Hailey's Helpful Hints

Instead of wandering around aimlessly, getting frustrating and wanting to blame everyone but yourself that things aren't going according to plan, here are a few useful travel apps that can help keep your holiday vacation relaxing; Keep it Together: Send your airline, hotel, restaurant, and tour reservations to plans@tripit.com and TripIt will merge them into one itinerary. Love this organization app and it's FREE! Find it on the Fly: Stop wandering the terminal in search of an ATM or edible meal -- GateGuru pinpoints restaurants, shops, and services in 125 airports for FREE! Speak Easy: Type or say a word or phrase and iTranslate will convert it into more than 50languages. Such a resourceful way to get around a foreign country without getting frustrating that they (and you) can't understand. Free for text version; $2 for voice recognition. Get Around: Discover eateries, theaters, and more in 20 metro areas with UpNext 3D Cities . Just tap any building on the map and get...

Stumped on what to give? On a budget? Tired of giving the same'ol same'ol? Here are some resourceful links if you need alittle inspiration and budget-friendly ideas. Check them out! From Hailey's Helpful Hints: Last year's post worth the look through. 2010 "Banging Bargains under $25:" http://haileyshelpfulhints.blogspot.com/2010/11/banging-bargains-under-25.html From The Tomkat Studio website: My absolute favorite gift guide that I've seen this year. Fantastic ideas for all the special people in your life; newborns, dads, baking enthusiasts, beauty queens, photographers. The list goes on. Check it out even if you already have all your Christmas shopping done. It's fun to drool. All I Want For Christmas Gift Guide: http://issuu.com/tomkatstudio/docs/giftguide From Glamour: Gifts Under $100: http://www.glamour.com/fashion/2011/10/holiday-gift-guide-give-great-gifts-under-100#slide=1 Men Approved Gifts for Guys: http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/2...

Wash your fruits and vegetables before you eat them. An apple a day won't keep the doctor away if that apple has pesticides, chemicals, bacteria, and (brace yourself) animal feces clinging to it's skin. That's the sort of nasty stuff that's been found on unwashed food, making produce a common cause of foodborne illnesses. According to Lauren Slayton , director of foodtrainers .net, you need to give your fruits and vegetables more than the typical one-second shake under water. Rinse produce for at least 15 seconds and you'll get rid of 98% of the bacteria. And if you're second guessing if it needs to be washed in the first place, just do it. It never hurts. Spinach, peaches, bell peppers, nectarines, strawberries, pears, grapes, cherries, lettuce, potatoes, celery and pears are some fruits and vegetables with a high potential for pesticides residues.

Ever been to Serendipity, a NYC restaurant known for its over-the-top Frozen Hot Chocolate? If not, you must scope out this restaurant the next time you're in the Manhattan area. Their signature Frozen Hot Chocolate is phenomenal and one you should splurge on. But like anything that tastes phenomenal, it is overflowing with calories. Based on my calculations, each glass packs in over 800 calories, 40 grams of fat, and 22 teaspoons of sugar. Ouch. I have always wondered how to make a slimmed down version of this recipe at home. With a little google search, I found that Joy Bauer , America's favorite nutritionist and author of the recipe book, "Slim and Scrumptious" that has over 75 delicious and healthy meals your family will love, has done just that. Now you can satisfy your chocolate cravings for only 150 calories and with virtually no fat. And even though it's frozen, hot chocolate passes as a winter drink in my book any day. If you're up for trying the var...

Ugh, toys are straight expensive. And go figure that Chase asked Santa for a "Choo-choo train." You know what that means; Thomas the Train everywhere. Gahl -- those are stupidly expensive. I refuse to buy any of them at full price. After talking to a seasoned Thomas the Train veteran mom, I was informed that the best deals on Thomas trains are either on Craigslist or discount stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx. Oh and another place I found that has ridic mega sales is Kohl's. While randomly shopping there the other day, I scored a screaming deal for Chase. Originally $120. Got it for $35. I don't know how that store makes money. Click here for a 20% off coupon. Tangent. Back to the real deal. If you've got some shopping to do this weekend, Target has a BUY ONE, GET ONE 50% OFF toy sale going on NOW that might help you save a few bucks. Promo details: Purchase 1 or more items from a select toy brand (Barbie, Little People, Disney Princess, Cars 2, NERF, Thomas &...

Planning a last minute holiday vaca ? Usually last minute travel isn't the most cost effective but if you know how to sniff out a "deal" or a "dud" you might be able to save a little along the way. According to AnneLise Sorensen , lead editor of "Make the Most of Your Time on Earth : 1,000 Ultimate Travel Experiences," here are ways to spend your money in the right place; Travelers Insurance -- This covers the expenses if a flight or trip is cancelled, your baggage is lost or damaged or you get sick. Verdict: DEAL (if you're not covered by a credit card or another policy). Reward Credit Cards -- Earning points toward free hotel stays and airline tickets can save you a lot of money - as long as you don't overuse the card in an effort to rack up miles. Verdict: DEAL Oh-So-Cheap Vacation Packages -- Can a cruise really go for $199 a week? Um. No. Dig deeper and you'll find a slew of hidden charges in the fine print -- added taxes, hidden grat...

I hate giving just one gift. If you read my "Banging Bargains; Gifts under $25" from last Christmas you know that I love to pair 2-3 less expensive items together to make a cute package. This is another one to add to the list. One that I could personally put to good use for my million scarves that are just thrown on the top shelf of my closet. If you're looking to get creative on your mom, sister, or girlfriend I suggest you find a super cute scarf or two and package it together with this practical and inexpensive scarf hanger. What girl doesn't love being fashionably organized?!? If you google Scarf Hanger and/or Scarf Organizer you'll find a million online but I particularly like this one from the Container Store for $9.99 . Amazon also has one on sale for $7.00 right now.

Whether you hand wash all your dishes or just a few pots and pans, it's time you toss the tacky plastic rack and head over to Bed Bath and Beyond for the "The Original Dish Drying Mat." This was one of the under $5.00 favorites party gifts given by one of my girlfriends last week (thanks Jodie!) and we've used it everyday. An instant favorite in our household. It's 10 times more absorbent than a dish rag and takes up far less space than the dish rack sitting on your counter. It's clever design has a loop so you can hang dry when not in use and it's machine washable. For $4.99, I recommend buying two to rotate when washing. And while you're there - pick up a few as Christmas gifts. They're practical, unexpected and inexpensive.

Wash your mattress pad. Hopefully after my sheet washing post (if you missed it, click here to read), you've gotten in the habit of washing your sheets every week. If you haven't, I'm assuming you didn't read or get fully repulsed by my bed bug post?!?! If you missed that post, read it here ). Anyway -- my hunch is that although you may wash your sheets, you don't always wash your mattress pad. Good news is that you don't have to do this nearly as often as your sheets but you definitely can't neglect it. Cotton pads are usually machine washable and dryable but make sure to check the label first, since down or foam pads be be dry-clean or spot-clean only. For small covers, you can wash these in your home washer on warm cycle with regular detergent. If it is white, add 1/2 cup of bleach to the wash cycle. If the mattress cover is colored, use a color-safe bleach to the wash cycle. If you do not have bleach, add 1/2 cup of borax to the wash cycle, which will a...

I hosted a "Favorite's Party" this week for my girlfriends. Such a fun and different way to hang with the girlies. I actually blogged about this idea awhile back in an "I LOVE" post that gave fun girlfriend get-together ideas. (Read it here .) Essentially a Favorites Party is this: Invite an intimate group of your favorite girls over and have each one of them bring their favorite thing that is under $5.00. It can be a favorite candle. Favorite cleaning product. Favorite candy bar. Simple gifts that you particularly love. At the end of the night, each girl will go home with a handful of new favorite things! What made this especially fun this time of year is that we each went home with something new and fabulous for ourselves. Since when do mom's get out of the blue gifts all for themselves? Um. Never. Although each and every one of my gifts was divine, I particularly fell in love with the 'Candy Cane Green Tea' from Trader Joe's. Holy yummers . I ...

If you haven't ordered your Christmas cards yet --- shame on you. Now that Thanksgiving is over and the jingle jangle jingle of the holiday bells are ringing, it's time to prioritize your to-do list. Before you do any more shopping, I suggest you divert your attention to getting your holiday cards mailed out. In an effort to help eliminate the stress of trying to find the best deal, I've compiled this list with the current holiday card deals online (click on website title to be directed to site): Photo Affections : 25% off + free shipping. Promo code: HOLIDAY. Ends 12/4 Tiny Prints: Save up to 20% off + free shipping. Promo code: holsav20 Ends 12/3 Shutterfly: Save up to 40% off for a limited time. Free shipping when you spend $50 Code: SHIP50 Minted : 15% off all holiday orders $150+. Promo code: CHEERS15 -- 10% off all holiday orders $100+. Promo code: CHEERS10. Ends 12/9 Paper Culture: Free shipping for holiday orders $100+ Promo code: FSHIP Pear Tree Greetings: $10 ...