Sending your kid off to college this Fall? It's a scary and exciting time for all. Shopping online (especially using your Amazon Prime membership) for their college dorm room supplies can be a real life safer both now and once they start school. Unlock the Ultimate College Hack: 6 Months of Prime for $0Whether you are a college student or simply between the ages of 18 and 24, you can get all the perks of Prime completely free for your first six months. On top of free, fast shipping and entertainment, you will score an extra 5% back on eligible purchases plus exclusive monthly perks tailored just for you.🔗 [Start Your Free 6-Month Trial Here] Check off these College Essentials as you pack to avoid forgetting anything. Ideas for EVERYTHING on the list is linked below so you can start to work through it easily. Or if you are more of a visual shopper, hop over to my Amazon Storefront list for easier shopping/ The Ultimate College Essentials Packing List Move-in day sneaks up fast. Here's the dorm essentials checklist, organized the same way you'll actually pack it — box by box. Whatever your kid's college needs, it's somewhere in here. Bedding & Room ...
Time To Trade-In Those Gift Cards
Now that the holidays are over, let's be honest. Grandma may not quite get you anymore. What you would have loved 5 & 10 years ago...probably not what you are loving now. She loves you. She tries hard. But she just can't seem to get that what you really want is cold, hard cash. Especially if you are in the college crowd. That's OK. Coinstar has an answer to that drawer full of unused gift cards from well meaning Santa's everywhere with their new gift card exchange machines. They sent me the two above to try it out and see how easy it really is. I started by locating a Coinstar Exchange Kiosk on their locator page. Make sure and filter for the exchange kiosks. They are different machines. You want: At my store they were in completely different locations. I put in the two gift cards sent to me by Edelman PR. I was offered $16.25 cash for the Toy's R Us one and $16 for the Applebee's. After accepting the offers, I had to insert my drivers license and a credit card to prove that I was really me before my happy little voucher was produced. Which I took to the counter with my drivers license and exchanged for this: Honestly, this post took me longer to ...
Christmas Gifts for the College Crowd
Looking for the right Christmas gifts for the college crowd? I was too. Turns out they have plenty of wants and needs and no money to get them! What a perfect time to spoil someone. Here is a list of things that are perfect. Gift Cards: It seems impersonal I know but it REALLY isn't. Kids who don't have a car on campus will love giftcards to stores and restaurants within walking distance. Google a map of their campus and zoom out a bit. The map will show you what they have right around them. You can then go to places like your grocery store that likely sell 100's of different store giftcards or an online dealer that will have a wider variety. Even if you can't find a place close to their campus, they will love one to stores at home. One place we like to give giftcards too is Gordmans. They have a great selection of cool posters, sheets, and even new clothes (my sons LOVE their dri-fit collection). It's about time that a new something in the room or closet would be a welcome pick me up! There is a great coupon to attach to the giftcard at the bottom of this post. Headphones: Headphones are one of those things that college kids tend to go through a lot. They have their ...
It’s Tough Not To Like the Kyocera Brigadier
Can your iPhone 6 do that? It's OK to admit the answer you are looking for is, UM, NO? Admit it, you probably just winced a bit when I dropped it. It's the stuff tech lovers nightmares are made of. We pay more money for the Otterboxes to protect our precious phones than the phone itself it seems like these days. But, Kyocera and Bear Grylls would like to put to an end to the daily terror of the dreaded "phone drop". They have accomplished that goal with this tough little phone my guys are fighting over, the Kyocera Brigadier Verizon sent us to test out. Oh, and by the way....the phone came up with a tiny chip in the plastic casing of the phone, about the size of a pin head in the above video. The phone itself was unscathed. While the main feature of this phone is pretty obvious: IT'S TOUGHER THAN A HONEY BADGER....There are a few other things that make this a favorite in this house: Street noise is cancelled out. This has been really useful for my husband making calls while downtown. It's got a heavy, sturdy feel and you're not afraid if it takes a tumble. Built in flashlight means not having to use a third party app. The altitude detector has been great while hiking ...
Nokia 2520: A Back to School Must Have
This past May I spent a few days immersed in tech at the #VZWBUZZ San Francisco event. I received so many new items that I am in love with. But one of those was taken away from me immediately upon unpacking. Connor took one look at my new Nokia 2520 tablet and I haven't seen it since. Well, I do see it but never out of his hands. I see it when he is getting ready for his upcoming college classes by studying chemistry, or when he is watching Netflix, or even when he is blasting Pandora. But have I played with it since those few blissful days in San Fran? Nope. And I am not going to. After a summer of declaring the Nokia 2520 his, he is taking it to college instead of his laptop. So, obviously I had some questions. Can a tablet really perform the duties of a laptop or desktop for a college student? Is it possible that a tablet could actually replace his laptop? Turns out the answer seems to be a resounding YES, YES IT CAN. This little beauty with a 10.1" HD display combined with the Nokia Power Keyboard is ready for work or play. With the simple swipe command feature its extremely easy navigate between apps making an easy switch from Doodle Jump to looking like you are actually ...