a helpful hand for the holidays + giveaway!!!

Be sure to read and scroll down to the end of the post for a chance to win a $250 VISA gift card to help out with your holiday shopping this year!

Alright. I don't need to tell you that the season of giving is upon us and if you're anything like me you had grand plans of having your shopping all taken care of before the dawn of December but that didn't happen to so you're making up for lost time as we speak (ahem, type).

Don't fret! I'm here and happy to tell you that there's a silver lining to being a little behind your self appointed curve because there's a free and simple way to save money and earn cash back while shopping for your loved ones this Christmas.

Phoebe asked for a phone for Christmas (many, many laughs).

RetailMeNot is the brilliant and ultimate destination where you shop online (app or website, we use both!) that eliminates the time consuming task of searching around for the best possible deal on specific products. They feature thousands of coupons, timely deals, and discounted e-gift cards making it cost and time effective to give everyone the gifts they want this year.

I thought I had the kids' wish lists nailed down but then when we actually sat down and talked about it Julia was surprisingly adamant about wanting a Star Wars lego set (despite never having seen the films) and I'll give you one guess what her four other minions piped up and said they wanted too!

So, we searched for the best deals on legos and found that there were loads of sets on sale for 20% off at Toys-R-Us at the moment. Done!

As mentioned, Phoebe got it in her head that she wanted a phone (maybe in 15 years, P) but Julia said she'd help her find an iPod (again, many years in the future!) and was able to find a heck of a deal on Apple's website for a refurbished iPod (thanks a lot, Julia ;)).

Bosco shocked us by asking for any and all trucks and we were able to find some really cool remote control trucks for 78% off on HobbyTron which is a retailer I'd never even heard of! Cha-Ching.

My favorite feature is that you can combine multiple offers and cash back codes to maximum savings and bank account relief come January! If online shopping isn't your thing - you can find deals to be redeemed at nearby stores by just presenting your phone to the cashier at checkout.

I have a shopping list I'm slowly working through and RetailMeNot has helped me save money on every item I've bought thus far. I just wish I'd known about it for the kids birthdays this past year!

Now that I've given you the good news I'm going to deliver even BETTER news and tell you that RetailMeNot is offering $250 to one lucky winner. With your new RetailMeNot knowledge ... I know the winner will make their winnings go FAR this giving season. 

Entering is super easy! Just click here to sign up for and browse RetailMeNot and then come back here to leave a comment back here with a deal you're excited to use!

And don't forget to download the app for easy browsing and saving!!

Best of luck and many thanks to RetailMeNot for sponsoring this post!