Back to School Shopping Time

I love this time of year. I feel like the start of the new school year is like a chance to reset, almost better then New Year's. Maybe I am just in the mood to reset since we have accomplished all our DIY goals for the year! (More on that another day).

Back to school shopping has always been fun, but before my daughter was in Elementary School it was just not the same. I love looking for kids fashion clothes . My daughter is all about her "style" lately so we can't just go with what you find in the stores. But seriously how cute are these clothes from Popreal?

Also don't forget to pick up toddler girl jackets when you are on the Popreal site, I ALWAYS forget coats for my kids! We might try these this year....

Let me know what you pick up for your little ones!

Hello, Hello Fresh

I was sent a coupon code from a friend to try Hello Fresh (PS this link has a discount code too!) and I figured why not. We had been in a little bit of a food rut so why not. I went with the Classic Plan for Two because the meals looked better to us anyway and was excited to pick our first meals.

Veggie Loaded Orzo with Sausage was up first, ingredients laid out

First of all, I love that is comes all in a bag together so you just grab it and go. The meals are shown in about 6 steps so they move pretty fast and you are ready to eat in no time.

Plated and ready to eat (this meal feed Hubby and I dinner and me for lunch the next day)

Next up was Orange and Cashew Chicken Stir Fry, I got my little helper involved in cooking this one.

She loved being able to help me make dinner and even ate this one as well

This was my favorite meal the flavors were on point and so fun.

Finally we had Steak Tagliata, my helper again

The kids ate the arugula salad and sweet potatoes with this one (they are not steak fans...yet....)

Hubby loved the sweet potatoes from this recipe, so easy to do, and it was a nice change of pace for us and the kids.

We have decided to try another week of Hello Fresh because it gave us some fun ideas and was a great experience for the whole family. Any meal suggestions we should try?

Family Command Center

So if you are like me, and a little Pinterest addicted, I am sure you have seen the many options for "Family Command Centers." When we moved into our house last year, I bought this from Ikea to hang by the door we come in the house all the time. It worked well at first, then became cluttered looking, although it was still good for calendars and notes and such.

After seeing all the "Family Command Centers" and making my chore charts for the girls, I knew we needed to do something a little more. So I mapped out my space with painters tape and got to work!

I knew I wanted to hang the chore charts above a hook for each of the girls to put their bookbags. (Putting them on the bar stools in the kitchen was driving me nuts) So I had Hubby pick up these at Lowe's and I got plan document frames for the chore charts.

I also knew that I wanted to have a "cubby" for each family member to store papers and such to keep them off the counter. Again the paper on the counter = driving me nuts. After TONS of looking, I found this on Amazon:

I loved the shelf at the bottom for the dry erase markers for the chore charts and there was room for us each to have a folder. Arriving in 2 days (thank you Prime!) and I was all set to go.

So here is our final product and I am in LOVE! My counters and stools are clear and EVERYONE is using the system (fingers crossed it keeps up!)

Holiday Cards

It's that time of year again! I personally love a good holiday card, and love sending them out. We have a list that just keeps growing over the years and I am sure to update it with new addresses each Fall (Thank you Google Drive for keeping it safe!).

I think designing Holiday cards is always fun and challenging at the same time. The nice folks at Minted.com shared with me this great article on planning your Christmas card outfits.

Also they shared these fun infographics about how cards differ across the country.

I don't think I have every done a kids only card...

I do think its funny when we get photo cards and the people do not have kids (#momlife)

Well that is not surprising to me!

Thanks to Minted.com for the fun infographics and be sure to check them out and use Promo Code "SNOW" this weekend to Save 15% off all your Holiday Cards!

Improved Seventh Generation Free and Clear Wipes

 I love Seventh Generation Free and Clear Wipes and was very happy to try the new and improved version from Generation Good. 

I love how thick they are and that it takes very few wipes to get most jobs done. I think that makes them a cost saving wipe as well as knowing how safe they are on my little ones sensitive skin. These wipes are by far the best that I have tried with my two little ones, and we have tried a bunch!

We love keeping these with us for on the go trips!

**No compensation was received for this post, I was sent free sample wipes to try even though we already use them!

Target Coupon Hacks

So I have not done one of these posts in awhile, but this one deserves to be featured. This was my Target Haul for a net cost of $7!

So this is how it went down, I had coupons from Coupons.com for the Sally Hansen Nail polishes ($2 off each) and a Cartwheel for the Gel polish for 15% off. Then I had a coupon for the Clean and Clean for $2 off as well. (Have to love Coupons.com) Then 10% off the Softlips on Cartwheel. Add on top of that a coupon for a $5 Gift Card with a $20 Beauty Purchase (also on Cartwheel). For those into math we are down $11 already! Add on the 5% for using my Red Card (because everyone needs it) and the money my mom is giving me for the Softlips (she has been looking for them), that gives me a net cost of about $7! That is what I call a good Target Haul!

Leo Mazzotti Bracelets

First of all I think that Instagram is a great way to learn about new companies and products and find some really fun stuff. That leads me to this post, I was contacted by Leo Mazzotti, an Italian jewelry company, to try some of their products. They have three collections of different themed bracelets and I am in love with the Italian Dolce Vita collection. I actually ordered two bracelets because I could not decide on one!

They make all the bracelets to order so do not be surprised if it takes a little time to get to you, but when they arrive you will not be disappointed. They arrive in a beautiful box and just look so pretty.

I could not wait to try my new bracelets and they look so great no matter what I am wearing. Here is my favorite the Venezia

I also order the Milano as that is the area in Italy that my family is from

The bracelets are so easy to wear and can go with anything. You can dress then up or down and the price is so affordable. If you want to try a  Leo Mazzotti bracelet, use my code (JacquiR5) to save 10% and let me know what you think. 

**No compensation was received for this post, I was sent 1 bracelet to try and bought another one myself. 

Stitch Fix #4

So I must say I was super excited about this Stitch Fix Box. The stylist nailed my style and the pieces all fix really well, I was just not 100% sold on buying them all this time. (Trying to cut back on my clothes purchases!)

Here are 2 of the pieces I did not keep:

This Faux Wrap dress was super cute and I loved the color, but I was planning on buying a Lilly dress and just did not "need" another dress in my closet.

Then this shirt I went back and forth on but since I was only keeping 2 pieces for sure I sent this back to. The fit just did not do a lot for me.

So what did I keep? These amazing Adorra Skinny Jeans in Black and the Rilo Button-Up Blouse. I love this combo and it is great for the Fall into the winter.

Stitch Fix #3

Here is my most recent fix from Stitch Fix!

First of all I love getting these packages they are so fun. My stylist nailed my style this time, I loved all the pieces, I only kept 2 pieces but that was about fix issues not style so I was super happy after a so-so fix near the holidays. Here are the 2 pieces I kept:

I have been searching for a fun maxi dress and I love the colors on this! This is the Loveappella Carlita Knit Maxi Dress.

Because you can never have enough fun shirts I kept this one too. (Excuse the work pictures!)

I love the colors, how light it is, and the open back on the Loveappella Shelli Split Back Knit Tank. Not my best Stitch Fix box but still some cute pieces!

Old Navy Deals and Steals

In our house we love Old Navy. I mean what is not to love the prices are good, the clothes are nice and the jeans actually fit me (that is a big thing for me). So when my SIL told me about the Old Navy Credit Card that has rewards I knew we had to get one. (I very rarely use any card besides my AmEx for various reason, but these rewards are AWESOME!)

Hubby and I got all this for $20 after Old Navy Super Cash and Old Navy Credit Card rewards.

Three shirts for me, a t-shirt for him...just because and a new pair of blue khaki for Hubby. The pants allow are normally $30! So I thought this was a great deal to share!

What is your favorite credit card to get rewards on?

Label Lessons

I have been very lucky to be part of the Naturally Savvy Blogging Team and I am happy to share with the newest book from the Naturally Savvy Team. Label Lessons: Your Guide to a Healthy Shopping Cart is the team's newest book and a great addition to the first book Unjunk your Junk Food. 

"This amazing reference book is full of ideas to help you eliminate products that contain harmful ingredients and replace them with healthy alternatives."

This nice quick ready helps show you the things you want to avoid at the grocery and healthy and beauty store. It is a nice quick read with some great tips. I recommend both  Label Lessons: Your Guide to a Healthy Shopping Cart and  Unjunk your Junk Food for anyone that is trying to "green up and clean up" your  diet and your home. 

Note: Naturally Savvy will donate $1.00 for every share of the e-book via the link above to the Holistic Moms Network. The e-book also provides downloadable coupons for all the healthy products featured, and you will have the chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree at the natural products store of your choice. Both the coupons and the donation close on June 22, 2013.

Old Navy Style Council

The wonderful people at Crowdtap and Old Navy  recently sent me coupons to try out the new Old Navy white jeans! I was super excited to plan a trip with one of my friends to go try them out. So we  planned to take off work at little early one day and hit the mall!

We both decided to try on a few pair of jeans from the different Old Navy fits. I tried my favorite first, the Flirt

I love the way this cut fits with no gaping anywhere on me!

Next I tried on the Sweetheart just to see the difference.

You can't see much difference in the picture but these had a lot of extra room in the back, something that I hate in my jeans. So back to  the Flirt and to the cashier I went. My friend about I both left with our pair of jeans and big smiles. Thanks to Crowdtap and Old Navy  for a great afternoon.

** No compensation was received for this post, only the coupons for free jeans. All thoughts are my own.

Save more money!

And really don't we all want to save more money? You have to try the Ibotta app for your Android or Apple phone.

I got this app about 2 weeks ago and planned to use it at Target, because Wegmans was not on the list yet. Well within a week they added Wegmans! This girl was so happy, since Wegmans  doubles coupons now (yes I was very excited about that too) this is a great deal. For example, last night we needed butter, so I check the  Ibotta app to see that I could save $0.50 on Smart Balance.

Here is the fun part, so Smart Balance was on sale for $2.99 and I had a $0.75 coupon for it, so that means I paid $1.49 for the Smart Balance and with the Ibotta app I save another $0.50, making my butter only $0.99!

My favorite kind of shopping. So check out the Ibotta app and let me know what you think!

Happy New Year.... start with a deal!

Happy New Year everyone. I hope that 2013 is off to a great start for you all. Although 2012 had its highs and its lows over all I think it was a good year in our house. That said I am so excited to see what 2013 has to offer. We started it off great spending some time with new friends in our neighborhood and are continuing with a party this weekend to celebrate Hubby living in the US for 20 years!

Ok on to my other favorite thing about the New Year.....Christmas deals! I ran to the Wegmans the other morning before work to grab a few things for the party this weekend, when I saw wrapping paper on CLEARANCE!

200 square feet of Christmas paper for $2, I could not leave without it!

What is your favorite thing to buy after Christmas for the next year?

Baby Couponing

Although I am not normally a ShopRite shopper, I had coupons for a few things that are not at my local grocery store, so I went all the way (ok maybe 3 minutes) to the other side of town and picked up my items.

I had a coupon and a rebate check for Enfagrow (I like to keep this in the diaper bag for emergencies) as well as some Beech Nut pouches which I had coupons for. With another coupon on the Enfagrow package I got all this for $3.60!

I love combining coupons! What are your favorite coupons?

Oh my Socks!

Has anyone else noticed that the price of socks is a little out of hand lately? For a while I thought it was just baby socks, which I could kind of understand (FYI - Old Navy has the best price I have found). I went to Target to get myself some socks and was shocked by the price. Then hubby saw a rack with clearance socks. SCORE! I was ready to buy, then we notice that the socks where all mismatched singles.......

Lucky for me the hubby is smart and said just buy 2 packs of the same mismatched socks and you will have pairs ( I am weird I NEED the pairs, type A personality and all)

So here you go my 6 "pairs" of socks for $7

I love the fun colors, thank you Target!

Small Business Saturday

I am a huge fan of my American Express card, because we get great deals and some amazing cash back. I know that some places do not accept AmEx and that apparently they charge a huge fee to small businesses, but they are one of the sponsors of Small Business Saturday each year. Small Business Saturday is a favorite event in our house. I first learned about it 3 years ago when a small business near us ran a special if you used your AmEx that day. Also if you register your AmEx at the Small Business Saturday webpage you get a $25 credit if you spend $25 at one location!

Of course you know that I would be all over that! Since Hubby and I each have an AmEx we where able to sign up for 2 of the $25 credits. After much debate (and a crazy day on the Saturday after Thanksgiving) we decide to order food from 2 local places for dinner and to have on Sunday to eat (and as it worked out the rest of the week too!) Here is the haul, and with our credits this was all less then $5!

We had a ton of food, not all healthy, but this was about 5 meals for us! And we realized the pizza place near us does a pasta dinner with soup, salad and bread for about $13 (which is more then enough to feed us all - seriously it was over a pound of pasta, yes we did weigh it.)

Thank you Small Business Saturday  can't wait to see you next year!

Recycle your Christmas Lights and Save

I am not sure how many people know this (I have missed it the last 2 years!), but for the beginning of November Home Depot offers coupons if you bring in used or broken Christmas lights to replace them with LED's! This year I was prepared and had the date on my calendar, so 2 weekends ago Hubby and I checked the lights (they all worked :( ) and decided which ones we wanted to switch to LED. We knew the icicle lights on the front of the house need to be replaced, because 1 strand was already an LED (the old strand burned out last year and I had to get new ones, the day we put the lights up). So we measured the length and went to the store with our old lights in hand (plus an extra set just in case!).

See the deal that they offer is 1 coupon per set you recycle up to 5 on one receipt. The coupon this year was $5, $4, or $3 off depending on which lights you bought. We were able to get the following for under $25!

There are 3 boxes of the icicle lights that were $3 off and 1 box of the Martha Stewart lights that were $4 off! The icicles are that cool white or "blue" light that I needed to match the ones we have. The Martha lights do not even look like LED's but are red and white something that Hubby and I have always wanted to be able to decorate our pole out front like a candy cane!

This was a great buy for the lights and I highly recommend checking Home Depot next November to save on your lights too! (You can also check after the holidays too, but they never have the ones I want on sale!).

Honest Diapers and Products

To continue with my natural product kick, I found the Honest Company online. This is a company that provides diapers, wipes, cleaning, and baby products that are all natural and fun! I love that the diapers are cute and not just plain white/off white. The best part, they will send you a sample pack for just the cost of shipping!

So here is our sample pack with 7 diapers, 10 wipes, hand soap, laundry detergent, healing balm, lotion, and shampoo/body wash.

I will let you know what we think of the products as we try them, but for now they are a great size for travel/the diaper bag.

Has anyone signed up for the monthly delivers from  Honest Company? I would love to know what you think....

Review - Dishwasher tablets

I have been on this kick lately to make my cleaning more natural and organic. I even bought some microfiber towels to clean with. So when Naturally Savvy wanted to send me some cleaning products to try I jumped at the chance.

We have been using this tablets for a few weeks now and I have to say, the dishes are just as clean as with the chemical filled ones! I have not noticed any difference in the cleanness at all and love that ALL parts of the packaging can be recycled. Even the plastic wrapper on the tablets.

I was actually excited to find that these tablets are even available at my local grocery store. Not only do they work well they are not something I will have to go out of my way to get!

What are your tips for natural cleaning?