RUUM-327x310This weekend, Diary of a First Time Mom hosted a giveaway at RUUM‘s Robinson Township location, just outside of Pittsburgh. The store teamed up with DFTM to celebrate its grand opening of 20 locations nationwide and an online site. The store is super kid-friendly, with helium balloons, a candy bar, coloring stations and a prize counter. Because of the awesome attractions, I didn’t hear the typical complaints from children eager to get out of the crowded mall.

I recruited the store manager to pick a name to win a $25 gift card.  And the winner is…

RUUM Collage

Congrats Ayanna!  Ayanna’s bestie Bernie actually entered the contest on her behalf, since her friend is about to become a first time mom in a few months.

I also received a $25 gift card, but as you can see below, I spent a lot more money! Usually, I feel guilty post shopping splurges, but the store also offered a coupon for purchases over $30. So, I got an additional $10 off. I walked away without these fabulous lace canvas sneakers that I kept going back to but couldn’t convince myself to drop $35 on–especially when I recently got eight pairs of new shoes for my forever growing bean. The shoes kept calling my name.  The voice got louder the further away I got in the mall. I said to myself, God, I know I shouldn’t spend more money, but…if I get a $20 off coupon, I won’t really be breaking the bank, right? The Lord must have smiled down on me that day, because low and behold, the sales associate scanned the mystery coupon for twenty bucks when I went back!  OK, I really shouldn’t blame God for my shopping addiction, but I did feel really blessed!

RUUM2 CollageDidn’t win? Maybe that’s because RUUM has a bigger payout in your future!  The store is running a grand opening sweepstakes with daily $100 giveaways and a $2,000 grand prize.

Hey DFTM fam–Have you experienced the same shopping splurge? What one must-have item called you back into a store to take it home?

About The Author

Vlog Mom/DFTM Creator

Not long ago, Heather Hopson hosted a television show in the Cayman Islands. Today, she's back home writing a different kind of story as a new mom. In her 15 years working as a professional journalist, this by far is her best assignment! Growing up, she dreamed of becoming Oprah Winfrey. She was the features editor for her school’s newspaper and a teen talk show host for her city’s most popular radio station. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University. After graduation, she worked as a television producer and reporter at CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates throughout the U.S. Instead of heading to Chicago to join Ms. Winfrey on her set, she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands instead. She arrived five days before a category five hurricane! She lived in paradise for seven years, hosted an award-winning television show and traveled the globe with a government delegation. She also served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and spearheaded a Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Then, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to obtain a teaching certification and instruct 8th grade reading at a high needs middle school. She later returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to raise her daughter Caitlynn, now 4-years-old. During her 10-month-stint as a stay-at-home mom, Caitlynn inspired her to create this blog, and Diary of a First Time Mom was born on Mother’s Day 2012. Two years later, she expanded the family to include 20+ writers. Currently, Heather serves as the communications director at Allies for Children. In addition, she is the owner of Motor Mouth Multimedia, which ranked #49 in Startup Nation’s Home-Based 100 Competition sponsored by Discover Card and Sam’s Club. Recently, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments selected Heather to receive an Emerging Black Artist award to develop Diary of a First Time Mom.

7 Responses

  2. newmom0608

    Aren’t they!?!? I’m thinking about picking up a pair in gold as well…lol

    Reply
    • newmom0608

      My daughter is getting a lot of wear out of everything. What I love is I can dress up or dress down the sparkly tees.

      Reply
    • newmom0608

      My mom said today how much she loved those shoes and asked if she could wear them to my aunt’s birthday lunch today:) I really want to go back and get the gold pair!

      Reply
  5. Laila @OnlyLaila

    I’ve gotten better at this. I’m going through Financial Peace University and have learned the value of delayed gratification. It’s hard but important for me right now.

    Reply

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