Why I've Been MIA...

Life.

It's that plain and simple. Sometimes, life takes over and blogging becomes no longer a priority.

In addition, my focus is shifting. Where I  couponed for lots of things, I no longer do. I no longer buy processed foods and a lot of the stuff I was couponing for. I hope to perhaps shift this blog for great deals on healthy, natural foods, etc.. But we shall see.

Don't get me wrong, I have not become one of those folks who balk when someone buys Hamburger Helper and goes off on a rant about how unhealthy it is...though, that is no longer a choice I'll be making for me.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with a new and improved blog, new content for healthier choices.

Mabel's Labels Back-to-School Early Bird Pricing

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Now that school is out and kids are off to camp, are you looking around your house and wondering where all of the water bottles, hooded jackets and that extra pair of sneakers disappeared to? Get a jump on the back and forth of belongings before school starts up again, and take advantage of Mabel's Labels Back-to-School early bird pricing. Whether you select the bestselling Mabel's Labels Ultimate Back-to-School Combo or the new Mabel's Labels Stylish Scholars Combo , you'll receive 108 tags that are UV resistant, waterproof, dishwasher and microwave safe—perfect to track everything from tablets to bento boxes. And, if you purchase in July, you spend only $39 per combo pack (regularly $42). Take advantage of Mabel's Labels Back-to-School early bird pricing and secure yourself some peace of mind before the school year begins. 

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Join Stella and Dot and Work Fun and Fab!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. 



Why can't work be fun and fabulous? Well it can! You can get free accessories, trips to amazing destinations and join a warm community of inspiring women, all when you become a Stella & Dot Stylist. They have fabulous accessories for you to share by having trunk shows – online or in-home! You have the potential of earning extra spending money or a six figure income, it’s up to you! And to make this deal even better, now through the end of June, when you sign up to be a Stella & Dot Stylist, you will get an additional $100 ($450 total) in free accessories! All you have to do is sell, they take care of everything else. For additional details and to sign up, visit: www.stelladot.com/stylist.

Impressions of Keyhani

Impressions of Keyhani 
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Mostafa Keyhani is an extraordinary painter. Drawing from the Impressionist tradition, his work is alive with color and texture as he uses thin washes, areas of bare canvas, and thick impasto to impart an expression of organic life. While his paintings fetch high prices in galleries across the United States and Canada, his self-published books give each of his fans a chance to own his art. Keyhani is a Canadian resident born in Iran, and has had a journey as fantastic as his art. In this video, Blurb captures a glimpse at Keyhani's remarkable creative process. Perhaps it will inspire you to make your own book with Blurb. 

This is a sponsored post by Blurb.com. I was compensated for this post, opinions are my own.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Zulily's #MyMomIs Celebration

Celebrate Your Mom with zulily

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

 Is your mom a hero, a great cook, an inspiration, your best friend... or something else equally as special? Every mom is one of a kind. zulily wants to hear about yours. This Mother's Day, zulily is celebrating moms by asking kids (big and small) to share photos answering the prompt “My Mom Is _____.” The photos will be displayed in a gallery for the world to view athttp://www.zulily.com/mymomis. Watch the video for inspiration and to join the celebration:

 

To participate, visit the zulily #MyMomIs webpage, download zulily’s sign or create your own, snap a picture with the sign and share the photo via social media by tagging #MyMomIs or uploading the photo directly to the gallery. 

And to learn more about zulily and shop for the hottest trends for moms of all ages and their kids go to http://www.zulily.com. 

Blurb My Favorite Person Contest

Make a Book About Your Favorite Person and You Could Win $2,500 from Blurb


Did you know that Blurb might give you $2,500 to read about your favorite person? All you have to do is make a book about a loved one filled with all sorts of kind words, creativity and insight, and if selected, you could win the grand prize! For every book you make (there are seven different categories, so seven different chances to win) you will receive a 30% discount on the printed product. Go to Blurb to check out the details of the contest to see what the categories are and when the entries are due. The 30% discount on My Favorite books will be applied at checkout when you use the promo code: MYFAVORITE. (And, even if you don't enter, you can still get 30% off on all My Favorite books or save 15% on all printed orders through April 30th!)

Not sure what to write about? Take a look at what some of the people at Blurb say about their favorite people. 
 



Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Make a Fashion Book With Blurb

Blurb is a cool company that lets you make books about anything that interests you. And if you’re interested in fashion and style—and love to show it off—making a book of your personal fashion is a fantastic way to capture your sartorial genius for all time. Whether you want it just for yourself, so you can look through your greatest hits, or you’re a bit of an Internet fashionista who wants to make a book to sell, you’ll find these tips pretty helpful:

1. It’s all about lighting. To make your fashion really pop, choose natural light or studio light with a soft box (you can even make one from a lamp and last season’s white t-shirt). If you’re using a flash, you’ll probably want to bounce it or stick a diffusion filter on it.


2. Make a shot list. This is a critical step, and even more important if you are photographing models. Even if your model is just your best friend who owes you a favor, they’ll appreciate it if you know exactly what you want to shoot. Think about the poses you want to capture, the outfits you want them to wear, and the details that you want to highlight in every shot. 

3. White balance (WB). Accurate color and skin tones come from making sure the WB function on your camera is set to your lighting situation. 


4. Choose the right lens/zoom setting. If you’re using a wide angle, you’re going to lose your beautiful lines (and your model may never forgive you). If you have a camera with different zoom levels, zoom out to minimize lens barrel distortion. 

5. Keep it stylish. It’s a fashion shoot, after all. Play music, keep things moving, try new angles. Attitude, attitude, attitude.


6. Dress it up. Make your book as fashionable as the clothing featured in it. Choose a simple design that doesn’t upstage the clothing, but still looks chic. Pick a size and paper type that showcases the work brilliantly.

If you’ve ever paid attention to what’s on the catwalk, you know that fashion means different things to different people. Follow your own fashion obsessions and document them in a fashionable book. If you look good today in person, imagine looking great forever on the printed page with Blurb! Start your Blurb book now and Save 25% on print book orders of $75+ at Blurb.

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FTC Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Juice Cleanse: Day 26

Well, I'm officially in the final stretch. I've completed 26 days of my 30 day juice cleanse My focus has been on de-cluttering my space and getting back into the swing of going to the gym to workout cardio and weights for my 100 day workout challenge (which started yesterday, btw!).

I feel great. I think I'm still detoxing as well but mainly I feel a shift in my mental and spiritual awareness. Hard to explain, but its happening. I look at my chart I made to tick off each day of the cleanse so I would have a visible reminder of my progress and am still in awe of how far I've come. I remember on Day 9 I was having a hard time visualizing the end. Such a big change, not chewing, not eating just drinking. No pasta, no breads, no candies, no fast food, none of the stuff I've come to love and get addicted to over the years. The next 30 days may actually be the most challenging as that is when the raw transition begins to ease my system back into eating with overloading my body. I actually think I'll do raw for 2 weeks and also incorporate cooked veggies for the next 2 weeks. I am definitely looking forward to some cabbage and collard greens!

The previous 2 days I really didn't have much of an appetite...but today that's all changed! Probably just a phase or something. It did make me a little worried.  To be honest, I have probably reach my limit drinking juices, just tired of it. I started drinking Bolthouse Farms smoothies for a little variety. God Bless the people who juice for 40, 60 days and longer, I tip my hat to them!

4 more days! Excited!

Juice Cleanse: Day 20

I made it to the home stretch, the final 10 days of my 30 day juice cleanse!

First and foremost, I am so proud of myself! This is honestly the first time in a long time that I made a goal that wasn't a professional goal and stuck with it. I started this to cleanse my skin from the inside out to get rid of acne, but I am ending this with a whole new meaning of wellness and outlook on life. Crazy things not chewing can do for you! It's been liberating, really liberating.

I feel free.

I know that sounds super corny, but its the truth. Processed foods, fast foods, junk foods are addictive. Not only are we addicted to the substances in the food but also vulnerable to the commercials that tell us to eat, eat and some more...large portions of foods that are nutritionally dense. It's a cycle. I feel like I've been lied to about a lot of the things that have shaped my eating habits.  I've been spending hours researching and learning more about food, which foods have benefits for the body, what they do, etc... It's been eye opening. Damn near revolutionary.  I've discovered so many fruits and vegetables that I would have never even tried, not to mention eating more of the ones I had ate in the past.  I swear I've drank more fruit and veggies in the past 20 days than I ate the majority of last year. That's the sad truth of the matter. I'm not happy to admit that, but I am happy to say that fruits and especially vegetables will be taking a much larger role in my life going forward. I have this juice cleanse to thank for that.

I realize I was eating unconsciously and just because. I was eating when I wasn't hungry and was eating foods that nutritionally did nothing for me.  I realize that my acne is just a symptom of what's going on internally and the body's way of getting rid of stuff that it doesn't want. Now, I wish the body did that in a way that was less visible, but I guess the visible symptoms are the only way to get our attention.

The Hair!
In other news my hair is FABULOUS!  It's shiny, luscious, appears thicker. I could go on. I'll probably post more about my hair on my other blog Everyday Fabulous.

Acne Update
Skin looks remarkably better. Yes, there are still breakouts that still haven't gone away. So I am hoping over the next 5 days they will eventually realize they are not welcome and dry up and die! LOL. Cleansing out the colon I have realized is helpful with the breakouts. I am ordering a complete colon cleanse kit off amazon so I can start the process of cleansing the colon/liver/kidneys. But I have to start with the colon cleanse first.

I know this may sound strange, but I appreciate my acne now. Now, I don't want it! But I appreciate what it did to signal me to do something to change how I was eating and swap unhealthy habits for healthy ones.

Weight Loss
While I didn't do this cleanse for weight loss, I most certainly will take it! I plan to weigh in later today when I go to the gym. And I didn't weigh in at the start of this since I wasn't doing this for weight loss but only on Day 4 when I went to the gym. So if I dropped some weight from Day 1-Day 3, I don't know. But the last time I weighed in on Day 16. I dropped 21 pounds. Again, not sure what my total is since I didn't weigh in the beginning. That is 21 pounds is weight I never want to find again! It would be safe to say I dropped maybe another 3llbs or so since my last weigh in. I think, from what I've been reading the weight loss slows down in the later part of the fast.

Sauna
My new friend! I used to do the sauna thing often several years ago and I am just starting to get back into it. My gym has a sauna, and I used it for the first time a few days ago.  I plan to go about 2x a week. The sauna helps the detox process and helps release toxins and such through the skin, which is great for my acne.

Health and Wellness
I have a new lease on life it feels like. I am building a health and wellness plan for myself and my family. Lots of things we used to purchase (peanut butter, pasta sauce) I will be making. That's not to say I won't ever purchase peanut butter and pasta sauce again, but those times will be the exception, not the rule.

5k
Once I complete this cleanse, my gift to myself will be to register for a 5k. I am excited about doing something I never did before, so let the training begin! I hope to will complete 3 5K events this year.

Clarity
Everything I've read so far talks about having clarity and soundness of mind in the later days of a cleanse. I really thought that was hogwash because heck, if you're not eating regular foods...what else is there to do other than think? So I thought. This clarity business is real. I welcome it. I feel so ready for what's next and so enthusiastic about designing my life. Designing my life. I like how that sounds.

Soapbox
If you've been thinking about doing a juice cleanse or just eating cleaner, do it. I am by no means the expert and I am sure I didn't do my cleanse "by the book" but its been so worth it. Yes, there were days where I wasn't sure I was going to make it. Now as I have a clear line of sight to day 30 here on day 20 I am so glad I stayed the course.  You can do it, yes you can!

With 10 days to go, I just feel extremely grateful to the events that led me to do this. And to the resolve I had to start and stick with it, especially the first 10 days. I don't even know how to best explain this euphoria. It's so wonderful and I wouldn't have believed anyone if they told me about this unless I experienced it for myself. I am so ready to take on the world and design my life anew.

Wellness and Coupons

My juice cleanse has opened up my eyes to a lot of things. A LOT! Making changes to how I view the overall well being of my family.  I realize now how much crap (processed foods) my family has been eating. Things like Hamburger Helper is devoid of any nutritional value. It's better just to make your own from home. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to throw anyone under the bus if that's what you eat because Lord knows we used to devour that stuff.  I just realized that it doesn't give you anything the body needs to function, just empty calories and other crap that isn't good for you.  If I want empty calories, I'd much prefer something like a cupcake! LOL.

I know that there are a great deal of coupons for stuff that are really just no good. I'll no longer be needed those. Its just a change that I know I have to make for the health and well being of my family. I'm not swearing off any kind of food. I'm not saying I'll never make it again. But it won't be once a week, or once a month. It's becoming about getting more of the "good stuff" in and making healthier choices that are still yummy.

Juice Cleanse: Day 14

I am almost halfway through the juice cleanse. Yes, I'm still going strong!  I had a few days where I was just tired of the taste of juiced veggies, everything just really started to taste like it came directly from the ground (it does) but I knew I have to keep going. I also have asked myself why did I declare 30 day juice cleanse instead of 14 or something else. And the consensus among folks I asked is that it was my intuitive knowing. Simply put, I need 30 days and my body knew it so my mind followed. Whether or not thats true I don't know, but I made a goal and damnit imma stick to it!

Here are a few updates:

Acne - some gross details, you've been warned!
Still here, specifically the left side of my face is broken out pretty bad.  I did (sorry to be gross) take 2 enema's last week which is recommended on a juice fast to cleanse the colon.  I need to do more but due the snow, I'm not going anywhere to get more until the roads are safe.  I have been also taking herbal colon cleanse pills as well.  The idea is that toxins that don't get released from the colon build up and if they aren't released are reabsorbed into the body which can cause breakouts among other things.  My right side of my face cleared up dramatically after the first 2 enema's...which indicates I'm on to something. And since I hadn't been using the bathroom at all since around Day 3, I knew I needed to do something. So I took the first enema at day 9 or 10. So I plan to take them until I think the job is done.  Hopefully this will lead to clear skin along with juicing more berries and green veggies which also help. Which leads me to...

Berries
I started incorporating berries. Since you can't really juice berries, I blend them and strain them and add to whatever I juiced. For lunch today I am doing berries, kale and ginger. I purchased a bag of mixed frozen berries from Target for about $5 (saved a lot with Target Cartwheel, mobile and Target printable coupons, its about $9.99 retail!).  I haven't used a lot of berries, so I am hoping this bag lasts through the end of the week.

Going Organic
I always said the later part of my juice cleanse will feature only organic fruits and vegetables. Which I guess is the "proper" way a juice cleanse should be done. Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure that I would be able to even get this far...no offense to myself! LOL. But I just wanted to start, without all the legalistic stuff. I made an investment in a good, but moderate priced juicer (more on that below) and jumped in.  I am going to use up all the fruits and veggies I have now before I go totally organic. So it may be closer to day 20, rather than day 15 before I start this.

Juicer
There are so many juicers out there. I purchased a Black and Decker juicer for $34.99 and its doing its job just fine. I do have to cut up the fruits and such, it doesn't juice them whole. But for the price its worth it.  I probably will get another juicer that is an upgrade in time.  An awesome thing is that the juicer dropped in price about $5 since I purchased it and Amazon gave me the price difference, no problem, no questions! Gotta love that!

Colon, Liver and Kidney Flush
Over the coming days I will be focused on flushing these organs as much as I can. I want to make sure when I come out of the this cleanse, I am clean! LOL. I am actually excited about the process, it really helps me to learn more about the human body and how it works and how it becomes impaired by the stuff we eat.

I think thats it for now, if it seems like I don't update enough on the progress of the cleanse, check out my other blog Everyday Fabulous. I alternate back and forth with progress reports depending on what I'm sharing.

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Juice Cleanse: Day 7

I've officially completed one week of my juice cleanse.

How do I feel? Actually, just OK. Just OK. There are some great things that have happened, I'll share those below. But I am certainly still in detox mode and have ups and dips which is to be expected. Plus, this week is my week to cook for the family and since I'm the only one juicing...its not super hard but I do look at the food and think how delicious it would be to take a bite. But, not delicious enough to negate all my hard work!  It is easy? No! I mean I think, from what I've read it gets easier. But right now, its not. There are days and moments where I'm on top of the world and then days where I'm just blah. Today is just a blah day, I also notice that I have a down daily between 3-4pm and I normally rest, under covers from 4-5pm daily.

Today is just day 7 for me, but below are all the changes that I've noticed in no particular order.

I must add, earlier I wrote that this is not easy, but I must add it is truly worth it.

Here are the benefits I've reaped thus far:

• Edema is Gone: For some reason and it has been consistent for the past months. My ankles were swollen especially after sitting down for a long period of time. Well, I'm happy to say edema no more! I think the processed foods lead to lots of salt in my system, which is of course, no good. By juicing I eliminated that and had no swelling by day 3, even when i do sit practically all day. Winning!
  
• Healthier Eating for the Family: Since I'm the master chef this week I though its best to begin to make incremental but permanent changes in the way that my family eats. I'm not talking replace all our meat with tofu, I'm talking changes that everyone would enjoy and hardly notice. For example, today I made hamburgers. Normally a hamburger meal would consist of hamburgers and fries. For some reason, that is the American tradition, not sure how we got hooked on that but it needs to stop. Not saying I won't ever make hamburgers and fries again. But it certainly will be homemade baked fries and healthier variation of a burger.  Today, I made cheeseburgers with a side of salad.  I also added some of the romaine lettuce to the burger itself. Everyone had their choice of buttermilk ranch, dressing or sun-dried tomato dressing.  Next time, I'll use a whole wheat burger bun instead of white and also make my own homemade dressing. Small changes, better nutrition.  The juice cleanse made me really look hard at what my family is eating and make changes for the better.
  
• Toxins Leaving the System:  All the research I've done about juice cleansing indicates toxins will leave the body as a part of cleansing process. Boy, were they right! The primary reason I started this cleanse was to get my acne under control.  I am sure that there is something in my diet that is triggering my flare ups. On Day 5 after I brushed my teeth, I also used a tongue scarper like I normally do and lo and behold, what did I taste on my tongue? The taste of antibiotics. Thing is, I have had an antibiotic in a year! What that means is that the antibiotics were still lingering in my system and my body was purging it. How awesome is that?  Also, just yesterday I put my normal face cleanser on and there was a much more intense tingling a slight sizzle! That has never happened before, ever! I use Cetaphil, which isn't natural, but fairly benign. What that tells me is that the toxins were being pushed out of my skin and there was an interaction with my cleanser causing the sizzle and tingling I was feeling. It was odd at first, but it just served to let me know that the cleanse is working.
  
• Improved Joint Movement: My joints feel 10 years younger! I didn't even realize it until I caught myself moving differently.  I have knees that hurt when bending, so I don't bend much but they feel so much better, its amazing.
  
• Increased Water Intake: Its important during this time to drink lots and lots of water. And a great benefit is that I've increased my water intake significantly. 

Here are the not so fun things...

• Withdrawal: The first day and second I went through withdrawal. Not from eating, but from eating sugar and lots of high-calorie carbs.  I craved it like a mad person, it was hard to resist, but I did.
  
• Chilly:  I am cold 90 percent of the time. Also a very common effect of cleansing. I sit with a blanket and try to keep warm.
  
• Missing Food: Yes, I do miss eating all the yummy things I ate before. A LOT! But most of that stuff is no good for me and will probably not regain a constant presence in my diet ever again.
  
• Progress: While its great knowing I completed a week, its not so great knowing I have 22 days to go. I ask why am I torturing myself? And I know its not really torture. I started to get to the root of a problem (my acne) and discovered how much I needed to do this. My body is still repairing, healing and releasing toxins so I know I'm not done, by body isn't.  So if I set out to do just a 7 day fast I would have interrupted the progress. My face still isn't clear and that is the goal.

What I look forward to over the next weeks:

I'm not sure how much stuff in my system is left to purge, but I think by Day 21 I'll have clear skin and I believe by Day 14 it will be much better than it is now.  I look forward to adding berries to my juices, which I'll start on Day 12!

I look forward to having a sense of accomplishment once I complete my 30 days! I created a chart that I can check off each day and to keep motivated.

Here's to one week completed!

The Cost of Cash

In 2013, I took on an experiment of sorts. I wanted to be virtually cash only, meaning shopping with cash, paying bills with cash, etc...  While there were many lessons that I learned the biggest one was exactly how expensive cash is when it comes to paying bills. Allow me to explain...

Unless you take a bill directly to the payment location of the company (which is cumbersome and some places you can't just walk in and pay your bill) you have to either pay by phone, mail, on their website or do a bill pay through your bank.  If using a credit/debit card, paying by phone or on the website usually incurs a fee in addition to the bill itself. The workaround for this is doing a bank draft, which I didn't really want to do. In most cases, if you pay by phone they will charge you as well. If you mail in your payment using a check, there is the cost of a stamp and your time. If you get a money order, there is the cost of the money order and the stamp. If you pay at a payment center, they will charge you a fee on top of your bill amount. While the fees aren't that much, its more than you need to pay and to me an unnecessary expense. Like throwing money away.

A local store offers no fee money orders and I use them if I'm paying a one time bill. I'm fine with the cost of the stamp because I hate having checks just "out there". I like knowing that the money is already gone.  I've left traditional banks for online banking. While it has its challenges, there is no fee! And that is priceless.

As for the rest of my bills, I'm using online bill pay. It's free and fast. I'll estimate I'll save about $75-$125 in unnecessary fees this year.  So going totally cardless was a bust for bill paying purposes. But there are some other good things about it. More posts on my experience to come!

Juice Cleanse: Day 4

Just wanted to share a bit of progress today, 3 things that let me know I am doing well...

1. I was able to navigate the kitchen with a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls and not once give in to tasting or feeling like I was going to do die if I didn't have one! I did look at it like "yumm" but that was about it and the more I looked at it, the less "yum" it looked.

2. I'm headed to the gym for a very light workout. I hope to get back on the wagon going to gym even though I probably won't be able to workout for as long and as hard as I normally do.

3. I am going to pick up pizza for the kids on the way home! I feel great about doing this as I know I won't even be tempted. Even though the pizza will smell good.


3 things that I hope will pass...

1. I go to bed early now, maybe around 9pm. I am usually a night owl

2. I am not good about making my final juice, I usually skip. That's not good so I've already made 2 juices and its just 1:30pm and plan on making another two before the day is up.

3. I still feel a bit light headed, especially later in the day but I'm sure that is due to #2 above.

Tomorrow will make Day #5!

I can soooo do this!!

Acne Update: I Broke Out

Ugh!

Yes, even though things were looking like they were on the up and up with my acne. I had less breakouts and things were looking way better...I broke out AGAIN!

I convinced that sugar and diary are a main trigger of my acne and I had loads of sugar over the past few weeks and I think it finally caught up to me.

So right now, my goal is to reduce the acne inflammation (ginger tea), cut out the culprits (sugar and diary) which is done since I started my juice cleanse and of course eliminate scarring.

On the bright side,  my skin overall is noticeably much brighter. The acne really just seems out of place on my skin. I am proud of my complexion, can't wait to see it without the acne!

Juice Cleanse Day 1

It has begun.

The first day of my 30 day juice cleanse is underway as I drink smoothie numero uno as I type this post.
I was supposed to have started on the 2nd but had a mishap that didn't allow that so instead of rushing I committed to start before the 10th, so here we are Jan 8th, officially Day 1.

I'm "eating" a little late, so even though its noon its officially breakfast. I really don't like to eat until I've had 2 bottles of water and my ginger tea...so since I got a late start on that everything was pushed back. I'll do better tomorrow, promise :-)

In the fridge is a big 'ole carton of spinach and not much else. I have apples, but since I don't have a juicer yet that won't do any good in the blender. I did also find a few blackberries, a kiwi and some banana's which I used to make my smoothie today.  A big improvisation that paid off, because this smoothie is delish!

Kiwi-Banana-Blackberry and Spinanch Smoothie

-Half a banana cut
-1 kiwi
-5-6 bluberries
-2-3 handfuls of spinach
-5 ice cubes

Blend until there are no chucks but just a smoothie puree. The coldness of the ice really adds a nice umpf to it. This made one glass, about 6 oz so if you want more be sure to use more fruit and spinach.

I may just have a straight green smoothie for lunch and I'll head to the store later for more fruit.  I am excited and looking forward to this adventure!

January: Use Those Samples!

What are the most important things that a deal finder, bargain hunter, couponer can do this month?  Clean house! Now is a great time to re-organize and also use up older samples.

Go through your inventory, stockpile, stash or whatever you call it and use samples, trial and travel packs you've accumulated. This month is my month to use all the travel and sample sizes shampoos, conditioners, lotions, ointments, etc... that I have received?

I do this for 2 reasons...

1. While some of the products may not expire per se, they definitely are better by a certain date. So I want to use them while they are at their best because I may really like the product and opt to purchase the full size version.
2. Plenty more samples will come this year. I don't want to hoarde samples for no reason. I love getting samples and I love giving feedback about them and the only way to do this is to actually use them!

I have samples set aside for trips I am planning this month and next, so I won't use up those but save them for my trip so I can travel without the bulk of the bigger sizes.    Priority use is given to samples I received before June 2013.

How do use utilize your samples?

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