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Cash-Back Savings Tip
I can’t remember where I heard this tip, but I’ve been using these sites for about a year now and have received several checks from both sites probably totaling around $100. Not much, but its $100 more than I had. I don’t do a lot of shopping, but if I were a frequent shopper I would save even more.
Ebates.com and Shopathome.com are cash-back sites. You can sign up for free and if you’re planning on buying something online from say, The Children’s Place, check each site first to see if they have cash-back offers. They’ll pair the cash-back offers with discounts from the online stores as well so you don’t miss out on a sale in place of the cash-back offer. If you find the store you’re looking for and they do have a cash back offer simply click on the link and it will take you to the online store and you place your order like you normally would. Once the order has been processed your cash-back account on these sites is updated. They’ll send you a check or deposit the cash into your bank account after you reach about $20 in cash back.
Always check each site since often one offers a better cash-back reward than the other.
For example, you need to order snowsuits for the kids and you’ve seen some on the Children’s Place website you like and they’re having a great sale with free shipping. And yes, I said snowsuits, even though its 90 degrees out here in Texas because I’ve got a winter Colorado trip on my brain. Anyway, go search ebates and shopathome. Let’s say ebates is offering a 5% cash-back offer and shopathome is offering a 7% cash-back offer. Click the link on shopathome’s site and it will take you to the Children’s Place website where you’ll place your order like normal. So, if your order total (pre-tax) is $150, shopathome will put $10.50 into your cash-back account and once you hit $20 they’ll pay out your account.
This is a great way to save additional money, especially if you shop online a lot. You could even try things on in stores and then go order online to save even more using one of these sites. They even offer cash back sometimes on sites like Amazon.
So, let the Christmas shopping begin!!
A Few Favorite Essentials
Ok, so this isn’t my typical post, but after a conversation with a co-worker recently I thought I’d share a few of my favorite essentials. I’ll refrain from referring to them as “beauty products” because I’ve always felt that I’m not the typical fru-fru, beauty product, spas, massages, mani’s/pedi’s type girl, but after this conversation I realized I do have some essentials that I must have. So, maybe this makes me a “practical product” type girl. Let’s go with that!!
The conversation started with a question from a co-worker about how I get my hair so shiny. After a brief second I responded with “genetics and baby powder”. This turned into an unusual products conversation between several of us. So here’s my list of must have’s:
Gillette Venus Razors
– I have super sensitive skin and these are the only razors (disposable and electric) that I have tried that don’t kill my skin.
Baby Powder
– I have very oily hair and by the end of the day it has a tendency to be very oily, dirty, and stringy looking. I can’t remember where I learned this little trick, but I’ve been doing it for years and I swear it works to help absorb the oil. After blow drying my hair I put about 2 quarter-sized dollops of baby powder in the palm of my hand and rub my hands together and with my head flipped over I run my hands through my hair at the scalp. And if we’re headed out someone where in the evening I’ll rub a little more. As an added benefit it makes my hair super shiny!
A&D Diaper Ointment– I have very dry lips and am constantly applying chap stick throughout the day and at night I coat my lips, including around the outside of my mouth, with A&D diaper ointment. This stuff can cure chapped lips better than anything!!
Proactiv– Love this stuff!! I have had bad acne from the moment puberty hit. I remember being in 6th grade and having kids call me pepperoni face. Yeah, kids are cruel. I have tried just about every kind of topical and oral medication you can think of including Accutane twice with no results. I started using Proactiv about 6 or 7 years ago and love it. It helped cure about 70% of my acne issues.
Spironolactone– This is the other miracle for my skin!! It is actually a blood pressure medication, but is also used for other treatments such as adult hormonal related acne. I’ve been taking this for 2 years now and have had maybe 2 pimples in 2 years!! My acne is related to hormones and shows up as big knots under the skin that last for weeks at a time. They are so lovely, let me tell ya! This medication blocks the hormones from reaching the skin thus stopping this type of acne. It has also made my skin super smooth and less oily. Big bonuses!! It does have some side effects. The biggest one is you can not get pregnant on this medication. It will interfere with the hormonal production of fetuses and cause babies to be hermaphrodites (having both sex organs) so you HAVE to use some sort of birth control. It also has a tendency to reduce potassium levels so every 6 months potassium levels have to be checked.
Sensodyne and mouth wash
– I also have a tendency to get canker sores on the insides of my cheeks or on the side of my tongue from stress. I always know when I hit my max stress level because one of these painful little fella’s pops up. After having multiple ones that hurt so bad I could barely eat or even talk I did some research and found that normal toothpaste has an ingredient in it that has been shown to cause or increase the prevalence of canker sores. Sensodyne or other sensitive toothpastes do not have this ingredient. In addition to the sensitive toothpaste if you use mouth wash religiously at least twice a day it will keep these little annoyances at bay. I’ve been using this routine for about a year now and have only had 1 pop up…much less than previous experiences.
Hydrogen Peroxide – I use this also for when I get canker sores. I use it after my mouth wash. I’ve only had to use it for this purpose one time in the last year. But, it also comes in handy when I start getting a sore throat. I gargle 2-3 times a day and it helps ward off any cold I may have been getting. I tend to get colds/sinus infections a lot these days. I think Levi wore my immune system down. I have frequent colds and allergies to prove it!!
So, there you have it! My favorite essentials. Not your typical beauty creams and products, but again, I’ve never been that kind of girl. Give me practical any day!
Going Private
I started this blog as a way to quit sending mass emails to family and friends about what the kids were up to. Most of the emails would get kicked back because of the size of the email from all the pictures and/or videos I would attach. This is still the easiest way to share whats going on with us and mainly the kiddo’s, but I have been thinking about going private on the blog for some time….just a bit creepy thinking of who all out there may be watching us through our blog. When I’ve checked the stats and traffic on the blog there have been questionable reference sites checking out the blog and I’m just not comfortable with being public any longer. So, if you want to stay updated on whats going on with all things “Wesley” please let me know and I will add you to the list. You can either comment, email me privately, or let me know via facebook.
Welcome to our World 