"Anti-Valentine's Day: 6 Ways to Un-Celebrate"

Thanks to the barrage of advertisements featuring pink hearts and devoted boyfriends -- coupled with endless floral deliveries received by yoursmitten coworkers -- there's no way to avoid Valentine's Day today. But before you resign yourself to a lonely evening at home, consider these six anti-Valentine's Day celebration tips.
1. Host an "Ex Roast"- Going out with your single friends on Valentine's Day is not a bad idea, though you'll quickly find yourself immersed in affectionate couples.Host an at-home event instead and take turns roasting your exes over a glass (or bottle) of wine.
2. See a Slasher Film- Skip this season's latest romantic comedy for a good ol' fashioned slasher movie. Though it's becoming a bit of a trend, nothing drains that romantic feeling faster than watching people get chopped to bits. Hit up Fandango.com for local listings.
3. Go Shopping- Just because you're not celebrating Valentine's Day doesn't mean you can't take advantage of retailers' heartwarming deals. Avoid the kissy couples buying each other trinkets and shop online. Find coupons for Macy's and other retailers from CouponSherpa.com and fall in love with a new pair of shoes or killer dress.
4. Volunteer- Though Valentine's Day is pretty challenging for singletons, consider how challenging every day is for lonely residents of nursing homes or struggling patrons of your local food kitchen. The best way to combat your personal blues is to make someone else’s day, so get out their and volunteer!
5. Cozy Up to a TV Series- Nothing takes your mind off reality faster than ongoing plot lines in your favorite series. Rent from your local movie store or better yet, seewhat's available to stream from Netflix or Hulu. If you're in the mood for some serious eye candy, check out Matt Bomer in "White Collar," or hone your lie-detecting skills with "Lie to Me."
6. Save on Goodies- Let the doting dingbats pay full price for candy and flowers on Valentine's Day. You can satisfy your chocolate craving for 50 percent off onFeb. 15, plus pick up a festive bouquet to brighten up your dining room. Beat that, suckers!

Photo by CarbonNYC

Courtesy of :

http://www.andreaworoch.com/

Andrea Woroch 

 nationally-recognized consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc.

Frugal Foodies: How to Save on Dining Out

Enough with the home-cooked meals. It's time to get out of the house and let someone else prepare your food for a change.

In response to tight budgets, frugal advisers have recommended for some time now that we stay at home to save money. But such deprivation grows old fast, so maybe it's time to consider these six tips to help you spread your dining wings without crash landing your budget.

1. FourSquare Deals
Members check-in to various locations on their mobile phones using this service, but did you know you can also receive offers for freebies and discounts simply by letting FourSquare know where you are? Check out a recent segment on FOX & Friends for a "how to" on using the app for restaurant savings.

2. Track Daily Deals
Restaurants are one of the most common frequenters of daily deal offerings, so it pays to keep an eye out for vouchers that can greatly reduce the cost of dining at a new or favored eatery. Just make sure you read the small print and are aware of expiration dates and exclusions. For example, most restaurant vouchers don't include drinks.

3. Get Happy
Eating early isn't just for our elders. Happy hour ad early bird deals have become more common as restaurants try to fill in slow-traffic times. For example, Applebee's Neighborhood Grill offers full-size appetizers for under $5 before 6 p.m., plus $3 drink specials.

4. Split It Up
American restaurants usually overload our plates -- unless they're into nuvo cuisine -- so there's often enough food for two in a single order. You can cut your costs down to around $20 by simply sharing an appetizer, entree and dessert with a friend or date.

5. Gift Yourself
We tend to think of gift cards in terms of what we can offer others, but they're actually very useful for individual purchases. Sites like GiftCardGranny.com let you purchase gift cards for several restaurants at a discounted rate, yielding immediate savings of up to 50 percent.

6. MatchPin
If you live in one of nine major cities, you might download the free MatchPin app. Membership brings you offers, rewards, contests and announcements from a variety of local restaurants.

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QR Codes on HSN Yet Another Innovation in Mobile Commerce

If you watched the Home Shopping Network (HSN) this weekend, you might have noticed QR codes appearing in the corner of your screen. These codes are the strangely patterned squares -- similar to bar codes -- that provide data on a product or service when you zap it with your smartphone or tablet.

You've seen the codes littered amongst print publications, in shop windows, and even on restaurant menus. Well now, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, the QR codes have come to TV. Scanning the code on your screen brings you to a product page on the network's abbreviated mobile website or to its application, where you can easily link to the checkout page.

QR codes have come a long way since their inception. Major brands like Rachel Zoe and Ralph Lauren have added color and their own logos into the standard black-and-white mix.

The system is very slowly catching on, but other older forms of mobile commerce have become second nature for many shoppers. For example, technology research firm Gartner predicts mobile application downloads will reach 17.7 billion in 2011, up 117 percent from the estimated 8.2 downloads of 2010.

1. Orvis Is On It -The outdoor-adventure retailer is leading the merchandising pack with an upgraded system launched last week for iPhone and Android apps to complement its mobile commerce site. While the apps appear similar to their m-commerce site, complete with an internal search engine, they also include a store locator function that uses smartphone GPS capabilities to identify the closest store.

2. Cashing in With Coupons -Coupons are cool once again, thanks to high prices, low incomes and a certain TLC reality show. One innovative app comes from CouponSherpa.com, which also uses GPS technology, but in this instance to locate nearby coupons. Access is instant and includes bar codes and grocery coupons exclusive to the Coupon Sherpa app. Users can customize coupons based on their favorite stores and products and new coupons are added daily.

3. The Perfect Fit - Macys.com is taking the pain out of shopping for jeans -- at least for women. In early October, the department store chain began offering digital help to recommend clothing based on the shopper's body type. The "True Fit" platform, found on the retailer's e-commerce site, asks women the brands and sizes of pants they already wear and which ones fit best. The user then describes their body type (curvy, boyish, etc.) and Macys.com direct them to a "Shop True to You" section for recommendations based on the data.

4. Subway Orders Up Contactless Payments -You'll still have to deal with a human sandwich-master at Subway stores in 7,000 locations, but you'll soon be able to pay by merely tapping a smartphone against a reader. In partnership with MasterCard and Google Wallet, the sub shop will accept the card brand's PayPass contactless payment by March 2012.

5. Text Your Prescription -More than two-million Walgreens' customers now receive text alerts when their prescriptions are ready for pick up, but the pharmaceutical chain now also sends messages letting subscribers know when it's time for a prescription refill, to which they can simply respond "refill." The new service picks up on the momentum built from the original texts, which included 25 percent of all online prescription refills.

COURTESY OF :

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Andrea Woroch
  Nationally Recognized Consumer & Money-Saving Expert
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MACY'S BACKSTAGE PASS

6 Frugal Tips for Super-busy Superwomen

 Women lose sleep over lots of things, like kids and work, but a new survey released by Manilla.com reveals money matters keep them awake much more than men. In fact, the study conducted by Catalyst Group revealed "Financial worries are the biggest reason women stay up at night, with nearly one in three females saying they burn the midnight oil over money woes."

Asked what keeps them awake, 35 percent of men replied "nothing."

Ah, to be a man.

Lack of time to pinch pennies is a real problem for most women, particularly those forced into the supermom role, buried in the sandwich generation, or serving as home CFOs. Here are six tips to help all you superwomen make the best use of your time to save money.

1. Co-cook Share cooking duties with another family by creating super-large batches and dividing it for future consumption. You'll save money on supplies by buying in bulk and have the pleasure of a partner's company while you cook.

2. Avoid Multiple Shopping Trips Take advantage of such inexpensive services as Hoseanna, which delivers a run-free pair of pantyhose to customers' doors every month. Or you can reduce time and money on food runs by opting for home delivery of groceries from sites like AmericaGrocer.com.

3. Use Mobile Coupons Extreme couponers spend untold hours organizing and preparing for a shopping venture. Why put yourself through that when you can use mobile coupon apps right in the store? Check out PCWorld.com's list of "15 Shopping Apps That Can Save You Big Bucks" and stock up on digital must-haves.

4. Try Manilla.com The free, web-based service Manilla helps consumers better manage all their household accounts -- including finances, utility payments, subscriptions and travel-rewards programs -- in a single, secure, online location.

5. Reduce Paper Clutter Lack of organization drives more women crazy than men, according to the survey. Roughly half of female respondents said they felt relaxed and 40 percent happy when organized. One way to reduce the clutter that creates havoc is to pay bills online so you can just electronically file the receipts. Best of all, you don't have to write and mail checks, which always entails that lengthy hunt for stamps.

6. Shop for Presents All Year This sounds impossible, but a little organization early on means less frantic shopping at the last minute. Which also means you won't grab an expensive item just because time is running short. And if you do find yourself panicking mid-December, don't forget about Free Shipping Day on Friday, Dec. 16. With free shipping offers from 2,000 merchants, this one-day event gives supermoms the added power of making last-minute purchases for arrival by Christmas Eve.

COURTESY OF :

Andrea Woroch

  Consumer and Money-Saving Expert for Kinoli Inc.

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Babymoons: Travel Tips for Expecting Parents

1. Travel During Your Second Trimester
This is the most comfortable part of your pregnancy. Hopefully morning sickness has passed and your growing belly isn't making you feel like you're coming apart at the seams. Keep in mind, however, that some cruise lines won't sell tickets to women who are pregnant beyond 24 weeks, so check out this comprehensive list of cruise line policies before booking.
2. Visit Child-unfriendly Locations
Find a location you won't visit when children are part of your family. For example, a Disney Cruise is easy to do with little ones, but a spa and shopping mall is next to impossible with a toddler. A two-hour flight is relatively easy with children, but a flight to Hawaii or overseas will bring parents to their breaking point.
3. Eat Together
Plan plenty of quiet meals with your partner and cherish those uninterrupted adult conversations. It gets significantly harder to have a relaxing meal when a toddler is throwing food and screaming at the dinner table.
4. Visit a Spa
During your second trimester, you can again indulge in a relaxing massage and planning this during the beginning of your babymoon will help set the tone for the rest of your trip. Pedicures are also great, since it will soon be increasingly difficult for you to reach your toes.
5. Use Gift Cards
Save on your babymoon costs and buy gift cards at a discounted rate for your airfare, hotel stay, dining, car rental and spa treatments. Sites like GiftCardGranny.com have hundreds of travel-related discount gift cards for purchase, from airlines to bed and breakfast websites. Remember to buy your gift cards a couple weeks in advance to account for order processing and mailing time.
6. Be Adult-only Active
Participate in adult-only activities, such as going to a movie, dancing the night away, visiting museums, catching a theater show, going to a sporting event, or eating in a nice restaurant. Basically, think of everything you would not do with a squirmy toddler in tow, then plan on doing those things. Read "8 Best Babymoon Trips" from Parents Magazine for destination ideas.
7. HAVE FUN!
Delight in being adults; you have plenty of years ahead to enjoy being a kid with your kid. Take advantage of this time to do grown-up activities.

Courtesy of:

Maisie Knowles(working mother of two with three-year's experience writing on parenting and partner issues)
maisie@kinoliinc.com