Dedicated to offering thousands of online coupon codes and special discounts to shoppers, CouponSnapshot has already gathered a great selection of deals for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. At CouponSnapshot, online shoppers can find many smart ways to save money on their holiday purchases, including Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday deals, Thanksgiving deals, and even general discounts for holiday shopping throughout the rest of the year.

“Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the year,” says CouponSnapshot’s Marketing Director. “At CouponSnapshot we realize all of our members may not be able to take advantage of the in-store deals and specials, so we’ve worked around the clock to find and share the greatest discounts and special offers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2011. Shoppers can simply come to our website and take advantage of all the FREE deals and discounts, ranging from dollars-off deals to percent-off and even free shipping.”

Some of CouponSnapshot’s top offerings for Black Friday 2011 include: 

• Amazon.com – deals up to 90% off
• Finish Line  – $10 off a $60 purchase
• Kate Spade  – Free Ground Shipping on all orders
• Macy’s  – $10 off a $75 purchase
• Sports Authority  – 10% off
• Walmart  – Free Shipping Deals

Those are just a few of the many deals offered for Black Friday. Target, Home Depot, Jones New York, and PacSun are also among dozens of merchants offering impressive specials on their products and services.

When it comes to Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the entire year, workplace productivity often drops like a rock. Sources this year feel past trends may be leading more toward a Cyber Weekend instead of just a single day focused on online shopping. According to the National Retail Federation, the average holiday shopper plans to do more than 1/3 of their holiday shopping online this year. For this very reason and the documented success of previous years’ Cyber Monday shopping statistics, even more online merchants are planning to offer special deals in 2011.

Some of the top Cyber Monday deals listed on CouponSnapshot include hot electronics deals at Walmart, 20% – 60% off select products at Sears Outlet, and 50% off your second with your first purchase at Target, among countless others. Ghirardelli, JUARA Skincare, and Taylor Gifts offer some deals that are exclusive to CouponSnapshot members as well.

To take advantage of these great savings and limitless other deals and discounts, online shoppers should check out CouponSnapshot’s Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals before they plan to start their shopping. This makes it possible to find the best prices and most valuable deals for the deepest cost savings. New deals become available every day, so shoppers are encouraged to come back frequently to scope out the latest offers.

“Holiday shopping can be fun or stressful, depending on how you look at it,” says CouponSnapshot’s CEO. “Our website gives us the unique opportunity to help eliminate some of the financial worry for our members. We are thrilled to be able to offer great cost savings on so many of the products and brands our visitors love the most!”

CouponSnapshot is a website devoted to helping shoppers save time and money by using online coupon codes and discounts. The site compiles online coupons, deals, and special offers from thousands of merchants, giving shoppers the opportunity to save money on just about anything they’re planning to buy. CouponSnapshot is free to use and new discounts are becoming available every day. For more information on CouponSnapshot and to view thousands of online coupon codes and discounts, please see: www.couponsnapshot.com.

An essential shopping sidekick, Radar keeps on searching so consumers can relax. Whether searching for consumer electronics, clothing and accessories, home furnishings or health and beauty essentials, Nextag Radar scans thousands of stores to help shoppers find the perfect product at the perfect price. The app features barcode scanning and image recognition technology that allows users to scan product UPC codes or take photographs of items of interest.

From HD televisions and Jimmy Choos to delectable wines and interior paint chips, users can fill their Radar with items that are practical and envy-worthy. Shoppers can also log on to Nextag.com to access their Radar and continue to shop, research and compare products online.

“Radar has proven indispensible for our customers shopping on the Nextag site, providing them with the personalized insight they need to make smart purchases,” said Jeff Katz, CEO of Nextag. “The Nextag Radar mobile application takes it one step further by allowing people to scan, search and save the items they experience in their everyday lives – whether window shopping, reading a magazine or out with friends.”

The free Nextag Radar mobile app is currently available through the iTunes store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nextag-radar/id454234714?ls=1&mt=8).

Nextag also offers two other mobile shopping apps: Nextag Mobile and Nextag Dealforce™. Nextag Mobile is a free shopping app for the iPhone and Android that offers consumers product price comparison, research and shopping tools with barcode scanning and image recognition technology. Nextag Dealforce is a free, social shopping app for the iPhone that provides up-to-the-minute deals posted by local shoppers. Both apps are available through the iTunes store and Android Market.

Select brands scheduled to be featured include Laura Geller, Peter Thomas Roth , L’Oreal Paris , philosophy , Judith Ripka , Amrita Singh , Honora and B. Makowsky . Additionally, contemporary sportswear line TART Collections is scheduled to unveil its versatile yet stylish Infinity Dress in a brand-new teal color, especially designed to support ovarian cancer research and education.

“We are thrilled to give our viewers front-row access to this prestigious event,” said Claire Watts, CEO, QVC U.S. “We are incredibly proud to raise awareness and funds on behalf of OCRF through such a unique platform.”

The prestigious Super Saturday sale now reaches QVC’s 98 million U.S. homes, allowing shoppers throughout the country to purchase designer brands at a fraction of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price while supporting OCRF. Currently in its 14th year, Super Saturday will broadcast live for the fifth consecutive year on QVC.

 QVC Presents Super Saturday Live product will be available through QVC at 800.345.1515 or by visiting QVC.com, while supplies last.

According to a recent report from Mintel, 64% of women in the $100K-$149K income bracket plan to continue buying some store brand/private label color cosmetics and some brand name color cosmetics, meanwhile, only 50% of those in the $50K-$74K and 48% in the $75K-$99K bracket say the same thing.

“This does not mean higher income women do not purchase higher end, national brands,” notes Kat Fay, senior beauty analyst at Mintel. “But they can be selective, often spending more on one category or occasion than another.”

One-third of Mintel respondents (33%) say they are buying store brand/private label cosmetics more now than they did this time last year. Not surprisingly, more than half (51%) purchased private label because it offered the best value for the money. Depending on the product, some can be as much as 30-40% cheaper than name brand cosmetics. Meanwhile, 33% were motivated to try a private label cosmetic because of a coupon or special offer and 26% of shoppers went on a recommendation from a friend or family member.

“In addition to recommendations and advertising, shoppers are influenced by in-store cosmetic demos,” adds Kat Fay. “Demos show a product in action, teach shoppers how to properly use an item and allow them to ask pertinent questions. Retailers say demos always spur sales.”

For those who don’t purchase private label color cosmetics, nearly half (49%) say they are happy with their brand name product and have no desire to try anything new, 32% say they never thought to try something else and 18% fear that store brands use cheap or inferior ingredients. This offers an opportunity for marketers to educate consumers on the quality of their products and ingredients.

So, I was excited when I was given an opportunity to a  new service  called GoalForIt.com that helps you easily create and manage chore and behavior charts for children and tweens/teens AND create personal goal charts and to-do-lists.

I started out by creating a Chore Chart for my 5 year old- it was so easy. Not only did it have colorful templates (I chose a baseball one since we just started the world of Little League!), but it had super easy icons that reflected almost everything I would want him to do (for example, clean room, clear the table, pick up toys, etc). It also has icons for healthy habits (such as eating vegetables, flossing teeth,etc).

The website allows you to print out the chart (which I did) or award stickers online. I think for children, seeing the chart posting on the fridge or on a wall is so much more powerful, so I printed it out. My son was so excited about it (personalized with his name even!).

The other great thing about the site is the ability to create your own goal charts and to-do-lists. The site also offers a community aspect, so you can get support from friends. I think if your goal is to lose weight, or run a 10k, this is a great motivator. Again, you can give yourself an online “sticker” on the chart and the system will track your progress. It also allows you to add a picture, so you have a visual of what you want to achieve. As a big believe in visualization to achieve goals (a whole chapter in my book), I think this is a great feature as well- sort of a new twist to cutting pictures out of magazines! 

For more info on this service that can help moms achieve their health and beauty goals and manage their family, visit www.GoalForIt.com

Working from home is a great way to stay with your kids while still supplementing the family’s income. On the flipside, it can be challenging to play both roles at the same time. Your stress level will rise quickly when you have deadlines to keep or phone calls to make while your little ones are acting out. Implement a few of the ideas below to prevent burnout.

1. Don’t work more than you have to. Money isn’t everything. You family needs a happy and sane mom.

2. Create a schedule or to-do list both for work and your personal life. Just realize that you won’t always get everything done and don’t worry if you don’t. There’s always tomorrow.

3. Designate an errand day. Spend one day a week running around town getting everything done for the week. This is when you will grocery shop, drop things off at the drycleaner, go to the post office and anything else you need to do.

4. Enjoy your kids. Take some time to play with them every day. Have a picnic lunch in the yard, take them on a little field trip or just play catch for a while. You’re a work at home mom because you want to spend time with your kids. Work and house chores can wait while you play.

5. Go out on a date with your spouse. Make date night a regular occurrence and connect with your lover.

6. Have lunch with a girlfriend. We need some adult conversation every now and then. Make time to stay in touch with your friends.

7. Call a friend. If you are having a bad day, call a good friend and just talk for a little while. You’ll be relaxed and rejuvenated when you get back.

8. Get some exercise. Go for a walk, join a gym, or try a Pilate’s class. Exercise will not only keep you in shape, it’s also a great de-stressor.

9. Play some upbeat music and dance around the living room. Who cares if your kids and the neighbors think you’ve lost it? You are having fun and are releasing all that build up physical energy.

10. If you own a business, stick to one until it more or less runs itself. Don’t burn yourself out by trying to run several businesses at the same time.

Start implementing a few of these ideas today and watch your stress level go down. You will prevent work at home mom burnout and get to enjoy life more. Your family will appreciate spending time with a fun and relaxed mom. That’s what it’s all about – spending quality time with your family

Many art museums offer a free day during the month. This would be a great way to get away from the house and introduce your children to a cultural activity at the same time. They might become fascinated by the artwork in the museum and find a new hobby they can enjoy.

Your city or town may have smaller museums or living history areas nearby. Often these are less expensive than larger museums or theme parks, but they can be just as much fun. These will allow your children to be out when the warmer weather and sunshine hits and will expand their mind or understanding of local history.

Is there a botanical garden where you live or within close proximity? If there is, botanical gardens can be a great place to visit. Perhaps, while you’re there, you can find out about local hiking trails that you and your children can enjoy. Go out and enjoy the beauty of the area.

If the weather permits, you may want to have a picnic in a local park. Be prepared, however, in case the weather changes. Take along your family’s favorite foods – you don’t have to make it too elaborate. Fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, cheese, and bread are good, non-messy choices.

Plan a camping trip if you have a long weekend. Pack up items from home and put them in the camper or car. Find a camping spot at a local state park and get away from home. Camping in state parks is so much cheaper, and much more fun, than staying in a hotel.

There are so many inexpensive and fun activities that you and your family can enjoy. Think local first. These will keep you from spending too much in gasoline and are often easier on your budget.

For moms who work from home, balancing the home and business sides of their lives can feel downright impossible, especially when the reason they began working from home was so they could spend more time with family. However, many home businesses actually fail because moms don’t manage to balance business and home life. How can you juggle your family’s needs, your business needs and occasionally find some time for your needs without being a super hero?

The first thing any mom should do to achieve balance is to get the family involved. If your children and husband support you, you will find that they interrupt less often and are more likely to pitch in to get household chores done. You’re probably thinking that will happen the day the moon turns to blue cheese, right? However, if you mention that you need to get a major project done and will be able to buy a pizza and rent a video when you are paid, you may be surprised at how quickly everyone pitches in to help out.

If you have young children, they may not be able to understand the concept of waiting for a reward. To get your younger children involved, try explaining what you are doing in very simple terms and having them help you. Set up a small desk or table for your toddlers and add crayons and paper so they can help you with your work by drawing some pictures or writing a letter. Children that are a bit older can put stamps on envelopes and seal them, paperclip papers together or do other simple organizational tasks.

Of course, no matter how supportive your family and friends are, they are not going to be happy if you work 15 hours a day. Make sure that you ask for uninterrupted time to do your job or run your business, but also make sure that you schedule time for your family and friends. While you are making up that schedule, don’t forget your significant other. If you sit at your computer all evening after the children are tucked away for the night, you may end up with some serious relationship issues!

Once your family and friends are involved and you’ve scheduled time for them in your life, it is time to consider a few ways to make the most of your valuable work time. While you may be tempted to work non-stop during the time you have dedicated to your business, you should actually try to take some breaks. Taking a half-hour walk or having lunch away from your desk can really help you recharge your mind and keeps your body from growing stiff and tired. When you sit back down, you can do so with a clearer view of your goals and fresh energy and focus.

Also, don’t be afraid to make a “to do” list for your business. Write the four or five items you absolutely must do on your list and promise yourself that you will get them done before you visit your favorite forums or check your email. This can really help you get more work accomplished in less time.

So, although you may not have super powers, you can still have a home life, a business life and some time for yourself. The next time you are feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath, ask your family for some help and try out a few of these great ideas for balancing your life.

The bad news is that it’s often true. We have to arrange our lives around our things. You get a new truck that can go anywhere, but you’re too busy working to go there. Someone is out fishing while you are putting in overtime to pay for your fishing boat. You use your large-screen television a lot, but does it sufficiently reduce the debt-stress that came with it?

Break The Chains!

The good news is that there’s a better way. Actually, there are three better ways. First, know what you really value. Second, use cash instead of debt. Third, learn how to look at costs and benefits.

Will you really enjoy that $2,000 mountain bicycle enough? Maybe. This isn’t about right or wrong desires. It’s a question of truly seeing your own values. Think back to things you’ve bought but not used, or not used enough. What truly enjoyable things could you do with that money if you had it now? You’ve got to be self aware and honest.

Cash is king. The price may seem the same, but put those things on a credit card and, with interest, you’ll pay a lot more. Cash means you have to save and wait a little for things, but you can buy more and have less stress. Credit cards provide the illusion of a richer life. Escaping debt gives you the reality.

Finally, learn to understand costs and benefits. A friend once came to the realization, using pen and paper, that his jetski cost him $300 for every hour he used it the first year. Loan interest, gas, insurance, depreciation, repairs, licenses – these things add up. And he thought it was too expensive to pay $100 per day to rent one! Consider the real costs of things, and look for a cheaper way, or at least make an honest decision that it’s worth $300 per hour to you.

Your things should be making your life better. If they aren’t, you need to start looking at them differently. Don’t let your things own you. Change your approach.