Still Haven't Sent the Folks Presents? Shutterfly. Easy. I Love You.

I highly recommend some kind of internet albums that the folks at home can access.  Even if they don't see us in person every day, they can't miss your smiling static faces.  Facebook is a pretty easy one, but there are still some grandparents out there that just don't want to get "involved" with it.  Kodak was a name they knew and trusted and were able to type in the Google window without mistake.

I was so totally bummed when Kodak sold to Shutterfly this last year.  You see, I've had my photos on Kodak for at least 5 years now.  I know Kodak.  I don't know Shutterfly.  I was going to have to learn a whole new dagum system and well, I just don't have time for that.  The pain in the butt that Kodak was sometimes was shadowed by familiarity.  Amazing how I survive in this lifestyle when I buck to change to easily.

 Kodak Easyshare was never quite so easy for me, but the calendars were such big hits, that they have become a tradition.  So I had been putting off making our yearly photo calendar that we send to our family and friends.

So, just before Thanksgiving, I finally buckled myself down and opened up Shutterfly.  Oh my gosh.

It's easy.
It looks totally cool.

Did I say it's easy?

And they have a fabulous line up of photo gifts.  Plus, it's easy.

For the calendars, they have the layouts for multiple photos on a month set out for you to choose.  You click on it and your chosen pictures are sucked into the format- swoop!  AND you can pay for multiple calendars sent to multiple addresses in ONE order.  Imagine?!  No wonder Kodak sank.  What have I been doing all of these years?

No, "Sucker" is not tattooed on my forehead.


Maybe most of you already know about this.  But I just had to share my giddiness.  Now I have to sell it to the grandparents.  Maybe if I associate it with something they know and love.  Shutterfly, butterfly, I love you.

Merry Christmas! Oops, I mean, Happy Halloween! Wait. What Season Is It?

This morning at breakfast I watched my daughter zone out while looking out the window at another grey day.  She caught me looking at her.  "I like watching the trees shiver," she mumbled.  And "shivering" they were.  The day is a bit cool with a sky smudged with dirty clouds; the wind howls.  Yep.  It's October, folks.

I used to get indignant when I would see Christmas decorations up in U.S. stores around Halloween time.  Can't we just enjoy the moment, I'd grumble, without always missing it by planning ahead?  They don't do that over here.  Christmas stuff maybe appears around the 2nd week in December. If Orthodox Christmas wasn't January 7th, then maybe it would grace the shelves around December 1st.  That's the way it should be, I think.  Enjoy one season at a time.

Sadly, though, I'm on the U.S. retail calendar now.  I've been forced too.  Even though we can communicate with each other instantaneously via Internet, we still haven't created a Star Trek-style transporter that teleports our real stuff in seconds, rather than weeks (or months!).   The holidays are extra, extra slow.  Instead of the somewhat reliable 2 weeks, it can take up to 2 months or more for mail to arrive.  If I don't get gifts sent by the first week in November, they just might not arrive in time.  If I don't order stuff for the kids, it just might not arrive in time.  Been there.  Done that.

While living in the Western Hemisphere, I only had to order by Thanksgiving to be safe.  Europe is a whole different matter.  I did my Turkey Day ordering my first year in Macedonia.  All I can say, is thank goodness for Orthodox Christmas (the stuff arrived January 6) and thank goodness for the always-on-time- mostly-early-forever-military grandparents so my kids had something to open on December 25.  I can only imagine Asia.  Christmas in July takes on a whole new meaning.

Even if you don't feel like it, start (sorry, I'm late for you, China) ordering your stuff for Christmas, start making those crafts for Gramma and Grampa, and get them in the mail.  You don't want to be last minute shopping for gifts on Christmas Eve that generally cost twice as much overseas.  It's painful and no fun.

So, let's get into the spirit of things!  The holidays must begin!
                               
                                  Merry Halloween!

Reminder: Begin Halloween Internet Shopping, uh, Now

I know.  Christmas in July.  Halloween in September.  But, hey, unfortunately there is no Halloween Santa who can whisk stuff to us overnight (I just had an image of St. Nick in orange.  Weird).  Don't forget costumes, room parent craft (I almost spelled "crap." Freudian slip?  I think not), and bags of packaged candy (or in the commissary, if you have one).  If you have access to APO shipping, score.  If not, check out getting a US address or ask Mom to send stuff to you.  Don't forget about Upromise and stores that don't ship APO!

The Black List: List of Stores that are Anti-APO

Here is my short list of stores that DON'T ship APO or that have ridiculous prohibitions shipping certain items.  Those that don't are listed in red, those that don't ship particular items (even though not barred by APO) are in blue, and those stores with preposterous shipping charges are in yellow.  The list will be updated when I hear about more bad guys.

Amazon groceries
Amazon Mom subscribe and save
Babiesrus.com
Boscovs
Buy.com
Diapers.com
Danskin
Kohls (can't ship ties with standard shipping?!)
Sephora
Target
Toysrus.com

Why not get paid to shop online?

Okay.  We shop a lot online.  I hate shopping online (it always feels like it takes hours!), but in most cases, products are cheaper and of better quality from the U.S.  Plus, U.S. stores are familiar.  We know what we are getting.

I don't remember how we stumbled upon Upromise, but I'm glad we did.  It pays you to shop.  Seriously. Well, actually it adds money to a college fund which is still pretty cool.  If you shop through the Upromise site (its directory includes almost every shopping site known to mankind) you get a percentage of your purchase price (1%-25%) added to a college fund, plus you get deals and coupons just for Upromise users.  You can invite your family (who aren't planning on going to college) to join you in your savings.  If they shop through the site, it will add to your fund!  For those of you stateside, you also can get a percentage of your bill from local restaurants and grocery stores added to your savings.  Score!   It doesn't cost you an extra penny!

For those of us lucky enough to have APO/DPO addresses, one frustration with shopping online is whether or not stores ship to APO/DPO.  I have started a black list of the stores who don't (grrr), but left it in Serbia (I'm on R&R in the U.S. at the moment) and promise to share it with you when I return.  I did some googling and found this site which includes a discussion and list of APO friendly online stores.  I find it easier, though, to know the stores that don't send, since the list is shorter.

For those of you who don't have APO/DPO address, I found MyUS.com, a service where you can "buy" a U.S. address and they will re-ship it to you.  This service seems to be the most cost effective.  You pay an initial set-up fee and a monthly or annual fee based on your needs (from $0/month/year to $25/month or $195/year) plus a percentage of the order (minimum $10).  If you have used this service or others like it, please let us know about your experience!

So, the one consolation for the hours of frustration it takes to shop online is that you're at least saving for you or your kids' college education.  It's almost like being paid to shop.  Who can beat that?

Spouses, share with us your online shopping advice!