Very Merry Holiday Bargain Tips

I'm a bargain shoppin' woman and you'll rarely find me paying full price for anything!  In America there is always a sale on what you need mark my words.  Here are some of my holiday tips for a Chrismakkah filled with savings!

MUST DO SITES

• www.yipit.com this site is a must do for grouponers and gifters alike!  It combines many discount websites: groupon, livingsocial and crowdsavings to name a few and puts it on one website for you to scope out deals!

TIP: Be a better gifter: A discount for an uber gourmet olive oil and balsamic store in my area had a deal for $10 for a $20 gift certificate, I went in and got $10 worth of free products for a gift that looks like I paid more than I did!

• www.ebates.com this site is great for online shoppers, they have a lot of commercials but don't explain their business that well in my opinion.  You sign up on ebates and shop online in the stores you want by getting linked to them through ebates and get a percent back  from each purchase in a check several times a year. 

TIP: if buying something that's sold in different stores i.e. Steve Madden shoes, if pricing is the same do some comparison shopping and see who gives the largest percent back from ebates.

• www.retailmenot.com - this site shows coupon codes for stores and gives a rating on how well they work for users so you can pick the more reliable codes and get EXTRA savings!

TIP:  Save all the money you can online! You are your own salesperson and cashier when you are online so use every deal you can!

• www.thekrazycouponlady.com - I have mixed feelings about this site, I love coupons but I hate the show 'Extreme Couponing' I don't believe someone who stocks up on 50 free shampoos to store in their house for eternity is doing anyone any favors and its just wasteful but this site does stress responsible couponing and  has great tips for saving at specific stores.

TIP: Even if you might not be shopping at CVS , Target, or Kmart for gifts, its a good website to save money on everyday items so you have more to spend on gifts!

TIP: Set a budget you feel comfortable with, make it realistic and split it how you feel you should spend on each person.  It doesn't have to be set in stone but you shouldn't spend so much on the holidays that you can't enjoy them.

TIP: Gift Exchanges can be a great money saver with friends.  Set a price point and do a Secret Santa through a websites such as www.elfster.com and focus on a great gift for ONE lucky friend!

TIP: If you do shop at the mall, use a good cause to take some stress off your shopping, many charities offer gift wrapping services for donations.  You can feel good about donating your money and get a nice service in return :)

Do you have any tips for holiday shopping?

8 things you never knew about wine!

1. There is no good or bad wine, just like every snowflake is unique, every taste bud is unique and there is a person with a taste for every wine made.

2. The reason why wine racks store wine bottles horizontally- because the wine hits the cork making an air tight seal and because it keeps the cork moist.

3. When resealing a wine bottle, you are supposed to put the cork in the same way it came out.

4. when you use a cork screw, you are quite literally screwing the cork.  Items like a cork puller

 will actually preserve the cork after you open the wine so no cork bits get into your wine and it makes putting the cork back in the right way i.e. #3 a lot easier.

5. Grape trees have roots about 20 feet into the ground! The older the tree the 'better' the grapes flavors are but the older tree will produce less grapes than a younger tree.

6.  American oak barrels are about $400 each and produce wines that have a strong oak taste, french-made barrels cost about $1400 each and have a more subtle oak flavor to their wines.

7. Wine typically lasts 2-3 days after it has been opened.

8.  Wine was invented to help digest food. 

15 ways to make your office feel like a home

Working a full-time job is a large commitment of your life.  You deserve to feel just as much at home there as you do in your house.  Here's a few tips to make your office feel more like a home.

Scents, smells and cleanliness.  I'm a "smell" person so having things that smell nice around me are important, here are my office drawer essentials:
1. Hand Sanitizer ( BBW Island Nectar)

2. Lotion (C.O. Bigelow grapefruit)

3.  Body Splash ( VS Love Spell) If you'll notice the scents are all in the same family I'm a citrus/fruity gal so they work nicely together

4 & 5. (In my gym bag) Deodorant and baby wipes- I love working out on my lunch break but do not like feeling  icky putting my work clothes back on after, I cut unscented baby wipes in half, put them in a sandwich bag and use them for cleaning up after the gym 

6. Lysol wipes- I share my desk with other people so its nice to be able to wipe down my desk when I come back from lunch 

7. Air freshener - I like the bath and body works car fresheners  to keep in my drawer essentials

8. Snacks, I have popcorn, oatmeal, granola bars and cans of soups in rotation in my drawer

9. Bag of make up- I keep an extra mascara, liner, blush, bronzer, and gloss in my desk!  Its nice when I'm meeting a friend straight from work or leave my house without any makeup.  Tis the season for free gifts- go to Macy's and check out their free gifts you can get a free bag of make up for your desk in one trip!

10. eye drops ( I haven't perfected this at work but I should)

11. Mints, cough drops, gum

12. Scarf, gloves, socks , umbrella. I have black scarf, $1 target gloves, socks and an old umbrella at my desk just in case weather strikes!

13. Brush and Hair ties 

14. Nail File 

15. Brush- ups /toothbrush & toothpaste

Well thats my list! Let me know if theres anything you need at your desk to make it feel like home!

National Thanksgiving!

So the International Thanksgiving didn't really work out but we have decided on SAN FRANCISCO!!! I'm very excited as I've never been there before!  We are staying right in Union Square and want to explore all there is to do!  Its going to be 3 twenty something girls so if you have any recommendations (restaurants, attractions) please let me know!

We are thinking of getting the Smart Destinations Go City San Francisco card.  Has  anyone used this? Loved? Hated? We are planning on doing the vineyard tour so we are hoping it will be well worth the price!

Legitimate Halloween Gripe "All Time Greats"? Lets agree to disagree Hersheys

Ever since I was very young I've been taught that "chocolate" is candy, not lollipops, Skittles, Starbursts or Necco wafers but chocolate.  As a youngster grabbing from Halloween bowls I would grab Reese's peanut butter cups, Hershey bars, and even KitKats but Whoppers? No, they stayed in the bowl right where they belonged, for the owner of the bowl to presumably throw them out, regretting their mistake of ever buying such a disgusting candy.  Surely no one likes this candy or if they do they are the type of person that knows they are in the wrong and waits until late at night to run to a CVS and buy them without being detected and eats them in the privacy of their own home away from the judging stares of me  others.  So why Hershey's may I ask that you include Whoppers in every "monster" bag of candy you sell? I was intrigued by the idea of a variety pack of candy, mostly because I'd only have to open one bag to try multiple types of candy which means less evidence (again I'm super judgey even if its myself I'm judging-equal opportunity).  So after 3 circles around the candy island at Kmart (yes I indeed was judged by others) I couldn't find a decent variety pack and this goes for Nestle and Mars but I can't write a seven page blog so I'm narrowing it to Hersheys.  So after a dismal variety search experience I decided to buy the individual bags of candy so I could get exactly what I wanted, and you know what? I did some math when I got home and they are cheaper, so the moral of the story-stay away from variety packs because its more expensive and there will always be a loser candy snuck in there, and going with the point of loser candy avoid Whoppers.

Easy 'Peas'y stirfry meal

I've been craving Chinese food like whoa.  I've been trying to resist the urge because I'm pretty sure its one of the worst foods for you ever (I'm not a doctor so please take any of my opinions with a grain of salt)  but I'm also a true believer of eating what you crave if the craving won't stop after an hour or so.  I decided to whip up some chicken stir-fry and it turned out pretty delicious!

Step one: Get all your ingredients!

ANY FROZEN STIR FRY VEGGIES WILL DO! I recommend a bag with sugar snap peas

I used this teriyaki sauce, its tasty and only 20 calories a serving! and minced garlic

Lastly chicken! I used honey battered chicken from Aldi

Optional:  Rice

DIRECTIONS:  I put my chicken in the toaster oven while microwaving the veggies for 3 minutes and boiling the rice.  After the veggies have been microwaved put them in a strainer to get any excess water   out and toss them in a skillet with the teriyaki and garlic putting enough in to coat all the vegetables.  Once your chicken is done toss it in the stirfry and keep covered for a few minutes.  I made rice so I used this time to strain the rice and put it at the base of a bowl.  Once the teriyaki has covered the chicken and veggies top over your rice or eat alone and enjoy!  

Best Marketing Ploy Ever?!?

Candy corn Oreo's.  Are they really that controversial or is this the best marketing plan ever?  So I saw a commercial for candy corn oreos and thought "hmm interesting" not "EEWWWW" not "YUM GOTTA GET THAT" but just indifference.  Mind you I'm not that into candy corn, I will eat it if its around but I will not buy myself a bag nor go out and seek it.  So I just thought other people felt exactly the same as I did.  Boy I am wrong, there have been countless blogs, articles and news programs dedicated to finding out if candy corn oreos are the worst food combination known to man.  I saw Al Roker eating a candy corn Oreo on TV, there were people interviewed on the street! Some even refused the oreos! What? you will get on national TV just to refuse a cookie?!? Unbelievable.  I then read several blogs reviewing these treats, even substitutions, READ: putting candy corn in a regular Oreo (umm I'll just wait until next season thanks).  But all this talk leads me to my conspiracy theory: is this an amazing marketing ploy by Nabisco or are people really this divided over a candy corn flavored cookie?