All You Reality Checker

I recently signed up to be an All You Reality Checker. If you are not familiar with All You, it is a monthly print magazine that is loaded with coupons. As a Reality Checker I have been contacted on several occasions to give my feedback or opinion on different topics.

A few days ago, I unexpectedly received a package in the mail from All You. It included a large 80 count package of Sani-Surface Disinfecting Wipes and a note that All You will be contacting me soon for my feedback.

I have to say that this is a great product and I cannot wait to give my feedback! The wipes are generous in size at 8.2 x 9.8 inches and they are very durable. They have a pleasant odor and work great for cleaning and sanitizing a multitude of different surfaces. The packaging is also Eco-Friendly which is all the better. I will definitely be looking for these in the store when my free pack runs out!  

New Blog On The Horizon

I have been a bit absent from this blog lately, but for a good reason. I have made the decision to get more serious about blogging and have begun the process of designing a new blog.

I have done the following so far:

• Purchased the domain http://aboutamom.com
• Scoured the net for blogging tips for beginners
• Found some blog sites that I really like for inspiration
• Began reading the book "Google Blogger For Dummies" by Susan Gunelius
• Checking into hiring a blog designer vs. Using one of the free blogger templates available

I will be blogging daily about things that will interest a savvy mom and posting product reviews/giveaways. There is a lot to do before submitting my first posts. I am trying not to rush into it and instead am thinking long term when making decisions about the new blog. There is a lot to consider regarding marketing, social networking and monetizing the blog.

So, wish me luck and be patient with me! I would appreciate any tips or ideas that you might have for me! 

Keeping The Electric Bill In Check

My electric bill more than doubled this month from last month. It is the highest bill we have had in this house since moving in last August and it is not even summer yet. I am pretty concerned. I have to wonder if it is even correct, considering just how much it has gone up.

I am trying to come up with ways to conserve energy and keep this bill manageable. Our only cooling source in this old house is a window unit in the living room and fans in just about every room. I have been turning the air off at night and relying on the bedroom fans to keep us cool and so far it is working out ok.

I am washing in cold water and running the dryer only once, making sure to pull clothes out right away so I don’t need to run it again.

I will now make sure that I turn off the bedroom fans in the morning, since those rooms are not used during the day. Turning off unnecessary lights and the television when not in use should help. I will have to get use to not listening to the television when on the computer.

Do you have any suggestions on what else I can do to conserve energy? Every little bit helps!      

A Day of Freebies and Savings

Today's trip to Augusta was both frugal and a lot of fun! My mom and I first had lunch at Applebee's for FREE. We used a gift card that I won recently from a blog giveaway. Our meals were delicious!

Next stop was Publix where I saved 60%. I spent $43.84, including tax and saved $67.43. I was able to use a lot of my coupons with BOGO deals and Publix coupons this week.

On the way home we stopped at Arby's and used our coupons to pick up 2 FREE chicken salad sandwiches to have for dinner.  

It was definitely a great day of freebies and savings!

Win A Years Supply of Michael Angelo's

There is another great blog participating in the Michael Angelo's giveaway. I just entered at http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com to win a years supply of Michael Angelo's family sized meals. The winner gets 52 vouchers! I am so excited about this opportunity.

I am also glad to have found The Divine Miss Mommy blog. It is a travel blog for moms. I can't wait to read more of her posts! 

I Luv BBW Rewards Club

If you would like to get free Bath & Body products, join the I Luv BBW Rewards Club! As a member of the I Luv BBW Rewards Club, you will receive either travel or full size Bath & Body products to try each month. It is free to join!

All you have to do is call Bath & Body Customer Service at 1 (800) 756-5005 or 1 (800) 395-1001 and press ‘0’. Tell the representative that you want to sign up for the I Luv BBW Rewards Club and they will ask for your Name, address and telephone number.

You will have a spot on the next round once it starts. Isn’t that great!

Get Coupons By Mail

There are several ways to get coupons by mail and free product vouchers. I don’t like to rely on just the coupons from my weekly newspaper inserts and printable online coupons. I have not ventured into electronic coupons on my smart phone yet. Although, it is something I plan to check into very soon.

One of my favorite sources is by requesting free samples. Most samples come with high value coupons. So although it may not seem worth your while to request a sample size of a product, you are getting much more than that with the coupon. There are a lot of good sample sights to be found out there on the internet and on Face Book.

Another great way to get coupons by mail is to contact companies directly. Most company’s web sites have ‘Contact Us’ links that you can use to send them an email, making it very easy. It is best to send a short email telling them what you like about their product. Complaint emails will not get your very far and it is not recommended that you request coupons. Most companies will send you a letter thanking you for your comments along with some coupons. I have received some really good coupons following this method, including some coupons for free products.      

You can request samples and coupon books from PG&E by visiting their web site http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/pg-brandsaver-samples-coupons.jsp.

SheSpeaks is a forum to provide your product opinions. I have been fortunate to participate and receive free full size product samples of Allouette Cheese Spread, Cascade Action Packs, and Johnsonville Italian Sausage to sample.  You can visit http://www.shespeaks.com to register.

Kraft First Taste is another great way to get free products. With Kraft First Taste, you get to be the first to try new products. I recently received a free bag of Kraft Naturals Cheese With A Touch of Philly and just got a double offer for Oscar Mayer products.  Visit http://www.kraftfirsttaste.com to register.

I just recently registered at http://www.viewpoints.com to provide product reviews and http://www.allyou.com as an AllYou Reality Checker and will let you know how these work out. Also, All You Magazine has great coupons each month. You can register with the online version of the magazine to receive daily freebie updates.

Publix has a few coupon clubs you can register for. As a member you will receive coupons and special offers, maybe even samples by mail. You can visit http://www.publix.com to register for the Family Style Magazine, Baby Club and Pet Club. 

As you now see, there are many ways to get coupons by mail. You don’t have to use up all of your printer’s ink printing coupons or buy so many newspapers each week.

Another Michael Angelo Giveaway

I have entered another Michael Angelo Giveaway that I would like to share. This Michael Angelo Giveaway can be found at the web site http://dearcrissy.com . Chrissy's giveaway is for a year supply of Michael Angelo's family sized meals. You get a total of 52 vouchers! With the cost of groceries getting so high, this is a very attractive giveaway offer. Hurry up and enter like I did!
 

Awesome Blog Giveaway

I have been entering a lot of Awesome Blog Giveaways this past couple of weeks. I have been very fortunate to have won several prizes already and will post again later to share all of my winnings! Throughout this process, I have found some really great blogs that I have enjoyed reading.

One Awesome Blog Giveaway of mention can be found at the Mom Spark blog http://momspark.net. She has a giveaway for a year supply of Michael Angelo's family size meals. The winner gets 52 vouchers for Michael Angelo's family sized meals. I just entered and hope to win. The deadline to enter is this Sunday, May 15, 2011 at midnight CST. So hurry and enter this Awesome Blog Giveaway before then!

Publix Savings

I had a pretty good shopping trip with my sister-in-law yesterday. We went into Augusta for the day and began our day of couponing at IHOP with the kids. All 5 of us ate for a total of $5.15, the cost of our 2 coffees, plus tip. We all joined the IHOP Pancake Revolution and received email coupons for free breakfast. We checked in with the manager upon arrival just to make sure that we would not have a problem with us all using our coupons. It was a great meal that we all enjoyed for FREE!

It was a treat for us to shop at Publix, since we don't have one in our town. There were a lot of BOGO items and we checked the web sites http://www.iheartpublix.com and http://www.southernsavers.com for corresponding ad coupons. There were a lot of good printable coupons this week. My total bill was $101.63 and I paid $45.45 for a savings of $56.18. I am happy considering I purchased a few non-sale items we needed that I did not have coupons for.

My sister-in-law is getting into couponing which is great for thier family of 5. She did quite well yesterday, also. I have an agreement with my brother that he will cut my grass if I keep them in the know regarding coupons and freebies. I think I am getting a pretty good deal!

I won the FTD Facebook giveaway a few days ago! I was able to send my grandmother a dozen mixed rose bouquet for FREE. She was so excited to get it yesterday! I guess I will have to keep entering sweepstakes and giveaways.