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Frugal Novice

NewAir WCD-110SS Review

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Note: We received a water cooler to facilitate this post. We were not compensated monetarily, and all opinions are honest and our own. 

WaterCooler_Front

With five people in our family, we go through a lot of water pretty quickly. Add our normal consumption to the fact that I’m also trying to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, and we end up really drinking a lot. I’m actually trying to drink half my body weight in ounces each day.

I’ve wanted a water cooler for a while now because I know from friends’ experiences how convenient they are – and I love the idea of not using a ton of water bottles.

There are a lot of water coolers out there to pick from, but the NewAir WCD-110SS seemed like the perfect fit for us. I like that it’s got a narrow profile, and the stainless steel is sleek and modern looking. 

WaterCooler_SideView

This isn’t just a water cooler, though. It’s a heater too. And when I say hot, I mean hot! I wasn’t sure when reading about the hot water feature if it would just be really warm, but I was very impressed when we tried it out to see that it works perfectly for making piping hot drinks – when I made hot chocolate, I could see steam rising from my mug.

WaterCooler_Buttons

The button on the right dispenses cold water and is very easy for our kids to use, too (in fact, they think it’s a lot of fun to get water from the water cooler). The one on the left for hot water has a safety mechanism built in to keep kids from accidentally getting hot water; you have to slide the arrow button up at the same time you push the hot water button. It’s easy for adults to use, but it’s great for peace of mind when you have little ones running around (especially since we have a two-year-old, who is quite curious about everything!).

There are switches on the back of the water cooler that allow you to turn off either the hot or cold water – a great energy-saving feature so you’re not having water heated during the summer, for instance.

In the winter, though, having hot water at the ready is really great! Perfect for hot tea or hot chocolate, and really great for entertaining. I’ve seen ideas for hot chocolate bars on Pinterest, and having this water cooler would make it really easy to allow everyone to enjoy their drinks all at the same time, conveniently.

We have a New Air beverage cooler, too, and after having it for almost a year now we can still say we’re very pleased with it; this experience gives us confidence in the quality of the water cooler, too. To see all that New Air offers, visit their website and keep up with them on Facebook, too.

We’re very happy with this water cooler. It’s quiet, efficient and we have great-tasting water available at any time. I know it’s something that will be useful to us for years to come.

 

Five Tips for Safe Winter-Weather Driving

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WinterDriving

Whether icy weather has reached your neck of the woods yet or not, it’s probably only a matter of time before you find yourself navigating some slick roadways. One of the biggest hazards of driving in winter weather is drivers who don’t know how to handle the ice, so equip yourself with knowledge and be prepared! I’ve got five tips for driving safely in winter weather – check out the first below:

1. Don’t make rapid movements. Accelerate slowly and brake slowly. If you have anti-lock brakes, don’t pump your brakes even if you’re feeling frantic about needing to stop. If you know you’ve got a turn approaching, gradually slow down in advance so that you can make the turn without needing to brake around the curve.

For the rest of my tips, check out my guest post over at the Ken Garff West Valley Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership blog.

Embassy Suites is a Win-Win for Families!

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Note: We received a stay at the Embassy Suites in Atlanta to help facilitate this post. All opinions are honest and are our own. 

We took a road trip from Texas to Florida to Georgia this past summer, and it was a blast.

Did I mention we traveled with a nearly two-year-old? She and our 5- and 7-year-old sons were our companions, which made for quite a loud trip, but it mostly just a lot of fun, and we made all sorts of wonderful memories.

If you’ve ever traveled with small children, you know that navigating the time on the road is only part of having a successful family vacation. You’re staying away from home, out of routine, and you’ve got to find hotels that make this a smooth experience.

We spent the last part of our vacation in Atlanta – the kids and I had never been, and they had plenty of family-friendly activities, so it was a perfect city for us to visit. We stayed at the Embassy Suites near the Centennial Olympic Park, which ended up being a perfect home base while we explored the city. Check out our view, and you can see just how close we were to everything:

EmbassySuites-View

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A family-friendly hotel right in the heart of downtown? Win-win! 

As the name suggests, the hotel sat right on edge of the Olympic Centennial Park. One night we walked around the park and discovered the water fountain, which was one of my very favorite memories of this trip. The kids were dressed in regular clothes, but the boys were thrilled at the sight of the fountain so we just let them hop on in to have fun, and they loved it. One thing I learned is that you can plan all sorts of fun things (and we did!) but spontaneous moments like these are ones you’ll always cherish.

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We weren’t just close to the park, though – we were within walking distance of great shopping and restaurants, too. One of the Embassy Suites employees actually walked a block with us to make sure we could find Max’s Pizzeria, which was absolutely delicious.

MaxPizza-Atlanta

MaxPizza-Appetizer

Needless to say, I’d highly recommend this hotel as your place to stay when in Atlanta. We learned, though, that Embassy Suites is a perfect chain for family travel – and it’s definitely one we’ll seek out again and again. Why, you ask?

1. Free snacks and drinks for two hours every single day at their evening reception:

EmbassySuites-FreeDrinks

Here, in the atrium of the hotel you can see people gathering to get snacks and drinks; the kids thought this was SO cool! Free snacks that keep the kids happy & adults happy too? Win-win.

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We brought our snacks up to the room to let the kids munch while we got ready to go out.

EmbassySuites-KidsSnacks

This brings me to another reason we loved staying at Embassy Suites:

2. A separate living and sleeping area – with a TV in each! We loved that we had a living room to hang out in – and at night the living room transitioned into the kids’ bedroom, with the couch converting to another bed. The kids liked having their own space and thought it was awesome that they had their own TV to watch cartoons on in the morning – and Brian and I liked having a quiet space to be able to watch what we wanted to on our own TV back in the bedroom. Happy kids and happy parents? Totally a win-win. 

EmbassySuites_Couch

3. Absolutely amazing breakfast – free. I think we’ve all stayed at hotels that have touted free breakfast and then offer you boxed cereal. Embassy Suites goes above and beyond, offering a spread that is sure to suit any tastes in the family. There’s even a made-to-order omelet station. Check out some of the offerings:

EmbassySuites_Omelet

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As you can see, everyone had different things, and everyone was happy. Total win-win. We loved it because we knew the kids would have plenty of energy to get out and sight see for the day after having a big breakfast. And thanks to the lovely location, we chose to eat outside one morning with the Centennial Park to look out on. So nice!

4. Refrigerator and microwave in each room. This is a lifesaver for families. It means you can keep milk on hand for the little ones, you can bring inevitable leftovers back from meals out, and you can pop popcorn to enjoy while you watch a movie in the living area.

EmbassySuites-Fridge-Microwave

5. Incredibly friendly staff. Everyone from the bellhop to the front counter to the parking attendants were all so nice and helpful. I mentioned above that one of the employees helped us find a restaurant we were looking for. He went above and beyond, and was happy to do so. Things like this really add to the overall experience at a hotel, and were just another reason for us to love our stay at Embassy Suites. Yep, you guessed it – another win-win.

EmbassySuites-FrontDesk

 

We really loved our Embassy Suites experience in Atlanta and you can bet that we’ll be staying at an Embassy Suites on our next road trip because we know it’s a perfect place for our family.

My One Word for 2015

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Each year I select a word to be my emphasis for the coming year. It’s a great alternative to resolutions because it can be a broader concept that applies to various aspects of life, and a single word is easy to come back to throughout the year.

My word for 2015? Focus.

This means several things for me:

Night lights

 

Focus on faith. Day in and day out, in everything I do, I want the way I act and treat others to be rooted in Christ as my example. Hebrews 12:2 is the scripture that I’ve chosen to go along with my word.

Focus on family. The past few days we’ve had icy weather, and in Texas that means you just hole up in your house because no one knows how to drive on ice-covered roads. Spending three solid days stuck in the house with Brian and the kids just cemented how much I love spending time with them. It’s easy to get pulled in a thousand different directions, but I want to work at continuing to prioritize family time each week.

Focus on others. I want our kids to grow up knowing the value of serving and giving to others, and I want to make sure we’re not so caught up in our own little world that we neglect to see problems around us that we can work toward solving.

Focus on health – physical and fiscal. Stereotypical areas for New Year’s Resolutions, right? But rather than something specific, I want us to make a concerted effort toward healthiness and smart spending.

Focus on creativity. Brian and I are both creative-minded, and we’ve had ideas in the past that have stayed just that – ideas. In 2015, I want to make sure we’re taking action toward projects and goals, because just thinking about them gets us nowhere. And even if our ideas don’t pan out, we’ll have fun working on something together.

Focus on the positive. This is part of my overall life view; I’m definitely a glass-half-full kind of girl. While I’ve definitely had my fair share of gripes, I want to always choose to see the silver lining. For example, our house is almost always cluttered. If you’ve been over and are wondering what I’m talking about, congratulations: you’re one of the lucky ones we straighten up for. But seriously, day-to-day style around our house includes a toy explosion, a trail of pajamas and socks from wherever children got dressed that day, clean laundry in a stack just waiting to be hung, and dishes in the sink that should really have been washed yesterday.

It’s totally against my love of organization. I’m happiest in an organized space… clutter drives me bonkers. But somehow the chaos of clutter in our house has become something I cherish. Maybe it’s out of necessity, to save my sanity. But I also know those toys mean lots of happy playing has taken place; the pajamas remind me of our sweet head-in-the clouds C, who frequently gets distracted mid-task and leaves discarded clothes and socks all over the house; the clean laundry is a) actually clean – amazing! and b) plentiful; and the dirty dishes are there because we chose to fit in family time instead of cleaning the kitchen.

So, there’s my word for the year: focus. What’s yours?

Oriental Trading Makes Class Parties Easy & Fun!

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Note: We received items from Oriental Trading to facilitate our post. We were not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and my own.

We love Oriental Trading. It’s my go-to for party favors and decor when the kids’ birthdays roll around, but it’s also great for class parties, too. I love how affordable their items are, which makes it easy to purchase in bulk for 22 kids in a class.

This year I’m room mom for both my boys’ classes, and coordinating their Christmas parties was a part of my duties. I sent out notes to all the parents for contributing snacks and drinks, but all I had to do to cover the crafts, plates, and napkins was make a quick visit to OrientalTrading.com. The hardest part was deciding between all the craft options – they have a ton! 

I ended up choosing a snowman craft and a button wreath craft. The kids loved it, and I heard parents complimenting them, too.

OrientalTrading_Ornaments

One tip: a lot of crafts require glue, which can be messy and take time to dry. I went to the local craft store and purchased a roll of glue dots, which made it really quick and easy to complete the projects. Aren’t they so cute? We have ours hanging on our tree!

For the plates and napkins, I went classic with Santa & Rudolph; can’t really go wrong with that! They made for a cheery & festive atmosphere at the party.

OrientalTrading_PlatesNapkins

No matter what kind of party you’re planning for, Oriental Trading provides a wide variety of options to choose from. It makes purchasing party supplies an affordable and easy experience! For the next class parties I’ll be making a visit to Oriental Trading again, for sure.

Treat Your Dog to Healthy Teeth with Milkbone Brushing Chews

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Note: This post is sponsored by Lunchbox. All opinions are my own.

MilkBone-BrushingChews-Box

I have to confess – my dogs have horrible oral hygeine. They never remember to brush their teeth, and friends, I don’t think I’ve ever once seen them floss. Sigh. So lazy.

Thankfully now we can trick them into brushing their teeth with new Milk-Bone Brushing Chews.

MilkBone-BrushingChews-BoxBack

We went out of town for the holidays and took one of our dogs (the smaller of the two, Ninja) with us to visit family, but we brought our Milk-Bone Brushing Chews with us so Ninja could have something to enjoy while we were munching on Christmas cookies.

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My sister-in-law & brother-in-law brought their dog, Booker, so we figured Booker ought to get a treat, too!

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Booker-BrushingChew-Eating

The great thing about Brushing Chews is that they’re a daily treat that you can give your dog to enjoy and to help them clean their teeth! These treats are just as effective as brushing, but they taste like a normal treat so your dog will never know. The nubs and ridges are designed to help clean just like bristles on a toothbrush, and the patented 75-degree twist helps clean down to the gum line, including hard-to-reach back teeth.

I think of it as the equivalent to sneaking veggies in my kids’ meals – helping them be healthier without even knowing it! Good oral care will help our dogs live a happy, healthy life.

Be sure to check out the video on the Milk-Bone page to find out more about these revolutionary treats.

Guess what- you can try these out for your furry family members with a great coupon for $2 off! Just click the image below to get your coupon.

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And don’t miss out on a sweepstakes from Milk-Bone, either:

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Have you ever thought about your dog’s oral heath? Try the Milk-Bone Brushing Chews today and it’ll be as easy as handing your dog a treat!

Hasbro Stocking Stuffers Fun For All

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Note: We received a variety of Hasbro toys to facilitate this post. I was not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and are my own.

When it comes to stockings, I like to fill them with things I know my kids will play with for a long time. It’s easy to be tempted by all the knick knacks that fill the aisles at Christmastime, but I think we all know those end up breaking or being discarded within a week or two after the holidays.

Hasbro has a ton of toys and games; I know we’ve already got many Hasbro items in our house. But did you know they have a lot of stocking stuffer options perfect for your kids?

Since the kids don’t read my blog yet (I’m sure one day they totally will) I can share with you some of what they’ll be getting in their stockings.

Hasbro_Transformer_StarWars

J, our 7-year-old, will be getting a Transformer from the new Age of Extension Transformers movie – it can convert from a great robot action figure into a vehicle in just one step, which is great and frustration-free! These retail for $9.99 each. He’ll also be getting Star Wars Rebels action figures, which he’ll be thrilled about because he loves that show!  These also retail for $9.99 each. He’ll love playing with both of these toys for a long time to come!

Hasbro_Bots_BarrelMonkeys

C, our 5-year old, will be getting a Transformers Rescue Bots set – it comes with a robot and a female character from the show. I love the idea of him having a great female action figure to play with! These retail for $6.99. He’ll also be getting the classic game Barrel of Monkeys. I loved playing this growing up, so it’s fun to pass it along for our kids to play too! I can imagine there will be a lot of creative play with the monkeys, too. This game retails for $4.99.

Hasbro_CaptainAmerica

The boys will love playing with this Marvel Battle Masters Challengers toy, too – we got Captain America but there’s also Spider-Man, Wolverine and Thor to pick from. These retail for $14.99 each.

Hasbro also makes wonderful stocking stuffers for girls, too, like these:

Hasbro_Pony_PetShop

The Littlest Pet Shop animals are just $2.99 each and are adorable fun! There are 24 pets to collect. And the My Little Pony POP starter kit lets kids pop out and build any of four My Little Pony Pop characters; they can personalize each pony with pop-on manes and stickers. These retail for just $3.99 each, making them a really affordable choice!

Hope these ideas help you with all your last-minute stocking shopping! Happy holidays, everyone!

Last-Minute Christmas Shopping

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Note: This is a partnered post with Shopular. All opinions are honest and are my own.

Can you believe it? Christmas Eve is TOMORROW. That’s right, folks – there’s not much time left to get all your shopping done so you can be ready for the big day! We keep thinking we’re finished, but then we’ll think of another item we’ve forgotten. Case in point – we went to dinner tonight and remembered a gift we’d forgotten, and had to run to Walmart (which, by the way, was pure chaos).

If you’re not done with your shopping, you’ve really got no choice but to go out and get those last-minute items; it’s too late to shop online and hope it’ll arrive in time!

Be sure to go through your recipient list and make a comprehensive list of what all you need so that if you have to get out and do more shopping, at least you can consolidate it as much as possible.

And of course, keep an eye out for the best deals – don’t get so anxious to find something that you end up paying more than you need to! Check the (free!)  Shopular app to see what deals are available at stores around you before you head out, and you’ll know where to go to find the best price on what you need.

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Be sure and keep up with Shopular on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, too, so you’re  in the know about any shopping deals, in the holiday season or year-round! 

Harley-Davidson Ups the Cool Factor for Holiday Gifts!

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Note: I received a pair of men’s and women’s gloves to facilitate this post. I was not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and are my own. 

My Uncle Mike has always been someone important in my life (fun fact: our middle son’s middle name is partially in honor of Uncle Mike!); I have many memories of going up to visit my grandparents at the holidays and spending time with him and my Aunt Joan. Several years ago we were in the area they live and got to go visit them, but since they live several states away we don’t get to see them nearly as often as we’d like.

My aunt and uncle love to ride motorcycles, so I was incredibly thrilled to have the chance to send them an extra-special gift this year: beautifully-crafted, high-tech, leather gloves from Harley-Davidson.

MensGlovesHarleyDavidson

I received the Men’s Valve Full-Finger Gloves, and the Women’s Mystic Dual Chamber Full-Finger Gloves. They’re both incredibly well-made and it’s evident from first glance that a lot of care was put into every detail. And oh, the smell of that leather!

Here are some features of the men’s gloves:

  • Cowhide leather and tricot lining
  • Rolled tip fingers for comfort
  • Ergonomic thumb
  • Pre-curved fingers
  • Gel-padded palm
  • Comfort seams
  • Neoprene cuff with adjustable closure
  • Embroidered graphics

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And here are features of the women’s gloves:

  • Goatskin leather
  • Dual chamber design provides two ways to wear depending on which chamber you put your hand inside. The warmth chamber provides added warmth allover the hand or the grip chamber allows for increased feel of the grips
  • Gel-padded palm
  • Pre-curved fingers
  • Power-stretch knuckles with contrasting stitching
  • 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material piping
  • Elastic wrist with adjustable closure

MensGlovesHarleyDavidsonFingerThumb MensGlovesHarleyDavidsonKnuckles MensGlovesHarleyDavidsonFingers

Even though it’s not listed on the Harley-Davidson site, both pairs of these gloves allow you to use your smart phone, with special material sewn into the pointer finger and thumb. So nice and high-tech!

If you’re looking for something special to give a motorcycle-lover in your life, I’d highly recommend these gloves. They’re sure to be a hit!

 

Make Gifts Extra-Special With DIY Customized Ribbon!

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Note: We received the Epson LabelWorks Printable Ribbon Kit to facilitate this review. We were not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and are our own.

With the holidays rapidly approaching, I’ve wrapped more presents than I can count on two hands. I’m admittedly not the best at wrapping gifts, but I love picking out paper and ribbon to make gifts look special.

This year I’ve learned about a way to make gifts customized with the Epson LabelWorks Printable Ribbon Kit. 

Epson_PrintableRibbonKit

 

You can print personalized satin ribbons for crafts, scrapbooks, decorations, gifts and more. You can have birthday party favors that have their very own name on them. You can even get creative and brighten up your own homemade crafts.

You can customize your ribbons using a wide variety of fonts, symbols and frames, and up to 30 of your favorite ribbon designs can be stored and used again.

The printer is really easy to use – I have to confess that I didn’t read any of the instructions for loading the ribbon or for creating  my first design.

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There are tons of cute icons for all sorts of occasions, including the various holidays. I made a ribbon for each of the boys’ teachers that had their names and snowflakes on it – so cute!

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I made some ribbons for my mom’s coworkers, too – the quality is really nice and truly adds a perfect finishing touch to gifts.

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If you’re a crafter, or if you just want to have an easy way to customize gifts, you’ll definitely want to get the Epson LabelWorks Printable Ribbon Kit!

PEEPS make a Peep-Tacular Addition to Stockings!

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Note: We received PEEPS to facilitate this post. We were not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and are our own.

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If you’re on the hunt for perfect stocking stuffers, you might be surprised to learn that Peeps is the perfect solution. Yes, the classic treat you think of for Easter has all sorts of options for the holidays! From chocolate-flavored reindeer to, yes, gingerbread-flavored gingerbread men to candy cane-flavored classic Peep shapes, there’s something fun for everyone this holiday season. Our kids had a BLAST looking through all the options, and really had a hard time deciding what to try first.

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Minions won out – aren’t they adorable?

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E went with the candy cane Peep (dipped in chocolate, yum!) and loved the red “sparkles.”

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And Brian went with the classic-flavored Christmas tree Peep. SO cute and colorful!

We’re having friends and family over on Christmas Eve for snacks and treats, and I’ll have a platter of Peeps out for the kids to pick from. But of course we’ll set some aside for the kids’ stockings Christmas morning, too – I hear Santa loves to deliver Peeps! :)

Shopping for “That Person” on your List: The Annual Challenge

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Note: This is a partnered post with Shopular. All opinions are honest and are my own.

I love shopping for others, whether it’s for a birthday or during the holidays. Finding the perfect gift that I know friends or family will love really brings me a lot of joy, and the hunt for said gift is just as fun to me as the actual giving!

Of course, then there comes that recipient… the one who has everything, or who is just difficult to shop for. For me, it’s often one of the men in my life – my husband, my brother, or Brian’s dad or step-dad. So, not to be stereotypical, but very often the hardest category to shop for is the “For Him” category.

One approach to shopping for those hard-to-gift people takes quite a bit of forethought; at the beginning of the year, make a conscious effort to pay attention to things people mention wanting or needing. Notice that your little brother wears through Chuck Taylors pretty quickly? Bingo – shoes for Christmas! Or, like my sister-in-law told me; she heard her mother-in-law say she needed a new baking dish, and she filed that information away months in advance so she could have the perfect gift.

Another route you might go is a subscription box. They’re fun and take people out of their comfort zone a bit, and it spreads the gifting out over the amount of months you subscribe the recipient to.

You can also ask questions about the recipient’s childhood. Everyone is nostalgic about something and if you can tie your gift into a pleasant memory from years ago that can make it extra special.

However you end up finding the oh-so-perfect gift, you’ll want to make sure you shop smart and find the best deals out there. Shopular is a great app that puts deals at your fingertips on your smart phone, and you can even browse deals for inspiration.

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I keep up with Shopular on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, too, so I’m in the know about any shopping deals, especially around the holiday season!