The turkey is officially all gone at our house, thanks to a giant pot of turkey soup I made for dinner last night. (It’s just chicken soup, but with turkey because I am super creative.) The trees are up. The toddler is sneaking candy canes every chance he gets. Joy! Merry! Bring on the holidays!
So while I’m in holiday prep/nesting mode, I thought I’d share a few things I’m loving right now that you might love, too.
1. First, the Santa’s Bag app is rocking my Christmas list right now, while also holding me accountable to a budget.
I love that it’s so easy to add gift ideas for each person, then mark them as purchased, wrapped, given, and even allows you to add a note about where it’s stored! How many gifts have I forgotten I’ve purchased until I randomly find them the next year? It’s embarrassing. Only thing to be careful about is there doesn’t seem to be a password function, so prying eyes may be able to easily access all this info if they know how to work their way around your phone.
2. Another great app that I’m checking a lot right now is the Slickdeals app (it’s also on Google Play). Even if you just check the “Frontpage” a few times a day, you’re going to find some really great deals. Be sure to read the comments. You can learn a lot about a deal and if it’s a good fit for what you need. The biggest con to having this app is the urge to buy stuff just because it’s such a great sale. Related: I’m using an app that holds me to a budget this year.
3. We are about 3 weeks-ish out from baby’s arrival, so it’s this weird place where I don’t want to send out holiday cards before he comes. Plus, I don’t want to stress about birth announcements in addition to holiday cards. I’ve worked with Minted a lot over the years, and they are stepping in to save the day again, this time with combo holiday/birth announcement cards! Here are a few designs I’m currently considering…
Ideally, I’ll have all my addresses updated in the Address Assistant by the time baby gets here. Then all I have to do is upload our pictures as soon as I have them, and Minted will print the cards AND the envelopes, complete with addresses. Recipient addressing is free! All we’ll have to do is stuff, seal, and stamp. I’m hoping I can pay the kids to do that part.
If you’re in the market for holiday cards still, or anything that Minted sells (and they sell SO much beautiful stuff), their Cyber Monday deal is 20% off EVERYTHING with code CM2016.
4. One of the best stocking stuffers I ever got for Scott was a gift card to Dollar Shave Club. They aren’t having any big CM deals that I can find, but if you’re as stumped as I am about what to put in your partner’s stocking (and this is also EXCELLENT for women, too- I exclusively use their razors), get you one of these.
5. Finally, if you want to get a head start on Giving Tuesday (which is tomorrow) and still want to take advantage of come Cyber Monday free shipping, check out the St. Jude Gift Book. You may remember I got to visit St. Jude Children’s Hospital earlier this year. It was an eye-opening experience in so many ways, and I truly think they are a worthy cause to support.
You can view their gift book here:
They have so much, from cute coffee mugs and t-shirts, to aprons and home decor. And a portion of every sale goes straight to St. Jude.
This Maya Angelou Inspirational Lantern is one of my very favorite pieces.
Okay, gotta go! To Target! Did you know you get 15% off storewide there today? (A few exclusions apply.) I saved SO much money yesterday, but forgot a few things we…er… need. Yeah, we need them. We need them more than I need to clean this house. Promise.
