Tag: DealDash.com

What Will We Do With All of These Presents?

Let’s face it, as wonderful as Christmas is, the aftermath can be a mess! What are you going to do with all of your extra stuff? Let DealDash help.

First off, if you hosted your family’s Christmas celebration, I bet you have a lot of food left. So let’s talk about food storage first. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like it when my foods are stored sharing containers in the fridge. The flavors and smells kind of meld together and I just don’t care for it. So when I am hosting people in my home I make sure that I have plenty of extra food storage containers handy and ready to go. If you are in need of food storage containers check out DealDash’s Kitchen & Appliances section, there are a few different options that come up frequently for auction. I personally prefer the glass ones, but they do tend to be a bit more expensive than their plastic counterparts, and also get very hot to touch after you have heated them in the microwave.

Rubbermaid 40-Piece Food Storage SetPyrex Premium Glass Lids Storage Container Set (Set of 3)

How about all of those new DVDs, Blu-Rays, books, and video games that you or your kid’s might have gotten for Christmas? You might need to expand your entertainment storage a little bit by getting a new bookshelf or cabinet so you can display your new items. DealDash has a ton of different options, try browsing the Home & Office category on DealDash. I know that one of my husband’s biggest complaints is that we have too many DVDs and books just randomly stashed around the family room and kid’s playroom. That problem is easily solved by getting one of these great storage units.

Systembuild 9 Cube Storage - Resort CherrySouth Shore Storage CabinetSauder O'Sullivan Multimedia Storage Tower

 

Lastly, and probably the most prolific if you have younger children – toy storage! The Toys, Kids, & Baby section on DealDash has a ton, of course! There are different toy storage options for both boys, girls, and also in neutral colors. At my house we have one of each of these options – it’s a great way to be able to organize the toys that specifically belong to either my son or daughter, and then the neutral bins I store the toys that they like to share together, such as the Legos and other building toys, art supplies, puzzles, and other things.

Delta Children Disney Mickey Mouse Toy OrganizerDisney Multi-Bin Toy OrganizerTot Tutors Toy Organizer

I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas together and got everything that you were wishing for! Good luck and happy bidding everyone.

 

Thinking About Internet Safety for Your Kids

 

Do you have a child above the age of 5 or so? If you do, then I am going to assume that they either beg to use your laptop and iPad or maybe even have one of their own.

If that is the case, then you are probably worried about your kids accidentally coming across something that is way too “adult” for them online, or even more seriously, possibly running into an internet predator. In this blog we are going to go over some simple ways that you can help protect your kids online, because let’s face it, you can’t watch them every single second – especially if you have more than one child.

 

 

First off, one of the easiest things that you can do for your kids to keep them safe is to turn on Google’s SafeSearch. SafeSearch is a Google search feature that surprisingly, many parents don’t know about. Google created the filter for parents to exclude adult websites and content from Google Search results. This feature helps to remove potentially harmful material appearing when searching the web. Google does state however, that no filter is 100% accurate, and they provide an online form to submit any websites that may get past their filter. This simple tool can prevent kids from trying to do an image search for “Lego” and end up getting the many results for “Legs”, some of which can be on the racy side. Here’s how to turn on the Google SafeSearch, it only takes a second!

1. Visit the Google Search Settings page at http://www.google.com/preferences.
2. In the “SafeSearch filters” section, check the “Filter explicit results” box.
3. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Unfortunately, sometimes kids run into trouble online that have nothing to do with accidentally running across adult-themed websites. Next up are some tips to help keep your kids from running into any “bad apples” online that spoil the internet fun for everyone.

 

  • Keep computers in a central place. It makes it easier to keep an eye on kid’s online activities. In addition to being able to make sure that your kids aren’t going onto any adult websites, it can help foster bonding as well, because if your computer is in a centrally located position such as the kitchen it’s easy to check in on your kids and see what they are up to, and possibly join them in their fun.

 

  • Monitor your children’s online activities. If you have young children, we recommend browsing the internet with them. For older children you could talk about what kinds of websites they can visit and what isn’t appropriate for them to view. You can also check the browser history to find out where your kids have been. If you are worried that your kids might not obey your wishes and go onto adult websites on purpose you can always install a computer monitoring program such as “Net Nanny”.

 

  • Teach Internet safety. Children need to know how to use the Internet safely and responsibly when they’re on their own. If you start when they are very young, and enforce safety rules every single time they use the computer it will become just a part of their daily life and not a “punishment”.

 

  • Protect your passwords. Teach children never to give out their passwords and to make a habit of unclicking “remember me” settings on public computers. Also, even though it might make life a little more difficult, try and use different passwords for different websites instead of re-using passwords.

 

  • Beware of online communication to strangers. Teach your children not to arrange face to face meetings with people they meet online, and not to share personal information with anyone online. Also, take the following as a good rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t say it to someone in person, don’t text it, email it, message it, or post it as a comment on someone’s webpage. Please also tell pre-teens and teens that even if someone says that they are another kid just like them, it doesn’t make it true.

I hope this article has given you some ideas about how to keep your kids safe when they are online. And remember – the part about not revealing personal information online applies to everyone, not just kids!

If you are in the market to get your child (or yourself) a new computer or iPad, check out DealDash. They have all types of items in many different categories there, check out the Electronics & Computer section. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

DealDash

Surviving the Holidays With Help from DealDash

 

As fun as the holidays are, some people just can’t get into the spirit. Here are some tips to help get through the next few weeks.

No matter what the reason, be it Seasonal Effective Disorder, baby blues, or just a dislike of the holidays in general you have a right to your feelings, and you’re going to need to find ways to keep yourself busy during the next few weeks. Here are some ideas to start off your thought process.

How about learning a new skill, such as cooking a specific meal or food item? Everyone else is baking Christmas cookies or planning on roasting a turkey, but how about you learn how to make home made pasta? It’s much more delicious than store bought pasta, and you can make it as healthy (or not!) as you choose. If you have a Kitchenaid stand mixer you can make pasta really quickly and easily. Here is a simple recipe you can follow:

Ingredients:

    • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, sifted (plus extra flour for preparing)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 Tablespoons water

KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, Cobalt BlueKitchenAid Pasta Roller Attachment

Directions:

 

  • Place eggs, water, flour and salt in mixer bowl. Attached bowl and flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 30 to 60 seconds. Add more water if the dough is too dry, in 1/2 Tablespoon increments.
  • Change out the flat beater for the dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead for 2 minutes. Remove the dough and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Cut dough into four pieces before processing with pasta sheet attachment. Take one piece and flatten into a rectangular shape. Adding flour to both sides. Be sure to cover the other pieces. Attach the pasta sheet roller to your stand mixer and set it to #1. Turn on the stand mixer to speed 2 and run the pasta dough through the pasta sheet roller. While on #1, fold the dough in half and run it through again. Do this several times.
  • Adding a little bit of flour on each side of the dough again, change setting to #2 and pass the pasta dough through the sheet roller. Do this twice and then twice each on #3 and then #4. If you want thicker dough, don’t do the #4 setting.
  • Once again, add flour to each side of your long pasta sheet. Change the attachment to your spaghetti or fettuccine cutter and turn on to speed 2. Run the pasta sheet through and with your left hand, hold on to the pasta as it comes through the cutter. Allow pasta to dry for a few minutes before boiling.
  • When boiling your pasta, it only needs 3 to 7 minutes to boil.

You can get a Kitchenaid mixer and all of it’s various attachments on DealDash. Just click this link here and it will take you to the auctions. If pasta making sounds fun but maybe a little too ambitious check out DealDash’s Kitchen & Appliances section and perhaps you can find a fun new kitchen gadget that’s more your speed.

Rachael Ray Hard Enamel Cookware 10pc set (2-tone Red)Oceanstar 6 Piece Bamboo Cooking Utensil SetRubbermaid 40-Piece Food Storage Set

If cooking really isn’t your thing, how about using your extra time off from work (assuming you get holiday time off!) and do some of those extra projects around the house that you have been putting off for a while now? I can think of a few projects off the top of my head that need doing around my house, and I bet you can, too. If you’re really not much of a handy sort, how about getting a basic tool set from DealDash? You could get something like the Essentials 34 piece tool kit and have just about everything you need for a small project. You can find that auction, and other tool kit auctions at this link here.

Essentials 34-Piece Around the House Tool Kit with Screwdriver

If you’re more advanced in your handiness you could pick up something a little trickier to use such as a rotary tool set or even a hammer drill. Check out the Home, Garden, & Tools section here on DealDash and see what you can discover.

Of course, there’s nothing more fun than sitting down at your computer and just browsing all of the different areas on DealDash. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

 

Throwing a Christmas Party? Get Help from DealDash

 

Are you throwing a Christmas party later on this month? There’s still time to get some assistance from DealDash!

 

Planning any sort of party can be hard work, especially Christmas parties, because I feel like there is more pressure put on to make the “perfect party” so much more so than a regular dinner party. My family gets invited to a few Christmas parties every year, and since weekend time is limited in December sometimes I find myself picking and choosing which party to attend. I can only assume that other families have this same issue, so if people choose to attend a Christmas party of mine instead of someone elses’ that year I feel obliged to show them a good time! Let’s take a quick peek at how DealDash can help make things a little easier when planning your Christmas party.

Have you decorated the outside of your house yet? This isn’t a requirement, of course, but decorating both the outside and the inside of your home in a tasteful and classic way can make your party seem much more festive to your Christmas party goers. There are both Target and Wal*Mart gift cards available on DealDash almost daily, and they are always shipped quickly and safely. If I was in need of more decorations I would bid on these gift cards and take advantage of some of the great sales that these places are running through Christmas and get some great decorations. You can find the gift cards at this link here.

 

Another part of having a great Christmas party is having great food, of course. If you have been paying attention to this blog in the past month or so you might have read my Thanksgiving blog. This blog can give you some pointers and ideas for making “real food” which can be found at this link here. However, in this blog I wanted to mention that it would be wonderful to bake some homemade Christmas cookies for your guests to eat at the party, or even make up small bags of them and send your guests home with cookies. Making cookie dough is infinitely easier of you have a great quality stand mixer like the KitchenAid. My daughter and I used mine this past weekend to make Christmas cookies, and even though I am 8 months pregnant and exhausted making the cookies this year with my KitchenAid was a breeze compared to last year when I had an inferior mixer. You can check out the different colors of KitchenAid stand mixers that DealDash has at this link here. I have the hot pink one! If you are in need of anything other kitchen supplies besides the mixer check out DealDash’s Kitchen & Appliances section.

 

 

I hope that these tips got you thinking about what an enjoyable and memorable Christmas party might entail. If you are looking for any more supplies for your party definitely check out DealDash – Don’t forget to get the mundane things such as extra paper towels, toilet paper, and tissues. Check the Home, Garden and Tools section at this link here, you wouldn’t want to run out while company is over! Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

Let’s Talk Trash

No, I don’t mean about DealDash’s competition – DealDash is great without having to drag down other’s image! I mean let’s talk trash, literally.

 

This is probably a subject that you don’t think about very often, but what kind of garbage cans do you have in your house? Most people have a big trash can in the kitchen, smaller ones in the bedrooms and bathrooms, and maybe one in the basement/laundry room area. When you think about it, that’s a lot of trash receptacles!

As the owner of a couple of small children who I am trying to teach how to be neat and clean I am very adamant that they throw away all of their trash, all of the time. In my kitchen we used to have an old “step on” garbage can that’s lid was supposed to lift when you put your foot on the pedal. However, it was on the older side as well as being made out of cheap plastic, so the lid only opened about halfway most of the time. Which, of course, would result in the kids using one of their little hands to pull open the dirty grimy lid the rest of the way, YUCK!

Nine Stars 13.2-Gallon Stainless Steel Oval Sensored Trash Can

It was really just luck that I saw the automatic motion sensor garbage cans on DealDash. I never knew that such a product existed before I stumbled upon it on DealDash. When I saw it, I knew that I had to have it! The 13.2 gallon size is just perfect for my kitchen and laundry area. It truly works as well as advertised – just wave your hand or the trash that you want to throw away above the sensor and the lid will open. It takes AA batteries, or you can get a separate AC adapter cord so you don’t have to put batteries in.

Since I have been enjoying my 13.2 gallon garbage can in the kitchen I have been looking into getting a bunch of the 8 gallon versions for the bedrooms and bathrooms. They are just so cute! And of course I love the fact that my children and I don’t have to touch any old stinky garbage can lids anymore. Check out the different selections at this link. 

iTouchless 8-Gal. Touchless Trash Can

If you’re not in the market to replace your garbage cans right now,  DealDash still has all of your cleaning supplies covered, – they carry everything from the biggest items like vacuums and steam cleaners all the way down to the most humble of the cleaning supplies – paper towels, dish soap, and spray cleaners. Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow everyone!