Reviews — Page 9

{Rafflecopter Giveaway} Carmex Prize Package 9/20

Carmex ROCKS my SOCKS!

Carmex is one of the most requested brands in our house… Everyone loves it. My brother is addicted to the Original Jar, or Tube, and there is always one in every single pocket of pants I try to wash. He is NEVER without it. The boys love the cherry flavor- and always slather on a ton of the Healing Lotion after getting out of the pool! Me, I love ’em all– And have found some new favorites in the awesome products that Carmex sent me to test out!

Check out the NEW Vanilla and Lime Twist Sticks!

These new Carmex sticks have the same great conditioning and smoothing super-powers that I’m used to, but with some great new flavors. The Lime Twist is really bright and refreshing- not too fruity- great balance of flavor. Brightens your mood when you wear it! The Vanilla Stick is really comforting and soothing… Some Vanilla’s taste artificial, this is just yummy and natural.

Some Amazing Carmex Facts:

When was Carmex® lip balm invented?
Carmex was invented in 1937 by Alfred Woelbing, literally on the family stovetop. For the next 20 years, Alfred and his wife made Carmex by hand and poured it into the now familiar yellowcapped jars.
Is Carmex lip balm addictive?
No, there’s nothing in Carmex that’s addictive. However, we believe it is addictively good.
Is Carmex tested on animals?
Only the ones we’re related to. Seriously, we never test on animals. We don’t need to because we’ve got so many Woelbing family members to use as test subjects.
Does Carmex contain gluten?
Nope, not even a speck.

See? I told you Carmex Rocks.

And, check out their website to request a Free Sample. Each week they randomly draw 50 people, and send them out a freebie! Because not only do they make the greatest products ever, they’re also just nice guys.

Win Your Own Carmex Package:

One lucky fan will win a prize pacakge that includes:

This super amazing picnic blanket- it unrolls HUGE, with a waterproof lining on bottom, and a super soft fabric on top, then rolls up to carry. Very cool.

Both of the new Carmex Sticks- Vanilla and Lime Twist.

AND- the other product that I got to test out, the new Moisture Plus-in a stylin’ slim tube, with a great slant-tip applicator. Great over lipstick or on it’s own, gave me really natural-looking glossiness to my lips. Super pretty.

{I have no pics of the three products you will win- They all three came with this awesome picnic blanket, but everyone grabbed ’em and ran off to try them before I could snap a pic. And yes, they’re really THAT good, good enough that they turn my family into a band of thieves…}

Disclaimer: I was sent a complimentary set of products, so I could try them out and share my feedback on ’em with you guys. All opinions are of course my own!

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

[Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 6, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Reviews, Contests | 8 Comments

$500,000 School Field Trip Giveaway!

This back to school season, Kleenex® Brand is supporting one of kids’ favorite on the go activities – field trips!

Head on over to the Kleenex Facebook page, and click on the “Field Trips” tab…. Then you can sign up your school for a chance to win one of a hundred $5,000 prizes!

If you’re school is already on the list, make sure to give them your vote. The voting in this awesome contest ends on September 14th, so check it out today!

Another thing to check out is the new line of great Kleenex fall products- Perfect for busy moms on the go!

The On-the-Go packs have a super cool featured called Sneeze Shield- Helping you keep germs and other icky stuff off your kids’ hands in the classroom, on field trips, the park, or wherever else your kids are at.

New On-the-Go Packages include:

The Wallet Pack: Super slim and easy to carry. Great option for teens and tweens, or to add to a diaper bag pocket for moms, and comes in bunches of trendy designs – super cute!

The Auto-Pack: Perfect size to fit in a busy moms car door or glove box, so you always have a tissue handy for emergencies.

The Pocket-Pack: Super slim and portable, it’s now updated with super-soft 3-ply tissue!

Watch for these great new On-the-Go products with Sneeze-Shield technology in pretty much all major retailers, in the tissue aisle. You can check out some of the other cool designs on Kleenex.com too!

{Disclaimer: I was provided with a set of these new Kleenex products to review in a campaign from Mom Bloggers Club, but was not compensated in any other way. The opinions shared are totally mine, as always!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 5, 2011 Filed Under: Contests, Reviews | No Comments

Another Reason to Love Starbucks…

Oh Starbucks, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

Well, now in addition to my favorite latte’s {oh the anticipation of fall, and Pumpkin Spice latte’s…} Starbucks has added eight new reasons to love them- Starbucks Bistro Boxes!

Chipotle Chicken Wraps Bistro Box

My favorite by far is this absolutely yummy Chipotle Chicken Wrap box– Whole-wheat tortillas, white chicken strips, pepper jack cheese, lime-cilantro slaw and tomato avocado salsa. Dark chocolate included for a sweet treat too!

This is such an amazing combination of flavors, and is one of new favorite lunch choices when I’m running errands around town!

Great for Busy Moms!

All of their eight Bistro Box selections is high in fiber, and a very lunch appropriate calorie range- Around 350 in each one. And they’re packaged great for a mom-on-the-go. It’s not always easy to find healthy options- and these are delicious!

Check them out on Facebook too, and tell them what YOUR favorite Bistro Box is!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Starbucks Bistro Boxes and received a gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions on the yum factor of these Bistro Boxes are totally my own!}

Swagbucks- The easiest way to earn freebies on the web!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 5, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews | 2 Comments

Forget about forgetting important information ever again!

Digital Storage for All of Life’s Information

Look around your house. Are you seeing stacks of papers that you keep meaning to go through? Boxes and files bulging with stuff you put there for safe-keeping, but couldn’t find what you need if your life depended on it. Don’t worry, we won’t judge, it’s the exact overload we were facing that made us think there has to be a better way.
Wouldn’t be amazing if you could store information you needed to remember in one place and more importantly, find it instantly, anytime, from anywhere. Good news! It exists, and it is a total game-changer.

Evernote is a website, a free app, and an extension that builds functionality into tons of programs you already use. If you can email it, scan it, type it, snap it, record it, or find it on the internet you can keep track of it all with Evernote.

You won’t believe how simple it is to use- watch the video then forget about forgetting important information ever again!

What do you think?

I think I’m in love!! I’ve told you about the new service that I’ve been using, AboutOne, and how it is SO incredibly helpful– It allows me to scan all my important papers, and put them in one big online filing cabinet, so I can always have access to what I need, since you can use it right from your Smart Phone. I’ve added all of the kids immunizations, report cards, and more.

But what I’m really loving about Evernote {I don’t know how I’d never heard of them before!} is that it has the little “clipping” tool, which reminds me of Pinterest. I love that I can use that to save articles that I’d like to reference, recipes I’d like to try, or great resources that I know I’ll want to use again. So helpful!

In the past I’ve relied on my cellphone to be my other “brain”. Seriously. I’m so bombarded with info every day, and since having the baby I have a hard time remembering everything. I would use the Memo, List, and Calendar in my phone for EVERYTHING. And like Carley, I often take pics of things to remember them! Problem is, if something happens to my phone {and you know it always does} then I’ve lost all of my stuff. And that my friends, is major-meltdown time.

How great is it to be able to store everything using my phone, but it’s all online, so I can still access it?? Love it! Thank you Evernote, from all of the over-worked, over-tired, over-frazzled momma’s out here, for making life a little bit simpler. And a BIG thank you to Digitwirl for sharing this great find!

What do you guys think? Do you use Evernote already? Do you think you’ll start? Are you using AboutOne too, like me? I think I’ll keep that one too, for my big documents, and use Evernote for my more miscellaneous stuff. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Digitwirl is the weekly web show that offers simple solutions to modern day problems. In 3 minutes, Digitwirl brings busy women the very best time, money, and sanity-saving technology, and then teaches them how to use it, step-by-step.

Digitwirl was created by technology lifestyle expert Carley Knobloch, who uses lots of technology to manage her busy life as mom of two and entrepreneur.

Become a subscriber to get weekly show alerts and exclusive deals at Digitwirl.com, or follow Digitwirl on Twitter at @digitwirl.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 5, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews | No Comments

Don’t Know How to Back-Up Your Photos? Check Out an Easy Solution!

Photos are precious…

I love photography. I love looking through old photo albums, I always make photo-art gifts at the holidays, and photos are a big part of my home decor. {The photo above is the one I just used to make my most recent Photo Canvas Print… I’m so excited to get this one.}

Since photos are so important to me, I have worried about what would happen to the 1,000’s of priceless family photos in my computer if it crashed. I know that I can burn them to a disk, but I don’t want to be doing that all the time. I take a ton of photo’s, so I need something that can automatically update when I add new stuff.

I found a company that I really like:

Carbonite makes it super simple to back everything up. It seriously is simple to use, and gives me a ton of piece of mind, knowing that everything is stored safely now.

Here are some cool features:

It backs up all of your files: photos, documents, music, and whatever else you have that you don’t want to lose.
It only takes a few minutes to install, and it’s easy to understand.
It works automatically, and updates often, to keep your stuff stored safely offsite. And you get unlimited storage— Some sites only allow you to store a set amount.
You can get your backed up files from another computer OR even from your phone! Cool, right?
And, you can try it for FREE!

You can check it out here:

Join Carbonite: for a quick set up. It’s totally free to try it out for the first 2 weeks {15 days to be exact}. You don’t have to enter a credit card or anything scammy- It’s really free. Then, if you like it, I found a code to get 2 more months FREE: Use code EASY to get 2 months free with any sign up.

The price, if you want to keep using them, is only $59 for the WHOLE year, which is like $5 a month- Totally affordable. Plus the code above gets you 2 months free. They’re really highly rated by the Better Business Bureau, AND you even get FREE phone support whenever you need it. And they’re Ranked #9 on the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest-growing companies. {Yep, I did my research before signing up :)}

I just signed up, but it totally looks like the program that I’ll be sticking with! If you’ve been looking for an easy way to back-up all of your files, check it out too!

Pin It

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 1, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Reviews | No Comments

Yaysave Wants to Give YOU 1,000 Swagbucks Today!

Yaysave has a BONUS right now….

Not only do you get the normal reward of 500 Swagbucks when you join as a Premium Member, but for a limited time, you also get 500 MORE Swagbucks when you make your first purchase of $25 bucks or more!! So awesome.

Are you familiar with Yaysave yet?

I hadn’t ever heard of it until about a week ago, but I am SO glad that I found it. Check out my post about how to How to Save 75% off Household Products WITHOUT Clipping Coupons to learn more about how cool Yaysave is, and why I”m lovin’ it.

Yaysave has thousands of household items- stuff like diapers, cleaners, and shampoo, at up to 75% LESS than my beloved Amazon, or even Diapers.com. They even do a price comparison right on the screen, showing you how the price compares to the others sites. The savings could REALLY add up for your family!

Break it down…

Here’s how you get this great deal:

Go to Yaysave right now, and set up the FREE account. It only takes about 30 seconds, and then you can check out the site to see the deals and perks.
If you like what you see {I sure as heck did!} then you can upgrade to Premium Member- Giving you bonus discounts, free shipping on ANY order, no matter how small, and the first 500 Swagbuck Bonus.
The Premium Membership is discounted right now, and is only $19.99 {reg. $29.99} for new members, for a full year.
With your 500 free Swagbucks, which equal more than a $5 Amazon gift card reward, it’s like you’re paying $15 bucks for the year.
That’s a little over $1 per MONTH you’re paying. And I guarantee you save more than a $1 a month by making some of your regular stock up purchases with them!
THEN, make your FIRST purchase of $25 bucks, get another BONUS 500 Swagbucks, and you’ve over halfway paid for your membership!

Rockin’ my Socks off!

I mentioned to you in my last post that my friends that introduced me to Yaysave told me that there are a lot of cool opportunities like this to earn bonus Swagbucks through the year. And you know I am the BIGGEST fan of Swagbucks!! So I am totally hooked, and am doing most of my basics shopping now through Yaysave.

Check it out today! Remember, you can go sign up for a FREE Yaysave account right now, to just take a look. Everyone can shop their great prices once they sign up. But if you want to really maximize the savings, the Premium Membership is the way to go :)

Another amazing way to earn FREE cash and FREE rewards!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 1, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Shopping, Reviews, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

Learn How to Save 75% off Household Products- Without Clipping Coupons!

Have you heard of Yaysave Yet?

I kind of consider myself the master of freebies and deals, {check out my profile on Cheap Sally to vote for me as a savings-master…} and am always shocked to learn that there is something that I DON’T know about yet!! {Lol, but only kind of…} So of course I was surprised to learn about Yaysave yesterday— It is amazing, and I don’t know how I didn’t hear about this sooner!

Yaysave Basics:

Here are the main points you need to know about why Yaysave rocks my socks-

Yaysave helps you save on your “everyday” type of items. Prices up to 75% less than Amazon, Walmart, Soap.com, Drugstore.com, and Alice.com. And since you KNOW that those sites have awesome deals, you realize quickly how great the prices are at Yaysave.
They show you right on the site how the prices compare to other sites, so you can be sure you’re getting a great deal. Example: Luv’s Diapers, $7.99, 37% less than Diapers.com.
They are PayPal certified, so you know that your information is safe.
They have two great ways to use their service, depending on your needs- You can upgrade to the paid membership {SOOO worth it, and that’s what I did} or get a basic membership for FREE!!

Difference between the Memberships:

The basic free account is great if you just want to try out the site, but I could tell right away that I’ll be using this a TON, so I wasted NO TIME in upgrading to the Premium Membership.
Usually the Premium Membership is $29.99 per year, but right now {and I have NO idea how long it will last} it’s only $19.99 to join.

Here’s what you get:

All accounts get FREE Shipping on orders $100 bucks or more. PREMIUM Members get FREE Shipping on ALL purchases.
Everyone saves on products- 10-70% off other sites prices. But the PREMIUM Membership gets you an additional 2-15% off on many products, on top of the low prices, as a bonus.
Everyone gets their products shipped in 1-2 days. But the PREMIUM Members get it shipped FREE every time.
AND… One of the coolest parts- Yaysave has partnered with another great frugal-freebie site, so you get 500 BONUS FREE Swagbucks when you join as a premium member!! Since 500 Swagbucks is enough to get a $5 Amazon gift card {with 50 points left over!} that makes your paid membership even cheaper!!! And my friends tell me that they do special promo’s pretty often, where you get bonus Swagbucks with purchase. And you know I LOVE me some Swagbucks!

Love it, right?

You are guaranteed to find the lowest prices, since you can see the price comparisons right on the screen. If you sign up as a premium member, you’ll get bonus discounts on top of those savings. You can get FREE shipping, and it’s lightning fast.

Even if you only sign up for the FREE Yaysave membership right now, you’ll still be saving… It’s just a few lines to fill out, and BAM, you’re in, and can start checking out the sweet deals. So it’s easy to see more, and decide if upgrading is the right choice for you too.

This is how I’m using it:

I’ll check it out a couple times per week, and just check for items at a rock bottom price. When I find one, I’ll order a few, if I know we’ll use them. Since I have the FREE SHIPPING with the PREMIUM Membership, I can order just one item if that’s all I find, and it’s still free to ship. That way, I can slowly build a new stockpile of household items, at a SUPER discounted price. Plus, you can sign up at a site like Deals.com to get alerts sent to you with new Yaysave Coupon Codes, to save even MORE.

To get started, sign up for Swagbucks if you haven’t already, so you get your bonus points. Then head over to Yaysave and get YOUR Premium Account today too!

Are YOU using Yaysave?

I’d love to hear any great tips to using this site, or info that you have. Like I said, I’m a brand new member… And I like to know the best tricks to maximizing my savings on any site that I use!

Be sure to use the social buttons to share this with your friends, because remember….