Today I’m going to tell you about an awesome site for any WordPress, Buddypress or WordPress MultiSite user! I’ve been holding back on doing a review for some reason, but today’s special, “Black Friday” deal is so amazing that I couldn’t wait any longer!

If you use WordPress, Buddypress or WordPress MU (multi-user), then listen up! This site is an absolute TREASURE CHEST of plugins, themes and other goodies! In fact, there are over 300 different premium plugins and themes inside this WordPress membership site and tons of community interaction and support. It’s really a favorite find of mine as someone who uses WordPress almost exclusively in all of my projects.

The site is called WPMU Dev, which is supposed to stand for “WordPress Multi-User Dev” since the site was originally focused mostly on developers who used the “multi-user” version of WordPress and the companion BuddyPress platform. Think of those sites that let you have your own profile page, blog and other features? Yep, they probably run on something very similar or exactly like a multi-user setup of WordPress.

However, WPMU Dev has morphed into much more over the last year or so and has been a favorite “go-to” place for multi-user developers AND the standard single-user developers who use WordPress. So if you only have a regular WordPress site that you host yourself, almost everything on the site is applicable to you as well. You don’t need to run multi-user sites to make use of the awesome tools and resources that WPMU Dev puts all in one place.

Their site does such a good job of breaking down exactly what’s inside the membership area so I won’t go into too much detail about each feature, but I wanted to mention a few plugins that they offer only to members that I think are really fantastic. Once you read about the “Black Friday” deal they’re offering today I think you’ll see why I’m so excited!!

Some of my favorite WPMU Dev plugins are…..

Their directory plugin, their Marketpress plugin (that makes your site a full-featured ecommerce site), their apps for SEO, their Affiliate app (allowing you to create an affiliate program in your WP site)….the list is too long for me to even show you but with 131 plugins and counting, there is something for everyone at WPMU Dev.

Want to create a membership site? There’s a plugin for that.

Want to run an affiliate program? There’s a plugin for that.

Want to create a directory or a classified ads site? There’s a plugin for that.

Want to run a site that lets your readers create their own blogs or profile pages? There’s a plugin for that too!

“Ok, Jen…what makes these plugins any better than the freebie ones I find in the WordPress plugin repository?”

I wondered the same thing when I stumbed on WPMU Dev last year. The site has over 51,000 members who test, use and provide feedback on the plugins and themes. They are all thoroughly tested, are guaranteed to work with the latest version of WordPress and all come with unlimited live and forum-based support if you have questions. The forums are hoppin’! Tons of great discussions and they even have a job board that you can post to if you need to hire someone to do more advanced work.

The license for the plugins/themes is very generous too. You can use them on personal or commercial projects and you can use them on as many sites as you like! How many times have you had your hands tied by a personal-only license or a license for a great plugin that allowed you to use something on only one or two sites? You won’t run into that problem on WPMU Dev and that, in itself, makes their membership a fantastic investment.

I also love that REAL companies are using these plugins in their enterprise applications. HP and Cnet among others! Ever heard of a little site called ETSY? How about a school called Stanford? When companies and organizations like that use something, you have to know it’s good!

BLACK FRIDAY DEAL

This is the part where you’re going to get super excited! =)

Normally, a one-year unlimited membership giving you access to all of the plugins, all of the themes, all new plugins, all new themes, all support and community features, access to the job board and membership in their affiliate program (which pays 33% commission, incidentally) is $419 and it’s seriously worth that when you consider that just one of the plugins, MarketPress, is a full-features e-commerce suite of features to run an entire store on your site. Add in the affiliate plugin and the collection of SEO plugins and it’s like having a developer on stand-by feeding your site features and helping you make real money from your site.

By the way, $419 is for a full-year membership and breaks down to an average of only about $35 a month. Even at full-price, this is a great deal!

But on “Black Friday 2011″ they are offering a full one-year membership for 65% off! Instead of $419 it’s only $146.65! That breaks the monthly average price down to only a little over $12!! It’s like having a developer on stand-by for about $3 a week….I told you this was an amazing deal!!

They also have six-month memberships and a month membership for 65% off, but the discount is only for the first payment so you’d save considerably less that way. I’d go for the full-year since you will also get access to anything new that they add to the site during that time. They are always adding new resources, plugins and themes to the membership so it’s not a static purchase at all. Even if your membership expires after a year, you can continue using anything you’ve downloaded from their site too!

Go check out WPMU Dev and be sure to look at some of the FREE WordPress plugins that they have just for visiting! Lots of good ones even in the freebie bin, so you can see the quality of what you’re getting when you choose the paid ones. There are over 30 premium plugins and themes that you can download right now for free, no obligation!

Hurry, if you want this deal it’s for “Black Friday” only! Enjoy!

I have to admit that when I first saw this report, I didn’t think it would be something I’d be interested in. My fear of heights and my general ineptitude at doing most outdoor work made me think this was a “pass”.

But this quick little booklet does outline a pretty neat little business installing holiday lights. Of course, if I did this I’d be a manager ONLY. No way am I getting on a ladder for anything!

But for an enterprising “manager” type that I tend to be this has promise. In fact, I don’t think I know anyone doing this in my area. If there is someone doing it, they sure aren’t marketing it because I’ve never heard of a service like this near me.

So check it out! Pass it on to a friend, relative or maybe husband/boyfriend who doesn’t mind getting up on a ladder and spreading some holiday cheer! =)

(This booklet is freeware: you can pass it on to anyone you like either by email or just sending them here to download it themselves.)

To download this booklet, right click on the graphic or this link here and select, “Save Target As”. It’s a PDF so you’ll need the free Adobe Reader application to open it.

Posts have been a bit sparse lately while I work on changing the design, organizational structure and ultimately the name of AutomaticMoms.

When I started AutomaticMoms.com, the focus of the site was on automation: both from a systems-creating standpoint for getting things done and from a product review standpoint as I researched products which did things automatically.

I love systems! I love things that do things without my attention or intervention! It’s probably one of the reasons why I love automatic website backup software, my Roomba vacuum, and a million other little robots and processes that do things while I sleep or work or spend time with my family.

But as I’ve been writing, I’ve found that automation is much too narrow a focus and my posts have reflected that. I’d rather have a broader theme of “moms getting organized” which, I feel, can include the topics of systems and “robots doing my bidding” while also being inclusive of many other topics. I haven’t necessarily avoided blogging about certain things due to the original brand, but I would like the name of this site to be more reflective of what this site has become so far and WILL become in the future.

That said, things will be changing slowly here. Once all of the changes have been made, AutomaticMoms.com will become OrganizedByMom.com!

Construction, deconstruction and repair of this site as I change things will cause some hiccups. Please bear with me as I make the changes and unveil an entirely brand-new and more organized site in the coming weeks. I’ll even blog about the changes as I make them in the event that some of my readers are curious about how to do it from the technical side of things.

Rebranding isn’t easy and it isn’t always fun, but it is exciting and I’m glad you’ll be here to share the process with me!

While browsing for iron-on transfer paper on Amazon this morning (I’m making a custom shirt for my son’s birthday party) I stumbled on this deal on Mr. Clean Magic Erasers that looks pretty good!

The sale price for an 8-pack is $9.00. There’s also a clippable 50 cent coupon button right in the listing AND if you do “Subscribe and Save” the price drops even more to $7.65. Subtract your 50 cent coupon and the final cost for a package of 8 Magic Erasers is only $7.15 or about 90 cents per eraser.

Remember, no sales tax (in most states, now) saves me in Minnesota about 7 percent over buying the same product in the store, plus with “Subscribe and Save” there is no shipping cost either.

I tend to get free shipping anyway (and access to thousands of TV episodes and movies) via Amazon Prime anyway, but with “Subscribe and Save” you get free shipping as well. Be sure to set your delivery schedule to get regular deliveries at this price, or set it for one month and then come back into your account after your first delivery to cancel your subscription if you don’t want to continue to receive them.

Click here to get this deal!

**Update: As of November 21, 2011, this deal is still active except the 50 cent coupon is not on the page when I visit it from within my account. Whether this is due to the fact I already clipped it or not, I don’t know, so check out this deal to see if it still works for you!

I know most people get energized to clean and organize in the Spring, but I’m an, “Autumn Cleaning” person instead.

Ziploc has a free newsletter (that often comes with coupons!) called Right@Home that I’ve personally filtered into a “must read” folder in my email so that I don’t miss it. Did I mention it has coupons? Did I mention I love coupons? =)

Signup is free and there’s a new stash of coupons available last I checked. You can click on the image to be sent directly there to signup and of course, you can cancel and any time if you decide you don’t like the newsletter. Or the coupons. But that would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

Yes, I love their coupons!

**As of November 21, 2011 this deal is still active! Go get it!

I found this video on YouTube and just had to share! What a great way to organize your jeans without having to stack them, hang them (hello, creases!) or search for the specific pair you want!

It’s never too early to start thinking about Halloween, at least not at our house! Halloween is my ABSOLUTE favorite holiday and whenever I can find some fun, new Halloween products I jump at the chance to add to our collection.

Luckily, someone took the liberty of compiling some of the best Halloween products in one convenient ebook that I’m offering here for you today, FREE!

If you’re planning a Halloween party or need ideas for Halloween decorations, this book might spark an idea or two!

Click here to download it in PDF format for free!