Get Your Last-Minute Holiday Shopping Done With Ease At BI-LO

This is a sponsored post in partnership with BI-LO. All opinions are my own.

In case you haven't realized it, we are in the final days leading up to the winter holidays. It feels like it was December 1st yesterday. If you still haven't done any shopping or need to grab some last-minute items, be sure to stop by your local BI-LO for some great deals on everything you need. Whether it's a party tray for the office potluck, or gift wrapping supplies, BI-LO has you covered with their amazing sale prices. I was browsing around and found so many goodies! Check out some of my finds.

Flowers or plants are always a great last-minute gift for co-workers, neighbors, teachers, or for the hostess with the mostest!

Check out these BI-LO Holiday Deals: 

Stay Healthy + Receive a FREE Ham

The flu has been on the rise recently and no one wants to be sick during the holidays. From now until Dec. 24, all BI-LO pharmacy customers can receive a FREE Smithfield Butt or Shank Portion Ham when they receive a no-cost* flu shot at any in-store pharmacy. *With most insurance plans. See pharmacy for details.

Need a Quick Meal? Deli Meal Deals may be the Solution!

BI-LO has Great deals on convenient deli party platters, dips and spreads, grab-and-go entrees and sides, fresh salads and more!

Gift Cards & Last-Minute Gifts

Get the gift that keeps on giving with THREE TIMES the BI-LO Reward points when you by gift cards for your friends and loved ones…and maybe even yourself!
Exclusions:  All BI-LO gift cards, Visa cards, Mastercards, American Express cards, reloadable cards and prepaid debit cards.

BI-LO also has great deals on last-minute gifts including the Garth Brooks Legacy Collection that includes 7 Vinyl LPs & 7 CDs and was just reduced in price today to $39.99! This would be a great gift for your favorite country music fan.

BI-LO also has great stocking stuffers, holiday bouquets and much more for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Giving Opportunity

Looking to give back and make a difference to those in need? Now through Dec. 24, BI-LO is inviting customers to “Give A Little, Feed A Lot” to fight hunger in our communities by purchasing a $5 prepared bag of non-perishable food items or by rounding up grocery totals at BI-LO store registers. Each donation and $5 holiday bag purchased will be distributed directly to member food banks in the Feeding America® network.

Holiday Hours for Last Minute Gifters

If you need a last minute gift or ingredient for your favorite dish, BI-LO will be open for modified hours on Christmas Eve!

• Christmas Eve/Day: All BI-LO stores and liquor stores will open at their normal hours until 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Christmas Day. In-store pharmacies will close at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed during the Christmas holiday. 
• New Year’s Eve/Day: To celebrate the New Year, all BI-LO stores and liquor stores will be open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at their normal hours and will close at 10 p.m. (or regular close of business, if earlier). In-store pharmacies will close at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and will reopen from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on New Year’s Day

I think many people sleep on the idea of last-minute holiday shopping at the grocery store. There are so many great grab-and-go options. Of course it doesn't hurt to rack up those BI-LO Reward points. Find a BI-LO near you. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Happy Holidays to you all!

Choosing The Safest Car Seat

If you are a mother, the safety of your child comes before anything else. Keeping them safe during car rides, therefore, is extremely important. When traveling with a small child between your home or the shop, you need to ensure they are as safe and secure as possible.

Here in America, car accidents are on the rise. Luckily, manufacturers of car seats are always striving to create the safest car seats to give mothers peace of mind. Thanks to this, the NHTSA has reported that thanks to child seats, fatal accidents have been reduced by a whopping 71%.

Choosing the right seat can be a bit of a challenge for most moms. With many different brands, it can be hard to pick the best one. So we have listed some important factors for you to consider.

Ensure the car seat meets federal standards

The first thing you need to do is make sure that any seat you are looking at has been crash tested. It needs to, at a minimum, meet the federal standards.

Don't buy used

Never, ever buy a used car seat. When buying second hand, you have no clue what kind of history the car seat has. If they have been in accidents or left in damp garages, they could be compromised. This means that if you ever end up in a collision, they may not perform as well as they did when they were new. There may also have been a recall on the product. When it comes to the car seat, saving a few bucks is not worth the compromise whatsoever. If you're going to take your child's safety seriously, you should try to only look into premium car seats for your baby, as you need to rely on it to keep them secure and protected. This is a guarantee you're only likely to get when you choose a car seat made with high quality materials by a reputable company.

Understand the different types of car seats

There are a huge range of car seats on the market, just like there are a huge range of the ages, size, and weight of different children. The best one for your child is going to be one that suits these factors. Make sure you look for recommendations on different models to ensure your child has the best fitting child seat. Not only does this protect them, it also means they will be as comfortable as possible during your journeys.

If your child is over the age of 4 and is over 3 feet tall, it may be best to go for a forward-facing booster seat. These are designed for kindergarten through to primary school, and they usually secured via seat belt.

For babies and infants, it is usually best to stick with a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. This is because rear-facing car seats provide the best support due to their design. When the car receives an impact, the hard casing of the car seats allow them to take the brunt of the impact, protecting your little one from the most harm.

When it comes to your children, safety is of the utmost importance. Hopefully, with the information we have provided above you will be able to make an informed decision on the best seat for your precious little ones.

How to Find the Perfect Mattress: The 3-Step Buying Guide

While just the thought of visiting a furniture store may seem a bit daunting, realize you have more options to buy a new mattress, sofa or end table than ever before. Thanks to the likes of warehouse clubs and online furniture retailers, finding these and other essential items at a fair price doesn't have to cause you undue stress.

And if you do a little homework and follow the right steps, you'll quickly be able to find and buy a desirable new mattress that meets your needs. Here are three steps to help narrow down your search.

1. Consider the Level of Firmness You Need

For most people, the quality of sleep they get every night largely depends on the firmness of their mattress. Of course, some prefer either a softer or firmer mattress, or something in between. The firmness level is set by the tension of the springs or in the overall make of the mattress, such as whether it's made with memory foam or has a pillow topper.

All these factors and features affect the feel of the mattress, so it's important that you test out a new mattress before buying one. Lay down on different mattresses on the sales floor at a furniture store like Jerome's to determine the most ideal option.

2. Set a Budget

Buying a new mattress can be costly. So, before you head to the nearest mattress retailer, determine a rough estimate on how much you're willing to spend on a new one. For a new, high-quality mattress that will last you a decade and meet your comfort and sleeping needs, plan to spend at least $1,000, according to Consumer Reports.

After determining a price range, you can more easily narrow down your search and make finding the right mattress an easier process. And while there are certainly any number of cheaper options on the market, know that they tend to be rated lower for quality and longevity.

3. Choose a Mattress Type

Determining your ideal mattress type will largely depend on the level of firmness you desire, your budget and any special features you may want. For instance, a memory foam mattress is a great option if you require more firmness and want to wake up with less stiffness and pain in your back. However, these types of mattresses can be one of the more expensive options, especially if you choose the Tempur-Pedic brand.

Meantime, hybrids are a new type of mattress that are manufactured with a combination of memory foam and coils, and they tend to be a lot more cost-effective than a traditional memory foam mattress. Conversely, if you’re looking for a softer option, pillow-top mattresses offer an extra layer of cushion to provide more comfort over the coils of the mattress.

Other mattress types offer extra features like superior cooling properties to create a cooler mattress than traditional memory foams, as well as adjustable folding features that allow you to sit up comfortably in bed.

Investing in the Right Mattress for You

In selecting the most ideal mattress, understand your options and take inventory of your needs. Ultimately, the one you desire most will fit at the intersection of your budget and your sleeping needs. Once you have an idea of which option will best serve your needs, visit a mattress retailer in-person in order to compare and contrast different options to ensure you select the right one.

Six Simple and Easy Ways to Save More Money

Did you know that almost one-third of people didn’t save any money in the last twelve months because they had no spare money to actually put into a savings account? Saving money is something that most of us want to do, but when it feels like all your earnings are quickly disappearing on monthly expenses, you’re not in a good place. The good news is that there are several money-saving methods that you may want to try that can be changed to suit various budgets. And, don’t forget that even saving small amounts can add up to more than you realize.

Photo by Lukas from Pexels

The 1-cent saving challenge:

You might have already heard about a $1 per week saving challenge - the idea is that over the fifty-two weeks of the year, you boost the amount that you save each week by just one dollar. So, you save $1 in week one, $2 in week two, and so on. This can be a great way to save, but since you have to save more as the year goes on, it’s not suitable for all budgets. So, here’s an alternative - the 1c savings challenge. Rather than saving $1 per week, save just 1 cent a day and increase it by 1 cent as the days go on. If you stick to the plan for the full year, you’ll end up with over $650, and the most you’ll have to save in one go is just $3.65.

Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash

Get a money box or piggy bank:

A piggy bank is a tried-and-tested money-saving technique. You might have had one as a child, so why not carry this on as an adult! You could use a jar instead of a proper piggy bank, or if you’re tempted to dip into your savings you can get jars and money tins that you need to open with a tin opener or even smash open quite cheaply in pound shops. Over time, you can save more than you realize from just popping your loose change into a jar.

Round your bank account balance down:

Rounding down the balance in your bank account is an easy way to save some money here and there. Log into your bank account online daily or weekly and round the money down, then transfer the money into a different savings account. For example, if you have $251.45 in your account, you’d transfer $1.45, leaving you with $250. Although there might not always be a lot of money to round down, it also comes with the added bonus of encouraging you to keep a watchful eye on your bank balance.

Use cashback sites:

Did you know that you can get money just for spending on websites that you were going to use anyway? Cashback sites and apps like TopCashBack or Quidco are a great method of saving money on the things that you were already going to buy, especially when it comes to essentials like switching utilities, broadband or insurance. Whenever you need to buy something online, take some time to visit a cashback site first and search for the site that you need. If it’s listed, visiting through the cashback site instead of going directly could earn you some money.

Consolidate your debts:

Using a loan to consolidate your debts is a great way to spend less on repaying credit, if you’re struggling to pay them off otherwise. Taking out a personal loan that provides you with enough money to pay off everything else that you owe often means that you can save money as you’ll switch to having just one easy to manage monthly payment rather than several. If you only have one debt to pay off at the moment, then consider using any money that you save using the above methods to put towards the debt and get it paid off faster.

Use cash more often:

Finally, getting into the habit of spending cash rather than using your debit or credit card can be a great way to help you get a better handle on your expenditures. Make sure that you have enough money in your bank account to cover monthly expenses like your rent and bills and take out cash at the beginning of the week or month for everything else. Having the cash there will make it easier for you to not go over your budget - you could even sort the cash into different envelopes for different things like food, socializing, etc.

Did you find these tips helpful? Let us know in the comments.

Create A Family Photo Wall With CanvasDiscount [Giveaway]

Do you ever look around your home and think about the things you have been meaning to do for a long time? One of those things for me is to get some pictures, art or really anything up on my bare walls. We have lived in our home for almost 2 decades and still have so many bare walls. We tend to have more minimalist taste when it comes to decorating our home, but I do love displaying family photos.

I have been wanting to have a family gallery-style wall, and finally started it this year. I still have a little way to go, but feel like it is coming along pretty well so far. We have pictures that have been taken over the years that are very much worthy of being displayed. One of my favorite styles of photos is canvas prints. I really do love the look of a photo that almost looks like a painting when it is printed on a canvas. I knew I need to add a couple more family photos so I used CanvasDiscount.com to order exactly what I needed.

CanvasDiscount.com offers a huge variety of sizes and styles of canvas prints to fit your budget. Since I had tighter areas that I needed canvas prints for, I went with a vertical prints in sizes 12" x 16". They were the perfect size, and the prices were so good at just $25 each. The website is user-friendly, and I was able to upload my photos and create my whole order from start to finish in about 10 minutes. It does help a lot when you already know which photos you want to use. Check out these gorgeous canvas prints we had made.

The quality is excellent, and the colors are rich and vibrant. Also, the shipping time was super fast. Right now, you can get up to 5 FREE MIXPIX® plates from CanvasDiscount.com just by going through this link: http://bit.ly/momfiles. I absolutely love the idea of an entire collage of canvas prints on a wall. Speaking of which, look at how nice our two canvas prints look with the existing photos we have on the wall above our couch. All I need to do now is add some decorative signs and plaques to finish it off. By the way, canvas prints make nice gifts for the holidays!

Be sure to stay connect to CanvasDiscount.com for product updates and discount on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Giveaway

Our friends at Canvasdiscount.com are providing a $50 code to their site for one Mom Files reader to win. Enter below: a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and ends on December 19, 2019. Must follow rules in Rafflecopter. One winner will be chosen randomly. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Thank you so much CanvasDiscount.com for providing us with a code for complimentary canvas prints. All opinions are our own.