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3 Simple Steps to Big Energy Bill Savings

“A bank is a place that will lend you money if you prove that you don’t need it.” – Bob Hope… We all hate bills, right? I mean, the credit card bill is a bummer – but at least your paying for fun stuff that you bought and enjoyed. But things like utility bills are the worst – who wants to part with their families cash for things like how many light bulbs you had turned on last month? As the kids would say – “Bo-ring!” So, to help you guys save a ton more money on your own families monthly utility bills, I’m going to share my secret trick to saving BIG bucks on our energy bills. {Hint: It involves crazy-cool light bulbs.}

how to save money on energy bills

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where shop.” – Bo Derek

Step One: Shop for new light bulbs! Switching all of your traditional light bulbs to new #GELighting Energy Efficient bulbs can save you boatloads of money. Seriously. I had really thought that CFL bulbs only came in a couple of types, and that they were all those spiral type bulbs, and that they light they would put off would be too dim, too flickery, or just … I don’t know, weird? But I was super excited to be proved wrong when I tried these bad boys out in my own home. They rock! But, since there are so many different types of bulbs, the best way to figure out which ones are right for your home is to use a sweet tool like the free lightsmart app. It makes it way easier to determine which bulbs to get, when your in the middle of that huge selection!

do cfl bulbs really save money?

“Money is something you have to make in case you don’t die.” – Max Asnas

Step Two: Now that you have figured out which varieties of super saver bulbs are the right ones for your household lighting needs, it’s time to stock up. My favorites were the Energy Smart Bright from the Start CFL and Energy Efficient Soft White from GE – I was lucky enough that my local power company partners with Walmart to offer some of these bulbs at a sweet discount to encourage people to conserve energy – and they were the best choices available for making my home bright and cheerful. Energy efficiency is super important to me, since it’s a great way to save cash AND a great way to save resources for the world my daughter will live in when she grows up. If you’re ready to make some great changes too, switching your bulbs is a super simple thing to do!

switching to cfl bulbs to save money

“Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?” – John Barrymore

Step Three: Do a super sweet lighting makeover in your own home. As you can see – I switched my bathroom from traditional bulbs {which if you notice, half were burned out! And with these new energy efficient bulbs from GE you get sooooo much time in between bulb changes – ohmyheck.} to new CFL bulbs. And I could not BELIEVE how bright and elegant it makes the bathroom now. Seriously – amazing. If you remember my first post when I went shopping for this lighting makeover, you’ll remember that I hadn’t even ever heard of CFL bulbs that came in a traditional type of look. I hated how much energy our bathroom vanity lighting used up, but didn’t think there could be a better option – but I’m not in love with these GE bulbs!

So….. Time for the Big Reveal!!

After switching to new #GELighting energy efficient bulbs for just one month, I wasn’t sure if I’d see any savings yet, or if it would take awhile. My utility bills are all paperless {remember how I said I care about being eco-friendly?} so when my newest bill showed up in my email, I was anxious to check it out and see if there was any type of difference….. Drum roll please? Duh duh duh duh…. My bill this month was almost $35 bucks LESS than this same month last year!!!! I know that the packaging had said that I would see some big savings, but I honestly wasn’t convinced. But – I sure as heck am now!

Ready to make the switch?

First, find out the savings to expect using the online energy savings calculator. Read more about what’s available, and why GE is the best choice in Energy Smart lighting. And grab the LightSmart app too if you’ve got a smartphone.

For more tips and tricks on saving money on your energy bills – follow GE Lighting on Twitter & Facebook – and follow #GELighting on Twitter!

{Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric}

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Join Me at the #GrabSummerFun Pinterest Party!

Party Details:

Join the #GrabSummerFun Pinterest Party from June 15, 2012 – July 2, 2012. We are giving away a year’s worth of Tombstone Pizza!

Party Rules:

  1. Sign into your Pinterest account or if you do not have a Pinterest account, visit Pinterest.com to request an invitation to register for a free account. There may be a waiting period in between when you request membership and when you are issued an invitation.
  2. Create a #GrabSummerFun board on your Pinterest page. The title of your board must contain #GrabSummerFun.
  3. “Pin” five (5) summer fun and party ideas (Party Decor, 4th of July Fun and Treats, Summer Fun, etc.) on the #GrabSummerFun Pinterest Board, and tag each “pin” with hashtag “#GrabSummerFun” in the description.
  4. Grab one image from our #GrabSummerFun Pinterest Board of Tombstone Pizza or Drumstick Ice Cream and Pin it to yours with the hashtag.
  5. Come back and submit your name, email address and your #GrabSummerFun Pinterest Board link to bit.ly/grabsummerfunp (the linky on the party host’s RSVP post).

Hope you guys will join me for this one! If you loved the Pirate Pizza Party that we threw to celebrate the kick-off to summer vacation, then you’ll love finding more super creative, super fun, and super affordable ways to #GrabSummerFun with your family – so make sure to check this out!

pirate party foods

#GrabSummerFun – Pirate Pizza Party to kick off summer!

 

 

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What does your favorite color say about you?

This is soooo cool. It gives a bit of info about you, depending on your favorite colors. I have to say that it is incredibly accurate if you look at my color, “sunshine” – Yes, I’m funny and full of energy. And yes, I do try to shoo away my responsibility… I mean heck, there’s a pool waiting for me outside. Why would I want to work? Lol.

What’s YOUR color? Do you think it’s accurate?

 

More fun stuff:

 

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Infographic: Women, Children, and Debt

As women, we may not always be the main income earners in our household, {even though many of us are.} But usually, we are the ones doing most of the family spending in our homes. From picking out the newest school clothes, cool decor and accessories to make our houses a home, and the food and gear to keep our families lives running smoothly – even the women who don’t earn all the money are usually the ones doing the basic household spending. But, a big problem is that so many of us moms don’t really want to think about our “real” financial picture. We’re good with our basic budget – but don’t always focus on our debt level, or other “big picture” financial facts. But – since we’re all such savvy shoppers, and know what’s truly best for our own families – it’s time that those of us who are not focusing on debt and long-term finances get involved!

Best Debt Consolidation Company

What do YOU Think?

Do you handle the household spending in your home… Or do you organize all of your families financial info? Do you have any great tips or resources to share? What are your biggest challenges? I love hearing from you guys – so leave some comments…

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Summer Savings: Today’s Best Daily Online Coupon Codes 5/15

“Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Dame Edith Wharton… Yep, even though the official first day of summer isn’t quite here yet, I think most of us will agree – summertime has arrived. The kids are out of school {Lord help me….}, we took the cover off of the pool in preparation of opening it for the season this weekend {see my #GrabSummerFun post for fun summer kick-off party ideas}, and it’s time to do my summer shopping. I need some new swimwear and outdoor toys for the kiddo’s, a few fun updates for the patio, and of course a few fun fashion updates for me! {In summer I actually break out of my all-black rut and wear some color. And sometimes even some patterns. Very wild of me, right?} To help YOU guys save on summertime shopping too, each day I have a round-up of the best new online coupon codes and deals – and since these coupons partner your shopping Coupon Cabin, you’ll earn free swag too! 

Summertime savings with online coupon codes

Summertime, and the shopping’s easy…

Without further ado, here is today’s great big ol’ list of online coupon codes, deals, and cool finds – just for you. Whether you’re in search of hot new summer fashions {pun intended…}, toys and games, home decor, or gear for entertaining, you’ll get your savings here.

Which deals will you stock up on today with all these awesome savings?? And don’t forget – you’ll earn super sweet rewards when you use any of these coupons… “There are lots of ways to earn valuable reward points at CouponCabin.com. Points can be redeemed for gift cards for everything from restaurants and travel to department stores and drug stores.” I get loads of freebies this way – for doing shopping I would have done anyway. And that rocks.

Remember – Friends don’t let friends pay full price – So be sure to share this post on Twitter or Facebook today!

{Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I’m a member of Team Coupon Cabin, and earn some additional rewards when you shop through the links I put together for you each day. I use these codes for my own shopping, and think you’ll love them too! Photo Credit.}

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Learn about my great new cash-back sponsor – zuuzs.com!

“Friends don’t let friends pay full price.” – Smart shopper… You guys have heard me talk a lot about zuuzs over the last year. I explained to you how you can earn a steady stream of income by using zuuzs to find and share sweet deals with your friends and family {you don’t have to be a blogger to earn big bucks with this – everyone can join!}. You probably remember the sweet Black Friday and Cyber Monday toy deals I found using awesome coupon codes from zuuzs.com. And I’ve heard from tons of you ladies who are using it and loving it too. So if you aren’t zuuzs-ing yet, you’re missing out!

how to earn money online with zuuzs

Do you zuuzs?

You know I do! I’ve been a fan of zuuzs for about a year now – the people who run the site are so great, totally helpful and super smart shoppers. The deals and coupon codes they collect for us each day are super cool, and target the stores, products, and sites that I really want to shop at. I totally recommend giving them a look – you can learn more here – at zuuzs.com.

And…. Big announcement!

You know I’m headed to BlogHer ’12 this year, right? I am incredibly excited about it – even though this is a huge, cross-country trip to a city that makes me feel just a wee bit overwhelmed just to think about. {It’s in NYC, and I’ve never even been to that part of the country!} But I’m pretty darn excited to be a part of the fun and craziness that is BlogHer – plus I get to see my girls Mickey from A Helicopter Mom, and Staci from November Sunflower. We’ll be sharing a room, and hitting a lot of the parties and events together during the weekend. And – great big thank you’s to zuuzs for partnering with us to help get us all to this awesome conference!! It’s a first time for us all, and I’m definitely super grateful to zuuzs for helping us make this a success!



To learn more about zuuzs, and stay connected to learn about new deals, updates on cool features and online tools, or to be the first to know about their HUGE giveaway events – find them on Twitter at @zuuzs, “Like” zuuzs and zuuzStyle on Facebook, link up with them on Google+, or – my favorite – follow zuuzStyle on Pinterest!

Big thanks to zuuzs for helping me make my first trip to BlogHer ’12 this year!

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Who wants a $200 Amazon Gift Card for Summer Shopping?

Who doesn’t love Amazon, right? – I’m super excited to bring you this awesome giveaway… One lucky winner gets a $200 Amazon gift card to stock up for summer. How cool is that? Imagine what you could do with a free $200 bucks to spend on the sweet deals at Amazon… You could makeover your outdoor space with cool new solar lights and bright serving dishes for entertaining. Or maybe pick out a bunch of fun pool toys and outdoor games for the kids. Heck – you could blow it all on one sweet new summer handbag if you wanted to! Amazon carries just about anything you’re dreaming of for summer….


a Rafflecopter giveaway

This contest is sponsored by Henderson Properties, Inc.

Have fun and Good Luck!!

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