Affording the Things You Want and Need

Shopping-Bags 
Guest Post

We all have those things—those things that we are pretty sure we need and those things that we know we want—those things that are expensive and that we just can’t justify buying right now…but maybe someday.

Sometimes putting off the big purchase is a good idea. Nobody wants to drop a bunch of cash on an impulse buy they’ll regret in a week. At the same time, making do with something that isn’t quite right can be incredibly frustrating. So what do you do? How do you find the money for the thing you want or the best thing to fit your needs?

1. Shop Online

Yeah, yeah—you’ve heard this before. That’s because it’s true. Almost across the board, shopping online is cheaper and easier than going from store to store trying to find what you need. For example: you need a new cell phone case. You already know that you don’t really like the cases that are available locally (you’ve seen them all before) but the local print shop charges too much to make a unique case.

Solution: Go online and use GelaSkins promo codes to help make a customized cell phone case more affordable. You get what you need, you save money and you don’t have to drive all over town to get it.

2. Shop the Sales

Pay attention to the sales ads that you see in the newspaper every week. Sign up for your favorite stores’ email newsletters so you’ll know when major sales are happening. Spend some time searching out sales online. For example, take advantage of Black Friday leaks at NerdWallet when you know that you’re going to need to buy something normally expensive—this way you’ll get what you want at a fraction of what you’d pay on a normal day.

3. Sell Your Stuff

You want to be able to afford new wardrobes for your kids in the fall when they go back to school. Now that it’s summer, go through the clothes your kids wore and outgrew during the previous school year. Sell the things they can’t use or no longer want online or at a yard sale and use the profit from the sale to help fund new clothes in the fall. You can use this strategy for yourself too! It’s a great way to get rid of things, make room for new things and make those new things more affordable.

4. Buy Secondhand

Believe it or not, there are people who will throw away perfectly good and usable stuff. You just have to know where to find it. Take some time to go yard sale-ing or combing through secondhand and thrift shops. You never know what you’ll find—you could find that brand new couch, that new dress, that new bed for your daughter, etc!

We live in a tortured economy—everybody knows this. The cost of goods keeps going up but the wages earned are (for the lucky ones) staying the same. This makes affording things more difficult. Use these tips to help yourself and your family afford the things you want and need!

 

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Review of Doc McStuffins: Time for Your Check Up – PLUS Enter for a chance to win your own copy! Awesome Kids DVD! Enter now!

Doc McStuffins DVD

“Doc McStuffins: Time for Your Check Up”

Review – I was provided with a FREE copy to conduct this review

My daughter loves Doc McStuffins and this is something that you can almost always have on for my little one. If your little one is anything like mine you will love to know that there is a new Doc McStuffins DVD that hit the market on May 7, 2013! This is the Time for Your Check Up!. This is an awesome DVD for anyone that loves this show!

Synopsis:   “Doc McStuffins: Time for Your Check Up!,” the second DVD compilation for Disney Junior’s hit animated TV series “Doc McStuffins,” will debut May 7, 2013.  A must-add to the family viewing collection, the DVD comes packaged with 5 fun-filled episodes and a FREE growth chart. 2012′s #1 cable TV series in Kids 2-5, “Doc McStuffins” tells the story of a nurturing six-year-old girl who heals stuffed animals and broken toys out of her backyard playhouse clinic.  Assisting Doc at the clinic are her trusty team of lovable stuffed animals including: Stuffy, an overly proud dragon; Lambie, her  cuddly best friend lamb; Hallie, a jolly and caring  hippo nurse; and Chilly, a snowman who spends a lot of time getting check-ups at the clinic.  Whether it’s a case of loose stitching, low batteries or a blow-up toy who has sprung a leak, Doc and her pals are always there to lend a helping hand, while imparting to young viewers the importance of taking care of oneself and others.

This DVD is packed with some awesome episodes on it including; Gulpy, Gulpy Gators, One Note Wonder, Arcade Escapade,  Starry, Starry Night, and many other fun and exciting stores. There is a total of 10 different episodes to enjoy. The approx run time for this DVD is 120 minutes. If you have not tried an episode of Doc McStuffins check out this little clip and see how adorable this show is.

The Suggested Retail Price is $19.99 U.S./$24.99 Canada. You and your little one wont want to stock watching Doc, Lamby, Stuffy, Chilly and Halley as they take on new patients and help each other out. This is also a great show to teach kids that doctors can be fun and very helpful. They have an episode about the eye doctor and dentist that we make sure our little one watches before each visit to reminder her that they are just trying to help.


Overall I am sure you will be VERY impressed!

Now for the BEST part!

ONE lucky winner will receive a copy of the new Dc McStuffins DVD – Time for your Checkup!

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over.

Enter in the rafflecopter below!

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Learning Resources Review & Giveaway – Awesome Colorful Smart Snacks® Shape Sorting Cupcakes – PLUS a chance to win a set! $17.99 Value!

leaning resources logo
Product Review
I received one or more of the product(s) mentioned for free to complete this review

I have been working with Learning Resources for a while now, and am so thankful for the opportunity, my daughter and I love their products and are always excited to try out another. Just in case you missed the last review here is a little about Learning Resources From Their Site :“Learning Resources® is a leading global manufacturer of innovative, hands-on educational products trusted by teachers and parents and loved by children. The Company’s 1100+ high-quality products are sold in more than 80 countries, serving children and their families, preschool, kindergarten, primary, and middle-school markets. Among the Company’s brands are Pretend & Play®, Smart Snacks®, New Sprouts™, Gears! Gears! Gears!®, Primary Science, now!Board™, simple technology, Hands-On Standards® publications, Rainbow Fractions® and Reading Rods®.”

shape sorting cupcake learning education toy learning resources

Thie time around I received the cutest Smart Snacks® Shape Sorting Cupcakes. These are the perfect toys to help your childrend learn their shapes and colors. Its also a fun puzzle for their hand eye cordination to get the cupcake put together and in the proper spot. Here is the product description from the companies website:

A delicious way to develop shape and color identification! Cupcakes pull apart to reveal shapes. Match the shapes to put them back together. Then match the shape to the pan bottom. Featured shapes align with grade K Common Core Math Standards—circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, hexagon, star, and heart.

  • Includes pan and eight 2-part cupcakes

  • Cupcakes measure 2”H x 1.5” in diameter

They created these the perfect size for little hands, they can easily get a hold of them and do what they want as far as putting them together and adding them to the pan.

shape sorting cupcake 3I love all the amazing, bright and viberant colors that they used for these cupcakes. They make them fun and attractive to the little ones.

shape sorting cupcake 2My daughter can play with these for hours. She loves to take them all apart and match them all back up. Then we will sit with her and ask her for certain color ones to help her work on identifing the colors. These are amazing and have multiple uses. In addition the learning the kids would LOVE to also use them in their play kitchen. Once a week it seems like we have cupcakes “in the oven” before we can play with them.

Overall yet another amazing toy from the people at Learning Resources! This one retails for $17.99 on their website and you can check out more information HERE.

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GIVEAWAY – the BEST Part!

One LUCK will will receive the

Smart Snacks® Shape Sorting Cupcakes from Learning Resources

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over.

Enter in the rafflecopter below

GOOD LUCK!

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Amy Adele Review – Awesome hand drawn designs in cute Invites and more!

amy adele logoProduct Review
I received one or more of the following items for free to conduct this review 
I recently had an amazing opportunity to work with Amy Adele and review some of their amazing products. The summer time for us is always filled with parties and events. Finding and sending the perfect invitations is so important, that is one of the things that I loved while checking out their website. Here is a little about Amy Adele from their website:

Since I was a child, I have been hand-drawing birthday and Christmas cards and never took my art very seriously. However, in 2004 our friends and family encouraged me to turn my doodles into a business of selling cards. … . Because we do have such a great staff, I am able to work from home and be with my children. My husband has come on board to run the business production and we also added one more little kiddo to our family – our son, who was born two months premature. You can look back at our blogs and follow his journey to date. I am still involved on a daily basis, but our amazing staff manages our printing and production from our offices nearby.

Here is a photo of some of the super cute things that I received, please note that some of the personal information has been removed to protect my privacy.

 invites.fw

Their products are awesome, the color is amazing and vibrant, this photo does not do this product justice. I was very impressed with the high quality product My daughter is very into Pirates right now and I have been looking and looking for something that is girly. I was pleased to see that they have a girl pirate option :-) They even have matching address labels.

The wonderful thing about this site is they have invites, labels and even thank you cards that all go together. This website really is a one stop shop for all your party and correspondents needs. In addition tot he above mentioned products they also offer, calling cards, shirts, labels and gift tags. You will probably find just what you are looking for on this site.

All products are customizable and the process to design your item the way you want it is easy, you are able to see the changes on the screen to make sure that you like the way the item is going to look. This is one of the most user friendly sites I have used to design invites. I am hooked and plan to keep checking back when I need invites.

invites photo 2.fwI loved the added touch of adding a thank you card to my order. Its an awesome thing they are trying to do as I don’t think people say thank you enough to the people that are really there and help them.

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Book Review – Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother


I received a copy of this book for FREE to conduct this review

BookI am not really one that likes to sit and read a book because I find myself getting board with the books. I decided to give Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother a try recently because of my tip to Chicago that I did early May.

When the book arrived I was so intreaged with the title and saying included on the book that I did not wait for my tip. First I read the information provided on the back of the book about the story/author:

This is the story how Lorena Bathey started over after her fairy tale of marriage failed after eleven years. With the stunning declaration made by her husband that he was leaving, she began a journey where she learned loving, loss, friends and vodka were the roadmap to finding herself. This is a very open and honest account of how Lorena Bathey struggled to find her inner fairy godmother after being made to start over again. She uses humor and insight into the world of the late-thirty divorcee that will bring chuckles, guffaws, or tears.  Lorena’s story is her own but one that many women are experiencing at this time.  She stopped waiting for her own fairy godmother and took the wand into her own hands. You can too!

I could not wait to start the read, this story is about Lorena Bathey and gives you a look into a three year time period of her life where to her (at the begining) her hold world turned upside down,  she went through a divorce from her husband of 11 years, had to deal with the death of her mother
and then the devistation of her father remarring within a few months of her mother’s death. This is a true life story that you can relate to, if not on a personal level as in delt with it for yourself you probably know someone that has. This is first book that I have been able to really relate to on a personal and emotional level.

In addition she shared the trials that she had faced with reentering the workforce after more than a decade on the outside (being a stay at home mom and wife). She shared fun stories of getting away and traveling to experience life and move on as a person after these stuggles. I love the way Lorena writes, it keeps you wanting to read and you stay connected with the store thanks to her brutally honest and open accounts of her life.  Starting over is not easy.

28300cf92a120ad8956e40_L__V385414533_SX200_Here is a little about Lorena Bathey

“After writing her memoir, Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother in 2005 Ms. Bathey found new story ideas and characters introducing themselves. Her first novel, Beatrice Munson, the story of suburban women who have lost their happiness began her foray into the world of the novelist. Today she has two other novels in the market and at least five more in her writing queue. She also loves photography, Italy, and a well made chocolate mousse.

Find her at www.LorenaBBooks.com

 

I would suggest that you pick up this book and give it a read. Its a quick read, the book is about 200 pages. You can get a  print copy for $9.99 HERE, Kindle Addition for $3.99 HERE or if you are an Amazing Prime member we can borrow it for FREE

 

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.