Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway

This is a sponsored post, I am a Kmart Layaway blogger, though all opinions are my own.

It's getting to be that time of year when people are starting to think about buying holiday gifts.  That makes it a good time to think about Kmart Layaway.  Instead of maxing out the credit cards and going into debt, shoppers can pay a small down payment ($15 or 10%, whichever is greater) and make regular biweekly payments until their items are paid for.  Payments can be made online or at any Kmart register.  I could find plenty of items to  put on Kmart Layaway, like the Barnes & Noble NOOK Color, a Green+Life 10PC Ceramic Cookware Set, the Ninja Kitchen System, and a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor, to name a few.  I'm not so sure I'd be willing to give any of those things away, though.
 
Why Kmart Layaway and not Walmart, Best Buy, or some other store?  Check out the benefits of the Kmart Layaway system that those other stores don't have, like the online layaway option (how convenient is that?), no minimum transaction amount, the ability to pay online and pick up in store, and more.

Ordinarily there is a fee to put something on layaway, but right now Kmart is waiving the service fees and offering free layaway on contracts initiated from 9/9/2012 through 11/17/12.  There's also a chance you could have the remaining balance of your layaway purchase paid for with Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway.  There will be one layaway giveaway per store per week every week from 9/9/12 through 11/17/12.  That's a lot of winners!  I know I'd love to win.

There is no purchase required to enter the giveaway.  For more information about how to enter, whether you make a purchase or not, and to get the Official Rules, visit a participating Kmart location or www.kmart.com/layawaygiveaway.

Good luck and happy shopping.

My Well-Being

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of My Well-Being Powered by Humana for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Any time is a good time to think about your well-being, not just health, but peace of mind, family, finances, and just over-all contentment with life.  Yes, there will always be things in your life that you can and should change, but a big part of life is learning to embrace, enjoy and appreciate what you have.  Of course, that is always going to be a challenge because our society is so much about keeping up with the Joneses and wanting what we do not have, but it's a worthy goal.

There's a very comprehensive site from Humana called My Well-Being that is designed to help people do just that.  Start by taking the My Well-Being Assessment to evaluate your well-being today, and get the tools you need to improve it.  The site offers expert articles on everything from health and wellness to saving money and organizing your family.  There are also online games to play, polls to take, and special offers and discounts available just for members.  Since well-being means something different for everyone, it's easy to customize the content you want to see and get the things that will be most useful for you personally.  For instance, I probably won't spend too much time looking at the articles and content on saving money, because those kinds of articles usually just tell me stuff I already know.  But I'm hoping to find some content on life after the kids grow up and move out, because I could use some help figuring out what comes next.

Watch this video for more information about My Well-Being from Humana:

About MyWell-Being from mywell-being on Vimeo.


Be sure to check it out and see what kind of tools and resources My Well-Being has for your well-being.  It's free to register, and all of the content is free.  You'll also get a FREE Dummies book mailed to you just for signing up.  Choose from - Retirement for Dummies, Well-Being for Dummies, and Living the Boomer Life for Dummies.  Whichever book you choose, you can read the other ones too if you want - they're available as e-books on the site.

Is Anybody Looking?

I feel like I need to keep the house nice at all times - just in case somebody wants to come look at it.  Of course, I also feel like that's impossible, because I live here.  So I just feel like I'm continually straightening up but getting nowhere.  And nobody is looking anyway.

So far we've had a couple people actually come look at the house, the first weekend after it was listed.  Then we had an open house a couple weeks later, and some people came through.  After that, nothing.

We finally got some information from the realtor, and it looks like people are looking at the website, but for whatever reason, they aren't actually coming to look at the house.  I think it looks pretty good in the pictures, and if I was planning to move to this area, it would be one I'd want to look at.  Is that just because it's my house and I like it?  I guess I might be biased.

Maybe there's something we don't have that people are really looking for, like a double sink bathroom vanity, or maybe a dishwasher, so they're looking at other houses instead.  Of course, those things can be fixed, if they like the rest of the house, right?  At least that's the way I'm trying to think when I look at houses for us.  It might even be fun to shop online for a new bathroom vanity or maybe a kitchen island, something to make the house their own.

The realtor suggested maybe lowering the price already.  But first I'd like to get a little more information, like why he thinks people aren't looking.  Is anybody actually looking at houses in town? Which houses are they looking at?  Are they looking at the houses that are listed at a lower price?  Are they looking at houses that have features our house doesn't have?  A realtor should be able to tell us that kind of stuff, right? 

And remember, we may not have a double sink bathroom vanity, but we have a very nice house, so if you or anyone you know is thinking about moving to Eagle, Wisconsin - be sure to look at my house!

Vipre Antivirus

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of GFI for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've been using Vipre Antivirus on my computer for a while now.  It was really easy to download and install right from their website.  Here's a screenshot from my computer while I was installing it:

There was a lot of helpful information as Vipre installed, and then it did a quick scan of my computer while i was installing.  I don't guess it found anything, because it said something like, "you rock." when it got done, and then I got to start using the software.

Along with installation comes the option to join ThreatNet, a worldwide network of thousands of VIPRE Antivirus, and VIPRE Internet Security users sharing and identifying potentially dangerous program files (both through manual submissions and automatically), resulting in the blocking of new malware almost as quickly as it is released into the wild.  Unknown risks can be automatically sent as soon as they are detected, allowing VIPRE to add them to definition updates and protect users from new malware.  I joined because I want to do everything in my power to stop viruses and malware before they cause problems.  Since I have no idea how or why they work, this at least is something I can do.

One of the things I like best about Vipre is the ability to schedule regular scans of my computer.  If I have to remember to scan every week - or however often I want my computer scanned - I probably won't do it, because I'm going to be busy using my computer for other things - and I usually remember about as soon as I shut the computer down for the night.  By scheduling it to scan automatically, I don't have to think about it again, but I know my computer is being checked for all the bad stuff.  Vipre is supposed to work without using a lot of system resources, so it's possible to scan the computer while also using it for other things.  I still like to set it up to scan overnight, at a time when I'm not using the computer, and I like that there's a box to check to shutdown computer after scan - so, just because I'm scanning at bedtime, that doesn't mean my computer has to run all night.

I have run a couple scans while I was using my computer for other things, and I really did not notice that it slowed my computer down.  I love that, because I've had other antivirus programs that pretty much made it impossible to do anything else while a scan was running - which is why I just started setting it up to scan when I was in bed.

Of course there's also the Active Protection which looks for and catches things in real time, which I think is the most important part of any anti-virus program.  If you're like me, you spend a lot of time online, interacting on facebook and other social media sites.  While there are a lot of positives, there are always risks that clicking the wrong link can invite a virus onto your computer.  I try to be really careful and don't click questionable links, but you can never be too careful, and it's so very important to have a program that is looking out for you. Vipre also comes with free US-based technical support.  You know what that means - when you call with a problem, you'll be able to understand what they're trying to tell you!

Be sure to check out Vipre for yourself.  You can find out all about the features and what it can do for you on the vipreantivirus.com website and http://www.facebook.com/GFIVIPREAntivirus.

It's Football Season; Get to B-Dubs

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Buffalo Wild Wings for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
 
I'd never seen so many people so crazy about football until we moved to Wisconsin.  Here it seems that everything is about the Packers - even when it's not football season. When it is football season, pretty much everybody in the state is watching when there's a game on.

Except us.  We've learned it's a good time to go shopping. There are no crowds!  Of course, the football game is on in every store that sells televisions, and it's on the radio in the stores that don't.  So there's really no getting away from it.

And then there was the time we were out shopping and decided to go get something to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings.  The game was on, and the whole place was full.  Not too full that we couldn't get a table, but there were plenty of people in there enjoying a good meal and a good time while watching the game on the big screen televisions.  It actually turned out to be fun, and while I wasn't exactly cheering - or even understanding what was going on - I found myself watching the game too.

And of course the food was great.  I usually go for the wings (Love their wings!), and Jeffrey doesn't care too much for wings, so he always gets a burger.  They have good burgers.  The Buffalo Chicken Flatbread is really good, too.  I got that the time we were in there during the football game.

So, whether you LOVE football or just tolerate it, Buffalo Wild Wings is a great place to catch the game. If you don't really care about the game, you can still get some good food and enjoy hanging out with your family and friends.  If you love football, you won't miss a second of the game, because they have huge television screens on every wall and throughout the restaurant, so everyone has a good view, and nobody has to make all the game-day snacks!

Protect the football. Get to B-Dubs. There's something for everybody.

Parenting Resources

Parenting is one of those things that is so important, but it's something you have to learn as you go.  You pretty much get it figured out by the time your kids are all grown up!  Or at least you get to sit back and watch your own kids get what they deserve when their own kids put them through the same things they did to you!  Oh, payback!

Of course, the more resources a parent has, the better.  Books, friends, family, websites - there are lots of resources out there.  The trick is to find the ones that will work for you and your family. 

I've been checking out this site called EverydayFamily that offers resources from preconception to preschool and beyond.  Parents can get expert advice and read helpful articles on everything from pregnancy symptoms to baby milestones and beyond and get tips and weekly development newsletters, and even sign up for rewards programs and enter Sweepstakes to win prizes.

I noticed that Beth liked EverydayFamily on facebook, so hopefully she's getting some good tips and information about taking care of her little guy.  He's a precious one.  Maybe she really deserves an ornery brat, but it will be better for all of us, and Jason, if he's got an informed mommy who can take good care of him.  If you're looking for parenting resources, be sure to check out EverydayFamily.