Preparing to give birth was a fantastic experience for me. I am a regular nerd when it comes to organization and preparation. I read so many blogs and books to help understand what having a baby would entail. I planned as much as I could: financially, physically, emotionally… I knew that I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mommy. That means, less income at our house. Having to solely rely on my husband’s income, I focused on financial preparedness. I shopped around for the best diaper prices and started stocking up ahead of time. I was worried about all the necessary costs of adding a little one to our family.

Getting ready for one child was stress enough and I often thought what if I was carrying multiples? I’d have the weight of buying twice as many diapers-yikes! Parents of multiples must be very stressed! Fortunately, there are programs available to parents of multiples to help out. One in particular is the Multiple Birth Program by Little Me. They understand that having multiples is stressful (especially financially) to new parents.

Little Me knows that, expecting a multiple birth is a wonderful and stressful time in your life. The Little Me Multiple Birth Program is a way they’d like to help you keep your attention on the double (triple, quadruple or more) sweet giggles & coos soon on their way. Little Me is offering you a “Welcome to the World” gift after your children’s births. To receive your free gift, all you have to do is register. They know that you’ve already got enough on your plates so they want you to receive your gift as easily as possible!

Most women apply make-up to their faces every morning in order to get a more mature look that enhances their best features.  Eye shadow makeup, mascara, lipstick, and eyeliner are just a few examples of products that women use to turn their features into eye-catching works of art.  As with many products, it’s typically true with makeup that you get what you pay for.  Cheap drugstore brands can be damaging to your skin and may rub off halfway through the day.  But the higher priced brands can be extremely out of reach for the everyday woman.  With the following four tips, you can look great with high quality cosmetic products that increase your confidence and protect your skin.

Wait For A Bonus Gift
Many higher end cosmetic companies will offer a bonus gift throughout the year when you purchase a certain amount of their products.  If possible, wait to buy your necessities when these gifts are being given.  Gifts typically come with a small sample of lipstick, lotion, eye shadow, and several other products that the maker is hoping to promote.  When you purchase your cosmetics during gift time, you get the product you needed plus a whole new supply of several new kinds of makeup that you haven’t even tried.  You may quickly discover a love for a new product, and be able to purchase a full size bottle in order to get your next free gift.

Reuse Your Empty Packaging
Other higher end cosmetic companies will take back your empty containers and give you a product for free.  For example, if you save seven empty containers of products from one major retailer, you are then given a free lipstick.  This is a great way to get free products and reuse the materials that were used to make your original product.

Sign Up For Promotional Codes
Almost every major company offers email updates and coupon codes if you sign up to receive their emails.  For the cosmetic companies that you use the most, sign up to receive emails and make sure to save the coupon codes.  If you notice a special for something that you use, purchase it while it is on sale rather than waiting until you absolutely must have it.  If you pay close attention to what is on promotion, you can stock up on your supplies before they get low and always have a backup plan.  This also allows you to buy your products when you have the money, and not when you run out.

Collect Samples
Everywhere you turn someone is trying to give you a sample of something, and makeup is no different.  Every magazine offers several samples of perfume, and many cosmetic companies will also offer samples of their products in magazines or in the mail.  Sign up to receive these promotional pieces, and hold onto any samples you come across.  Even if you don’t like the product right now, you may find that you are willing to try it in the future.  Create a backup stash that can sustain you when you run out of products.

Going without makeup products simply isn’t an option for most women.  The finished look and confidence that cosmetics can bring you shouldn’t be sacrificed because you are running low on cash.  With these tips, you can use high quality makeup brands and not break the bank at the same time.

I recently had a dear friend move from around the corner all the way back to her home state of North Carolina. I was so sad to see her go but she tried to help me feel better about it by telling me  that I always had a vacation spot with free lodging (FREE? I like FREE!). I always thought that the only reason I would want to go to NC would be for just a visit to see my friend but the last 11 months of Facebook posts and pictures have definitely changed how I see this state.

Until she moved, I did not know about all the Golf Clubs in North Carolina. She is surrounded by them! Now my husband and I are not big golfers but these clubs offer amenities that we are into like swimming, shopping, dining and just plain beauty! Since my boys are getting bigger they want to play outside more and it would be pretty nice to actually be outside for more than a few minutes in the wintertime. My friend might be on to something!

I hope to get out to my friend this summer and see what this state is all about. Maybe she can turn this NY girl into an NC girl…ya’ll!

Hi my name is Francine and I have a slight addiction to tote bags. There, I said it! That felt good but it still doesn’t change the fact that I must have at least a hundred tote bags stored in my home, my car and my husband’s car and office.

I guess it doesn’t help that my husband sells promo items as part of his business. Every day he comes home with a new catalog full of cool trinkets and everyday items that I must have now! He also likes to send me links to items I might like. Yesterday he saw a tote bag on the Leeds Promotional Items website thinking I would like it and he was right!

I am not sure what it is about the tote bags that I like. We have tons of pens and printed sticky notes (another obsession of mine) along with promo flashlights and USB flash drives (I love these too…I really have a problem!) but my husband seems to bring home at least ten tote bags a week for me to look at and use.

The great thing about having so many different kinds of tote bags is how I use them. My favorite is bringing them to the grocery store and BJs. We never seemed to have enough in the past and now we practically have a tote bag dispenser in my trunk! I also like to pack emergency bags to store in my trunk packed with extra baby wipes, clothing etc.

During the summer I pack all the sand toys and towels in these bags and just toss the washable ones (Not all of them are washable so make sure you read the label. Don’t find out they aren’t the hard way like I did!) in the laundry. I also like to pack the clothing my children have outgrown in these bags and just drop them off at the thrift store without worrying about getting the bag back (and not having to waste a plastic garbage bag…bonus!)

Right now we are working on putting together a tote bag with Have Kids Will Coupon’s logo on it but I just cannot decide what kind of bag I want. So many choices. I am not so good with choices. Maybe I need a few more tote bags to make my final decision…

This is a sponsored post however, all the points and views are 100% my own.

Ever since I had my first child, I have been detoxifying my home. I learned rather quickly how important it was to remove toxic chemicals from my home as soon as my first born became mobile.

Babies and toddlers touch everything, put everything in their mouths and  if that weren’t reason enough, they tend to have sensitive skin. Both of my children happen to have eczema which made it even harder to find a detergent that did not irritate their poor skin.

One of the problems with finding commercially made products that are organic and green is the price. As you know I am a frugal deal seeker so even if I absolutely love a product, I need to love the price just as much. During my search for the perfect combination of “green” while saving me “green” I came across a product called Eco Nuts®  These soap nuts are berries that grow in the Himalayas. They naturally produce a soap that is gentle on both clothes and skin. This makes them ideal for those with sensitive skin, eczema, allergies and psoriasis and are mild enough for baby clothes and cloth diapers.

Eco Nuts are not only great for baby (and you!) they are environmentally friendly. Eco Nuts are gathered from wild trees and are grown without any kind of chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. Since insects are not fond of their taste, pesticides are not needed, and the trees thrive in poor uncultivated soil. They are certified USDA Organic by Oregon Tilth and are septic and grey water systems friendly.

Another great aspect of this product is that Eco Nuts can used to wash more than just your laundry. The website has instructions on how to create a liquid detergent from the soap nuts and once you do so you can make several NEW non-toxic, eco friendly products like:

Dish soap
Glass, Tile, and Countertop Cleaner
Dog Shampoo
Jewelry Cleaner
Plant Pest Repellant

How great is that? Has parenthood sparked the “non-toxic gene” in you? I would love to hear about it!

This is a sponsored post however, all the points and views are 100% my own.