gift

Chatbooks: Make a Photo Book Straight From Your Phone!

Abby H.

How many photos do you have on your phone? I have over 5000. I just checked.

You know that I am a huge proponent of photo gifts for family members (especially grandparents). That’s why I love Chatbooks. You can make a Photo Book straight from your phone using the Chatbooks app.

Download the app here and get started. It’s super easy to add, edit, and rearrange your favorite photos to create a beautiful photo book.

It’s simple to personalize your photo book with custom colors, layouts, cover styles, collages, captions, and more.

Chatbooks photo books are printed with archival paper and premium quality inks, so they will last!

With over 100,000 5-star reviews, the Chatbooks app is hands-down the easiest way to make a photo book, straight from your phone.

And best of all, the prices are great. So if you are looking for a way to downsize the photos on your phone without deleting them forever, check out Chatbooks. I’ve already made a couple for the kids out of state grandparents.

 

Today ONLY: Save 10% off TARGET GIFT CARDS!!

Abby H.

This is a freaking RUN deal!

Though today, score 10% off Target Gift Cards- In Store or online. Make sure to add the Target offer to your app.

And if you are a RedCard holder, you’ll get your usual extra 5% off.

There is a limit of $500 in gift cards, it’s an amazing deal.

If you haven’t checked out Target Circle lately, there are all sorts of great deals, especially on toys ($10 off $50 and $25 off $100), and all sorts of gift deals for big people too.

Click here to get started!

Two Very Practical Gifts for Busy Families!

Abby H.

I was texting with some relatives yesterday, and they had gone through everyone’s Amazon Wishlists and didn’t like anything on the lists. The wishlist didn’t have anything “Exciting”.

So they asked me what I thought these adults with kids would want for the holidays. First of all, If it’s on someone’s wishlist and it’s not super expensive, just buy it. It doesn’t have to be something exciting. It doesn’t matter if the gift giver likes it or thinks it’s “Exciting”, it’s what the recipient wants.

I’m an adult for Pete’s sake. For me, an exciting gift is a nice new set of sheets for my bed or a box of produce on my doorstep.

If you are looking for a gift that will WOW the adults in your life, here are some suggestions:

Meal Plan/Meal Prep: Seriously. Do you know what’s exciting? Not having the decide what to eat every single day of my life. For those of you who live near Dream Dinners, They have many different gifting options. There are locations all over the US, and many locations will ship if you are too far/busy to visit a location.

Another Meal Prep option is What a Crock. They have locations all across the Mid-Atlantic, and they also ship as well.

What I like about What A Crock is that you choose how many portions of each Entree you want. They also have holiday bundles and even gift cards!

 

If your gift recipients live in San Diego County and meal prep isn’t what you are feeling, produce boxes are it! I love Yasukochi Family Farms CSA boxes. We’ve been getting them for about 2 years, and it’s the perfect gift in my opinion. Locally grown fresh fruits and veggies are delivered to the gift recipient’s door each week. You can contact the farm here and find out more about ordering boxes as gifts!

If you aren’t a San Diego, Ca local and are interested in CSA or farm boxes, my recommendation is that you visit your local farmer’s market and ask some of the farmers if they offer one. I am not a fan of some of the farm boxes that are advertised online, as they are not from local farmers.  As the great-granddaughter of a farmer, I fully support local farms.

 

Talk Back: What’s on your Amazon Wishlist?

Tea Collection Black Friday Deals: $10, $12, $15 & $18

Abby H.

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

So many styles at $10, $12, $15 & $18!

It’s here—time to shop Black Friday deals. From tees to tops, rompers to dresses, pants, shorts, and so much more. Tea Collection has tons of styles at amazing prices.

I’ll be shopping for my youngest Niece and Nephew.

Up to 25% off Sitewide this Black Friday at Gazelle!

Abby H.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

I like Gazelle because you can trade-in your old phones and get a discount on a newer phone (or tablet).  Two years ago, we traded in older devices and scored a newer iPad for the kids as one of their shared Christmas gifts.

Now through 11/28/2022, you can save Up to 25% off Sitewide this Black Friday at Gazelle!

There are tons of options and savings amounts, to check out the complete list here.

 

Penzeys Sale: $35 for $50 Gift Cards!

Abby H.

This deal is back, but only until tomorrow!

Penzeys is offering $50 Gift Cards for just $35.  Limit TEN Penzeys Choose Love Gift Cards per household during the run of the promotion. Cannot be used on the date of purchase. Cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Not available for Curbside Pick-up. Not applicable to prior sales, not valid with other offers. Not for resale. While supplies last. Standard shipping rates apply. The offer ends at midnight Monday, November 7, 2022.

This is one of my favorite deals. It makes a great gift for the home cook, baker, or foodie in your life. It can be used in-store or online.

20 Years Of Tea Collection= $20 Styles

Abby H.

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Tea Collection is celebrating their 20th Anniversary with a great sale. Select items (found here) are just $20 each! Dresses, rompers, shirts, and more. There are so many cute styles to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites:


 

 

 

 

This sale is the perfect chance to start holiday shopping, or pick up some clothes for the next season!

Most items included in this sale are over 50% off of their original prices!

2022 Holiday Resources

Abby H.

I will be updating this post as more information becomes available.  This year is very light on programs that are open to anyone, so I recommend that you lean on your community resources:

  • If you receive WIC or SNAP benefits, check in with your social worker to see if they have any information on holiday help programs. Events like Toys for Joy are being held on a referral basis only. You have to receive an invitation from the event to attend. These are being given out by social workers and those with connections to the group.
  • If you attend church/synagogue/mosque, check with your religious leader or the secretary/office staff. They may have referrals to programs offering holiday help.
  • Check with your kids’ school. Talk to the school counselor, resource teacher, or school secretary.
  • If you frequent local food charities or co-op’s, they may have some resources on holiday events or toy giveaways.

Here is my monthly list of free food opportunities within San Diego County. Many of the food pantries also have special holiday distributions, so it is worth a call to find out of any additional food or gift distributions will be done.

As of now, I am not aware of any free Christmas tree giveaways, however, as I gather more information, I will update this post.

  • The Salvation Army does an Angel Tree program to gather gifts for children in need. For more information about this program, contact your local Salvation Army location.
  • 211 San Diego has a listing of all sorts of holiday assistance from food to toys, and events- all free. Some programs/events require proof of need, but not all.

santeesantas.pngIf you live in Santee and need help with food and gifts for the holiday, contact Santee Santas. You can download and print forms, check into eligibility (it is income-based and they are very strict from what I’ve been told), and see what forms you need in addition to the application here.

The window to apply for Santee Santas is closing in a few weeks, so if you want to apply, I recommend checking their website TODAY and apply ASAP.

Talk Back: If you know of any CONFIRMED free local holiday events in 2022, please leave a comment. 

 

Ooly: Awesome Gifts for your Little Artist!

Abby H.

Recently our friends over at Ooly sent us a little box full of creativity. The kids and I love to do art, make stuff, and express our creative sides. I was stoked to receive the Rainbow Sparkle Glitter Markers, and Chunkies Paint Sticks.

Margaret and I had a blast! The glitter markers are incredible. The glitter is very fine and sticks onto the artwork, even after the marker ink has dried. We colored and colored, without any loss of color or glitter coming from the markers. Parents, I repeat: There is NO glitter transfer!!

And the Chunkies? Perfection. She loves to paint, but I don’t love the setup and mess. These Chunkies solved my problems and let her express her creativity with paint. She loved that the paint dries quickly, and it didn’t get all over her hands (issues that we’ve had with other brands of paint sticks).

Ooly has art supplies for any level of an artist, in several mediums. If you haven’t embraced your inner artist, but love planners or journaling, Ooly has you covered too. They have a pretty extensive of cool journaling and planner supplies!

They’ve put together a Gifts under $20 section, which is perfect for holiday gift exchanges, as well as 8 Bonus Boxes. OOLY’s Holiday Bonus Boxes offer an array of goods to keep you crafting, drawing, painting, and molding. Find the one that’s just right for you and bring your vision, story, or design to life! I’m picking up a bonus box for each of the kids for the winter holidays. I know the kids will love the freedom and creativity each bonus box brings.

And shopping with Ooly gets even better- Now through November 7th, score a free set of Stampables Scented Double-Ended Stamp Markers with any purchase of $60+. Details can be found here.

Disclosure: Ooly sent us samples to try without an expectation of a review, however, once I received the markers and paint sticks, I was so excited to share them with you, I jumped at the chance to share their deals. I love supporting local companies!

 

Penzeys Spices: $50 Gift Card $35 Ends Tomorrow

Abby H.

Through tomorrow, 9/18/2022, Penzeys is offering $50 gift cards for $35 each. The sale price is applied when added to the basket.

Gift cards ship for free. Cannot be purchased with previously purchased gift cards. Penzeys Gift Cards do not expire.

These Gift Cards make excellent gifts, or buy some for yourself and stock up on some new spices!

*Penzeys Choose Love Gift Card Offer Details
Limit TEN Penzeys Choose Love Gift Cards per household during run of promotion. Cannot be used on date of purchase. Cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Not available for Curbside Pick-up. Not applicable to prior sales, not valid with other offers. Not for resale. While supplies last. Standard shipping rates apply. Offer ends midnight Sunday, September 18, 2022.