It's been a while since I've posted on my blog but I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming holidays and how they put many people over the edge financially. We all want to go all out for our families and friends! But you don’t have to throw your budget out the window to throw a great holiday dinner party. You just need to get a little creative—so it only looks like you went all out! Here are some of my favorite holiday meal money-savers, plus a few ideas from my friend Cha

Amazon Prime Day is here! If you're diving in, here are a few money-saving tools and tips to help you make sure you're getting the best deals: Download cash-back browser apps such as eBates, TopCashBack, and Retailmenot. They can save you even more money during Prime Day. Go to their websites for instructions on how to get the apps on your computer. Get some Honey. This browser app also gives you cash back and you can use it to check price histories to see if it might pay to

To be honest, Halloween isn't my favorite day. Strangers walking around in strange costumes—even little ones!—gives me the creeps. That's the point! But I do love to shop for Halloween goodies, especially the decorations (yay gourds!) and the treats (I say forget the costumes, bring on the candy!). Forbes interviewed me recently about my tips for saving on Halloween. Here are my answers to the reporter's questions (for the Forbes article, click here.): 1. When is the best tim

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

Get ready for Prime Day—it’s going to be bigger than Black Friday for Amazon shoppers! In its fourth year, the company is adding 6 hours and tons of deals. So what are the best deals? Here's my list: Amazon devices. These will be the absolute best deals you’ll find on Prime day. The company says there will be double the deals this year, including $100 off an Amazon Echo Show. Also check out markdowns on other Echo devices like the Dot as well as Kindles and Fire TV devices an

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

I’m super excited to announce the launch of my new podcast—Hot Shopping Tips with Mandy Walker. We're packing each episode with our best advice, including money-saving tips you’ll want to try ASAP and insider info to help you shop smarter for food, cosmetics, supplements, clothes, furniture, spa services, cars, insurance, appliances, and a lot more! Mandy and I are consumer news junkies so we’ll also keep you up to date on headlines that could affect your health and safety as

If you're expecting a big, fat tax refund, a great way to spend it is to snap up some new appliances. For starters, updating old appliances can lift the value of your home and cut energy bills. Second, new import tariffs on washers as well as steel and aluminum are expected to start pushing prices higher by the end of the year. LG has already announced it plans to raise prices. Price hikes on American-made machines from Whirlpool, GE, and Maytag could follow. Still not convin

The holidays can clean out your bank account. Here are six ways to host a fun meal without going into debt! 1. Pick a theme and assign dishes. How about a Winter Beach Party, where everyone brings BBQ foods and you use beach towels for a table cloth? Even a turkey can be cooked on a BBQ! Serve grilled veggies and corn on the cob alongside cranberry sauce and hot dogs. 2. Do a brunch buffet! It's cheaper than hosting a dinner party. Mac and cheese, frittatas, and other brunch-

Ready or not, the holiday deals are coming! It can be crazy overwhelming—you’ve got to figure out not just what to buy friends and family, but also when and where to buy it. Should you jump in during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales—or even earlier? Or should you wait until December or even later as the markdowns on many items get even deeper? And should you do most of your shopping online or in stores? Here’s a 5-step plan to max out your savings this holiday season. Get

“Circular fashion” is a hot trend in the retail business, and it has nothing to do with polka dots! The idea is to reduce waste and pollution by extending the lifecycle of garments through recycling and donation programs. It’s also a great way for shopaholics like myself to reduce guilt and clutter! Believe it or not, the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles every year, according to the Council for Textile Recycling. Some clothing companies ar

If you don't have time to round up coupons or just can't be bothered, here are 4 easy ways to save big on groceries without them! You can literally save hundreds of dollars a year just by changing a few habits. (Check out my video here: http://www.thelisttv.com/the-list/4-grocery-store-hacks-that-can-save-you-hundreds!) Try new store-brand foods. OK this is a no-brainer. But have you tasted the store-brand ketchup? Or the cereal that looks just like your favorite brand? C'mon

Oh no—not another one! Toys ‘R’ Us recently declared bankruptcy—the second largest ever in retail history. Other chains that have declared bankruptcy this year include Aerosoles, Payless, RadioShack, Wet Seal, BCBG Max Azria, hhgregg, Gymboree, Perfumania, The Limited, rue21, Vitamin World. Every week it seems like another retailer waves the white flag. Although many bankrupt retailers are not completely shutting down, they are closing hundreds of stores across the country. A

Super-convenient shopping services like Amazon Prime and online grocery services can save you time but they can also discourage comparison shopping and they make it all too easy to waste hundreds of dollars a year. Here are three potential traps! Memberships. Yes, we love Amazon Prime because it’s super-convenient and it comes with lots of extra goodies like streaming videos and music and memberships to Costco and Sam's Club are like Disney Land for bargain shoppers, but memb

Walmart announced this week that it’s teaming up with Google Express to offer personalized voice shopping starting next month. So soon you’ll have a choice when you get the urge to shop while you’re sitting on your couch or toilet: You can call out for Google or Alexa. And Walmart’s “Easy Reorder” feature will make it even easier to order your usual groceries. According to Walmart, it will also offer “highly personalized shopping recommendations based on previous purchases.”

It's official: July 11 is the date for Amazon's annual Prime Day sale extravaganza. But the madness starts tonight, July 10, at 9pm Eastern Time, so you'll have 30 hours to shop instead of a mere 24. So how do you grab the best deals? Here's a Prime Day game plan! (Also check out my segment on Good Morning America! http://abcnews.go.com/Business/save-big-amazons-prime-day-year/story?id=48536036.) 1. Get Prime for free! If you aren't already a Prime member, you can sign up on

If you're not already shopping for clothes on Amazon, you might want to give it a try! The company is rolling out a pilot test of something called Prime Wardrobe, which will make Amazon Prime even more tempting. According to the company, it will let you try before you buy clothes. Simply pick 3 or more items from Amazon Fashion—clothing, shoes, and accessories—to fill your box. Try the stuff on and return for free the items you don't want. The more you keep the more you save.

You can find tons of great deals online and on your mobile phone. Sites like Amazon and Jet, Blinq and Secondipity (for refurbs), and Hollar (it's like a dollar-store on steroids), and apps like Wish are filled with eye-popping bargains. But I've found my favorite bargains at walk-in stores. I admit, the treasure-hunt experience makes those finds particularly satisfying, but the best prices on the best stuff have always been on clearance racks and at outlets. This week, I was

Timing is everything when it comes to saving money. Prices are constantly bouncing around, and if you hit it right you can catch the rock bottom and score the real deals! So what's a good deal right now? June is a great month for bra and lingerie sales. Major chains are having special sales right now, including Bare Necessities, Victoria's Secret, and Soma Intimates. So go for it! Your girls are worth it! #deals #bargains #bras #lingerie #VictoriasSecret

It's the cutest little summer backpack! I found it sitting in a clearance bin with a bunch of super-fancy bags marked down to $400, $800, and even $1,200. This little leather number was a mere $59.99, marked down from $235—a 74% discount! But what’s a $59.99 bag really worth? The $235 "original price" sounded like a stretch to me—and I found similar bags from the same brand online for as little as $39.98. Marking up the "original price" is an old trick used by retailers to ge