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Reasons to Buy a Kindle Fire Kids Edition (Even If You Have an iPad)

I’m a diehard Apple user. But, if you have children, you may want to consider buying the Kindle Fire Kids Edition. I admit that the iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone are easier to use, have a bigger selection of apps, and a better camera than the Fire. But, as a parent, on any given day, I want my children reaching for the Kindle Fire over their Apple devices. And, here’s why:

1. The Kindle Fire Kids Edition is an e-Reader

The Kindle Fire Kids Edition has books. Tons of them. When you buy a Fire (Kids Edition), you receive one year of FreeTime Unlimited. [Read more…]

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How to get the Peloton Cycle Experience without the Price Tag

When I joined a gym as a mom, my priorities changed: I needed daycare and I needed a shower. Motivation in place. Little did I know that my son’s poop, cries, and attempts to escape would interrupt my routine almost on a daily basis. My new mom friends invited me to take spin classes with them, but between the coaches shouting out mysterious numbers and the coordination involved, I kindly declined; spin was more than my foggy-mom brain could handle at the time, so I stuck to my elliptical, yoga, and Zumba classes. This pre-dated the Soul Cycle invasion of New York, before cadence and tap-backs became part of the everyday jargon.

By the time my son learned to love the gym, I was pregnant with baby #2. Luckily, my little girl eased into daycare and I soon realized after taking my first spin class that I had been missing out: with its trendy music and remixes blaring in a darkened room, let’s face it, this was the closest I was getting to a night out.

At this same time, the condo I lived in had redesigned its gym, and I convinced management to add a spin bike. But what can you do with a spin bike and no instructor? I downloaded apps and watched YouTube videos, but no good solution existed at the time.

Fast-forward to the suburbs and a house with room for exercise equipment. One day, soon after we moved in, I scrolled down on Facebook and noticed that several of my friends had “liked” the One Peloton page, then called Peloton Cycle. I asked those friends about it, but no one had purchased a bike, yet everyone agreed it was a brilliant concept: a state-of-the-art bike with spin classes live or on demand. The bike, however, comes with a hefty price tag ($1995 plus $250 delivery, plus a $39 per month subscription).

The Peloton App

After gawking at the price tag again and doing the math, MacGyver kicked in. I downloaded the Peloton app to my iPad, free at [Read more…]

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How to Get the Lowest Prices on Amazon Electronics: Echo, Kindles & More

What if I told you that you can shop on Amazon and find the latest and most popular electronic devices at a huge discount?

Buy Certified Refurbished Amazon Electronics

What is a refurbished product?

There are many reasons why a product may be refurbished. Yes, sometimes there was a defect that the manufacturer fixed, but many times it’s refurbished because of superficial issues. For example, a consumer returned an item due to a damaged shipping box, a minor scratch or dent on the product’s casing or exterior, or opened the box and simply changed his or her mind.

What happens to these returned items?

The items get shipped back to the manufacturer who will then test these products, repair any defects, verify that these products are “as new” and re-sell them as refurbished.

Amazon takes this one step further by selling their own products as “certified refurbished” items, meaning that they come with the same limited warranty and return policy as a brand new device. This includes their popular Kindle and Alexa devices. Think about this: you are getting the same product, with the same warranty, and the same return policy. Why not buy Certified Refurbished?

Amazon also sells Certified Refurbished products by other manufacturers. To see a full list of brands, click here. Amazon backs these items with their own limited 90-day warranty.

(Note, although you can also save money from Amazon’s Warehouse Deals, you may not receive the same warranties as “Certified Refurbished” products; also these Warehouse Deal items may not necessarily be “as new” but rather a bit more used. However, you can definitely find great deals there, just make sure to read the fine print.)

My Top Picks:

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Is the Peloton Cycle Worth Buying?

As I don’t actually own a Peloton bike, I guess my answer to this question speaks for itself. However, I cannot deny that the Peloton Cycle is an ingenious product, well-designed, and absolutely fills a niche in our busy world, but it is a very sizable investment: the bike itself will run you $1995 plus $250 installation. Add in another $25 to $75 for weights plus other accessories, such as a mat and shoes. Oh, and I failed to mention the $39 monthly subscription fee that begins after the first year.

If you read my last very detailed post, you know that I use the Peloton app on a regular spin bike. With the addition of an iPad holder, a cadence sensor, weights, some SPD pedals and spin shoes, I’ve created my own mock-Peloton at a savings of more than $1700. (You can also get an upgraded version of my bike with SPD pedals already installed).

In all likelihood, Peloton has released their iPad and recently the iPhone apps to tempt people into buying their $2000 product. On their own website within the Frequently Asked Questions section, the very last question asked is: “I like the app, so why would I buy the bike?,” a question I too, have been asking.

[Read more…]