No Tricks Just Treats This Halloween

 Halloween is so close that the kids can almost taste all of that sweet candy they hope to come home with! I knew there would be no better time than now to share some of my favorite Halloween finds from the season with you!

Everything has been out of sorts this year, from the great toilet paper shortage that might keep your house from being TP'ed this season, to the widespread sickness and too much political pressure surrounding the election. This year is the time to go all out with costumes, decorations and treats! Personally, we are going to keep the tricks at a minimum, life has been tricky enough for everyone!

Samples have been provided. Affiliate links may be used.

To kick things off, no matter how last minute it is you can count on Gourmet Gift Baskets to send a great gift to your house, or a special friend. We love the Eat, Drink and Be Scary Bucket of Beer. It has something for everyone in it. A 6 pack of seasonal brews for the adults and a variety of great goodies for the kids. I love the black cauldron style bucket the treats and sips are shipped in. Plus, you can get this at your door in like 2 days time! For under $70, which is nothing to say Boo too!

If you want to bake something wonderful with the kids to share, I highly recommend the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie mix from Lehi Mills. This mix is easy to whip up and creates a really flavorful cookie that the whole family will love. This is a perfect solution for busy families that want to make some memories on a $5 budget.

If your kids aren't going to be doing as much trick or treating this year, why not treat them to some one of a kind zombie fun that will keep going long after Halloween has ended with World of Zombies. Not only are they fun loving toys, but they also have webisodes that kids will love. These are perfectly creepy yet friendly enough for kids of all ages to enjoy. Check out the toys and the show on the World of Zombies site.

Are you looking to make Halloween a little sweeter for the kids, get the bulk packs of Welch's Fruit Snacks for Halloween. You can 110 pouches of tasty fruity treats to hand out to all of the kids in the neighborhood. These are also ideal for families with multiple kids who need to take a treat to school for a classroom party. Order this multi flavor pack in bulk on Amazon for easy treating all season long!

This year, the costumes need to steal the show! Kids have already sacrificed so much this year, that we can't ask them to skip an epic costume! The Ultimate Party Super Store has some incredible option like this Hungry Howler Wolf-man costume for tweens. Retailing at under $30 this is an awesome and toasty costume for kids.

The Ultimate Party Superstore has a ton of options for kids of all interests and age levels. My daughter loves this Justice League Superman costume for girls. I love that they include the girls in the superhero fun! Get this one for under $42.

Gamer girls will delight in the Princess Peach costume. It is so cute for smaller girls and is super affordable at about $25. If you order now you can get the best costumes delivered to your door in time for Halloween!

My kids are both learning from home this year, so I am always looking for ways to sneak a little education into the day when they least expect it. (Hello Xtra Math App...) to keep things interesting and engaging, The Gross Anatomy set from Thames and Kosmos makes learning about the human body a squishy and squealy fun event! Order this fun set for $20.

Aaron's Thinking Putty is the best way to spread glow in the dark fun this year on a budget. For $3 you can get a can of really engaging can of mini thinking putty. This is a great treat to share with kids of all ages.  My kids are big Ghost Busters fans, so the Ectoplasm thinking putty was right up their alley!

If you aren't taking the kids trick or treating for safety this year, why not treat them to a fun camping set from Magformers? These are so much fun to play with and this set is under $40. It will keep the kids entertained all fall long! Grab it at Target for a fun treat the kids will love.

You can find more Halloween fun here:

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DIY Pallet Halloween Tree

 I have developed a serious affection for pallet projects. I love how many ways you can re-purpose them! I came up with this easy DIY Pallet Halloween Tree using materials I had a home. 

This is such an easy last minute DIY project to add a little creepy decor to your or yard. You can use the things you have around the house to come up with something creep-tastic! I am already planning ahead to next year and how I will make this cuter with clearance Halloween goodies!

Supplies used:

A few pallet boards

A hand saw and or a circular saw

E6000 glue

Halloween ribbon

Halloween trinkets

Black paint

Directions:

Saw down your pallet boards so that you can form a tree shape. I used a 1", 3",  6",  8",  10" boards and a 18" board for the back.

Paint your boards black, allow to dry.

Glue your short boards to the longest board, black side out.

Place something heavy or use a vice to secure the boards to the wood and allow to cure and dry.

Now, you can start decorating!

I glued Halloween ribbon to the tree and then placed the "ornaments". I used bugs, spiders and creepy eyes as decorations.

Allow to dry again and place it in the yard or in the house.

You can find all of my Halloween crafts here.

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Cool Gifts for College Students

2020 has been such a random year; there have been disappointments from the way classes are set up, to the way we have to stay apart from our friends and family. Plus, making friends during a pandemic? Forget about it. This holiday season, we need to really make an effort to spread cheer! Especially for the college students in our lives who are adapting to new normals and making the best of so many situations. I have gathered up some of my favorite options for gifting to meet every budget. From cool craft kits, to luxury towel racks here are some of my favorite cool gifts for college students.

Samples have been provided for promotional considerations.

Themed Subscription Boxes from Bespoke Post are a perfect gift idea for college students. They have boxes for coffee lovers, whiskey enthusiasts, foodies and more. You will love how easy this gift is to give, and the recipient will love the variety. Join the club online for $55 a month, and find the perfect themed box for your college student 

Gift confidence and fuller hair for young ladies this year with a great thickening conditioner and treatment shampoo that is formulated for women with Zenagen. This is a high quality hair treatment for women. Prices start at about $30. Order online from Zenagen.

 

College students want to have the best hair care, but chances are, they can't afford too many salon days. Why not gift excellent hair care options with the Weightless Precious Oil collection from Roux. This line is only sold at Sally, and has a great shampoo, conditioner and hair masque in the collection. Get them all to gift great hair!

Keep the college coed in your life with silky locks without breaking the bank. Radha Beauty makes some of the best Argon Oil Shampoo and Condition to be found online, and best of all you can get both for under $24. The bottles are generously sized and totally budget friendly.

Shampoo and conditioner bars are my latest obsession and I think college students will love this luxury hair care option that reduces their plastic use. Hibar makes a great line of plastic free shampoo and conditioner bars that are long lasting, effective and they smell good too! Order for about $14 a bar.

College students love a good snack as much as anyone else. Send a popular subscription box for chocolate lovers to a special student to help them cope with study time. Charles Chocolates are delicious and just fancy enough to cure any indulgent cravings that may arise. Order online or find at retailers like Macy's.

Dorm rooms and shared living spaces are common for students, but as we all know those areas can get stinky in a jiffy. A few candles from Chandler Candle Company will help keep things smelling pleasant! These candles have a nice glass holder and retail for about $20 each. They offer a variety of fragrances so there is something for every nose.

Give the gift of a functional and stylish hat with Twenty 5 Degrees hats. Each purchase helps to clean up the oceans, which is a gift you can feel good about giving! Also, while visiting the site to purchase, sign up for the newsletter; they will plant a mangrove tree in your name. Get the trucker hats for $25.

Magic Mind and Body Energy Shake makes for a gift any student can appreciate. Give their mind and body and a boost to get thru the long hours of studying and early morning classes. Order it online where you get a months supply of energy shakes for $35.

A shared living space is something almost every student will experience. This freedom cabinet from Metal Art of Wisconsin is perfect for adding art and private storage space to their living space. These are gorgeous cabinets that are available in different sizes, styles and with personalization, locks and gas shocks. The photos don't do justice to the craftsmanship of these gorgeous cabinets. Order online starting around $205.

Living in a shared house doesn't mean your student should give up on luxury. A warm towel after a shower feels like a toasty hug and it feels super luxe! Add a heated towel rack to the bathroom for an instant mood boost and a touch of home, where ever your student is! These options from Amba are great and useful gifts for the holidays. Prices start at around $200 and can be ordered online or found at retailers like Lowe's or Bed Bath and Beyond.

Students will appreciate this super useful gift from OWC Digital. This handy device has five essential ports, up to 100W pass-through power, and just one cable, so students are ready to display, charge, connect, and import while on the move. Order it online for about $55.

If you have a gift idea for college students, I would love to hear about it!

You can find all of my holiday gift guides here.

Foot Print Matching Activity

This easy homemade puzzle challenges toddlers and preschoolers with supplies you probably have on hand. 

Kids will love figuring out who made what prints in the play doh!

This foot print matching activity is so much fun for little ones! It gives them a quick and easy homemade puzzle that will engage toddlers and preschoolers. Mix it up with different dinos or animals for a puzzle that changes every time you play with it.

This is such an easy and fun activity for kids. It gives them a chance to be a young detective while engaging in hands on play. Parents and caregivers will love that this one is so easy to set up. All you need to do is grab a can of play doh and a few action figures.

My son was crazy about Dinosaur Train when he was little so we have a ton of these little dudes in the toy bin. My daughter has been interested in them for a few weeks, so I decided to involve the trusty Dinosaur Train friends in this puzzle to keep her exploring and learning. You can use any kind of toys you want, from dinosaurs, to super heroes or even other animals.

This post contains affiliate links.

Supplies:

Several action figure type toys

One can of play doh

Directions:

Flatten out a can of play doh.

Grab a dino or action figure and press the feet into the doh. Press hard enough to make an imprint, but not so hard that the doh tears or rips. 

Repeat with other dinos or action figures.

Line up the toys and ask your child to figure out who left what set of prints.

If you want to challenge your child, you can mix the prints up, or if you want to make it a little easier for younger kids, keep the prints in a line.

If you are looking for more boredom busters and ways to keep your playing and learning check out some of our favorite kids activities .

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Thinking about a reverse mortgage? Here’s why you should.

Ah, retirement. The time when you can start scaling down and taking things easy. But, as we all know, it’s hard to take things easy if there isn’t enough money to do it with. So how to supplement your retirement income? A reverse home loan, also known as a retirement home loan, is a loan that is designed for the exclusive benefit of senior homeowners, and can play a huge role in creating financial stability during your retirement. You may also wish to consider an individual retirement account (IRA), with more details and information available here https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/ira-vs-401k-which-is-best-for-you/.

It’s based on what your home is worth

When you apply for a reverse home loan, a large part of the process will involve the calculation of your home’s overall value. Your lender will make use of a reverse home loan calculator to assess you situation, based on information about your home’s age, location, condition and more, as well as your own financial position as the homeowner.

A reverse mortgage calculator will also assist you in navigating government regulations and guidelines about this kind of loan. Because you are legally not permitted to take the full value of your house in the form of a loan, the calculation tool will resolve what percentage you may borrow.

It’s a long relationship with your lender

The way a reverse mortgage works is it’s basically a home loan that doesn’t have to be paid back on a monthly basis but instead you’re getting paid by the lender in a “reverse” way, which is one of the most appealing aspect of it. The point is to supplement your finances during retirement, and putting you straight back into a debt trap would defeat the object of the exercise. The loan will remain valid for a long as you live in the home permanently and as your primary residence. If you choose to move out, the outstanding balance of the loan will be due.

How to access your loan funds

When you apply for the loan, you will also have to decide how you would like to receive the money. Your options are to take one large lump sum payment as a once-off, or as a line of credit, which means that you will be able to access the money as you need it, in flexible amounts. Yet another option is to take monthly payments, which is by far the most popular option, as it gives the receiver some form of predictability around their monthly budget.

How do I know if my property qualifies?

There are a few regulations that you will have to comply with when you apply for a reverse mortgage. Firstly, your property also has to be your permanent and primary home, which is to say that you cannot let out the property while having a reverse home loan on it. You will similarly not be able to bond a reverse home loan to a holiday property, or any property where you do not live permanently.

Please also bear in mind that your loan will also factor in aspects like whether or not you still have an existing balance on your current home loan, as that amount will be settled using your newly-granted reverse home loan, before you will be able to access the balance of the funds.