Quick Tip - Eyebrows

Don't have time (or money) to get the salon but don't have the patience for plucking? Try an at-home waxing kit to tame those brows. My personal favorite is microwaveable Sally Hansen Eyebrow, Face, & Lip Wax. It does take some practice to get the hang of it, but if you have thick brows you'll find that once you're good at it, it's much faster than tweezing. If you prefer the idea of wax strips instead of hot wax, Sally Hansen also makes a Wax Strips Kit. Good luck!

See all Quick Tips HERE.

Ann Taylor - $20 off pants

Today only (Sat. 2/27), head over to Ann Taylor and get $20 off any pant purchase just for trying a pair on! Make sure you print that coupon and bring it with you. Happy saving :)

(Thanks, Mojo Savings!)

Happy Birthday, Swagbucks!

Some of you may have heard me mention Swagbucks, a search engine that rewards you for searching. Swagbucks turns 2 today, and I thought I would take the opportunity to recommend trying it out if you haven't yet. It is powered by Google and Ask.com, so the results are pretty good. I installed the toolbar to remind myself to use it, and I check the "Swidget" (Swagbucks widget) at the bottom of this blog regularly to see if there are any bonus swag codes available. If there are, they can be entered on the homepage for bonus swagbucks.

You will receive 30 swagbucks just for signing up, and 10-20 swagbucks for random searches and codes found in the swidget. There are lots of things available in the Swag Store, but my personal favorite is $5 Amazon gift cards, which you can get for 450 swagbucks. I have earned enough to redeem my bucks for one gift card every month, for a total of $20 in 4 months. I realize $5/month isn't that much, but for just sitting at my computer and using a search engine, I'll take it! Give it a try - I hope you enjoy being a member of Swag Nation as much as I do!

Olay Total Effects Body Wash Sample

The latest sample being offered by Walmart.com is Olay Total Effects Body Wash. I don't know about you, but I love getting all these free samples in the mail!

(Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!)

Bath & Body Works Coupon

Bath & Body Works has released a new printable coupon for a FREE Home Fragrance or Signature Collection Body Care item (up to $12.50) with any $15 purchase. You can also use promo code FLOWER to get this deal online.

(Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!)

Quick Tips

Once you become a mom, "me time" becomes something of the past. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting a series of Quick Tips designed to help you feel like yourself without taking time away from your kids. (If you don't have kids yet, you may find these tips helpful on days when you are short on time!)

Today's Tip:
If you have thick hair that takes forever to straighten, try just running a flat iron over the top layer of your hair. Chances are you're the only one who will notice that underneath is not quite straight! This simple trick cut my straightening time from 20 minutes down to a much more manageable 5 minutes.

If you need an affordable straightening iron that actually works, try one of the Andis Ceramic Flat Irons available at Walmart for $15-$20.

See all Quick Tips HERE.

It's Tax Time!

It's amazing how having a baby makes tax season seem like a holiday! After owing a large chunk of money last year, it's great to see that we will actually be getting a decent refund this time around. Now, my dad taught me to always do my taxes twice just to make sure everything is correct. This year, I am SO glad I followed his advice! I calculated our refund using the TurboTax Online Free Edition as well as H&R Block at Home Free. You do not need an account to use these programs; in fact, you don't have to create one until you are actually ready to file. Both programs are free to use, include free federal e-filing, and charge around $30 for state e-filing. However, H&R Block found us a credit we were eligible for that was nowhere to be seen in the TurboTax program!

I would definitely recommend taking the time to double check your return using a second program - it was completely worth it for us. If you really don't have time to do your taxes twice, my personal recommendation is to go with H&R Block. I have filed with them for the past few years and have had great experiences with their online edition. Happy Tax Time :)

UPDATE: A third option is TaxACT, which is also free to use with free federal e-file, and a charge of only $14.95 for state e-file. I cannot vouch for this site as I have not used it, but I wanted to make the option known. Do you have any experience (good or bad) with TaxACT?

Deals from the past week

There was no shortage of deals available this week, but unfortunately our little family has once again been struck by illness. This time around it's just a cold, but we've all got it and the little one has been very cranky. Rather than re-writing her entire post, I'm going to refer you to The Thrifty Mama's Friday Frugal Round-Up. This went up yesterday and is a comprehensive list of all the best deals from the past week. Enjoy!

Emergen-C sample

Yes, another one. I actually signed up for this awhile ago but wanted to wait and see if it was legit before posting it for my readers. Well, the sample arrived this week and I am happy to report that you can still sign up to receive a free sample of Emergen-C. The sample pack we received contained 3 packs, each a different flavor.

(Thanks, Money Saving Mom!)

Excedrin Special Offer

Well, I guess I should just call today "Freebie Friday"! Here is a another great offer: if you have not used Excedrin in the past 12 months, you can sign up to receive a coupon by mail for a free Excedrin product. If you indicate that you have used Excedrin in the past 12 months, you will receive a coupon for $2 off instead.

(Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!)

Fekkai Hair Care sample

Walmart.com is currently offering free samples of Fekkai Hair Care Glossing Cream. I have signed up for samples through Walmart.com in the past and they have always arrived as promised. I'm looking forward to this one!

(Thanks, Moms by Heart!)

Free 10 day supply of Bare Minerals

If you have a JCPenney with a Sephora counter near you (there is one at Crossgates), you'll want to print this coupon good for a free 10-day sample of Bare Escentuals' new Bare Minerals Matte foundation. You should get your choice of shade as well as a baby buki brush. The fine print says that if they have run out of these samples, you'll get a custom sample of anything you'd like! Sounds like a win, win situation to me :)

(Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!)

Free Kids 'N' Pets Stain Remover

Wow, this is a great offer! When we were house training our dog, we found that this was the ONLY product that really got out those messy "accidents". It took care of both the stain and the odor, which we found many other products just covered up. I don't know how long this offer will last, but right now if you become a fan of Kids 'N' Pets on Facebook, you can download a printable rebate form. Buy the full-size product you'd like to try, and then mail in the rebate to get your refund! Honestly, I would buy this product even without the rebate, but this just makes it even better :)

(Thanks, Moms By Heart!)

It's been a rough week!

I apologize for the lack of posts this past week. We had difficulties with nap time Thursday and Friday, family was visiting on Saturday, and my husband and I were both quite sick on Sunday. While I went to work Monday and Tuesday mornings, I spent the afternoons resting during my daughter's naps because I still was not feeling 100%. It seems the bug has finally run its course in our household (fingers crossed!), so I am up and running again :)

Tweet for the Parenthood Project

If you have a Twitter account, tweet about what parenthood means to you and include hashtag #parenthoodis. For every #parenthoodis tweet (one per user), NBC will donate $20 to the Boys and Girls Club of America. I questioned the legitimacy of this, so I checked out The Parenthood Project website. Pretty cool!

(Thanks, The Thrifty Mama!)

Free cuppycake at Coccadott's

If you find yourself near Central Ave in Colonie tomorrow (Thursday, 2/4), throw your hair into pigtails and head over to Coccadott's Cake Shop. Everyone who comes in sporting pigtails will receive one free cuppycake, yum!

Sometimes, simplicity is the best solution!

Diaper rash is evil. This fact is known by mothers the world over, and many products and creams have been designed to fight this nemesis. Recently, I was getting very frustrated after trying four separate products with no success. My poor little girl's booty just would not clear up. My mother-in-law had suggested vaseline in the past, but even that wasn't quite enough. I googled the heck out of "diaper rash" and finally found the suggestion to sprinkle a little baby powder over the vaseline. We did this at every single diaper change, and poof! the rash is now gone. If you are looking for simple ways to cut down on expenses, give this solution a try - it's definitely cheaper than a lot of the pricey diaper creams out there!

20% Cash Back at Old Navy

If you have not signed up for Ebates yet, now is a great time to do so. From 2/1 until 2/4, they are offering 20% cash back on Old Navy purchases! All you have to do is access the Old Navy website through Ebates. Happy saving :)