Single Mom California Dreamin’ + My Walmart Blogger Day Event

My mini vacation was fantastic! Oh you didn’t know I was gone? Well I was. In fact I had my first trip out west ever in all of my 40-something years. I had a layover in Las Vegas (no it didn’t get to gamble or see the strip but the mountains were gorgeous) and then went on over to San Francisco.

Wal~mart Blogger Day

Let me back track a bit and tell you how I ended up out there. Early last month I got an invitation to the Walmart Blogger Day. Wooohooo!!!

Last week I went out to the Walmart Labs to hear about the new initiatives in the digital and real life world.

I was treated to firsthand look at back to school fashion, a delicious lunch make from recipes on the Walmart blog, and the Savings Catcher app. Also, I got to hear about the new affordable home fashions created by designers Libby Langdon and Courtney Novagratz. Shauna Miller, author of Penny Chic, was also there discussing how to look fabulous and fashion forward on a budget.

I stayed in a king suite at the Wild Palms hotel. It is an older hotel but the rooms were very clean and spacious. The wall were a bit thin but I was so tired it really didn’t matter much because I was fast asleep after a long day.

Wal~mart Savings Catcher

I think that learning more about the Walmart Savings Catcher was the best part of the day for me. I didn’t realize they had this new feature though a few people said they have seen the commercial but didn’t really believe it.

In a nutshell, Walmart will give you money back for your purchases. It works like this:

• Log into your Walmart.com account on the Walmart App
• Scan your Walmart receipt
• Check back to see how much you have made
• Cash in the amount for a Walmart gift card after you get $5 or more cash back

How does Walmart do it? Well they scan competitor sales and if there is something on your list that was a lower price, Walmart will credit you the difference.

So if  you bought a box of cereal for $3.75 at Walmart and Kroger had the same brand and size for $1.99 you would receive $1.76 credit. You might have several items that are on sale at other stores for which you’d receive credit.

At the end of the year you could have quite a large amount of money accumulated. You could even get a large chunk of cash for birthday and holiday gifts at the end of the year.

Recipes, Bling, and Hard Candy

I had my first black bean burger in San Franciso and it was delicious! Who knew?!?!? The recipe was from the Walmart food blog. In fact all the yummy food I had at the Walmart Blogger Day was from recipies from the blog. Here are a few pictures of the catered picnic-style meal.

The day would not have been complete without a little SWAG (Stuff We All Get). Walmart didn’t disappoint. I got my first chunky necklace which I think I looked pretty nice in. I admit I played it safe and got a crystal piece but it goes with mostly everything. The crazy thing about it all is Walmart is selling this costume jewelry for only $10. Pretty nice for dressing up a cute outfit or adding a little pizzazz to a casual ensemble.

The outfit wouldn’t be complete without a little Hard Candy. I’m talking about the brand, Hard Candy, which will be sold through Walmart stores. I had mini-makeover to end the day and I have to say it was different (I don’t wear a ton of eye makeup or lip color) but I was cute.

I was able to pick up a few full-sized samples to take home and play with. My daughter will likely do more experimenting than me but it is nice to have new makeup.

Great Day Overall

My day at the Walmart labs was so fun. I spoke to a few executives and enjoyed hearing about their jobs, families, and living in California. They were a great group of people.

I am planning to get back to California as soon as I can. I loved seeing the mountains and feeling the amazing weather. I want to take the kids out there too. Thought northern California was cool I really want to get to San Deigo for a little Southern California action!

Here is the highlight reel from the day…