Saving Money — Page 12

The Brain Behind the Brand: BooginHead

Check out Sari, the owner of BooginHead!

Are you a fan of BooginHead products? They’re the brand that brings you great stuff like the SippiGrip, PaciGrip, and the PaciBed– which are all such great solutions to the challenges moms face each day. Check them out- you’ll love ’em!

Sari Crevin is one of the amazing mom’s whose products are included in our HUGE Mompact event that’s going on this week.

Watch the video to learn more about Sari, and how she balances being a mompreneur while raising a family-

Did you know…

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.

It’s time for moms to support other moms in business the way we do in motherhood. The compassion we feel when we meet a mom in need of encouraging words at the check out line, or struggling to quiet a fussy toddler at a restaurant, is the same kind of compassion and connection moms have in business. We know what the other mom is going through: how she has to juggle work and family, sacrifice financially, and learn along the way.

Mompact – Moms helping Moms!

Mompact is all about moms supporting moms in business. If you want to support other moms by being a customer of a local mom business, buying products invented by moms, or contributing to mom charities, we can connect you.

Enter to WIN some great prizes!

Now that you know more about Sari, head of BooginHead, enter to win one of her products in my Mompact SplatMat Review and Giveaway. After you enter, you can hop on over to the next blog, to enter for a chance to win another great prize.

Or, head over to the main Mompact page to find over 100 more giveaways, all great mom-invented products. This is a great way to support other moms- by checking out some great mom blogs, learning about some amazing mom-made products, and maybe winning some fun stuff too!

You can also stay updated on the event by following Mompact on Facebook, or looking for us on Twitter with the #mompact tag!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 13, 2011 Filed Under: Contests, Reviews | No Comments

Style Genius – The new tool that finds YOUR perfect fit!

Who else has a tough time shopping for clothes online?

I don’t mean I have a hard time finding stuff I want. Or that I don’t buy stuff all the time {lol}. I mean, it’s tough to know if something is going to FIT when you shop online, right? Especially if you haven’t worn the brand before. And DOUBLE especially when you have any type of “fit” issues– which since the baby, I definitely do!

Fashion Genius to the Rescue!

This fall, Lane Bryant and sister brands Sonsi, Catherines and Fashion Bug, are launching a breakthrough technology that will make shopping for clothes online a cakewalk for plus size women, because it solves their biggest dilemma: the dreaded FIT issue. The new online technology is truly revolutionary. In just 3 minutes, with no measurements required, plus size women will have access to a world of plus size fashions that cater to their unique body shapes and style preferences. This has never been done before.

It’s taken the biggest names in the plus size fashion industry, a team of mathematicians and computer scientists to finally solve the fit issue for millions of plus size women.

The new “Math meets Fashion, Fit meets Style” technology goes live September 12— Today!! So check it out- You will love it.

Here’s how it works:

Head over to Sonsi to get started. Right away you’ll see the Fashion Genius box in the middle of the page- Click the “Take our Fit & Style Survey Now” button, then choose which survey to start with.

What’s super cool about this, is that the questions really do narrow down what pieces are going to be the best for you. For the Tops Survey, it asked me things like, “When you try on button-up shirts, how do they usually fit your bust?” and give you options to answer like, “Too tight – pulls across my bust, Ok, or Too Big-Loose.” And instead of making you take your measurements {which I never seem to get right anyway!} they have you pick which body shape is closest to yours. They get more detailed with questions about the size of your arms, how do tops fit across your hips, and more.

Then they give you a list of different styles of tops- and have you choose any that you would NEVER wear, so they can just weed those out of the selection completely- saving you time when browsing! Love it.

Three Surveys- Take just one, or all three!

There are three surveys- Tops, Bottoms, and Bras – and after you complete them all, the tool has a really good understanding of what you like. And let me tell you, it’s really accurate!

Once you start shopping after doing the surveys, the tool marks each item with two plus-marks if they think it’s PERFECT for you, and one plus-mark symbol if it’s something they suggest. This really helps narrow down the TONS of choices. And the outfit that I put together above, using the Fashion Genius Tool, is SOOOO me, and it all came from pieces that the tool suggested to me. Love it, right?

More cool stuff:

You can save your outfit to “My Wardrobe”, to shop for pieces later.
You can email it to a friend, if you want to get an opinion on it. Or even put together a fun outfit for a friend and send it to her. I know I’d LOVE getting that from one of my girlfriends!
You can read your “Style Profile”, including tips customized for you, your style, and your body shape.
You can browse other outfits too! This is my favorite way to shop online, and I love when sites show items in outfits. It gives me more creative ways to wear something, that I may not have thought of on my own! Very cool.

Check out Style Genius yourself, and I’d LOVE to hear what you think!

If you’re super excited about the outfit that YOU make, use the tool to send it to me too! sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com – and I’ll let you know what I think :)

{Disclosure: This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. But ya’all know my opinions are always 100% my own!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 12, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Reviews, Deals and Coupon Codes | 1 Comment

Get a FREE Nursing Cover with Code + More!

Babies are expensive

Cute, and oh so worth it, but very expensive. You’re in luck though, because there are seriously LOADS of great products out there for free for moms!

I found a new one available today that is SUPER COOL, and you will want to check out for sure…

Planning Family Offers

This offer is from Planning Family, a really great site for new or expecting mothers. They have a huge resource of great coupons, for diapers, formula, wipes, and more- So helpful to find it all in one spot. They have another resource to help you find great free samples too, which are such a help.

Planning Family is also great for advice! Have a question? Look it up on their site for expert advice- I’ve done it many times. And when you join their mailing list, they’ll send you a weekly email that rocks- Information on baby’s development, fun activities to try, always an amazing quote, and new freebies.

Baby on the way? Get free baby samples and coupons. Click Here to Join Me at Planning Family Today!

Free Nursing Cover:

The free offer I was sent from them today, just for Planning Family members {it only takes a minute to join, if you’re not a member yet} is for a totally free cover from THE best company- UdderCovers.com. Head over to their site, and pick a cover- or even one of the other products available. If you’re not expecting, this is still a great shower or holiday gift– They are SO pretty, and the best quality in my opinion.

Get the Coupon Code-

Planning Family has a special arrangement with the site to offer you the freebie- but since they’re selling out quick, if you choose a different product, it’s ok. Use the code “Family2011” at checkout, and it will take $32 dollars off your total, no matter what’s in your cart! Sweet deal, right?

So check it out, and get one before they sell out. {They always do with this promotion- they do it every 3 or 4 months, and it’s how I got mine when I was pregnant.}

A few more baby freebies to check out:

FREE baby stuff from Baby to Bee- Name brand samples and coupons. Click Here.
CafeMom: Meet other new moms, to connect and chat. So helpful. Join today, it’s FREE! Click Here.
Baby Talk Magazine: Get a full year subscription, totally free. Click Here.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 9, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

How to Simplify Spending with a Prepaid Card

American Express Pre-Paid Card Simplifies Your Life…

American Express now has a super easy to use, prepaid card, that can help you in so many ways. You can use it to budget, pay bills, pay allowance, and more.

Here are the basics of the new American Express Pre-Paid Card works:

You can load it any way you want- online, by phone, with cash, or link it to your checking account.
You can use it any way you want- online, at tons of ATM’s, and millions of stores around the world.
You can access it any way you want- you, and anyone you approve, can check the balance and purchase history online.

Sounds great, right?

When Mom Central contacted me about trying out this card, I was pretty excited to learn more about it. When I was young, and moved out on my own for the first time, I struggled a lot with budgeting. Partly because it was something I hadn’t done before, and partly because I just plain ol’ didn’t have enough money! The less you have to spend, the more important sticking to a budget gets, you know? Plus, I was only paid once a month, and it was hard to make the money last.

My solution was to buy gift cards to budget with. I figured out how much I had for my monthly spending, and divided it up. Then I bought a Safeway gift card to cover my grocery budget, a Starbucks card with enough for my coffee fix- which meant if I wanted a morning muffin, I’d have to skip a day of coffee. Loading my check onto the cards at the beginning of the month meant I had juuuust enough money set aside in each category– and taught me how to manage my spending!

American Express can help YOU organize your spending too

There are a ton of ways that the new American Express Prepaid Card can help you too- even as a grown up :)

Here are a few ideas:

Leave your debit card at home, and load your weekly spending money onto a prepaid card- and stick to that amount! Cuts down on all of that “sneaky” spending that creeps in a dollar or two at a time during the week.
Use it for allowance. Load your teen’s weekly allowance onto the card, and let them use it themselves. This gets them used to using a card, and helps them learn responsibility.
Use it for payment. Do you have a teenage babysitter, lawn mower, or dog walker, that you pay frequently? I bet they’d love the idea of their own American Express Prepaid Card that you load their payments onto! And you don’t have to worry about always having cash on hand for payments.
Shop online? Use a Prepaid card to keep your info safe when shopping at unknown sites.

Prepaid Card = Safety

The American Express Prepaid Card has a ton of great safety features! Unlike a debit card, you can ONLY spend what’s on the card, which means no overdraft fees. That makes it a great option for college students learning how to use a card- they can’t overspend, leaving bad marks on their credit history.

Plus, there’s loads of protection in case the card is lost or stolen- which is great for anyone. They’ve got a great team of customer service folks 24 hours a day- so you can get help asap. And best of all, they offer purchase protection- any eligible purchase made on the card, if it’s accidently damaged or stolen, can be reimbursed within 90 days! {See site for details on how this works.}

What do you think?

I’d love to hear what you guys think… Have you ever used a prepaid or gift card to help you budget? Do you think this would be helpful for you- using a card to pay your sitter, or give the kids their allowance? How about when your college kid calls home, asking you to send money- this would be a quick way to help them out, right? How would YOU use it?

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 7, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Reviews | No Comments

Get a FREE Package of Mommy Cards from Minted.com!

Get an absolutely beautiful set of “Mommy Cards” from Minted for FREE!

See the example here- Isn’t that just so darn pretty? It was one of my favorite “Playdate Cards”- I love the little extra touches like the detail in the corner!

There are over 100 designs to choose from:

Check them out on Minted.com, and get a set of 25 for free. All you have to pay is the shipping, which is only $7.95. {The regular price of these designer business cards is around $30-$35 bucks- so this is a huge savings!}

This is one of the Business Card Designs I thought was really fun- I’m a big fan of Chevron-style stripes lately – and I love the font of it too- so pretty!

They have choices that feature cool graphics- some great crafty momma options!- or other cards that are only words, or just your logo, or a full photo… There are so many, you’re almost guaranteed to find the perfect design for you!

Whether you use these as a business card, or just for playdates, they are so much fun that you’ve got to get a package today.

How to get them free:

Pick your favorite design on Minted.com, then click the button to start personalizing it with your information and photos.
When you get to the back of the card customization page, there is a box right above your design, giving you the option to check the box to get a set of 25 cards FREE, if you allow a small advertising graphic on your card. Click that box!
Then, at check out, all you’ll have to pay is the $7.95 for standard shipping!

What do you think?

What’s YOUR favorite design? I’m finally settled on the “Open Hearts Business Card” design on page 2– But I know I’ll be getting more in the future– these are just too fun!

{I have NO affiliation with Minted.com, I just think that this is an amazing deal, and the designs are totally to die for :)}

Please remember to “Vote for Abby Piper” to be a member of the new Munchkin Bunch!! This comes with a scholarship for her, and a bunch of fun perks that she’ll love.

When you click on her pic, you can give her 5 votes per day– And I cannot even tell you how much it’s appreciated!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 6, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Freebies, Shopping | 2 Comments

{Wow!!} Get up to $50 in FREE Philosophy Products

Amazing deal from Philosophy…

This is how it works:

Treats50: spend $50, receive a grab bag of products valued at $25.

Treats75: spend $75, receive a grab bag of products valued at $37.

Treats100: spend $100 or more, receive a grab bag of products valued at $50!! Wow!!

Check it out: free philosophy grab bag with tiered purchase + free shipping. shop now!

I LOVE Philosophy products… This is a great time to stock up on some of their adorable gift sets, to put aside for holiday gifts. They have the cutest gifts!! And of course, get something for yourself, too….

Free Shipping on all orders of $50 or more, always!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 6, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Freebies, Shopping | No Comments

24% Less than Walmart Prices!

Big Savings on Dr. Browns Baby Products!

Yaysave already has the lowest prices- and proves it to you by comparing their price to stores like Walmart, Amazon, or Diapers.com- but this weekend the deals are even sweeter – Like this Dr. Browns sale!

All Dr. Browns products are an ADDITIONAL 10% off! That makes the entire line at prices that are 24% lower than Walmart’s prices!

Dr. Browns Newborn Bottle Set

The bottle set above sells for $18.54 at Walmart, but it’s only $14.18 at Yaysave! Savings like that really add up.

Free Shipping

Plus, they have really low $5 shipping every day – Or upgrade to the Premium Membership and get FREE shipping all year!

And, there’s even MORE!

Everyone who signs up for a Premium Membership like I did gets a BONUS of 500 Swagbucks for joining! Then, you can get another 500 Swagbucks with your first purchase of $25 bucks or more. It took about 5 days to see my points credited- and that was more than enough for a FREE $5 Amazon gift card in the Swagbucks Rewards Store.

Check it out!

To see the other great deals on Yaysave, take just a second to sign up for the FREE membership, and then you can view their deals. If you’re as impressed as I was, it’s easy to upgrade to the Premium Membership!