Yeah, believe it or not, it’s about time to start thinking about your holiday greeting cards. I’ll be making mine, but not all of them… And for those of you who are ordering bulk (which is totally okay…), here are some recent deals that have crossed my email box…

First, from Cardstore.com, for TODAY (Sunday) only:

Need a little more time? From Vistaprint (ends 11/10):

(This is a fantastic bargain, but be warned… they will try to sell you everything under the sun as you check out!)

More holiday card promotions, this time from TinyPrints. Loving the thick matte quality of their printing! Check out the current deals by clicking on the banner below (free card samples, up to 25 percent off, and more!):

 

Related posts:

1. Giveaway: Why My Christmas Cards Will Be Mailed in August
2. The Sounds of the Season: Easy Ways to Infuse Your Holiday
3. Quick Christmas Gift Idea: Cute Card Organizer

Wondering what to do with leftover Halloween candy? Read on!

According to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a typical bag of Halloween candy is equal to three cups of sugar.

ACK!

Now, I’m all for enjoying treats — including chocolate and candy — in moderation. But I know that there’s no way on earth that our household needs 9 cups of sugar (three kids, yah?), not counting all that leftover candy we bought to hand out. So, I’ve come up with ways to use the leftover Halloween candy:

1. Throw it out. Yeah, I know all about “waste not, want not.” I get it, I really do. But some candy isn’t worth eating. We go through and toss anything with no wrapper, anything obviously nasty or melted, or anything that looks like it dates from 1972.

2. Cash it in. Many doctors and dentists offer cash for candy post-Halloween. Want to know where you can take it? Google “Halloween Candy Buy Back 2011″ and you’ll get a list of spots. (Add your city into the search for more specific results.)

3. Send it to troops. Operation Gratitude will accept candy between 10/1 and 10/5. Their address is:

Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard

17730 Victory Boulevard

Van Nuys, CA  91406

attn: Rich Hernandez

4. Donate it to a local youth group. I often take our leftover candy to our church’s teen group. They usually consider themselves “too cool” to trick-or-treat, so they aren’t facing the same overconsumption that younger kids are. High school youth groups may also be happy to take it off your hands!

5. Freeze it. Pop it in the freezer and use it for holiday cooking (which is coming all too soon…).

6. Pack a shoebox. Our family has participated in Samaritan’s Purse for several years. They encourage the inclusion of hard candy, mints, and other travel-friendly sweets as the shoeboxes journey to underprivileged kids world-wide. We’ll be setting aside specific candy for this purpose.

If you have more ideas for creative uses for leftover Halloween candy, please leave a comment! I’d love to hear.

Related posts:

1. Easy Halloween Craft Ideas Round-Up

I’m a Halloween-o-holic!

Here are just a few quick Halloween crafts I’ve found around the web… the SPIDER web! Heehee!

First, here’s a spooky Haunted Halloween wreath I created for my ScrapHappy family (they got a step-by-step tutorial, but I think you can get the gist from this image:

Next, these free printables for Halloween subway art from All Things Simple are so cute and graphic. I already printed the white-on-orange for our house:

We’re totally making these for Cal’s first-grade Halloween party at school in a few weeks (yeah, I’m room mom – again). They’re via CraftaholicsAnonymous:

Here’s another must-do for the class’s party, this one via GardenofPraise:

And if we were allowed to have food in the schools at parties, we’d be doing these (from Parents):

Lots of fun goodies! If you want to receive more great ideas like this, you can follow me on Pinterest.

P.S. If you want to scoop up spooky supplies, head over to Michaels! Click on the ad below to get the latest deals. 

Related posts:

1. Fun First Day of School Ideas
2. Easy Birthday Party Etiquette
3. Quick St. Patty’s Day Ideas

While at a marketing conference earlier this summer, I was so lucky to meet a handful of fantastic female bloggers who share my passion for bringing useful, entertaining information to their readers. Out of that chance meeting came the old, ‘Let’s put on a show!’ But instead of a show, we’ve pulled together some of our best information on frugal living, saving time, and creating a healthier, more satisfying life. And now we’re offering it to you… free!

This ebook is delivered digitally and includes information on topics such as:

• Saving money by couponing
• Using a menu plan
• Making time to connect with your friends
• What to do when you’re so overwhelmed you don’t know what to do (my contribution!)

P.S. We’re planning to make this available on Kindle as well, so stay tuned if you’re a Kindle lover!

Related posts:

1. Save Time Now.
2. Save Big for Cheap: Entertainment Books for $9.99
3. Five Great Free Recipe Websites

Remember when I told you about the 3-for-2 FireFlyz deal at Toys ‘R’ Us? Well, if you missed that, I’ve got some good news for you: Going on now through October 6^th for the Western U.S. and through October 8^th for the Eastern U.S., Fyrflyz are just $9.99 when you use your wellness+ card at check out at RiteAid. ! The promotion is In-Store ONLY.

Not sure this is a toy your kids would enjoy? Fyrflyz was just named one of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio’s Best Toys of 2011, receiving the Platinum award!  These awards represent the most innovative, engaging new products of the year.  Fyrflyz is also a nominee in Time to Play’s 2011 People’s Play Awards in the “Active Toys” category, as well as a nominee for the TAGIE Award for Excellence in Toy Design.

And you know, ACTIVE is GOOD in my book! Anything that gets the kids off the couch…

Related posts:

1. Hot Toy Alert: FyrFlyz Are All Abuzz!