I know what you think when you see that title......we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet, what's the rush? Let me tell you! When it comes to saving money, it is never to early to start thinking and planning!! Money is going to be tight this year(as usual) so I am already thinking ahead.


What are some of your ways to save money during the holiday season? Here are a few of mine:

Black Friday!! - No, don't just go out and buy "stuff" because it's on sale. Scout out the ads weeks ahead of time and make a game plan! Find the things you REALLY want or need and make a list. Stick to it!!

Buy ahead of time and watch sales! - Just about everything goes on sale at some point. If you buy it now, you are guaranteed not to miss out, then just watch for sales over the next few months. Take your receipt in and get a price adjustment or simply return and rebuy! If it's at a different store, see if they will match the ad. You don't know until you ask! Be sure to keep that holiday spirit rolling to have the best luck ;)

Layaway -  I don't use this one a lot myself, I go for the buy and watch for sales, but if you do layaway, be sure to watch for those sales!! Some stores will let you price adjust the item or you could always buy the item and then return the one in layaway once it's paid for.


Have any more to share? Let us know!!

Candy, candy, candy.... no matter how I try to eliminate it from our home it always makes it's way back in. If it just wasn't sooo bad for us and our kids then it wouldn't bother me as much. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE candy (as my body can attest, haha), I just wish it could be better for us to eat.

I was recently invited to host an Unreal candy party in my home where I could invite some fabulous people over for good times and candy that is supposed to be better for us! I mean, how could I turn that down?? At the time I had no clue what Unreal or Unjunk meant, but I couldn't wait to find out. Do you know what it is? If not, let me clue you in!

UNREAL™ exists because a thirteen year old boy asked one Halloween why candy needs to be so unhealthy. After an argument with his father, he did a bit of research only to find that candy is filled with bad things like hydrogenated oils and artificial colors and flavors. And what’s worse, he found out that those ingredients don’t make candy taste better, they simply make it cheaper to produce.

Nicky believed that candy without the junk could be made and that it would taste better. And he and his father and brother decided to prove it.
And they did.

UNREAL™ provides many of the great flavor combinations we love in our treats, but without the corn syrup, without the partially hydrogenated oils, without the GMOs, without the artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, and with 40% less sugar per serving on average. The key ingredients are responsibly sourced, and the candy is available in the stores we all shop, at a price point we can all afford.



Unreal has 5 varieties of candy available right now and they are:

• #54 chocolate candy shell peanuts
• #41 chocolate candy shell
• #5 chocolate caramel nougat
• #8 chocolate caramel peanuts nougat
• #77 chocolate peanut butter

Any of those sound similar to something you have had before?

Now, if you are anything like me...you have tried other "brands" but you know that none can compare to the "real", nationally known brands. I figured I would give this candy a try and hope I could pass them off to my kids and feel a little better about the candy they were eating. Both of my kids(especially my 4 yr old) have a major sweet tooth and they are also very picky. Before the party I decided to do a test run. We grabbed a bag of the chocolate hard shelled candies with peanuts in them (Unreal 54) and I passed them out to my kids - without showing what I had. They ate them all and asked for more! They both said they loved them and Dad and I were shocked that they were really good!

After that tasting we were ready to share at our party!

Everyone came to our home for fun conversation and games, but most of all everyone was interested in this strange candy I mentioned in the invites. As I passed out the goodie bags, filled with one of each of the 5 different candies, I told everyone I wanted their opinion - good or bad. They all surprisingly had the same opinion. They really liked it! They couldn't believe any of the "junk" was missing because it was so good. We all got on the topic of how much "junk" is allowed in our food and candy these days. We just couldn't believe this candy could be so good without the added "junk". We all think if  these candies can be so tasty and better for us, then why stop here? Let's get everything "unjunked"!!

Our party was a success and we (and probably all my friends) will be "Unjunking" our candy from now on!

Still need some motivation? Check out this awesome video about UNREAL Candy!



UNREAL Facebook Page
UNREAL Twitter

 UNREAL Candy can be purchase from CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Rite Aid, Haggen, BJs, Michaels, Food 4 Less, Staples, TOP, Fred Meyer, Ralphs and many other national retailers.



Thank you to Global Influence and UNREAL Candy for sponsoring this party.  I was compensated for supplies as well as for hosting this party.  The opinions in this blog however are my own honest opinions(and in this case, my guests opinions as well!)