A few of my favorite things

Oprah has her favorite things and so in the spirit of that, I thought I would blog about a few of my favorite things. Things that have made my life easier and more manageable as a wife and mother!

1. Aveeno - I love love love Aveeno products including skin and hair! I had coupons for their shampoo this summer and thought I would give it a try and I was very happy with how my hair felt and as a mother I know you can relate to not being able to wash your hair every day and this shampoo/conditioner keeps your hair and scalp clean and not greasy for at least two days. I have used their facial cleanser and lotion for some time and I've always been very happy with how light and fresh they are and how my skin feels afterwards.

I always have Aveeno oatmeal bath on hand because I find that it helps when I have flare ups with my Lupus and develop skin rashes. Plus I have two little boys who are always in something out in the yard.....like Saturday when Logan was playing football and rolling around in the yard and came screaming into the house that his arms itched.

2. Tide Laundry Detergent - I know that I made my own laundry detergent for some time in an effort to save money and I just have to say that I wasn't happy with how it cleaned our clothes. I started back to detergent and immediately went for what was on sale, what I had coupons for, and scoffed at the higher price of Tide. Well, I wasn't happy with the stains that remained on our kids' clothes and one day I convinced myself to try Tide to see if I would be happy with it, even at the higher price. I was sold....the grass stains, the dirt, the random stains that seem to find our boys.....gone! GONE!

I did use the powdered version with a coupon and have been told to try the coldwater kind, which I will do when I run out because I do use warm water which adds to the electricity bill. I justify this because I would like the our clothes to last and if I have to wash clothes multiple times to get one stain out, then I think it all evens out. Plus you can't beat the smell of good laundry detergent!

3. Dryer Max Dryer Balls - I bought these with the recommendation from one of the blogs that I read on how to save money. I believe the blog was about how to save money on fabric softener, but I saw an opportunity to save money on electricity. We have an electric dryer and it just didn't seem to dry our clothes after one time, there were times when we would have to run it two or even three times. So, on a whim I purchased these and I get almost giddy when I open the dryer and find that they have helped the clothes evenly dry after one time.

For around $10.00 these are supposed to last 2 - 5 years and I am just really happy with them because they are going to save money on electricity, the wear and tear of our dryer, and eliminate fabric softeners.

4. All You Magazine - This magazine is awesome for coupons! You can find the magazine on the Wal-Mart shelves or you can visit the website All You for online coupon deals and subscription information. The magazine pays for itself in the amount of coupons you will find. I believe in August it had over $90 worth of coupons in it....plus money saving tips for beauty, home, food, etc. I don't buy magazines because you can find free magazine deals all over the internet, but I do buy this one! I highly recommend it!

5. Rimmel Make-up - I first spotted Rimmel at Wal-Mart awhile ago and I loved the products and the low cost for them. Rimmel is now at other stores along with Walgreens and can be found many times for buy one get one free or buy one get one at 50% off. AND you can find coupons for these products in the Sunday flyer of your local newspaper as well as All You magazine.

6. Tresemme Hair Products - For many years I used high priced salon hair products that I felt that I couldn't live without....until I had children and a budget. I tried a lot of hair products found on Wal-mart shelves that just didn't hold my hairstyle or provide me with the same happiness as the salon products. I felt like the pomades were waxy and heavy on my hair and the hair sprays were scary sticky and the hold was terrible. And then one day I tried Tresemme hair spray and was thrilled with how it held my style and how light it was. And when they came out with a pomade I just knew it would be good and I was right! I also use their mousse and have always been happy with how light it is and how it gives my hair volume.

They are right when they say salon quality.....it really is and it's not hard on your budget.

7. Lia Sophia Jewelry - I am not a terribly girlie girl, but I do love jewelry to accessorize with. I have bought cheap jewelry at the mall, but I wear it once and it tarnishes or breaks and it's frustrating. Well a friend of mine hosted a Lia Sophia party and when I went to it and started trying things on I fell in love! And the prices weren't bad at all, but then they had incentives like buy two get one free and then I read about the hostess incentives and was sold....I wanted this jewelry and I could get it for free!

On top of that, if you save your receipts for the items you order, there is a lifetime guarantee and you can return them for the price of the item and can use that credit for purchasing/replacing your jewelry. Go to their website at www.liasophia.com for a representative near you. **Disclaimer** I don't sell the jewelry - I am just a really big fan!

8. Arnold Bread - Bread in your favorite things? Really? Yes! I love this bread so much that I am giving it a shout out! I am a big fan of feeding my children the best things possible and in a perfect world they would get the correct serving of fruits, vegetables and whole grains....but as we know, our world isn't perfect! Arnold Bread makes a double fiber bread that is great tasting AND my kids will eat it! I get almost giddy knowing that they are eating whole grains AND fiber. I have looked up recipes for good homemade bread, but I don't have a bread making machine and I don't foresee purchasing one in the near future. I can usually find coupons for Arnold bread and I can buy a loaf of the double fiber bread for $1.78 at Wal-Mart when it's not on sale in another store.

9. Free Music and Television websites - I don't have a DVR....I know *gasp* - but I know that I can go to Hulu and catch up on some of the shows that I missed during the week for FREE. I have also found great shows for the kids that I sometimes let them watch as they are eating breakfast because we don't have a television in the kitchen.....I know *another gasp*!

Along those same lines, I love Pandora! You can create your own radio station with your favorite songs and it's FREE! I have discovered new artists and songs by using this website and if you create an account it saves your radio stations and you can just pick out what you're in the mood to listen to that day!

10. Febreze Home Scents - I really love Yankee candles and I will buy them if they are on sale or if I have a coupon. The scents are rich and they make your whole house smell so good. But they are pricey and I usually give them as gifts rather then use them in my own home.

At some point this summer I had a coupon for a Febreze candle and I gave it a shot. Boy was I happy with it! I use Febreze sprays in my home to freshen it up and really like those and I was so pleased with the candle! I then discovered the entire Home Collection products offered by Febreze - home sprays, soy candles, reed diffusers, and flameless candles. This fall when I was getting the itch for pumpkin scented candles I went with all Febreze products and have been really happy with them. I noticed the displays recently of the Christmas scents out and although I'm not ready for those yet (I'm still in love with my Autumn scents), I am looking forward to seeing what they have to offer!

You can find coupons for these products all the time and they priced for those of us that are budgeting and offer high quality similar to Yankee candles.