The summertime purging of things has started in our home.  We are literally bursting at the seams here with unused or unwanted clothes, toys, and household items.  I didn’t realize just how bad it was until this weekend.  I knew I wanted to clean out for an upcoming yard sale my mom and I will be having, but our life has been such a whirlwind since Christmas and I’m just now slowing down enough to get caught up on organizing.  I’m one of those people that literally feels like my whole world is out of order when my home is not organized or things are out of place.  I know I drive my husband crazy with this, but I just feel so much more focused and happier when everything is in its place.

I had NO idea just how many DVDs and video games we had bought over the years.  It is amazing to me just how much of this stuff we are still hanging onto.  My son has outgrown most of these DVDs and we upgraded his gaming system for Christmas, so he no longer has anything to play these old games on. He also has quite a few games he doesn’t play on his Nintendo DS, so those need to go also.  I think it is so great that there are websites where you can sell old Nintendo DS systems and games.  This is especially helpful when you don’t want to have a big yard sale and can still make some extra cash.

I know once I am finished with this project that I will feel so much better and be able to really sit back and enjoy my summer.  We have so many fun days ahead of us and being able to readily find the things we need without having to sift through so much we don’t use will be fantastic. 

 

This post is brought to you by Music Magpie.  Opinions are my own.

Technically, our summer started a little over a week ago, but the official start of summer is June 21.  What do you love about summer?  I love being able to sleep in, play at the pool with my son, spend more time with my family, and just taking it a lot easier than I normally get to during the school year.  That’s reason enough for our family to celebrate and until June 21, Nestlé invites you to “Raise A Cone to Summer” by entering to win a lifetime supply of Drumstick cones!

Did you ever wonder how the Drumstick got it’s name?  In 1928, the Parker Brothers took the waffle cone to the next level by adding a chocolate coating to ice cream and covering the top with nuts. One of the brothers’ wives said it looked like a fried chicken leg and thus, the “Drumstick” novelty was born!

Ice cream is a must-have staple in our home during those hot Mississippi Delta summer months, and the Nestlé Drumstick is an extra-special treat.

To enter, visit raiseacone.drumstick.com by June 21, 2013 and submit a photo of you getting into the summer spirit by raising a cone.  Super easy!

You can keep up with the latest on all Nestlé Drumstick promotions by following them here:

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/drumstick
Follow on Twitter @nestledrumstick
Hashtag- #RaiseaCone
Visit drumstick.com to learn about flavors and products.

This post is sponsored by Nestlé Drumstick as part of a sponsored blog tour with Burst Media, but all opinions are my own.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Aflac. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating

Unexpected medical costs can really cause your personal finances to take a hit.  It’s one of the biggest debts our family has.  My husband and I both have medical problems that require regular blood tests, doctor visits, and prescriptions.  We both have insurance, but insurance doesn’t cover everything and it often takes us the entire year to meet our high deductible, only to have to start all over again.  Sound familiar?

Last summer our son became sick in the middle of the night.  We were really worried about him, so we went to our local emergency room to get him looked at by a doctor.  He turned out to be ok, but their were x-rays, blood tests, and the cost of seeing the doctor.  That trip ended up costing us $1,200 out-of-pocket even after insurance paid.  It was definitely unexpected and we’re still paying on this bill.

Aflac has a handy tool called the Real Cost Calculator that you can use to calculate different medical emergency and illness scenarios as they would apply to you to see what your out-of-pocket costs may be if were to happen to you or a family member.  It also shows how Aflac can help fill in those gaps of your regular insurance coverage.

Because I have Type 2 diabetes, I used the Real Cost Calculator to see what my out of pocket costs were really adding up to be.  I was shocked to find that it can cost up to over $11,000 a year.  The $4,200 out-of-pocket expenses proved to be about right in my situation.  Add in the fact that my husband also has the same thing, and we are looking at over $8,000 a year.  It’s certainly sobering to see that amount.  Factor in if this were to cause one of use to miss work, and the loss of income could be detrimental to our family.

Are you prepared for sudden, unexpected medical expenses?  Try the Real Cost Calculator for yourself and see how these scenarios could affect your family and how Aflac can help.