TheFind Blog

Hottest Product Searches on TheFind.com

How much holiday shopping did you complete over the long holiday weekend? It was the biggest shopping weekend of the year! Did you brave the crowds, stay inside and shop online in your cozy pajamas, or did you ignore it all? Whether you shopped or not, here are the hottest product searches that we saw over the big holiday shopping weekend.

Women's Apparel - Metallic Jeans

Kids Item - Footie Pajamas

Hottest Gadget/Toy - Nintendo Wii

Jewelry - Promise Rings, Stackable Rings 

               

Hottest Color - Red: Cell Phones, Coffee Makers, Blenders, Purses

   

Hottest Cosmetics - Bobbi Brown

Hottest Home Item - Roomba Robotic Vacuum (And Red Items Listed Above!)

Hottest Green Brand - Loomstate

 

Most Unique Search - Decorated Turkey Cookies

So, there you have it...nine categories of products that people just like you were shopping for this weekend. I hope it gave you some good ideas for some of the people on your list. I'm thinking everything RED this year. What do you think?!?

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Oh Happy Day -- One Year Ago Today...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I hope your day is filled with fun experiences with family & friends, a focus on the things you're thankful for, and fabulous food!

In addition to Thanksgiving, we're celebrating our blog's first birthday. :o) One year ago today, our blog was born. TheFind.com was a mere 3 weeks old when the blog came to life. Ahhh, it's amazing how fast they grow. Okay, I'm being silly, but it is crazy to think that a whole year has passed already!

We've been really busy over here responding to user feedback by refining our site, improving functionality, and increasing the number of products and stores. The coolest thing, in my opinion, are the tabs at the top of the search results. Have you checked them out yet? The first thing you see is all the results that we can find for your search, but you can choose other tabs to see only the results from boutiques, department stores, Rodeo Drive, 5th & Madison, mall stores, and eBay/Markets. My favorite is the mall stores tab. I like to get an idea of where I might find a specific item if I wander into a mall. It can be an incredible time saver!

Tomorrow's "Black Friday" which marks the official first day of holiday shopping. What will you be doing tomorrow? Shopping online in the comfort of your home in your toasty pajamas or bundled up and ready for "war" with the crazy crowds?!? It seems that some malls and stores are opening at midnight tonight, while others are opting for the more traditional "Black Friday hour of 5:00am. Although, I have heard about several 4:00am openings too. So, what's it going to be? Chaos or using TheFind.com's "sale" filter to bring up only sale items (check the box next to the "sale" icon on the left side of the search results).

As you can tell, I'm all over the place today. It's an exciting day! It's a big family & friends day. A great eating day. A day to reflect and be thankful for your life and the wonderful blessings in your life. Our blog's a year old today. And tomorrow, will be shopping madness no matter where you do it! Black Friday has got to be one of the most exciting days of the year. The sales are unbeatable!!!

Happy Thanksgiving/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Enjoy the Holidays Without Gaining Weight

How do you get through the holidays without gorging and gaining weight? It's not easy, but it is doable. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you enjoy the temptations without going wild!

1. Before going to dinner or attending a party, indulge in a salad or eat an apple. Give your body some good nourishment and some fiber to fill you up some.

2. Control your portions!
    a. Don't grab food off every tray that passes by as you're chatting with people. Pay attention to what and how much you're putting in your mouth. It's easiest to monitor if you put a few snacks on a small plate and then leave it alone.

    b. If you're sitting down to dinner: fill half your plate with vegetables (salad, side dishes, etc);  reserve one quarter of the plate for protein (meat, fish,  beans); and reserve the other quarter of the plate for carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, pasta). This allows you try lots of dishes without getting up for seconds and thirds and over doing it.

3. Wear tight fitting pants or belt. I know, it sounds funny but you'll be very aware when your stomach expands. And guess what, it's definitely time to stop when that happens.

4. Share food with a friend or loved one. Rather than indulging in whole portions, cut them in half and share. This way, you can sample more foods without taking in all the calories.

5. If you can't say no to sweets, fried food, butter, cream sauces, salad dressing, and gravies, then do your best to control your portions (once again).  Eat one fried shrimp instead of five.  Skip the butter and dip your bread in the gravy that you're already enjoying on your potatoes. Ask for salad dressing on the side and dip your fork in it before spearing your salad. You get the idea, right?

6. Get moving! If you're not currently exercising, start a walking program for yourself (take your dog, if you have one). If you are currently exercising, add more cardio fitness to your workouts during the holiday season.

Hopefully, one or all of these tips will help you get through the holidays without gaining weight. If you have any other tips or tricks, please let us know. We'd love to hear more ideas!

Happy Holidays/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Thanksgiving Cooking, The Bon Appetit Way

It's here! I just got the latest edition of Bon Appetit magazine. The Thanksgiving dinner issue is my absolute favorite! I love all the Thanksgiving ideas that they publish. My Dad was always a huge fan of their Thanksgiving recipes as well. He was an amazing gourmet cook and would often use Bon Appetit's recipes/meal plans for Thanksgiving and they were always wonderful. Since Bon Appetit has always been such a big part of this holiday for most of my life, it's come to be something that I really look forward to.

A few years ago, I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for a group of friends and it was a lot of fun. We followed recipes from Bon Appetit and had an Indian feast! I haven't looked through the recipes for this year, but I can't wait to check them out and decide what to cook! It's the little things in life that make me happy and for that, I am thankful.

Happy Cooking/Searching/Shopping,
Payton