How to save BIG on a new carseat

Everyone knows that I am "thrifty" (AKA cheap) but one area where I will not compromise quality are car seats. I don't mind buying things secondhand, but when it comes to carseats I would rather be safe than sorry.

I recently found two car seats on a yard sale site for a VERY good price. They were nearly $300 each new and the seller was asking $40 each. I considered it but ended up deciding that it wasn't worth it. The seller told me that the seats had never been in an accident, but I didn't know the person and I had no way of knowing if that was true or not.  They didn't expire for several years, but it wasn't a risk that I was willing to take. I am not going to make this post about carseat safety, there are many other guides out there about carseat safety and I am not an expert. If you are parent, PLEASE educate yourself about carseat safety. I really didn't "know better" when Kainan was younger and I did a lot of dumb things like forward facing him too early and probably not properly installing his seat. If you don't know how to use your carseat correctly, just ask! Someone will be able to help you.

It is important to remember that a more expensive car seat does not mean a safer car seat. All car seats in the US pass the same safety tests. The higher cost of more expensive can be due to several things. Sometimes seats have more expensive materials, or convenient features. Other times a more expensive car seat will rear face or harness for a larger age/size range. If you have larger children like I do, they will probably outgrow a cheaper seat before they are physically ready to be in a booster seat or seat belt.

So what are some ways to save on car seats without compromising quality?

• Skip the infant seat. Yes seriously! They can be an added expense that just isn't necessary if you buy a convertible seat. I'm not a fan of leaving a baby in an infant car seat all day anyway, it isn't good for their development. I am not buying an infant seat this time because my babies used them for such a short amount of time. If you are worried about how to carry your baby while out and about, buy a Moby or another safe carrier instead (hint: you can get cheap much cheaper used! Some things are totally safe to buy secondhand.)
• Do surveys or sign up for swagbucks! You can cash our your rewards for Amazon gift cards. It shouldn't take very long to add up enough points to buy a car seat. If you start when you are pregnant, you can definitely get one before your baby is born.



This is the exact seat that I got!

• Check out deal sites like No Better Deal, I just discovered this site and it is AWESOME. I bought a brand new Recaro ProRIDE Carseat for under $135!! Just as a comparison, this is the exact same seat on Amazon. I had already decided to buy this seat, and I am glad that I waited and found a deal, I saved almost $100! I also used the promo code "WELCOME" and saved an extra 10%. I also spotted a Graco MyRide 65 for $74. Mikaela has one of these and we paid over $130 for it. There are other "good" carseat brands like Britax at great prices. I also saw car seats from brands like Evenflo and Graco for under $40. They had infant seats and booster seats too. 

So there are plenty of ways to save money while making sure that your child is as safe as possible. If you have any money saving tips on car seats, I would love to hear about them! Leave a comment and let us know. 

 
**Note** I don't get any kind of kickback from any of the links on this page (except my referral link through SwagBucks.) I am just sharing these deals!

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Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop Review

Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop Review: 

We recently did some renovation and purchased new hardwood bamboo floors. The floors look awesome when they are clean. The problem is between two kids and a dog, they get dirty really quickly! Anyone who has ever had hardwood or laminate floors knows that they start looking dirty before carpet does. That doesn't mean that carpet isn't just as dirty (gross) it just hides the dirt better. I had been using a Shark Steam Mop in my kitchen and bathrooms, but it just didn't cut it on the wood floors. I found the Rubbermaid Reveal on Amazon for $39.99. I was going to buy it on Amazon, but then I found it at Target (in store) for $19.99! The only difference is that the mop from Amazon comes with two microfiber pads. I don't know about you, but I don't think that one extra microfiber pad is worth $20. If you find the same deal at Target, you can always buy an extra pad on Amazon here for under $6.

How did it work?

I LOVE this mop!! Is it weird to love a mop? Oh well, I guess I am weird. I used to have a Swiffer mop and I HATED that you had to either use their solution (yuck) or go through a huge hassle to use your own. With the Reveal mop, you can choose whatever solution you want to use, or make your own. I love this because you can easily use different solutions for different floors. I also love how well it swivels and that the mop itself is pretty wide. I will definitely need to purchase an extra microfiber pad, but they are pretty cheap. I don't really have any complaints about the mop, it work great! It doesn't spray too much liquid, so the floors dry quickly.

If you are looking for a new mop, I highly recommend this one! It is definitely the best of it's kind that I have tried, especially for the price. I strongly prefer this mop to my Shark steam mop. I will probably use the steam mop only in the bathrooms. The Shark mop is narrower, which seems like that would mean more work. I do have a cheaper version of the steam mop, but it still cost over $50 and this mop was under $20. If you can find this at Target (or maybe Wal-Mart) fo $20, it is a great deal!

 
**NOTE** This is my personal opinion and experience with this product. I purchased it at full price and have not been compensated by Rubbermaid in any way.

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"The Paleo Diet Solution Cookbook" FREE on your Kindle!

Wow, what an awesome deal! Head over to Amazon right now and check out "The Paleo Diet Solution Cookbook." It's absolutely free to download on your Kindle (normal price $9.99!)  I already have this book on my Kindle and I can recommend it. While I do not follow a Paleo diet, I do eat completely gluten free (post about that coming soon) and I use a lot of Paleo recipes. The book has great reviews, so download it while you can get it for free!

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Fuzzibunz One-size Cloth Diaper Review

Hey guys! It's Amy and I'm finally back. A few of my cloth diapering posts were some of the most popular posts on the blog so far, so I have decided to make Friday's "Cloth Diaper Friday!" Basically I will either share some info on cloth diapering, do a cloth diaper review, or MAYBE even finish my eight weeks to a cloth diaper stash posts! Would anyone be interested in seeing that finished? If you have no idea what I am talking about, start here. The posts were pretty popular and I'd like to finish them if there is any interest. 

Anyway, I'll kick off the first "Cloth Diapering Friday" post with a review for Fuzzibunz one-size diapers. You can buy these directly from Fuzzibunz or almost any site that sells cloth diapers. I got mine on Amazon. I own three of these diapers in Apple Green, Crushed Berries and Grape. The colors are really great! I got mine really cheap (Amazon coupons back in 2011) and I wish I would have gotten more! Fuzzibunz is probably my favorite one size pocket diaper, or at least tied for first with Happy Heiny one size pockets. 

What makes Fuzzibunz different from many other one-size diapers is  the unique adjustable elastic. Most OS (one-size) diapers have a snapping front. Because of Fuzzibunz patented adjustable elastic, FB OS diapers tend to be "trimmer" (less bulky) than most OS diapers. They also come with extra elastic, although I've never had to use mine. I found that the adjustable elastic fit smaller babies better than my other OS diapers. The picture on the right is Mikaela in Crushed Berries around three weeks old (yes, she was fat.) Most of her other OS diapers didn't fit until a few weeks later. The Fuzzibunz one-size diaper only has a snap option, so if you prefer aplix they may not be for you. I think that aplix is easier, but snaps hold up better. Diapers with snaps look "new" much longer and possibly have a higher selling value because of that. 

So overall I definitely recommend the Fuzzibunz one-size diaper. I've only had ONE problem. My Apple Green diaper has had about four snaps fall off, and my Crushed Berries diaper has a loose snap. I have never had any problems with my other snapping diapers (Bumgenius, Flip, Sunbaby, etc.) so I'm not sure if I just got a bad batch or if this is common for Fuzzibunz. I have not contacted Fuzzibunz because it had been about a year since I bought the diapers, and I did not think they would be covered. So the Fuzzibunz one-size diaper gets a 9/10 from me. Other than possible faulty snaps (which is an easy fix) these diapers are trim, have a great fit, hold up well, and are very cute! 
 

 
Note: This is my personal opinion about my use with these diapers, I have not been compensated by Fuzzibunz in any way! I bought these diapers at full price, with coupons, and this is just my personal opinion!

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My New Workout Routine - Week One Update

I've been doing Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred for over a week now. I only took a break on Thursday, because we were gone ALL day, and on Saturday because we got home so late and I was tired. I didn't end up doing the workout yesterday either, because I was so shook up from the earthquake. I've never experienced an earthquake, and I just couldn't get in the right mind frame to workout. So, in the last ten days, I've done 30 Day Shred for seven of those days. Not too bad for my first week. I have moved on to Level 2, which is much more challenging for me. So far, I really like the workout. It is challenging but I'm still encouraged to get up and do it every day. Jillian is very energetic and she keeps you moving and helps you "push through the pain". I really like her style of training.

I never really took the time in my first post to explain how Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred is designed. It is designed in three different levels. Level 1 is for beginners and is approximately 23 minutes long. It starts with a warm-up, and has three circuits which each consist of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. After the three circuits, there is a cool down. This is where you start your workout. Once you feel you're ready to move on to a harder routine, you step up to Level 2, and eventually to Level 3. All three levels are around 20-23 minutes each, and consist of the same warm-up, three circuits, and cool down. Jillian suggests you move at your own pace and move up when you feel ready. There are also modified versions of almost every exercise in each level. If you can't do the full version, you can do the modified version. This is great for beginners! I've read on many forums and in some reviews that Jillian Michaels suggests you do Level 1 for ten days, Level 2 for ten days, and Level 3 for ten days. This would mean you are doing the 30 Day Shred for 30 days straight (which does make sense), but I've also read that you shouldn't be doing the same routine for so many days straight without a rest day. Therefore, I've been doing various other workouts on my rest days, to keep my body moving.

I know I planned on doing Great Buns Guaranteed every day, but right now my strength just isn't there to do it every day along with 30 Day Shred. It is a killer on the legs!! So, I've done it on my off days, and I plan on doing it every day for a month after I'm done with 30 Day Shred. Hopefully, by then I'll have enough energy and strength to do a regular workout and the 11 minute Great Buns routine.

My Progress So Far...
Starting Weight (8/15/11): 149.5 lbs
Current Weight (8/24/11): 147.3 lbs
Weight Lost So Far (in 10 days): 2.2 lbs
Goal Weight: 125-130 lbs

I am very interested in yoga. I practiced it for a while right before I found out I was pregnant with Jake. I continued it for about the first 3-4 months until it became too difficult. I have Denise Austin Power Yoga Plus and Gaiam Yoga for Beginners with Patricia Walden. I really like the Power Yoga Plus, but it's not the best for beginners, since she moves so quickly from one pose to the other. Yoga for Beginners is definitely for beginners. She explains every single pose and takes the time to get into the pose and hold it. The only thing I don't like about Yoga for Beginners is that it's such a long DVD.
I've never been able to get through the entire program. I just don't have the time with two little kids.

Denis Austin Power Yoga Plus is broken up into two segments. The first segment is 20 minutes long. "...Power Yoga, is a series of traditional Yoga poses performed in a flowing style designed to generate power
and stamina."
The second segment is also 20 minutes long. "...Power Pilates, is an invigorating series of Pilates moves which challenge the abdominal muscles and tones the buttocks, hips and thighs PLUS combines 3lb weights to sculpt the arms, chest and shoulders."


Diet and Nutrition:
I think I'll be purchasing a book some time soon to start eating a little healthier. I have never been on a diet and I don't plan to start. I would however, like to pay more attention to the foods I am cooking and feeding my family. I've read great things about Naturally Thin by Bethanny Frankel. I saw a great review of the book YouTube. She helps you change the way you think about food, so you don't end up starving yourself or neglecting the foods you love because you want to lose weight. She also has The Skinnygirl Dish, which is 320 pages of just recipes. I still need to read a few reviews before I decide which one is more worth it right now, and I'll update later.

Honest Reviews:
If you are looking for honest reviews on books, workout DVDs or types of workout routines, I highly recommend checking out TaylieTotGetsFit on YouTube. She has over 60 video reviews on health, nutrition, and fitness. She also has a great 11 minute video on her Top 5 Favorite Workout Videos of 2010Naturally Thin by Bethanny Frankel, if you want to hear what she thought of the book. There are hundreds of reviews on YouTube for anything you could think of. Just type in "(product name) review" in the search bar and results will pop up.

Anyway, I've made this post ten times longer than I intended to, so I'll end it now. I will keep you posted on my workout progress and my weight loss.

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My New Workout Routine

So, Jake's 1st birthday is in a little over two weeks. I definitely don't look as good as I did on Luke's 1st birthday, so I have been working out to lose some weight. While I was in NC, I got up early every few days and went for a run while everyone else was still asleep. Being by the beach, this was something I could do every day. Well, now that I'm back home (and not by the beach), I can't find the motivation to wake up before everyone and go for a run. So, I spent a few weeks reading hundreds of reviews on Amazon to find the perfect workout DVD for me. I decided on Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred. It received 4.5/5 stars, with over 2,000 customer reviews, so that was pretty good proof for me. I know that Amy had success with The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout for xBox 360, and I've heard great things about Jillian Michaels. I watch The Drs every day on TV and Jillian Michaels is on the show at least once a week talking about health, nutrition, and fitness. She is great! So, after weeks of debate, I finally decided to order 30 Day Shred. I had a few Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks, so I just used those to purchase it.

I started the 30 Day Shred, Level 1 workout on On Demand yesterday, since my DVD hadn't arrived yet. Let me tell you, I was shaking for about 45 minutes afterwards. It felt so great to workout again! My DVD arrived this morning and I can't wait for my boys to take a nap so I can do Day 2. I've read many reviews about the 30 Day Shred, and many people have suggested you alternate between this workout and other Jillian Michaels workouts. I think I'm too much of a beginner to try her other workouts so soon, so I'm going to be alternating between Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred and Great Buns Guaranteed by Beachbody. Besides yoga, these are the only two workout DVD's I currently have. Besides, who doesn't want a great butt?



This is what my workout schedule is going to look like:

	30 Day Shred	Great Buns
Monday	ü	ü
Tuesday	ü	ü
Wednesday	û	ü
Thursday	ü	ü
Friday	ü	ü
Saturday	û	ü
Sunday	ü	ü

This will result in about 36 minutes of excercise 5 days a week, and 11 minutes of excercise the other two days. I planned on doing 30 Day Shred 7 days a week, but I read many comments saying that your body needs to rest from this workout at least 1-2 days a week. So, hopefully I'll be seeing some results in the next 30 days. The great news is, Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred claims that you can lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days! Great Buns Guaranteed by Beachbody claims that you can get tight, toned buns in under 30 days. Hopefully I will see these results. I'll be taking my measurements later today, and posting them tonight. Wish me luck!

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Saving Money on Disposable Diapers

While I LOVE my cloth diapers, I realize they aren't for everyone. I have said before that I believe more people would use cloth diapers if they just gave them a chance. That being said I realize that there are lots and lots of people who will never touch a cloth diaper, and that's okay! Some moms cloth diaper smaller babies and switch to disposables when the poop gets really stinky (and who can blame them?) Fortunately for those who use disposables there are plenty of ways to save. Since I started "couponing" and realized the deals that are out there I have wanted to kick myself lots of times for paying full price for certain items. Diapers are one of these items. There are a few easy ways to save on disposables, here are some of them:

Amazon:
Amazon.com usually has pretty decent deals on diapers. The prices can vary so try to keep track of what you pay to know whether or not you are getting a good deal. If you subscribe to Amazon Mom (free!) you will save 15%. Sign up for subsribe and save (also free!) and you will save another 15%. That 30% is almost always cheaper than the prices you would find at stores like Wal-Mart or Target. I normally use Amazon.com to buy pull-ups for my son since he is almost potty trained but grew out of his cloth. You can cancel subscribe and save as soon as you order, or set the ordering times really far apart so that you can change sizes or brands if you need to. You can't use coupons on Amazon but they do sometimes have sales. If you need diapers fast and can't find other good deals Amazon is a good choice because of free two day shipping with Amazon mom.


Coupons:
Pampers and Huggies both have newspaper coupons fairly frequently. Other brands will occasionally have coupons as well. Huggies and Pampers both have mailing lists that send out coupons every now and then. These coupons typically range from $1.50 to $3.00 off one pack of diapers. $1.50 off a pack of $10 diapers may not seem like much, but every little bit helps. Combine coupons with sales for maximum savings.

Drugstore deals:
Stores like Walgreens or CVS often have sales on diapers that include Register Rewards or Extra Bucks. If you shop at these stores anyway and roll you RRs or EBs following these sales can save a lot of money! An example of this at Walgreens would be a sale price of $8.99 plus receive a $2 Register Reward. If you combine this with a $2 off coupon it would be like paying $4.99, which is about half of the regular price. If you don't typically shop at drugstores this may not be the best deal because you may forget or no know how to use the register reward or extra buck.

Clearance deals:
Lots of stores will put their diapers on clearance from time to time for various reasons such as the diapers being repackaged or discontinued. These prices are often half of the regular price or even less! Combined with coupons this can make diapers very, very cheap!

Stockpiling: Find a GREAT deal on diapers? Stock up!! If you can get diapers for $3 or $4 or less for a jumbo pack (and it does happen more often than you'd think!) buy some for a few months! Find a great deal on diapers that are a size or two up? Buy them anyway, kids grow fast! The same applies for wipes, since there are great deals on wipes all the time.

As you can see there are plenty of ways to buy diapers without paying retail prices. All of these deals can apply to disposable wipes as well. Diapers are one of the most expensive baby items but by following these simple tips it is very easy to save!

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Deal of the Day - Amazon video games

All video games and accessories are buy one get one free until July 9th! Amazon has really good prices on video games anyway so this is a pretty awesome deal! You can also use Amazon gift cards that you earned from Swagbucks or from doing surveys at Opinion Outpost. If you haven't signed up for Swagbucks or Opinion Outpost check them out! I make a little extra money through both each month.

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Copco Sierra Tumbler Review

I mentioned a while back that I was going to buy some of these tumblers on Amazon whenever I got my gift card from Swag Bucks. The prices on Amazon vary but I managed to get two (pink and blue) for about $5 each. Now that I have used them I have to say I really like them! I love the built in stirrer and they're pretty hard to spill. I also like that the straw can't fall out because of the stirrer, so it's harder to lose. I think that these are great because you can take them with you without wasting money on drinks. I've used them for water and tea so far. It also saves on plastic bottles and cans. They are reasonably priced and it seems like they will hold up pretty well over time. The colors are really nice and the cups are a good size (24 oz)  I give these a 10/10 and would recommend them to anyone looking for a money saving/eco-friendly drink solution.


**Note: I bought these Tumblers with my own money and was not compensated in any way for my review.**

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My experience with making laundry soap

Since Meagan posted about making laundry soap I had been wanting to try it. I was just waiting to run out of my regular laundry detergent (All Free&Clear) so that I could use the container for storing my homemade soap. Although the original "recipe" calls for using Fels-Naptha soap I heard that it can be harsh on babies skin. My babies do have sensitive skin so I wanted to be careful. I read that a lot of people use a bar of Dr. Bronners soap so I decided to try that. I used a $5 gift card purchased with Swagbucks and bought the bar of soap (it was about $4.) The washing soda and borax were things that I already had, I bought them at a local grocery store. I had also previously bought some bars of Fels-Naptha. I did use some of the bar of Fels-Naptha (just a little) and the entire bar of Dr. Bronners. I followed the directions exactly and everything seemed fine. I decided to try to liquid version (Meagan uses the powder) because it lasts longer. Everything went fine making the soap until the end. You are supposed to put it in a 5 gallon bucket to "thicken" overnight. Well, it didn't thicken. It also didn't "gel" when I put it in the old  detergent container. I'm not sure why, because I followed the "recipe" exactly. I know others who have used Dr. Bronners without having this problem, so I don't think it's the soap. I used it today to wash a load on laundry and they are clean, so I guess that's what matters! I recommend that anyone tries this, whether you use the liquid or powder recipe it will save a lot of money on laundry detergent.

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