Meat Thermometer

Sorry, it has taken me so long to get around to updating this post. This is an amazing meat thermometer that I received to review. I am so excited to share their information with you. I have several thermometers, because I go through them like others go through socks. Lol. This one in particular I am keeping out in my outdoor grill kitchenette. It is perfect, because I can store it without danger of getting stabbed. This means I can carry it around in my apron pocket while I am grilling. 

While being safe is always a great reason to have any item, this made me fall in love with it for its accuracy. It reads all temperatures super quick and I never have to second guess whether it's correct. It has proved itself several times now. Let's put it this way, I trusted it to get me through smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving. I only use the best equipment for that. I am including a link to the item under the picture. If you're interested, check out the reviews from other consumers.

Click Here to Check Out What Others are Saying

Tens Uses for Nail Files

I managed to snag 50 nail files from Amazon for 10 bucks. After receiving them, I realized just how useful they are to have around the house. So I thought I would show you 10 useful ways to use nail files. That's one useful way for every dollar I spent.



1. Free with Purchase

I am an AVON representative. To keep my customers happy and coming back for more, I like doing gift bags giveaways and free gift with purchase items. I cannot spend tons of money so these came in super handy. A couple of these dropped in my gift bags or added as a free gift with a purchase of a nail polish.

Here is a Shameless Plug for My AVON also. Order Here. Lol

2. Suede Touch-Ups

Use a nail file to remove mud and other various dirt and grime from suede. It's a great way to save your suede shoes.

Picture from thefashionfoot.com

3. Sanding Small Areas

These are perfect for when you are working with items where your large sander cannot get. Great for drawer corners and between the bars of a chair.

4. Emergency Box

Add these little, handy helpers to an emergency box with other hygiene essentials. They can be given as teacher gifts, to a bridesmaid that is running around helping with a wedding, or given out to the homeless for a more heartwarming feeling.

Find on Pinterest Too

5. Use in Your Crocheting

Use a nail file to create the proper spacing in your broomstick lacing.

Broomstick Lacing

6. Use it to Distress a Frame

Make a super chic frame from an old junky frame using a nail file and some paint.

Check Out How This Frugal Find Works

7. Stocking Stuffer

Turn these inexpensive items into a great little stocking stuffer for all the girls and women in your life.

Inexpensive Can Be Super Cool Too

8. Bookmarks

Nail files are great as bookmarks. They can also be turned into super fancy bookmarks too. 

One Creative Woman Has Even Turned it Into a Business

9. Christmas Ornament

Okay, so this one is stretching it a bit. But I thought this was super cute. I really like the idea of making these and adding them to the Christmas cards I send out. They are flat so that won't add extra mailing costs and you can send something your loved ones can keep or use. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/232920611951787615/

10. Business Cards

This is an awesome idea. This is perfect for every AVON rep I know. The ones in the pic are created by a company, but these can be done at home for those that love to craft. Simply peel the sanding portion off one side then simply print out or information on card stock and trim to the size of the file. Adhere with a simple glue stick. Business on one side, party on the other.

Check Out the Pre-Made Ones Here

Buy Them Here

Candles for Every Occasion

I found the best soy candles ever and they come from a quaint company that is super sweet. I am actually wanting to have some more occasions around here. They have a large selection of candles for every occasion. I purchased their HAPPY BIRTHDAY candle. It smells so clean and fresh and I am just thrilled with using soy in the house. For those of you that follow me or know me personally, know that I have weird allergies to scents. I cannot burn most candles because of the smoke they leave in the air. I have zero problems with these candles. The fact that they burn for a long time because they come in a gorgeous jar is just an added bonus. 

I gave the HAPPY BIRTHDAY candle to my mother, but honestly I was really tempted to keep it for myself. She loved the candle and she has mentioned it to me a couple times now. For those of you that know mom, she LOVES candles. Funny enough though she is irritated with how long it burns. She has burnt it every night for about two hours for the last ten days. The reason she wants it to burn away quicker is because she totally wants to re-use the jar. Lol. With all the birthdays coming up in November I am definitely going to be buying one of the HAPPY BIRTHDAY candles in the cinnamon scent. I am giving this candle 5 stars. 

Purchase on Amazon HERE

An Unusual Tool in My Weight-Loss Journey

     As many of you know, I am on a weight loss journey I have tagged #ObeseNoMore. Along this journey their are many different tools I have used to help me maintain and monitor my progress. Sadly, I am too large for a household scale so I use the one at my doctor's office. Recently, I reviewed a product with the intention on using it for my grandparents. Little did I know that it would be a great tool for me as well. It is a simple grey oximeter. It reads your oxygen saturation and your pulse rate. An average person of good health runs around 98% o2 saturation and  60 - 100 pulse rate relaxing. I typically run about 96% / 98 - 100. This tells me that my system works a little harder to get oxygen because of my weight. Lately when I walk up our one flight of stares I have to sit down and take a breather. I tarted testing myself after a climb. In just 10 steps of stairs I go from 96%/98 to 90% over 140. This means my heart is going hard to get me oxygen. This little device has helped me track where I am at and how much improvement I am making. Now my resting rate is 98% / 95. Which to me is an excellent improvement. I am not trying to look like a model, I just want to live long enough to watch my kids grow up and become parents and see all their milestones. If you haven't tried one before, I would totally recommend the model I am using. It works great. You can order it HERE. This month I am going to get up the courage to take a before picture, hopefully in the future I can add an after picture as well. 

http://www.amazon.com/Santamedical-Fingertip-Oximeter-Saturation-batteries/dp/B00R59OTOC

Say Good Bye to Summer, Sandal Heels

      Today I want to tell you about my solution to summer, sandal heels. Every summer I spend my days running around either barefoot or with sandals on and there is zero possibility you will catch me wearing socks with my sandals. This leaves me with super, dry, cracked heels. I try making sure I lotion them up but it just doesn't seem to work. So my solution actually came around while I was reviewing products. This is an item I received from one of my favorite sites. It is an electronic callus remover. I tested a couple others also. This one is the only battery operated one that competes with the plug in style. This means I can take it with me when I travel too. Who wants to go to the beach and have dry cracked heels on day three? Not me. What's even better is I can use this on my DRY feet. Don't get me wrong I still love a good foot soak, but I don't have time or energy for that every night. With this I can simply sit and watch TV while correcting my feet and bringing back the soft. I nice lotion afterwards and a cotton pair of socks help keep me from needing it everyday. Check it out HERE if you are looking for an inexpensive cure for cracked heels. 

Today's Delivery

This is going to be a quick and simple one. I am just going to show you a bunch of items I like that I received this week. I will also add links so you can check them out yourself. It is getting late and I need to get ready for bed, but I cannot keep putting these posts off. Lol

First item is Perennial Essentials it is a facial moisturizer that actually does the job. I should mention right off the bat that I do not like using it when my face is dirty, because it picks up all the dirt like eraser marks. I am adding this to my morning routine. It left my face super moisturized without the greasy feeling. This is great because I have been using some strong toners to balance everything out and their strength can really dry me out. It also has a great crisp, clean scent that comes from the Aloe Vera and other essential ingredients. It was a lucky snag for me.

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My next two favorite finds are powdered foods. Don't worry not the survivalist stuff. I received both Vanilla Bean and Dark Cocoa powders. Everyone knows how much I love cooking and experimenting. I am actually going to dedicate an entire post tomorrow about the Vanilla Bean powder because it wasn't until I received this that I found out all the amazing things it does. The Vanilla Bean Powder is sold by Sunny Day Organics and is produced on family owned farms and bought at Fair Trade prices. It is an amazing product that I really recommend every person to take a look at. Tomorrow I will post more on it and hope you stop by to check it out.

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The Dark Cocoa powder is right there with the Vanilla Bean powder. It is also an organic product that has many special benefits. There are tons and tons of uses for it as well, but I cannot express my love for it more than by drinking a big mug of homemade hot dark chocolate. This will be featured in an upcoming holiday blog. No person should go without a mug of this cocoa. I really thought all cocoa powder was the same, boy was I wrong. This also comes with a great e-recipe book that they email to you. I have already gone looking through it and will be using almost all of them. For those of my friends and family reading this, please do not tell mom. I am getting her a bag of both of these powders for Christmas. Although since I get to eat everything she makes, it's kind of like a present for me too. Hehehe

FineNaturals

My last item and then I will head to bed and leave you all to your shopping desires. This is a 40 piece photo booth prop DIY kit. This kit if filled with fun glasses, mustaches, smiles, hats, and more. This is great for anyone that is have any kind of event, whether it is a small family get together or  

big charity ball. Because they are not themed items, they can be used for any event. They also are sturdy enough to be used over and over again. These are also great for kids and families just to get out and have fun. Take some along with you and put a beard on Lincoln at Mt Rushmore. I am putting up a pic, but I have not put them together yet. I am having a family get together in a couple weeks and I want to use them then. I will post pictures of them. I wish I had found these earlier they would have been super fun at my 20th high school reunion. 

For now, these are my favorite finds of the day. No, I did not list any frugal finds today, but I did list some great items that are worth paying full price for. Although, I will let you in on a secret. If you head to Tomoson.com or GiveawayService.com and you are an Amazon Prime Member you can try these beauties out at a steep discount or for free. 

The Many Wonders of Silicone

This last week I have been trying dozens of products. I went out of town for three days and came back to over 22 packages from Amazon on my front porch. I haven't been here, because I have been playing catch-up with all my reviews. I have learned that I will only be doing videos for items I cannot live without. Way more work than I need. Lol. This week I noticed all the different silicone items I have received. Let me show you a few of my favorites and a couple interesting ones.

The first is a collection of five silicone male wedding rings. I received these from Giveaway Services sold by Steadfast Products. I managed to snag a set for FREE. You all know how much I love free stuff. These are normally $12.99. At first I was a little skeptical of the need of a rubber ring. I purchased and gave one to each of my sons. Ethan not being a ring person wore his for the day and then left it on afterwards because he forgot it was on. Cameron on the other hand likes jewelry and accessories. He was also skeptical of the rings. After wearing it for a week, he loves them, He says the are super comfortable. The black goes with everything and he can wear it even when he is in the shop and rough and tumbling. No worries about it getting scratched or dirty.


 These are best for men that are active and roughing it up a lot. Keep his fancy wedding band for date nights and use this when is out playing hard.




The next item is both unusual and one of my favorite finds. Collapsible bottles. these come in packages of two with color choices of blue or pink. I received a pink set. These are so weird and awesome at the same time. I managed to snag these ones through a Facebook group. They are made from a thin silicone and are super squishy. I was surprised that they hold there shape when filled or empty. They great thing is that you can roll them up and put them in your pocket when they are empty. I took these on the road trip and they were awesome. I kept one in my glove-compartment. When we stopped at a restroom, I filled it at the fountain. The definitely take so getting use to. I do not try drinking out of them like a normal bottle, instead I drink them like a juice box and suck from the nozzle as weird as that sounds. My sons have both asked me to get a blue set for them.

Now let's get a little crazier. This one is an unusual one, Tuggs Towel Clips. I wasn't quite sure what they were, but when getting them for a steep discount from Giveaway Service, I was willing to find out. First thing I noticed was they were much bigger in person than their pictures showed. They hook to your towel to keep them in place at the beach. I have used them to keep my blankets wrapped around the laundry. They are just really useful and cute bungee cords. They stretch over three times their length. I like these and can't wait to hit the coast next weekend. These will be keeping our towels wrapped up and ready to go.

I have three more that are all for the kitchen. First is a very sturdy and useful set on silicone tongs. These are great because they do not scratch my non-stick pans. I managed to get them for a itty bitty $1 from Snagshouts. Snagshouts is one of my favorite review sites. I keep it book marked at all times.

The next cool silicone gadget is also for the kitchen. It is a very cute stem and leaf shaped tea infuser. The best feature is the little leaf on top, because it is silicone no more hot metal chains or handles. It also comes with the cutest little coaster.

The third item is one that will be getting the most use. I am going to be purchasing to more of these as well. Everyone has seen these before, a baking silicone mat. This one is the Chef Clever's Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat. I must say this is probably the best mat I have used. It fits most of my pans. The only one is doesn't it is about half of an inch too long but still works, because it can hang over the side without worry of burning. I love this one because of the circles and ruler. The circles help me get a good distance on my cookies; however, I have been using it for much more than cookies. I made fettuccine last week. Anyone who knows me knows this means making home made noodles. I love being able to lay the noodles out on here and see the length and let them dry without sticking. I found this mat through Tomoson which is one of the most professional review sites I have seen. I am honored to be part of their program. I am hoping they have many more Chef Clever promotions to take advantage.

I can't even imagine all the wonderful other items that I will be receiving and I am sure many more will be silicone. It seems that silicone is a fad that is here to stay. Stay tuned to see what I get next. Tomorrow I will be showing you a few of my favorite sites.

Favorite of the Week

 
My favorite item of the week is most definitely my new GOMA Squid Tripod. This thing is awesome and will actually help me a lot with my reviews. No more trying to hold the camera for pics and videos. It has three flexible and strong legs that can bend and twist to any shape. It doesn't take a lot of bending to get it to grip because the legs have squishy foam grips to hold onto it. This thing can grab onto anything.

 

I am also loving it because it can hold a camera with the traditional screw top and it holds phones and GoPros with the included attachments. Since I do not have a GoPro (Are you listening GoPro?), I cannot test out my new awesome tripod on it. Maybe I should add GoPro to my wishlist and cross my fingers. I got this at an extreme discount but for those of you purchasing new it is well worth more than the asking price. This takes place of the traditional large tripods and at 7" tall you can easily carry it in your backpack or purse. Go hiking and attach it to a tree branch for a quick selfie with the cute lil bear cub you saw. (Please do not try to take pictures with wild bears.)

 



Holding a regular digital camera.



Holding my sad little out-dated phone.



 

I want to also give a quick shout-out to NoKiddingCoupons.com for hooking me up with the maker of this wonderful item and allowing me to get it so cheap.  Of course, if you sign up for free I can earn more points to get more stuff to review, but even more importantly you can get stuff discounted too. You do not need to be a super shopper or a blogging mommy to get this stuff. You just need to be able to submit an honest review about the product.

 

Also, you should have an Amazon Prime account that way you do not have to pay shipping on the items. You can get a free 30 day trial at Amazon to explore and see if it is worth the purchase. Even my Amazon Prime I get on discount. Did I mention I love bargains. I get my Prime account through Student Prime. If you or someone in your house is a college student and has a student email address you can get Prime for 50% off.

 

So a little bit about NoKiddingCoupons.com. I am still trying to figure it out myself. It only took me a couple minutes to sign up and then only another minute or two to find something to spend my first 100 points on. You initially earn 150 points and it takes 100 points to obtain a 99% off coupon. Once you have a coupon you head over to Amazon and purchase the item using your coupon.

 

Now here is where it gets tricky. Most sites have you complete a review and then come back to their site and submit a link to verify you completed your review. Then you get more points and can do it all over again. Right now I am still trying to figure out where to submit my review. There are about a dozen different ways to earn points through the site, but I am not making much progress because the site is a bit confusing. I am half tempted to give up and not go back; however, this site has some of the best items and deals around. So I will stay and try to make heads or tails out of it. If I ever get it straight, I will comeback and let you know. For now, I am happy with my new find and hope you take advantage of the opportunity. Have a great day!

Hitting the Ground Running as Reviewer

I have been an online shopper for years. I purchased (at a discount) Amazon Prime a couple months after they launched it and I have been using it every since. But first, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Erynn and I am a 38 year old single mother of two tremendously, awesome teen boys. My youngest Cameron is 15 years old and my eldest Ethan is 19 years old. I am an avid crafter and upcycler. I love make up, reading, learning, spending time with my kids and shopping. I have turned my youngest into a super bargain hunter. We can't pass a clearance rack without stopping to check it out. I am also a gadget queen. I have had to block infomercials from my TV. Bring my shopping and gadgetry to the table and how could I possibly pass up reviewing items for steep discounts and sometimes even FREE. There is no way I will be able to add all the things I gather and collect from different websites, so instead I will choose some of my favorite items. I will also throw in some of my dislikes. 

To start my show, I'll show you my haul this week. After I did the math, the total value of just the items I have brought in this week is $581.67. How much did I actually pay?  $41.19  A bit more than I had budgeted for this experiment, but everyone in my house now has a Christmas present stashed in the closet. 

How did I do it? I found Facebook groups and websites that offer consumers products at discount rates and sometimes free in exchange for their HONEST review. A couple of them asked me to give 4 or 5 star reviews and if I couldn't to not leave a review. I am keeping a list of them. I will only do this with integrity and if you have a bad product don't ask someone to review it. I am thrilled all-in-all every item I received was awesome. I am pretty sure that it because companies know that we WILL be honest. You know us consumers. If we don't like it, we will tell you. 

Our whole country is built on freedom of speech and we are leading the way in transparency. Now more than ever the voice of the consumer is being heard via social media, reviews, BLOGS, newsletter, and more. Of course, that is exactly why these companies are looking for reviews. I usually skip items that do not have reviews on them. I am more likely to purchase an item that has a couple bad reviews over one with none. At least then I know what I am getting into.

Wow, that was a whole 'nother tangent. So here is my haul. Well, most of it. There are about five or six items that I gave to friends and family after testing them out. I didn't think to get pictures of them. Like I said earlier, I really haven't come across a single bad product yet. It's good thing too, because I am sure the companies would hate my nasty reviews of bad products now that they have me up and peppy on new supplements. Lol 

Next time, I may slow down on the supplement ordering. I forgot I really had to try them out to see how they work. I have been trying a new product each day. Yesterday I had no appetite after a heavy dose of Garcinia Cambogia and today I am wide awake at 1:30am with 30 Day Energy rush pills. Lol   For now I am just starting by showing of my stash. (BTW... I am pretty the UPS man is starting to hate me. No less than 5 boxes each day. One day he made two trips.) Please comment below about anything. Tomorrow I will come back and show my favorite item of the week and maybe introduce you to one of the Facebook groups I am a member.