Black Friday Apps for Finding Holiday Deals in Bothell

Happy Black Friday, Bailey Farm Friends!

If you’ve got any energy left after yesterday’s festivities, you might be thinking about heading out for some Black Friday shopping deals. Of course, you’re bound to find some amazing deals at Mill Creek Town Center and countless businesses in the Bothell area.

But in the event that you get easily overwhelmed by Black Friday options, of course technology is the great equalizer—there are numerous Black Friday apps that you can use to find the best Black Friday deals in the area. CBS Seattle rounded up some of the most popular options for tech savvy holiday shoppers:

DealNews Black Friday App The DealNews Black Friday App has been a favorite of bargain hunters for a few years now. Both PC Magazine and PC World named DealNews the “Best Black Friday Web Site,” and now you can use the app to help you navigate all the deals. Included in the app is the ability to browse both leaked and confirmed ads from all the major retailers. It’s sorted by retailer, showing you how many ads each is offering, putting all the control of finding the best deal in your fingertips. If you have a few favorite stores, check those first, and find all the rumored or confirmed ads before anyone else knows about them.

Fat Wallet
Fat Wallet is a bargain site that is helpful all year-round. You can use the app to filter by category and compare deals on similar items. Then you can select those items as favorites and share them with your family and friends, allowing you to coordinate your shopping plan and create a perfectly structured plan of attack on the big day. You’ll be able to start looking at ads for Black Friday weeks early, so start planning soon. This is probably the best app for those that like to divide and conquer, helping you master than plan with all of your shopping team.

FastMallIf your Black Friday plans have you heading to the mall, then you definitely need to download the FastMall app. The app maps out all the major shopping malls in the country (including Canada and the U.K.) and helps you track your car, find the nearest bathroom, the food court, or where all the elevators are. When it comes to helpful apps, this one may not point you towards the bargains, but it will definitely keep you sane on the big shopping day. Moms on the go are sure to love this one.

Got another Black Friday tip for shopping in the Bothell area? Head over to our Facebook page and share your gift-finding tips!

Weighing the Benefits of a Land Line in Your Apartment

Are you reading this on a smartphone? It’s 2013 after all, so it’s not too unlikely. We rely on cell phones for a lot these days—not just making calls, but also for finding directions to your favorite Bothell area businesses, doing research, making to-do lists, or just browsing the Web.

With cell phones so versatile, it’s increasingly common for people to opt to go without a land telephone line. But for some people, it can be beneficial to have a landline for emergencies, for work responsibilities, or for a number of other reasons.

ApartmentTherapy had a very informative article last week on the pros and cons of keeping a landline in your apartment—here are some letters they received from people who have decided to keep their traditional phone line:

"We have a landline because my husband is Australian and have found that making international calls isn't as reliable via cell phone."


"Cell reception in our home is typically fine, but I do use the landline when I have conference calls for work that take place during the evening hours, just for that extra reliability that cell phones sometimes can't provide."

"None of my cell phones have provided me with the comfort level (shoulder-neck-ear)..."

"Can't help adding one more important factor to consider in whether to ditch your land line as a backup - in the event of a disaster, network congestion can make cell communication difficult or impossible. (for example, Superstorm Sandy and the Boston Marathon bombings.)"

Do you still have a landline in your apartment? Tell us why it’s important to you—share it with other residents on our Facebook timeline!

Taste of the Holidays Wine Walk at Country Village

The Great Northwest and the Seattle area in particular are certainly known for their assortment of great craft breweries, but don’t leave the winos out of the mix! There are tons of great local wineries in the area, and on Saturday, you can enjoy the best they have to offer—and contribute to a worthy cause.

On November 16, from 5 pm to 8 pm, Country Village will host “A Taste of the Holidays” wine tasting event, and all proceeds will benefit the Northshore Schools Foundation. The event will feature vendors selling holiday items and wine tasting from 20 local wineries. The event kicks off the holiday season at Country Village, so you might even find a hidden discount or two!

Tickets for the event are $20 in advance, and $25 at the check-in booth—you can reserve your ticket here. And remember to Bring Your Own Glass!

Participating stores include:

Piccola Cellars at Eclectic Haven, Hedges Family Estates at An Afternoon To Remember, Robert Ramsay Cellars at Quite The Find, Davenport Cellars at Bon Sejour Home, J & A's Winery at Sankara Imports, Patterson Cellars at Heartland Interiors, Vortex Cellars at Town Hall Antique Mall, Lodmell Cellars at The Weed Patch, Dubindil Winery at Poppies, Amelia Bleu at The Village Eatery & Tea Shop, Goose Ridge Estate Winery at Cranberry Cottage, Kyra Wines at Life Solutions Healing Center, Isenhower Cellars at White House Antiques, Foxy Roxy Wine Company at O'malley & Potter, Convergence Zone Cellars at The Village Bean, Northwest Cellars at JJ Books and Gecko Wine Co. and Michael Florentino Cellars at Country Blend.

Halloween Leftover Ideas: From Chocolate Cake to Charity

With Halloween now in the past, thankfully you no longer have to stress about costumes, planning, or trick-or-treating. But one “problem” that tends to arise on the morning of November 1 is what to do with all of that extra Halloween candy.

Is this both a blessing and a curse? Nah! If you eat the candy in moderation and do productive things with the rest--like donating it, sharing it, or even using it to learn math—you can make the most of Halloween and all of the treats that come with it.

If you’d like to work your leftover candy into a tasty treat, consider one of these 50 leftover candy recipes we found at SomethingSwanky.com, including these delicious chocolate-peanut butter 7-layer bars:

Or, if you’re looking for a healthier way to get rid of your candy stash, consider one of these 15 ideas from KidsHealth.org:

1. Participate in a candy exchange. Some dentists and orthodontists (dentists who specialize in braces) offer candy exchanges. You turn in some candy and get healthy treats in exchange. Or you turn in some candy, and they pay you $1 per pound. They donate the candy to soup kitchens or to troops overseas.

2. Wouldn't it be cool if some of your candy went halfway around the world? Your Halloween candy could be included in care packages that are sent to soldiers serving their country far from home. Here are two organizations that ship packages to the troops. Heat-resistant candy only. Chocolate melts, you know! And don't forget to include a handwritten letter of support to really put a smile on a soldier's face!

3. Try reverse trick-or-treating! With a parent, make a trip to one or more local charities that accept candy donations. You'll feel great, and you'll sweeten someone else's day too. Some ideas include your local Ronald McDonald House, nursing homes, food pantries, children's hospitals, veterans' homes, or women's shelters.

4. Ask your parents if you can exchange your candy for something else — like a book or a toy. Make it fun by using a scale to weigh your stash — for example, maybe you could earn a book for every pound of candy you trade in.

5. Reduce by recycling. If you have a birthday or other party coming up, offer to use your candy to fill up goodie bags.

6. Buy fun chocolate molds at a craft store, melt down your extra chocolate bars, pour into the molds, let cool, and voilà — decorative, delicious gifts!

7. Make a special Halloween version of trail mix by tossing in a handful of candy pieces with your pretzels, nuts, raisins, and dried fruits.

8. Glue candy pieces to an unfinished wooden picture frame (you can buy them at the craft store). Add a photo, and you've got a really sweet present for someone special.

9. Did you know you can make jewelry and crafts out of candy wrappers? You can search for how-to instructions on the Internet.

10. Use the candy to fill a piñata for someone who has a fall or winter birthday.

11. Give "candy math" a whirl! Use candy corns to practice addition, subtraction, or counting by fives and tens. Hershey bars or KitKats are both great for visualizing fractions. Or, you can sort your candy (chocolate, gum, lollipops, fruit snacks, etc.) and figure out what percentage each group contributed to your total amount.

12. Donate your candy to...science? Yep, you can do lots of greatcandy experiments at home using Skittles, Lifesavers, Starbursts, M&Ms, and more. Plus, you just might want to see what happens when you leave a gummy bear in water...

13. Create a board game using candy as pieces. Or you can use candy in a sweet game of checkers or — dare we say it? — Candyland.

14. Build a candy city. With some glue (ask a parent for help if using a hot glue gun), some toothpicks, and a whole lot of imagination, you can design and construct a scene that even your Legos will envy. And it's never too early to start planning this year's holiday gingerbread house.

15. Send it to work with your mom or dad. That'll really make it disappear fast!