Ziploc, our sponsor for Fill the Backpack, is celebrating Magnificent Moments of Mom, recognition that all moms are magnificent. Ziploc offers a wide range of products to help savvy moms stay organized, so we can focus on what is really important-our families! I don’t know about you, but I use Ziploc every day to make lunches, store healthy snacks, and help stay organized.

When you think of a magnificent mom do you see yourself? Me, I imagine a supermom. You know perfect hair, no stains on her fashionable clothes, and well behaved kids. She of course is also friendly, helpful, and super organized to boot. No one is really supermom, though we may think that looking in from the outside, but we all have moments where we are magnificent, and really go above and beyond. It’s those moments we want to celebrate!

When I think of my own magnificent moments, or times my mom was magnificent I think of laughter shared, sincere talks, hands held, and hugs. In my magnificent moments I can not keep the smile off my face, and those moments are etched in my mind and heart forever.

One of my Maginificent Moments-sending the girls off to their first day of school this year.

The Backpack Giveaway

I am so excited to give away another backpack!  Be sure to follow along at Fill the Backpack to stay on top of all the backpack giveaways.

Onto the goodies coming with the backpack:

Some of the goodies our lucky winners will receive!

  • Ziploc is including some handy storage items to help you get back to school organized.
  • FoxEntertainment is including both Diary of a Wimpy Kid & Marmaduke DVDs in our backpacks.
  • PopChips donated a variety pack of PopChips & variety of coupons to each backpack.
  • Every backpack will include BitDefender, security software for your PC.
  • Orange Circle Studio is sending winners a “Do it all” planner & a family calendar
  • The backpack will include a variety of notebooks, folders, and binders from Carolina Pad.
  • Rose Art is sending you back to school with glitter markers, dry erase board, and fun Color Blanks.
  • Every backpack will include a ClassWish.org $25 Credit! Perfect for helping your communities schools!
  • DreamSakes is giving winners 20 free artwork scans! These are a great way to save or share your child’s masterpieces!
  • FamZoo, an online allowance management site for kids is including a year long membership.
  • Sun and Earth is sending a sampler pack with coupon to each winner.
  • Simon & Schuster added a great book, “E is for Ethics,” that will have you and your kids thinking!
  • The backpack will contain either a LeapFrog Tag Reader with book set and US map, OR a LeapFrog Explorer with 2 games! (Penguins of Madagascar and Toy Story 3)
  • Stonyfield Farms included coupons, awesome recycled plastic storage containers, & a few other surprises!
  • Silver Dolphin added the “Human Body” book, and “Facts to Annoy your Teacher” books. Both are for kids!
  • Samples from Sunmaid, Arizona Kids, Bear Naked Granola, Stretch Island Fruit Leathers, and CalNaturale Svelte energy drinks.
  • And more to come!

To Enter to Win:

Please do NOT leave your email address in the text box, entering it in the email field is sufficient.

Leave a comment and tell me a magnificent mom moment you’ve had as a mom. Not a mom? No problem-tell me a magnificent memory of your mom.

Want an additional entry? Head up to the top of this post and RT the giveaway!

Rules of Contest:

One prize will be awarded. Must be 18 or older. Must be in the US contiguous 48 states. Must provide a physical address and phone number for shipping.

Winner will be chosen by Random.org on September 13th at 1pm Eastern time. Winner will be notified via email, and has 24 hours to respond. Should the winner not respond, another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Fill the Backpack Sponsor:

Kelly

Disclosure: Fill the Backpack is sponsored by Ziploc. Our sponsor generously donated compensation to help fund our Dream Classroom project. Other sponsors donated products to fill the 16 backpacks that we will be giving away, and sent additional products for my family’s use.

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You may just be settling into your back to school routine, and for many of us that means our kids are one step closer to college. While savings overall are up over the last 2 years, many families still aren’t able to save much if anything towards their children’s college educations, and I admit this is one place we need some help.

I had the opportunity to interview Steve Jobe, Principal and Director of 529 Programs at iShares, about 529 programs.

I hope you find this info as useful as I do!

Cambridge 13
Creative Commons License photo credit: <>

Kelly: Can you give Centsible readers an overview of college saving options, and share tips for getting started saving?

Steve: Today, families are regularly faced with the daunting task of identifying the best way to save money for their child/children’s college education. There are many college savings strategies available today including:

  • Your own taxable investment account
  • Coverdell Education Spending Account – An account created as an incentive to help parents and students save for education expenses. The total contributions cannot exceed $2,000 in any year, and this amount will likely revert back to $500, unless Congress acts to extend this provision of the 2001 Tax Relief Act.  As will other provisions, such as the ability to use the money for K-12 expenses, instead of just for college.
  • UGMA (Uniform Gift to Minor’s Act) / UTMA (Union Transfer to Minor’s Act) Custodial Accounts – The UGMA and UTMA are commonly used to gift assets and property to minors while providing the benefit of lower tax rates — the first portion of earnings being tax-free, the second portion being subject to the minor’s rate, and the remainder being subject to the “kiddie tax,” or the parent’s rate.  These accounts offered a reasonable way to set aside general funds for children to access as they came of age — but when the objective is funding higher education, custodial accounts fall somewhat short of the mark for maximizing available tax breaks.    Consider that years ago custodial accounts offered tax breaks for beneficiaries up to 14 years of age.  Under current kiddie tax rules, however, that age has been effectively raised to 24.[1][1]
  • 529  Plans — these Plans, sponsored by the states and established under Internal Revenue Code Section 529, come in two varieties: 529 Pre-paid Tuition Plans and 529 College Savings Plans.

o   529 Pre-paid Tuition Plans allow you to “pre-pay” all or part of the costs of an in-state public college education. (Note: “The Independent 529 Plan” is currently the only Pre-paid Plan that is not sponsored by a Sate, but rather is for use for private college tuition.)

o   529 College Savings Plans are the more popular of the two types of 529 Plans. They are programs which offer families a flexible, tax-advantaged way to build a college nest egg.  Money in a 529 College Savings Plan account grows tax-deferred, with taxes waived on withdrawals that are used for qualified expenses.

The iShares 529 Plan, sponsored by the State of Arkansas, was launched in 2008 as the first 529 plan designed with portfolios that invest exclusively in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).  This gave financial advisors and their clients an alternative to more traditional Plans, which typically invest in regular, actively-managed, open-end mutual funds.  The iShares 529 Plan offers much lower fees than the average advisor-sold 529 Plan[2], as well as the transparency of ETFs — meaning a client will always know exactly what their money is invested in, unlike regular mutual funds, which are only required to publish their holdings twice a year.  The iShares 529 Plan offers three different portfolio options — Year-of-Enrollment Portfolios, based on the amount of time until a child enters college; Asset Allocation Portfolios, based on risk profile or desired asset allocation; and Custom iShares Portfolios, offering exposure to a broad range of assets classes, through individual-fund Portfolios, which can be mixed and matched to create a custom asset allocation.

[2] Source: FRC, 6/30/10.

The Saving for College website — www.savingforcollege.com — is an excellent source for unbiased information on all available 529 Plans.  But, the choices can be dizzying, so it may be advisable to speak with your financial advisor to discuss the best options for your family. A few things to consider when evaluating the various college savings strategies available to you:

  • What type of school – public or private – do you expect to be paying for?
  • When do you expect to start paying for college?
  • How much savings do you have today that could be put in an account earmarked for college?
  • How much can you regularly (e.g., from each paycheck or monthly) save for college?
  • What is your risk tolerance?
  • If you decide a 529 college savings plan is right for you, work with your financial advisor to decide which Plan is best suited for your needs:
  • What State benefits are available to you where you live, and do those benefits outweigh the advantages of other Plans?
  • What are the expenses of the Plan, and how do they compare to the average (e.g., the average advisor-sold 529 Plan has nearly 1.25% of annualized asset-based expenses)?
  • What is the reputation of the investment manager(s) in the Plan?
  • Are there broad investment choices?  Remember: what’s right for your child today may not be appropriate in years to come.
  • Can you easily tell what the holdings in your account are?  Some Plans only publish their holdings twice a year — others post them daily.

Kelly: If families don’t feel they have enough to save for a full 4 years of college, should they still save what they can? Even if that’s only $20 month?

Steve: Absolutely, families should save regardless  of how much they can put away. There are several benefits to investing in college savings plans. The 529 plan enables parents – or other relatives, like grandparents – to invest in the education for a family member. Participants can receive a tax break with earnings growing tax-free very similar to a Roth IRA.  Additionally, the money saved doesn’t need to be applied to one specific child’s education, it can continue to accumulate, so if college plans change or the amount saved is greater than your first child’s education costs, the funds can be used for another child, even a niece, nephew or grandchild.  But, most importantly, any monies in a 529 Plan account — however small or large the amount — benefit from the power of tax-free compounding.

Kelly: What if I have a child who is closing in on college age and I don’t have anything saved, should I start now?

Steve: Similar to planning for retirement, it is never “too late” to begin saving for a child’s education – especially if it’s in a tax-advantaged account.  We often lose sight of the fact that even if the child is entering college, your money has four years to grow.  And, remember: some states offer a state tax deduction for contributions to a 529 account, even if you take the money out the same year you made the contribution.

I hope you found this info on 529s as useful as I did! Are you saving for your children’s college education?

Kelly

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Olly Shoes is a store I’m completely loyal too. When someone asks where to buy kids shoes I always say Olly. We discovered them when they opened shop at a local outdoor shopping mall, and ever since I stepped in their doors for the first time we’ve shopped there for our kids’ shoes. With 4 kids and constantly growing feet you can imagine we’ve been in more than just a few times.

The brands they carry are certainly pricier than Payless, or big box stores, but they last longer, and keep my kids from having sore legs and aches and pains from running around all day. My kids also all have weird feet just like me-a bit narrow and long-so finding a style that fits them isn’t always easy.

We generally only buy one pair of shoes per child, so in the end I think we make out better than buying a couple of cheap pairs of shoes that they would wear out. Bonus if you get into the store at the right time you can find awesome deals on things like NorthFace coats, holiday dresses, and even those ubiquitous Crocs.

Mom Blogger Day at Olly

Recently I got to attend a mom blogger’s day at Olly, where founder and mom of 4, Katherine, shared her reasons for starting the company. When she said she started it so that her kids could walk into the store and touch everything I was totally nodding my head in agreement. We also got to hear from the CEO, and several brand representatives about their shoes.

At the event, like in the store, Olly nailed the kid factor by having a talented face painter, a balloon artist, and yummy snacks for the kids (and coffee for the grown ups).

Why I love Olly

Olly’s stores are staffed by friendly and helpful people, shoe sizing is done on a train, and the staff go out of their way to help you find what you’re looking for. The staff helped me find 2 awesome pairs of shoes that day, one for each of the younger kids, and Katherine even helped me out when it was time to go and meltdowns were ensuing by grabbing the Crocs my youngest had left inside. (I was supremely embarrassed, but I know she is a mom of 4-so I’m sure she’s been in my place many times before)

It doesn’t hurt that Olly stocks amazing brands like Robeez, Uggs, Pediped, Crocodile Creek, Umi, and Tsukihoshi (my fave brand since they are completely machine washable!).

Tsukihoshi SpeedTsukihoshi “Speed”

Maybe you aren’t fortunate enough to have an Olly store nearby, well you’re in luck! They just launched OllyShoes.com, an online store for all the awesome brands they carry, without having to travel to their store.

Discount for Centsible Readers!

Olly is offering Centsible Life readers a discount through 9/2- sorry for the short notice, but this is the perfect time to buy back to school shoes!

Use code “Olly_10_disc” which gets you 10% Off and Free Shipping on orders $75 or more!

Kelly

Disclosure: I attended the event, and was given a swag bag from Olly.

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Labor Day is a great time of year to shop with back to school markdowns and Labor Day sales. This week (September 1st-7th) Sears is having a huge Labor Day Sale. Sears invites customers to make The Big Switch to ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances and enjoy incredible savings during its storewide Big Switch Labor Day Sale.

This isn’t just any old Labor Day sale, it’s “The Big Switch,” switching your appliances to save you money on energy bills, and make an impact on the environment. As someone with a 20 year old fridge this is very appealing since I know our fridge is costing us a ton to run, and isn’t running that efficiently. I’ve got my eye on something similar to the fridge below.

The Big Switch isn’t just about new appliances that are ENERGY STAR® qualified. Sears is the first national retailer that is certified to be part of the Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program in partnership with the EPA. That means when your old appliances are picked up they are recycled-not trashed.

On top of that, some states are even offering additional refunds for purchasing Energy Star appliances! For instance here in Pennsylvania you will get a cash rebate from PECO when you purchase certain appliances.

Sears’ Big Switch Labor Day Sale features a deep roster of savings on a number of energy efficient appliances and products, including:

  • 30% off all ENERGY STAR qualified appliances from Whirlpool®, Samsung and Maytag®.
  • 20% off all other ENERGY STAR appliances.
  • Extra 5 % off all appliances with a Sears Card.
  • Save over $700 on LG washer/dryer pair

Why I recommend Sears:

We have purchased several appliances from Sears over the years, and recently we received a washer and dryer to review from Kenmore. We’ve always been very happy with the purchasing process at Sears-especially the prices.

When you’re shopping-try using their online search tools to peruse the top 10 brands of appliances. You can sort by price range, color, brand, and of course remember to choose Energy Star appliances for even more savings.

If you are looking for even cheaper prices, you can always shop at Sears Outlet where you’ll find scratch and dent, and discontinued models at deep discounts.

Paying for your new appliances:

Pay cash- It seems simple, but if you don’t have the cash on hand the “deal” you’re getting isn’t really a deal. You should consider the lifespan of your appliances (among other things) and try to put aside a little each month so you don’t find yourself with a dead fridge and no way to pay for it.

Using credit wisely- While purchasing on a credit card is something I’d caution against strongly, if you have money set aside for your purchase (in savings) by using a Sears card you can sometimes get deals such as the 5% off they are offering with the Labor Day sale, or even 0% financing for a year. We’ve used the 0% offer in the past-it was a smart move since it allowed us to keep our emergency fund intact.

Layaway- Maybe you don’t want to open a credit card or don’t have cash on hand today to pay for your new appliance. In that case layaway might be a good option. You remember layaway right? Now, Sears offers layaway on appliances along with other merchandise. You can lock in a great deal, and not worry about paying finance charges. You can put 20% down and pay it off over several pay periods. Want more info on how layaway works? Check out Layaway info from Sears.com

Will you be shopping sales this Labor Day? What’s on your shopping list?

Kelly

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Sears via Mom Blogger’s Club. I’m also currently reviewing a Kenmore washer and dryer, so look for more info on that soon.

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Recently I attended a blogger’s day out at Peddler’s Village. I’ve always heard wonderful things about it, but we’ve never been. This was the perfect opportunity to see Peddler’s Village, and we couldn’t have had better weather or company.

Our first stop was Giggleberry Fair, and as my kids pointed out how could you not like a place with the name Giggle in it?! By far their favorite part was the 3 story climbing, ball shooting, play area. (see my photos below) It was also the part that I only went into briefly-let’s just say it’s a little loud!

We also rode the fast and fun carousel, played games and won tickets, and the little kids enjoyed some water play (I recommend bringing a change of clothes for this one!)

Next, we headed over to Sweet Lorraine’s Cafe where we sat the kids together and had some mom time. The staff at the Cafe did an awesome job putting together a kid and mom friendly meal. PB&J and a pasta bar were my kids choices, while I loved the turkey club with avocado.

Afterwards we toured the village-checking out the Town Crier Bakery (check out the amazing picnic basket cake in my photos below), Pigadilly Ice Cream and Gelato (offering homemade flavors-yum), as well as a bookstore and coffee shop.

At the end of our trip Jo Lynne, Sherry and I spent another 30 minutes letting the kids burn off steam at GiggleBerry Fair before heading home.

I can’t wait to take my hubby back, this is just the kind of place we love. It doesn’t hurt that the shops are all surrounded by gorgeous landscaping, and the buildings are all unique with a historical feel.

Many thanks to Chrissy (Mama’s Little Helper) and Eve from Peddler’s Village for inviting me!

Win it!

Thanks to Peddler’s Village I have 2 tickets for one lucky winner! Tickets are for admittance to Giggleberry Moutain, Giggle Discovers,  and includes unlimited carousel rides, and 10 tokens per ticket.

Prize: 2 “You are Awesome!” Passes for Giggleberry Fair

How to Enter:

Leave a comment telling me who you would take with you if you win!

For an additional entry use the RT button at the top of this post.

Rules for Entry:

One prize will be awarded. Must be 18 or older. Must provide a physical address for shipping.

Winner will be chosen by Random.org on September 7th at 1pm Eastern time. Winner will be notified via email, and has 24 hours to respond. Should the winner not respond, another winner will be chosen.

Upcoming Events at Peddler’s Village:

Starting on Labor Day the annual scarecrow season starts featuring over 100 different scarecrows. Vote for your favorite scarecrow-the winner will receive $5,000 in prizes.

The 32nd Annual Scarecrow Festival is on Saturday, September 18, and Sunday, September 19 from 10am-6pm is a weekend of family fun including scarecrow-making workshops, pumpkin pie eating contests, pumpkin painting, live musical entertainment and children’s activities. Rain or shine.

  • Scarecrow-Making Workshops will take place both days on the Street Road Green at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.  Peddler’s Village staff will teach you how to create a unique, life-size scarecrow to take home and display. All scarecrow building materials are included in the $25 fee, maximum four people per scarecrow. Registration information is available on the Peddler’s Village website, or for more information, please call 215-794-4000.
  • Pumpkin Pie Eating Contests will be held both days at 3 p.m. on the Main Green.  Categories are 10 years old and under, 11 to 14 years old and 15 years old and over.  Sign up at the hospitality booth each day from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.  Six participants per age group, names are drawn before the contest at 3 p.m.
  • Pumpkin Painting will take place on the Main Green on Sunday from 11 a.m. until supplies run out.  Brushes, paint and pumpkins will be provided and a nominal fee will be charged based on pumpkin weight.  No reservations are needed for this first-come, first-served activity.

Kelly

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Back to school: and they’re off

August 30, 2010

It’s sort of a bittersweet seeing the kids off to school today. Yes, I’m excited to have alone time to work (And some quiet time with my 4 year old for half the day), but I think I may miss them. It’s going to take me a bit to adjust. I’m so used to the [...]

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Gap Give and Get: Benefits charity of your choice!

August 27, 2010

Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy are offering a Give & Get discount now- August 29th. You GIVE 5% of sales to a non-profit of your choice, and you GET 30% off! Here’s how it works: Sign up here. Choose your favorite non-profit. Shop! You get 30% off your purchase, your charity gets 5% of [...]

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Back to School Fashion Friday

August 27, 2010

Have I mentioned back to school? I may be a wee, tiny bit excited that the kids will be back to school next week. See here. While I typically haven’t had to do much shopping for back to school, our hand me downs have pretty much run out so all 4 kids needed a few [...]

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Chocolate Indulgence giveaway from Oikos

August 26, 2010

One of my favorite indulgences is greek yogurt. You can buy it in non and low fat versions so you can satisfy your desire for something creamy without all the fat. It’s become such a popular snack and breakfast food that Stonyfield has started offering various versions of Greek yogurt, under their brand Oikos. The [...]

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Good Humor review: We all scream for ice cream

August 26, 2010

The end of summer is fast approaching but we still have a few days left to hold onto summer. One of our favorite ways to end a hot summer day is to have a little treat. Sometimes it’s watermelon complete with a seed spitting contest, and sometimes it’s something a little sweeter like ice cream. [...]

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