It’s been several months since my 14-year-old daughter boxed up all her Stanley tumblers and donated them to make room for her Owala water bottles. My girl swears by them for keeping her water cold for hours and loves that they come in colorful designs. Everyone in my home has now switched to Owala and feels pretty pleased with the brand’s insulated cups, from 40-ounce straw tumblers to 24-ounce screw-top water bottles.

My family has only a couple of critiques about the original tumblers and water bottles. Occasionally, my daughter found the water bottle’s push-button lid open when she carried it to theater rehearsal in her tote bag. She also has an autoimmune disease that causes a great deal of joint pain, so she’d occasionally comment that it was hard for her to hold onto the carrying loop on days when her fingers were swollen. 

One of my favorite parts of having teenagers is sharing clothing, accessories, and bags with my 14-year-old daughter. After all, spending more than I usually would on an item feels more reasonable when I know two people will get lots of use out of it. To learn about what’s trending in fashion, my daughter and I both turn to social media. Recently, we’ve been sending each other TikToks of women of all ages sharing their love of a stylish, durable bag: the Longchamp Le Pliage Tote.

Halloween is one of my family's favorite holidays to celebrate, but we also love having decorations up throughout autumn.

We're known to host spooky dinner parties and serve as the home base for our kids and their friends as they go trick-or-treating, so it's important to me to decorate our house with plenty of jack-o'-lanterns, skeletons, and witches.

As a food and travel writer who spends lots of time in theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, I’m always on the lookout for a good small bag to carry my belongings on long park days. It never occurred to me to combine my choice of crossbody bag with my love of meeting and interacting with theme park characters until I spotted a person on a recent Disney trip who was carrying a white, faux leather mini backpack and a handful of permanent markers, having characters like Mickey Mouse and Princess Tiana sign their bag.

Before I even left the park, I hopped onto Amazon, hunting for faux leather bags that were the perfect material for character autographs.

Target and Walmart are usually our go-to spots for supplies. The discount department stores tend to have a broad selection and decent prices, so I was curious how they compared.

Recently, I shopped at Lowe's and Home Depot to see which home-improvement store would be my go-to summer shopping destination.

It's been nearly a decade since I shopped at Gap or Banana Republic, but the retailers — both owned by parent company Gap Inc. — have been mall staples for as long as I can remember.

I recently visited both stores at my local Orlando mall to get a sense of the value each offers. Here's what my experience was like.

A little over a year ago, a Costco warehouse opened about 40 minutes from my home. I canceled both my BJ's and Sam's Club memberships without hesitation and gladly embraced weekly drives to our new Costco. I can honestly say I've never looked back.

I love shopping at Aldi and Trader Joe's for my family's groceries.

Both chains carry unique specialty items, and the holidays always bring seasonal items that everyone in my house looks forward to.

Recently, I went to Aldi and Trader Joe's to compare each grocery store's seasonal and holiday offerings. I was surprised by which of the two felt more festive in early/mid-November.

Like most food writers, I get really excited about discovering new food products that my family loves. And when those tasty treats also work in a variety of recipes in my kitchen, I consider that to be a major win. So when I started seeing all of the things people were using Great Value freeze-dried strawberry fruit crisps for on social media, I knew I had to pick up a bag on my next shopping trip to Walmart.

Missing the thrill of scoring those Amazon Prime Day deals? Luckily for us, the mega retailer has announced a new set of deals exclusive to Prime members just ahead of the holiday season. Amazon Prime Big Deal Days will run on October 10 and 11, and the event is perfect for Amazon lovers who need a savings fix between Prime Day and Black Friday. On these two days, expect deals on everything from electronics to clothing—and even hair growth products.

My family visits theme parks all the time, and it’s no secret that standing in line for rides all day can be a sweltering summertime activity. And while we’re nearing the official start of fall, it’s still quite hot out in many parts of the country.

I’ll admit, I’ve always thought people who wore portable fans around their necks to beat the heat looked a little funny, but recently, one of my most trusted theme park friends arrived at our Walt Disney World dinner table wearing a HandFan portable fan. She raved that it had made her entire day at the park so much better, so I figured I’d give it a try.

Since it was founded in 2012, grocery delivery service Instacart has grown to provide shopping services to customers across the U.S. and Canada, employing more than 500,000 personal shoppers who scour stores to bring the products consumers need right to their door.

I’ve been using Instacart for more than five years, depending on its shoppers to bring me everything from my weekly groceries to Gatorade and cold medicine when I’m sick to printer toner when my printer has run out during the middle of a deadline. Instacart is fast and easy to use, albeit a little pricier than services like Walmart Plus. Still, there have been plenty of times I’ve found the service invaluable and more than a little worth it.

I first noticed people wearing Hey Dude slip-on shoes as I ran errands in my little Florida beach town. People wore the shoes — which come in a variety of colors, fabrics, and patterns — everywhere, from the beach to the grocery store. As someone who lives by the shore, my go-to daily uniform usually includes flip-flops or Birkenstocks, so I was curious about the shoes, which looked almost sneaker-like with a slip-on style.

Hey Dude styles range from sandals to platform sneakers, but I set my sights on the Wendy style, a convenient slip-on sneaker known for having a lightweight sole and laces that are purely decorative, with no need to tie. In addition to being a travel writer, I’m a busy mom, so the idea of slipping shoes on fast for kid drop-off or dog walks definitely intrigued me. Because I live in the Sunshine State and it’s warm year-round, I picked a gray linen style that was on sale for just $30 at Amazon.

I was eating breakfast at a hotel on a recent trip when I noticed a woman wearing a two-piece shorts outfit that I absolutely loved. I asked her where it was from and she was kind enough to share the Amazon link with me. At $33, I also loved the price, so I ordered one on the spot and added it to my summer travel wardrobe.

The Trendy Queen Womens Shorts Set is made of a breathable linen and rayon fabric and consists of a pair of high-waisted shorts and a sleeveless cropped tank. It comes in a ton of colors, from hot pink to lemon yellow, but I bought it in black to take with me on an upcoming vacation, knowing I could dress it up with statement earrings and wedges or toss on my Birkenstocks and go a bit more casual.

For college students, one of the most vital school supplies is a good laptop. College is tough without the ability to check for professor emails, type up term papers and do online research, so it’s important to keep those laptops safe and in good working condition. Enter the laptop backpack — a carry-all designed to protect precious laptops from drops, spills and other hazards.

As college students return to the classrooms, one of the best back-to-school investments is a good laptop backpack, so we’ve rounded up 8 of the best ones to keep your kid’s laptop safe.

Ask any parent and they’ll tell you: It’s much easier to shop for younger kids than teenagers. At back-to-school time, parents of high schoolers face the unique challenge of buying school supplies, clothing, shoes,and other necessities that their teens think are cool, or at the very least are not embarrassing.

Choosing the best backpack for high school students can be tricky. Bigger kids need more space for necessities like textbooks, tablets and laptops. And, since their school necessities are heavier than those of elementary-aged kids, they need backpacks that ease the strain on their backs. At the same time, a high schooler’s backpack needs to be stylish enough to keep them sure their peers will approve. It’s a lot.

I have a tendency to overpack, but as a travel writer who often travels with her kids in tow, I’ve made great strides in lessening the amount of clothing I pack in my suitcase. When I go on a trip these days, I try to keep things as minimalist as possible, which can be a challenge when you’re packing not only daytime and evening outfits, but also swimsuits and cover-ups.

As I was planning for a recent European cruise, I discovered reversible swimsuits from Carve Designs. I had no idea that reversible bathing suits existed, so I excitedly ordered a few reversible tops and bottoms from the brand to test out on my trip. Instead of packing four swimsuits, I packed only two, both of which were fully reversible.

If you’ve seen the previews for the record-breaking Barbie movie, you’ll likely remember a hilarious scene where “Weird Barbie,” played by Kate McKinnon, offers Margot Robbie’s Barbie a choice: Without giving away spoilers, Barbie must visit the real world and is given the option to choose between her traditional stylish pink heels, or swap to brown Birkenstock sandals — which turn out to be a pretty significant symbol throughout the film. The heels are Barbie’s preference, but in the end, Weird Barbie convinces her to go on a journey of self-discovery, brown leather sandals and all.

The iconic Birkenstock Arizonas make another pivotal appearance later on in the film when Barbie is seen rocking baby pink Birks, the perfect blend of style and function.

Heading back to school brings kids lots of things to get excited about, but one of the most fun things about a new school year is picking out a brand-new backpack. For younger kids, backpacks are often chosen because of the design or color. Still, there are features that can benefit even the smallest of kids as they head back to the classroom — ones that go beyond that animated character on the pocket or that perfect shade of Barbie pink.

From water bottle pockets to matching lunch boxes, we’ve rounded up nine backpacks on Amazon that have features perfect for kids of all ages as they return to school. And yes, we like to think they’re still pretty stylish, too.