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Fun Christmas Activities for Kids – Printable Cards

December 2, 2020 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Are you looking for Christmas activities for kids that everyone in the family can enjoy? These Christmas Advent Calendar Activity Cards are certain to give you plenty of great ideas! With over 60 different cards to fill your mind with fun, these will literally give you enough ideas to get you through the holiday season. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, there are many cards that are more holiday fun focused as well.

Holiday Advent Activity Cards - Christmas Activities for Kids  - 60 pre filled activity cards and 12 blank cards

Christmas Activity Cards Advent Calendar

Once the holiday season hits, it’s time to do all the things! As you can see from these cards, there are so many possibilities about how you can spend your day. No matter if you want to snuggle up at home or go out and about and see the world, these simple holiday activity cards can give you options for it all.

What is included in these Holiday/ Christmas Activities for Kids Printable cards?

They’re just really, really simple to use. I’ve made them so simple, you’re going to love them – I promise. If you’re needing a few fun Christmas family activities ideas to do, these cards are it. Some of them are filled in and there are even 12 that are blank that you can add in your own ideas and activities as well.

We like to put them in a big jar and draw them out to be suspenseful but you can easily add them to a deck and shuffle them, too.

The activities that are listed on these cards include:

  • Write a letter to Santa
  • Write your Christmas cards & hand deliver any local or extra special cards
  • Make Christmas cookies or treats
  • Make paper snowflakes
  • Go caroling
  • Draw a picture of your favorite things about Christmas
  • Make paper chains
  • Make popcorn garland
  • Collect pinecones
  • Read a story about Christmas
  • Make an ornament for your Christmas tree
  • Make a bird feeder
  • Watch a Christmas movie
  • Go for a walk or a drive to see the Christmas lights
  • Decorate your Christmas tree!
Holiday Advent Activity Cards - Christmas Activities for Kids  - 60 pre filled activity cards and 12 blank cards
  • Stay up late, drink hot chocolate and tell stories
  • Decorate a gingerbread house
  • Collect food & donate to the local food bank or a family in need
  • Choose three of your toys and give them away
  • Go ice skating
  • Help wrap presents
  • Visit Santa in his workshop
  • Write a Christmas Wish and hang it on your tree
  • Hang your Christmas stocking
  • Go Christmas shopping
  • Make sugar cookies
  • Draw pictures for Santa
  • Make Christmas cards for your friends
  • Take silly holiday photos
  • Decorate your front window or door
  • Have a picnic in front of the Christmas tree
  • Have a Christmas tea party
  • Go sledding
  • Go snowshoeing
Holiday Advent Activity Cards - Christmas Activities for Kids  - 60 pre filled activity cards and 12 blank cards
  • Decorate cookies
  • Make a Christmas craft
  • Have a pajama day!
  • Have a dance party with Christmas music
  • Send a holiday card to a soldier
  • Make reindeer food
  • Read the Polar Express
  • Take a winter nature walk
  • Build a snowman
  • Have a snowball fight
  • Go on a sleigh ride
  • Make cinnamon rolls
  • Take a family photo in front of the Christmas tree
  • Call or visit your Grandparents or other extended families
  • Have breakfast for dinner
  • Bring a gift for the Angel Tree
  • Make & leave Christmas cards for those who serve your community (i.e. trash collectors, mail carriers, delivery drivers, etc)
  • Make a Christmas tree out of Legos or blocks
  • Have an ugly sweater competition
  • Make a video holiday card and send it to friends and family
  • Go on a Christmas themed scavenger hunt
  • Go to a Christmas show
  • Volunteer at a soup kitchen
  • Donate clothes, coats, and blankets to a shelter
  • Make mason jar snow globes

Whew, what a list! See how much fun this holiday season is going to be with these kids activities for Christmas cards!

Sign up to Get Your Printable Holiday/ Christmas Activity Cards 

Who are you going to spend your holiday with and which of these activities are you looking forward to the most?

Make certain to check out these other great holiday activities, too:

  • Reindeer Hot Chocolate
  • Peppermint Hot Chocolate Gift in a Jar  
  • Grinch Fruit Kebobs

Need Gift Ideas?

Be sure to see the Unique Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your lIst

Cool Boys Gifts for Ages 6, 7 & 8

October 29, 2020 By Heidi Leave a Comment
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While it’s easy to grab the hottest new toy, I like to read reviews on just about everything I buy. I shop carefully and try and get fun things that will last for my kids. We have some really unique things this year on our list of boys christmas gift ideas for ages 6 to 8 to make your shopping easier. From sports to science to discovery toys, your boys won’t be disappointed! [Read more…]

Great Gift Ideas for Tween Girls

October 27, 2020 By Heidi 2 Comments
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Great Gift for Tween Girls

Shopping doesn’t have to be a daunting task. If you need a gift for a tween girl, then check out our list of cool things tweens will love. We have picked out some really fun things, in all price ranges. From brand new crafts to try to things they can explore, there is something for every pre-teen on your list.

 

To save our cool gift list to your Pinterest boards, hover your mouse over the photo above and press the “pin-it” button.

 

If you are interested in finding deals on gifts for the entire family, check out our EverydaySavvy Deals Group on Facebook.

[Read more…]

Easy STEM Activities for Elementary and Middle School Kids

March 17, 2020 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Looking for easy stem activities for elementary and middle school kids? Check out these stem projects and stem subscription boxes for kids.

As a parent, you want the best for your kids, and that includes teaching them the skills they will need to survive in the world!

What is Stem?

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It also includes teaching skills and subjects in a way that resembles real life. Part of the STEM learning approach, is that kids learn science better when they are actively involved. Learning like this can be done in a school setting but also can be done at home.

Here’s your guide to the best easy stem activities that can be done at home.

Easy Stem Activities –  Complete Science Experiments

Looking for a few simple STEM activities. Check out this list.

Science is all around us; in the food we eat, the plants we see, and the physical world we live in. Here are a few great science experiments you can do at home.

Work on Observations with fruits and veggies.

What happens as a fruit or vegetable starts to decay? What does it look like, smell like? Answering questions about real-world items puts science into a perspective they can understand. These are great stem activities for preschoolers and elementary students

Make Volcanoes

This is one of the most fun for kids. They can create a realistic volcano and watch it erupt. This teaches them chemical reactions as well as gives a real-world example of how volcanoes erupt as the pressure builds up.

Here are directions for a simple volcano for preschoolers.

Here are directions for a more in-depth volcano experiment for elementary and middle school children.

Looking for a super fun and easy twist on the classic DIY volcano? Make your own orange volcano!

Make your own rock candy

That’s right, there is science behind candy. And, if you thought candy was all hardened sugar, you were right. All you need is water, sugar, a pan, a stove, and a glass jar. My daughter did this with her brownie troop and loved it. This is an easy stem project.

Here are easy directions to make your own rock candy

Rainbow in a Jar Science Experiment

Grab some items you already have at home. and make a rainbow in a jar perfect for March. By making this rainbow in a jar, the kids are exploring density by layering sugar water to make a rainbow. Learn how to make a rainbow in a jar here. 

Make a compass

It’s a simple experiment which uses every day objects, but is great for engaging your child’s curiosity and sense of fun. Learn how here.

Make Your Own Easy Lava Lamp

One of our favorite activities is a lava lamp. Learn how to make your own Lava Lamp here

 

Looking for more STEM project ideas? These books are great resources.

Build Excitement for Engineering!

Make engineering for kids fun and inspiring. From toothpick towers and marble runs to egg drops and water rockets, Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids is filled with exciting projects that will challenge and delight kids ages 5-10.

Kids learn how and why things work as they explore amazing projects all by themselves. These engineering for kids activities also help them discover important STEAM connections, showing how engineering relies on science, technology, art, and math.

Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids features:

  • MORE THAN 50 PROJECTS―Learn about different kinds of engineering for kids by constructing shoebox foosball, rubber band race cars and more.
  • EASY-TO-FIND MATERIALS―Create a makerspace―a place to freely start and explore projects―with items readily found around the house.
  • STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS―Engineering for kids is easy with detailed steps that make it simple for kids to take the lead on activities and build on their own.

Unlock the world of engineering for kids with Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids.

 

Super fun experiments for kids to get super excited about science

Getting kids excited about science can be difficult. Science Experiments for Kids provides young scientists ages 5-10 with hands-on experiments that teach them how to apply the scientific method. From the home laboratory of former chemistry teacher and blogger behind the Science Kiddo, Crystal Chatterton combines fun experiments with the hows and whys behind them in Science Experiments for Kids.

Science Experiments for Kids contains:

  • 100 + STEAM Experiments providing interactive science experiments for kids in science, technology, engineering, art, and math
  • Easy-to-Follow Instructions making science experiments for kids simple and fun to do
  • Colorful Photos illustrating science experiments for kids, common household materials used, plus the final results

From figuring out how quicksand works to turning a lemon into a battery, Science Experiments for Kids teaches young scientists how cool it is to be curious.

Learn more out this book here

 

Utilize Your Technology – Best STEM apps

In this day of digital natives, kids love technology. Though you may not want your kids looking at a screen all day, technology is a key component of the STEM learning, and there are many apps that incorporate science, technology, math, and engineering without your children knowing they are learning. Here are some of the best STEM apps.

SkEye Astronomy: A great app to see what’s in the sky. If you are interested in viewing the heavens above with your telescope, try the SkEye : Astronomy app. SkEye is an advanced sky mapping application that doubles as a PUSHTO guide for telescopes. It works by using your phone’s sensors as a guide for telescopes. All you need to do is briefly strap the phone onto the telescope’s optical tubes; from there, you can navigate the night-sky with your telescope.

Toca Lab: Chemistry has never been so fun with Toca Lab. Explore the colorful and electrifying world of science and meet all 118 of the elements from the periodic table. Discover elements by experimenting with the lab tools!

Crazy Gears – Are you ready to watch your child kick their learning into high-gear? Crazy Gears is a new-aged digital puzzle game, designed with a real mechanical engine and with children’s critical thinking skills in mind! Hours of fun guaranteed for everyone who is up for the challenge, yes, even you Mom & Dad!

Hopscotch – Coding For Kids – Learn to code and make your own games with Hopscotch. Easy-to-use visual tool makes programming fun and social.

Get a STEM Subscription Box or Individual STEM Activity Boxes

Subscription boxes are very popular these days, and why wouldn’t they be? Everyone loves getting something with their name on it in the mail (except when its a bill). Now, you can bring the fun of science, technology, math, and engineering right to your doorstep on a monthly basis. Here are some of the best STEM subscription boxes that include fun stem activities and stem projects for kids.

Green Kids Crafts

With a new theme every month, you get 4-8 science, technology art and math kits per month for kids ages 2-10. Looking for educational toys, science kits, STEM subscription, monthly subscriptions for kids, monthly crafts for kids, a monthly science box, monthly craft box or kids craft subscription? Green Kid Crafts, maker of award-winning science and arts and craft subscription boxes, has you covered!

You can now take 50% off the first month of a Junior Discovery Box Subscription (ages 2-4) or a Discovery Box Subscription (ages 5-10+). Green Kid Crafts’ award-winning Discovery Boxes pack a lot of fun and learning into convenient packages. Each monthly box contains up to 8 STEAM Science and Art Kits including a free 12-page kids magazine and bonus extension activities. Sibling and literary add-on options are available, too. Offer expires midnight October 31, 2018. Use code STEAM50

Learn more about Green Kids Crafts Here

 

Genius Box

Genius Box provides a creative hands-on approach to learning science, math, technology, and engineering. Genius Box provides a creative, hands- on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and math concepts that engages curious kids in the world around them. Genius Box is recommended for kids ages 8-12.

Click here to learn more about Genius Box

Tinker Crate

For ages 9-16, the Tinker crate gives your child the tools to create and explore engineering in a whole new way. Get 30% off Your First Month’s Order with code SHARE30.

Each month you get:

  • Materials to create a creative, innovative STEM project
  • Detailed step-by-step instruction
  • Tinker Zine,
  • Additional science experiments and activities
  • Online tutorials with tips and tricks

Learn More about Tinker Crate Here

 

Don’t want a full subscription but a few activity boxes?  They offer that as well too

Here is an example of an activity box

Get ready to blast off into the air with your very own bottle rocket. Assemble your launcher, rocket, funnel, and launch mixture to experience some extremely fizzy fun.

Includes a step-by-step video tutorial link, illustrated blueprint instructions, all the materials, and a special-edition Tinker Zine magazine for more project fun!

Check out all the activity boxes here.

 

 

Groovy Lab in a Box 

With Groovy Lab in a Box STEM box for kids, you will receive boxes full of everything you need to learn about and do hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiments for ages 8+.

 

Don’t want a full subscription?  You can buy individual boxes. These are perfect for when the kids are not at school and you’re doing virtual learning. They have lots of different types of boxes. Here is one example

Engineering Design Challenge – A Lesson in Wind Energy  You are a groovy mechanical engineer who is inspired by the story of a boy from Malawi, who, at fourteen years old, battled through extreme poverty to build a series of windmills from scratch that could generate electricity for his village – a luxury enjoyed by only 2 percent in Malawi. Using only the materials in your Groovy Lab in a Box, can you design and build a windmill which can fetch a pail of grooviness for those in need?

During your ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS, you will design and build several different types of groovy windmills. Explore and investigate forces and motion, potential and kinetic energy associated with windmills, various parts of a windmill, how different blade designs affect performance, how energy is transferred from wind into usable mechanical energy and much, much more.

Check out all the singles boxes here.

What other ways have you found to incorporate STEM learning in your home? Share your STEM projects in the comments below!

Glow in the Dark Easter Egg Hunt: Tips and Tricks

April 13, 2019 By Heidi 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

Tips, tricks and where to find supplies for a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt

 

Your kids will think you are the coolest Mom ever for hosting a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt. This is the perfect family activity or if you have family coming into town that is staying overnight for Easter, what a fun way to keep the kids busy. You just need a few simple supplies. This hunt is great for families that are trying to cut back on candy. [Read more…]

Valentine Quiz for Kids – Easy Valentine Kids Activity

January 10, 2019 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Grab this cute free Valentine Quiz for kids. Print the quiz and record your kids' answers each year. A fun and easy Valentine Kid Activity.

One thing I am focusing one this year is memory keeping. My girls are growing up so fast and I am sad that I don’t have items like this Valentine Quiz for Kids from when they were young. I am going to make them complete the quiz this year but wish I would have started when they were little.

If you are a room mom or teacher this would be a great activity for a classroom Valentine’s Day party. I am sure most parents would love to receive this.

[Read more…]

DIY Upcycled Chalkboard Easter Eggs

March 21, 2018 By Melissa 11 Comments
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Easy DIY craft chalkboard Easter eggs. How to upcycle plastic Easter eggs in to cute chalkboard Easter egg decorations.

My entire family loves Easter and we always seem to acquire so many plastic Easter eggs after the holiday has come and gone. I always try to think of fun and creative ways to upcycle these boring plastic Easter eggs and this year I decided to do Chalkboard Easter Eggs. These are so easy to make and you and your kids can have so much fun decorating them with designs and cute, short sayings or designs!  [Read more…]

No Spread Sugar Cookie and Perfect Icing Recipe, Plus Tips for Cookie Decorating with Kids

December 7, 2017 By Heidi 9 Comments
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No Spread Sugar Cookies and Perfect Icing

 

A friend gave me this sugar cookie and icing recipe a few years back when I mentioned that I was having a group of kids over for a cookie decorating party. I wanted cookies that would taste great, hold their shape, be firm enough to decorate, yet still soft enough to eat. I have been using this recipe for several years and it is my favorite. I have hosted cookie decorating parties at Christmastime for the last 5 years and I have been asked for this recipe over and over and so I thought I would share it here. I also am including a few tips below if you are having a cookie decorating party for kids or if you are decorating at home with kids. [Read more…]

Kid Travel Games – Car Games & On Vacation

July 8, 2017 By Melissa 3 Comments
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Looking for some the best kid travel games? You found the right place.

Looking for some great kid travel games? This list of travel games for kids includes car travel games and travel sized games to enjoy with the family.

 

Some of these travel games for kids can be played in the car while driving to your travel destination and others are small enough that you can pack these kid travel games and play them once you arrive. It is always great to have a few games on hand if you have a rainy day or just to play in the evening when you want to relax a bit. [Read more…]

Meal Planning Tips – Food For Picky Eaters

January 18, 2017 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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These meal planning tips & food for picky eaters will make mealtime less stressful. Great ideas for meal planning with a picky eater.

Every family seems to have at least one picky eater that makes meal planning hard to manage. This doesn’t have to be the case. There are so many great ways to get around a picky eater and manage to have a wonderful menu that everyone will enjoy. Here are some great tips to manage picky eaters when meal planning. Thes meal planning tips with food for picky eaters will save both your budget and your sanity.

 

Meal Planning Tips – Food For Picky Eaters

The battle of meal time with picky eaters is one moms and dads have been facing for centuries. Whether it is a dislike for vegetables or someone who doesn’t like anything on their plate touching, we have all faced at least one picky eater as parents. It doesn’t have to be a constant struggle a meal time. Especially not with meal planning in advance. Yes, you will have to occasionally make exceptions, but when you plan ahead, it makes things much easier to manage. Our tips will help make meal planning with picky eaters much simpler to manage.

 

Don’t try a lot of new recipes at once

We often get sucked into the idea of meal planning, and buy or download a ton of ideas from a website. There are many excellent menu plans out there that give you all of the details and grocery lists in one location, but not all work for your family and their preferences. One key thing to remember above all when meal planning is to slowly add new things. Start with one new recipe a month, and eventually increase to one per week if you find your family adapts well. This helps you prevent a lot of unhappy kids or adults at the dinner table, and prevents waste. If you are interested in trying a meal planning service, emeals is a great option. They have a free trial of their kid friendly meal plan so you can see whether your picky eater likes the recipes.

 

Have everyone contribute to the recipe list

Getting the family involved in your meal planning is a key method of making sure you have fewer complaints and more empty plates. Sit down with your family on meal planning day and ask for their requests. Consider everything they suggest, and try to accommodate at least one meal per week from that list. It may seem repetitive, but at times that is better than frustration and wasted food.

Once you start putting new things on the menu, have your family make notes about whether they want to see it on the menu again. If the majority don’t like it, it won’t go back on the menu. If everyone likes it, then you can easily add it into your meal planning routine.

 

Keep options on hand that anyone can make as an alternative

No, you don’t want to cave to their whims by giving them the same thing every night, but on the nights you know they may not enjoy the meal option, have something on hand in your pantry they can make for themselves. An occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich or bowl of soup is okay. One option that works great in our house is to have ready made freezer breakfast burritos that include eggs, turkey sausage,salsa, and a bit of cheese in a whole wheat tortilla. Kids can pop one into the microwave and heat up on the nights we have things like fish or vegetarian meals they don’t care for as much.

 

Make double portions of favorite recipes

While you may not want to have the same thing every single night, you can plan ahead for the nights when you know your picky eaters aren’t going to like the item added to the menu plan. Add a recipe they do enjoy the night before, and plan for a larger batch that will give them the option of leftovers. Things like soups, pasta dishes, tacos, and even hamburgers or sandwiches are great choices that most picky eaters enjoy and you can easily have enough on hand for that second meal if you want to add something out of the ordinary to your menu. Simply planning ahead like this can solve a problem and help your picky eaters feel like you are listening and care about their discomfort with certain foods. A great resource for batch cooking is the Prep Ahead Meals From Scratch cookbook. This cookbook has so many great ideas for how you can get homemade meals on the table in less time! 

 

Substitute for items picky eaters don’t like

Talk to your picky eaters about substitutions that are similar but still pleasing. Things like adding vegetables to their pizza, or having one sandwich night each week where they can have peanut butter and jelly, but have to include a fruit or vegetable on the side. You can avoid arguments over having a salad for dinner if they will eat carrot sticks, cucumbers, or even cherry tomatoes. I will often make a chicken skillet meal where I pull out my daughter’s piece of chicken before I make the sauce. So easy and it does not require making a separate meal.

Yes, you don’t want to have a dozen different meals to make each night, but you can have some basic things on hand that are substitutes for items they don’t like. For those who don’t like the vegetable choice, you can keep one on hand that they do like and can fix for themselves.

Be understanding of real sensory issues

Sometimes, picky eaters are more than just picky or going through a stage. There are many children and adults that have true sensory issues. There are more that simply do not like flavors or textures. As a parent, we need to teach our children respect for others, and that includes the person cooking their meals. However, we need to be understanding and listen to their issues with foods. Forcing someone to eat something they have legitimate issues with is not okay. There is a big difference between a child just preferring pizza every night, and a child who has a sensory disorder that cannot handle the textures of raw vegetables, or even a food allergy that causes discomfort. Be aware and work around those issues as you are able.
Meal planning around the needs of picky eaters isn’t as tough as you would imagine. It really just involves a bit of extra planning and a lot of communication. Learning what your picky eaters prefer is the key to making meal planning a success.

Looking for more meal planning resources? We have got them! Check them out here.

How to Use a Crock Pot for Meal Planning

The Ultimate Meal Planning Pantry

Once a Month Meal Planning

How To Turn Your Favorite Recipes into Freezer Meal Recipes

How To Make an Easy DIY Homework Station Bin

July 20, 2016 By Melissa 13 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

 

Check out how to easily make your own diy homework station bin with a shower caddy, tumblers and school supplies.

 

Before you know it school will be here again plus my girls also have summer homework to complete. It seems like we are always scrambling to find everything we need when the girls are doing homework. In order to solve that dilemma, I wanted a dedicated spot for highlighters, pencils, crayons, rulers, paper clips and more. Even though both girls have a desk, they often complete their homework in other spots of the house. Therefore, I made the bin portable with all the necessary supplies plus it looks cute too! This bin will also work great if you end up having virtual school this year.

 

dollar general school supplies

I bought all the supplies to make the DIY Homework Station Bin plus all the school supplies at Dollar General. It cost me under $30 for everything.I started with a basic shower caddy and my youngest daughter used washi tape and patterned duct tape to give it some style. She also used the sticker letters to add the word homework to the side. The beauty of this project is that you or your kids can decorate it however you like. Dollar General carries a bunch of cute washi tape patterns and duct tape patterns. We picked pink with white polka dots, mustaches, and owls.

 

decorate homework station bin

I bought some tumblers that we decorated as well to hold pencils and highlighters. They fit right inside the shower caddy and give some more organization. It helps when everything has an assigned spot. I also bought some small plastic containers in the kitchen section that are perfect for paper clips!
Check out how to easily make your own diy homework station bin with a shower caddy, tumblers and school supplies.

Overall, I love how this project turned out. It is so easy plus inexpensive as well. I think that this DIY homework station will keep us on track for the upcoming school year!

Don’t forget to sign up for our free emails so you are notified of easy DIYs, simple recipes, easy outfits for adults and kids (plus lots of other fun stuff!).

Check out more DIY and Craft ideas!

 

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Easy Tips to Make a Home Inventory

June 23, 2016 By Melissa 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine.

Nationwide provided me with information regarding its In The Nation blog post.

One of my goals for this year is to get more organized and prepared for emergencies. One easy way to do that is to have a home inventory. I am embarrassed to say that we currently don’t have one. If there was a fire or theft, I doubt I could remember all of the items we have in our home and I know I don’t have a good list of serial numbers for electronics.

The whole process of making a home inventory seems overwhelming but in the article An Inventory of Your Life, they give easy steps to get you started and complete a home inventory.

I love their tip that you should consider making three copies of the inventory: one to keep at home; and one each for two trusted sources. This increases the chances that at least one record will be easily accessible when you need it. You should also make paper copies of documents such as warranties and receipts.

I am a huge fan of using Google docs to access items on the cloud and I found a home inventory template that makes it easy to get started. You do need a Google account though to use these templates. It is free though to set up and has some free cloud storage. You will want to make sure you have a hard copy you keep off site, as well, though.

You can also look into smartphone apps or websites like knowyourstuff.org, which are designed to take a home inventory, complete with photos and detailed descriptions. There is a “Know Your Stuff” smartphone app as well.

Once you have a way to record your information, you can just start going room by room to gather all the information you need. One great hint is to take several photos of each room, from different angles. A good way to go about this is to stand in the doorway and slowly rotate clockwise, taking overlapping frames that eventually take in the whole room.

The next step is to scan or copy receipts, appraisals and other documentation about each item. For electronics and appliances, you will want to make sure to include warranties, receipts, repair bills and serial numbers. You can keep this information in the cloud, on a thumb drive and have an off-site hard copy.

A good home inventory will include a detailed list of your belongings, including descriptions, photos or video, receipts, serial numbers, date of purchase, and the value. You will definitely want to inventory all big-ticket items this includes electronics and furniture. Don’t forget though to take inventory of smaller things that could need replacing in the event of a disaster and should include items like clothes and dishes.

You could complete a home inventory in just a few hours and provides you with a safety net in case your valuables are lost, stolen or damaged. Getting a home inventory complete is on my list of must-dos for this month. What about you? Do you have a home inventory? If you have completed one when was the last time it was updated? Once you get your inventory made you should add to it whenever you purchase new big-ticket items. My bet is most of us get busy and need to make this a priority. I hope that these tips are helpful for you when you make your home inventory list.

Be sure get more easy tips and directions to make your own home inventory from the article An Inventory of Your Life. You can learn more about Nationwide by visiting their blog, In The Nation.

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Fun Outside Toys For Kids

June 16, 2016 By Melissa 1 Comment
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  Having your home stocked with a few fun outside toys for kids can help you keep your kids moving and having fun this summer. It is easy to get caught up in electronics but these outdoor toys can help bring back the fun of being outside this summer.
Having your home stocked with a few fun outside toys for kids can help you keep your kids moving and having fun this summer. It is easy to get caught up in electronics but these outdoor toys can help bring back the fun of being outside this summer. These items vary in price but start at just $9. Many of them are quite affordable and cost less than $30.

[Read more…]

10 Fun Free Things To Do With Kids

April 18, 2016 By Melissa 2 Comments
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Check out these 10 fun free things to do with kids. Having fun with kids doesn't have to cost big bucks. 

Spending quality time with your kids an important part of building a strong parent-child relationship that will protect your child when they get older. They are lots of fun free things to do with kids that can help you build a strong relationship with your child and raise the chance they will feel safe to come to you when things get tough in their teen years. The good thing is you don’t have to spend a lot of money to build a relationship with your child. In fact, you can find lots of fun free things to do with your kids. [Read more…]

6 Facts to Know About Teenager Calcium Needs

September 25, 2015 By Melissa
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Learn these 6 facts about Teenager Calcium Needs. Calcium is so important to growing teens. Learn how you can make sure your teenager gets their recommended daily calcium.

 

I recently become the mom to a teenager. I am not sure how that happened since it seems like just yesterday she started kindergarten. That saying that the days are long but the years are short is so true. I have to admit that I had not thought much about calcium and teen girls. I thought that calcium was more of a concern for older women. I was surprised when I learned these 6 facts about teenagers and calcium. Do you now your teenager’s calcium needs?

  1. According to a 2010 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, 86% of teen girls do not get enough calcium in their daily diets.
  2.  Calcium plays an important role in strengthening bones and teeth, as well as helping muscles (including the heart) and nerves function properly. With 95% of peak bone mass present by age 20, experts in bone health agree that getting the proper amount of daily calcium during these adolescent years is crucial.
  3. In a recent federal survey, only 15 percent of high school students drink milk; 9% of them were teen girls.
  4. The recommended amount of calcium for a girl 9-18 years old is 1300 milligrams (mg). To compare, it is 1000 mg for women 19-50 years of age.
  5. There are many calcium boosters that you can include in your teen’s diet to help her reach the recommended daily amount of calcium. A cup of low-fat chocolate milk at breakfast will add about 300 mg of calcium daily. Low-fat string cheese is also a crowd favorite and an easy way to add another 150 mg of calcium per stick. A fruit smoothie made with one cup of low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit can add almost 375 mg. We love this fun mango strawberry smoothie recipe. 
  6. Many foods can interfere with absorption of the calcium. Snacks such as chips, pretzels, and crackers are loaded with sodium, which can deplete calcium stored in the body when levels are too high. White bread, popcorn, and other processed foods can be high in oxalates, which can impact calcium negatively. Some healthier foods are the culprits of depleting calcium, too. Foods high in phosphorus, such as peanut butter, corn, sunflower seeds, and even garlic, can lower calcium absorption due to their lack of vitamin D.

 

Learn these 6 facts about Teenager Calcium Needs. Calcium is so important to growing teens. Learn how you can make sure your teenager gets their recommended daily calcium.

 

If you are worried about your teenager getting enough calcium from foods,  Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews are intended to help achieve recommended daily dietary levels of these nutrients as a supplement to diet/food sources. They come in flavors teens love like milk chocolate and caramel and are individually wrapped so it’s easy to toss in their lunchbox or backpack.

 

Learn these 6 facts about Teenager Calcium Needs. Calcium is so important to growing teens. Learn how you can make sure your teenager gets their recommended daily calcium.

Viactiv is available at major retailers nationwide including CVS, Rite Aid, Target,Walgreens and Walmart, as well as supermarkets nationwide. Plus I have a coupon you can print to save $2 on your next Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews. ( Just click link to print your coupon)

If you would like to learn more about Viactiv, be sure to check them out on Facebook and Instagram. You can also check out the #BeActiv hashtag.

Do you know these facts about calcium and teenagers? I sure didn’t and I am going to work harder on making sure my teen gets the recommended amount of calcium daily.

Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews are available in milk chocolate and caramel flavors at major retailers including CVS, Rite Aid, Target, Walgreens and Walmart, as well as supermarkets nationwide. Save $2 on your next in-store purchase with the Viactiv printable coupon.

Learn more about Viactiv at www.Viactiv.com and enter their current prize promotions on Viactiv’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/Viactiv and new Instagram channel https://instagram.com/viactiv/.

This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation on behalf of Viactiv that contains affiliate links. I received Viactiv products for my own personal use. All opinions, text and experiences are my own.

FREE Kids Cookbook from Door To Door Organics & The Detroit Zoo – Wild Light Ticket Giveaway

December 6, 2014 By Melissa 6 Comments
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Zoo- BLOG Image

 

Door to Door Organics has teamed up with the Detroit Zoo to create a fun, colorful cookbook filled with 10 wildly healthy recipes. It is called Rezoopies® and you can download it for FREE! It will help you tempt your kids into eating healthy fruits and vegetables, just like their favorite animals.

With this cookbook for kids, it’s easy to lure your little animal lover into the wild kingdom of healthy eating. It’s packed full of fun animal facts and photos, plus yummy Rezoopies® like Pita-Roos, Chimpanzee-licious Pasta, Porcupine Pick-ups, and more! At last, fewer “bear-ly” touched plates and growling tummies—just roaring for more healthy Good Food. Cook together, eat together, and enjoy inspiring good eating habits that will last a lifetime.

 

rezoopie

 

If you are new to Door to Door Organics, you can use the promo code: DETROITZOO to receive $10 off your order. This is a great offer to try them out. Healthy food delivered to your doorstep. Gotta love that!

 

The Detroit Zoo and Door to Door Organics is also offering a reader of Everyday Savvy  a 4 pack of tickets to Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo!

Screen Shot 2014-12-06 at 5.04.04 PM

 

Detroit Zoo Wild Lights

Experience the magic of the Detroit Zoo in winter as you take in the lights and the sights with more than five million LED lights that will illuminate trees, buildings and more than 100 animal sculptures throughout the front of the Zoo. Guests can enjoy a variety of activities including a craft, carolers, ice carvers and can even write a letter to Santa. The Detroit Zoo also invites guests go on an extraordinary adventure in the Wild Adventure Zone with “The Polar Express 4-D Experience” at the 4-D Theater.

 

Enter to win tickets below. It is so easy to enter just click the easy entry button! This is a quick giveaway so we can get the tickets to you and you can enjoy Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Discloure: This post was sponsored by Door To door Organics and the Detroit Zoo. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

More Holiday Gift Ideas for Young Boys Ages 3, 4 & 5

November 22, 2014 By Heidi 1 Comment
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 More Great Gift Ideas for Boys 3 4 and 5

Gift Ideas for Boy – Boys Ages 3-5

As a mom of  two young boys, I’m always trying to find toys that will get a ton of play, won’t break easily and will hold their interest for a few years. I would rather buy them a few nice things than a whole pile of toys that I will be donating a few weeks after the holidays. I love anything that helps them use their imagination and, of course, educational toys are great too. You may not see all of these items in the toy catalogs that come in the mail around the holidays, but I think all of these items are worth checking out for your boys.
To save our cool gift list to your Pinterest boards, hover your mouse over the photo above and press the “pin-it” button. [Read more…]

Fun Holiday Advent Calendars for Kids

November 11, 2014 By Heidi Leave a Comment
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Fun Christmas Advent Calendars for Kids

 

My kids just love advent calendars and they look forward to this fun holiday tradition every year. We have tried all sorts of advent calendars and I have to say that my favorites are the ones that don’t involve chocolate. If you are looking for a fun, non-candy advent calendar this year, check out some of the fun advent calendars for kids. Remember that these fun advent calendars start on December 1st, so don’t wait to pick these up! [Read more…]

white rabbit dog costume, queen of heart and alice in wonderland

Family Halloween Costume Theme Ideas and More!

September 18, 2014 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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I love Halloween and it is so fun to get the whole family involved including your pets! I am a HUGE fan of family themed costumes. If I could convince everyone, we would always have a Halloween theme. When my youngest was just a baby, my older daughter was in her Disney Princess phase. She dressed as Ariel and my baby girl was Sebastian.

What was great about the Ariel costume is that we used it for dress up for many years after that and even brought it with us to Disney World. Most Halloween costumes work great all year round for pretend play and dress up. This is a great time to check out costumes for your dress up bin too. BuyCostumes has Orange Tag Specials for only $10! New items are added each week. There is a super cute witch costume on sale this week for just $10! [Read more…]

American Girl FREE Shipping Coupon Code

September 16, 2014 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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American Girl just put out a new free shipping code. These are fairly rare so I thought many of you might be interested.

The American Girl FREE shipping coupon code is  INSPIRING and good on orders over $50 through 11:59 p.m. Central Time  9/22/2014.

To redeem this offer, enter  INSPIRING in the box marked “key code” in your shopping bag or at checkout. Free shipping will appear at checkout. Your purchase total must equal or exceed the minimum order requirement to qualify.

American Girl shipping is outrageous so if you are considering buying something now is the time to do so. Shipping on just one doll is over $10.

 

american girl our generation wardrobe store doll clothing sale

One way to make the American Girl buying experience a little easier on your wallet is to grab Our Generation accessories from Target  to go with your American Girl doll. We especially love the Our Generation doll carriers at out home and the Our Generation Wooden Wardrobe. Both help keep all the doll clothing and accessories nice and organized.

 

There are also all kinds of cute matching girl and doll pajamas.

  • Amazon has great deals on Dollie and Me matching girls and American Girl doll pajamas.
  • There are also some amazing deals on Jumping Beans matching girl and doll pajamas at Kohls.

 

If you need some more clothing for the dolls at much better prices, be sure to check out the  American Girl doll clothes at Amazon.

There are also lots of great deals on American Girl Doll Accessories. Everything from beds and backpacks to scooters and more!

americangirlbedsale

One of my favorites is this Badger Basket Doll Bunk Beds With Ladder – Pink/White which is on sale right now for just $31.44. Both my girls have this bed and it works great for American Girl dolls.

Happy Shopping!

 

 

Boredom Busters From Dollar General

July 22, 2014 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

Did you that July is Anti-Boredom Month? Once mid summer starts it is only a matter of time before you hear the dreaded … “Mom …I am Bored”. It is a great idea to have some items on hand to battle boredom. I took my girls and nieces to Dollar General to see what we could find to help make our July an Anti-Boredom month.

 

Armed with $35 we wanted to see how many boredom busters we could find at Dollar General, which is a great place for summer savings. First stop was the aisle with small notebooks and word search and Sudoku books. Each book was just $1 and we decided the girls could use the small notebooks as summer journals. I may just be trying to sneak in a little education with the journals because everyone needs to keep up their writing skills over the summer. They don’t mind though and are all excited with our first purchases. We also bought a pack of mechanical pencils for $1 too. For some reason mechanical pencils are much more fun that plain old pencils.

 

We also bought some duct tape, lot of stickers, pens and school boxes for some arts and crafts fun. The girls made the pens into fancy duct tape flower pens  (pictured above) plus they each decorated a fun pencil box which could be used for back to school or to keep small items organized at home. Plus we still have duct tape and stickers that can be used for more projects throughout the summer.

There was a ton of selection in the arts and crafts section and everything was just $1 or $2. This helped our budget go farther.

In addition to the books and arts and crafts projects, we needed some items that would promote outside physical fun. We picked up two jump ropes that were each just $1 and a set of 4 water guns for just $6. What is summer without a water gun fight? They had a great time playing with both items. They are lots and lots of outdoor fun toys to choose from at Dollar General.

 

So the next time you here the dreaded “I’m Bored”, I hope you will remember a few of our items and have some boredom busting fun.

Want to learn more about Dollar General and their products? Be sure to like Dollar General on Facebook and follow @DollarGeneral on Twitter.

Visit Sponsor's Site

New, Highly-Reviewed Smart Girl’s Guide To Middle School Book at 37% Off

July 17, 2014 By Heidi Leave a Comment
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A Smart Girls Guide To Middle School

We love the girl’s guide books created by American Girl publishing at our house and they have been great for my tween daughter. If you have a tween girl that is entering middle school soon, you might want to check out the brand new A Smart Girl’s Guide: Middle School: Everything You Need to Know About Juggling More Homework, More Teachers, and More Friends! book. This revised version was just released a few weeks ago and it’s currently 37% off and just $8.21. It touches on subjects such as homework, classes, introducing yourself to new classmates, and many other ideas on how to navigate middle school. This book would make a great summer read! If your order totals $35 or more, it will ship for free.  [Read more…]

Free Apple Camps & Microsoft Camps

FREE Apple & Microsoft Summer Camps

June 17, 2014 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Free Apple Camps & Microsoft Camps

Are your kids crazy about technology…or are your kids driving you crazy and you need them occupied? Then check out the FREE  Apple Summer Camp and Microsoft Summer Camps! Space is very limited so sign up today. My Apple store already has quick a few classes that are sold out.

FREE Apple Summer Camps

Join us at Apple Camp for three-day workshops where kids ages 8 to 12 bring their imaginations to life. They’ll learn to make movies or create interactive books complete with their own illustrations and sound effects. And each workshop ends with the Apple Camp Showcase so campers can share their finished projects

FREE Microsoft  YouthSpark Summer Camps

The Microsoft retail store becomes an interactive, hands-on technology classroom, where children learn by doing. Our summer camps are designed to engage and excite children, ages 8—13, at no cost to caregivers. Summer 2014 camps include:

Smart Game Coding

Go behind the scenes and learn how to code, program, and play in your own gaming world. You’ll use kid-friendly programming to learn how creativity and problem solving come together to make something all your own.

Smart Game Designing

Learn how to build, publish, and bring mobile games to life. Make your own virtual world and bring it to life so you can create games, movies, and unique digital experiences.

Smart Movie Making

Unleash your imagination and go from script to screen – and all the moving steps in between. We’ll teach you how to produce, direct, design and animate your own flicks using Windows Phone and Surface Pro.

Smart Photo Taking

Make photos pop and learn new tricks for capturing, editing and sharing great photos from your phone. We’ll help you build interactive worlds in Photosynth, turn yourself into art with Photo Fuse, and more.

View available summer camps at your store and sign up today:

These camps have limited openings and once they are gone they are gone. So be sure to sign up soon.

Sign up for FREE Apple Summer Camp here

 Sign up  for FREE Microsoft Summer Camp here.

 

 

summer reading program list

Kids FREE Summer Reading Programs & Prizes

April 23, 2014 By Melissa 2 Comments
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summer reading program list

Here is a great list of kids FREE Summer Reading Programs. School is almost out for the summer and we know that keeping up with reading over the summer is so important. There are a LOT of great programs that your children can take advantage of to earn FREE books, prizes, and cash! This can help make reading a bit more fun this summer.

If you would like to save this link to Pinterest just click the Pinterest button on the top right hand corner of the image above. You will see it when you slide your cursor over the picture.

Junie B Jones Reading Club — Sign up and get a FREE starter Kit that includes a copy of Junie B Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, Activity sheets and a membership ID card while supplies last.

Barnes & Noble Imagination Destination – This summer reading program through Barnes & Noble gives your child the ability to earn a FREE book after reading 8 books and keeping track of them in a reading log.

Book Adventure – Sylvan offers this FREE reading incentive program. Basically your child reads books and then takes a simple comprehension quiz to make sure they understood what they read. The quiz is usually about 10 questions long. They earn points based on how much they remember from reading the book.

There are hundreds of books to choose from in all reading levels. These are common books that can be found at your local library. Once they have earned enough points they can trade them in for some really neat prizes!

Chuck E. Cheese – Earn 10 FREE tokens every time your child reads for 2 weeks in a row. Just fill out the form and bring it in to claim your free token.

Showcase Cinemas Bookworm Wednesdays – Your child can earn a FREE movie ticket from National Amusements Theaters when they read a book and complete a book report.

Local Public Library – Don’t forget to check out your local libraries to find out which programs they’ll be offering this summer. My kids have participated in several Summer reading Programs through the library and it always includes FREE books & prizes.

Pottery Barn Summer Reading Challenge – Open only to children under 10 years of age on any day during the promotion period. Must present completed Award-Winning or Early Reader book list to receive a free book at participating Pottery Barn Kids stores.

TD Bank Summer Reading Program — Read and keep track of 10 books this summer and your child will get $10 added to their Young Saver Account FREE!

Scholastic Summer Challenge – Log in your reading minutes to the Scholastic site and your child will be able to participate in a World Record challenge as well as earn digital prizes!

Programs like these are a great way to encourage our children to continue reading throughout the summer months. If you know of any other programs that aren’t listed here, please feel free to leave the information in a comment below.

Thanks Saving Dollars and Sense for this great list!

60% – 30% Off Discount For Kiwi Crate Craft Subscription

November 29, 2013 By Melissa Leave a Comment
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Take 60% OFF a new subscription! Shop now ››

Here is a great Kiwi Crate Coupon Code for 60% off! Kiwi Crate’s award-winning, monthly subscription service makes a holiday wonderful gift for kids ages 3-7. For less than $20 per month, your little one will receive multiple arts, crafts, and science activities — delivered right to your door.

Recently featured in InStyle, Parenting Magazine, and US Weekly, Kiwi Crate has also been awarded Dr. Toy 100 Best Children’s Products of 2012, Parent’s Choice 2012 Gold Award, and an Oppenheim Gold Seal Best Toy Award.

For today only use the Kiwi Crate coupon code JOLLY  to receive 60% off the first month of a new subscription. Be sure to act fast! There is a different discount every day. It goes down by 10% each day.

Kiwi Crate offers a range of subscription options, all shipped for free:

Monthly Subscriptions – $19.95 a month
3 Month Gift – $59
6 Month Gift – $110
12 Month Gift – $220

Limited edition crates and projects can be found in the Celebration Shop:

Crafty Christmas – $19.95*
Handmade Hanukkah – $19.95*
Gifts Made by Me – $19.95*
Stocking Stuffers and Party Favors – $5 to $12

If you have been considering Kiwi Crate this is a great day to get it at a discount!

Shop with Kiwi Crate Coupon Code Today!

 

Give the gift of Creative Fun! See Kiwi Crate Gift Options››

Free Lego Monthly Mini Build Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 Plus Nice Lego Ninjago Deals

September 2, 2013 By Heidi Leave a Comment
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Lego September Monthly Minibuild September 2013

 

Visit your local LEGO Store on the first Tuesday of every month and you can learn how to build a cool mini model, and take it home — for free! My kids love to go to these Lego mini build events and they are so proud when they take their models home. There is a bit of a line, but they really enjoy it.  [Read more…]

Rainbow Loom Giveaway – Hot New Craft Kit for Tweens

August 10, 2013 By Heidi 48 Comments
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Rainbow Loom Giveaway everydaysavvy.com

 ***** Our Rainbow Loom Giveaway is over, but you can shop the Rainbow Loom store below for looms and refills. Congrats to Leah S. #Giveaway #RainbowLoom *****

 

Rainbow Loom kits are one of the hottest new craft kits for tweens. I first saw the Rainbow Loom at my local independent toy store. I walked in to browse and noticed they were holding a free class on how to create a new pattern of bracelet with the Rainbow Loom. I was intrigued! These loom kits are literally flying off the shelves. They are in such demand that they are getting weekly shipments of refill bands and they only allow each customer to purchase one of each color of refills at a time so that everyone has a chance to buy refills. I have to admit, they are pretty cool. Basically, you take brightly-colored rubber bands and your loom to weave fun accessories like bracelets, anklets, rings and more. The styles and patterns seem to be endless and the refills come in so many colors, including glow-in-the-dark.  [Read more…]

tips to save on back to school clothes

How to Save On Back To School Clothes – Top 10 Tips

August 6, 2013 By Melissa 1 Comment
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save on back to school clothes tips

Top Tips on How to Save on Back to School Clothes

It is back to school time and you know what that means…. back to school clothes shopping. Shopping for back to school clothes can be very expensive especially if you want all the latest and greatest styles. I love to get great brand name back to school fashions but I also love to do so at a discount. Wondering how you can save on back to school clothes too? I have 10 tips on how you can save on back to school clothes. If you follow these tips, you can save lots of cash.

      1. Take Inventory

        – Before you ever head out shopping, the first thing to do is to go through your children’s current clothing and see what you have and what you need. Check what still fits and if you have hand me down clothing from one of your children. Did you buy anything ahead at great discounts? You might be surprised by how much you already have. Once you take inventory you can then allocate your clothing budget across the items you need to purchase.

      2. Repurpose

        – See if any current clothing can be repurposed. Too short girl’s dresses can often be worn as tunic once you add some leggings. Short-sleeve graphic tees work great all year round. Just add a long sleeve shirt underneath and it transitions to cooler weather. You might even want to buy some spring/summer items with big discounts now that can be repurposed for fall.

      3. Shop Early

        – Don’t wait until the typical August back to school clothing sales instead take advantage of sales year-round to get amazing discounts an back to school clothes. If you are looking for a cute first day of school outfit remember that it will most likely still be warm on the first day so pick up a cute outfit a fraction of the price during summer sales.

      4. Shop Late

        – For cooler weather clothing, wait for sales and discounts that usually occur in Late September or October. Plus this also gives kids an opportunity to figure out what the styles are before you go all out and discover that the clothes you splurged on are “soooo last season.”

      5. Shop Online With Coupon Codes

        – Use the online coupon code database to find percent discount coupon codes on clothing and free shipping. Your best savings will be when you can stack a online coupon code on top of a sale price. If you do that you can  usually can find  in season clothing for 50% off or more. I never ever pay full price for children’s clothing. You can almost always find an online coupon code and stack those savings with a sale.

      6. Shop In Store with Coupons

        – If you are buying in store, be sure to check for a coupon. For example, I rarely anything at Gymboree without using a Gymboree coupon. Magazines are great sources of coupons and well as directly from the store. This leads me to the next tip.

      7. Sign up for  Discounts

        – Be sure to get on  favorite stores email lists and follow them on Facebook and Twitter so you know about all their sales. Sometimes special coupon codes and sales with only be announced this way.

      8. Shop Children’s Flash Sale Sites

        –  With Flash Sale sites,  you can often find high end brands for much less. You need to be a member but membership is FREE. They often carry hand-picked, boutique items as well as brand names for moms, babies and kids at up to 70%off retail. Many of these sites will offer special back to school deals on apparel, backpacks, educational toys, lunch fixings and tools and everything else you need to send your kids back to school. New events launch daily but only last for a short period of time often 72 hours or less. My favorite kids flash sale site is Zulily. Be sure to sign up with Zulily to find out about all their sales.

      9. Consider Gently Used Clothing

        –  Ebay, online used clothing stores or  local used clothing stores like Plato’s Closet. Some of my favorite online sites are Thredup and MoxieJean for back to school clothes. When you use the Thredup link you will also receive 40% off your first order  when you use coupon code NCJ40. If you sign up for MoxieJean emails, you will get a coupon for 25% off your first purchase of designer baby & kids clothes. (You could sell some out your outgrown clothing to fund this year’s purchases as well)

 

 

Back to School - 40% off

    1. Use Discounted Gift Cards

      – Buy discounted gift cards for for favorite stores and save even more. You can stack triple savings on clothing by using discounted gift cards, coupon codes, and shopping sales. I like to use Raise.com to buy discounted giftcards online. If  you are a new customer, you can save $5 off $75 with code RAISE75AF. This is on top of their already discounted prices.

 

Raise.com

 

Be sure to check out all our other back to school tips and back to school sales information.

 

Great Deals on Orb Factory Sticky Mosaic Craft Kits for Kids. Many Are Discounted with an Extra 20% Off if you Buy 2!

March 28, 2013 By Heidi Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

The Orb Factory Heart Box

 

These sticky mosaics from The Orb Factory are a really fun craft project and make great gifts. We have given several as birthday gifts and my daughter has a few sets as well. She received the heart jewelry box a few years ago and she keeps all of her trinkets in it. The heart jewelry box is a nice quality for the price point and she had a great time embellishing it. If you are looking for unique birthday gifts for kids, these are great. My local boutique toy store sells these sets for much, much more. Amazon is having a great promo on select sticky mosaic sets. Many are marked down plus there is a “special offer” that if you buy 2 that qualify, you can get an extra 20% off both. Make sure each item you choose has the special offer listed on it’s page. The extra 20% off comes off in your basket. There are sets for both boys and girls available. If your order total is $25 or more, your order ships for free. [Read more…]

Lucky Charms – St. Patricks Day Ideas – Cupcakes, Breakfast & Free Printables

March 6, 2013 By Melissa Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more info.

stpatrickluckycharms

Be sure to pin this post so you have the directions nearby every year. You can easily pin by clicking the pin it button on the picture above.

So I found this great $0.50 off ONE BOX Lucky Charms cereal coupon and it reminded me of all the great Lucky Charms ideas I had seen on Pinterest. Maybe you would like to try one of these for St Patrick’s Day.

st patricks day breakfast

This one is my absolute favorite. How easy and cute for a St. Patrick’s day breakfast. Even I might be able to handle this one. Be sure to head over to the Thoughtfully Simple website where this FREE printable is available as well as ones that say you instead of you girls.

You can find yellow stripe paper straws similar to these right on Amazon

 
st patricks day breakfast green milk

 

 

How cute are these Lucky Charm cupcakes?!?

luck charms cupcakes
Be sure to check out My Own Labels for all the directions to make the cupcakes and tags.

 

Here is a cute idea for treat bags and the printable treat bag topper  is available for FREE at Tip Junkie.

lucky charms treat bag toppers printable

 

You can even use Lucky Charms to help learn graphing and sorting. Here is a great free printable available from Teaching Way.

Source: teachingheart.net via Melissa Bargain Shopper Mom on Pinterest

 

 

Now that you have all these great ideas for St. Patricks day be sure to print your $0.50 off ONE BOX Lucky Charms cereal coupon  and save a bit of money on your projects!

 

Which project will you try?

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I'm a busy mom, avid shopper, travel lover, and real life fashion fan, striving to live my best life everyday. I love to share tips & tricks for busy moms.
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