Web Site of the Week #12: Amazon Gold Box

Although I don’t often buy online, when I do, it’s usually from Amazon. I love their comments, (usually) free shipping, and ease of checking out. Although I think most people know about Amazon, I don’t think everyone knows about Amazon Gold Box. Every day, Amazon Gold Box offers deals that are just available for a few hours, or until they sell out. It also offers an all day deal, and another list of sales Amazon is having that day. Amazon Gold Box has deals on everything from workout equipment to electronics to jewelry.

So I've now posted a dozen Web sites of the Week as promised. I won't be posting Web site recommendations weekly in the future, but I'll definitely let you know when I find other amazing Web sites I want to share.

Web Site of the Week #11: Diet Facts

As someone who likes to know how fattening food at my favorite restaurants is, I find dietfacts.com very useful. You can search alphabetically by restaurant, and then alphabetically by item. Some restaurant’s nutrition info isn’t available because they’ve chosen not to release it. However, if a restaurant has ever released their nutrition info, this Web site will have it. I admit that I’m not a fan of the Web site’s layout and navigation, however, other Web sites actually charge people for this information, so I love that this Web site free and up to date.

Web Site of the Week #10: Baby Cheapskate

My deal-seeking friends with babies say that when they are looking for the best deals on diapers and other baby items, babycheapskate.blogspot is the first place they look. This blog provides weekly listings of the best diaper (and other) deals available in stores, info about online toy and baby clothes sales, and links to valuable coupons and other deals. This blog is updated frequently, and provides tips on how to get the most for your dollar when buying for babies. If you have kids but not a boatload of money, you’ll love this blog.

Web Site of the Week #9: Happy News

I discovered happynews.com about a year ago after a Google search. It’s exactly what it sounds like- a Web site devoted to positive, upbeat, and often inspirational news. Why did I look for a Web site like this? I like being informed about what’s going on in our world, so I watch the news and check CNN.com daily. I think it’s important to know about what’s happening around our world because it’s important to be informed. That said, sometimes the news makes me a little sad. When I want to know that there are positive things going on the world, I go to happynews.com. This Web site provides a variety of national and international stories about things such as medical and scientific advances, inspirational people and heroic acts. If you ever question whether there’s any good in the world today, just visit this site and you’ll be reassured that there are many people out there working to make a difference.

Web Site of the Week #8: DownEast Basics

Downeastbasics.com is my very favorite online clothing store. Why do I love it? All of their clothes are cute, modest, and affordable. And it can be find clothes like that when you live outside of Utah. They offer basic layer tees as well as shirts, skirts and dresses that are all updated frequently. I love that their clothes are modern and fun without being revealing or pricey. If you’d like to add a few fun pieces to your wardrobe without taking a bite out of your wallet, you’ll love this site.

Web Site of the Week #7: Slickdeals

Slickdeals.net is the other deal Web site (along with dealnews.com) that I check daily. It’s different from Deal News because only a few deals are posted on the main page daily (as opposed to 100+), and they are typically all jaw dropping deals. If you’re looking for a few killer deals a day, this Web site is the way to go.

Web Site of the Week #6: Posie Gets Cozy

I love Posie Gets Cozy simply because it makes my smile. It’s a blog about the absolutely adorable life of Alicia Paulson, who lives in Portland with her hubby Andy and cute dog Clover. She is very crafty, and loves to share her sewing, crocheting, and other creative projects. Her ideas inspire me, and I love the images she shares of her cute home and town. She is clearly a happy person, and her blog is always upbeat and adorable.

Web Site of the Week #5: All Recipes

I’ve been visiting allrecipes.com for years, and I seriously don’t know what I’d do without it. This Web site features recipes that anyone can submit. The best part is that anyone can then review the recipes. This makes it easy to select recipes, because you can weed out the recipes with less than stellar reviews, and then alter the recipes you choose by making the changes reviewers suggest. The site has a lot of advanced search options, including an ingredient search, so you can search for recipes based on the food you have on hand. I have found some amazing recipes on this site, and have listed my favorites (in no particular order) below:
-Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
-World's Best Lasagna
-Chicken Broccoli Braid
-Make Ahead Lunch Wraps

-Beautiful Salad

-Rainbow Pasta Salad (I add a lot of veggies to this)

-Seminary Muffins

-Chocolate Mint Cookies
-Peanut Butter Temptations

-Cheese Ball (I make it with bacon instead of pecans)

-Taco Seasoning

Web Site of the Week #4: Current Codes

When I’m about to buy anything online, I always go to currentcodes.com before checking out. This fantastic Web site provides coupon codes for hundreds of online stores. You search for the merchant you’re buying from, and there will often be a coupon for a percentage off your purchase, or even free shipping. I love this Web site because I figure that if I’m going to make a purchase anyway, I might as well see if I can save a little extra money while I’m at it. If you don’t find a code on this Web site, you can go to another coupon code Web site, such as retailmenot.com. That Web site also provides coupon codes, but anyone can submit them, so sometimes they don’t work. I prefer currentcodes.com because it’s easy to search, and the codes are always up to date.

In case you don’t know how to use coupon codes, when you’re checking out from an online store, look for the little “coupon code” or “code” box that’s most often on the payment info page. Enter the code and the discount will be reflected in the final price.

Web Site of the Week #3: Family Fun

I visit familyfun.com when I’m looking for cute and inventive craft ideas. It has adorable ideas for fun things you can do with the whole family. They feature suggestions for every season and holiday, and I’m always amazed by how simple and affordable their ideas are. The site provides more than just craft ideas, too. They have party tips, recipes, game ideas and travel suggestions. If you’re looking for fun, easy and creative ideas for things your family can do together, you’ll love this Web site.

Web Site of the Week #2: Dealnews

I read about dealnews.com a little over year ago in an online article, and I’ve been visiting it (almost) daily ever since. It’s a site for people who are looking for online deals that will knock their socks off. Every day, over a hundred new deals from all over the Web are posted. Talk about a wide range of items- they have deals on high-tech gear, clothes, home décor, toys, airfare and restaurants. Warning: you must have a lot of self control while visiting this site, because at first you might be tempted to buy everything. However, if you’re very picky (and not rich) like me, and only buy when something is exactly what you’ve been looking for, then this site is for you. This Web site has saved us a lot of money, and I’ve found it to be especially useful when I’m looking for gifts.

Web Site of the Week #1: Hungry Girl

I’ve made a list of my top 12 or so favorite Web sites that I love telling people about. I’ll be sharing one a week over the next three(ish) months. The Web sites I recommend will span a wide variety of topics and formats, but overall they are creative, easy to navigate, and provide useful, interesting information. I don’t know the people who run any of these Web sites, so I’m not profiting from this is any way. These are simply Web sites that I love and visit frequently, so I hope you enjoy them.

I discovered hungrygirl.com a couple years ago when I was looking for easy, creative recipes and food ideas. It’s a site for people who are interesting in low-fat and low-cal eating, and it frequently provides new product reviews, tips on how to eat healthy while dining out, and yummy low-fat recipes that mimic fattening food. New info is posted everyday Monday through Friday. If you’re looking to lose a few pounds (or keep them off), not only will this site help you realize that they’re not alone, you’ll have fun and actually enjoy what you’re eating while you’re at it.