All posts by NerdMom

Black Friday Walgreens List

Lets look at Walgreens! Remember that you need their Balance Rewards card to get all the deals and you can also use manufacturer’s coupons!

1)$25 Apple/iTunes gift cards ($25) and get a $15 Walgreens gift card (ok, I may use these as gifts but I will probably also use the Walgreens gift card to pay for the rest of my purchases;)
2) Oral B Toothbrush 2 for $6 and you get $4 in Register Rewards
3) Colgate toothpaste $3.49 with $2.50 back in Register Rewards
4) Colgate Toothbrush $2.99 with $2 back in Register Rewards
5) Tums Freshers $4.50 with $4.500 back in Register Rewards
6) Gelusil $3 with $3 back in Register Rewards
7) Cepacol $1 with $1 back in register Rewards
8)Got 2B Shampoo or Conditioner $4.99 with $4.99 back
9) Psst! Dry Shampoo $4.99 with $4.99 back
10) Reach toothbrush $3 with $3 back
11) Blistex $2 with $2 back
12) Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent Buy 1 Get 2 Free
13) Herbal Essences Shampoo or Conditioner $2.99 with $2.99 back in Register Rewards
14) Scunci No Damage Elastics 2 for $3 with $3 back in Register Rewards
15) Crest 3D White Arctic Fresh or Vivid Toothpaste $3 with $3 back in Register Rewards
16) Optic-Free Pure Moist Multipurpose Solution $2 with $2 back in Register Rewards

Advent Jar Calendars

Advent Jar CalendarsWe are all super familiar with Advent chains, calendars, and the like that call count down to Christmas starting December 1st. But I have some new ideas and instead of taking links off chains or eating chocolate out of paper calendars. Those paper chain count down toward Christmas were so exciting when we were in preschool or kindergarten. But lets be honest, counting from 1 to 25 is just not as thrilling as it once was;). These ideas use a jar (or bowl or basket) instead. Some start full and some start empty!

Activity a Day Jar: You put 25 pieces of paper folded in the jar and each one has a holiday activity on it. If you have activities on your calendar you write the number of the day on the outside of it. So if you are going to the Nutcracker or having an open house, put the date on that piece of paper. Anything not numbered is a random grab for days that don’t have plans! You can use activities like making a gingerbread house, cutting snowflakes, watching a holiday movie and the like.

Thankful Jar: On Thanksgiving as a family you fill 25 slips of paper with something you are thankful for. Then everyday leading up to Christmas take out one slip and discuss why you are thankful! Then you will be full of gratitude long before presents get opened!

Random Acts of Kindness Jar: Every day we should do a random act of kindness as just a general rule. This helps you put it into practice. When you do a random act of kindness over the month just write it down and put it in the jar. You can even tell your family that there will be no Christmas until there is at least 25 acts if you want to be hardcore;). Write the act and the date on the paper.

So there are just a few ideas to spice of the count down to Christmas! What are the traditions that you have in your family? Do you do the candy calendars? We do those too but this year we are going to do more!

Contesting Monday 11/25

Welcome! You know that we are rushing towards Christmas. And what could be better than buying Christmas presents for others? Winning them for others (or even yourself)!!

So here is the deal. If you are hosting a giveaway or have a post about someone’s giveaway just leave a link. Make sure this link is to the giveaway post itself and not just the blog or it will be deleted. If you listed it last week but your giveaway is still open, list it again! Also your link must be to something family friendly or it will be deleted.

So now you need to add your giveaways and go enter some giveaways! Let them know that Contesting Monday sent you!

How You Know You are Raising Whovians

CaptainJack
I know that NerdFamilyDad and I are raising our children different than many people but it is shocking some times to see it come out;)! We aren’t trying to raise Whovians per se but it is great that they are!!! And so much fun seeing my kids viewing the world through geeky child eyes!

The final Jeopardy question was read by Alex: “The hero of this 1993 comedy says he’s “been stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted and burned””

The NerdPie yells out, “Captain Jack Harkness!”

Also my kids are sure that Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years is all about Rory Williams waiting for Amy Pond. They don’t even know what Twilight is much less that the song was on its soundtrack;).

I declaring a parenting win;).

 

A Look at Modnique

Modnique Graphic

Recently Splash Creative Media introduced me to a shopping site I wasn’t familiar with called Modnique. This is a flash sale site and I know there seems to be a ton of them out there right now. But Splash Creative has never pointed me in the wrong direction so I decided to check it out (granted with a gift card).

What I found was a great shopping site with a trifecta of awesome! They have super cute things for men and kids but lets be honest. I was really just shopping for me, cause I’m like that.

First sign of awesome: High end name brands at relative steal! I mean brands like Versace, Pierre Cardin, Roberto Cavalli and Kate Spade! They are 50% or more discounted! This means I may actually be able to afford a great high end statement piece!!!

Second sign of awesome: There are more affordable brands also at deep discounts! That includes brands from not only the US but Europe and Israel! They blue flats up in the picture? $19 Breckelle flats that are imported! They have the Mon Platin Dead Sea Minerals from Israel for 86% off! So the body nectar? Only $11!!!

Third sign of awesome: On top of the discounts, Modnique has all kinds of deals on top of that!!! One of the specific sales is a Make an Offer!!! Yeah, seriously you type in an offer on specific dresses! And if that wasn’t enough…
They are doing 20 Days of Deals! These are daily collections of deals ramping up to Christmas. OPI polish collections for $19 and Farragamo scarves for $69! It really can’t be beat. But there is a drown side. They are all limited number sales. So I recommend that you are over at Modnique about 6 pm Pacific because that is when they release they sale items! I totally missed out on the OPI deal because they were gone extremely quickly!

So I have spent a bunch of time looking around at all the many things Modnique has to offer and I know what your big question is… What all did I get? Well, I haven’t firmly decided on everything but… I am getting a great corset for $29, some of that great Mon Platin Dead Sea Minerals cleansing tonic ($10) and body nectar($11), and a great sapphire ring for $10! If I get really decadent I will buy myself something from the diamond sale (or pass the address onto NerdFamily Dad;).

I want to thank Splash Creative for giving me a great gift card and introducing me to a fabulous sale site!!! My husband may not feel quite as grateful;).

 

Doing Real Life Shopping on Black Friday: 5 Things to Look For

reallifeblackfriLast year I talked about some common sense Black Friday Shopping Strategies and this year I wanted to delve a little deeper into how I do Black Friday Shopping. I always talk about the stuff I really shop for on Black Friday aren’t presents but things for real life.

Since a lot of the Black Friday ads are already out you can already start looking at ads and making lists. There are 5 things I recommend that you look for every year that you need in real life!

1) Gift Cards! Yes, these could be presents but they also are great to use for budgeting tools! Walgreens is giving away a $15 gift card with the purchase of 2 $25 gift cards. That is just 1 example of a great gift card deal!

2) Denim! Every year I find great deals on denim for the kids and usually I can find some great deals for me too! Walmart is advertising $8 jeans for both boys and girls this year and only $9.50 for men.

3) Bedding! Walmart has 700 thread count sheets that are going to be $25 and Target has the big fluffy blankets for $20.

4) Pajamas! I don’t just mean Christmas ones either. This is the time to get all the pj’s you will need for the year. Both Target and Walmart are advertising pj’s for the whole family ranging from $4.50 to $6!

5) Drugstore steals! Walgreens and CVS always have a ton of deals that are free after coupons to use next time. They are things like shampoo and tooth brushes! They may have run out of them by the time you get there but there will probably still be many freebies to have!!!

Contesting Monday 11/18

Welcome! You know that we are rushing towards Christmas. And what could be better than buying Christmas presents for others? Winning them for others (or even yourself)!!

So here is the deal. If you are hosting a giveaway or have a post about someone’s giveaway just leave a link. Make sure this link is to the giveaway post itself and not just the blog or it will be deleted. If you listed it last week but your giveaway is still open, list it again! Also your link must be to something family friendly or it will be deleted.

So now you need to add your giveaways and go enter some giveaways! Let them know that Contesting Monday sent you!

How to Negotiate a Discount

Ok, you know those people. Those that always seem to get a slightly better deal, better than advertised and certainly better than the one you got? Those opportunities are out there for you too but you just need some smart strategies to get them! It really boils down to knowing when and how to ask for them!

When to ask in Stores:
1) When the packaging is severely damaged (even if the product is perfect)
2) When the item has a small flaw that doesn’t effect how it works
3) When the item is damaged but fixable (and you are willing to fix it)
4) When you are buying a large amount (smaller, non-chain stores are best for this)
5) When you are buying for a group like a school or church. Then speak with a manager or assistant manager and not just a clerk.

When to ask for services:
1) Before a service is done unless something is done very poorly
2) When planning on having the same service more than once
3) When paying cash for said service
4) When paying on site so you don’t have to be billed

How to ask:
1) First, always ask if there is a standing store discount coupon out that you could get. (Stores like Macy’s, Lane Bryant, etc tend to have coupons behind the cash register you can get)
2) Ask if there is a policy in place for a discount.
3) If there isn’t a policy in place ask to speak with a manager or owner. As my momma always said, don’t ask someone who doesn’t have the power to say yes!
4) If it is due to a defect in packaging or item, point out how they might get stuck with it.
5) If you will be fixing it, point that out!
6) Ask with a smile!
7) Accept the no politely regardless if that means you won’t get it. Next time they might give it to you if you are a sweet person!

Contesting Monday 11/11

Welcome! You know that we are rushing towards Christmas. And what could be better than buying Christmas presents for others? Winning them for others (or even yourself)!!

So here is the deal. If you are hosting a giveaway or have a post about someone’s giveaway just leave a link. Make sure this link is to the giveaway post itself and not just the blog or it will be deleted. If you listed it last week but your giveaway is still open, list it again! Also your link must be to something family friendly or it will be deleted.

So now you need to add your giveaways and go enter some giveaways! Let them know that Contesting Monday sent you!

 

How Not to Compliment a Fat Girl


Ok, I don’t think people realized what their words are really saying in many circumstances. And “You look so great, did you lose weight?” is definitely one of those cases.

I don’t think the insult is intended. I don’t think anyone would walk up to us, as an adult, and say how nice we would look if we just weren’t fat and that is what I hear. As I try to teach my children, you need to think about what your words communicate beyond face value. Is talking about anyone’s weight really a polite and loving thing to do?

Food for thought.