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

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

Labor Day weekend is one of my favorite times of the year to shop. And today is your last chance to take advantage of the big sales! What are the best deals? Focus on end-of-season clearance items and big-ticket purchases. Here’s my rundown of the best stuff to buy today. Appliances. Today is one of the best days of the year to buy kitchen appliances like ovens, dishwashers, and microwaves. And the more you buy the better because the best deals will be on matched sets from bi

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.”

BEHENTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE. Try to pronounce that one! It's one of the top ingredients in my favorite shampoo, which has the words "100% Vegan" stamped on the label. It also says it's "free of sulfates," "gluten free," and "paraben free." But in tiny, nearly unreadable mouse print is a list of ingredients that scare me. The Environmental Working Group rates my shampoo an 8 out of 10 (the higher the number the worse it is). But the good news about shampoo is that you wash it out—

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.