Instanatural Youth Express Cream

I received the #Instanatural Youth Express Cream for free in exchange for an honest review. Put this on every night and it is supposed to help moisturize your skin during the night and help with the anti aging process.  The bottle is easy to use and when you use a small amount on your fingers easily spreads over face.  I found that after using it, it leaves my skin silky, soft and smooth.  I like the way my skin looks after applying it.  Gives a healthy glow. This cream uses natural ingredients and is made in the USA. It does not make me itch at all and there isn't a smell to it.
Here is a link to check it out: http://instanatural.com/products/youth-express-night-cream

Here is the link for it: http://instanatural.com/products/youth-express-night-cream

Instanatural Glycolic Facial Cleanser

I received the #Instanatural Glycolic Facial  Cleanser for free in exchange for an unbiased review and so far am enjoying using it. It comes in a very large bottle and you only need to use a small amount, so it will last a very long time. Doesn't have a strong smell if your nose is sensitive and it spreads easily. Just wet your face and massage a small amount on your face. Right after using this cleanser, I can feel the soft, smooth feeling on my face. It feels very clean and moisturized. It also has many naturally derived ingredients in it too and is made in the USA. It didn't cause any uncomfortable sensitivities.

Here is the link to check it out: http://instanatural.com/products/glycolic-cleanser

Looking For A Way to Keep Track of Your Finances?

I was single for many years and kept track of my money by looking at my bank account and just having an idea of how much I was spending on food and living expenses. Seemed to work pretty well for me, but when I got married and we started having children, this didn't work at all.  My husband would ask how much we had to spend for something and honestly I couldn't answer him, so we decided to set up a budget.  This has been a huge lifesaver in knowing how much we have to spend for each category, so we don't overspend.  No credit card debt pleaseeeee. We don't totally use credit cards, but we also don't do everything with the envelope system. It is kind of a mixed system. First of all, we read through the Larry Burkett book, The Family Budget Workbook and made up our budget the best we could based on the advice and worksheets given.  We did have some questions though, so we also sat down with some one who could give us free advice about budgeting from our church, which clarified a lot of things we weren't quite sure about.  We were documenting our budget through paper, but felt like something was missing, so I tried out www.mint.com. This can be used on the computer and as an app on your phone and tablet for FREE!.  This was very helpful for a while because it connects to all of your bank accounts/credit card accounts/loans, so that you can automatically keep track of your transactions. Set up the budget and watched as transactions went through.  This is very helpful if you keep up with your budget everyday though. Otherwise you have to back track and make sure that each transaction was labeled correctly to the right budget category. If you can keep this going, I highly recommend it because it keeps track of everything for you. Well, I will have to admit that I fell behind though and got frustrated with trying to track. I was months behind and some transactions weren't labeled automatically, so I kind of gave up. :( I also noticed that it wasn't completely accurate to $0 because it won't keep track of the cents. Only rounds up or down to the nearest dollar. I realized all I wanted to know was what was remaining in each category, like Overtime money, so I started digging around for another free app and came across www.everydollar.com.  You can pay extra for this site to automatically transfer transactions, but I decided to just enter a transaction every time I spent some money on food etc. I do have to make sure I keep up with this each day, but if I accidentally don't, I am able to go back and enter in the receipts I missed very easily.  I like that this program has you put in a budget down to $0 and also lets you add up everything using both dollars and cents, so that it is accurate. Each month it reminds you to set up a budget and is very easy to enter data and readable lay out. It is a computerized envelop system. You enter what is planned and can also very easily see what it spent and what is remaining. So you don't actually have to use any paper envelopes or take money out. We are doing paper envelopes though for some of the categories that build up like going out to eat, car maintenance, house maintenance, and cash fund. The program has funds set up for this though to make it easier and so you don't have to go to the bank. This has really helped us with our budget and I hope you can find a suggestion here that may help you. What are some budget ideas or programs you have used that have helped you stay on track? Part of sticking to a budget is accountability, so ask your spouse to check with you each night if you have entered everything, so you don't get behind. 

Looking For Some Ways to Find Free Stuff?

One thing that I love is free stuff and ways to save money on the things we need or yes sometimes would like, but probably shouldn't be spending the money on them!!! Anybody else out there too? :)  I can't really work at home to make extra money right now with my kids around because they constantly want their mama, but who can blame them though. I love mommy/kiddo time too. So we do some cuddling time, while I hunt for free stuff online. I started out using freebies.org and shop4freebies.com. These are websites that someone hunts down all the free products online they can find and then you dig through them to see what you can use, like a calendar for example. When you click on the product, it takes you to the company website, where you can get your free sample or product.  Most of these are only samples, but hey, a little package of shampoo can provide you with a couple showers and if you get a bunch of different types of shampoos, then you just cut back on having to buy even more shampoo.  I usually get all my yearly wall calendars from these websites for free and then don't have to spend any money.  So these sights got me thinking, if there are free samples out there, there must be free products too, right?  So I starting digging around some more online and came up with Amazon review sites.  I had signed up for Amazon Prime, months before and was enjoying the TV service and discounted diapers, and happened to stumble upon websites that let you review company products who sell through Amazon. You need to have social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, your own blog (that is why you see so many reviews on my blog), a YouTube channel, and any other site that would help them show off their product.  Also, it is good to have Amazon Prime (free shipping), so that you don't get stuck having to pay for shipping on each product. A lot of the companies won't even ask you to review if you don't have Amazon Prime because of the shipping. I have mainly stuck with www.tomoson.com because of the large amount of products they have to offer for free.  There are also deals too, but if you are looking to save money, just go with the free ones for now. This site is very easy to use.  You look through their campaigns for products that you would like and then apply for them.  The companies see if it makes sense to let you review their product and then will accept you.  You will have so many days to receive the product and review it on your different websites.  Once you get a couple products reviewed, usually more companies will start asking you to review. I have had lulls though. Haven't figured out if it is because coupon codes are all given away or if the company doesn't think I will meet their needs.  So far I have reviewed 34 products and they keep coming! :) I usually have a couple to do per week and sometimes way too many to keep up with. (You need to review in a certain time frame or your rating goes down) Make sure you don't get sucked into it though or you can spend hours looking up new products and wasting your time that could be spent doing other more valuable things. But I guess you have to be the one to decide that. I need to focus on my kids during the day, so I try to limit this kind of thing to no more than an hour a day. If you don't have a family though and don't really need to do other things, then this could be kind of like a side job for you, just without pay. By the way, you aren't allowed to resell the product after you review it, even if you don't want it. Some of the other sites I have been using are VIPON and Elite Deal Club.  Since the Amazon review rule change, VIPON doesn't seem to have as many products for free (seems to be a lot of phone cases, which I don't need), but it is worth it to look through every once and a while. I received a set of 5 designer belts for free through them.  VIPON doesn't expect reviews, but the companies would love if you review on Amazon for them. Something to keep in mind when you review for other companies is that it should be unbiased and an honest review. If the product is great, ok, then write a great review, but if it isn't, make sure you comment on what you didn't like about it because you don't want it to be misleading to others if they think they want to purchase it.  Something else to remember is that you have to mention that you received the product for free or at a discount in exchange for an honest review, except on Amazon.  You can get in trouble if you don't. The other site I have had luck with is Elite Deal Club.  I did receive some free coasters, but usually the free stuff goes way too fast for me to grab, so then I look through the deals. I have been able to grab a ton of very, very cheap beauty products like jojoba oil ($1.99!!!) With this website, they open up the deals at 10, 2, and 8, so you have to act fast. Not real fun to look through everything though. Takes forever to scroll through.  So take a look at some of these websites I have been using for the last 6 months and see what you think.  Please comment on how they are working for you and if you have found any other websites that you can get free stuff and suggest to others!!! :)
These are my opinions and I am not being reimbursed by any of these companies.

Looking For a Great Way to Meal Plan? No Guess Work or Time

Hey there!
So I've been trying to figure out how exactly I could make planning our dinners more fun and a whole lot easier for myself with two toddlers in the house. I used to love cooking and baking and now feel like it is a chore.  I am constantly running around picking up toys, clothes, ..., cleaning up spills and bathroom messes. Even though I stay at home with the kids, I feel like there is no time to get things done. lol  I guess I could describe my day as having two Tasmanian Devils running around the house.  😛 Even though they exhaust me, I still do love them like crazy. So I started digging around online for meal plans. At first, I tried doing the calendar method of finding my own recipes and filling in the calendar with what I would make. That lasted one month and I didn't keep up with it. Then I found some online and printed them out.  They had a weeks worth of menus, the grocery list, and the recipes.  One example is from http://lifeasmom.com/free-printable-meal-plans-grocery-lists/ (I am not being paid to recommend this. These are my own opinions) Tried a couple of her meal plans out and really like them, but kind of fell out of meal planning once again.  So then I dug even deeper and found some apps on my android phone. Not sure if it is because it is electronic if it makes it more exciting for me, but for some reason, this idea is working for me.  I downloaded two apps called Mealime and MFMP Light. (Not being paid to recommend these. ) I especially like the Mealime one because of the layout and the food is healthy and from scratch. I also feel like I am cooking gourmet meals again! Each meal is pretty quick to make and I have been able to keep a pretty cheap food budget using Aldis, Walmart, and Amazon. Both are free unless you want to upgrade and get more options out of Mealime. With Mealime, you get to tell the app what kind of plan you want (I use traditional, but there are others like vegeterian), how many meals you would like for the week (I have been choosing 6 and then not needing to go shopping every week because I stick pizza night and leftover night in there. Almost make it to two weeks with these), what ingredients you want to avoid, and then it gives you 6 options of meals that you can keep or start swiping away if you don't want individual ones.  This takes out the guess work for me with yummy meals. Don't have to look anything up in cookbooks or online.  Once you tell the app the 6 meals you want to keep that it generates, you have access to the grocery list, which you can take to the grocery store. I just go through it and check off what I already have and then add what I need to my written list. Once you get all of your food, which I find most of the ingredients at Aldis for very cheap (even organic), then you can start cooking away.  The meals are so easy to follow and do with your kids.  There are three columns to choose from under every recipe, so that you can get organized.  The first column shows you what utensils you need for cooking. I generally don't bother with that. The second one is all the ingredients you need. I lay these all out on the counter, so I don't have to move away from the kids while cooking.  And the third column takes you into the recipe where you can put it in cooking mode, which means your tablet doesn't shut off and all the words fit on the screen!!! Each step is listed on individual screens that you scroll through. You even get the amount of ingredients listed in each step, so you don't have to go back to the ingredient list.  I feel like it is so organized and makes it fun for me to cook again with my kiddos.  And really would recommend you try it if you are getting frustrated with the "what do I cook tonight?" mentality or are trying to figure out how to cut your food budget down.  I wasted tons of food and money when I wasn't meal planning. I would buy what I thought I needed, but now am realizing a lot of things are still sitting in my pantry and freezer that I thought I would use and haven't.  This is kind of nice though to have some food stocked up though for those spare of the moment get togethers or meals you need at the last moment because you do have to finish all of your Mealime meals in order to make a new menu plan, which means you would have to go shopping the day you need the food. That is why I also downloaded the MFMP Light meal plan, so that I could go shopping ahead of time and alternate between both meal plans.  These meals are actually a lot easier to cook and have the four basic food groups.   They seem more kid friendly for my family and the big plus is there are 365 meals included in this plan.  It is laid out by 12 months and each month has the 4 weeks, and then the 4 weeks have 4 menus to click on with their grocery lists. Very easy to use. The recipe and ingredients are all on one page that fit on the screen. The only negative I have found with this menu plan is that it uses some processed foods and some of the meals seemed kind of salty. If you are familiar with cooking though, you probably will be able to figure out what to omit.  You will also notice that meals do repeat also throughout the calendar year.  So my reasoning for writing this post was to hopefully help you find an easy way for you to meal plan by taking out almost all the work, except for shopping, cooking, and best of all eating it! I hope this helps you out. Please comment about other free meal plans you have found and like and what you think about the ones I mentioned after trying them. Thanks!!!!

Instanatural Vitamin C Moisturizer Review

I received the #Instanatural Vitamin C Moisturizer for free in exchange for an honest review and really am enjoying it. It comes in a very easy to hold cylinder bottle with a cool little push top that only gives you a small amount of lotion on your finger, so you don't get too much. I only used about 2 pea size drops on my fingers to spread on my face, so you don't need to use a lot of it and will it will last awhile. The lotion is very creamy, so no runs and spreads on face easily. I do feel a small tingle on my face each time I put it on and then it goes away after about 5 minutes. This lotion leaves my face feeling soft and smooth. I also noticed a shiny glow. I have sensitive skin and tend to itch my face ALOT! This lotion is definitely helping to lessen the itchy feeling I get from dry skin. I would say this is a helpful face moisturizer and I give it a thumbs up. I also like that the ingredients are mostly natural from what I can see. Here is a link to follow for product: http://instanatural.com/products/vitamin-c-moisturizer

Very Large Insulated Cooler Bag Review

I received this very large cooler bag for free in exchange for an honest review. Loving it. I didn't realize how big, big meant until it got to the house. :) This is great for taking on a picnic or to your kid's games all day. You can fit tons of food in it without drinks or with drinks. Probably for four people in a family. I tried mine out with a bunch of different pop cans, tea bottles, and 2 liter bottles and found that you can do 24 cans, or 12 cans with 6 tea bottles and two 2 liter bottles of pop. Fill it in with ice. If you want more ice in it though for a longer period of time, I would cut the amount of drinks in half. Very wide and tall. Very good size. It has a strap with a pad, so your shoulder doesn't get worn out and two mesh pockets on the side too for more drinks or food. Zipper works well and on the top lid, you can open up a little lid, pop your hand in and pull out your drink without unzipping. I ended up getting the green one. Pretty color. :) #Sacko HEre is the Amazon link to follow: https://www.amazon.com/Large-Sided-Insulated-Cooler-Sacko/dp/B00STYQKTE?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

The LIAMEDICAL Tourniquet Set Review

I received the #LiaMedical tourniquet set for free in exchange for an unbiased review. This set comes with a tourniquet, an emergency blanket, and one cloth bandage with a clip. The tourniquet and bandage come with instructions on how to use them in case of an emergency. I am keeping this set in my car with my first aid kit, so I have it wherever I go, such as for hiking. It comes in a small plastic pouch that you can reseal each time, but it probably won't last if you use it multiple times, so you may want to put it in a separate travel bag. Probably don't need to though because this kit is only for emergencies, and hopefully will never have to use it. I tried on the tourniquet around my arm and there was plenty of space for a very large man to fit his arm into it also. It has an area to write down what time it was applied. Didn't try opening the bandage sealed bag because it needs to stay clean for a future wound. The directions are on the back of the storage bag, which I accidentally tore too much. Would recommend the company put instructions on paper inside package. The blanket is made out of a very thin, shiny metal material and will wrap around a larger person to keep them warm. Haven't actually tired these products in a real situation, so you will have to be the judge of whether or not they work or not. It is compact and gives you three medical preparedness devices to use. Always good to be prepared.
If you would like to check out the item, follow this link:
http://amzn.to/2cqquLx