Archives for September 2012

ROCKtoberfest giveaway event: Oct. 1-15

 

Welcome to ROCKtoberfest hosted by Cheap Is The *New* Classy! Lots of bloggers have come together to bring you this awesome music-themed giveaway hop. This event runs until 10/15 to give you plenty of time to enter on everyone’s blog for more chances to win fabulous music-related prizes valued at $25 or more.

The GRAND PRIZE for this event is an autographed prize pack sponsored by Grammy Award winning southern rock and country group – Kentucky Headhunters! After you are entering on this blog, please come and enter for this fabulous Kentucky Headhunters prize pack at Cheap Is The *New* Classy which is open to US/CAN.

 

 

 

Savings in Seconds wants to help your kids get rocking, too. One lucky winner will receive a CD from Golden Records and one from Sing Loud!   You can read my review of Golden Records to find out how we liked it, and also for links to get to free downloads.  I also reviewed Sing Loud!  which my daughter listens to daily.

This giveaway is open to US readers ages 18+.  The giveaway ends Oct. 15.  Enter on the Rafflecopter form below.  Rock on!!

Dare to Be Scared giveaway hop: Oct. 1-14


Welcome to the Dare to Be Scared giveaway hop. For this giveaway, you have the opportunity to win two fun books that go perfectly with the Halloween season. The first book is How to Rule the World by Jade Hensley. This book is so fun to read….it describes an innocent hoax played by a college kid on her small town friends. The characters are really funny and the interaction between them makes the story even better. This book is valued at $12.99.

The second book offered in this giveaway is Jules of the World: The California Caper by Liz Chaban. Engaging for littler kids, Jules of the world is a fun little paperback. It is a good way to introduce children to the joys of travel. It has a poetic rhyme scheme with a bouncy beat. The giveaway winner will receive this book which is valued at $18.99.

 

I received copies of these books to review. The opinions posted are 100% mine.

ABCmouse.com deal


ABC Mouse offers a full online curriculum for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten in the subjects of reading, math, science, social studies, art, and music. Children can start anywhere and move through the curriculum at their own pace! ABC Mouse has won numerous awards, including the Parent’s Choice, Teacher’s Choice, and Mom’s Choice GOLD awards! Get your first month FREE!  CLICK HERE

 

 



Get your free coffee this morning!!

Don’t forget, it’s NATIONAL COFFEE DAY!!   I have lots of friends who can’t live without their morning cup, so I hope you all are headed to 7-Eleven for your freebie.  Here’s the original post if you missed it:

 

Alright all of you coffee junkies!  Mark your calendar for 9/28/12 for National Coffee Day.  Nationwide 7-Eleven stores will be serving up large cups of coffee, lattes, and cappuccinos!  The hours are from 6 AM to 10 AM, just in time for your morning commute.   Don’t worry, I’ll remind you.  :)

(Info was in the latest issue of Good Housekeeping.  One good reason to read magazines! )

Enjoy your babies today….no matter how old they are.

I read this post tonight and now I’m off to go hug my little ones while they sleep.
You’ll want to do the same with your babies, I bet, once you take a peek at it.

Take a few minutes this weekend to snuggle with your kids!   If your children live far away, call them.  Tell them you love them.  And if you don’t have children, no worries—-just take a moment to savor something or someone that’s special to you.  Every moment can be magical!

Layaway at Kmart for savings & secrecy!

This is a sponsored post, I am a Kmart Layaway blogger, though all opinions are my own.

My husband is the biggest holiday scrooge.  He never wants me to spend money on him and if I do, he figures out what his holiday gifts are before Christmas even arrives.  It's always a bummer.  This year I plan to use Kmart's free layaway service to keep things on the sneaky side!   Using layaway means that I have extra time to pay things off, too, which is a plus.  No need to use credit cards this way!!  Kmart's layaway plan offers so much more than Walmart, Best Buy, and especially Toys R Us so I know that I'll be heading there for my Christmas shopping.  I like to start my holiday shopping in September but that's a long time to store the gifts.  Layaway is a great solution to this.

Kmart Free Layaway Grid 09_12.jpg

 Kmart_Logo_B&W.jpg (3 documents, 3 total pages)

I found several items that I want to put on layaway.  This way, I can shop for my kids but don't have to hide the gifts in my house.   For my son, the Imaginext Eagle Talon castle is a must-buy.  He will play with this for hours!  I'm also planning to grab a DSi XL for him, too, because he's always wanting to play with his sister's DSi.  For my daughter, the Sweet Pea Euro-Style Electric Scooter is ADORABLE.  I know she'll love it!!   And finally, my husband would never say it but I know he'd like to have a bigger TV.  The RCA 42" class Plasma HDTV is right up his alley and is a good price.  I know I'd never be able to hide these things in my basement for three months without my family discovering them and ruining the surprise.  You can plan your own layaway strategy by visiting Kmart's website and viewing the product descriptions.  Even if you don't want to use the layaway service, you can get free store pick-up when you purchase online.  What a time-saver!

Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway

Kmart has a fun giveaway going on right now.  If I won, that would be a huge savings for my family!!   How will the layaway service at Kmart help your family this holiday season?

Visit Sponsor's Site

Tricities Tuesday: Atlanta Bread Company has fun entertainment

When we’re headed to Johnson City, I usually ask the kids where they want to eat.  Why?  Why do I do that to myself?  It’s just the start of a big argument where someone (usually at least me) is going to end up unhappy.   But then there came Atlanta Bread Company.  This has become one of the few places I can count on the kids agreeing upon, and enthusiastically so!  We first went to ABC after visiting Wallabies.  It was a rainy night and we just wanted a bowl of hot soup.  There was a band playing and the kids listened while they ate, then afterwards they danced to the music.  We had SO.  MUCH.  FUN!!!!!

Since that night, we have gone back at least three times.  Each time there has been some kind of fun entertainment…….one night it was a balloon guy for the kids!!   And he made really cool balloon animals, like a dolphin for my daughter and a monkey with bananas for my son.  There has been a musician performing every other time.  My kids LOVE listening to the music, and as I’ve said before I think it’s really important to expose them to live performances.   My kids also love the food (no, I don’t go there just because my kids are distracted for a few minutes.  Although that would still be worth it.)    Both of my kids usually get a bowl of soup, but they have grilled cheese and other options too.  The mommy food is really good—-I love the half-and-half options.   The kids get a free cookie with the kid’s meal and I get to eat while they are entertained.  Win-win for all of us.

Next time you are in the Johnson City area, be sure to stop by Atlanta Bread Company.  Let me know what you think of it!

 

(I received no compensation in any way for this post.  The opinions stated are 100% mine.)

Newman’s Own Organics and The Organized Cook

Disclosure: We received product samples. Opinions shared are mine.
We were thrilled to feature the fabulous Newman’s Own Organics company in this blog hop.  First of all, I didn’t realize at first that this is its own company.   The quality of these products is just amazing, especially considering how affordable they are!    I was very impressed by the diversity in the products this company offers.   The flavors really take the food to a whole new level.  For example, when we recently entertained my husband’s family I set out a platter of the Ginger Snaps (from the Family Recipe Cookie line).  Ginger Snaps are my husband’s favorite cookies and he could not get enough of these.  Our visitors also loved them.  They couldn’t believe that the cookies had real ginger in them!!   Remember when food actually had real ingredients?   You can go back to that time with Newman’s Own Organics.   We tried several other products from Newman’s Own Organics, including the licorice twists (love the sour ones) and the chocolate bars. The chocolate was dark as it comes and was DELISH.  It was so incredible that I only ate one small piece a day.  One bar lasted me an entire week.   The best part was that the small piece satisfied my craving for chocolate, so I didn’t feel like I had to eat the whole bar to feel like I had a treat.  My family even devoured the pretzels which were really light and crispy.  I can’t say enough about the quality of these yummy foods.  I’ll definitely be shopping for Newman’s Own Organics in the future.  One lucky winner will receive a prize package from Newman’s Own Organics containing up to five products.  (Open to US only)    Meanwhile, grab printable coupons on their website so you can snatch up some of these treats when you’re at the store.

[Read more…]

Traveling for the holidays? Save some green!

This is a sponsored post. The opinions shared here are 100% mine. Millions of people will be traveling over the next few months for various reasons.  Some will travel across hundreds or even thousands of miles to reach their destinations.  My husband and I are transplants…….we both moved about 350 miles from “home” to relocate here in Tennessee.   We always feel the need to visit our families over the holidays although time, money, and life don’t permit us to do it as often as we’d like.   Whether you’re traveling to visit family, friends, or The Happiest Place on Earth, there are ways to save money on your vacation plans.  Here are some ideas that have helped us to save a little green and sometimes some sanity while hitting the road.

First of all, consider traveling early in the morning or late at night.  While something can be said for traveling in the daylight and having a safer travel time just due to the visibility, we feel that we’re fresher early in the morning.  We try to avoid the city traffic during rush hour, so we time our travel around the commuters.  This has been especially helpful since we’ve had our little ones.  Traveling in the morning while they’re still sleepy really helps to make the trip pass a little easier.  By the time the kiddos “wake up,”  we are close to our destination.

Secondly, always ALWAYS check online for savings before you head out the door.  No matter where you live, there are lots of deals just waiting to be grabbed!   Whether you need savings on hotel rooms, trip packages, or meals, there are savings to be had.  

Make sure that you keep some cash on hand even if you’re planning to use your credit card.  Believe it or not, some businesses still don’t accept cards.  Having some cash with you makes it easier to take a quick break on the road.  This also helps with tips and other cash-only moments that can be really frustrating if you don’t have that green with you.

Don’t forget about your pets!  If you’re planning to travel during a holiday, be sure that you make plans for boarding your furry friends well in advance.  Every other person who is traveling will be thinking the same thing.  We always start with our vet, who makes it a policy to accept only animals that are treated at their clinic.  This way I know that the pets in the boarding facility have had excellent care and I won’t be concerned with my dog catching some cooties from the other dogs.

I’d love to hear some of your travel advice!!   Please feel free to share your own comments below with travel tips and ideas.

 

The post was inspired by www.mega.co.uk. The opinions and experiences mentioned are 100% mine.

 

Golden Records has a golden deal for your kids….plus free download!

My kids absolutely LOVE to sing along to music in the car.  We have several CD’s and DVD’s that get continuously played while we travel.  They also play music while they sleep and throughout the day whenever we’re at home.  Our new Golden Records CD has become a fast favorite at the Savings in Seconds house.  Although my kids have no idea who any of the singing celebrities are, it’s fun for me to listen to their songs, too.   The songs are all classic songs that are fun and easy for kids to join in.  As I visited the Golden Records website, I found that they have loads of new CD’s coming out this year.  So many of them are perfect for the holidays!    This great music is available on iTunes, on Amazon, and at Walmart.   I think the prices for each CD are very reasonable….especially considering how often my kids listen to them!    I will also be sharing these CD’s with the kids in our lives as gifts this holiday season.  Their parents can thank me later!

View the trailer video here:

Little Golden Records

Connect with Golden Records on their social media pages!

Website: http://littlegoldenrecords.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LittleGoldenRecords/app_108468622525037  — get a free download just for stopping by!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoldenRecords
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/GoldenRecords
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/goldenrecords/
Stay tuned for a giveaway from Golden Records—one lucky winner will receive a copy of Celebrity Series” The Magic Continues, Vol. 1.   The giveaway will go live on October 1 as part of the Rocktoberfest giveaway event.

 

 

 

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