Hailey's Helpful Hints

  Did you know that 96.8 million adults will use digital coupons this year? Are you one of them? Normally I am not but my mom recently turned me on to RetailMeNot.com. If I'm not shopping on Amazon, I'll always search the store on Retail Me Not prior to purchasing to see if they have a valid promo code to save a little extra. Wondering where to look? The Internet can be a treasure trove when it comes to getting the most for your money. Thanks to Family Circle magazine, Denise Winston, author of Money Starts Here! Your Practical Guide to Survive and Thrive in Any Economy , and money-saving expert Andrea Woroch, these recommended sites are the best to bookmark for bargains on food, fun and more. CouponBlender.com At this gateway to savings, you'll see dozens of deals at a glance from the top couponing destinations (the homepage is constantly updated with a slew of news feeds). Each of the featured sites includes a range of shopping categories, so you can snag coup...

  Wondering how to maximize suitcase space? Need to cram a lot into a little without wrinkling everything in the process? It's easy with the smart tips on where everything should go: 1) Line the bottom with a plastic trash bag. After you've packed add another one on top. This helps fend off wrinkles and will keep it dry if it's off-loaded from the plane in the rain. 2) Stash footwear and heavy stuff along the wheel base. Fill shoes with socks or bulky bangle bracelets, then put them in individual bags or shower caps, with the soles facing the sides of the suitcase. Splitting up the pairs saves space. Rest other heavy items like a hair dryer or a toiletry kit next to or on top of shoes. Placing these things near the wheels stabilizes the bag's center of gravity so it won't topple over when upright. 3) Lay the foundation next by tightly packing rolled clothing. 4) Build the second layer by layering folded dresses, pants, and skirts on top of the rolled clothes. Altern...

A product I can't live without: The Quarter Dispenser. I love it so much I gave it as a summer "Favorites" gift at our most recent girl get-together. For $2.99, you can have a stash of quarters handy and organized. Perfect for when you pull up to the beach and you unexpectedly have to pay a parking meter. Great for toll roads on those summertime road trips. Camping. Laundromats. A spontaneous stop for ice cream when you don't have your wallet. Also a great gift for a recent grad going off to college for laundry and vending machines. Just stock with quarters and throw it in your center console or glove compartment of your car so you're never inconvenienced again. Or buy two and put one in your travel bag or purse. Truly a must have. Available at The Container Store

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...

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...

Everyone loves alittle time away for some R&R but with this tough economy, it's hard to justify shelling out hard earned cash for a vacay. But if you're itching to get away and want to make it feasible to do within your budget, try these 9 smart strategies for a less costly summer vacation. Lift off from a smaller airport: You can reap significant savings if you’re willing to put up with a bit of inconvenience. Often you can snag a better deal on airline tickets if you bypass the majors and fly out of a regional airport instead. For example, at press time, Real Simple magazine found that it was $50 cheaper to fly to New York City from the Akron-Canton Airport than from the Cleveland hub. Use the search feature on the easy-to-navigate Kayak.com to compare airfares near you. But bear in mind: Given the high, and rising, prices at the pump, the cost of driving to a more remote airport could wipe out some of your savings. Go to fuelcostcalculator.com , run by AAA, to estimate...

With Spring break and summer travel soon approaching, it's time to talk travel. I like to think I'm a seasoned veteran on the subject being that we've traveled for months on end with my ' lil guy since 3 weeks old. Only time will tell if I'm as ambitious with two in tow. In addition to mentally preparing for any trip, it's important to have appropriate gear to make the trip as headache free as possible. Who am I kidding - is there such a thing?? 1) CARES If you're not into bringing the carseat on the plane (me!), then the CARES Safety Restraint ($69) is a genius alternative to give your little ones that extra protection. The Cares Restraint is the only FAA-approved and adjustable child restrain harness other than a car seat, and can be used for toddlers over 22 pounds. 2) GoGo Kidz Travelmate Back in December I blogged about this already but if you prefer to take your carseat on the plane but don't want to lug around both the carseat AND your st...

Here's a last minute must-buy if you are traveling this holiday season with small children. Or are stumped on what to get your world traveling relatives. The Gogo Kidz Universal Car Seat Travelmate converts your car seat into a stroller. No more having to lug a bulky car seat through the airport while trying to maneuver a stroller (and the kid who keeps dropping his juice every 50 feet). Talk about GENIUS. The Travelmate is super easy to use - it has a quick-release strap that allows the Travelmate to be attached or removed within seconds to the backside of the car seat. What's even more convenient; you can just release the handle down and strap the seatbelt around the Travelmate if you bring your car seat on the airplane. No detaching or finding a place for it in the overhead bin. Although I am not a huge fan of bringing the car seat on the plane, the FAA actually recommends that all children under 40 lbs. sit in a car seat during a flight. The Gogo Travelmate can be attached...

I received an email from a girlfriend who knows we travel a lot asking if during the holidays we ship or check our luggage? Her concern was that with all the stuff they have, they would get dinged by the airline's ridiculous baggage fees. Thanks to the massive amount of traveling my husband does for work and his MVP status, we do not incur any fees (assuming I stay under the 50 lb weight limit which isn't always easy to do) therefore we always check our luggage but in my attempt to help my friend, I set out to a little research on what makes more financial sense - to check or ship? Ironically, as I compiled my statistics, I came across an article in Real Simple magazine that was exactly what I was looking for. Below is the article that will shed some light on what to do come packing time -- Article from realsimple .com: "You probably assume that checking your luggage is the cheaper option, even though you’re stuck paying the airline about $25 for the first bag (each way) a...