My Very Surprising Target Trip + An Epiphany

Disclaimer: It might seem counterintuitive to some for me to write a post on contentment like this when we promote deals every day. The goal of this post isn't to say you should never spend money; it's about encouraging you to be thoughtful and ... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  View Online Here's what's new: My Very Surprising Target Trip + An Epiphany My Very Surprising Target Trip + An Epiphany Disclaimer: It might seem counterintuitive to some for me to write a post on contentment like this when we promote deals every day. The goal of this post isn’t to say you should never spend money; it’s about encouraging you to be thoughtful and intentional with your spending… and not just spend because you feel discontent or think that buying something is going to fix an issue or problem. Organizational tools can help you be more organized, but only if you are disciplined to use them. In addition, this isn’t to say that you should never buy something to make your house beautiful. But I just encourage you to make sure you are also appreciating the beauty that is already in your life instead of thinking the only way to make things better is to buy something. Everything we do here is to serve you as best we can and encourage you to be intentional with your life and your money. That means you’ll see us posting deals to help you save your hard-earned dollars…but you’ll also see us posting inspiration and encouragement to love your life right where it’s at and be content with what you already have. I hope this post inspires those of you who might need the reminder, like I did! A couple weeks ago, I walked into Target for the first time in a long time and was immediately surprised by what I saw…  I was going in to buy three very specific items that I’d been planning to get for awhile. As soon as I got in the store, though, I was bombarded by all sorts of things I really “needed” to improve my life.  The home decor section reminded me that our bedroom has nothing that matches, no cute throw pillows (we literally had to throw them out a year or so ago because a toddler ruined them with some bodily fluids), no curtains, our bedspread is stained, our carpet is incredibly worn, and we have exactly zero items hung on our walls. All of a sudden, I felt I “needed” to upgrade our whole room to look more presentable. The home organization aisle taunted me with all the matching baskets and racks and shelves. Our current closet situation is a far cry from that: we’re using cardboard boxes and a few mismatched baskets to store things. Maybe I really “need” to invest in a matching system so we look a little more put together?? I walked by the children’s clothing section next and I felt like I really “needed” to buy some cute, new outfits to replace the used and quite worn (complete with stains and a few holes) outfits our three younger ones have been wearing on repeat. The entire store made me feel like I was failing. I even walked by the puzzle section and wondered if, “Maybe I should buy a puzzle we could all do to foster more family togetherness?”. Before I stepped into Target, I felt so content.  Now, just 15 minutes of strolling the aisles of Target, I suddenly “needed” a makeover for pretty much my entire life. Honestly, I kind of think that’s the whole goal of Target’s marketing strategy (and most stores’ marketing plans!) They want to convince you that what you currently have, where you currently live, what you currently wear, and your current family lifestyle needs an overhaul and they have just the thing to fix it. But buying stuff isn’t going to make you more content or all of sudden make your home more organized or your family get along better.  Change starts with you, not with what you buy or don’t buy. A new organizational system doesn’t make you more organized. You become more organized by committing to change your habits and then following through with those commitments. A more decorated room isn’t going to suddenly bring you overwhelming joy. But you can choose to decide to begin noticing and loving what’s right in front of you. There in the middle of Target, it hit me so clearly: I don’t need more stuff; I need to pay more attention to the good stuff I already have right in front of me.  The mismatched room and stained carpets and not-so-beautifully organized closet are a testament to the last four and half years of getting to love and nurture four babies and toddlers who have slept in our room.  The worn clothing speaks of children who are active and healthy and able to run and jump — and yes, get into paint and spill food on them (which means they are curious and eating and we have food to eat!). The truth is: I didn’t need any of those items I thought I did from Target, but I did need a perspective shift to re-focus on the good stuff already in my life.  So I walked out of Target carrying only the three items I’d already planned to buy — and wearing a whole new set of eyes to see the goodness that was right before me in my life.        Latest finds on Pinterest Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken Recipe. If you want an easy dinner of taco night, be sure to throw in some chicken in the crockpot for your meat for your tacos! This is SUPER SIMPLE and will make your tacos taste amazing! Depending on the size of your family, this could be for 2 dinners in a row! Busy moms - here is a fantastic list of quick, easy, and cheap dinner ideas. Dinner ideas range from sheet pan meals, pizzas, casseroles, frittatas, burritos and soup! Are you a busy mom sick of trying to come up with a great menu week after week that your family will be happy with? Good news - download this FREE one-week menu plan! This first week is free, but you can also upgrade to 10 full weeks planned for you if you love this free sample! Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz® • 650 E. Palisade Avenue Ste 2, PO Box 173 • Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days Start Tomorrow!

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2024 has officially been announced for October! Want to know how to get the best deals? In this post, we share our best tips for saving money and scoring great deals on Amazon Prime Big Deal Days! Amazon Prime Big Deal Days ... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  View Online Here's what's new: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days Start Tomorrow! Amazon Prime Big Deal Days Start Tomorrow! Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2024 has officially been announced for October! Want to know how to get the best deals? In this post, we share our best tips for saving money and scoring great deals on Amazon Prime Big Deal Days! Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2024 Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2024 starts tomorrow, October 8 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and will run through October 9, 2024. If this is anything like last year’s Prime Big Deal Days sale, we will see deals that are as good as or even better than Black Friday deals! In addition, many other online retailers are planning to offer really fantastic prices and deals this week. Amazon says this about Prime Big Deal Days 2024: Throughout the 48-hour event, Prime members will find a wide selection of exciting deals, including costumes for the family starting at $5; deals on beauty and fashion brands like Clinique, Too Faced, Florence by Mills, Cider, and Aéropostale; and exciting savings on electronics from top brands like Beats, Samsung, and Fujifilm. They’ll also enjoy savings on toys from favorites like LEGO, Squishmallows, and Disney; up to 40% off winter fashion must-haves like sweaters and puffers from Amazon Essentials; and savings on hosting essentials and home décor from premium brands like NEST New York, Lenox, and Lodge. Other retailers are joining in, too! Because of how popular Prime Big Deal Days is, other major retailers have HUGE sales that week, too: Target Circle Week — Target is running competitive sales this week, October 6th-12th. Walmart Holiday Deals — Walmart will also be running competitive sales during October 8th-13th. (And Walmart+ members get early access to deals! WooHoo!) And this is just the major retailers! We’ll see ALL kinds of great sales that week from online retailers — small and big! How to Get The Best Deals on Prime Big Deal Days We predict that starting October 8th (or even earlier — from other online retailers), we’ll see a flurry of deals similar to what we usually see on Black Friday week. We love that so many other companies will be competing with the deals Amazon is offering because that means more deals and more savings! Because of this, we want to help you prepare accordingly so you can save the most money. We’ll be here all day both days! Our team will be hard at work all day both days scouring the deals and posting the best ones we find! So be sure to tune in here at MoneySavingMom.com for all the BEST discounts on Prime Big Deal Days 2024! We’ll be posting all of the best deals all day both days! You can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram, join our Facebook group, and sign up for our HOT deals newsletter. Following us multiple ways gives you the best chance of catching all the deals as they pop up quickly! 5 Tips For Preparing For Amazon Prime Big Deal Days To help you prepare well to maximize your savings for Amazon Big Deal Days, here are 5 strategies we suggest: 1. Sign up for a free 30-day trial to Amazon Prime. Not an Amazon Prime member? No worries, now is the perfect time to sign up for a FREE 30-day trial. This way, you’ll get all of the benefits of Prime and be able to take advantage of the deals, but you won’t have to pay for a Prime subscription. At the end of the 30 days, just be sure to go into your account and cancel your subscription and you won’t be charged! Psst! If you’re between the ages of 18-24, you can sign up for a FREE 6-month Amazon Prime trial! 2. Subscribe to our Hot Deals email newsletter. Have you signed up for our Hot Deals Email Newsletter yet? If not, be sure to do so before Prime Big Deal Days! When you sign up, we’ll send you no more than 1-2 emails each day featuring the hottest and best deals hand-picked by us as soon as they become available. This way, you won’t have to wait for the daily enewsletter to go out in the afternoon; you can jump on the hottest deals right away! We’ll be sending out two email newsletters both days on Tuesday and Wednesday featuring only the BEST deals that are our top picks. Sign up for this newsletter here. 3. Follow us on Instagram. You can find us on two different Instagram accounts on Prime Big Deal Days: :: Crystal’s personal Instagram: Be sure to head over there and hit the follow button. She loves personally sharing the deals she’s most excited about on IG Stories. (Plus, you’ll see a lot of behind-the-scenes content including day-to-day life, grocery shopping hauls, and a lot of other fun stuff that doesn’t get shared anywhere else!) :: Money Saving Mom Deals Instagram: You’ll also want to go follow our Instagram account that is solely dedicated to posting the top deals each day! If you follow us there, you’ll see deals pop up not only on IG Stories but also in your feed throughout the day. You’ll also get to know some of the rest of the team here, as we often show our faces on video in IG Stories! On Prime Days, we’ll be hopping onto IG stories on both accounts multiple times throughout the day telling you about the best deals that we’re most excited about! So be sure to follow both accounts HERE and HERE so you don’t miss anything! 4. Follow our Facebook Page We’ll be posting all the deals all day long on our Facebook Page, and it’s one of the easiest ways to make sure you don’t miss any HOT deals! Just bookmark this page and refresh it throughout both days to keep up to date with the latest and greatest deals. Plus, you might see some live videos and FB Stories throughout the day from different team members talking about some of our favorite deals! 5. Make a List & Budget If you haven’t done so already, be sure to make a list of the items you are most interested in buying, as well as the budget you have to spend. This way, you don’t just jump on a good deal because it’s “such a good deal”, when it’s not something you need or can afford. How to Earn Free Gift Cards For Prime Big Deal Days Want to stretch your dollars even further? Now is the time to cash out your free Amazon gift cards or spend some time over the next couple weeks earning some extra Amazon gift cards. Here are just a few ways to earn some extra cash to spend on Prime Day: Download the Amazon Photos App — Amazon users can see if they’re eligible to receive a $15 Amazon credit for downloading the Amazon Photo App and uploading photos! Sign up for Shopkick — Sign up for Shopkick and earn 10 kicks from in-store actions within 7 days, and you’ll be able to get a FREE $5 Amazon gift card! (It’s super easy/quick to earn 10 kicks.) Sign up for Swagbucks — It’s also easy to earn enough swag bucks to trade in for a $5 gift card! You have plenty of time before Prime Day, even without referrals. I just spent an hour or two this week doing a few activities and already have enough for a $10 gift card! Go here to get started with Swagbucks. Sign up for Fetch Rewards — It’s so simple to earn points for scanning your receipts with Fetch Rewards. (Meg here! I signed up last year and earned $5 within a day or two and I’ve now earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards. It’s super easy. Also, your first couple scans will be worth enough to quickly get you over the 5000 points mark to trade in for an Amazon $5 gift card!) Psst! Find more ways to earn Amazon gift cards here. Are you ready for Prime Big Deal Days? Let us know what deals you’re looking for in the comments! Never miss a HOT deal again! Sign up below and I’ll only email you when I find a really fantastic deal!       Latest finds on Pinterest Are you a busy mom sick of trying to come up with a great menu week after week that your family will be happy with? Good news - download this FREE one-week menu plan! This first week is free, but you can also upgrade to 10 full weeks planned for you if you love this free sample! Looking to serve an entire meal from the freezer - including dessert? Serve homemade food that you made in advance that you can serve later! Don't forget to include the dessert with these seven recipes that can be made ahead and stored in the freezer. Recipes include cookies, mounds bars, ice cream cake, pumpkin bars, bon bons, and a candy dessert. Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz® • 650 E. Palisade Avenue Ste 2, PO Box 173 • Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632