Taking a Break

Okay, so I'm taking a break from this blog.  I started it to share deals and products that I love, but I've started guest posting for another blog that allows me to reach a bigger audience.  I talk about my favorite children's books on that blog, which is really what I mainly did here (check the labels to the right). :)

So, I'll focus on sharing my experiences there, and hopefully one day in the future, I'll have more time to dedicate to this little baby here.

Thanks for reading!

~Gerri

Perfect Easter Books for Children

Whether they serve as an Easter basket goodie or are read often during the weeks leading up to Easter, these two books are EXCELLENT. Go get 'em.

The Story of Easter

by Patricia A. Pingry

Explains the celebration of Easter by telling the story of Jesus' life, Resurrection, and love for us all.

• Pub. Date: February 2011
• Publisher: Ideals Publications
• Format: Board Book , 22pp
• Age Range: For infants or children in preschool

• ISBN-13: 9780824918446
• ISBN: 0824918444

Buy new or used here.

My Easter Basket and the True Story of Easter

by Mary Manz Simon

Children will discover the true meaning of Easter using the colors found in a traditional Easter basket! The colors help to tell the biblical story of Jesus' resurrection. ...

• Pub. Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Standard Publishing
• Format: Hardcover , 48pp
• Age Range: 4 to 8

• ISBN-13: 9780784713563
• ISBN: 0784713561

Buy new or used here.

Image Source (The Story of Easter) - BN.com
Product Details (The Story of Easter, My Easter Basket) - BN.com

Books for Cheap

...at the thrift store! 

For me to be such a money-saver, I don't do thrift stores very often (though we do have a nice desk in our office that was a thrift store steal, and lamps in our living room that were thrift store finds of my aunt's).  The problem is I'm not really a fan of hit-or-miss shopping.  So thrift stores, and even places like Ross and TJ Maxx, aren't places I have a lot of patience for.  I am JUST now starting to get clothes for my daughter at consignment shops.  And even then, sometimes, I'm not impressed with their prices because with my couponing and deal-seeking resources, I can find those same items NEW at the same (sometimes better) prices.

Anyway, my mom, a thrift store junkie, came to my house this weekend and I knew she'd love a visit to a thrift store.  So off we went.  If you can't tell by my blog, I'll tell you now:  WE LOVE BOOKS in this house.  So naturally I navigated to the book section expecting to see a messy pile of old, yucky books.  I was pleasantly surprised to find clean* books neatly stacked on shelves, and plenty of them!

And the prices?  Like 39 and 49 cents!  The most I paid for one was $1.99, but that book was almost new and retailed for $10.  I grabbed several board books for my little one.  Then I found this:

Which was cool since I already owned this:

And then I ran across the book below and thought it was cool (though we can't use it until Morgan's a little older):

A few seconds later, I realized it was a SIGNED copy (by just one of the authors, but still)!

How awesome is that!

Now I could have gone to a thrift store that only takes nice books or maybe it was just a good day to drop by -- I know thrift stores are hit-or-miss -- but I was pleased with the selection and what I brought home.  But not more pleased than my little one.  Which makes it even better!

So, though I have my favorite spots to shop for books (a little company mentioned more than once on this blog), I may start paying a visit to the thift store more often!

* ...though they still got a good ol' disinfecting wipe down. :)

Image Sources:  BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com 

Zulily

One word for you mamas out there  -- Zulily.  Some of you are saying "Girl, yes!" while some of you haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet.  If you haven't been there yet, what are you waiting for?  Awesome stuff, awesome prices.

When it comes to clothes, accessories, shoes, etc., I don't do full price.  I'm a couponer (not the crazy kind -- though I secretly wish I had time to be) and a person who looks for the best deal all the time.

So when I found out about Zulily, I was in awe.  LOVE.  I recently bought spring clothes for my little one -- bishop dresses, jumpers, my husband bought her a pair of shoes (he likes the site, too!), and I'm going to browse their books soon.  Yes, they have deals on books and toys as well as stuff for mama.

So, what's the negative?  Well, this is relative, but you typically won't get your get stuff in just a few days.  In a nutshell, this it how it works:

1. Sale opens.
2. You order from Zulily.
3. Sale closes (usually within 72 hours).
4. They submit their order to the brand/manufacturer.
5. The items are shipped to Zulily.
6. Then the items are shipped to you.

So common sense will tell you that your order won't be shipped to you in the same week.   And with that being said, you shouldn't order something you need quickly.  But other than that, no real negatives.  When I had questions about the process, I emailed them and someone responded promptly (which is the source of the information above).

I'm very much in love with Zulily now.  If that changes, I'll be sure to come back and update.  If you're a mama, soon-to-be-mama, future mama, or have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc. get on over to Zulily, check out the awesome selection, and save yourself some money!

Oh! One last thing (how could I forget?) -- the stuff sells fast!  Early morning shopping gets you the best selection!

Overstock.com Discount

There are a few things I've been scoping the Internet for the past few weeks, including a "mom" necklace that isn't old-fashioned, but chic, and a nativity set to put up during Christmas (I actually don't have one and I want a good set to pass down to my daughter and her daughter and so on...).  I'm always looking for a good price, and I thought three months before Mother's Day and two months after Christmas would be a great time to look for these items.  When doing both of these searches, I ran across Overstock.com.  I've actually never ordered from Overstock.com, so I thought it was ironic that I was contacted by the company's marketing team a few days later.  They're offering a discount to my blog readers.

At first, I didn't want to do this because of the obvious reason: I have no experience with Overstock.com.  Second, because I never planned to "go there" with this blog.  But then I thought about it -- what's the harm in passing along a discount?  That's one of the reasons I'm here.

Plus, I'm sure they're contacting many other bloggers, so hey, why not?  In case you didn't know, Overstock.com is an online retailer that offers brand names at discounted prices.  I've browsed everything from girls clothes to handmade jewelry to their Christmas decorations.  They offer so much!

Enter the discount code 121745 for 10% off your order (excludes movies, books, and electronics -- sorry). This code never expires, but can only be used once per email address.  And if you are ordering electronics, use this code for free shipping:  202234. 

The 10% may not sound like much, but it's better than other Overstock.com discounts I've found online that require that you order about $350 worth of products to get the discount.  If you use the code provided here, there is no minimum purchase.  Now that's what I like to hear.

Check it out!

Disclosure:  All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post.  However, I was provided with a discount code.

Image:  baltimoresun.com

Groupon

Okay, so if you just happen to NOT be a member of Groupon, it's time to get with the program, friend! :)  I know you've heard of it (or a company like it), so now's your chance to jump right in.  Today is especially a good day to jump in as one of the featured deals is $10 for $20 worth of Barnes and Noble merchandise - and you guys know how much I love Barnes and Noble. :) Be sure to scroll to the right side of the homepage to the Multiple Locations section to find the B&N deal.  And there are only two days left to get in on this, so do it now so you don't forget.  Join now to get access to fun deals posted daily! :)  Happy Grouponing!

{There are other Groupon-like companies I buy deals from, but I'll share those one day soon.}

Image:  Groupon.com

Rent a Textbook for Free!

If you're in school, you should go to Neebo.com to rent a textbook for free this semester (I did)!  I've never heard of Neebo, to be honest, but found out about this little campaign through a savings blog. I went to their Web site, and it was easy as pie to rent (you do pay shipping -- mine was $7.99 ).  I got an email a day later saying the book has been shipped.  Just to put icing on the cake, the book is sent with free return materials so you only pay shipping once.

I would have waited to post this after I had a good experience, but I wanted folks to take advantage of the deal while it was still good.  I look forward to getting my book in the mail soon!  If the service isn't as good as it sounds, I'll definitely update. :) 

Have a great semester!

Image:  Facebook

Update:  I promised I'd come back to update if my service was not good. Well, I'm back.  My plans were to always keep my blog positive and only talk about companies that provided a good product/service, but I felt it was my duty to come back and update this one. I ordered the book easily, easily paid the shipping, and got the book in a decent amount of time.  But halfway through the semester, I noticed that my book was missing pages (approximately two chapters).  No biggie.  I'm a teacher and I know these things happen in printing.  So I contacted Neebo and they quickly responded saying they'd send me a new book.  The new book I got five days later was the WRONG BOOK.  There were a few other issues that went on and ways they could have made up for the inconvenience (two weeks of missed assignments), but they didn't.  I simply don't like a company that does not always put the customer first.  So I'm sending Neebo their two useless books back and calling it a day.  I am sure my experience was not like most people's (and if you happened to also get a free textbook from them, I hope your experience has been wonderful), but I'm done with them.  Lucky for me I got the book for free.  I just ordered my book again for a wonderful price at Half.com.  I will wait to do a review this time. :)