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Consumer Advisory Group – Now Open

New Survey Site to Join!

Ok, so maybe it’s not new to you, but it’s a new one to me – I just joined Consumer Advisory Group today, because I’ve heard from a few friends that it’s a good one.

It’s a really great time to get started with a few new sites, to earn some great free gift cards in time for the holidays!

Are you a member yet? Have any tips for me??

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Frugal Tips: Slay the energy vampires in your home!

Digitwirl NEW Episode

This is the problem-

Oh sure, your electric toothbrush, toaster and TV look innocent enough, but do you realize they’re robbing you blind? It’s true! In fact all your electronics are pulling power even when they’re not on. Which means you’re paying for a lot of electricity unnecessarily.

Don’t worry! I’ve Got Your Solution-

We found the perfect solutions. First the Belkin Conserve Socket which shuts off the electricity when you’re done toasting your toast, brewing your coffee or charging your phone. Second, the Belkin Conserve Smart AV, a power strip so smart it stops your TV, stereo and gaming system from drawing energy when you’re not using them, but keeps your DVR and cable box on so you won’t miss any of your favorite shows. Whatwill those Kardashians do this week?

Watch this week’s Twirl and watch Carley destroy all the energy sucking vampires around her house, no wooden stake required….

Good For Your Wallet, Good for The Earth!

What great ideas, right? I have been on a mission to cut back all of our expenses this past year – since, as a blogger, I’m not exactly rich yet. I annoy the family on a daily basis, reminding them to turn off the lights when they leave a room, turn off the TV, etc, close the windows when I have the heat running – what’s wrong with you guys!! Whoops, slipped into mommy-mode there for a minute… :)

I am totally in love with these new little gadgets, and am excited to see what kind of difference they’ll start making in my monthly energy bill. And – if you’re using SwagBucks, and earning free Amazon Gift Certificates like I am, you can get these FREE! Check ’em out on Amazon:

And if you’re still unsure, read the reviews on Amazon — one happy customer called the controls on the outlet “idiot-proof”, which is pretty important for me when buying tech stuff, lol.

What do you think? Are you lovin’ this idea too?

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.

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Mmmmm…. Breakfast with Skillet Bacon Jam!! #recipes #bacon


Skillet Bacon Jam Toast and Eggs

Have you heard of Bacon Jam??

Skillet Bacon Jam takes Niman Ranch bacon and renders it down along with onions, balsamic, and other spices. Then it cooks for several hours until it is a perfect blend of smoky, tangy, savory and slightly sweet… Basically, it’s spreadable bacony goodness! And you know I LOVE me some bacon!!

Bacon Jam on Toast Rounds with Fried Eggs

Here’s a great way to use the amazing Skillet Bacon Jam – we absolutely loved this! Partner it with some friend potato’s and fresh fruit – perfect for lazy Sunday morning breakfasts with the family.

How to Make It:

  • Get enough English Muffins, Biscuits, or rounds cut from your favorite bread to feed your family. Toast them in the oven under broil until they’re a crispy golden brown, and spread with butter if you’d like.
  • Spread a tablespoon or two of Bacon Jam on each toasted bread. Smells amazing already, right?
  • Now, fry up an egg, however you like ’em, and top each bread with an egg.
  • Finish up by sprinkling with your favorite herbs and spices, cheese, or salt and pepper.
  • Enjoy! And check out the big smiles on everyone’s face as they bite into this crispy, bacon-flavored yumminess!

For more great morning recipes, check out Best Brunch Recipes!

More Great Skillet Products:

  • This Bacon Jam is also so great on burgers, boosts your grilled cheese to new levels, and works mixed with cream cheese or sour cream as a great dip! It is so versatile, and so so good!
  • My other new favorite product is the Skillet Pumpkin Sauce in Brown Sugar and Apple Vinegar… Ohmyheck, it is amazing!! You have got to try it.

Try it Yourself!

You can use the search tool to find a local grocery in either the US or Canada that carries Skillet products, or if there are none near-by, you can shop their online store.

You can get a 10.5 oz jar of Skillet Bacon Jam for $14.00, and it lasts a long time. The Skillet Pumpkin Sauce is only available for a limited time, and is a great buy at only $8.00!

{Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.}

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The Ultimate Green Store: Perfect Picks for New Moms

Introducing… The Ultimate Green Store!

This is one of my favorite online shops… They have such an amazing selection of really high quality, organic, and SAFE toys, bedding, and baby accessories. This was one of the first sites that I made a Baby Registry at, and got some wonderful gifts from here.

My Baby Registry…

One of the things that I had registered for, and had really wanted, but didn’t get, was this absolutely perfect baby blanket from the Casablanca Organic Crib Bedding collection. I was so so excited that The Ultimate Green Store let me choose this as my item to review — and it did NOT disappoint me. It is so soft, light-weight yet super warm and cozy, and made from safe materials. Read more:

“Cotton Monkey bedding is made from 100% certified organic cotton fabric and batting that is not treated with any formaldehyde or chlorine bleach. The Cotton Monkey prints and colors are fun and cheerful, dyed/printed with non-toxic, fiber reactive, water based pigments and dyes.”

I had been making some changes towards a cleaner, greener, healthier life before I found out that I was pregnant – but once I found out I was expecting, I kicked those changes up a few notches! I wanted to make sure I made the safest environment for her that I could, so when putting together her new space {which was in my master bedroom with me} I used Zero VOC Paint, and as many natural products as I could- and the Ultimate Green Store gave me so many amazing options.

More than Baby Stuff…

Organic Hand BagWhile the baby items are my favorite, there is SO much more to the Ultimate Green Store than that!

The Ultimate Green Store is your one-stop green shopping destination for the home, office and everyone in the family!

Wish List and Gift Registry

Since The Ultimate Green Store has such a wide variety of products, it’s easy to put together a great Gift Registry for weddings, baby showers, or even big birthday celebrations! There is also the option to add items on any page to a Wish List, so you can “window shop”, and easily find your favorite items later. Love sites that offer that!

Win a Gift Certificate to The Ultimate Green Store!

One lucky Sunshine and Sippy Cups fan will WIN a $25 Gift Certificate to do some shopping of their own at The Ultimate Green Store – fun right? And when you enter, be sure to sign up for their newsletter updates – you’ll get great coupon codes and special savings – which will make the Gift Certificate go even father if you win! Good Luck!

[Read more…]

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New Advertising Options for Women’s Small Business Month

Women's Small Business MonthOctober is Women’s Small Business Month!

According to Mompact.com, “Moms are not only responsible for over 80% of consumer spending, but they are also starting new businesses at a faster rate than any other group.” With all of that spending we’re doing, we have the opportunity to have a HUGE impact on other women trying to support their families, just by using our dollars to buy products from women-owned business’s!

When I learned that October is Women’s Small Business Month, I wanted to put together a great opportunity to help other small business owners be more successful!

Advertising Options for Every Budget and Business – Coming Soon

I will be rolling out a whole new page later this week, filled with new advertising options, marketing help, and promotion opportunities. I’m very excited to start offering these services – and I really hope to be able to help out some great mom-owned shops, blogs, and business’s. If you have suggestions of something you would like me to include in my new offerings, I’d love to hear your thoughts – email Meagan at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com with your ideas.

By the end of the week, I will have all of the packages listed in one place – but I’ll be sharing some of the new services each day as I put it all together.

Trusted Direct Sales Directory

I am so excited to be creating this new resource! SO many of my readers ask me about work-from-home opportunities- Which companies do I recommend? How do they learn more? Who can help them get signed up and started earning an income? How do they find a reliable rep to order from? When I myself was looking for a new direct sales company to join, I wanted ONE place where I could compare different options, but couldn’t find it. So I decided to build one myself!

If YOU are a direct sales rep, I would love to partner with you for my new Trusted Direct Sales Directory. I can only accept ONE representative per company, and you must have at least 6 months of experience with your company. I want to ensure that the resources in this directory are all women who will be reliable and provide a helpful service to my readers. {If you have less than 6 months experience, but are serious about your business, email me and we’ll chat!}

To join the directory there will be a start up fee of $40 to join, and $25 per month to continue in the directory. Once your spot is locked in, you will be the ONLY representative from your company in the directory, and will have the ability to continue as long as you find it valuable – there are no strings or commitment!

Benefits of Joining the Trusted Direct Sales Directory:

  • You will be provided a space on the directory with a graphic ad and 100 word description of your business, including links to your website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
  • This directory will be highly promoted across all of my networks of moms, bloggers, and business owners – as well as to all of the local groups that I belong to, to drive maximum traffic to your business.
  • You will receive one dedicated post when you join, to introduce you to my readers, and share your business with them. You will also receive one dedicated post for every additional month you continue on the directory. The content of the monthly post is up to you – you can share information about how to get started as a rep, or a great sale or event that you are excited to promote. You can see an example of the first Direct Sales Member to be introduced – Support Women in Business: Welcome Lucinda from Scentsy to the Directory! As a member of Triberr, my blog posts are retweeted each day by my network of women bloggers, ensuring a dramatically larger audience see’s your business!
  • You will receive two “Shout Out’s” per month – one on Facebook, another on Twitter, to promote your social media sites and drive new fans your way.
  • I will also, as time permits, be doing interviews with my Direct Sales Directory members, to share how they got started in the business, why it’s a great opportunity for others, what makes their products special, and just allowing them a place to tell their story and promote themselves!
  • All Directory Members will get discounts off of additional marketing and advertising options from Sunshine and Sippy Cups.
  • Each directory member will be able to run one product giveaway each month – value of $25 or more – free of charge, for additional traffic, if they choose to. You do NOT have to send me product to review – You choose the prize and entry methods, I’ll set it up and host it with Rafflecopter, then send you the winner info to ship! Just another way to draw attention to your business!

Ready to be the FIRST to join?

If you are interested in joining my new Trusted Direct Sales Directory, please email me at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com.

Requirements:

  • Have 6+ months of experience in direct sales. {This is negotiable, email me for more info.}
  • You must be SERIOUS about your business. This directory is a service for my readers – whether they’re looking for someone reliable to purchase products from, or a great leader to get them stared with a new company, it is very important that you be able to offer professional service.
  • Only one representative per company – If I already have a rep from your company, I can place you on a waiting list. Email me for info.
  • Payment must be made via PayPal before your Listing will be added to the Directory, and must be made each month by the 5th to continue on the Directory.

Why Advertise on The Trusted Direct Sales Directory?

You could pay for ad space in someone else’s side bar – but let me tell you from experience, side bar ads get very few clicks per month. By spending your marketing dollars to instead place a Listing in my directory, you will ensure that you are reaching an audience that is actively looking for your information – whether as a consumer, or as a potential new sign up!

This directory will also be promoted as a “Support Women in Business Holiday Shopping Guide!!” My own company, Discovery Toys, will be listed, so I have a personal motivation to make this a success!

Sunshine and Sippy Cups Stats:

  • Page Views: Consistently over 12,000 per month, increasing each week.
  • Facebook: Over 5,000 fans on my Facebook fan page, growing at a rate of 20-50 per day.
  • Twitter: Over 4,000 Twitter followers, and as a member of Triberr, my reach is 325,405! Over 50 other amazing women blogger retweet out my posts each and every day – helping you to reach a vastly wider and more diverse audience.
  • Klout: Current Klout score of 68 – Most influential in Moms, Blogging, and Social Media. Klout classifies Sunshine and Sippy Cups as a Pundit: “You don’t just share news, you create the news. As a pundit, your opinions are wide-spread and highly trusted. You’re regularly recognized as a leader in your industry. When you speak, people listen.”

To secure your spot in The Trusted Direct Sales Directory, please email me, Meagan, at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com today.

I look forward to hearing from you, and working together to promote your business, and boost your earnings to the next level!

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My Favorite Fall and Halloween Deals and Freebies!

Maple Leaves in Autumn

Fall is my favorite time of year.

I love the changing leaves, the crisp mornings after such a hot summer, the new fall hoodies and boots- and the anticipation of all of the great holidays coming up!

So, I wanted to share a few of my very FAVORITE fall and Halloween freebies and deals that are going on right now. You already know that Vistaprint is one of my very favorite deal sites- I get SO much stuff from them, almost every single month. And with their FREE shipping deal right now, it’s a great time to shop. Plus, you can get a special deal that I haven’t seen in a while from Canvas People, and some amazing savings and freebies from my FAVORITE home improvement store, Home Depot!

Vistaprint:

Some EXTRA Great Deals from Vistaprint:

Vistaprint always has some awesome deals going on, but this sale is even better than usual- and there is so much fun stuff to make!

  • Trick or Treat Bag: Make your own, totally customized, cotton tote bag for Trick or Treating, for only $2 bucks! If you want more than one, you’ll get them all for 60% off!!
  • Invitations: Throwing a BIG Halloween party? Get 50% off all custom-made party invites!
  • Other fun ideas: Make cool, Halloween-themed lawn signs to make your house everyone’s favorite destination. Make custom stickers to give away with your candy, or as party favors. Or T-Shirts- designs range from spooky to adorable to funny.

The best part? Get FREE Shipping on EVERYTHING when you spend $20- so stock up today!!

Canvas People:

Turn those Fall Photos into ART!

  • CanvasPeople.com is offering a free 8 x 10 photo canvas (just pay shipping, which is about $12-$14 bucks) OR you can get 40% off any larger canvas + free shipping as a special introductory deal!
  • When I buy these, I always upgrade to the 11×14 size- and they are just so beautiful, seriously. The quality is a million times better than I expected for such a low price- ask at your local studio what the would charge you for this– I guarantee it’s 5-10 times higher.

Home Depot Savings:

You do NOT want to miss the awesome savings in the Home Depot newsletters!

They’ll send you savings and sale updates both by email, and in your regular postal mail too. I have gotten so many really amazing coupons and freebies from them this way. I get things like:

  • Buy one, get one free on Martha Stewart Paint
  • Free Plant Food with purchase of Garden Tools
  • Save $10 off a $25 Purchase
  • Bring in coupon for a FREE sample of the new Gorilla Glue

Especially at this time of year, when there are so many projects to complete, you want to be getting these updates. They’ll let you know when the next free classes are coming up, send you notice of special sales and event, exclusive coupons, and more. It only takes a second to sign up.

Love it?

I do :) These are my very favorite deals going on, and all things that I use myself. {In fact, I cannot WAIT to get the Halloween Trick or Treat bag I made to match Abby’s Pink Poodle costume!!} If you love ’em, use the social buttons to share with your freebie lovin’ friends on Facebook and Twitter!

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What’s a Great Buy – and What’s Dangerous to Buy! – at the Dollar Store

Dollar Store Shopping

Dollar Store Deals: Which Ones Are Worth It?

This info is from an article posted this morning on one of my FAVORITE sites, LearnVest, and is full of some great tips to keep in mind when shopping at your local dollar store.

Every day I get new updates, filled with fun ideas, and today was one of my favorites I’ve read in awhile. I totally recommend signing up for their newsletter:

Delivered to you five days a week, the LearnVest Daily is packed with money-saving tips and financial how-tos to enrich your life.

There’s no better challenge than finding out how far your dollar can go.

What was once kitschy is now cool (the New York Times would agree), and more affluent consumers are getting in on the dollar store game. Since the recession, it’s been boom time for these stores, which specialize in imported, generic and knockoff consumer goods for prices that make Wal-Mart look like a luxury retailer.

But before you get bargain-hungry and sidle up to a shopping cart, you should know which are the best dollar-store deals—and which offerings can be low-quality, or even dangerous.

Here are some examples:

  • Deal: Everyday Cleaning Supplies – Go for it. Cleaners have similar—though somewhat diluted—ingredients. (Spring for heavy-duty cleaners for tougher jobs.) Also get rubber gloves, sponges and scrub brushes here.
  • No Deal: Vitamins – Stay away. Some multi-vitamins don’t have the amount of nutrients claimed on the label; others don’t dissolve fast enough to be absorbed by the body.
  • It Depends: Food – Proceed with caution. Dollar stores don’t always have the lowest price, especially on generics, and cake and brownie mixes here come in misleadingly smaller packages. Lastly, keep an eye on the expiration dates, since they may be near or past their freshness date.

What do you think?

I was really surprised by how dangerous some of the items at the Dollar Store could be – and REALLY glad to have read this article, so I’ll think twice about some of the stuff I buy. Because, heck, I LOVE me some Dollar Store shopping!! I use it most for party supplies, and crafty stuff- you can get some amazing deals!

You can read the rest of the article, and find out what other items they consider a deal, or no deal, on theLearnVest site today.

I like to DIY my Dollar Store cheap-o’s into cooler stuff- decorate picture frames, put together a great centerpiece from an cheap mirror and candles, and you cannot beat their prices for gift bags and cards! What are your favorite Dollar Store buys– and what do you think of the items on LearnVest’s “No Deal” dangerous list?

Coupon Blogger ContestThink I’m a great Frugalista? Then give me a vote over at Cheap Sally, and help me make it to Round 2 in the “Bring Home the Bacon” competition!

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