Technology Tips

My favorite things to purchase at Staples are the fun little gifts - perfect for stocking stuffers. I love buying beautiful journals and fun colored pens, along with post it notes of all shapes, colors and sizes. Some other items that are fun for kids are the calculators that clip onto a back pack or keychain, and the fun paper clips and thumb tacks. There are so many fun small items to choose from, you can't go wrong!

In addition to all these fun items, they have more electronic gifts than I can even think of like laptops, printers, cam corders, digital cameras, memory cards, USB cards and more.

Here are most helpful tips for holiday tech shopping:

1. Check for the best prices. It may be easiest to go to one store and buy everything you want for the holidays, but it may not be best for your wallet. I love the site froogle.com where you can type in any item and it will list out the price of the item and where to find it. You can search by price. It's wonderful!

2. Another site I live by is retailmenot.com. On this site other shoppers can list coupon codes, printable coupons, freebies and great deals. I use this at least once a month. My favorite coupon codes from this site are for Victoria Secret, Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal, but there are so many more sites on here!

3. Rebates - check for mail in or instant rebates for technology items. So many electronics offer rebates which make the prices more affordable. Take the time to look up the flyers for each store, and compare rebates when considering the final prices.

4. Read Reviews - If an item has 25 bad reviews and 1 good review, then it probably is not the best choice. I find reviews very helpful. They tell you if a product is reliable or a piece of junk and will break right away.

5. Read the fine print - check what the item is compatible with, the warrenty, the return policy. These are all very important when buying technology.

On my holiday list are the following items that can all be found at Staples - mini laptop/netbook, camcorder, and a new digital camera. We have a digital camera that is wonderful for outdoor photos, but awful for low light locations. It would be so nice to have a camera that took decent photos indoors, so we could capture our date nights, and weddings, as well as holiday parties. Maybe someday Santa will bring them to our house, if not this year. :)

Happy Holidays!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Staples blogging program, making me eligible for a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here - http://staplesholiday.twittermoms.com/about

Staples Holiday GuideHoliday Tech Gifts

10 TIPS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER

Life can be so much easier than it is. How? There are many things that can be done to simplify your life. I know this may sound like an inspirational speech in the making, but it's true. Life is sometimes harder than it has to be.

Tip 1: Cleaning the toilet a pain? Use 1 can of coke, pour around the bowl and leave overnight. Flush in the morning and job done! If only all cleaning tasks were this easy!

Tip 2: I originally found this tip online, but I use it all the time, as I love to bake for my friends. How to Expand Frosting. . . When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving

Tip 3: I also found this one online about a month ago, but it's so helpful! Unsticky Measuring Cups . . . Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Tip 4: For making pie crusts this holiday season, it's best to use cold butter for making the crust. Don't melt the butter or "soften" it. It's best when the butter is cut into cubes and kneeded in. The layers of butter between the dough make for a very flaky pie crust. Try it!

Tip 5: If you are making deviled eggs or boiled eggs, here is my tip. As soon as you are done boiling the eggs, rinse them in cool water. This prevents the yokes from turning green around the edges as they cool, and you can also work with them sooner!

Tip 6: I found this product online and think it's wonderful, it's the OK to Wake clock. My coworkers keep complaining about how their kids think as soon as the sun's up that it's time toget up, so they make a product called the "ok to wake" clock that tells kids when they can get up, even if it's already light outside.

Tip 7: Thanksgiving is just around the corner . . . we all love turkey, but what do you do with the leftovers. Every year my family makes turkey noodle soup. You boil the turkey carcas, and that makes a tasty broth, then add in some carrots, noodles, celery and corn and you have soup (of course, take the carcas out before you eat or serve the soup)

Tip 8: For those of you with kittens/cats. . . here's a tip to keep them from going after toes or hands. When they are little provide them with plenty of toys, but NEVER use your hands or feet to play with them. If you use the toys, it teaches them that toys are ok to chase. By using your hands/feet it teaches them that it's ok to chase and attack body parts, so start with toys when they're young. . . not human hands/feet.

Tip 9: Potty Training Tip - if you have a son and want to teach him to "aim," use cheerios. Put a few in the toilet bowl, and tell him to aim for the cheerios. It's great for learning, but can also be a game . . .win win!

Tip 10: For holiday shopping, here are some great money saving sites:
retailmenot.com
couponcabin.com
ebates.com

Try out some of these tips, for a less stressful and easier life. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my tips, or if you have any to add.

Thanks and Happy Holidays! :)

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Oral-B blogging contest, making me eligible to get full-sized Oral-B Glide products and a $30 Target gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.