Deciding On The Right Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree we have has seen it’s better days. When we moved into our first house about 7 1/2 years ago it was given to us by my husband step-grandparents. It was a lovely tree. Artifical, full, 7 foot tree. Over the years though the branches have thinned out, the stand broke and we rigged it up so it would work. This might be the year we have to get a new Christmas tree. We also happened to move into a new house with more room. When I started looking at Christmas tree again, I realized, there’s a lot to consider!

Considering where we went to put it will determine the size tree we get. The family room could easily host a 7-9 foot full tree while the living room could only manage a 7 foot slimmer tree. Then the question is do we want to go artificial again or do we want to try a real tree.

Benefits of Artificial Trees:

No maintenance, there’s no watering, no cleaning up needles, etc.
You can use the same tree for years
They come in many different size, shapes, and colors
You can choose one that is pre-lit if you like so you don’t have to mess with raveling and unraveling lights
You can put them up whenever you’re ready, no need to wait
more economical. Once you buy one you can use it for years

Cons of Artificial Trees:

No scent
need storage space when not in use
You have the same tree every year

Benefits of Real Trees:

Some people like the scent of real trees
no need for storage, they can be mulched after use
different look each year

Cons of Real Trees:

Maintenance involved with cleaning up pine needles, watering tree
need to have a way to haul tree home
limited options for size depending on ability to haul IE: You’re gonna have an easier time bringing a 5 ft tree home than a 9 foot tree
You have to buy a new one every year unless you have access to chop your own

Things to consider with both Real and Artificial trees:

How high are your ceilings?
How wide is the space you want to put your tree?
Do you have the floor space for a full size tree? If not you could consider a mini tree and set it on an end table or sturdy stand
Do you have pets or small children? Babies, toddlers, and animals are drawn to trees. The shiny bulbs, the lights, the newness. My kids took bulbs off the bottom of the tree when they were toddlers. The first few years with my boys we just had a mini tree on a table.

Once I decide on the right tree and we get through the holiday season. The next thing I’ll be doing is deciding on the right vehicle for my family.

Why You Need an RFID Blocking Wallet

I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

First of all, What is RFID? According to Oxford Dictionaries RFID stands for “Radio Frequency Identification denoting technologies that use radio waves to identify people or objects carrying encoded microchips.”

If you’ve had or have a credit card in the past 10 years or a US passport or even some drivers licenses use RFID technology. Credit cards with features like Mastercard’s PayPass for example, use this technology. This technology makes it convenient for us to pay in a hurry without swiping our cards. Unfortunately it also makes it easy for a criminal with the means to do it, to swipe your personal data too.

Criminals can make counterfeit reader that can scan RFID’s from up to 20 feet away. Stealing credit card numbers, personal info, and other other thing they might find of use to them. They can even make a counterfeit passport using your info!

RFID blocking wallets are a simple way to combat being a victim of this type of theft. Ehauer makes a slim stainless steel rfid wallet that will do just that. It’s a sturdy wallet that can hold up to 6 cards. It closes easily and opens with a push button. It’s slim and sturdy designs fits easily into a pocket, purse, or tote.

The cards fit into my wallet securely with just enough room in each pocket to fit one card. I like the sturdy design. I think it’s important because a lot of what i read about them said that if you use another kind and it’s not closed the whole way, criminals could still steal your info. Yikes!

Ehauer has this rfid blocking wallet on sale on Amazon right now for only $14.95. If someone on your list needs a new wallet or you need stocking stuffer ideas, this could be a good choice!

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While you’re learning, stop by my guest post to see, “What is the difference between winter and all season tires“.

Giving Tuesday with World Vision and Thirty-One Gifts

I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Tuesday December 1, 2015 is Giving Tuesday. The day when, after we’ve all bought our gifts during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday frenzy, we donate to a cause for the holidays.

On Giving Tuesday (December 1) for every donation made by phone 1-888-511-6588 or through World Vision website: worldvisiongifts.org it will be matched by Thirty-One Gifts-a direct selling company with a donation of one or more of it’s products like a tote bag or blanket up to a toal of $1 million worth of products for women and girls in need around the world.

You may be asking, why the need? What is a tote or blanket going to do? Tote bags like the one included in the giveaway, have recently been distributed to volunteers in Burundi who use the totes to carry materials for educating families about malnutrition. Before the totes, volunteers had to carry all their materials by hand. The totes make it easier for volunteers to carry the materials they need to each home.

Thirty-One Gifts was founded on the principle of helping women. In 2012, they founded a philantropic initiative called Thirty-One Gives. To date they have donated more than $80 million dollars in cash and products to non-profit organizations that empower women and girls and support families. The tote featured in this post is part of the Thirty-One gives line with 31 cents of each purchase going to the Thirty-One Gives fund. You can find more info at thirtyonegifts.com

The Zip-Top Organizing Utility tote is versatile. Use it for school, use it for work, use it as a diaper bag, use it as an overnight bag. I personally love this tote. This week my oldest son was admitted to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. We spend 3 days there. I used this bag. Every day I took a change of clothes in case I needed to stay. I also took my phone charger, every day makeup, toiletries, and some activities for my son to do. It also held my wallet, phone, and my card I needed to get in and out of the PICU that my son was in. There was still plenty of space. Even with all that, this bag was not too bulky. In my opinion, it was the perfect size. It’s light weight but well made.

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money money reader will win a

Thirty-One Zip-Top Utility Tote

US only

World Vision and Thirty-One

14 Educational Stocking Stuffer Ideas

This post does contain affiliate links. Regardless I only post legitimate offers from trusted sites.

If you want to find stocker stuffers that are more than just candy or fillers, this is the list for you. Stocking stuffers that will be both fun and educational.

Personalized Letter from Santa

Gone are the days of trying to write in “Santa’s handwriting.” Educents has made it so easy to make your child feel special and loved by Santa! The personalized letter comes straight to your front door from the North Pole in a beautiful red envelope, and highlights your child’s exciting accomplishments this year. The letter also includes some fun Santa-approved activities for you and your kiddo to spend some sweet holiday time together, like a recipe for Mrs. Claus’ Famous Cookies, two snowflake craft templates, a packet of reindeer food (glitter!) and a sheet of festive stickers. This special letter will make for an imaginative and exciting addition to the very top of our Christmas stockings this year!

This letter will make for an imaginative start to any Christmas morning, but there’s more pressure now to keep the fun going! Here are some other easy stocking stuffers to keep the magic going for your kiddos this year!

Educational Stocking Stuffer Ideas

1. FREE DIY Crystal Christmas Tree Experiment – An opportunity to spend more time together as a family is one of the best gifts you can give! These directions for a DIY salt-crystal Christmas tree can get the whole family involved and teach everyone something new!

2. DIY Push Light Planets – Create these amazing lights for your kiddo’s bedroom. Each light is decorated to represent one of the planets. To encourage planet recognition, even paint the names of the planets onto each pushable light!

Push Light Planets

3. Show Me the Kwan – Looking for a great, fun game for the whole family to play after all the presents have been opened? This clever and upbeat word game gets kids excited about vocabulary, word construction and more and is the perfect size for a stocking!

4. Matching Games for Little Learners – These handmade wooden matching games from Mama May I are a very sweet stocking stuffer for little learners. Choose from Zoo, Trucks, Vegetables, Space and more !

5. The Familia Craft Kit – This craft kit has all the tools for your kiddos to decoupage little wooden peg dolls to create their own story or to include in a new adventure! They come in a slim tube that’s easy to fit in a stocking!

6. DIY Domino Set – This homemade domino set is one you and your family can play for years to come. To make this set special for the holidays, use green and red puff paint!

DIY Domino Set

7. DIY Pop-Up Alphabet Sponges – This simple gift is a low-cost way to make baby’s bath time fun and educational! Cut sponges into the shapes of alphabet letters and numbers.

8. DigiPuppets – This adorable animal finger puppet acts as a touchscreen-sensitive stylus for phones and tablets. Use them on their own to keep kids engaged with digital learning tools, or head to the app store to download DigiPuppet’s educational games.

9. Just Add Milk Science & Art Kit – This kit is filled with fun science and art projects you can do along with some at home ingredients, and it’s just the size of a milk carton! If your child is lactose-intolerant, don’t worry, the experiments work with non-dairy milk as well!

10. DIY Telling Time Clock Pillow – Crafty family members can take a few hours to create this comfortable accessory for kiddos learning to tell time!

11. Clever Catch Math Balls – These inflatable balls make math-learning fun with active games you can play with 2 or more people. Just keep it deflated, and this blow-up Clever Catch is ready for the stocking! Choose from: Numbers 0-25, Money, Multiplication, Addition, or Subtraction.

12. DIY Hopscotch Mat – Here’s a fun game you can make yourself, roll up into a Christmas stocking, and then play on Christmas Day and many, MANY days after that!

13. DIY Bongo Rice Shakers – Use some household materials to make shakable, musical instruments for little ones to use while Christmas caroling on Christmas Day!

DIY Stocking Stuffer Instrument

Looking for more ways to make your Christmas stockings and holiday gifts extra special this year? Head to Educents’ Give the Gift of Education page for more ideas, tips, steals and deals!

If You Have a LEGO Fan, You’ll Want To See This!

I received the below mentioned product as part of the US Family Guide blogger program. Any opinions expressed are my own.

BrickSwag is the #1 membership for LEGO fans. Each month includes official LEGO kits to build and keep, exclusive t-shirt, Build magazine, Funky Fig trading cards, and more surprises.
Mission: To Inspire, Educate, and Entertain with LEGO bricks.

We did an unboxing video for our November box:

We showed everything in the video but here is a list of everything included in the box this month:

Exclusive LEGO T-shirt
Challenge pack (includes a hodge podge of all kinds of LEGO bricks and they are given a challenge to build a specific item. This month is was to build a thanksgiving feast out of the bricks.
Trading Cards
LEGO cup
Build Magazine
Monthly build packet – this month was a turkey with full instructions
LEGO Poster
Exclusive Brickswag brick

You can order your subscription at brickswag.com My 2 youngest sons LOVE it! Everything in the box is authentic LEGO. You’ll received exclusive items you can’t buy just anywhere. If you have a LEGO fan this is the LEGO subscription box for them!

My readers receive 20% Off their BrickSwag subscription with this exclusive promo code: FAM20 http://usfamilycoupons.com/coupon.php?regionid=75&bid=12257&dealid=2103
OFFER EXPIRES: 11/20/2015