Mailbox Round Up

Here's what came in the mail last week:

Magazines (all free):
eWeek
Wine Spectator
Yachts International (I can dream...)
Voice of the Martyrs (with flyer Is secret Christian work "illegal"?

Samples:
Airborne

Other Stuff:
Coupon for BOGO Starkist Tuna (from Vocalpoint)
5 $1 off Coke coupons (from RecycleBank)
BOGO Soft Scrub coupon (did you know you can request it to be sent to you if you can't get a Bricks coupon to print???)
Betty Crocker calendar (wish it had coupons!)
$10 payout from Ipsos I-Say survey panel

Laugh of the week:
This is what a card said that came with the Airborne:
"Thanks for being a Fan! Unfortunately, you were not amog the first 2,000 fans to sign up for our Free Sample Giveaway. But we are truly grateful for your support, so enjoy this sample of Airborne!"

Huh???

How did you do?

Proud to be part of Mailbox Monday on A Frugal Friend.

My personal mission

I need a stroller.

When my 3 year old was born, we were given my sister's older stroller which was given to her when my niece was born. In 1998.

It served it's purpose pretty well, until the roads around here tore up the wheels. And I realized it really wasn't current on safety features.

So, I need a stroller.

I'm uber-thrifty (almost cheap, but not there yet!) so I just can't pay the full retail price for the one I really want.

So, I'm letting Swagbucks and my survey sites buy me a stroller. I've now saved up over $40 in Amazon credit, just through these sites. Oh, and I have $15 more pending! I'm almost there!

I'm using other sites, which pay by check or gift card, to save up for birthdays and Christmas.

Here are the sites I'm using:
Swagbucks
InBox Dollars (need an email invite?)
Opinion Outpost
MyPoints (cashing out for date night gift cards!, want an invite?)
Reward Port (need an email invite?)
MindField
Daily Survey Panel
Reward Port Surveys
My Survey (need an email invite?)
Lightspeed Panel

I'm also using 1SaleADay to find free or really cheap gifts for friends and family. I think it would be awesome to pay nothing for birthdays and Christmas this year!

Why am I telling you all this? Well, to start, I want to prove that you can make money online without a lot of effort. Also, I get referral points if you sign up through me. And I really need a stroller...

FREE cips and salsa

Sign up for Chili's Email Club and you'll be sent a coupon for FREE chips and salsa!

Free Stayfree Sample

Go HERE to get a free sample of Stayfree Ultra Thin Overnights. These usually come with great coupons! I put all the samples of feminine protection in the glove box, just in case!

L'Oreal Challenge Results

For the past 4 weeks, I've been participating in the L'Oreal Lash Boosting Challenge for BzzAgent. I've been using the Lash Boosting Serum two times a day and Lash Boosting Mascara daily. (Which was funny to me on days when I only used foundation and mascara. I felt "fancy" while staying at home with two screaming kids!)

The macara and serum were supposed to produce "visibly thicker, fuller, bare lashes that look multiplied" and have "less lash fall out". The mascara is double sided. The first step is a conditioner primer which will "prep lashes and boost their condition" and the mascara will give "80% longer lashes instantly".

Did it work? Well, yes and no. Yes, I did see far less lash "drop out" and they did seem fuller, probably as a result of having more. Now for the no: I stopped using the serum Monday, which was the final day of the challenge, and my lashes are falling out just as much as they did before I ever used the product.

It was supposed to produce better looking bare lashes and I can't say I saw a difference. My husband didn't notice any difference either and he's far more observant than I am!

Now, I'm sold on the mascara. The two step mascara does produce long, gorgeous lashes, but only when both steps are used. If I only used the mascara without the primer, it wasn't any different from all other mascaras I've used.

So, am I going to buy this product? No. I think it's priced above what I'm comfortable paying for any make-up product. If you don't mind the price of it, I recommend the mascara.

I was supposed to take "after" photos, but there really isn't a difference worth noting, so I did not.

For more information about this product, visit L'Oreal Paris HERE. This product is available in the L'Oreal Paris cosmetics section in major retailers and has been ophthalmologist and allergy tested and is safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

I was provided, free of charge, one set of both serum and mascara from L'Oreal, through BzzAgent. The opinions and experiences are honest and are my own and have in no way been influenced.

Vita Craves Mission

I have been using Vita Craves chewy vitamins for a few weeks now and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about them. They taste great and they're easy to take. I just don't feel like I'm taking a vitamin when I chew them. Which I guess is a good thing. There is no chalky taste that I've experienced with other chewables.

The nutrition facts on the bottle tell me that I'm taking a complete vitamin and I have been feeling better, but something in my brain just doesn't connect them with vitamins. My son thinks I'm eating candy when I take them and yells at me to give him some!

I guess, all in all, I'm happy with them. I'll have to keep on them since it's a really easy way to take vitamins.

I was provided a free bottle of VitaCraves from One a Day, through Smile.ly, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Avery labels

Go here to get a sample of Avery Label Pads. I can't wait for mine! I have boxes to organize!!!

Free Diapers

Go over to P&G Brand Sampler to get a free 3 pack of new Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max. You have to register and there are lots of coupons you can select to get too!

Heluva Good Facebook Freebie!

Become a fan of Heluva Good on Facebook today and you can register for a coupon to get one free product!

P&G eStore

I've recently discovered the Proctor and Gamble eStore. It's new and not fully functional, yet. Once it's up, I think it's going to be a great place to find deals on household items. I've personally done a few surveys for them telling them how I shop and what I typically purchase.

If you're interested, click HERE to go and sign up.

For every new member who joins, they will donate $2 to the Childrens Safe Drinking Water program (www.csdw.org). To date, the program has provided over 1.8 billion liters of clean, safe drinking water to families around the world.

And remember, members can receive rewards such as product samples, online gift cards and donations to your favorite charities as well as periodic discounts on life’s essentials!

Book Review: Plain Pursuit

When I selected this book from the Book Sneeze website (formerly Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers), I was skeptical. I’ve never read anything in the hugely popular Amish fiction genre. Honestly, I thought it was “hokey” and that I wouldn’t enjoy it at all.

Oh boy, was I wrong. Beth Wiseman is a wonderful story-teller. I found myself unable to put the book down! Yes, it’s predictable, but it’s still a good read. Some of the feelings and attitudes shown by Carley are ones that are universal: doubt, unworthiness, guilt. She deals with them in ways in which most women can relate.

The descriptions of the land and life of the Amish is refreshing anf accurate, without any of the condemnation of their practices I’ve seen in other books and stories. It’s not likely that I’ll pick another Amish fiction book, but I did enjoy this one.

I am a member of Book Sneeze’s Blogger program. I received no monetary compensation for my opinions. A copy of the book was provided for me to read, in exchange for my honest opinions of the book. Go here to learn more about the program: http://booksneeze.com/

Hardest day so far.

Today is shaping up to be the hardest day so far with the new baby. He's been sleeping well at night, but only if he's being held. Which means my wonderful husband and myself have been alternating nights on the couch so we can prop ourselves up to hold him. That has to stop! So today, I'm putting him in the pack and play whenever he falls asleep. It's terribly difficult to listen to him scream and cry, but he has to learn to soothe himself and most importantly, to sleep somewhere other than on mom or dad. Oy...

Mailbox Round Up

Here's what came in the mail last week:





Magazines (all free):
Business Week
US News and World Report (2 issues)
Shape
eWeek
Enjoying Everyday Life (from Joyce Meyers Ministries)
Southern Living
Baby Talk
Weight Watchers

Samples:
Glowelle drink mixes *with a really cute bag!
Huggies Pull Ups

Other Stuff:
Huggies coupons
Bath Thermometer (free with purchase)
Golf Scope (from 1 Sale A Day, only paid shipping...Christmas gift!)
Disney stickers

How did you do?

Proud to be part of Mailbox Monday on A Frugal Friend.

Dinner conversations

If you were a fly on the wall in my house, this is what you would have heard at dinner:

Dad (to son): You need to eat your meat so you can get strong muscles and jump high and run fast.

3 yr old Son (to Dad): I'll walk and make small jumps. Oops, my muscles aren't growing either.

Menu Monday

I'm still going on the Eat From the Pantry Challenge. I do freely admit to cheating a bit though. A few nights we picked up because we were so exhausted. Here's what's on the calendar for this week:

Monday - Ro*tel beef dip and nachos
Tuesday - chicken, Uncle Ben's rice and CA veggies
Wednesday - nuggets and fries (short on time)
Thursday - burgers (got a great deal on beef at the local university's "meat lab" where students learn to be butchers!)
Friday - not sure...hubby having outpatient procedure so I don't know what we'll feel like eating

My budget has been blown thanks to Pull Ups and formula. Next month I'll be more realistic on that goal...

I'm just sayin...

I'm mad at the new Walgreens guy. All my lady checkers do my coupons right. This guy couldn't get my Aussie $1 off coupon to scan and proceeded to tell me that I had to buy one of the products in the picture. He also said "this is for PG Brand Saver Brand"...WRONG! (Dealing with the manager is worse than paying $1 more than I wanted...)

I'm also mad at my Wal Mart checker today. My $3 Chef's Requested coupon wouldn't scan so he typed it in. Then I get home and realize he only put it in for $1. My trip would have been less than $10!

What do you do when you realize a coupon wasn't scanned/entered correctly.

Rebate Round Up

Tara at Deal Seeking Mom has a post HERE with a bunch of current rebate offers.

Thanks Tara!

Mailbox Round Up

Here's what came in the mail last week:
Magazines (all free):

• Business Week
• Garden Design
• Food Network (part of a deal on Magazines.com, through MyPoints. Not only did I get for free, earned points toward a Chili's card for date nights!)
• CBS Watch
• Muscle and Fitness
• Lowe's Creative Ideas (love the laundry room ideas...link has Ideas for Woodworkers and Garden available)
• Wood (gonna be given to a local carpenter)
• Travel & Leisure
• Family Fun (thank you Swagbucks)

Coupons:

• FREE International Delight Creamer
• FREE Yoplait Smoothies (which my Wal-Mart does not carry!) (from Pssst... Network)
• 10 $1.25 Off Yoplait Smoothies (for friends)
• $5 Similac formula check
• $5 and $1 Nestle Good Start formula checks
• $2 Enfamil formula check
• $2 off Vitacraves vitamins (from smile.ly...review coming soon!)

Other stuff:

• 2010 Pillsbury calendar (little disappointed there aren't coupons)
• Rockabye Baby Metallica Lullabies CD (Huggies points redemption)
• Bound No More short devotional booklet from Joyce Meyer Ministries
• VitaCraves Gummy Vitamins (from smile.ly. Review coming soon!)
• $5 Check from Mindfield Surveys
• $20 Target gift card for doing an In-Home Product Test

How did you do?

Proud to be part of Mailbox Monday at A Frugal Friend!

Free Family Circle

Go here to sign up for three free issues of Family Circle magazine. You'll get the May, June, and July 2010 issues of Family Circle free.

No strings attached.

You'll never receive a bill.

Great Sale Site

If you like finding good deal, you need to check out 1 Sale A Day. There are 5 great deals which run until either the item sells out or midnight.

Today they have:

• Vivitar SF3000 Digital Slave Flash For Digital SLR Cameras - Enhance Photos, Colors & Saturation Retail Price: $99.99 Savings: (91 %) $90.00 Our Price: $9.99
• FREE Electronic Lazer Blaster with Red Light and Lazer Sounds Our Price: $0.00
• Diamond and 8.5mm Freshwater Pearl Pendant in Sterling Silver w/ Chain + Gift Box Retail Price: $199.99, Savings: (91 %) $180.00, Our Price: $19.99

Last week I got a golf range finder for free, which will be a gift! You do gave to pay shipping, but it's usually $3.99 or $4.99.

Free Wet Ones next week

Next week, Walgreens will have Wet Ones on sale 2/$4 with a $1 RR. Go here for a $1.50/1 coupon after you take the pledge. You can print it two times and you can use one coupon per item purchased. That makes them free after RR!

Cheap Amazon Magazines

I love magazines. I search them for recipes, ideas for the kiddos and house, and exercise tips to ignore. While I totally advocate getting your magazines for free, there are simply some that you cannot find for free. So of course, you want to get them cheap!

Amazon has a deal on this list of magazines where you will receive a $5 promotional certificate within two weeks for use on a future Amazon.com purchase when you subscribe.

Some of the magazines on the list are:

O, The Oprah Magazine (makes it $13 for a year)
Southern Living (makes it $11 for a year)
Real Simple
This Old House (makes it $7 for a year)
Popular Mechanics (makes it $5 for a year!!!)
Smart Money (makes it $5 for a year!!!)
Better Homes and Gardens (makes it $9.97 for a year)

and a LOT more. Go check it out!

I am a member of Amazon Affiliates and will receive a 4% commission on any orders placed through a link I have provided.

RecycleBank

I few days ago I read on Hey It's Free about a program called RecycleBank. If you sign up, your account will be credited with 100 points. That’s enough to immediately cash out for a prize!

I cashed out my registration points for 5 $1 off any Coke product. These will come in handy!

THEN...I read about Kashless, which is similar to Freecycle. The cool thing about it is that you can save a search for the items you want/need. I did lots of baby gear searches since I'm refusing to pay full price for a stroller for Baby C. Here's the best part, every time you save a search, you get points (up to 300 per week) that you can redeem at RecycleBank!!!!

I redeemed for 3 magazine subscriptions for free and still have points left over! You will find some great prizes! I've seen FREE Seventh Generation products, iTunes cards and in the Boutique, there are some awesome prizes worth saving up for!

*************
Okay, I've received several anonymous comments (which I do not post, as a rule. If you're going to gripe at me, at least leave a name or something so I can respond.) about my post.

Yes, RecycleBank is for doing good for the environment. However, the town in which I live does NOTHING as far as recycling, so I can't get points for recycling.

When I have electronics to recycle I will. Just gave two tvs away with Freecycle a few months ago and I've sent several cell phones in for a charity which I support to recycle. I'm not going to send them anywhere else. The other cause is too dear to me.

And I will not sign up for and use a credit card for points.

Kashless is what I have chosen to use for my "green" efforts. I've actually been looking for things I need and for things to post. So what if I get a reward for it.

Do not yell at me in comments. Don't jump to conclusions about me based on something I post. And I will never post comments with curse words. That was rude and uncalled for in any circumstance.

Team Over!

MomBloggers is sponsoring a giveaway where you can win a month's worth of Cottonelle toilet paper! Join me on Team Over!


Of course, if you're Team Under, you're just silly, but you can enter too!

By leaving a comment on my post you will be entered to win 1 of 10 Cottonelle gift baskets randomly chosen on January 29, 2010 from all entries.

Follow the link HERE to vote! Leave a comment on my post to enter the contest!

I am entering a contest for a month's worth of Cottonelle toilet paper as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club

Free 8x10 photo

Get a free 8×10 Collage Print today, 1/13/10 only at Walgreens when you use the code FANFREE. Shipping is free when you choose in-store pick up.

Free Pen

You can sign up here to receive a FREE uni-ball pen. Link is active at Noon CST daily.

This is good for the first 10,000 requests per day. If you don't get it today, try again. They're giving away 500,000 total!

Kotex samples

Go here to request samples from Kotex. You will receive 2 tampons and one liner. Bet they have coupons in them!

Then... go here for a sample pack of pads and liners!

Then... go here for a different sample pack of pads and liners!

My apologies

It's been a lot harder than I thought to keep posting great deals and freebies for you. Please hang in with me. I'll get it together as soon as I can!

Book Review: How to Reach Your Full Potential for God

In reading How to Reach Your Full Potential for God, I have been inspired. Not in a pep-rally-yahoo way, but in a real way. I’ve found myself praying more. I’ve found myself asking God the questions Stanley tells us to ask (What do you want me to do, who do you want me to be?). I’m reminded of the feelings and excitement of being a new Christian. I’m re-finding my faith in a way.

The book is mainly about what you can do to fins freedom and purpose in your life, but only within the relationship with Jesus you have.

I’m still searching and asking about my purpose. I think by following the essentials (Stanley has seven, such as A Clean Heart, Right Relationships and A Balanced Schedule) I will get closer to that purpose!

I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program, now called Book Sneeze. I received no monetary compensation for my opinions. A copy of the book was provided for me to read, in exchange for my honest opinions of the book. Go here to learn more about the program: http://booksneeze.com/

Mail Box Round Up

Here's what came in the mail last week:
Magazines (all free):
Wine Spectator (has beautiful photos!)
Family Homeschooling
Voices of the Martyrs
Golf Digest
Town & Country
Twon & Country Weddings
Business Week

Samples:
Republic of Tea
7th Generation Dish soap and dryer sheets

Coupons:
Kroger My Magazine (finally getting this!!! Yahoo!!)
Nestle Good Start formula checks

Other stuff:
Litter Robot! - giveaway win
$20 Shutterfly gift card (came with our hospital photos!)

How did you do?

Look at What I Won!

I didn't want to wait until Monday to show you this!

I won this on AnyLuckyDay!

I thought it was "too good to be true" so I waited and waited and lookie at what came today!

L'Oreal Challenge, Week 2, Day 5, BzzAgent Report

I was recently sent a trial set of L'Oreal Lash Boosting Mascara and Serum from BzzAgent. I received one each of the Concentrated Lash Boosted Serum and the Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara. The challenge is to use the serum twice daily and the mascara daily for four weeks.

After two weeks of daily use, I'm seeing results!

My bare lashes do look fuller when they are bare and I am seeing much less breaking and "fall out" as a result of using the serum twice per day. I'm betting the fullness is just because I'm not losing lashes as much as prior to use. I'll take it though! After using the serum, I do feel a slight sting on one eye. The fact that I don't feel it on both tells me it probably isn't from the product.

The mascara is consistently making my lashes look longer when it's on. I get a little concerned though when it doesn't seem as if I'm washing off as much as I put on.

No photos are available this week because I just haven't taken them.

For more information about this product, visit L'Oreal Paris HERE. This product is available in the L'Oreal Paris cosmetics section in major retailers and has been ophthalmologist and allergy tested and is safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

I was provided, free of charge, one set of both serum and mascara from BzzAgent. The opinions and experiences are honest and are my own and have in no way been influenced.

A Frugal Friend is Back!

If you're following A Frugal Friend, as I do, here is her temporary website:

http://afrugalfriendtemporary.blogspot.com/

She has a post explaining everything.

I'm just sayin...

I wish our town had more than just WalMart and HEB...it stinks to have to go out of town for good grocery deals...

Menu Monday

Here's what we're eating this week. Most of it's from the pantry:

Monday - Casserole (was supposed to be Sunday, but we had some leftovers we ate instead) - only needed to buy 1 lb. beef.

Tuesday - Leftovers from casserole

Wednesday - Random Mexican Meal - I'm going to mix Mac & Cheese, Rotel, black beans, chicken and corn. Hope it's good. Everything is in pantry and I have two bags of frozen chicken to use.

Thursday - Parmesan Chicken with spaghetti and green beans - nothing to buy

Friday - Taquito Enchiladas with refried beans and Mexican rice. (El Monterey taquitos on sale at Kroger for BOGO and had coupons! Everything else already in pantry.)

Saturday - Salads - need to buy lettuce and tomatoes

Sunday - not sure yet...

Forgot to tell you...went to Kroger Saturday and only spent $96 (including two pack of pull ups and one can of formula) while saving almost $70. Bought up a lot of things for the pantry (rice, potatoes, quick fix things) to make it longer through the month and am well below my grocery goal of $200 (including pull-ups) for the month.

2010 Goals

I'm not going to call these resolutions. These are things I need to do.

1. Keep better track of spending and saving on grocery purchases. I found a spreadsheet somewhere that will help me and all I have to do is add it up once a week. I can do that! I'm trying to come up with a way to start putting the grocery savings onto debt or into the bank, but I'm not there yet.

2. Only buy what we need - use stockpile. I shouldn't have to buy shampoo, bath gel, toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions or razors for the whole year if I've estimated correctly. I'll resist the urge to get the freebies at CVS and Wags as best as possible. I may re-build the pile in the fall.

3. Food and Fitness Goals:

• A. Be able to walk daily with my family. Be able to run 5 miles by the end of the year.
• B. No fast food or sodas (I will allow eating out after church once a month. But I can order iced tea! How will I live without Sonic????)
• C. Start cutting back on pre-packaged foods. (Learn to make things on my own.)
• D. Start adding more fruit and vegetables into our meals.
• E. Try three new recipes a month.
  

4. Read 3 chapters daily in the Bible. (I thought about the Bible in 90 Days program and it just seems like I'd be rushing through it. I want to make sure I'm really reading.)

5. Start getting more involved at church. We're at a new church and I want to get to really know people and make good friends.

6. Have a bi-weekly date with my husband without the kids. I'd love to find someone to watch them overnight once a quarter, but that may not work out.

7. Have a weekly "Mommy and Ryan" date with my older son. Probably will have to relax the fast food thing here since he loves Sonic banana shakes. He's been acting out since the baby came and I think it's because he feels neglected by me. He used to get all of my attention.

So, that's what I'm going to do this year. I'll let you know how I'm doing...

Mail Box Round Up

Here's what I got in the mail last week:

Magazines (all free):
Wine Spectator (has beautiful photos!)
Flying
Business Week

Samples:
Sun Crystals
Power Bar Energy Gels (good!)
Lipton Green Tea
Philosophy Body Wash

Coupons:
3 $1 Off Power Bar Energy Gels
$1 Off Sun Crystals
$0.60 and $1 off Gorton's Frozen Fish (letter said these were for completing a survey???)

How did you do?

Disclosure Statement

This policy is valid from 01 January 2010


This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

The owner(s) of this blog would like to disclose the following existing relationships. These are companies, organizations or individuals that may have a significant impact on the content of this blog. I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.


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