earned at least double that amount back if only I’d remembered to use Ebates every time I shopped. But now Ebates has a cash back app you can download that automatically alerts you and activates Ebates any time you are browsing a site that is an Ebates partner. They are making it pretty much effortless for you to save money! Woo hoo!!!

If you haven’t’ signed up for Ebates and you shop online (who doesn’t?!), you really need to get on this site! They have TONS of stores that you probably already frequent and they offer you cash back on your purchase, anywhere from 1-35% back, just depending on the store! They also have other store coupon offers for you to be sure to take advantage of, so that you don’t miss any extra percentage savings or free shipping offers while you are shopping. And of course, it is totally free to join. They don’t need any credit card information, or bank account information. Just a mailing address to send you your money! I’ve even been able to stack the Ebates cash back offer with online coupon codes to get really incredible savings. Ebates even has a list of currently available coupons at stores to help you stop hunting and start saving faster! Here’s a sampling of the stores I shop at and have saved big bucks from in the past:

Other offerings include popular sites like Diapers.com, Walmart, select sections of Amazon.com and Sephora. Oh heck yes, my friends, I know you are shopping online, so PLEASE let me help you save some extra money. Ebates makes is SO easy (especially with that new web app, which yours truly has already downloaded!).

Do yourself a favor and get signed up if you haven’t already. Look at all the money I’ve saved that I would have missed out on if I hadn’t joined Ebates!

This post contains an affiliate link. But I wouldn’t recommend this site if I didn’t know from experience that you really do get sent checks in the mail for your savings! I got my most recent check 2 weeks ago, which is what reminded me that I needed to spread the word!

Car Trip Tip: Get a 12 Foot Charger!

June 5, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Friends, will you be taking any road trips this summer? We have already been down to Southeast Alabama so far, and we have trips to Atlanta and Asheville in the works, too. Car trips with little ones can be challenging to say the least. Our youngest is still rear-facing in her car seat, which means she relies on her big sis to keep her company while she is awake. Our oldest doesn’t doze off very easily in the car, so she needs more entertainment options, especially while her sister is snoozing.

We are often using one of our iPhones as a GPS unit, which just leaves one free for her use. But her apps seems to drain our cell batteries so quickly! We’ve tried keeping the phone plugged into our car charger while she plays with it, but that totally doesn’t work, as it won’t reach to the back seat It has certainly created a dilemma.

And this is why I really love a new product from the Michigan-based company called Fuse (they manufacture cell and tablet accessories, in addition to a variety of audio products). If you poke around on their site, you’ll see lots of things you’ll love, but in particular, I want to draw your attention to their VERY clever invention, the 12 foot phone charger.

This charger makes it possible for your kids to play on your phone or your iPad in the back seat. And if you have a van, they can play with it in the very back seat while it is still charging, too! In fact, you’ll be surprised just how far this charger can really go. Take a look at this cute video the company put together demonstrating how it works:

Did you note that this charger also allows you to charge two phones at once? Woo hoo! I absolutely love that feature! Gone are the days when Tim and I had to take turns charging each other’s phones while on the road (which typically meant that one of us would forget to charge our phone and end up with a low battery at an inconvenient moment).

A 12 foot charger may sound a bit excessive at first glance, but trust me, if you have passengers in your back seat, and if those passengers like to play with your phone or your iPad, then this is a must. It will keep the good times rolling while your wheels keep rolling down the highway.

I am contacting you because I think our product line would be a great fit for the subject of your blog. A product that our parent bloggers love is our 12-foot car charger. It provides convenience and allows the parent to charge two devices while the kids play on the phone or iPad in the backseat. It is also heavy-duty in its design and build, which means that it is ready for whatever may be headed its way. And when you have kids, you just never know what that could mean!

I also want to add that this would be a great Father’s Day gift. A cool gadget that is also super functional AND affordable! This product is just $29.99! Don’t forget to follow Fuse on Facebook to keep up with their latest product releases and special deal offerings!

How do you keep all your electronic devices charged up while you are on the road? What do you think about the 12 foot charger concept?

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Spring Cleaning Bug FINALLY Hit! And It Feels…Lucrative!

June 4, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I know I’m late to the whole “Spring Cleaning” party. Honestly, it’s a party I usually just skip altogether. Too much work. Not enough fun. I’d rather sit on my couch piled sky high with laundry and eat my dinner on a paper plate (due to there being no clean dishes) while I watch the only non-kid DVD I can manage to find in our spilled over tower of movies.

Oh wait. That also sounds terrible! And a little too close to my reality for comfort! The fact is, I was having a rare quiet moment in my home a few days ago, and I had about 15 square feet of my house that was legitimately clean. And organized. And it felt like the happiest place on earth. That’s when I realized that once again, my stuff was owning me and was taking WAY too much of my time.

Every day feels like Groundhog Day around here in some respects. The kitchen is constantly dirty, so we are constantly loading and unloading the dishwasher. Same story with laundry. There are piles EVERYWHERE! And we just have too much stuff to give everything a proper home, so there’s always a mess. I’ve heard before that you can’t organize clutter, and that is SO true.

So I took to my closet and got REALLY REAL with myself. If I didn’t love it I got rid of it. I now have a grand total of 20 things hanging in my closet. It is a slim wardrobe, but I will wear every single thing in there. That’s how it should be! And there will be many different women in the city who will stumble upon my wardrobe rejects and be absolutely giddy, because was was ill-fitting for me will be the perfect fit for them!

So where’s the “lucrative” piece I referred to? Well, in addition to snagging a hefty tax deduction for so many threads (most of which really are still in great shape, just wrong for me), I also have pinpointed several items that I can sell and have it actually be worth my time selling on Craigslist. Items such as a double stroller we NEVER use, some specialty cookware and some luxurious table linens that are only gathering dust in my home are going to be put up for sale. I won’t make a killing, but I’ll be able to supplement our vacation fund quite nicely, and make my house feel more comfortable in the process!

And in addition to getting rid of some big things in the house, I’ve also discovered that you can make quite a bit of money getting rid of some small things, like your old cell phones! Do you have any sitting in a drawer in your house? And you have no idea what to do with them? Rather than wait around until they really are worthless, go ahead and sell them! Check out what you can get for them at sellcell.com. I just learned that my old phone is currently worth $51 and there’s a company willing to buy it right now. Wow!! Talk about easy money!

Sometimes, my friends, it pays to dejunk your life. You’ll feel better. Your house will definitely look better. And you can skip the dishes tonight, because you can go out to eat with the cash you just earned! 🙂 Do you have any success stories with unloading your junk for tax credit or for cash? I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks to our friends at SellCell.com for partnering with Stuff Parents Need for this post.

Stuff Parents Need to Know: How to Perform CPR

June 4, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

Public Service Announcement: How to Perform CPR

Ever worry that you wouldn’t know what to do in an emergency situation? It’s a common concern. Nearly 70% of Americans feel they are not able to provide proper CPR should it be necessary. ACLS National has posted the latest guidelines to effective CPR as part of their Be A Shield campaign. This free public education service is intended to improve knowledge and understanding of CPR and basic lifesaving skills. Through the Be A Shield series parents can learn how to provide CPR to an adult, child and infant as well as how to recognize and treat heat exhaustion and choking. Take a few minutes to review the basics of CPR and gain the confidence that comes with knowing how to act in an emergency.

ACLS National is a medical education and training company that provides professional certification courses throughout the United States.

I’d also highly recommend getting this magnet to have on your fridge. It is very easy to reference if you are at home and find yourself with a choking child (been there…it’s very hard to be calm and do a google search at that moment, trust me!).

Thanks to ACLS National for partnering with Stuff Parents Need for this Public Service Announcement.

Real Nappies: Affordable Cloth Diapers and Diaper Liners

June 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

As a cloth diapering mama, I certainly have my favorite type of products. I tend to favor diapers that are super easy to use, and in the past, that has meant that using prefolds was not my favorite thing to do. Prefolds are larger swatches of material (usually cotton) that you fold in a certain way and either lay inside a diaper cover or stuff into a pocket diaper. Let me be clear: using prefolds isn’t hard. It just requires more effort than an all-in-one diaper, which is every bit as easy to use as a disposable diaper. So they just weren’t my go-to.

Real Nappies

But over the last month I have had a bit of a change of heart. I’ve really fallen in love with a cloth diaper company based out of New Zealand called Real Nappies. Their diaper line is super simple, super affordable, and super easy to use. They also have a GENIUS additional component that I’ll tell you about in a few paragraphs, so hang with me!

But first, let’s take a look at the Real Nappies Cloth Diapers Top-Up Pack I was sent. This kit comes with simple white diaper covers and 6 prefold cloth diaper inserts, each made with 100% Indian cotton (which is very absorbent). The price for this kit is just $44.99. Since the inserts can be removed and the diaper covers used multiple times before being washed, this means you can have up to 6 diapers available to you for this price. And that makes it a HUGE bargain. I love how affordable Real Nappies are, as not everyone (present company included) can afford to have an entire cloth diaper stash of easy all-in-one diapers.

But the other thing I’ve realized over using these for the past month is that they honestly aren’t difficult to use at all. If I want to treat them like my other diapers and put both the insert and the cover in the diaper bag after one use, that’s no problem. Or I can take a few extra seconds to just switch out inserts and use the cover again. I’ve been avoiding doing this type of thing for years, but once I forced myself to give it a try, I realized that it isn’t cumbersome to do this. In fact, it makes a lot of sense! The only thing that I wish was different about the covers is the velcro tabs. These are just like disposable diapers and are actually easier to use than a snap closure, but my daughter is at the age now where she loves nothing more than to rip off her diaper. I can fix the problem by just making sure she has on pants or bloomers. But I find that once they discover how to take off their diaper, life is just a lot easier if you go for snaps. So I’d love to see this company offer a cover with snaps in the future.

I’ve been very impressed with the inserts and how well they are working, too. But even more than that, I am head-over-heels about the Real Nappies Diaper Liners. Honestly, I’ve seen diaper liners before (had a package once when Darah was in cloth). I barely used them. Just didn’t really understand the point. My first child also happened to have fairly predictable bowel movements that were fairly easy to deal with (in other words, they could be dumped in the toilet from the diaper without too much fuss, usually). Layah, on the other hand, can poo at pretty much any time of day without warning, and let’s just say what she produces is really gross and leave it at that. That’s where these Real Nappies Diaper Liners totally save the day.

When we use the Diaper Liners and she poos, Tim doesn’t have to deal with nearly as much mess (he’s the household diaper sprayer, or the diaper pre-treater, and I’m the diaper washer). The liner can simply be removed and flushed, leaving a significantly cleaner diaper than you otherwise would have had. Tim is pretty much in love with these. And for this kid, this is a product that we will be buying again as soon as our current supply runs out. They just make life a little less gross for us, which we very much appreciate.

I also wanted to point out that the Diaper Liner are a great option for you even if you use disposables. Most people don’t realize that you are NOT supposed to throw away poop, but instead, are supposed to dispose of it in a toilet prior to throwing out your diaper. Read any box of diapers and you will see! Diaper Liners can help make this task much easier for you.

So after having tried two great products from Real Nappies, I have to say that I’m impressed with the quality and the price point, I’m converted to the idea that prefolds rock, and I’m dealing with less nasty poo. I’d say this has been a positive experience!

If you or someone you know is interested in starting cloth diapering but doesn’t want to break the bank, I can’t think of a better way to get started than with a kit from Real Nappies!

I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Prettiest Birth Announcements I’ve Ever Seen!

June 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Birth announcements have come a LONG way in the past 5 years. I’ve seen such an amazing growth in creativity, color schemes, and photography styles. But when I was recently asked to check out the offerings on minted.com, I was really surprised. I’ve never seen birth announcements as beautiful as these. Take a look!

I mean….c’mon. These birth announcements are GORGEOUS!!! And lest you think they all of their designs are girly and flowery, here are a few other options that caught my eye!

Minted.com offers some fantastic customization options, allowing you to alter the specific shape, size or layout of each design, which means you have endless possibilities. Or, if you are like me and lack that creative gene, just go with what the design staff at Minted has dreamed up already, because what they have to offer is perfection, already!

If you are on the hunt for birth announcements that will stand out from the crowd, Minted.com is the place to beat. Oh, and just to make your life as a new parent a bit easier, Minted.com offers FREE recipient address printing with your birth announcement order! 🙂

I received complimentary cards in exchange for sharing my honest opinions, which I have provided. This post contains affiliate links.

Exotic, Effortless Meal: Curried Chicken Thighs Over Jasmine Rice

June 2, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Success® Rice. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own, as always.

This week I tried something a little different for my family: I made a curried chicken dish and served it on a bed of delicious, fragrant jasmine rice. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? And complicated?

If you have read my blog for a while, then you know that complicated is NOT how I roll! No way, friends! I got stuff to do…get me in and out of the kitchen fast! So when I come up with an idea that is close to effortless but looks super fancy, I’m all over it. I was inspired to get adventurous in the kitchen once I learned about the fragrant rice varieties available through . Want to see what I made?

Curried Chicken Thighs Over Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken thighs (I used bone-in because they are less expensive, but boneless is fine)

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

1/3 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

3 Tbsp oil (I recommend olive oil)

1 package Success® Thai Jasmine Rice

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the curry powder, honey, salt, red pepper flakes and oil. Then add your chicken thighs and coat the chicken pieces evenly.

Place chicken thighs in a baking pan. I suggest lining the pan with aluminum foil for easier clean up, but that is optional. If you don’t line the pan, spray it with cooking spray. Bake 35 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop your package of Success® Thai Jasmine Rice into the boiling water, and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. That’s right, just 10 minutes! Then follow the package instructions for bag removal and rice draining.

Serve the chicken on top of the rice for a beautiful, fragrant, and super easy dish that will taste like an exotic culinary triumph!

Success® Rice is such a key pantry staple because there’s no measuring involved, no mess, and the results are absolutely perfect in 10 minutes or less! The Thai Jasmine Rice was truly exceptional, and I’m delighted to see it available as one of several great varieties int he Success line. In your local store, you can also find Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice, Success® White Rice and Success® Basmati Rice. Basmati will be the one I pick up on my next grocery trip! What about you? Be sure to print the coupon (link found below!) before you head out on your next shopping trip!

And please visit SuccessRice.com for quick and easy recipes that will help you get dinner on the table in a flash. You can also Like the Success® Rice Facebook page to get even more great recipes and lifestyle tips that make mealtimes easier and more fun!

A message from Success® Rice:

With 4 varieties available including: Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice and Success® White Rice, and globally-inspired aromatic varieties of Success® Rice, including fragrant Thai Jasmine or Basmati Rice, there’s a variety everyone in your family will love. Try your own twist on one of your favorite recipes by swapping an aromatic variety into some of your go-to rice dishes. To accommodate various households, Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice and Success® White Rice comes in two different sizes – 14 oz. or 32 oz.

So what are you waiting for? Use this coupon for $.50 off your next box so you can add this staple to your kitchen pantry:

How We Study the Weather and the Calendar (Giveaway!)

June 2, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 54 Comments

What morning rituals does your family have these days? I’d like to show you one of ours that Darah (my almost 4 year old) is really enjoying and that creates great moments for learning. Check out the Funky Monkey Forecast!

Learning Resources has this set of 60 magnetic pieces available on their website. It comes with a jumbo monkey and 28 different accessories to dress him in, depending on the day’s weather. There are also 6 weather icons and 3 weather words. Every morning Darah looks outside to see what the weather looks like at the moment (sunny, cloudy, etc.) and I also check the forecast online to get a sense for the daily temperatures and if any special weather conditions are headed our way.

After Darah dresses the monkey for the day, she has a better idea of how to dress herself, too! This helps tremendously once we head upstairs to pick out an outfit. She used to choose things that were seasonally inappropriate and not understand why she would be much too hot or much too cold in them. Now she gets it, and she edits her options accordingly. And as you likely know, drama over wardrobe is GREATLY reduced when the child gets to make her own choices. So the Funky Monkey is helping us not only with weather comprehension, but also with the practical life skill of dressing oneself.

Darah dressed this moneky for a warm day at school. Note the backwards shoes and the lack of pants. Darah finds pants to be an annoying component of wardrobes, to be avoided if at all possible.

practical life: weather and dressing with funky monkey

Her clothing selection (a dress, which means no pants needed! )

Additionally, I’m starting to work with Darah on the calendar aspect of the Funky Monkey set. It comes with the 7 days of the week, as well as the 12 months of the year. Darah is starting to associate the days of the week with the different activities we do on those days (such a school on Monday and Wednesday during the summer, or Daddy being at home on Saturday and Sunday). She isn’t yet able to identify the words by sight, but the magnets are helping us practice and improve in that area.

I’m really pleased with this fun new tool that provides my child with a morning ritual to get her day started right. And I also LOVE that it comes in magnet form, which means it takes up very little space. Three cheers for that!!!

Buy it!: The Funky Monkey Forecast is available for $29.98 through the Learning Resources website, as well as through Amazon.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Funky Monkey Forecast!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains an affiliate link.

How To Use Credit Cards to Pay Down Debt

May 31, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Special thanks to Shay for partnering with Stuff Parents Need to make this post possible. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Does the title of my post cause you to do a double-take? Does it sound very counter-intuitive, or at the very least, very stupid? I mean, how on earth can a credit card, which is often the source of debt problems, be a helpful tool in paying down debt???

But there are a few tricks that you can employ to put your credit cards to work for you in your efforts to pay down some of your debt!

How to Pay Down Debt Using a Credit Card

1. The best way to help pay down your debt by using a credit card is to wait for a really good balance transfer offer, and then to take full advantage of it. For example, one of your credit card companies may offer you 24 months of interest free payments on any debt you want to transfer over to their card. So let’s say you have a $5,000 debt on a different credit card at that time, and you are currently paying 15% interest on that debt every month. If you can develop a plan to get that $5,000 fully paid off in 24 months, then transferring the debt makes perfect sense. And while you are paying it off, you aren’t having to pay huge interest charges, which saves you even more money!

I also want to mention that if you take all of your debt from one credit card and put it on another credit card, you can then cancel out the old credit card. This is a good thing to do if you find that credit cards are a bit of a temptation for you. If you are trying to improve your credit score, this might also be a good way to go, as creditors take a look at your overall credit available. If you have too much credit at the ready, you become a higher credit risk.

I wouldn’t recommend transferring an amount higher than what you feel very confident that you can repay by the interest-free deadline. Otherwise, this move can bite you in the behind, as some credit card companies will charge you for all the interest you would have paid over that time period if the debt remains after the interest-free period (sneaky, isn’t it?). BUT, if you know you can pay it, then this is actually a really great way to help you get out from under the foot of your debt!

2. The other way you can use your credit cards to help you get out from debt is by taking full advantage of any rewards or perks that your credit card offers. So many people really don’t understand their rewards programs and let the points they are racking up just sit dormant. In many cases those points can be used for airfare, hotels, electronics, or even for cash back. Take a little bit of time to investigate the rewards you are eligible for, and then use them, preferably for something you were planning on purchasing anyway (such as plane tickets for the holidays). You can then take the money that you were planning on spending for those items or services and send it straight to your debt, instead! How cool would it be to take the $1,000 you were planning on spending on your next vacation and put it toward your debt, all the while still getting to take that vacation! That may be more possible than you think, all thanks to those rewards available through your credit card!

And should you find that your credit card offers no rewards (gasp!) or really lousy ones, then it might be a good time to do a credit card comparison. Shop around and see if you can find ways to make your credit card work a bit harder for you. Credit cards, when used wisely, really and truly can help you save money and pay down your debt. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it is true!

photo credit: Josh Kenzer via photopin cc