The Swiss Knife of MP3 Players

Right after my daughter was born, my husband gave me a RCA Lyra 2780 MP3/Video player. He found it for about $120 on Woot! and got it for the following reasons:

*20 GB is nothing to sneeze at.

*I can store all kinds of files on it - I have a whole folder of pictures to show off to friends, it has videos, I play songs, I'm sure there's even more I can do, and options are nice!

*There's a TV out and TV in capability. I can play things on the TV if I connect my Lyra to it - but I can also record videos on it STRAIGHT FROM THE TV.

So, he loaded some of my favorite TV shows on it and I would watch it in the middle of the night as I fed my daughter. It was such a great gift and I loved it. Now, I listen to music on it, but a few months ago I started a-thinking... I plugged it into my VCR and recorded a Baby Einsten on it. Just watching the hypnotizing video would calm my daughter anywhere, anytime! I didn't put the headphones on her of course - she's just 1! But a few months ago, I found a small set of speakers at the Dollar Tree that I plug right into the headphone jack and I can play it for her with the sound any time. Heck, I recorded some episodes of Sesame Street onto it from the TV and tied a string around the headrest of the seat in front of her in the car, hung it on it (there's a clip in the back on the cover of the player) and it's a really portable, really handy video player for her that I can take anywhere since all I need is the player and the mini speakers!

Last night she was going crazy at the restaurant we were at, and we sat it up on the table in front of her (it has a stand built in of the back so it can stand up) with the sound low so only our table could hear, and she sat peacefully for 40 minutes while we all ate dinner together! We still talked to us, ate and played, but when we wanted to watch and get a distraction it was there and my hubby and I enjoyed a conversation together:)

Cons: The battery life isn't great, but I just keep it plugged in with the car adapter that comes with it and the rest of the time is fine. Also, I don't know if the software that comes with it works with Vista yet, so I saved it on my older desktop. It can also be tricky to load some video files from your computer, but it's pretty easy usually.

SO I say, go find one! There are places on the internet to get deals on 'em, and it was TOTALLY worth it. I love it for a mazillion of reasons, mostly now a easy baby distracter, but I also get to use it myself as often as I can.

Best store for you tech needs

Whoops, sorry its been so long! I'm busy trying to NOT spend money while I get ready for the holidays. But when I do finally decide to splurge, it'll be a on a deal of course!


ANywho, I don't know if I've mentioned this here before, but with the holidays upon us, there's lots of picture taking, and the cheapest place to get a SD card for your camera is hands down, MicroCenter. We've gotten them there as low as 1GB for $10, but even $15 is a steal. See if there's a store near you - it's the best store for tech deals. We got our video camera there, my laptop, you name it. SD cards are so expensive in Brasil, last year my husband had to go there during our Christmas vacay when we were back in the states and buy 1o for different people in his office. It made the 15 hour flight worth it:)

YAY MicroCenter!!

oooo, prizes???

Oh SNAP!! My fav baby-on-the-cheap site (babycheapskate!) had this link up - this is now my official web addiction - http://prizey.blogspot.com/ - links to different freebies and contests on the web. It tells you the "hoops" you have to jump through the get them - like e.mailing them or leaving a comment on a blog or whatever.

Hey, if Im going to waste time on the web, I might as well waste it with the possibility to win stuff!

Hackety hack!

4 of my FAVORITE websites that help me hack my way through life:
http://www.familyhack.com/
http://lifehacker.com/
http://www.parenthacks.com/
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/ (this one gives ideas on different things to try with Ikea items - fab!)

Well anywho, there is arecent post on familyhack that is AWESOME on getting kids clothes on the cheap and the bunch of links to Amazon sales lists is my supppppper favorite!! 99 cents for a sweater??? AMEN!!!!

gifty cookies+free shipping= YUM

Again, what's with me being such a free shipping sap? But seriously, I get sucked in with it every time. Today, I'm craving cookies and sending gift-stuffs (it's close to Christmas, I can't help it!) and I stumbled on this:



Seriously delicious looking stuff, but free shipping is what makes my knees weak. It's my Achilles Heel, if you will:)

Free shipping. My favorite words!!

So there's a new kids clothier that is an off-shoot from Gymboree, but less expensive (figuratively, we all know Gymboree is not cheap!) - and for a limited time, FREE SHIPPING!!! I love that:) Go check out Crazy8.com!

Framed

I've been wanting to put up some posters in the basement, but dangit I can see myself framing them when poster frames can be so expensive, and I don't want to ruin thema nd just nail them to the wall. But this is a great option - poster hangers. A strip goes on the top and the bottom, easy and done. And they are just about $3 each! That's money I can handle:)

Cheapest everyday photos!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I have found the best onlie or aywhere price for photo develops... $.10 every day?? Go check them out at Yorkphoto.com This just make my day:)

9 cent prints!

So, you've probably logged on and got an account with Snapfish just to get all those free prints. Now what? Well, now until Sept. 8th, the prints for existing account members

is just 9 cents a print! That's cheap, yo! Get all your pictures from the summer did and end the season right Use the code CLOUD9 when ordering.

http://www.snapfish.com/photolibrary/otsc=YES/otsi=cloud_9

Enjoy!

UPDATE:

Just found all these other tasty codes for Snapfish products at http://www.babycheapskate.blogspot.com/:

25% off memory books with code AFFMEMBK0907 (exp. 10/1)

20% off your order with code CCABSEP07 or XPCOUPONSEP07 (exp. 10/2)

$5 off $15 purchase with code AFF15PURCH (exp. 10/1)

Free shipping on 10 4x6 prints with code AFF10SHIP07 (exp. 10/1)

20 free prints plus free Flipbook for new members (exp. 9/30)

.99 Shipping credit with code CCRAZE99 or XPCOUPON99 (exp. 10/2)

Candy!!

Yay for Chelsea (and Olaf, of course - the greatest reader a blogger could ask for!!) and the deals they let us in on. Today, Chelsea turns y'all onto candy!!

So I found this awesome free candy bar offer. (Nestle) It tells
you how many are left that they're giving away (kind of nice) and if you
continue through the quiz they give you an additional buy one get one coupon to
boot.
http://www.playinyourday.com/
Share the love (after requesting one each for you and Jared and Solei
-- can't share, right?)

Note - they give out 2,000 a day, but you have to do it between 9-5pm Pacific Time.

Wooho!!! I'm off!!!

Dang. Cropped. Jacket.

Sorry I've been MIA, lately, every free second on the web has been spent trying to find a blasted cropped jacket for this strapless dress I bought this past summer. Everyone wears these (except for you, Olaf;) but dagnabit, NOONE sells them!! This post is just to brag that I found the faboo jacket at Wet Seal for under $20 after spending almost all bleeping month looking for it. For verrrry trendy clothes and accessories at cheap prices - I always go first to:
www.charlotterusse.com
www.forever21.com
www.wetseal.com
www.sammoon.com (for jewlery, bags, etc.)

Where do you go?

Thanks, SJP!

Am I the last person to hear about this??? Sarah Jessica Parker has a clothing line out where nothing is priced over $19.98. And it's cute, dagnabit!!! You can only buy them and Steve & Barry's stores for now but keep your eye out as they are promising to do online shopping soon.

I love the tagline - "Fashion is not a luxury, it's a right" - I agree!!!!

Prettiness!

I've mentioned it before, and yes we alllll love it, but I thought I'd remind you again about everybody's favorite make-up store, ELF - the $1 for everything play (drools).... I just went and got me some new fun eye shadow shades and for the price of maybe 2 colors at any other store, I got 10, woohoo!!! And check out these freebies:

•Pick your complimentary Product, free with any $10 order. (cannot be combined with any other offer)
A.)Free Cell Phone Lip Gloss charm. Coupon:CHARM
B.)Free Conditioning Balm. Coupon:BALM
c.)Free SOothing Lip Gloss. Coupon:GLOSS

Pick your FREE gift!

(I already have the cell charm and LOVE the colors!) GO pretty people!!

*Oh, and...*
Don't forget this Plumping Lip Glaze - it's my favorite splurge - puffy lips for $1??? Cheap is sooo sexy ;)

freebies!

Yay, freebis from our favorite local cheapskaitin' supporter Olaf!!

Free 3M Post-Its!!

Oo, and a free subscription to a Gourmet, Home or Food mag!

MERCI Olaf!!

Frimp!

OOooo, our master shopper Chelsea (and Etsy goddess!) has given the heads up to a cool site - Frimp, the online yardsale! In her words:

Looks to be a bit like CL, but not as good, yet. something to keep an eye out for.

Hey, I can use as many outlets as I can find to get cheap furniture! Thanks, Chelsea!!