What Smart Women Buy

Cozy Winter Blanket

2010-02-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Restoration Hardware Luxury Plush Throw

Why it's great: I love anything soft. There are tons of blankets all over my house. This is one of my favorites. It comes in tons of colors, so it's sure to match whatever scheme you have in your home.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) This might be a stretch - but I work better when I am warm!

The Perfect Wine Opener

2010-02-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Waring Pro Cordless Wine Opener

Why it's great: It's never been easier to open a bottle of wine. Just hold the button down for a few seconds and your bottle is open! And it's simple to get the cork off the opener too.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It charges very quickly and claims to open over 30 bottle with one charge.

2) It sits out on the counter, so no rummaging for the wine opener in the junk drawer.

Coffee on the go - Keurig

2009-09-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Product Name: Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System

Why it's great: First off, you can get a great deal on this machine if you buy it from Amazon or Costco (and not a department store). Second, the variety is excellent - tea, coffee, hot chocolate in tons of flavors. And it looks all futuristic on your counter.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) No cleaning the coffee filter.
2) No cleaning the coffee pot. Notice a theme? No cleaning!

Comfortable Pajamas - Victoria's Secret Soft

2009-03-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

Product Name: VS Soft Cotton Sleep Pant

Why it's great: Everyone loves to be comfortable when they sleep. I like to wear soft pants to bed. I'm always searching for a light weight, super soft pant for bed. And I found one this week - the VS Soft collection is just what I was looking for. And they have matching tank tops too!

How it makes you more efficient:
1) This one doesn't really make you efficient - but sometimes being cozy is enough!

Save Money - Add It Up

2009-03-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Product Name: Bank of America Add It Up

Why it's great: So it's not really something you buy, but it's too good not to mention. B of A has launched a new program that gives pretty significant amounts of cash back for making purchases with select online retailers with your debit card. They list of retailers is substantial. And you just have to sign up.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) You get something for basically nothing - making purchases you would have made anyway.

Ken's Steakhouse Lite Ceasar

2009-03-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Ken's Steakhouse Lite Caesar

Why it's great: Ken's makes amazing salad dressing. But most of the time it's bad for you. This one isn't. It's delicious and you don't have to feel guilty about eating it.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It doubles as a great marinade for chicken and steak.
2) No need to make your own dressing from scratch (not that I've ever done that!)

Tingly Gloss - Clinique Plumpers

2009-02-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Clinique Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine

Why it's great: Clinique makes great products. One of my new favorites is the line of lip plumpers. They are a gloss that adds some volume to your lips. Not sure why, but they tingle when you put them on. And if you hurry in to your local Bloomingdale's, you can take advantage of Bonus Time!

How it makes you more efficient:
1) No need to spend money and time on Botox with this product on the market.

Wholesale Clubs - Sam's Membership

2009-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Sam's Club membership

Why it's great: I used to hate wholesale clubs. There size overwhelmed me and I always seemed to leave having spent way more than I wanted to. But we started doing our grocery shopping there about a month ago, and we've saved a ton of money. Plus now I more toilet paper then we'll ever use.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) If you do it right, you'll only have to go to the grocery store once every couple weeks.
2) You get to spend the money you save on more important things - like purses.

Spending Money gets you free stuff - Starwood Amex

2009-01-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Starwood American Express card

Why it's great: My husband and I are obsessed with rewards credit cards. We're always on the hunt for the best one. We've settles on the Starwood Amex. Using it has gotten us free vacations for three years now. I get a free hotel night every couple of months, since we charge everything on this card. And on top of that, we love Starwood hotels. Bonus.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It's faster to pay with a card. Pretty much always.
2) I don't have to search multiple hotel chains when planning a trip, since I know we're staying at a Starwood.
3) More frequent vacations make you more productive in your every day life.

Cheap Bubbly - Cristalino

2009-01-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Cristalino

Why it's great: I love sparkling wine. It's very unfortunate that most only consume it on special occasions. Personally, I think it is appropriate at all times. Especially when it's reasonably priced. Enter Crystalino. It comes in Rose and Brut, and you can get it for well under $10. I've gotten it for $6.99. We stocked the limo after our wedding with it, and everyone enjoyed!

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It's so cheap, you can stock up. So less trips to the store!

Never Get Lost (again) - Garmin 265wt

2009-01-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Garmin nüvi 265WT

Why it's great: We bought a used car a couple weeks ago, and it didn't have a GPS, something we'd become accustomed to. This portable GPS solved the problem, and is actually much better (and more affordable) than the one that came in our last car. It shows the roads in 3D - very cool - and speaks just about any language you can imagine. Currently we're listening to it in French.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It's portable, so you can take it out of the car with you if you're planning to do some walking in a neighborhood you don't know.
2) Like most GPS's, it will suggest places for you to go with very little input and pre-planning.

A Fire in Minutes - Duraflame Logs

2009-01-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Duraflame Firelog

Why it's great: Having a fireplace is great. It's both practical and romantic on a cold winter night. Building a fire is a totally different story. Burning real wood can be a lot of work to set up and clean. Enter Duraflame Logs, which don't look as pretty but make it very easy to start a fire.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) All you have to do to start a fire is place the log in the fireplace and light both ends of the package. It takes about 30 seconds.
2) Clean up is extremely simple as there is very little soot.

Eliminate Pet Odor - Arm & Hammer Pet Fresh

2009-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Arm & Hammer Pet Odor Remover

Why it's great: If you have dogs, you know if is a constant battle to ensure your home does not smell like them. Arm & Hammer's products are great allies in the battle! My personal favorite is the carpet and upholstery powder, which not only makes your home smell great, but it also helps loosed hairs for easier pick up.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It only needs to sit for 5-10 minutes before easily vacuuming up, making your house smell and look like no animals live there!

Luxury Cars that don't jerk you around - BMW

2009-01-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: BMW

Why it's great: I probably don't have to sell you on BMWs. Most people know what is good about them. My husband and I are on our second, although he would tell you he is on his second, since they are his car. Our first was a leased X3, which we just turned in to purchase a '06 330 convertible. Absolutely no complaints!

How it makes you more efficient:
1) They are focused on service, which makes life so much easier on you.
2) Their sales force does not make you go through the typical pitch. They tell you what it costs, and you make your decision. No hours waiting for the business manager.

Teen Book Sensation - Twilight Series

2008-12-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Twilight

Why it's great: Yes, it is embarrassing to admit, but I am totally sucked (no pun intended) in to the Twilight series. I am a little behind the curve on this one, but my sister-in-law let me borrow the books this weekend and I can't put the first in the series down... Everyone that reads it will be drawn in.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) No way to twist this one - it's certainly a time waster, but sometimes you need that.

The Perfect Jean - Paige Petite

2008-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Paige Premium Denim Petite

Why it's great: For short women, these jeans are absolute perfection. They fit curves or straight figures. They have great accents, like flaps on the butt pockets and distressed places on the legs.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) No trip to get alterations done!

Inspiring Novel - Eat, Pray, Love

2008-11-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Eat, Pray, Love

Why it's great: I'm not normally into 'chic lit', but this book is amazing. Every woman I've talked to about it took something very different, but very meaningful away from Elizabeth Gilbert's journey.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) The story makes you really think about how you choose to spend the short time we have.

Salsa Makes Everything Taste Better

2008-11-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Pace Picante Sauce

Why it's great: Salsa makes a great addition to almost any food, without much effort at all. The Pace brand has a great flavor, and it's not too pricey. The only thing that's better is true fresh salsa, but sometimes that's hard to find. It's especially great on my morning eggs, which always need some help when I have very little time.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) No need to chop veggies, but you still get great added flavor.

Sweet Scents - Reed Air Fresheners

2008-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Modern Air Fragrance Diffuser

Why it's great: These relatively new air freshening options have tons of positive attributes. They aren't an eye sore like many competitive products. They make great housewarming gifts. And they're available in a huge range of price points - relatively cheap from the local Target to super expensive at the high end Resto Hardware.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) Doesn't need to be replaced often at all - they last for months without any maintenance!

Mini Laptops - Lenovo Ideapad

2008-11-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Lenovo IdeaPad S10

Why it's great: This may be one of the best gifts I've ever received. The Lenovo IdeaPad is an amazing laptop. It's so small, it fits in my purse. It starts up very quickly, and weighs about 2 pounds. An added bonus, the power cord is longer then average, so after the 3 hour battery dies out, it's still fairly portable.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It allows you to do work, access the internet, upload pictures, etc just about anywhere.
2) It fits in a medium sized purse, so you don't have to carry multiple bags!

So Cozy - Luxury Plush!

2008-11-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Product Name: Restoration Hardware Luxury Plush Blanket

Why it's great: Technically, I haven't bought this yet. But if I don't get one for Christmas, I'll be buying myself one. There's nothing better than a super soft blanket on a cold winter night. And this one has matching pillows and slippers!

How it makes you more efficient:
1) Keeps you warm, stylish and happy all at the same time!

Walking Shoes - The Puma Speed Cat

2008-11-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Product Name: PUMA Women's Speed Cat

Why it's great: These wonderfully comfortable walking sneakers will let you go for miles without your feet getting sore. And they are stylish, so no need to worry about not looking your best while site seeing or doing some marathon shopping.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) Takes away the need to carry a "cute" pair of shoes to change in to.
2) Lets you keep a quick pace - very important for the woman on the go!

Online Communities - The Nest

2008-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Product Name: thenest.com

Why it's great: This site is a great community for "smart women". It's targeted at newlyweds, but really the topics addressed are relevant for all women. I'm a big fan of the message boards, and frequent my local community as well as the ones focused on work and money.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It's a quick way to get answers to your questions - whether it be a restaurant recommendation or a tough issue with your husband.

Pictures Last Forever - Canon PowerShot

2008-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Product Name: Canon PowerShot SD750

Why it's great: This tiny camera takes beautiful pictures and is small enough it can go anywhere with you. We're on our second generation of this product and will probably continue to buy this line when this model gets outdated. There are lots of features, and meets all of our photography needs.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) It fits in your small purse, or even your pocket, so no need to carry an extra bag.
2) The large screen makes it easy to focus on what you want a picture of, making photography fit seamlessly into whatever it is you're really doing.

Low Carb Beer

2008-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Product Name: Michelob Ultra

Why it's great: Beer is great - its good for tailgating, football watching, summer afternoons and just about any other time. But if you try to spend a whole day drinking it, you will feel like crap. Enter Mich Ultra - the solution to every all day drinkers problem. It's not filling, and it actually tastes ok.

How it makes you more efficient:
1) Not really more efficient, just fun.