script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"> google.com, pub-0949974396517105, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

Archives for February 2012

Your Blogging Business: Tax Time Tips are Here!

Tax Book Tips

Blogging + Taxes = Confusion!

I know that when I started blogging last year – {can you believe it’s been almost a year already that I’ve had this site? Craaaazy….} – I didn’t realize all of the things that I should be keeping records of. I tracked my income {which of course wasn’t much at first} and I have a kind-of/sort-of list of the products I reviewed. I kept a list of some of my expenses, but don’t have receipts for so many other things because I had no idea I could write them off on my taxes! I’ve always done my own taxes, but was getting a little bit nervous this year, and contemplating seeing a professional {meaning = expensive} tax helper. Well, if you’ve been stressing over taxes too, this book can totally come to your rescue!

Who should NOT buy this book

This book can’t answer every tax question – there are so many different pieces, that sometimes you really do need expert advice. So if you made a ton of money from your blog, or if you paid employees to help you, or if you have a really unique question or problem – You might still need to talk to a pro. And if you made less than $400, your taxes are really pretty simple, and you may not need any extra help at all.

Who WILL be helped by this book

All the rest of us! Lol – But seriously. This book covers all of the core things that you need to know, in a fun, totally easy to read way. From how to track your expenses all year, to what can be written off at tax time – She can help you learn to maximize all of those business deductions that we’re entitled to get. And she has tons of great ideas to help you keep your info organized during the coming year – so that next tax season is a breeze!

Tax Book for Bloggers

Want to check it out too?

Click here to visit Your Blogging Business

The ebook is called Your Blogging Business – Tax Talk and Tips from a Bookkeeper turned Blogger. It’s only $4.99 for the book – and I tell ya, it’s well worth the few bucks!!

signature

Facebook, Please. I’m Trying to Work!

Does this ever happen to you?

Having a job where you work online, at home where no boss can come sneak in and catch you goofing off, is not as easy as you might think. The internet is a tough place to work… There are so many distractions.  Oooh, a funny cartoon – gotta re-post it to Facebook! Super controversial article – Totally gotta go share it in my blogging group and see what they think of it! Awww, look at that sweet pic of baby kittens – clearly I have to give it a thumbs up on StumbleUpon. Maybe I’ll just hit the stumble button a couple of times too….

Suddenly, it’s 3 hours later, and I still have a pile of work to do.

And that’s why bloggers have messy homes. That’s why it is extremely difficult for us to be productive. The internet is just so full of shiny things, it’s hard to stay focused. I mean heck – How can I get any work done when there are so many pictures of Ryan Reynolds without a shirt on Pinterest??

I mean, seriously.

signature

20 Awesome Freebies for Moms

Freebies, Samples, Free stuff

How to Get Free Stuff

Yep – Everything you see in these pictures was free. Shipped right to my door, didn’t pay a penny for any of it. Awesomesauce, right? Free stuff is much funner to find in your mailbox than bills – But it’s more than just fun, it can also help with your budget. I have a few baskets in the bathroom, filled with shampoo and conditioner samples, toothpaste freebies, face and body lotion trial-sizes, and more. Since the freebie baskets are almost always full, I save money by not needing to purchase these items. So – Use this big list of resources to start seeing YOUR mailbox filled with fun free stuff every day too!

Health & Beauty Freebies

Baby & Kids Freebies

Food Freebies

  • Samples: Find the best new free samples on MySavings today – Free Mac n Cheese, Cadbury Chocolate Bar, Panda Express, and more. That’s just the first page – there are loads more!
  • Nutrition App: Download this free app from Kiwi Magazine – Tips and help to live a more natural and organic life, easily!
  • Bake Pops: Love these trendy new baked desserts? Get my totally favorite new kitchen gadget to help you make ’em like a pro – Buy one kit, get the second bake pops kit free! Use it as a gift like I did, or keep ’em both for yourself. You’ll love it.
  • Nutrition Bar: Get a free sample of the new Life Choice Nutrition Bar from Walmart – Fill out the form to get yours.

Other Fun Freebies

  • Craftsy: Fun free email each day with craft project ideas – and get super sweet discounts on materials and classes when you sign up for a free account!
  • Tide: First 500,000 get a free sample of the new Tide pods detergent! It was working when I tried it just now – So hopefully you get them too!
  • Shout: Get a free sample of the new Shout Color Catcher sheets for laundry day. I’m a big fan of these since I tried a sample last month!
  • Free Martini Shot: No, I’m not handing out free drinks today… Although that WOULD be a nice way to end the post, and start your weekend, lol. This is a free app you can download to listen to music, check out photos and videos, read blog posts, and more. VERY, very cool – so I wanted to share it with ya’all too!

Love these freebies? Finding fun free stuff for you is just one of the many “Simple Solutions for Busy Moms” that I share every single day. Make sure you never miss anything cool by following me via email, on Facebook, Twitter, or my new obsession – Pinterest!

H&R Block

signature

$500 Giveaway with Real Moms Real Deals!

Deal sites for moms

New Giveaway Event to Celebrate Moms

I want to introduce you to Real Moms Real Deals – They are 100% committed to bringing fantastic REAL deals, to REAL mom’s, like you!

What does this mean, exactly?

It means squeal-inducing savings, up to 90% off… {nope, not a typo!} …on products you actually use and love! They also proudly support hand crafted items right along with brand name items, so for those of you who have an affinity for beautiful craftsmanship that comes only from hand crafted items, they’ve got you covered!

Their first deals land on February 28th, 2012…mark your calendar!


We have teamed up with Real Moms Real Deals for a BIG Giveaway, $500 in prizes in fact!

Use the Rafflecopter box below to enter to win. And, if you’re feeling lucky today – Check out my HUGE list of giveaways that are also going on now, you’ll always find it right there in the sidebar. You can win everything from diapers to cash – and the more you enter, the more chances that you have to win!

Have fun & Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

signature

Pampers Gifts to Grow Giveaway Event!

**If you do not have a Gifts to Grow account here is a post with sign up information and a list of codes to get you started!**

Hi and welcome! I have teamed up with a wonderful group of bloggers to bring you this fun event. You will be entering to win one of two 60 points Pampers Gifts to Grow codes. If you are saving to redeem your points – this is a great boost or if you are new to Pampers Gifts to Grow – this is a great time to sign up!

Easy Peasy Entry Form!

The entry process is easy just use the Rafflecopter below. There is one mandatory entry and the remaining entries are optional but the more entries completed = more chances to win! And, if you’re feeling lucky – Enter the rest of my awesome giveaways, over in the sidebar!

Thank you for being a fan and good luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

signature

Huggies Squirmy Baby Round-Up & Giveaway

Huggies, Baby, Diapers

The Great Squirmy Baby Round-Up from Huggies!

Changing a squirmy baby can be tough – We’ve all been there, right? Once they learn how to start movin’, you’re always struggling to keep up. From those first attempts at crawling, to a toddler running wild – getting them to hold still for a diaper change can be a challenge! Since here at Sunshine and Sippy Cups we’re all about finding new “Busy Mom Solutions” – I want to share a great one with you today… Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers!!

Why These Diapers Rock

It is getting to be almost impossible to get my little girl to lay down and stay put long enough to get a regular diaper strapped on right – and I’m constantly getting them on crooked, with a baby booty cheek hanging out! Yikes. I absolutely love that these diapers can just pull on and off super quick – and no more ripped tabs as I try to wrap ’em around a squirmy baby. I wish I’d found these Slip-On’s sooner!

Squirmy Baby Video Round-Up

Huggies has a super fun promotion going on right now – Upload a video of your favorite squirmy baby, and Huggies will add some fun clips to it – and post it live on their YouTube channel. You can check out mine of my little goofball dancing around the kitchen here – Abby’s Squirmy Baby Video on Huggies YouTube – and then upload your own too! {Ignore the messy kitchen, we were moving at the time I took this. It’s not the best quality, but it cracks me up with her little “super-star” dance moves. Funny girl.} There are easy peasy buttons that you can then use to share your fun video on Facebook and Twitter too – so you can show off your little cutie pie!

Enter to WIN from Huggies

Huggies wants to give YOU the chance to try out these awesome Slip-On diapers to solve your own squirmy baby challenges too! Two winners will each win a package of the new Little Movers Slip-On Diapers – Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter, and if you’re feeling lucky – Check out the rest of my super awesome giveaways, right over there in the sidebar! The more you enter, the more chances that you have to win!

Have fun & Good Luck!

[Read more…]

signature

Weekly Bloggertunities – 2/16

Blogging Opportunties

New Weekly Blogging Opportunities

New weekly round-up of opportunities for bloggers – Fun events and linkys to join, review opps, sponsored post companies to partner with, and more. If you have any great events that are open for sign ups, be sure to leave a link in the comments! And feel free to share this post in any of your own networks or groups too – The more we support each other, the more successful all of our blogs will be!

Writing Jobs

  • Women’s Website: Freelance bloggers needed to write content for a women in business focused magazine. Pay runs from $15-$100, based on quality, experience, and length of article. Apply here – Freelance Bloggers Wanted.
  • Examiner: Choose a local topic that you are an expert in – I’m the Frugal Living Examiner in my city – and apply to be a writer for Examiner.com with your very own column. It’s a great way to connect with local businesses, and you can earn a steady income from a successful column too!

Reviews & Giveaways

  • Bright Starts: Calling all thrifty mom bloggers! Do you have an infant and want to review our newest value gear collection? Email brightstarts@kidsii.com. You can also see and respond to tweet if interested.
  • Social Moms: Recruiting for African American and Hispanic/Latina bloggers. If this is you, or you have someone you’d like to refer – Fill out the form to be considered for new fun campaigns!
  • Brad’s Deals: Sign up for new blogging and review opportunities with Brad’s Deals. It requires you to enter full referral info – If you’d like to use mine, it’s Meagan Paullin, sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com… Website I think you can figure out on your own, lol.
  • Shaklee: Sign up to be a part of their blogger product review team – You have to commit to their privacy standards, but those are easy and things you should be doing anyway. Great products!
  • Mompact: I’m still looking for some really great new bloggers to join our review team at Mompact.com! Check out the products – and if you think that your blog would be a good fit, email me {Meagan at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com} to let me know a little about you and your site, and why you would like to partner with us. All products are mom-invented, and we would love to add some really professional bloggers to our team!

Sponsored Posts and Paid Opps

  • McDonalds: Join the Family Arches focus group. After you sign up, you’ll see the opp to give feedback on a new Happy Meal idea. Leave a comment that you’re interested – If chosen, you’ll be rewarded with a $25 McDonalds Gift Certificate!
  • Coupon Cabin: Sign up for their blogger outreach program, to be the first to learn about new events and opportunities.
  • Blog Friendly PR: Sign up for a free account here, or upgrade and get access to more PR contacts for only $5. Learn more here – Blog Friendly PR, and feel free to use my name as a referral if you’d like {it’s Meagan Paullin}.
  • Social Spark: One of my new favorites – It only took a few months to move up in their system, and I now get very well paying opps with them. It’s super easy to apply, the posts are always simple to put together, and they pay out directly to PayPal. Monetize Your Blog with Sponsored Posts.

Great Tips & Resources

  • Improve Your Blog: This is my new favorite article, and I’ve been referring to it all week – 103 Ways to Improve Your Blog in 15 Minutes or Less – All easy peasy updates you can do. Love it.
  • Link Medic: This is a huge list of 120 links to free blogging resources. From keyword tools to Twitter tools, it’s got some amazing info.
  • Pinterest: Check out my Blogging Tips board on Pinterest for tons of great stuff – All of the articles I find that I think are super helpful. Do you have a blogging board on Pinterest too? Leave me a link and I’d love to follow you!

Events to Join

  • Stumble Tumble Tuesday: Join us each week, link up your favorite post, and learn how Stumble Upon helps drive traffic for bloggers.
  • Click, Color, Capture: Another fun weekly link up – Learn new photography tips and share your own favorite photo in each weeks color theme!
  • Reviewer’s Retreat: I am SO excited to hear that so many of my bloggy friends are going to be at this event – If you haven’t bought tickets yet, learn more about this awesome conference for review bloggers and get yours today!

Build a Better Blog

I hope that some of these tips, resources, and sites help you find some great new opportunities to grow your blog, improve your traffic, and earn an income! If you have any favorite tips or opps that you’ve come across this week – Please feel free to share in the comments below!

MySavings Media Super Affiliate Program

signature