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

Earlier this month I shared my strategies for staying within a budget during the holiday season. Yes, we still buy gifts for our friends and family.  I’m not good at the homemade gifts, so DIY is DIDon’t at our house. Our goal is to avoid charging the holidays on credit cards then having to pay it back well into March. I failed to mention how my mom did this for so many years. In fact, she never owned any credit cards when we were younger. She paid for all of our gifts by taking advantage of the layaway plan at Kmart. That’s also how she was able to save up for our school supplies a little at a time, too. For those of us who need to chip away at the iceberg, Kmart Layaway can help bridge the gap between debt and financial security.

If you’re hesitant about trying layaway, consider the fact that Kmart allows you to Layaway almost everything on your list without paying a dime in service fees (now through 11/23). Does your credit card offer you the same benefit? [Read more…]

Disclosure: Savings in Seconds is excited to partner with VTech to offer you an InnoTab 3 tablet. Opinions shared here are mine.  Check out my review to see why we put this toy on our A-list this year.  Moms, you know as well as I do that you won’t have a moment’s peace unless your little ones are occupied.  With the InnoTab 3, you can rest assured that they’re learning while you’re relaxing.  That’s multi-tasking if I ever saw it!!   You can even save this little gem for your favorite Christmas stocking if you wish.  Either way, it gives you a chance to kick back and take a break!

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Homecoming comes during my favorite time of year.  The brisk fall weather reminds me of walks in the park and falling in love.  There’s a chill in the air that has to be chased away by some hot apple cider or some warm apple pie.  Pumpkins and falling leaves add beautiful color to yards and porches everywhere.  When I drive through town on Homecoming night, I love seeing all the parents taking pictures of their kids in their beautiful fancy outfits.  There’s something sweet about seeing those young people all dressed up, heading out for a night on the town.  I need to give you the disclosure, DressFirst asked me to share their site with you.   I’m glad to do it because this site really does have some great dresses at discounted prices.  You might not think that cheap homecoming dresses even exist.  It’s true that these formal gowns tend to be much pricier than normal clothing.  Big shocker, right?  But it’s also an exciting event for those high school kids and sometimes we’ve just got to dig into our purses and find a way to get that gorgeous dress.  It’s all worth it in the end!  [Read more…]

Disclosure: This post is brought to you on behalf of Royal Neighbors of America.  September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

“I wish I hadn’t planned ahead for my family in case of my death.”  —said no person, ever.

Growing up in a single parent home was tough.  My mom worked hard for every penny she earned and stretched that penny until it cried.  I’m sure she sacrificed and struggled much more than I’ll ever know.  Now that I’m a parent, I also understand how worried she must have been about how my brother and I would be cared for if something happened to her.  As our sole provider, a lot rested on her tired shoulders.  Once when I was about ten years old, my mother sat down with me and explained what I should do if she died.  That seemed so morbid to me at the time.  It probably broke her heart to have to explain it all to me, making me understand that even my invincible mother was a mere mortal.  She showed me her papers for life insurance and told me that there would be $10,000 to pay for her funeral expenses.  That seemed like an astronomical figure to me at age ten.  Now?  I realize that it would barely cover the funeral expenses, not to mention the cost of any care my brother and I might have needed.  Even though it must have been a really tough conversation for her to have with me, I appreciate that she had planned ahead for our little family in case of her death.  After all, we depended on her.  [Read more…]

Yesterday we were watching one of our favorite shows, Call of the Wildman. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing some live action from the forests of Kentucky. It’s hilarious and unbelievable at the same time. On today’s episode, a date with the Turtleman was auctioned off and went for over $700. The three girls who went in together for the date were expecting a nice dinner out. For someone who gets paid in jars of honey, gets sprayed by skunks, and doesn’t look like he bathes very often, I’m not sure that the Turtleman even had a restaurant on his radar. Instead he took the three girls to one of his jobs where they fished (using their bodies as bait) for snapping turtles.

The show made me wonder about some of the strange dates I’ve been on in my life.

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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Normally I don’t give in to peer pressure but when it comes to books, I love to hear the must-reads on my friends’ lists. One of the books that took me a while to get to was The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. Determined to read The Lord of the Rings series before the movie came out, I sat down and had to suffer through the detailed descriptions of middle earth before I finally came to appreciate the depth of the story being shared. I was amazed by this world that Tolkien created. It was evident that the story was his genius brainchild. When the movies came out, my husband and I saw every one with my brother- and sister-in-law. It’s a fun memory and I’m glad that I got to experience the books before watching the movies.

When I had the opportunity to review The Spiritual World of the Hobbit by James Stuart Bell I was taken aback. Being so focused on the descriptive nature of the book, I had completely missed the Christian themes in this novel. [Read more…]

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McCain Foods. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

The biggest hurdle of sticking to our monthly budget is the temptation of going out to eat.  It’s just so EASY to stop at a restaurant on the way home from a busy work/school day.  By stocking the pantry and freezer with foods that my kids already love to eat, meal prep is just a tad bit simpler.  They love to eat the smiley fries we find at local restaurants; when we first found the McCain Potatoes at our grocery store I felt like I won the lottery!  It’s a simple side dish that my kids are guaranteed to enjoy.  The less complaining the better, and the smiley fries bring a smile to my kids’ faces.  How easy is that?!   At some point during the meal, one of them always holds up a smiley fry and imitates the smile.  It’s always cute.

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Aramendia Houston. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

No matter where you live, from Houston, TX to Kingsport, TN, home ownership can be a lot of stress and expense. At our house, Murphy’s Law (home improvement department) seems to take effect mostly on holidays. There was the year when the toilet got completely stopped up by a travel-sized bottle of baby powder — on Christmas Day. Then we had the year when the outdoor water spigot burst on Father’s Day. And we can’t forget the year that the water line decided to erupt on Halloween. While most people look forward to holidays, we tend to wonder what each one has in store for us.

You might look at this photo of my front yard and wonder why we let the grass get so long. Or maybe you noticed the blueberry bushes we planted last fall. What you probably didn’t wonder was, what lies beneath that hill? Well, I’ll tell you what. We buried $2000 in that hill! [Read more…]

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by VTech. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

When I am working with my students, I try to remind them that the decisions of the future will be made by them. They scoff at me sometimes, but it’s true! The jobs, healthcare, and economy will depend on the success of our children. We are so fortunate to live in a country where children of all abilities and backgrounds can receive an education. It’s also important to remember that education starts in the home. Taking the time to help our children learn is critical to their development. Technology is a huge advantage in providing a scaffold for success. One of the ways that we can prepare our children for the future job market is to help them become comfortable with technology. Yes, those apps have a place with our children!  Innovation starts with the kids; a great way to introduce it is through VTech toys.

If you’ve ever worked with kids while they’re navigating a device, you might think that the skill is innate. [Read more…]