New tool to Save Cool Online Content

I’m on the web all day. From checking my Facebook page in the morning, browsing my favorite blogs and craft sites, reading the newest articles on blogging and social media – or even just searching for a new recipe to try for tomorrow’s dinner – I use the internet for just about everything. I love that any question can be answered with a quick Google search, any idea can be shared with a few taps of a keyboard, and all of the info I could ever want access to is at my fingertips…. But, the one thing I hate is that it can be difficult to keep all of the cool online content that I find organized so that it’s easy to find again when I need it!

Busy Mom Solution – Clipix to the Rescue!

You are going to LOVE this site – Now, instead of bookmarking all of those cool sites you want to check out again, you can Clip It! You add the clipix button to your toolbar, and when you find something awesome you want to save, you save it with these simple steps:

• Click the Clipix button.
• Choose the picture that you want to remember the page with.
• Choose the board you want to add it to – Things like Recipes, Articles to Read, or start a fashion board to save items you might want to buy while you’re “window shopping” on the web! You can make it a private board, open to your friends, or open to anyone. Love that feature!
• Then it autofills with the title of the page – Change it, or leave it as is. 
• You’re done! You’ve clipped a new little piece of the web and added it to your own clipboard! Awesome, right?

Why should you use Clipix.com?

Well, I really can’t think of anyone who WOULDN’T benefit from this super duper cool tool. No matter what you do online – Browse creative sites, run and promote your business, socialize with friends – This site is perfect for you. Another really awesome feature is the ability to make Syncboards – These are boards that you can collaborate on with your friends. Planning a Bachelorette party for a girl friend? Add everyone to the Syncboard, so you each share all of the fun party ideas you find in one spot! Or – If you’re working on a business project, add the whole team to one Syncboard to share information quickly and easily. The ideas are pretty much endless, right?

• Meal Ideas
• Shopping 
• Holiday Gift Ideas
• DIY Ideas for Your Home
• Plan Your Childs Birthday Party
• Articles for Business

What will You use Clipix for?

The sign up for a new account is ridiculously easy – Sign in using either your Facebook or Twitter account, and add the Clipix button to your toolbar. Then start wandering the web, and clipping your favorite finds! Once you get started, let me know in the comments – What is your favorite feature of Clipix.com? How will you use it to help you organize your online life? What boards are you excited to start adding clips to? I love hearing from you guys!

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Medical Expenses are Hard to Plan For

Medical expenses can be one of the biggest budget-busters in your family’s spending . It’s hard to plan for your medical expenses, since your medical needs are usually so unpredictable. Kids get sick, and accidents happen. One big illness or injury can take a big bite out of your income – but there are a few things that you can do to be better prepared! 

Start a Monthly Savings Account

If you kept good records last year, you can add up what you spent on medical expenses last year to get a better idea of what you should save. Add it all up for the year, divide by 12, and make it a goal to save that much in a special account each month, so you know that you’re pretty well prepared for any emergency that comes up. If you aren’t able to look at last years spending, it’ll be a little bit tougher – But try to estimate how many times the kids usually go to the doctor over the course of a year, add up copays, add extra for an emergency room trip or two {with kids, it happens!} – and base your saving plan on that. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great start!

Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

Appointments with your family doctor and emergency room visits aren’t your only medical expense – Prescriptions can also be a HUGE spending category! One way to help save money on prescriptions is to check out Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. Here are a few of the ways that it can help your family:

• A full year Family Membership is only $35, and covers everyone in your immediate family – Spouse, dependents 22 and younger, and even your pets!
• Have dependents over 22? It’s only $20 for an individual membership. 
• Savings on over 8,000 brand-name medications, and all generics.
• Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers, and diabetic supplies.
• Bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.

How do YOU plan for Medical Expenses?

A sick kiddo can totally throw you off schedule – Both in your budget, and in your daily schedule. You might have to take a day or two off of work, get meds, maybe visit your family doctor. How do you prepare and plan for this type of challenge? I’d love to hear your tips too – Please share your best “Busy Mom Solution” tip in the comments.

Learn More:

Walgreens on Twitter

Walgreens on Facebook

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

What is going on? – As in all disputes like this, there is a lot of information to read through to get to the bottom of the controversy. You can read more here – Walgreens and Express Script – but I’ll break it all down into the basics of what’s happening, how it can affect you and your family, and what you can do about it.

Unsuccessful Negotiations

Express Script is a middleman, connecting the pharmacies that provide health care service with the employers and health plans that pay for medications. Over the past year, Walgreens has been in negotiations with Express Script to continue their contract – but those negotiations have failed. Even though Walgreens offered to keep rates flat, at their current level, Express script insisted that Walgreens slash their reimbursement rates to levels below the industry average, and allow Express Scripts total control over which prescription were considered brand or generic. Another point of disagreement was that Express Scripts wants patients to ONLY be allowed to purchase money-saving 90 day prescriptions through their own mail-order program, and never though their local, trusted pharmacy. Walgreens felt that the demands were unfair, which caused Express Scripts to terminate their agreement.

What does this mean for you?

This means that if your prescriptions are covered by Express Script, you may no longer be able to fill them at your convenient local Walgreens pharmacy. This is putting a lot of stress and hardship onto patients – and Express Script themselves admit that excluding Walgreens like this will NOT lead to any decrease in prices for consumers. So – that makes it clear that this is about profits for Express Script, not about protecting their customers. In fact, Express Script’s profits have been growing at rates higher than both their peers AND Walgreens. When the middleman is seeing more gains than any of the parties that they’re serving – clearly the relationship is out of balance!

How to know if you are affected

No one wants a surprise when they show up at the pharmacy and learn that their insurance isn’t going to fill their families prescription! To find out if you are affected by these changes, find your insurance card, flip it over, and see if Express Script is mentioned on the back. If so, you may be impacted by this. The best way to know for sure though is to stop by, or call, your local pharmacy.

Walgreens Fills One Out of Five Prescriptions in the U.S.

In our family, we have used the same local pharmacy for over 20 years. I know the pharmacists there, they know my family and medical history, and I trust them to take care of me, and give me good advice. Our first Walgreens just opened in my town about a year ago – but I know that there are so many people who have already moved their prescriptions here, since they offer 24 hour service and even drive-though pharmacies, which you really appreciate when you have a sick kiddo. Most people really build a relationship with their pharmacy – so Walgreens knows that this change is going to be stressful for many of it’s customers!

What Walgreens is doing to help

To help make this transition easier for families affected by the changes, Walgreens is doing everything that it can to help customers continue to use their favorite Walgreens pharmacy, or take care of them if they’re forced to transfer their prescriptions to another pharmacy. They have increased staff to ensure that the increase in prescriptions can be transferred quickly and seamlessly. They’re also offering a big discount on joining the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. When you join the savings club during this special January promotion, you pay only $5 for you, or $10 for an annual family membership. The savings club membership provides savings on more than 8,000 brand name, plus ALL generic prescriptions. Walgreens carries more than 400 generics, and they’re available with a three-month supply for less than $1 a week. The regular annual membership is $20 for an individual, and $35 for a family – so Walgreens is offering a significant savings to it’s loyal customers this month.

To learn more

To learn more, and stay updated on these changes, as well as other great promotions and new products at Walgreens, visit them on the web…

• Walgreens on Twitter
• Walgreens on Facebook