Resource: thredUP - Kids Clothing Swap

The thredUP community - where moms swap kids clothes and toys. It’s easier than ever to hand-down outgrown children’s items and earn cashback. Use FREE USPS boxes or Concierge bags to de-clutter without leaving the house. Earn up to $10 for each great box you sell and up to $20 for each bag you stuff and return to us. Pick new boxes that start at just $9 and come full of great kids stuff. The average thredUP box has more than 15 items. It’s the best kids clothing deal anywhere

How does it work?

• Gather all the books your child no longer reads, and list them by the boxful on thredUP.
• Sign-up for free and thredUP will send you complimentary empty USPS boxes (if you don’t want to wait, go grab them for free at your local post office).
• When another mom picks your box of books, thredUP lets you know. thredUP generates the shipping label and scheduldes home pick-up, so you can send books without leaving the house.

It’s even easier than Goodwill and you’ll send your family’s once loved books directly to another child who wants them.

Are You Staying True To Your New Year Resolution?

Its 2012 and this is the year you’re going get in shape, lose weight, get your finances in order, quit smoking, and organize your hectic life, right? Your coveted smartphone and its handy apps is the tool that will help you do just that and much more!

If you are one of the lucky ones that have made it past the two week mark into the New Year, congrats, but if you are like many American’s that have already fallen off the wagon, we’ve got you covered. Let us help pick you back up and get you back on the right track.

There is an overabundance of apps out there to choose from,  Appitalism.com (the mobile app superstore), recommends the following apps to keep you on track and conquer your New Year resolutions.

 GymPact (Free for iPhone)

Paying too much for a gym membership you never use? Gym-Pact lets you set the financial stakes of not getting to the gym, plus earn cash rewards and real prizes for fulfilling your Pact. All you need is an iPhone. Make the most of your gym membership!

 EverNote (Free for iPhone)

Inducted into the Apple "App Hall of Fame", NY Times "Top 10 Must-Have Apps", Winner of the Best Mobile App Award from TechCrunch and Mashable. Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use.

 SilverWiz ($0.99 for iPhone)

SilverWiz for iPhone allows you to effortlessly manage everything about your personal finances from a single place.

 LiveStrong My Quit Coach (Free for iPhone)

MyQuit Coach app creates a personalized plan to help you quit smoking. Through a physician approved, interactive and easy to use app, you’ll evaluate your current status, set attainable goals and adjust preferences according to your needs.

Resource: DailyWorth - Holiday Payoff Giveaway

DailyWorth is a free daily personal finance email for women. They are giving away to three lucky readers $704, which happens to be the average American spent this past holiday for 2011. 


DailyWorth delivers practical tips, empowering ideas, and the occasional kick in the pants. DailyWorth tips cover self worth, net worth, saving, spending, earning, investing, taxes, entrepreneurship, financial feminism, and much more. More than ever, money matters to women. Women need to recognize their own self-worth and build their own wealth. Now women can take control of their finances by signing up for DailyWorth.

Next Week Is Spirit Week At Swagbucks

Get your pom-poms ready, folks, because starting on Monday, Swagbucks is holding Spirit Week!  Every day next week they will be celebrating a different holiday.  Each day will be filled with fun, activities, and surprises.  They'll be announcing every holiday the evening before in our Swagbucks blog.  Make sure you keep track of each day's Swag Codes, as you will need them at the end of the week in order to earn a big, juicy reward. It's the most fun you can have getting your reward points for free stuff.

Resource: Craftsy Block Of The Month

The Craftsy Block of the Month is a completely free, year-long online class instructed by expert quilter, Amy Gibson. There are 12 installments, each one posted on the first day of every month. The first 10 months/installments teach students two new exciting blocks (brand new designs or funky spins on traditional blocks). The last two months are dedicated to finishing the quilt. At the end of the class, students will have full-size and one-of-a-kind quilts. Like all  classes, students can view it whenever it’s convenient for them, and can watch them however many times they’d like. It’s filmed in high-definition, and it’s fully interactive---students can ask questions as they go.

Guest Post: 8 Ways to Defeat Depreciation in Electronics

by

Andrea Woroch

There's a big difference between investments and expenses. An investment implies you expect to get some return on your money, while an expense is money you spend and never plan to see again.

Despite the vast difference in money-use methodologies, shoppers tend to get their terminology mixed up. "Investing" in an LCD TV or Blu-Ray player is a misnomer. Just like a new car, these items lose value as soon as you take them for a spin. Though most consumers are already aware of this detail, it doesn't seem to slow their interest when it comes to electronics. The Consumer Electronics Association projects more than $1 trillion in such spending this year, an increase of 5 percent from 2011.

With the Consumer Electronics Show wrapping up last week, tech fanatics everywhere have an itch for the next big thing. If you plan on scratching it, use these tips to help defeat depreciation.

1. Use the News
Nothing kills the excitement of a brand new gadget like discovering a price drop days after you've opened the box. In fact, many holiday shoppers are suffering through this exact scenario, thanks to a recent $100 price drop in several popular tablets. Avoid getting stuck in this predicament by tracking the news on products you're planning to buy. Big cuts are usually announced in advance to help stimulate sales.

2. Read Reviews
User reviews are a great place to start your electronics education. They'll help identify common problems so you can steer clear of troublesome products. Poorly reviewed items are usually the first to plummet in value, since manufacturers need to unload such inventory to make room for new, higher-quality products.

3. Cut the Initial Cost
There's no secret formula to preserving value, but there are plenty of ways to cut the initial costs. Find coupon codes for Dell, Neweggand other popular retailers on such sites as CouponSherpa. When making high-dollar buys, don't shy away from haggling, either. Most items include a certain amount of mark-up, and most managers would rather sacrifice a few dollars than lose the sale altogether. Just make sure you're prepared to buy, if they meet your price.

4. Protect What You've Got
You don't have to coddle your iPad like a newborn, but keeping it protected pays off in the long run. Simple actions like adding a screen protector and case ensures a longer, healthier life for your gadget. It also helps preserve any resale value you hope to get in the future. Don't bother buying brand-name, though. Quality cases, cables and covers are abundantly available online for a fraction of the price.

5. Quality Matters
Though low price-tags can tempt even the most careful consumer, it's best to avoid the cheapest of the cheap. Simple logic should tell you there's a good reason for an item being priced $100 less than its closest counterpart. When you're already laying out a good chunk of change, it's often worth spending a little more for quality. A Forbes.com article notes that Apple products tend to retain their value best, in comparison to other computers and electronics.

6. Wait it Out
At some point you have to put a price-tag on bragging rights. Is making your friends green with envy over your 3D HDTV really worth a few hundred dollars? Electronics are never at a higher price than when they're brand new. Ignore the hype on new releases and give yourself an extra six months before buying. While the waiting seems interminable, you'll get a good understanding of the item's quality and can still keep an eye out for special offers and sales.

7. The Old Switcheroo
One of the best ways to enhance the value of your electronics is making a trade. Your two-year-old HDTV is as good as trash to a major retailer, but someone just upgrading from tube technology would consider it a treasure. Using sites like Swap.com or even Craigslist to trade unwanted items lets you assign your own value and keeps unnecessary waste out of landfills.

8. Beware of Buyback
Many popular merchants now offer buyback programs promoting value preservation for customers. However, some of these programs are quite counterproductive and come with many restrictions. For example, the maximum possible payout from Best Buy's Program is only 50 percent, and that's within the first six months. The retailer's program also requires you pay a fee to participate and discretionary details, like product condition, can significantly detract from the resale value. When considering a buyback program, look for one that doesn't cost extra and provides payment in cash, not just store credit.

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc., and has been featured among such top news outlets as Good Morning America, NBC's Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.

Guest Post: Using Strategic Shopping

by

Stephanie Nelson

CouponMom.com

Strategic Shopping is not about changing the way you eat, it’s about changing the way you buy the food you like. Create customized shopping approaches that save time, allow your family to have tasty and healthy meals—all while cutting your grocery bill in half.

1. Know your prices. Become familiar with the price range of the items you buy most regularly, and then you will know when an item is discounted. Over time you learn when you see a deal, and how to plan purchases for items on sale and using coupons!

2. Know your store savings programs. It’s up to you to educate yourself about stores' savings programs and policies. Go to CouponMom.com to find the weekly deals at a number of national and regional stores, and learn how you can use them to your best advantage.

3. Know your coupons. Coupons are really free money, use them wisely and they’re essentially legal currency. Coupon Mom combines coupons with special deals and offers in your store each week.

4. Stock up on Savings – An item you buy each week goes on sale. The store adds to the discounting possibilities by running a promotion, possibly greater savings if you buy three or more, and then adding coupons. To the Strategic Shopper, it’s time to celebrate! Celebrate by stocking up when off-price opportunities combine for ultimate savings. When prices return to normal, just “shop” from your freezer.

5. Plan to save – The most important element to cutting your grocery spending is planning ahead. An organized shopping list, combined with careful meal planning, and strategic shopping for deals and coupons can cut your grocery bill in half every week!

Stephanie Nelson is the Coupon Mom. Her web site, www.CouponMom.com, has over 5.6 million members, and she is established as the nation’s top expert in couponing across the country. Stephanie has been on every major national television talk show and taught millions how to save money for the past 11 years. Stephanie has been called ‘”the rock star of the recession” by the Washington Post and her book, The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half, is a New York Times best seller.

H&R Block 2012

You can now go to H&R Block to  complete your federal tax return using their online product for free. State returns are an additional fee.

Swag Code Extravaganza This Week!

Swagbucks is making Friday the 13th a lucky day this week, as they hold a Swag Code Extravaganza, which means more opportunities to get reward points towards free stuff! It starts at 7am Eastern Time - throughout the day there will be 8 different Swag Codes, and if you can get them all, you'll have an extra 60 Swag Bucks in your account.

See you there!

Healthy Child Healthy World Searches for 2012 Mom on a Mission

Nominations are now open at http://www.healthychild.org/mission to find eight extraordinary parents—one of whom will become our 2012 “Mom on a Mission.” From January through August, Healthy Child will select and honor one finalist each month; in September and October, the general public will vote to choose the winner, who will honored with a grand prize at a gala

event in New York City in November.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, Healthy Child Healthy World began in 1992 after five-year-old Colette Chuda died of a rare form of non-hereditary cancer linked to environmental factors. Playing a leadership role in one of the most important public health and environmental movements of the 21st century, today Healthy Child Healthy World ignites the movement that empowers parents to protect children from harmful chemicals. More information can be found at www.healthychild.org.

Ink Garden: 100 Free Business Cards

Guest Post: Best Items to Buy in January

by

Kendel Perez

Getting back to everyday life after a holly-jolly holiday season requires serious adjustments. Instead of cozying up to the fire with a good book, you're stuck analyzing lifeless spreadsheets and sending uninspired emails.

Reintroduction to the 9 to 5 grind combined with a shocking influx of credit card bills often leads to a general refusal to spend money. But stashing credit cards away and vowing not to buy until the weather warms up may actually do more harm than good. According to The Best Time to Buy Guide from FreeShipping.org, certain products are offered at some of the best prices of the year in January.

1. Linens and Bedding
Thanks to decor non-conformists, "white sales" don't carry the same weight they used to. These days designs and patterns are right there with their colorless counterparts. Still, the spirit lives on in the post-holiday discounts you'll find on bedding and linens. Sheets, pillows, towels and more are all marked down to entice even the most practical spender. For advice on how to select linens, consult this article from The Early Show on CBS.

2. Calendars
Finding a good discount on a calendar in January is a no-brainer. With each passing day, calendars loose a little bit of value. Savvy shoppers wait a few weeks into the new year to see prices drop by as much as 70 percent. Selection is sometimes limited, but if you're a fan of extraordinary chickens you'll reap twice the benefits.

3. Gift Cards
Gift cards seem like such a safe present, but somehow there's always an aunt who thinks her college-aged nephew would really benefit from $50 at Pottery Barn. This sort of misguided gift giving has created a huge secondary market for unwanted cards, with inventory at it's highest after the holidays. So before you throw down cash for your next purchase, buy gift cards at a discount and enjoy immediate savings.

4. Motorcycles
If winter weather has forced you to abandon your open-air ride for the confines of a stuffy automobile, feed your desire for two-wheel freedom by shopping for motorcycle parts, accessories or even the whole bike itself. Once the snow finally melts and spring fever strikes, prices climb as more people have a hankering to hit the open road.

5. Perfume
This perennial holiday present usually sees its sales drop after Dec. 25 has passed. However, Feb. 14 isn't far away and demand will rise quickly. While there might still be some good Valentine's Day sales, stocking up on favorite fragrances during the month-long lull should get you some of the best prices of the year.

6. Holiday Supplies
Wrapping paper, lights and inflatable snowmen are all fair game for big savings in January. With nearly another year until the next holiday season rolls around, merchants are desperate to get whatever price they can for remaining red and green inventory. If you pick up some Christmas cards for cheap right now, you'll still have another 11 months to capture the perfect awkward family photo.

7. Video Games
When January arrives, gamers are concluding the mythical quests and top-secret missions they embarked on over Christmas. With no foes left to vanquish, they'll trade in their overplayed titles for something else, meaning more used games on the shelves. Also, many popular titles are targeted for release in the months leading up to the holidays, and such games see a drop in price after the hype has died down.

8. Furniture
Most new furniture models hit stores in February and August, which means leftovers from last year's collection have to go to make room for the latest and greatest. In January, retailers are more willing to wheel and deal to free up precious floor space. And don't hesitate to haggle for an even better price -- try a few of these helpful strategies from WiseBread to hone your skills. 

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Desk Calendar for a $1 plus shipping/handling: USE CODE: DESKSP

Shipping Rates:$4.99 for 1st calendar, $1.99 for each additional calendar.