The kids have been working hard on their schoolwork all week, so they could have a short day today. And after today, we’re taking a week off for Thanksgiving. We’re all looking forward to the break!
After Thanksgiving, we’re going to do a month of Christmas school. It will be a nice change of pace, before we get back to our regular curriculum in January. When all is said and done, I think we’ll actually be in school a month and a half longer than the public school, but “shhh”…don’t tell the kids.
News of Note
Congratulations to Rebecca C., who won the Merry Madagascar Giveaway! As soon as she contacts me with her mailing address, her prize will be on it’s way!
If you still want to win a Merry Madagascar prize pack, some of my fellow elevenmoms are still running their giveaways. I know for sure you can still enter at Lille Punkin Reviews and Frugal Upstate.
I added a new Savings Account page, where you can stay up to date on online savings account rates.
The Roundup
Have a great weekend! And I don’t want to say this too loudly, but it looks like I might just get a few hours to myself tomorrow afternoon, as the rest of the family is off doing other things. Whatever will I do with my time?
Photo by StarMama.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Christmas is coming quickly, and if your financial habits are like my past financial habits, you’re starting to wonder how you’re going to pay for Christmas. It’s not a fun feeling, and it’s one I understand.
I’m happy to say I’ve changed my ways. And the good news is that you can too. It’s not that my financial situation changed much. We’ve had our up years and our down years. But I started planning for Christmas much earlier…like in January.
SmartyPig is a Savings Account
Last year I discovered SmartyPig, a “social savings account.” Really, it’s a bank account with West Bank, which is FDIC insured. Right now they’re boasting a 2.0% APR, which is one of the best interest rates I’ve seen for a savings account in a while.
When you set up an account, you set a financial goal. For instance, you set a goal to save $500 by next Christmas. SmartyPig calculates how much you need to save each month to reach your goal and automatically transfers the money from your bank account to your SmartyPig account each month.
Don’t worry. If you run into financial trouble and need to get your money out, you can cancel your goal and do that. So you’re not stuck by any means. And the best part? It doesn’t cost you a thing!
SmartyPig Gives You Cash Boosts
Here’s where SmartyPig differs from a regular bank account, though. And here’s also where SmartyPig can help with Christmas shopping. You have three options for withdrawing your money. You can transfer it right back to your bank account. You can opt to get a SmartyPig MasterCard debit card. Or, you can get a gift card from one of SmartyPig’s partners.
If you choose the last option, you will receive up to a 12% cash boost! And you can put your money on multiple gift cards, too! That’s why I think it’s so great for Christmas shopping. I tend to buy a lot of books for Christmas gifts (or even homeschooling during the year), so getting a Barnes & Noble gift card is a great option for me.
SmartyPig is Social
SmartyPig also has a social option, which I’ve never used, but could be a good thing if you’re saving toward a big goal. You can allow your friends and family to search SmartyPig by your email address, so they can see your goals and contribute. You can also place a SmartyPig widget on your blog or Facebook page to show the world how you’re progressing toward your goal.
Last year I used SmartyPig to save throughout the year, and by September I had enough to buy a Wii and some Wii accessories for the family for Christmas. It was well worth it.
With it’s competitive interest rate, multiple options for withdrawing your money, and bonuses for putting your money on gift cards, SmartyPig is a great option for a Christmas savings account.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
When times are tight, and even when they aren’t, I always encourage people to focus on experiences during the holiday season. One of my favorite things to do with my family during the holidays is watch holiday specials, both old and new, on TV.
It doesn’t take a lot of money to pop some popcorn or make some other snack and cuddle in front of the TV together.
Tonight the first of the Christmas specials rolls out (unless I missed one), as Merry Madagascar is scheduled at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. Walmart and Dreamworks provided me with a copy to preview in advance, and my family watched it last night.
The kids, who loved the original Madagascar movie, enjoyed seeing their favorite characters in a new Christmas show. I don’t want to completely spoil the show for you, so I’ll keep the plot very general. Basically Santa’s sleigh crashes, and it’s up to the Madagascar crowd to make sure Christmas presents get delivered around the world.
My only complaint is that the Christmas specials are starting before Thanksgiving. I kind of wish they had waited a week. Still, the kids enjoyed Merry Madagascar, and it has a good giving theme. You’ll have to tell me what you think, if you watch it tonight.
And for those who would prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving, Merry Madagascar will be re-airing on November 28.
The Giveaway
Merry Madagascar will be available at Walmart starting tomorrow, and to celebrate, they’re letting me give away a Merry Madagascar prize pack!
The prize pack includes
- 2 Merry Madagascar Plush Toys (not necessarily those pictured)
- Merry Madagascar Game
- Merry Madagascar Throw
- Items from Kellogg’s and Kraft
- Recipes
- $25 Walmart Gift Card, which you can use to buy the DVD or other Merry Madagascar merchandise, if you like. Or you can use it for anything else at Walmart.
This is going to be a short giveaway, as we’d like the winner to have the gift pack by Thanksgiving. That way you can watch Merry Madagascar on the 28th with your plush, throw and snacks.
To enter, leave a comment on this post. Email readers, make sure you click through to the site and leave a comment, as emails will not be counted. Please only one comment per person, as multiple comments will be deleted. Contest is open to residents of the United States only.
I’m going to close comments at 3:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, November 19. I need to have the winner’s information to the Walmart people on the 20th, if you are to receive your prize pack by Thanksgiving. So be watching your email, and be sure to get back to me ASAP, if you’re the winner.
The Merry Madagascar DVD and giveaway pack were provided to me for free by Walmart and Dream Works.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
