Shoes I Want But Can’t Buy Because It Would Be Financially Irresponsible

Posted on by Mandy

I’m totally blaming my newest quest for a nude/neutral pair of shoes on a mom at my son’s school.  I noticed last year she had the cutest pair of nude/light pink colored ballet flats I had ever seen.  They looked comfortable and they made everything she wore them with, including dresses and jeans, look totally put together.  How hard could tracking down a pair of these shoes be?

Well, after searching all over town, they weren’t going to be found easily.  No problem, because that’s what the internet is for, right?

So I found some really cute nude/neutral/light pinkish shoes I totally love, but I certainly won’t be buying them.  Call me cheap, but I refuse to pay over $50 for a pair of shoes.  I know.  I’m so 1995.

Meet:  THE Pair, or what I like to call A Month’s Worth of Electricity and Water:

These are THE pair I have been searching high and low for.  Exactly.  And for the low, low price of $195, these Vera Wang shoes can be all mine.  But I can’t buy them, because I sort of like having running water to bathe in and lights to read by.

Then, I saw these:

Jessica Simpson, I am in awe!  They’re beautiful, and tall, and completely affordable at $65.  But, I’m short and these would only make me look like I was trying to play dress-up in mommy’s heels and I winced with imaginary pain just trying to picture myself wearing these.  Ouch.  But the color!  I am LOVING the color!

And finally, I present to you the ones I like to call “Slightly Less Than Half A Mortgage Payment”.  These are by Tod’s and only $395.

So my search continues.  Have you seen my shoes?

Link List

Posted on by Mandy

I love listening to Southern Crossroads (live streaming blues music!) on Supertalk Mississippi (also live streaming) on Sunday Nights while I’m cooking dinner.  It makes the cooking time pass quickly and more enjoyably.  I’ve been listening to this radio station for years now.  Could it be a sign of getting old when you prefer talk radio to music?

I thought this post at Such the Spot was fabulous.  If you’re a mom, you will totally feel this resonate with you.

My son thinks we need this Star Wars Stormtrooper family sticker on the back of our car.  I couldn’t agree more.

Watching Gas Prices Rise

Posted on by Mandy

Vintage Gas Pump- by RavasolixI normally don’t pay too much attention to gas prices because I have to buy the gas and I already know without looking that it’s just too darn high. The other morning I was in a rush, the tank was on “E”, and I had to get to the gas station on air and a prayer. I gave the convenience store clerk $20 and pumped my gas. After starting the car and watching the little needle start climbing, I noticed it stopped just shy of half a tank. I then looked at the pump. $20 for 6 gallons. I remember when $12 filled up my first car.

On Tuesday I made a point to look at the price of gas while driving to work. $2.99. On Wednesday, it was $3.08. This morning it was holding at $3.08 at 10 AM. I ran into town at a little after 2 PM to grab some lunch and gas had jumped 12 cents to $3.20 in a span of four hours. Four HOURS!!

I know living in small town Mississippi, this is probably small potatoes compared to what people in bigger cities are paying for gas. It’s just the amount of increase in such a short period of time that amazes me. Watching gas prices has become my morning “game” as I drive to work now.

Naturally, I’m curious how far this will go and at what point will it start affecting my family. I drive only to necessary places (work, my son’s school, the grocery store and church) and everyplace I go is within 5 miles of me, so I can make a tank of gas last a long time.

Are you feeling the pinch from rising gas prices yet? How much is it where you live?

Veripur Hand Sanitizing Lotion

Posted on by Mandy

I’m a hand-washing freak.  I know it’s the most important thing I can do to protect myself against germs and sickness so I can stay healthy to do everything else a mom has to do in a day.  If you’re a parent, you know there is just no time to be sick.  I also use hand sanitizer frequently when soap and water are not nearby. It’s no wonder my poor hands suffer from extreme dryness.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve washed my hands, then needed lotion on them, only to re-wash them a little while later because I felt like I was attracting so many germs with the lotion.  There were many times I wished I could find something that did both jobs at once.

Thankfully, I was introduced to Veripur, a hand sanitizer that is also a hand moisturizer.  This product has been so fabulous, because it’s not greasy, it sanitizes, and has no horrible smell.  My hands feel so much better and I’m confident it’s working on the germs, too.

Veripur Hand Sanitizer_Fresh Scent Single

How VERIPUR™ with SafetyDerm® patented technology works:
Deeply cleans and disinfects the skin
Creates an invisible, undetectable shield on the surface of the skin that kills 99.9% of germs on contact and then continues to fight germs for four hours

VERIPUR™ Benefits:
Kills 99.9% of germs upon application
Four Hour Continuous germ protection after application
Non-drying, alcohol free
Contains hydrating moisturizers
Tested and proven effective against 20 commonly found strains of bacteria and four viruses
Convenient size for travel and to bring anywhere – the home, office, beach, sporting events and gym
Helps prevent the spread of germs

I’m so excited about Veripur and highly recommend this product if your hands are suffering from dryness and you’re still concerned about fighting germs as much as possible.  Veripur is available in a 3 fl. oz tube for the suggested retail price of $5.99 or in a 13 fl. oz pump bottle for $10.99, in both an Unscented and a Fresh scent and can be purchased exclusively at Walgreens. 

I wrote this review while participating in a Mom Central Consulting blog tour on behalf of Veripur Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer. I received a Veripur product sample and a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Dannon Small Steps Sweepstakes

Posted on by Mandy

It’s often easier to make big life changes by incorporating those changes into small steps. I’ve never been the type of person that could make an immediate and lasting change very quickly and often have a hard time transitioning to something different. I’ve been doing a good job of eating a little healthier and cutting out late-night snacking so far this new year. I’ve also switched my breakfast to oatmeal instead of fast food or cereal. It’s a small step for sure, but it’s a start.

Dannon, makers of delicious yogurt products, is currently sponsoring the Small Steps Sweepstakes where you could win free groceries for a year, a month, or a week! To enter, simply enter your email and a UPC code from any Dannon product.

I hope your journey to making postive changes is going well so far this year!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Dannon and received a coupon and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Lego Cake

Posted on by Mandy

Once E.B. decided he wanted to have a Lego-themed birthday party, I was too excited because I couldn’t wait for our “cake lady” to make his Lego cake.  I just knew it would be cute.  This woman had made my birthday cakes when I was little and every one for E.B. up until this point.  Since we’ve been super swamped at work, I got my mom to make the phone call to get the cake lined up.  And?  Horror of horrors, our “cake lady” wasn’t available to do it. 

Oh. Em. Gee.

Thankfully, Facebook came to the rescue.  I simply asked if anyone knew someone who did amazing cakes and I received more suggestions than I knew what to do with.  I just love that about Facebook.  It’s like a 24-hour self-help line or something. After I gathered a list of potential cake-a-teers (yes, I made that word up) I investigated their work and settled on a lady I had never laid eyes on before.  And I am so glad I did.  Not only was she super nice, but she did this:

2011_02110124

For my baby.  I cannot clearly convey the excitement that she brought to my child’s face when he first saw his Lego cake.  I nearly cried myself.  It was just perfect.  The Lego blocks are made from Rice Krispy Treats and they were a huge hit with the adults at the party.

6 Years

Posted on by Mandy

Well.  It happened.  E.B. turned 6 years old last Thursday.  When I started my blog he had just turned three.  Three.  Break a mama’s heart!

His four-year-long obsession with trains and Thomas the Tank Engine has been replaced by Star Wars and Legos.  He’s a complete whiz at his video games.  He’s counting to twenty in Spanish.  He’s outgrowing his clothes faster than I can take them out of the dryer to hang up and although I am so thankful to see him growing and healthy, a little part of my heart is breaking because he is not a little guy anymore.  He is growing up.

The nerve of him!

And so, on the day he turned six, he got one of the best gifts ever.  A snow day!  No school!

2011_02110048

And, his first BB gun, thanks to Paw-Paw. 

2011_02110083

And a super fun birthday party this past Saturday.

2011_02150015

So, fine, E.B..  Keep growing up.  But know this…you will always be my baby.  There is nothing you can do about that one.  Muhwahahahaha!

Meet TLC Extreme Couponing’s Nathan Engel

Posted on by Mandy

Did you happen to have a chance to catch Extreme Couponing on TLC this month? I kept hearing so much buzz about it from Facebook friends that the next time it was aired I made sure I watched. Talk about amazing! The extreme couponers featured walked away with tons of free items simply by knowing where to find multiple coupons, which stores were having the best sales, and when to take advantage of these sales.

I was fortunate enough to snag an interview with one of the couponers featured, Nathan Engels, who is also the admin and owner of WeUseCoupons.com. Nathan had the most impressive stockpile on the program I have ever seen and so I wanted to ask him a few questions about how he coupons, what he does with all of his amazing finds, and how everyone can learn to do what he does so well.

Mommy Cracked: What’s the most you have ever saved using coupons in one shopping trip?
Nathan Engels: The trip that was featured was my biggest to date!
Mommy Cracked: How much planning goes into every shopping trip you make? Hours? Days?
Nathan Engels: Very little actually! I get on WeUseCoupons, see what’s on sale, print our my list and go to the store. I spend 5-15 hours a week doing this!
Mommy Cracked: Your stockpile in the garage was the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen. I know to most viewers it may have seemed pretty extreme, but I know you mentioned on the show that you donate quite a bit of the stuff you score for free and it must feel amazing to be able to help places like you do. Can you explain to my readers the benefits of stockpiling in order to donate to places that can use these items?
Nathan Engels: You change your community! My wife and I are so proud of the fact that we can really have such a positive effect on the community around us. Last year we literally donated tens of thousands of dollars in product to various organizations! Before couponing, it was so hard to give a little cash, but now, I can turn $5 into $50 or if I’m lucky $500!! We encourage everyone to give and give generously!
Mommy Cracked: What method do you use for organizing your coupons?
Nathan Engels: I use a combo method, the binder, some Ziploc bags and then some accordion folders. Organization is so important!!
Mommy Cracked: Where can we find more of your great tips and advice on the internet?
Nathan Engels: WeUseCoupons.com! It’s a great place to learn how to do this. We have virtual classes, tons of articles, you will learn so much!

I thank Nathan so much for answering these questions and encourage anyone reading to check out his website WeUseCoupons.com, register there, and check out the forums to find amazing deals and learn the ins and outs of couponing from the people who know their stuff.