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living on less

Join Me for a Cree LED Bulb Twitter Party #Cree

by Tara Kuczykowski on May 9, 2013 · 0 comments

I'm all for helping families find simple ways to save money and time... so I'm thrilled to introduce you all to Cree LED bulbs, which can help you do both while also improving your home energy usage! The new Cree LED provides families what they’re looking for in a light bulb with big money and energy savings over traditional light bulbs:

  • It produces the warm, beautiful, omni-directional light (no greenish tinge)
  • Energy savings of 84 percent compared to incandescent bulbs
  • Save approximately $61 per year on electricity bills
  • Contains no harmful mercury, unlike CFL bulbs
  • Turns on at full brightness
  • Affordable pricing breaks the $10 barrier
  • Long lasting - 25,000 hour lifetime; 25x longer than a typical incandescent – that’s 24,000 hours you don’t need to spend thinking about changing your light bulbs.

Until today, light bulbs were just another item to check off a shopping list. However, the Cree LED bulb gives you a reason to switch! Cree believes this breakthrough LED bulb will, for the first time, motivate families to upgrade the billions of energy-wasting light bulbs installed in their homes.

I'm super excited to be hosting a Cree LED Twitter Party this Friday afternoon with -- wait for this -- @IanSomerhalder of The Vampire Diaries fame (squee!!!) to talk about ways to save money and time with the new Cree LED bulbs! You'll join me, won't you?

Party details:

When: Friday 5/9, from 1-2pm EST
Where: Use this custom Tweet Grid (change my username in the far right column to your Twitter username and click Search) or hashtag #Cree to follow along.
Who: Make sure to follow @DealSeekingMom, @IanSomerhalder, and @CreeBulb.

Of course we have some awesome prizes to give away as well... Two lucky participants will have the chance to win a giveaway of a $250 Home Depot gift card, compliments of Home Depot, and 10 Cree LED bulbs!!!

RSVP on Twtvite to let us know you're coming and to receive a reminder about the event. If you're not signed up with Twitter yet, be sure to register before the event.

Hope to see you all there!!!

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Ready for Spring Already!

by Tara Kuczykowski on April 23, 2013 · 1 comment

Isn't this a crazy spring we've been having? Enough with the teaser 80-degree days followed by a spell of windy and downright cold weather. Let's get on with the warmer weather! Today was gorgeous, but again, we're back to chillier 50-degree temps and more rain tomorrow.

We've got some big plans for landscaping and gardening this year, so I headed to Walmart earlier to check out the offerings in their Garden Center. They had some beautiful marigolds and petunias in bloom, and I was sorely tempted to bring some home with me for $1.78, but I don't think we're quite out of the frost danger zone yet, so I'll have to hold off for another week or two. I'm really looking forward to adding some color to the planters on my porch though!

I did bring home one of these lovely pink Kalanchoe succulent flowering plants though. At just $6.48, it's the perfect way to brighten up our kitchen table at less than half the cost of a similar size bouquet of flowers -- and as a perennial plant, it can last for years.

While I was there I also browsed the outdoor furniture setups a bit. Longtime readers might remember this awesome Canopy offset umbrella that we got to maximize our outdoor living space a few years back. Sadly, it was destroyed in a severe storm that swept through our area last July.

I was excited to see that Walmart has a similar outdoor umbrella available right now at a reasonable price. We'll likely be investing in one of these very soon, as the backyard in our new home receives a significant amount of late day sun.

I also love this great canvas-covered gazebo -- I'm just not sure we have a good location for it. I'll have to think on this one a little more because I really love that the netting would help keep some of the bugs at bay in the evenings.

And finally, I just adore this sweet little red steel 3-piece bistro set priced at just $98 (minus the cute preschooler who was being a real trooper). I could totally envision myself sitting at one with my morning coffee while reading a good book, but we need to install a deck or at the very least repair our patio before I can bring one of these babies home.

How about you? What are you planning to buy to spruce up your outdoor living space this year? Or what would be on your wishlist?

As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I've received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Fun with Disney Paint {Striped Accent Wall}

by Tara Kuczykowski on April 16, 2013 · 3 comments

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we're in the process of redoing my girls' bedroom, so when Walmart asked if I'd be interested in testing out their new line of Disney-inspired paints, I jumped at the chance.

In addition to over 100 unique paint shades with fun names like "Ariel's Tail", Walmart also carries a number of Disney specialty paints, including Ready-Set-Glow glow-in-the-dark paint, Great Slate tintable chalkboard paint, and Speck-Tacular, a clear, confetti top coat.

Since my girls are 6 and 8, I wanted a fun color palette that will last them for years to come, so I chose On Tour Turquoise, Mood Ring (a purple color), and the All That Glitters top coat, a shimmering glitter finish. With such bold shades, I didn't want to overpower the room with color, so we chose to do a cute striped pattern on the largest wall, using a neutral white shade as the base color.

The first step in painting stripes is taping off the stripes. As you can imagine, it pays to take your time to get them as precise as possible. After that, the painting part is quick and easy.

While I was initially a little surprised at how thin the Disney paint is, the color is very intense. Even with the original white shade on our walls, we were able to achieve a solid shade, without the use of primer, with only two coats of the turquoise and purple.

Rather than covering the entire wall with the All That Glitters top coat, we chose to use it just on the Mood Ring stripe. Though the application video recommends using a roller to apply this glaze, I found that a brush works better for small areas because the glitters doesn't want to come off the roller without a lot of rolling in multiple directions. The glaze brushes on with more of an opaque finish but dries clear in about one hour.

All in all, we found the Disney paint to be very easy to work with, and my girls love the striped effect with a bit of shimmer. This is a great way to breathe new life into your living space with a minimal investment of time and money.

Though we still have a ways to go in finishing up the girls' room, this striped accent wall already livens up the space! Find Disney paint at a Walmart store near you now.

As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I've received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Duck Peel & Stick Shelf Liner {Not Just For Shelves}

by Tara Kuczykowski on March 31, 2013 · 4 comments

I'm sure you're all familiar with Duck Tape, but did you know that Duck makes a variety of shelf and drawer liner products, as well? I had no idea, so I'm guessing many of you don't either.

I've used a peel and stick-style liner in cabinets before, but never one with such fun colors as these. Zebra stripes, shiny silver sparkles, and cute polka dots are just a few of the fun patterns you can pick up. They're almost too pretty to relegate to shelves that won't often be seen!

Which gave me this idea...

We're in the process of redoing the girls' room, and I was considering disposing of the turquoise side table pictured above. It was pretty inexpensive, and it's definitely seen better days -- the top has some scratches and some nail polish spots that just won't come off.

After giving it a second look though, I realized that the legs were in pretty good condition and only the top was damaged. Duck Peel & Stick Liner to the rescue!

I simply cut a piece slightly larger than the top of the table, and with my oldest daughter's assistance, I centered it and pressed it down on the tabletop. I then flipped the table over, and used an X-acto knife to trim off the excess liner from around the edge. Less than five minutes of work and the table looks almost brand new!

Duck also makes my favorite Easy Liner product. I used it to line all of my kitchen drawers when I did a massive kitchen organization back in January. I love that it keeps all of my utensils and knives from sliding around, especially in the larger drawers.

They also make another version called Smooth Top Easy Liner that has the same grippy bottom with a smooth, flat top, which I found is perfect in my kitchen cabinets. The previous owners seem to have had a penchant for putting their dishes away wet, so many of the cabinets have some unsightly bubbling and peeling on the veneer. This liner cuts to fit and is an inexpensive way to make my cabinets a little prettier.

Wanna give some of these products a try for yourself? You can find a wide variety of these Duck Shelf Liner products at your local Walmart store!

As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I've received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale DVD $9.96

by Tara Kuczykowski on March 29, 2013 · 0 comments

If you're still on the hunt for a relatively inexpensive Easter basket item for a girl, then you may want to check out this adorable Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale DVD. Exclusively at Walmart, it's priced at $9.96 currently.

I had the opportunity to watch this sweet DVD with my youngest daughter today, and she loved it so much she watched it three more times before she had to leave for gymnastics practice.

A little about the movie:

Now, for the very first time, journey beyond the rolling green hills of Lalaoopsy Land to a magical place never seen before where you'll meet the Lala-Oopsies! On islands that float on strawberry milk rivers, surrounded by tall mushroom trees, live the whimsical Lala-Oopsies princess ballerinas, fairies and mermaids. Join them as they embark on a fantastical journey to save their precious homes when the strawberry milk, which powers Lala-Oopsies Land, suddenly stops flowing.

One of my favorite aspects of the movie is the subtle encouragement for kids to read that's included. The movie starts with a Lalaloopsy character selecting a book to read, which is the magical mermaid tale that ensues. Even the coordinating dolls that can be purchased have handles on the packaging which double as bookmarks once you trim them off after purchase.

As I mentioned, there is also a line of Lalaloopsy Oopsies mermaid dolls that coordinate with the DVD. Pictured above is cute and colorful Water Lily, one of the main characters of the DVD.

My daughter's favorite feature is the the color change tail that changes with cold and warm water, while her little brother made off with the whimsical octopus sidekick, squirting water all over the bathroom. Boys will be boys!

All of the Lalaloopsy Oopsies mermaid dolls are also exclusive to Walmart currently.

As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I've received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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