Do you really need crystal goblets or fancy place settings? If your answer is no, then you may want to consider registering for your honeymoon. Honeymoon registries are a popular trend among soon-to-be married couples. Read more »

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!

Gifts are great, especially when you can use them. The worst type of present is the one that never gets used. It’s a picture frame that doesn’t quite go with the decor, a shirt that’s too small, or a kitchen gadget that’s resorted to collecting dust. Before you give a gift that just ends up earning a couple bucks at a future yard sale, consider these practical gift ideas.

For the New Mom

It’s so fun to pick out little pink or blue outfits, but practical gifts are great for new parents, too. New babies can use up to ten diapers a day and if you’ve walked down the baby aisle lately you know that is a major expense. Wrap up a big box of diapers- it’s a gift that really will get used.

For the Graduate

College kids typically don’t have the best cars, yet they can spend a lot of time on the road. Buy them a AAA membership and it might come in handy during a difficult situation. Instead of being stranded on the side of the road with little cash, they’ll be able to use that membership to get help. Plus it comes with lots of other perks, like discounts and coupons.

For the Younger Child

It’s never too early to start saving. Teach a youngster about money by giving them a cool bank. Start them off with a few dollars in change. It will get them excited about saving.

For the Homeowner

Looking for a good gift for newlyweds, new homeowners, or anybody that’s too busy to mow? Try treating them to some free lawn care. Have a service cut their grass, trim the hedges and pull some weeds. Taking care of this chore will be a welcomed gift.

Photo courtesy of Siti Saad

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!

You want to give your family and friends the best, but the best can often come with a hefty price tag. There are ways to save money while being your thoughtful, sweet, creative self. Here are a few ideas.

Plan Ahead

One of my best friends is getting married in a couple of months. I knew she would be having a bridal shower so back in February ago I got to work. I bought a Sharebook like this one on sale at Hobby Lobby. It’s a great product because it takes a lot of work out of putting the scrapbook together. It comes with envelopes and pre-made pages so you just have to send them out to friends and family members and wait for them to return to you. I included about ten of her closest family members and friends, assembled the book and shipped it to her so she could open it at her shower. The entire thing probably cost me under $30, but she told everyone it was her second favorite gift. (Her favorite was a handmade cookbook complete with family recipes that her aunt had compiled.)

Shop Smart

There are several sites that will pay you to shop with them. One to check out is Ebates.com. Just for signing up for an account they’ll give you a $10 gift card to a store like Target or Sephora. Then, you just shop online like normal. You’ll get cash back (usually 1-4%) from the sites you already probably shop at. It’s a cool way to get a little something back when you’re buying gifts for others.

Buy in Bulk

Come across the perfect gift that just about everyone will love? Why not buy it in bulk? Maybe a case of wine? Or a box of jam made by a local farmer? That way it’s ready to go when the need for a gift comes up. Plus you’ll save money by purchasing a large quantity.

Photo courtesy of scrapbookexpress.com

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!

 Ever since antiquity, flowers have been a symbol of Love, tenderness and romance. They may be a classic choice for a gift but they always put a smile on some-one’s face and touch the heart!

Here are a few online resources you might want to check out. And because they are ALL fabulous, complex and offer a lot of choices (same day delivery, message with product, shop by occasion), I only mention what sets them apart. They are in alphabetical order. This list will be updated once in a while.

• Dutch Gardens If your sweetheart loves to grow flowers, to create and design her own garden, then this is the right choice! Dutch Gardens sells the finest bulbs in a huge variety of colors! On their website you can read articles about gardening, garden design, etc and you can request a free catalog. The bulbs are grown in Holland. My favorite article on their website is: Create Your Dream Garden
• is an International Network of florists serving 150 countries. Their website is very flexible: you can shop by flower, by occasion, by gift and more! What I really enjoyed on this website, besides the elegant floral arrangements, bouquets and gift choices, was the information(articles) on flower symbology and flower meanings. What I also noticed was that they offer airline miles and reward points for the Hilton family hotels.
• Flower.com - absolutely gorgeous! They have a comprehensive (I mean COMPREHENSIVE!) collection of fresh flowers, plants, stylish floral arrangements and gift baskets. You can search by occasion. A nice feature: you can add balloons, chocolate, cookies and teddy bears during check-out. The fresh flowers are delivered by a local florist. Flower.com offers same day delivery on select products. I think my favorite products are the Love Flowers
• - another favorite of mine! Gorgeous flowers, gifts, arrangements and bouquets! Some of the features that I find very convenient: future shipping date, gift card (it can be e-mailed to the recipient or just printed and given personally); shop by price. My favorites are probably the Just Because Flowers. On their website I enjoyed the article about color meanings in flowers.
• FromYouFlowers.com - offers wonderful flower and gift basket choices! You can choose by color, price, occasion. You also have the choice of sending a personalized message with every product. A variety of cakes, fruit baskets, chocolate baskets, wine baskets and spa baskets are available to choose from. Same day delivery is available on select products. It is hard to choose your favorite, but if I were to choose one type of flower arrangement from their website, I would probably choose the Lilies Collection…
• 1-800-FLOWERS.COM- is probably one of the most popular flower websites out there! The website offers not only gorgeous flowers, floral arrangements and plants but also gourmet gift baskets, wine and cheese gift baskets, cookies and cakes, fruit gift baskets, chocolate gift baskets and much more! It could be your one-stop gift store. What I found very convenient was their Gift Reminder system (they call it subscription) that allows you to set your important dates or just e-mail others asking for their birthdays. They deliver in over 47 countries. It’s definitely worth checking!

If you want to save some money on flowers at any of these stores, please check-out our COUPONS page! Remember to always check the Merchant’s Policies before you purchase anything.

If you have had any shopping experience with any of these stores, please leave me a message. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!

For those of you who like BONUSES: the 6 months subscription for glycerin soap has the 7th month FREE. Buy it NOW!

More info:

With this package you receive 2 bars of our gorgeous glycerin soap per month for 6 consecutive months. When your subscription is over, you’ll receive 2 bars of soap for the 7th month for FREE!

You can choose your scents for the 6 months.

You will also receive:

• free soap samples every month
• free coupons, catalogs or brochures if available

The price: [$13.5 + shipping] per month. You can cancel your subscription at anytime. However, if you decide to cancel your subscription, you will not receive the BONUS.

This glycerin soap is GREAT! Made of natural ingredients and not tested on animals. To see the designs and descriptions, please visit www.MagicSenses.com Over 55 fragrances available! The soap comes wrapped in food wrap, with ribbon around it… just like the ones in the picture!

This subscription is an excellent choice for special gifts, Christmas gifts, Mother’s Day Gifts, wedding presents and so on!

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!