Our lives function with the assistance of technology.  This technology is wonderful.  Computers at home, copy machines at the office, GPS in the car, and mp3 players between them all.  These instruments are great up to the point that they aren’t interrupting.

Shopping for these electronics shouldn’t be interrupting either.  Fortunately Staples.com has everything to make technology shopping easy.  Heck, their logo is the “easy button” after all.  Here is a page that has updated coupons for staples to make it even easier.

I personally fall into this category and have taken the necessary steps to do what I can to prevent this catastrophe from happening.  Apparently I’m not the only one whose been considering this because I just learned about some awesome service Office Depot offers to help with this exact thing.

They have a new service called Tech Depot Services, which offers free online back up, free PC tune up, and a free PC support agent. The PC tune up boosts your start up and shut down speed, scans your PC for viruses, and removes any unwanted files from your computer.  The PC support agent makes sure your anti-virus software is up to date, tunes your windows settings, and connects you with a professional technician if needed. The free online backup automatically backs up your PC or Mac, and even has a mobile version you can use with an Android, Blackberry or iPhone.

You can still save money on regular office products by using Office Depot coupon codes, but now you can go even further and allow the Tech Depot Services to help you keep your computer running smooth.

Canine Buddies

There are currently nearly 80 million pet dogs in the United States.  Thirty nine percent of households own at least one dog.  With so many of us owning dogs, why is it so difficult to answer the question, “Why do you love your dog?”  In my case, I love their loyalty, companionship, and playfulness.  I love coming home to their wagging tails and wet kisses!  I love how they tolerate playing dress-up with my daughter.  They also great to take along on a hike or use as jogging partners.  At night, they are my watchmen.  In the morning they are my alarm clock.  They are so many different things to our family, it’s hard to imagine life without them.

To them, we are everything.  The give us so much love that all we can do is take good care of them, and give them just as much love in return. We spend so much money on our dogs, and they are worth every penny.  We love the big dogs, mostly Mastiffs and Great Danes.  With big dogs comes big toys, large amounts of food, and over sized beds.  We do most of our shopping at PetSmart.   Some things we still go into the store to buy, but more and more I find that ordering from their website is so much easier!  They carry the same products and I don’t have to worry about wandering through aisles looking for things.  I have been able to save a good amount of money using PetSmart coupons and I hope you can do the same.

A study conducted in 2010 showed that 1 out of every 5 relationships began through an online dating site, and 1 in 6 couples getting married had met through an online dating site. It seems that the internet has created a new avenue for people to find love, especially if they’re too busy to find someone the traditional way. Online dating fast tracks your ability to find a suitable companion. You can easily look at hundreds of profiles to narrow down possibilities without having to waist time on a bunch of first dates.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in trying, we suggest checking out PerfectMatch.com. Unlike some dating sites that focus on people just having fun dates, Perfect Match is there to help adults find lasting relationships. You can even use a current promotion to try it free for one month. If you are willing to give it a shot, you just might be lucky enough to find true love!

Unlimited Choices from Netflix

A few years ago my husband and I moved to a new state and lived with a family friend for about 9 months. She had one small TV with about 4 local channels to choose from.  By the time we moved to our new home, we were used to watching barely, if any, TV, and only an occasional movie. We decided to get just a small TV and use it to watch only movies. We realized that following regular TV shows was no longer something we needed, and having a 2 year old, we were aware of the negative things she could see on TV and in commercials. It was around this time we decided to get Netflix so we could have access to movies and TV shows to watch whenever we wanted. That was four years ago and today we are enjoying our Netflix membership even more.  Here are ten reasons why I love Neftlix:

1. You never have to watch any ads or commercials.

2. You can add thousands of movies or TV shows to your instant queue.

3. They have tons of educational series/movies and documentaries to choose from.

4. You can rate what you watch and Netflix will recommend movies they think you will like based on your past ratings.

5. The monthly fee is much less than any cable you can buy.

6. You can have up to 3 different TVs that can instantly stream Netflix movies and TV shows.

7. You can also watch any instant movies on any computer.

8. You can add and change your instant queue whenever you want.

9. Whenever you stop a movie somewhere in the middle, when you re-open it later, it remembers exactly where you stopped it.

10. With everything sorted into genre categories, it’s easy to find whatever you’re looking for.

If you are someone who enjoys an occasional bout of television, but wants more control over what you see, give Netflix a try. If you’re lucky, you can find Netflix coupons to save even more!

Ipod

My husband is an electronics junkie!  GPS, laptops, cameras, watches, music players, whatever it is, he loves it!  When a new device comes out he has to get his hands on it and knows all the specs and such.  I, on the other hand, do not share his enthusiasm for electronics.  I am more old-school.  However, I do recognize that electronics have helped my life in many ways.  I use my GPS when driving around town.  I am typing on my laptop while at the library right now.  One of my favorite devices is my ipod.  It goes with me in the car, jogging, and many more places.  The ipod is something that has truly filled a niche that I didn’t know existed.

Another device that has a permanent place in my purse is my waterproof digital camera.  It gives me piece of mind to know that I can capture the funny moments my 6-year old gets into.  Since I am more interested in the use of the camera and ipod, unlike tech-geeks like my husband, I really rely on the help of others when selecting my electronics.  I have found myself turning to expert sites like BestBuy.com for that help.  They have customer reviews, tons of sales, and great customer service.  I have found one feature very helpful, the compare screen.  I can pick several similar products and BestBuy.com will display them side-by-side and compare features of each so that I can know that I am not missing anything.  I love it!  To save even more, I use a page that stays up-to-date with the latest coupons from BestBuy!

Building a Raised Garden

After about a year and a half of marriage, my husband and I bought our first house. We were very excited to update the paint, flooring, landscaping, appliances and wall coverings, but we didn’t know where to begin. Our first big project was re-painting our dining room, which turned out pretty well. We stripped the wallpaper off, painted the walls a straw color, then smeared stain around with cloths to give it an old Latin flair. We were so proud of ourselves, we couldn’t wait to start another project. Unfortunately, not all the projects we did went as smoothly, and we soon learned to seek out expert advice to help us avoid pitfalls along the way.

We found two great resources that really helped with the rest of our projects. The first was a series of free workshops put on by Home Depot that take you step by step through different home improvement projects. From their home page, click on the link for Workshops to see which ones are available in your area. These workshops happen very regularly and cover a full range of projects you might want to do. The second helpful resource is also found through the Home Depot site and it’s called the Project Guides. If you click on this link, you’ll be taken to a page that lists hundreds of different projects to choose from. Just pick the project, and you’ll have step by step instructions, including color images, to help you complete the project without any hiccups.

Having learned from my own mistakes, I can see the great value of such wonderful resources. With all the great coupons Home Depot offers, they can even save you more money on all the supplies you need. In one quick stop you can get all the advice, instructions, and supplies you need to make your house just the way you want it.

Fun at the Beach!

I don’t know about you, but it seems like spring is taking a while to show up and that makes summer seem even farther away. Right around this time of year I start to get really antsy for bike rides, hikes, wearing flip flops and feeling the warm sun on my face. I know summer will be here in a few short months, but at this moment in time, it feels like that day will never come.  So, what’s a girl to do with this type of a quandary? I think the only rational response is to sneak in a mini spring vacation that will give you just enough incentive to hold out a little longer until summer arrives.

Now that you’ve decided to give yourself a well deserved break from the old grind, you need to figure out where to go. When I’m faced with this type of a decision, I like to turn to the experts at Travelocity. Here you can check out hotels, rental cars, cruises, flights, and all sorts of vacation packages. Because this trip is spontaneous, you can take advantage of their inexpensive last minute deals that only last a little while. You can book a cruise to relax and be entertained, or go on a backpacking trip to have an adventure. If you’re not sure what to do, just choose a city, your desired dates, and click on activities for a list of great things to do in that city.

Once you find the mini vacation right for you, don’t forget to use Travelocity coupon codes to save even more. Now it’s time to book the trip and make some awesome memories you’ll never forget. Before you know it, summer will be here and you’ll have even more great adventures.

GPS

There have been so many technological advances since I was a kid.  Back then, if you wanted to drive somewhere new you would look on a map.  If you wanted to hike to a new lake, you would need a compass and a map.  If you wanted to run a new route, you would have to pull out the map, a ruler and a calculator just to know how far you need to run.  Things have certainly changed.

My husband loves the out-of-doors.  He especially loves to take our daughter.  Together they explore new trails, lakes, and hills.  These things would not be nearly as easy to do if they did not have a waterproof GPS.  For my peace-of-mind, the unit also has a weather radio and communication radio for him to stay in contact with others.

One of our favorite new hobbies is jogging.  My husband and I have been running for about 6 months now.  We have lost a total of 57 pounds between the two of us!  We started by running on the treadmill, but got bored of that quickly.  The road beckoned and we listened.  We tried several of the websites available that use mapping software to measure jog distances, but we didn’t like to be restricted.  We invested in a GPS watch.  Oh my goodness!  What freedom!  We can just hit the pavement and run.  We don’t need to spend time looking online at maps.  We constantly know exactly how far we’ve run, how fast we are running, and even our elevation changes.

GPS units have made our life better in so many regards.  We have GPS in our car, backpack, and on our wrist.  With technology ever advancing, it is difficult to know what the best features are available or what the best prices are.  I have included a link to some coupons for GPS units at Walmart. Walmart consistently has the lowest prices.  They have a great selection of the best brands.