Does it pay to shop online?

My friends and family always ask me, "How do you find all of these great deals?". Well, I don't spend hours every day scouring the internet for awesome deals. I do however go to a few specific websites every day to see what they have to offer. A lot of times, I don't find anything that I really need or could even use. Of course, if it's an amazing deal, I normally share it with you all. Though, sometimes I will find an awesome deal for myself, my husband, or the boys' and won't even hesitate to purchase it.

My very first interaction with daily deal sites, was with MyHabit. In fact, I found the link on another blog. It was for a huge sale on baby and toddler boys' clothes. It was about a month before Luke's 3rd birthday, and I found a pair of shorts on sale for $1.99! They were having a free shipping deal, so I ended up getting two pairs of shorts and a shirt for less than $6...shipped to my front door! I was hooked! I couldn't believe you could find such great deals online. In fact, I assumed that shopping online was a waste of money if you had a car, because your paying for shipping which is always more expensive than the gas it takes to drive to the store. Boy was I wrong!

So, every day I check out my top five deal sites. I have personally purchased from each of these sites, and they each have pluses and minuses. They are in no particular order.


* No More Rack - This site has a wide array of deals from home goods to jewelry. I purchased quite a few Christmas gifts from this site last year. I got some great deals, and was really happy with the quality of items I received. I think this site has some of the cheapest deals I've found online, ever.

* 1 Sale A Day - This site has five great deals every day. One main deal, one wireless deal, one family deal, one watch deal, and one jewelry deal. I purchased a pair of earrings here earlier this year, and they were decent quality for the price. The best thing about 1 Sale A Day is their electronics. They always have awesome deals on tablets, laptops, GPS, etc. If you're looking for electronics, always check here first.

* MyHabit - This site is my go to for children's clothes and shoes. I always check here if the boys need something. Ever since my first transaction, I've been hooked. The great thing about this site, is that the deals normally last three days instead of just one. But, a lot of times, the items sell out before the deal ends. The clothes I've purchased from this site have always been great quality and great prices!

* Hautelook - If you're into high end fashion, this is the site for you. They always have designer brands as their deals for a fraction of the price. They also have one 'Deal of the Day' every day, and it's always a pretty great deal. If you have champagne taste on a beer budget, look no further! You have to check out Hautelook. They have five categories; women, beauty, home, kids, and men. They always have deals or what they call 'events' for every category, so check them out.

* Zulily - This deal site is all about moms, babies, and kids. They have some great deals on clothes, shoes, toys, books, and more. If your looking for all things baby, this is the deal site for you. They have numerous deals per day and the deals last a few days. You can also earn cash back when you shop through Ebates. I just bought a new pair of heels from Zulily last week, and earn a few bucks for my purchase.

* Ebates - If you do any online shopping, check Ebates first to see if you can receive cash back for your purchases. I've received cash back through Zulily, Walmart, Target, and The Children's Place just this summer. The money adds up pretty quickly. Besides, if your going to do the shopping online anyway, why not get cash back for doing it? You can read my full post titled All About Ebates here.

If you have any other sites that you think I should look into, let me know in the comments and I'll check them out!

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Royal Fluff Cloth Diapers As Low As $9.99

Today, Zulily is having a deal on Royal Fluff cloth diapers, inserts, and wet bags. Prices start at just $6.99 and nothing is more than $11.99 (for wet bags). The cloth diapers are priced between $9.99 and $10.99, which is a good price for the embellishment and such cute prints! Considering these diapers are regularly priced between $22.99 and $24.99, this is an awesome deal! If you need some new pockets to add to your cloth diaper stash, I would jump on this deal, because these diapers are super cute! To see all of the diapers, inserts, and wet bags available on Zulily today, you can go here. This sale ends on Sunday at 6am PDT, but I doubt there will be any left by then, so hurry over and snag a few.

Also, if you use Ebates, you can earn 3.5% cash back on your order, just for shopping through their site. If you've never used Ebates before, check out my post about them here, and sign up. Everyone loves free cash back! 

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The Children's Place: Stock Up Sale

Just in time for back to school, The Children's Place is having their Stock Up Sale. You can get FREE shipping on all denim, with denim as low as $10. You can also get graphic tees as low as $5, and school uniforms up to 25% off. 

To sweeten the deal, we have a coupon code for you for 20% off your total purchase. The code is E6H76QDP82. So, you could potentially get two new outfits (two pairs of jeans and two shirts) for $24! That is pretty cool! If your little one is going to need long pants for the fall, I would definitely take this opportunity to stock up. With $10 prices, free shipping, and 20% your total, you can't beat these prices for this quality.

Also, if you use Ebates, you can earn 2.5% cash back on your order, just for shopping through their site. If you've never used Ebates before, check out my post about them here, and sign up. Everyone loves free cash back! 

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Banzai Wigglin' Waterpillar Sprinkler Only $5 With Free In-Store Pickup

Walmart has the Banzai Wigglin' Waterpiller Sprinkler for $5.00 right now, marked down from $13.00! Also, you can choose FREE in-store pickup. If you choose to have it shipped to you, you'll only pay $0.97, which is still a great deal. Use it for the last few weeks left in the summer, or pack it away till next year and you've got a great surprise waiting for the kids when the weather gets warm again. 

* Remember to shop through your Ebates account to earn an extra 1% cash back.

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Swiss Gear Backpacks are only $10! Free In-Store Pickup!

Office Depot has a great $10 deal on Swiss Gear Backpacks right now. You can place your order online and choose in-store pickup. The only downside to this offer is that they come in assorted colors, but you don't get to choose your color. The three colors are black, black/blue, and black/pink. What I would do is, when I get there to pick it up, I'd just ask the store associate if there were any other color choices.

* Remember to shop through your Ebates account, to earn 2% cash back.

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Inexpensive, Good Quality Makeup

If you're a mom, then you know that money you used to spend on things like makeup, go towards diapers, baby food, and other child necessities now. That doesn't mean that you have to give up your love of makeup! You just need to find a cheaper alternative to that great MAC eyeshadow. Well, if you've never checked out E.L.F. Cosmetics, you need to...now! E.L.F. stands for eyes, lips, face, and they have amazing quality for the price! You can purchase them directly from the website, or from Target. I've also heard that some Kmart stores carry their products, but I don't have any Kmart's near me to confirm that. Sorry that this post is so long. I didn't plan on that, I just wanted to include everything I could.

They offer three brands of cosmetics:

Studio - This is the highest cost cosmetics that they offer. The majority of single products in the Studio line is $5, which is still a steal.

Mineral - This is the neutral cost cosmetics. Most of the single products in the Mineral line are $3.

Essential - This is the cheapest line of cosmetics that E.L.F. offers. There are some great products in this line and they are mostly only $1 for single items. How awesome is that?

Now I'm going to go over some of my favorites from each line.

Things I Have and Love

Studio Cream Eyeliner ($3)

Studio Line:


Cream Eyeliner - This eyeliner is amazing! You can use it to create thin or thick lines and it lasts for hours. It comes with a slanted eyeliner brush, but I prefer the Small Angled Brush. It works fine, I'm just used to the Small Angled Brush. This is available in 11 different shades.
                   

Studio Blush ($3)

Blush - This stuff is great! I was never really a huge blush fan, until my mom gave me one of these and told me to try it. Oh my gosh, I love my blush now. This blush has great pigmentation and is easy to blend, so you don't look like a porcelain doll. It's available in 11 different shades, from coral colors, to rosy colors, to pinks. My favorite is Mellow Mauve. It looks great on brunettes, which I am. I use the Studio Blush Brush to apply this blush, and it works great.

Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15 ($3)

Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15 - This stuff wears like a lipstick. It is so pigmented and wears great all day. It also has the SPF, which is great if your in the sun at all during the day. I love the Nice & Natural color, because it just accentuates the natural color of your lips, but the Blissful Berry is also very pretty. It comes in 5 different shades, and a nice little pot, so it's easy to take with you.




I know a lot of women are very picky about the brushes they use to apply their makeup. I never really had a great deal of extra money to spend on brushes, so it's not like I could go out and buy a $25 Sigma brush, but now that I've found some great E.L.F. brushes, I'm never trying anything else that costs more than $3. Lol...

Small Angled Brush ($3)

Small Angled Brush - This is the brush I mentioned that I use for the Cream Eyeliner. It works great at making thin or thick lines and it's easier for me to use then the brush that comes with the eyeliner, since the handle is longer. I feel like I have more control over it.

Blush Brush ($3)

Blush Brush - Let me tell you, if you don't have a good quality blush brush, then your blush is never going to look the way you want it to. This blush brush works great for me, and does a great job blending.

Complexion Brush ($3)

Complexion Brush - This brush is a favorite of mine for bronzers, and blending all of my powders. I know a lot of people use this for applying their blush, but I'd rather use my blush brush for that. This does work great for blending though.

Powder Brush ($3)

Powder Brush - I have tried all different brushes for my mineral powder foundation, and this is the best brush I have found to work as well as I want it to. Kabuki brushes are super awkward for me, so I need that longer handle to work with. This brush does the trick. It works great.





Mineral Line:


I've only ever tried one item from the Mineral line, but it is definitely worth mentioning if you struggle with breakouts.

2-Piece Blemish Set ($5)

2-Piece Blemish Set - This set is amazing! You can use it as a blemish concealer, and as a daily or nightly cleansing routine. I use it as a concealer, and after I've washed my face at night, I use it on my blemishes. It works great at concealing any imperfections. It also comes with the concealer brush. The powder is translucent, so it's great for all skin tones. It's actually on sale right now for 25% off, so instead of $5 it's $3.75.






Essential Line:

Eyelid Primer ($1)

Eyelid Primer - If you've never used an eye shadow primer, and always have trouble with creasing or your eye shadow wearing off throughout the day, you need to try this. For only $1 this stuff works! Not only does a little bit go a long way, it makes your eye shadow last a good 6-8 hours, and it makes your eye shadow colors more intense. It's great. It's available in 4 different shades as well. The Studio line also makes a primer, but this one works for me, so I'll save the $2 and stick to this.

Bronzer with Brush ($1)

Bronzer with Brush - I am not a die hard bronzer girl, but every once in a while, when I want that glow, I'll use it, and for the price of bronzers these days, this $1 bronzer won't break the bank. I use the shade Glow, which is the lightest of the 4 shades available. I don't use the brush that comes with it though. I use my Studio Line Complexion Brush, and it works great.

Luscious Liquid Lipstick ($1)

Luscious Liquid Lipstick - I am a fan of lipsticks that look like glosses, and that is exactly what this is. It wears like a lipstick (great staying power), but looks like a gloss. It has a twist up foam applicator. My favorite shade is Maple Sugar. It comes in 11 different shades, and it's only $1, so you can buy a few and decide which you like best.

Mechanical Eyelash Curler ($1)

Mechanical Eyelash Curler - This little tool is much different than the ones you can buy at the drugstore for under a few bucks. This one has a much wider eyelash shaft and the rubber pads are made out of silicone so they are much more comfortable. Also, I have never accidentally pinched my skin using this one, unlike the cheapo ones from the drugstore. The handle also has this extra finger rest, which helps to give you more control when curling.

Eye Shadow Brush ($1)

Eye Shadow Brush - This is my number one E.L.F. product ever! I have tried so many different eye shadow brushes, and none can compare to this $1 baby. It does exactly what it is made to do, and does it good! I have read so many reviews of this brush being compared to $15-$25 brushes, so I made sure I bought 5 of them in case they decided to discontinue them or increase the price. They are amazing! A lot of people who have tried the $3 Studio Line Eye Shadow Brush, still prefer the $1 Essential Eye Shadow Brush. Yeah, the Studio Line brushes are prettier and sleeker looking, but the Essential Eye Shadow Brush functions just as good! If you do not have this brush, go get it now!


Just because your a mom, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice beauty for you kids all the time. And with these  prices, is doesn't hurt to splurge every once in a while. :-)

* Remember to shop through your Ebates account, to earn 5.5% cash back.

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Triple Cash Back at Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us on Ebates!

Do you have some online shopping to do before Christmas? Ebates is now offering triple cash back on purchases from Wal-Mart and Toys R Us! If you haven't signed up for Ebates yet, it is a site that offers cash back on purchases made online every quarter. You can get this cash back in the form of a check or directly into your paypal. Currently Ebates is offering 3% cash back from walmart.com and 7% from Toysrus.com. Even better, Wal-mart offers FREE site to store shipping, so you could get 3% cash back plus free shipping.

If you haven't signed up for Ebates get, go here and sign up! There will probably be other great cash back deals before Christmas!

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All About Ebates

I'm sure you're all wondering, what is Ebates? I've seen the commercial for them, but what are they? Well, here is a quick rundown of who they are and what they do.

What is Ebates?
Ebates is a leader in online cash back shopping. They pay members cash back every time they shop online. They also give them the best coupons and deals online. Each Store offers a different cash back percentage or dollar amount for shopping with them. Just look at the amount next to the store name on the Ebates website to see how much you will earn.


How does it work?
It's quite simple. Every time you decide to shop online, instead of going directly to Target's (ex.) website, and buying what you want, go to Ebates and log into your account. Once logged in, go to the list of stores and choose Target. You will immediately see how much you will earn for shopping there, and be sent directly to Target's website through Ebates. But what's different? Now Ebates knows you are shopping at Target, and they know how much to pay you back for doing so. It's as simple as that!

Where can I shop?
Ebates is linked to over 1,200 online stores (including Walmart, Target, even Amazon), so the odds are it's worth checking out. If you ever shop online, then Ebates is worth the free sign up.

How do I get paid?
Ebates sends out payments four times a year. You can choose to receive a check or get payed via PayPal. As long as you have more than $5.01 in your account, you will be payed.

How can I sign up?
You can go to the Ebates website to sign up now.

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