How an Instagram photo taken with my Verizon Droid Ultra landed me on TV #VZWVoices #Save

With the Droid Ultra, you can preview alerts with just a touch of the screen...

On Black Friday, my Verizon Droid Ultra smartphone was a bargain sharing dynamo...

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Savers Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

About a week before Thanksgiving, I wrote a blog post telling everyone about my partnership with Hay There Social Media and Local 4 News to be part of a group of bargain savvy bloggers called the #Local4Shopping Tweet Team.

Starting on Thanksgiving night and running through Cyber Monday, I and the rest of the Tweet Team hit the streets and the websites to find and tweet out local Metro Detroit and national deals (using the hashtag #local4shopping) to help everyone to get the lowest prices on holiday purchases.

Now there is no way to be part of a "Tweet Team" without using a great smartphone and my Verizon Droid Ultra Smartphone was the perfect social media tool to tweet and Instagram out the word on great bargains during the Black Friday weekend shopping rush.

Now I personally don't like to shop in a crowd so most of my shopping for my son was done online Thanksgiving morning. But I did have Black Friday plans which included a run to my neighborhood RadioShack for some "Black Friday only" tech bargains and then on to my local Target to see if I could find some unadvertised Black Friday doorbusters.

I found some awesome bargains during my RadioShack shopping trip and was then very pleasantly surprised when I arrived at my local Target and found the store did not appear any more crowded than a normal shopping day.

I did not think anyone would believe how normal it was at Target on a Black Friday unless I took a photo. So I pulled out my Verizon Droid Ultra smartphone, twisted it twice to launch the camera app from the lock screen, and took a crystal clear photo of an empty Target store which I immediately posted to Instagram and Twitter with the following caption -

"Typical day at @Target Northland. You would never know it is #BlackFriday here. #local4shopping."

Little did I know at the time that a TV producer from Local 4 News was checking the #local4shopping Twitter hashtag at the moment that I posted the photo. He too could not believe that a Target store was so normal on Black Friday and he thought that would make an interesting story for the 5pm newscast.

There is my Verizon Droid Ultra on camera :)

So the next thing I know, my Verizon Droid Ultra smartphone is ringing and 30 minutes after I answer the call, I am standing in my local Target store surrounded by a cameraman, a lighting guy and a TV producer while I am interviewed about my Black Friday shopping experience.

You can view my Black Friday interview by watching the video below or by going to the FREEISMYLIFE YouTube channel.

So, I made my television debut just from taking a photo on Black Friday and posting it to social media with my Verizon Droid Ultra smartphone. How cool!

And since I love a bargain (Black Friday or not), I thought I would share that the Verizon Droid Ultra by Motorola is now available for only $99 with a 2 year contract - which is $100 off the normal price from just a month ago.

As 2013 draws to an end, so does my involvement with the Verizon Savers Voices Program. I have learned much over the last six months while reviewing the Droid Ultra by Motorola and the Verizon Blackberry Z10 smartphones.

So watch for my final post in the Verizon Savers Voices series where I share with you the Top 5 Things that I Learned about Smartphones thanks to Verizon Savers Voices and the best ways they can be used in our everyday lives.


Enjoy!


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TECH: #RadioShack Stores have been Redesigned for Holiday Shopping and beyond! #MC

The newly designed Radio Shack stores are all about demoing the products...

New RadioShack stores are designed to make tech shopping a breeze...

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for RadioShack. I received a gift card to facilitate a shopping trip and promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Did you brave the crowds on Thanksgiving night and Black Friday? As much as I love discount shopping, crowds are really not my thing. On Black Friday, I got up nice and late and took my sweet time to go shopping because I already knew that most everything on my shopping list was available down the street from my house at the brand new (and newly designed) RadioShack store at the Gateway Mall at 8 mile and Woodward in Detroit.

New RadioShack store at 8 Mile and Woodward in Detroit

This RadioShack store at the Gateway Mall is only a month old and sports a new hip and cool interior design with updated merchandise that is now shared by RadioShack stores in 21 cities across the country.

If you read my last post where I detailed my RadioShack Black Friday shopping plans, I needed to buy tech gifts for a charity called Operation Good Cheer which I donate to every holiday by "adopting" a chid in need who is the same age as my son and buying that child holiday gifts. Also my son needs some new ear buds since he is constantly losing them.

From reading the Black Friday ad, I knew that I could buy all the tech gifts that I needed at a good price in one shopping trip at RadioShack. And my Black Friday shopping trip to RadioShack was just how I like shopping to be - quick and cheap!!!

Nice haul for only $30 TOTAL!!!

My Operation Good Cheer child asked for two tech gifts - a remote control plane and a cell phone.  For Black Friday, RadioShack sold the RC Execuheli remote control plane for $15 - which is 50% off the retail price. Also for Black Friday, RadioShack sold a Samsung no-contract Tracfone bundle for only $5.

I was also able to buy two pair of earbuds for my son since RadioShack sold Auvio Pearl Buds at 66% off for $4.99 on Black Friday. Thanks to these great deals at RadioShack, I only spent $30 total - HOLLA!!

The new RadioShack stores feature a cool design and are setup for you to try out products...

The new RadioShack Store design is pretty sweet...
The new RadioShack store layout is great for consumers who like to try out items before they buy them.  I liked that I could see what the helicopter that I bought would look like out of the box since RadioShack had all the planes that they sold on display.

If you are looking for stereo equipment, you will love the new RadioShack setup.  I found all the headphones and speakers are setup and turned on so that I could hear how the sound differed from product to product.

I fell in love with a pair of Sol Republic headphones (which were 20% off) after listening to them and all the other headphone brands. I could tell right away that the Sol Republic Headphones sound quality were far superior to the other brands.  I will be back to get me a pair after the holidays.

RadioShack has also setup the speakers for your listening pleasure all along one wall.  Just hit the buttons on the touchscreen panel (which is located right in front of the speaker wall) and music plays out of the chosen speaker so you can test out and compare products.

Have you seen RadioShack's new logo?

Holiday shoppers like me were among the first to experience RadioShack’s recently updated stores. But by the end of 2013, RadioShack will have more than 100 concept and brand statement stores open and will have made improvements to nearly all 4,300 stores throughout the nation.

So if you have not been inside a RadioShack store lately, I suggest you take a peek for yourself. Just look for the new exterior store signage bearing RadioShack's cool new logo. You can also shop RadioShack online for your holiday purchases. And remember pick-up a RadioShack sales ad to see what holiday bargains will await you...


Enjoy!


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TECH: I'm Holiday Deal Shopping at #RadioShack this Black Friday starting at 8am #MC

The Radio Shack Black Friday ad has the bargains that I am looking for...

Radio Shack has Black Friday and "Name Your Deal" promotions that you don't want to miss...

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for RadioShack. I received a gift card to facilitate a shopping trip and promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I think holidays should be more about giving than receiving.  So every year around this time at my place of work, I participate in a program called Operation Good Cheer where my family "adopts" a chid the same age as my son for which we buy holidays gifts.

I started participating in Operation Good Cheer many years ago when my son was around two years old.  My son would get so many gifts for the holidays from my family and friends that I just did not feel that he needed any more from me.  So I would use that money to buy for kids in Operation Good Cheer. The circumstances that the children in Operation Good Cheer find themselves in are just heartbreaking. So I feel very privileged to be able to give one child who is the same age as my son a little holiday cheer.

This year, my shopping list for Operation Good Cheer is a combination of clothing and electronics. All the clothing has been purchased, but I am waiting to shop for electronics until Black Friday when deals are plentiful.

One of the electronics gifts that I need to shop for is a remote control plane. While combing the leaked Black Friday ads, I came across a really great deal being offered by Radio Shack for a very nice RC Execuheli remote control plane that will be sold for 50% off starting on Black Friday for only $15!!!. Also my son needs some earbuds (he had lost 3 pair this year) and Radio Shack will have some Auvio Pearl Buds 66% off for $4.99 - which means I can stock up.

I will be be honest is saying that I have not been in a Radio Shack store in quite a while, but when the right deal comes along like this one at Radio Shack, I have to check out what else is being offered by that store.

I found out that in addition to the deals already listed for Black Friday, Radio Shack is running a holiday promotion called "Name Your Deal" where customers were able to vote until November 25th on which deals they wanted and then on November 27th, based on the submissions, RadioShack will select the five top deals and we all will have the chance to get a coupon code for each product starting at 9am EST.

New Radio Shack store at 8 Mile and Woodward in Detroit

I also found out that Radio Shack is in the process of redesigning their brick-and-mortar stores to make the in-store shopping experience more appealing to consumers. One of the brand new Radio Shack stores just opened in my neigborhood on 8 Mile and Woodward. There is nothing that frustrates me more than to not know my way around a store on Black Friday, so today I popped into the new 8 Mile and Woodward Radio Shack store to scope out the surroundings before the big day on Friday.

The newly designed Radio Shack stores are all about demoing the products...

The new Radio Shack Store design is pretty sweet...
The new Radio Shack store layout is great for consumers who like to try out items before they buy them.  If you are looking for stereo equipment, you will love the new Radio Shack setup.  I found all the headphones and speakers are setup and turned on so that I could hear how the sound differed from product to product.

I recently broke my headphones and have been contemplating purchasing a pair of Sol Republic Headphones, but I did not know if they were really worth the money. The Sol Republic headphones are suppose to be the same quality as Beats headphones, but at half the price. At the new Radio Shack store, I was able to try on all the different headphone brands while listening to the same music on each.  I could tell right away that the Sol Republic Headphone sounded great and were far superior to the other brands.

Radio Shack has setup the speakers for your listening pleasure all along one wall.  Just hit the buttons on the touchscreen panel (which is located right in front of the speaker wall) and music plays out of the chosen speaker so you can test out and compare products.

Radio Shack will have Arvio Portable Bluetooth Speaker 50% off on Black Friday for $39.99 and by listening to all the speakers I found out that the Black Friday deal on the Arvio will yield a great sounding speaker at a great price.

Wednesday, November 27th is "D" Day to get the hot "Name Your Deal" Coupons...

In addition to all the great deals I plan to buy from the Radio Shack Black Friday ad, I will also be checking in to the Radio Shack Holiday Hub website on Wednesday, November 27th at 9am EST to see which products made the top 5 deals so I can get one of the coupons.

Radio Shack stores opens at 8 a.m. November 29th for Black Friday (Mall stores follow posted hours). Shoppers will find Black Friday deals of up to 80% off starting online Thanksgiving Day on RadioShack.com and the Radio Shack Cyber Monday sale begins December 2nd at 12 a.m.

So check back for my next post where I will tell you how my Black Friday shopping experience goes at the newly designed Radio Shack store in my neighborhood.

And make sure that you go to the Radio Shack Holiday Hub website on November 27th at 9am EST to try and claim a coupon for one of the 5 hot deals!!!

These Radio Shack "Name Your Deal" coupons will not last long so be on time and ready to snatch one up.


Enjoy!


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Blaze Pizza will give away FREE pizza on Black Friday 11/29 at its new store in Novi

Free Pizza Black Friday for Blaze Grand Opening in Novi...

While people are shopping the Black Friday deals, Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza will offer free pizza to celebrate its grand opening in Novi, MI.

The restaurant will give away FREE custom-built artisanal pizzas from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, November 29 at its new Novi location across from Novi Town Center at 26401 Novi Road.

“We can’t wait for Novi to get its first taste of Blaze Pizza,” said Rodney Walker, leader of Blaze Midwest, Inc., which operates the restaurant, in a news release. “Being able to provide a customized, artisanal pizza that’s cooked in less than three minutes is something we feel local residents will get fired up about.”

Blaze Pizza uses an assembly line format to create artisan pizzas for $6.95. Customers watch as they travel down an assembly line to create a signature pizza or design one of their own, choosing from over 40 toppings. Then, using a blazing-hot oven, pizzas are ready in 120 seconds.

Blaze Pizza also offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese, plus signature salads, fresh lemonades and house-made S’more Pies.

The Novi restaurant is part of a plan to build 10 Blaze Pizzas in metro-Detroit and throughout Michigan. Pasadena-based Blaze Pizza currently has about 20 restaurant locations throughout the country. The Novi restaurant has urban architectural notes inspired by fire, with more than 60 seats inside and an outdoor patio for summertime dining.

Novi's Blaze Pizza will also have a fundraiser program that returns 20 percent of an event’s proceeds back to local organizations and plans to partner with local schools, sports clubs and other local organizations to host fundraising events at the new restaurant.

Visit www.blazepizza.com or www.facebook.com/blazepizza for more information.

Novi Blaze Pizza
26401 Novi Road
Novi, MI


Enjoy!


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Come #BlackFriday Metro #Detroit Holiday Shopping with the #Local4Shopping Tweet Team

The Local 4 Shopping Tweet Team knows Black Friday deals...

Disclosure: I was selected for this sponsored opportunity by Hay There Social Media

I love a good bargain - but I guess that is a far gone conclusion given the name of my blog :)

My motto is "buy low or don't go" so I try to get the best price on everything that I purchase and only purchase what I need.

If you are like me and never pay full price for anything, then you need to follow me and a group of other local Metro Detroit bloggers for the up coming Black Friday shopping weekend as we tweet out bargains as part of the ClickOnDetroit #Local4Shopping Tweet Team.

The #Local4Shopping Tweet Team is made up of myself and the following deal loving Metro Detroit bloggers -

Me with part of the #Local4Shopping Tweet Team...

Members of the #Local4Shopping Tweet Team hard at work finding you a deal..

- Emily Hay from Hay There Media
- Aly Mashrah from The Michigan Mom blog
- Deanna Rose from Deanna Rose Write blog
- Elizabeth Sabourin from The Detroit Duchess blog
- Amber Louchart from The Metro Detroit Mom blog
- Jolyn Felten from the Bargains 2 Bounty blog
- Bree Glenn from the Bree Glenn blog
- Lauren Weber from the Mrs. Weber's Neighborhood blog
- Inez Parker from the Style Chic 360 blog
- Betsy Murdoch from the Betsy Murdoch blog

Starting on Thanksgiving night and running through Cyber Monday, we will be hitting the streets and the websites to find and tweet out local Metro Detroit and national deals (using the hashtag #local4shopping) to help you get the the lowest prices on your holiday purchases.

These Beats headphones will be a steal at Target...

Since you all know how much I love technology and gadgets, I have combed the leaked Black Friday ads and posted three tech deals over on ClickOnDetroit.com that you don't want to miss.

So check out my tech suggestions and other Black Friday deals at http://bit.ly/Local4shop


And tune in to Local 4 News on Friday, November 22, 2013 at 11pm to see me and the other Tweet Team bloggers talking Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and steals…

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