Although I don’t have kids, I subject myself to the back-to-school shopping madness anyway—for a good cause! This year, it started with my husband Bill coming home and declaring that we have “Jayla” and “Jerry.” Bill signs up at work to donate backpacks full of supplies for needy kids every year. And it’s an interesting challenge given our conflicting shopping styles. Bill just wants to get it done—he calls himself a "guerilla shopper." This year, he secretly tossed armloads

It's official: July 16th is Prime Day 2018. Here are 10 steps to take before the big day so you're ready to pounce on the best deals. Mark your calendar! You've got 36 hours to shop Prime Day this year. It starts at 3 pm ET and runs through July 17 at midnight. Make your list! According to Amazon, you'll find the biggest deals of the year on Alexa-enabled Amazon electronics, including Echo devices, Fire TV, and Fire tablets. The sale has already started with $100 off the Echo

An $83 laptop? Yes, please! One smart way to save on electronics for your kids is by buying refurbs at sites like Blinq, Secondipity, eBay, Walmart, and Amazon Warehouse Deals, where you can find discounts of as much as 80%. This is an especially smart way to save on electronics for younger children who can be tough on computers. Here are 3 smart ways to get the best refurb deal: 1. Look for "manufacturer refurbished" in product descriptions. That means the manufacturer has c

The back-to-school season is already in full swing. It’s the second biggest spending event of the year—second only to the winter holidays. And retailers are advertising big sales that will continue for the next two months. More parents are starting their back-to-school shopping earlier. Almost a third begin a month or two before the first school day, and nearly 50% start three to four weeks in advance, according to the National Retail Federation. And many parents are spreadin