Archives for February 2012

Moms & Money: Top 5 Free Tools to Make Finances Fabulous!

Moms & Money

Moms are responsible for most of the household spending – from groceries, to school clothes, to new curtains, most of the family shopping is up to us. So why is that so many women don’t know much about financial tools and planning? Sure – we may be great at clipping coupons and sticking to a budget, but there are way too many women who don’t know enough about their personal finances, or have a plan for their future. After talking with some girl friends this weekend, I found that this is often because so many finance articles, books, and websites are written to target guys – making the info not relevant to us, or just plain boring. That led me to put together this list just for you ladies – I’ve rounded up some great tools and resources focused on moms and money that are all fun and simple to get started with.

My Top 5 Free Financial Tools for Moms

Whether you’re a busy stay-at-home mom, a mompreneur, a mom who commutes to the office each day, or even a single gal in need of some finance tips – I think you’ll find a few great tips here to help. And if you have some favorites that aren’t on this list, I’d love for you to share them in the comments, so everyone can benefit from your genius money tips too!

Free Financial Bootcamp: Get a daily email for 10 days, with new daily to-do’s that will help you reach your financial goals. You’ll figure out where you’re overspending, create a budget you can actually stick to, and learn to dream big and plan for a fabulous future. This is one of my favorite sites, and is filled with info that makes finance fun and fashionable. I know you’ll love it too. Learn more and sign up here – Free Financial Bootcamp for Women.
Free Book and Worksheets: Visit a totally fabulous site – Mainstream Mom – to get access to a huge resource of great $mart Mom Printables, from meal planning to paying off debt. And make sure to grab her free ebook too, 7 Simple Strategies to Take the Stress Out of Money Management. Between the website and the book, there is loads of amazingly helpful info here.
TurboTax Free Tax Assistance: This is how I’ve done my taxes every year since I was 20 years old. It worked great for my simple returns then, and has worked just as great as I’ve gotten older, and had more complicated returns. This year, since it is my first year earning a business income from my blog and freelance work, I’ll have to get some help from a local accountant. But after that, I’m confident that I can go back to TurboTax – It’s such a great tool, and the perfect solution for people who want to do their taxes themselves.
Free Workshop: This is only 30 minutes long, but it sounds like it’ll be packed full of great info! This webinar is a partnership between Daily Worth and Mint – both are a couple more awesome sites that I totally love. This event happens on a Thursday, March 8th, at 8pm EST. You can register here – Take Control of Your Finances– and learn how to better understand your money and make smarter choices every day. Daily Worth is a cool community of women who talk money advice – sign up for their daily updates for awesome info.
Mint.com: Speaking of Mint… This is my FAVORITE tool for managing my money. It’s super simple {and free!} to get started, and very intuitive and easy to figure out. You can organize all of your spending – see all of your accounts in one place, set budgets, track your expenses, and more. This is a total must-have for busy moms, seriously.
Mompreneur’s Challenge: Join the 30-day Mompreneur’s Challenge, and get a new challenge emailed to you each day. Business Among Moms describes it, “Our Challenge is a series of 30 tasks in the areas of marketing, budgeting, social networking, organization and networking that will allow you to re-focus, learn new things and move forward as a professional mompreneur!” I signed up today, and am excited to see how it goes. I’m always on a mission to learn new tips!

What do YOU think?

Do you have a favorite online tool that you use to track your spending, grow your business, or plan for the future? Do you have any great money tips for moms? I’d love for you to share in the comments! And if this post helped you out, make sure to give it a retweet, and share it with your own networks of busy moms too. I look forward to reading the tips that you guys have to share here – You have such great ideas!

I just learned the top 5 free online tools that help busy moms make their finances fabulous – #Moms & #Money sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/02/moms-m…

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) February 28, 2012

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 27, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 3 Comments

Working Together to Support Busy Moms

“I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.” – Woodrow Wilson

I love this quote… And I think that it applies perfectly to the idea of being a Mompreneur. Being a mom is a busy job in itself. When you add in the housework, running kids around, meals, and time with your Mister – it starts to get a little stressful. When you add a full-time job on top of that – Whew! Life can get a little bit overwhelming, right? So, as busy moms, we need to support each other in every way that we can. Moms are smart, and when we work together, we can do some pretty great things! That’s my passion here with this site – finding and sharing the best Busy Mom Solutions – to help solve some of those challenges we all face. And as a mompreneur myself, I understand how tough it can be to run a business while also running a household, so I love to support other women in business. Which is why I am excited to introduce you to a couple of great sites today – Seed Mommy and The Mommy Shops!

Why these sites rock

The Mommy Shops is a unique marketplace featuring products made by, sold by and invented by Moms. As a Mompact consultant, I’ve seen how very hard mom business owners work to build their brands, market their companies, and balance it all while taking care of their family too. It is so very important that whenever we can, we moms shop other Mom Businesses. We are helping them make ends meet for their family, keeping them home with their kids instead of working outside the home and helping them grow their business one sale at a time. Target and Walmart won’t miss you. It can be so tough for smaller, mom-owned businesses to get their products marketed to a large audience, since they just can’t compete with the huge resources that the big brands have. So The Mommy Shops is a great solution that helps us all work together to support each other:

If you’re a mom with a business: It’s only $3.99 a month to feature your products with them in your own Mommy Shop, which is an amazing way to work together with other business-minded moms and boost your brand!
If you’re a mom who shops: And of course you are, right? We moms do the majority of the family shopping. You can visit one of the great shops on their site, and use your purchasing power to support other moms!

I love sites that make it easy for me to do something good – And using my dollars to support great women making great products is perfect. You know that when moms invent a product, it’s because they saw a challenge in their busy life, and wanted to solve it. And moms put so much heart into what they do – ensuring that get not only an awesome product, but also a wonderful experience too.

Seed Mommy – Your Mompreneur Resource

The Mommy Shops has a partner site too – SeedMommy.com is their advice site. There you’ll find resource info on how and where to market your Mom Owned Business, and tools to help it grow. They even have a great giveaway going on now – one lucky winner will receive a prize package that includes lots of free advertising, a brand makeover including new logo, SEO Services, PR services, and so much more. They’ll also share information on the fabulous services SeedMommy has used over the years to help them grow. This could be a great boost to your business – and you can enter until March 30th, 2012.

Enter The Mommy Business Makeover Contest!

While your there, check out the other great services that they offer, too. You can add your blog or business to their directory – it’s only $10 to join the SeedMommy Business Directory for a full year. That’s less than a $1 per month! And make sure to sign up for their newsletter, to stay updated on great new updates. Whether you’re a blogger, in direct sales, run an Etsy shop or sell your own invented products – SeedMommy can be a great resource for you.

Social Media Junkie?

I’m a total social media junkie – so I love to find great new companies to follow. It’s the easiest way for me to stay updated on things, since I’m always checking my profiles throughout the day! And you’re in luck – both SeedMommy and The Mommy Shops can be followed…

Find SeedMommy and The Mommy Shops on Facebook, and follow them on the fabulous Pinterest too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 27, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 3 Comments

How to Treat Eczema in Kids

“Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.” – Elizabeth Stone

We all know that babies have sensitive skin – but so do many toddlers, too. I kept noticing rough patches on Abby’s skin – a bit here and there, on her legs or arms. But when it started showing up her adorable little cheeks, I knew it was time to figure out what was going on. It wasn’t bad – but it was noticeable. Luckily, that week was our 18-month check-up, so I was able to show it to our pediatrician, who I totally love. I was confident that she’d know what it was, and how to fix it.

“Hugs can do great amounts of good – especially for children.” – Princess Diana

Turns out, Abby had some patches of eczema – that’s what those rashes were that kept popping up! It made sense – each time she’d get a rash, I’d try to figure out what she’d been around that was out of the ordinary, but hadn’t found anything that could be bothering her. Our doctor said that it’s just an incredibly common problem in kids – but with a few easy treatments, it should go away, and hopefully she’d grow out of it as she got older.

How to treat eczema in kids

Our doctor said that there is a lot of misinformation out there about childhood eczema, and cleared up a few rumors for us. She also gave us some great tips to follow too, and recommended her favorite products.

You should avoid giving baby a bath: This is totally not true! She said that you want to avoid using scented products when your little one suffers from eczema, {check out the Johnson’s Natural line for babies} – but there’s no reason at all to avoid a bath. In fact, that could even make it worse, by not keeping the skin clean and healthy!
Diet can affect eczema outbreaks: She said that this really isn’t proven at all. There’s no reason to avoid any specific foods – and a healthy diet helps lead to a healthy system and healthy skin. So get those fruits and veggies each day.
Use a medicated cream: Using a great topical cream on eczema patches when they pop up can bring big relief to your little one! There are many choices out there that are available over-the-counter, so no need for expensive prescriptions. A great option is the new Neosporin Eczema Essentials line, since there’s a full system that you can use to prevent, treat, and sooth eczema in your family.

Why the Eczema Essentials Line Rocks

We decided to check out these Eczema Essentials products because they were one of the ones that my doctor recommended. Sometimes it’s so hard to choose which products to use on a baby or toddler – there is an overwhelming amount of stuff to choose from! But I think that this system is a great option for any family – our doctor likes it, we like it, and I think you’ll like it too. Here’s why:

It’s easy to find. You can get it at any local Walmart store, or at Walmart.com.
This line is from Johnson & Johnson. The people who make all of the most mom-trusted brands, things like Band-Aids and Baby Care products.
It’s affordable. You don’t need to spend a ton of expensive prescriptions, this full system of products works together to sooth sensitive skin at a great price.
These products are perfect for the whole family. That saves time and money, since you can treat all of the problem skin in your family with one set of products.

The Neosporin Eczema Essentials system can give your family clearer, softer skin in just 3 days. It includes a Daily Body Wash, a Daily Moisturizing Cream, and an Anti-Itch Cream {the last one is only for kids 2 and up}. They’re all fragrance free, and recommended by doctors like mine. We’ve been using the daily cream, and I’ve noticed a big improvement in her cute little cheeks!

If you want to try it too, visit Walmart.com to get a high-value coupon for your purchase.

{Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, brought to you by One to One Network and Walmart. All photos and opinions are totally my own.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 24, 2012 Filed Under: Green Living | No Comments

3 Tips to Avoid Overspending on Daily Deal Sites

Source: lescomposantes.com via Victoria on Pinterest

Moms are Smart Shoppers

Moms love shopping, right? It’s a good thing too, since we’re in charge of taking care of the majority of the shopping in our families. From groceries to school supplies to new curtains – it’s pretty much up to us. Which is why so many brands are marketing heavily towards moms these days – We might be on tight budgets, but we still want to find the best stuff. We clip coupons, we use rewards cards, and most of us are total junkies for daily deal sites too.

How to Avoid Overspending on Daily Deal Sites

Signing up for accounts at daily deal sites like Groupon, Zulily, and nomorerack can help you find some super low prices on really high quality gear for your family and your home. BUT – it can also lead to some big overspending on impulse purchases if you’re not careful. Here are a few tips on how to use them:

Use a separate email address. Set up a new email account, one that you dedicate JUST for deal site emails. Then, when you really do need something – New school clothes, holiday gifts, or maybe some fun new patio supplies to get ready for summer – You can log in to that email and check out all of the recent offers. That way, you still get the updates, but they’re not in your face each day tempting you to buy things you don’t need.

Change your email settings. Some sites will allow you to change your settings, and get an email only once a week, or stop the email updates altogether. Then find your favorite deal sites on Facebook or Twitter, and stay updated that way. You’ll still see what events are going on, but you’ll be less likely to shop all of them then you would be if they were all waiting for you in your inbox.
Only shop when you have credits. Did you know that almost all deal sites give you some sort of reward for sharing their amazing deals with your friends and family? Every site is a little different, but work in a similar way – You get a personal referral link that you can share on social networks, by email, or on your blog. {It’s usually found on your account page.} Then, for every person who joins from your link, you’ll earn credits to spend on the site! Many sites also have an option to share a specific item or deal that you find – so if you find something totally cool, you’ll get rewarded when your best friend buys it too!

Share your best tips!

I’d love to hear your best tips for saving money – and preventing overspending and impulse purchases! – when using daily deal sites. Do you have favorite sites? Any favorite sweet deals you’ve purchased lately? Share in the comments…

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 24, 2012 Filed Under: Shopping | No Comments

The Danger Lurking at Target….

Source: jennifermariemiller.tumblr.com via Sunshine and on Pinterest

Anyone else relate?

Do you find Target stores hard to resist? Ever walk out with no idea how your cart got filled with $100+ of pretty things? You’re not alone….

Oh Target, how I love thee. Trendy fashions for home and family, at prices affordable for middle class mommas on a budget. You bring designer lines to the masses, offer perfectly modern home decor that’s not over the top, and the cutest stinkin’ baby clothes around. {Have you seen them? Seriously.} And I know it’s not just me…. There’s a whole website devoted to them – SlaveToTarget.com. Because truly, we are ALL slaves to Target. They even have their own nickname -“Tar-zhay” – how many stores have their own nickname? Only ones you spend so much time with….

The safest way to shop at Target – and it’s still dangerous, don’t get me wrong – is to shop online. It’s easier to stay focused. The mysteriously hypnotizing Target eye won’t be as easily able to trick you into those new curtains… and matching throw rugs… and cute boots… and did you see those pretty new drinking glasses? No – online you’ll have a chance to get in, and out, with only what you truly need. Be strong.

Share your Target Story in the comments. I know you have one. We all do….

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 22, 2012 Filed Under: Fun Stuff | 12 Comments

Busy Mom Skincare Solution

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” – Gwyneth Paltrow

I am a total junkie when it comes to beauty products. I have so many creams, and serums, and scrubs, and masks – plus all of the pretty colors of shadows, and glosses, and shimmers. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a total girl… And a quick glance around my Master Bathroom confirms it real quick, lol. {Hey, I do save one drawer for the Mister, too!} But – while I have loads of great products, they’re all different brands, and formulas, and types – so I have no idea if they are really working well together. When I learned about the new Meaningful Beauty system, I knew that I wanted to try it. I’m only a wee bit past 30, {I’ll be 32 this summer. That’s still just a wee bit, ok?} but I already am seeing some pretty serious lines on my forehead. I figured that it was probably time to bump my skincare routine up a notch – Since I became a mom a year and a half ago, I swear my lines AND gray hairs have almost doubled! Not cool.

Meaningful Beauty: A next generation advanced skincare system

The secret weapon of this system is the Crème de Serum—a triple potency product that combines the super-power of a serum with the moisturizing feel of a cream. It’s packed with amazing stuff – and as you can see in the photo, all 3 heavy-duty ingredients are swirled separately in the container, then combine into one powerful anti-aging potion once dispensed from the container. Awesome, right? It’s like if Batman were a skincare product….

“I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being skin deep. That’s deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?” – Jean Kerr

If you want to learn more about Meaningful Beauty online – You can get the entire skincare system for only $39.95 – Shipped Free!The kit comes packed with every single product that you need, for morning and nighttime treatments. You even get a cool guide to show you when and how to apply each of the products – so if you’re a busy mom like me, who doesn’t have time to figure it all out, this system is a perfect solution. I just received my kit – and after I use it for a couple of weeks, I’ll come back and let you guys know how it worked for me. Meaningful Beauty also lived up to it’s name, and sent over a second gift package too – So I was able to share it with someone who means the whole world to me – My momma. I’m incredibly lucky that she is a beautiful woman, is ageing as gracefully as can be – and that she passed those lucky-lady genes on down to me too. People have always thought I was MUCH younger than I am – and I’d like to keep it that way. Stay tuned in two weeks for results….

{Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf Meaningful Beauty and received a 5-step treatment kit to facilitate my review, a second 5-step treatment kit to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on February 22, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Weekly Bloggertunities – 2/22

“Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you. Not you.” – Jim Rohn

Go big, or go home, right? I love this quote above…. Some people blog as a creative outlet. Some bloggers use it to promote a cause or idea that they’re passionate about. For others, {like me} it’s more of a business. Whatever your motivation for blogging – You probably spend a ton of time on it, and are always looking for new ways to grow and improve. I have some really cool projects coming up that I think you guys will love – some things to help boost your blog up to new levels, and bring you new opportunities. Until then, I hope that these weekly Bloggertunity posts are helpful to you. And as always – if you have a fun event open for sign ups, a linky or blog hop, or an opp that you have permission to share – I’d love for you to leave a comment below!

Reviews & Giveaways

OXO: Join their Blogger Outreach program – Get opportunities to review some of their super cool gadgets and tools, which are some of my VERY favorite items for the kitchen!
Rafflecopter: They’re starting Round 2 of connecting bloggers and brands for fun review and giveaway opportunities. I was a part of several of these last time, and they went really great. Since they’ve made improvements since then, I’m sure things will be even better this time around! Sign up to partner with Rafflecopter for Blog Giveaways.
MomFuse: Sign up for POP Alerts – {Post Our Pitch} – to be notified of cool new opportunities for bloggers. These are random and cover tons of different topics – so there’s always something for everyone, no matter what you blog about.

Guest Post and Writing Jobs

Guest Posts: Oh My Gosh Beck! is looking for new guest bloggers to post to her site. She’s awesome, with a huge fan base – so it’ll be a great way to get your name out there, and get some new fans too.
Examiner: Pick a topic that you’re an expert in, and write your own column on Examiner.com. {See an example here – I’m the Frugal Living Examiner}. You can apply here – Examiner.com Application – It can take up to 3 weeks to hear back, but if you are referred by a current writer, it’s usually much quicker. Feel free to use me – Meagan Paullin, or another writer you know. If you are not approved, feel free to email me with questions, and maybe I can help!

Blogger Tips and Resources

Pinterest: Want to learn how to Pin Like a Rockstar? Read my post for some great tips on getting started, and how to maximize your Pinterest account by cross promoting it on your other sites and pages too.
Twit Cleaner: This is a really cool, free online tool that helps you clean the junk out of your Twitter followers. Accounts that aren’t active, that only tweet affiliates, possible spam, and more. Plus – learn what it says about your own Twitter style too.
Free Blog Images: This is a big list of sites you can use to get free images to use in your blog posts – if you don’t have an image to use, this is a huge help. Remember, no one can pin your amazingly helpful info if there’s no photo in the post!
Speaking of Pinterst… Find new, helpful posts and resources added almost daily on my Blogging & Social Media Pinterest board.

Events to Join

Photography: Join our weekly photo challenge – Learn some new tips, share your favorite photos, and get some new traffic when you link up your post. Color, Click, Capture.
StumbleUpon: Join us each week, and link up your favorite post. Learn how StumbleUpon can be an amazing tool for driving traffic to your site – it’s always in my top 10. Join here.

Are we friends yet on Facebook? Stop on by – and leave me a comment to introduce your blog!

Want an easy way to share this info with your blogging buddies?

Hey #mombloggers – Looking for awesome new blogging opportunities? Get ’em here –> sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/02/weekly…

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) February 23, 2012