Summer Vacation - Coming Soon!

Well, it's official, this Momma took initiative and planned out her family vacation. It will be early summer, and we will be going to sunny Gulf Shores, Alabama. 

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My family and I have never been to Gulf Shores before. I've been to Florida more times than I can remember, but this will be something new for all of us. *Yes, my parents and cousins are going with us as well, and I'm super excited about it!

Before children, the hubs and I didn't make it a point to travel. We never really had the money to, or if we did I was being frugal and chose not to. Then, once we advanced in our careers (after kids), we decided to plan yearly trips for our girls to see the world; we will stick to the US until they're older and can appreciate what the world has to offer. Check out our Spring Training trip HERE.

Since we've mapped out the travel (we're driving), and we have our house booked, now it comes down to the fine details... like what to wear. Haha! I'm not one to buy new clothes for vacation, but this year I just so happened to catch the new year Lilly Pulitzer clearance sale. And if you know Lilly, then you know that the prints are bright and VERY summer-y. So, I guess you can say I've started on my vacation wardrobe. 

I've also started to check out the local happenings in Gulf Shores. I found a few places to go, but I could use a little help from those that have been there. They have a petting zoo, a water park, some state parks, a recreation type place (go-karts, etc.), and some historic locales as well, but nothing that screams excitement. We will probably spend a lot of time on the beach, but it would be nice to have family-type fun in mind as well. And restaurants!!! We will eat at the house a lot, but I still want to go to a few top-notch eating establishments!

That all said, for me, this vacation is just to relax. I'm not going to plan out dates and times for any of our trip (other than check-ins), so hopefully that keeps it very relaxed and we can decide day-to-day what our plans are. I'm thinking beach time, board games and maybe even some late-night movies. Casual. I don't want to come back exhausted; I want to come back recharged.

So, June can't get here soon enough. I could really use a vacation right now, but, it'll have to wait. In the meantime, I will daydream about those gorgeous beaches and rolling waves. 

New Year - Bring on 2017!!!

It’s funny… I always get to the end of the year and I reflect back on all of my accomplishments over the past twelve months. Yet this year I’m having the hardest time figuring out what I actually achieved in 2016. I can’t think of a darn thing.

Isn’t that pathetic? I can honestly say that I didn’t reach any goals this year (okay, maybe one... I hired someone to refinish my downstairs bathroom); but that could be because I didn’t set life goals for myself. I’m 32 years old and I’ve done nothing but fly by the seat of my pants my entire life.

Well not this year. This New Year holds wonder and excitement. I’m going to buy myself a LIFE planner, and I’m going to set goals for myself. Not just for work, but for the blog and my life as well. I’m going to keep my family in the loop, and I’m going to get it done.

I’ve learned over the years that I can’t really count on anyone else. My Mom is reliable almost all of the time, but sometimes she doesn’t want to do things on the weekends; and sometime I don’t want to ask her because I know she needs time to herself too. My husband isn’t reliable in the slightest (sorry Babe, but you’re not). And I don’t ever ask my Dad for help because he has his own stuff going on. So, it’s all on me to get done all of the things that I’m wanting out of life.

I’m going to take off running with it. I’m going to get all of the things done that have been weighing on me lately. I mean, the only person that can make changes to my life is me, right? Well, and God, of course.

So wish me luck. Because while I might be working on getting organized to make more things happen, what will come with it is a world of work.

Happy New Year!

2017 is going to be a good one!

Pinkie Pie and her 3D Deco Light

You know what I found out this Christmas? My oldest, Emma, knows a lot more about toys and characters than I do. I’m sure she gets it all from You Tube Kids.

I stuffed her stocking this year with Shopkins, Grossery Gang, and My Little Pony blind bags. Low and behold, the My Little Pony was her favorite. Who knew. Actually, I should have known considering we had to look for her lost Pinkie Pie at the park for way too long. I should mention that we never found it and I had to buy her a brand new stuffed Pinkie Pie for Christmas. Smh.

Anyway, as I was looking for said Pinkie Pie, I came across the coolest thing. A 3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Light of Pinkie Pie herself.

Pinkie Pie

Neat, Right?!?!?

Here's what the lights are all about:

"3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Lights are the perfect gift this holiday season. They have a full range of comic book, super hero, Disney Princess, sports and car lights that look as though they are popping right out of the wall! They are battery operated and cool to the touch so you can place them any where in the room! Your kids will loves having these in their rooms and they're also the perfect editions to a den, family room, man's cave or office!"

Find all of these amazing products here: http://bit.ly/TargetUSFamily

Turns out, they sell them at Target and Target.com!

There are so many neat ones…

Captain America

Football

Star Wars

I know Christmas is over, but these need to find a place in your home. So cool! And did I mention that they’re completely safe? Cool to the touch, battery operated and cordless. And the crack sticker that’s included won’t ruin your wall. ;-)

If you get one, let me know which one you went with!

What to Get a Working Mom / Woman

Around the holidays, I get a lot of questions from friends and family asking me what I want for Christmas. It's a hard question because I have almost anything I could need at home, and while I want clothes, I don't really want anyone to pick them out for me.

So, I thought and thought, and I looked around at what my co-workers have and/or need. And I compiled a short list of quick go-tos for any working woman out there (I was going to say working Mom, but really these items work for anyone).

1. Anyone who works with a laptop, a bevvy of papers and office products or an iPad will appreciate a nice large bag to carry everything around with them. Leave it to MK to be the sylish go-fer this season. The one pictured is a Michael Kors Extra Large Leather Tote in grey.

2. Working at a desk all day can seem dull and boring. Some fun and whimsical decals can spruce up your laptop and keep you motivated. Etsy shop owner "KareAndDesign" has a ton of them to choose from.

3. I just love Franklin Covey planners. I haven't used one in years (I tend to like my lists), but I've been itching to get one for 2017. The one shown is a good option for a list maker like myself. It's a simple two-page calendar with lines to add your to-dos to. Every year I get into an organization mood for the new year, so I think this would help me out tremendously. Don't you?

4. This is an oldie but still a goodie. I love my Pilot G-2 07 pens. In fact, I'm obsessed. I also like to have different color options because a list-maker like myself needs to be able to easily separate tasks by importance, day or even department. To the person who stole my lime green G-2 07 pen off my desk - I know who you are, and I want it back.

5. When in doubt, a gift card works nicely. I can't tell you how many days I'm out and about in the city for work, and I have to buy lunch. A gift card would help to cut down on the amount of cash I have to use from not being able to brown bag it. Good options are Panera and Starbucks; carbs and coffee makes for a happy woman. And if food isn't cutting it, an Apple card would help to pay for apps and iTunes.

Holiday Shopping Tips - Part 2 - TOYS'R'US

Did you read my last holiday shopping post? If you did, I hope you got a lot out of it. There are seriously so many ways to save money at Target that I didn’t even really list them all; look around sometime and find all the other hidden treasures that Target has to offer!

Now, this post is about a place that isn’t usually on my radar this time of year. Too busy, too crowded, and in the past the deals weren’t all that great. However, this year, they have upped their game a bit. This post is all about Toys R Us.

I’ll go ahead and start with the biggest and best pre-Black Friday deals… the Hotrageous Deals. This list of online-only toy deals is posted and emailed out on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, but it’s done so in a not-in-your-face kind of way. So I think a lot of people miss it or think it’s not the greatest bargain (I’ve noticed that they usually showcase the most popular brands first, which may not be the deepest discounts).

True, Toys R Us doesn’t usually give as much of a discount as other places, but they do have a much larger toy selection so you can find things that other retailers might not have available. It looks like today’s Hotrageous deals range from 15% off to 50% off, but, there are also some pretty unique things offered. On this particular day, there are 69 items in their Hotrageous Deals category. I really only found 2 that are a fit for our family, but those 2 are really good deals!

Here are the deals that I found would be good for our girls:

Emma loves all things Shopkins.

Alice loves cars and Elmo (she calls him "Mo-mo").

Then, they have things that I wouldn’t normally think about getting, but it’s such a great deal that it caught my eye:

How cute are those!?!!

The good thing about Toys R Us online, is that most of the items allow for store-pickup within an hour, or it’s Free Shipping if you spend $19 or more. Their search feature is also very useful to filter through the toys listed – nobody hates scrolling through numerous pages without the option to filter more than I do.

So, that’s the biggest piece of money-saving goodness from Toys R Us, but, I’m not done just yet.

From the beginning of November through Christmas, Toys R Us offers raffles, giveaways, toy sampling and much more, each and every weekend.  Their kick-off event was November 5^th, then there is a LEGO event on November 12^th, and then a Pokemon event (with trading) on November 20^th. If you want to keep up with all of these events you can either follow Toys R Us on Facebook, or if you’re in St. Louis you can follow Let’s Go St. Louis to see the same events and then some.

They also have special sales on random days too, so watch for those. I find it best to either subscribe to their emails, or follow them on Facebook. Those are the best ways to get notified right away.

So there you have it. Part 2 of my Holiday Shopping Money-Saving tips. If you haven't read Part 1 (Target), you totally should... lots of ways to save there. 

Bloggers love to hear your comments on our posts, so please take a moment to let me know what you think. :-) And as always, make sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram! 

Thanks for reading! Watch for part 3 coming soon!

Holiday Shopping Tips - Part 1 - TARGET

Cue the music… “It’s the most wonderful time, of the year!”

I’ve worked retail since high school. And as a seasoned retail employee (okay, optical isn’t really retail, but it almost is), I can feel the holiday season in my bones. So much so, that at 11:15 pm on Halloween night, I said to my husband “okay, we’re done with Halloween, we’re moving on to Christmas!” He rolled his eyes. If you haven’t met my husband, just know that he is pretty much the living version of Charlie Brown… I can hear him say “Good Grief” in my head each and every time he disapproves of my shenanigans.

I like Thanksgiving and all, but I see my family regularly (I love them… I want to see them more than a couple times a year), and I just love Christmas so much that I don’t want to wait!!! By the way, when did it become socially acceptable for people to bash others for getting into the Christmas spirit early?!? If you ask me, those are the people with the problems.

Anywhoo, as soon as November 1^st gets here, I’m ready to watch for the Christmas present deals. Since I like to share the wealth, I thought I’d go ahead and let you know of all of my tips and tricks for finding a good deal. I hope you’ll share yours with me too!

Because there are so many different stores and ways to save, I’m going to break it down into a few posts. I’ll start with my biggest and best resource (you’ll soon see why)… TARGET!

Now, I know Target got a lot of grief this year, and shoot, I was one person who stopped shopping there until they realized their faults. But, they’ve been taking a lot of steps to correct the issues, and they’re offering even more deals than usual to make up for losses. Bonus!

Here we go…

Target

Okay, for all of the occasional Target shoppers out there, let me start off by saying that YOU NEED A RED CARD. My Mom hates debit cards – she still writes checks – but I’m always telling her that she could save $300 a year easy if she would just get a Target Red Card. It saves you 5% each time you use it and it just comes straight out of your bank account; it’s NOT a credit card (unless you want a Red Card Credit Card, because those are available too).  It also gives you free shipping if you shop online, and you should always check them out online because there are tons of online deals that you can’t get in stores (right now you can get 20% off of toys, through 11/5).

On top of the Red Card for a free 5% off, they have a Cartwheel app that can save you tons of money on things you already purchase, coupons you can print from Target.com that you can also stack with manufacturer’s coupons, and now in St. Louis you get points for all of your purchases to earn free stuff (also on Cartwheel). Plus, they do a lot of their “Buy X, Get X” deals like buy 3 bottles of shampoo and get a $5 Target Gift Card. It’s all just free discounts. Hardly any effort!

Even more free goodies with Cartwheel Perks!!!

But, the best deal they have going each and every year at this time, and the reason I decided to do this post, is a Toy Deal of the Day on their Cartwheel app. What it is, is they put one specific toy on the app each day from November 1^st through December 24^th, and it’s 50% off. Yep, you saw that right… 50% off. HALF OFF. It’s a big deal. New toys. For HALF. OFF. Sometimes the toy will even be on sale in the store, and then you’ll get it even cheaper! More than… HALF. OFF. Can you sense my excitement? The catch is this: Once it gets closer to Christmas, they sell out of the toys before 9am (it’s only in store and they only have what’s on the shelf to start with). So, if you check the app when you wake up, and get to Target at 8am, you should be okay. We missed sooooooooo many good ones last year. But, I’ve got my game face on this year. ;-)

An example of a 50% Off toy deal.

I know, I know, I’m crazy to spread this piece of deal-saving-goodness… but, even though I’ll probably take out a few of you with my elbows getting to the goods, I still wanted to share the wealth.

Oh! There’s one more thing. Now, this is new this year so I’m not quite sure if it’s easy to use all around, but Target has a new app called “Target Kids’ Wish List.” Your child can create a list of the items they want for Christmas (or you can create one for them) and anyone can search for the list online or in stores; it’s like a registry. I think that’s pretty freaking cool! And the best part is that you can get 10% off of those items if purchased by November 23^rd! There are some exclusions, and rules… I believe it’s a one-time use, but I’m not sure if that’s per person shopping, or per child. But, if you have the holiday shopping money now, you may as well try to get as much as you can in one stop.

So there you have it!

I hope you got a lot out of my first Frugal shopping post! I know I have a pretty good game plan for the next couple weeks that’s for sure. ;-)

Make sure to let me know of any Target deals you come across too. I’m always looking for more insights on how to save more of my hard-earned money!

And be sure to follow The Average Momma on Facebook so that you don’t miss out on any future shopping tips/tricks posts I might have.

*All graphics and pictures on this post were from my electronic device and/or creations of my own.