Bounce It Off Millions Contest!

Life is full of questions! It's when you need an answer that it becomes difficult. 

'Should I buy a brand new car or a used car? Should I be a stay at home mom or hire a nanny? Should we take a vacation this year or save the money?'

Share your question in the Bounce It Off Millions Contest to win!

How to Enter: Head over to the Bounce Facebook Page and click on the 'Bounce It Off Millions' App. Ask your question! The one you've been trying to decide on but can't quite make the decision on your own. Your question will then be turned into a poll and your fellow Bounce fans will be able to vote to help you choose! 

What You Could Win: Four (4) people will be chosen to win a Grand Prize: their question will be turned into a Facebook Ad so everyone on Facebook can help you choose what to do! 

Also Enter Their Giveaway: While you're there enter for a chance to win two (2) Bounce Dryer Bars [one for you and one for a friend]. There will be 5,000 winners so head over to the Bounce Facebook Page now and get started! 

Deadline: The Bounce It Off Millions Contest ends on September 17th.

{I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions are mine.}

Tastes Yummy Tuesday: Cream Cheese Brownies!

The first post for Tastes Yummy Tuesday! I tried a cream cheese brownie recipe because you can use a boxed brownie mix. I have a bunch in my cupboard from when I snagged them on sale for 96 cents each. Its a simple recipe with not a lot of ingredients and makes a whole 13 x 9 inch pan so you can share. Or not, being an only child I never understood that 'caring is sharing' thing. Its something only jealous people say. :)

Cream Cheese Brownies

Boxed "family size" brownie mix (made for 13 x 9 inch pan)

Ingredients to make brownies according to box directions

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan. In one bowl, mix all ingredients for brownies according to box directions. In another bowl, mix cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix. Add vanilla and egg; mix well. Pour the brownie batter into the pan, evening with a spoon. Place the cream cheese mixture in dollops over the brownie batter. Using a knife, cut through the two making a 'marbled effect.' Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. 

How it worked for me: That was my attempt at marbling. I don't know if I'm a good marbler. The cream cheese still seemed to sit on top. Kind of like a cream cheese crust. I don't know what the trick is to getting the brownie mix and cream cheese mixture to come together as one because mine were apparently enemies. Maybe next time I'll try layering them. Even if they're not so pretty, they still taste very good!

[If you didn't notice, the box says 'low fat'.. I fixed that problem by adding cream cheese. Chef or genius?]

Update on 'Sweet Home Sunday' Homemade Laundry Recipe!

Back to share my update on making the homemade liquid laundry detergent. If you didn't see my post with the laundry recipes, you can check it out here!

The Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

These are the only ingredients I needed, besides water. I've heard that other people had problems finding them but they were all at my local grocery store a block away :)

20 Mule Team Borax $3.74

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda $2.89

Fels-Naptha Soap Bar $1.09

The first step is to grate the bar of soap. I used a hand grater like you'd use for cheese. That was a freaking pain! I'd suggest using a coffee grinder or something else that doesn't kill your wrist in the process. I also used a washcloth to hold the soap while I grated because it was slippery. My first time using a cheese grater when I was young- I ended up scuffing all my knuckles. Lesson learned. 

After mixing it all up and letting it sit it was time to bottle it up. The bad news was that I had recycled all but 1 of our old laundry jugs so I had to get creative. I ended up bottling it in old washer fluid bottles and my boyfriends tea jugs. I came up a little short so the rest is staying stored in the 5 gallon bucket.

We have a top load washer so I used 1/2 cup per load as the recipe says. I was a little nervous so I tested it out on some extra blankets we have. Beyond excited when they came out! They were clean! The weird thing about this is that it doesn't get sudsy. So don't freak out when you throw it in the washer and don't see bubbles everywhere. It also doesn't have much of a smell but that can be changed if you use scented fabric softener. 

I'm even thinking about making extra batches just to give to my family. {What a lucky family I have!} It is so cheap and works! From this one recipe you get 10 gallons of detergent! Makes you wonder why they charge so much for it in a store. This is a great thing to try because you'll save money and reduce waste because you can re-use your containers.

Try it out and let me know what you think! For the next Sweet Home Sunday I'll be trying another homemade recipe. Come back and check it out! xx Brittany

Come join the Fun Tuesday Blog Hop! {I'm Spotlight of the Week}

I'm so excited to be a part of the Fun Tuesday Blog Hop as Spotlight of the Week! Join us by linking up and meet new blogger friends and enjoy some lovely blogs! 

Have a Pup? Check out this outlet sale!

In the Company of Dogs offers all kinds of useful and fun items for dogs of every size. They have an outlet sale going on right now of up to 65% off! If you've never ordered from them before because it was a little expensive now is your chance to get it for much less! Go check out the sale here!

Birthday Freebies!

I love having my birthday- a day all about me. But then again, I kind of make every other day about me. Just kidding. Anyways, my birthday is coming up next month so I signed up for my birthday freebies. I made a list so you can grab these too. [p.s. there are more birthday freebies out there than what I've included on the list. These are the ones that I like and had a location nearby me.]

Applebees- Head to your nearest location and let them know its your birthday! You'll get a free dessert and a song sung by the staff. {I could do without the song but I don't think they'll let you opt out}

Bakers Square- Sign up online and you'll get a free piece of pie on your birthday! 

BD's Mongolian BBQ- Go to their website and join Club Mongo to get a free stir fry on your birthday!

Baskin Robbins- Join their birthday club to get a free ice cream and a discount on a birthday cake!

Benihana- On their website, join The Chef's Table and they'll send you a complimentary $30 birthday certificate!

Caribou Coffee- Sign up and receive a coupon for a free coffee drink on your birthday!

Cold Stone Creamery- Join the My Cold Stone Club to get a BOGO coupon!

Old Country Buffet- Sign up for the e-club and get a birthday coupon!

Dairy Queen- On their website join the Blizzard Fan Club to get a BOGO coupon!

Denny's- Stop in at your nearest location and get a free Grand Slam on your birthday!

Sweet Home Sunday: DIY Homemade Laundry Recipes

Do you enjoy cleaning, laundry and all those other domestic chores? Me too! For those of you that read that question in horror, this must be odd for you. :) I'm going to be doing something new on Sundays as you can tell from that lovely picture of my kitchen above. On Sundays I will be sharing with you tips and ideas to save money around your home. I've found that the older I get the cheaper I get which is good news for you and good news for the wallet. I can practically hear my bank account swelling as we speak. So join me as I try new ideas for around my house that maybe could work for your home too.

The moment I always hate: when the laundry detergent jug starts to get very light. About that time I start thinking I could just add some water to maybe stretch out a few more washes. But then it cleans less efficiently and I end up getting mad anyways. Laundry detergent isn't cheap and it practically evaporates around here since I'm such a clean freak. I've heard that making your own products is usually the cheapest alternative. Making? Hmm. If it were really that easy wouldn't everyone be doing it? 

I started looking around and found a recipe. With only 4 ingredients. 4! The visions of me in a lab coat playing around in my basement and blowing something up started to disappear. And I also found a recipe for fabric softener. This is something that I might be able to handle. 

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

4 cups hot water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup Arm + Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup borax

Directions: Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot water. Add melted soap, washing soda and borax. Stir well. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Stir contents of bucket. Fill a clean used laundry jug half full with soap and fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use because it will gel. 

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once cooled. 

Yield: Recipes makes 10 gallons

Top load washer: 5/8 cup per load {approx. 180 loads}

Front Load Washer: 1/4 cup per load {approx. 640 loads}

Cheaper Fabric Softener

1 container liquid fabric softener

4 sponges, cut in half

Directions: Pour entire contents of softener into 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty container with water twice and add to bucket. [2 parts water to 1 part softener] Add sponges to bucket. When ready to use wring out sponge and add to dryer. 

I knew there was a reason we kept all those buckets in our garage! Today I will be gathering up all my supplies and trying these out. I'll update after I'm all done and have pictures for you. I might even throw in a picture of my boyfriend standing there shaking his head at me while I do this {lol} Check back later today! 

[These recipes were found on www.duggarfamily.com. They have many other recipes you can check out. I received no compensation for this post or for adding the link. All opinions are my own based on my experience.]

Young Love by Mat Kearney Album Review

Mat Kearney's third album, 'Young Love' debuted on the #1 spot on iTunes Album and Rock Charts. Perhaps you've heard of him? I hadn't. So I was curious when I was offered the opportunity to review the album. I can be pretty picky when it comes to music. I love the music I like and I hate the music that I don't. 

The Track List

1. Hey Mama

2. Ships in the Night

3. Count on Me

4. Sooner or Later

5. Chasing the Light

6. Learning to Love Again

7. Down

8. She Got the Honey

9. Young Dumb and In Love

10. Rochester

11. Seventeen

There were 2 songs on the album that I really liked. 'Ships in the Night' and 'Learning to Love Again' both have lyrics that have depth. They're both songs that almost put you in a mellow and thoughtful mood. 

None of the songs on the rest of the album really stood out to me. There was nothing that made them memorable or had a sound to them I liked. I didn't listen to all of 'Rochester' because it was less of a song and more of a story that didn't keep my interest. 

I will say that he does have a nice voice that I like better when its highlighted in the slower songs. 

To Check Him Out

Visit his website to purchase his music and order fan t-shirts and jackets. You can also follow him on Twitter and check out his fan page on Facebook. 

[I was not financially compensated for this post. I received this album for review purposes through One2One Network. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.]

Ask the Animal Humane Society

Have a pet question about getting a new pet that's right for your family, training tips or something else? I'm going to be doing a Q & A with the Animal Humane Society and I'd love to get your questions answered for you. Leave a comment with your question or email me at bnichole87@gmail.com

Be Safe! {Emergency Kits}

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone on the East Coast dealing with the weather right now. 

Having an emergency kit is essential in case the unexpected happens and you are without modern conveniences. Ideally, an emergency kit should be able to last you for 3 days. Keep your emergency kit in a secure waterproof container that you can move. I've made a list of essentials to have in your emergency kit. For more information, visit www.72hours.org for a complete list and how to make an emergency plan. Stay safe! 

What to Have in your Emergency Kit

• Water {at least 1 gallon per person, per day}
• Food {Items that are shelf-stable. Keep in mind any food allergies or restricted diets. If canned goods, remember a can opener}
• Eating Supplies {plates, eating utensils}
• Complete First Aid Kit
• Important Documents {and important phone numbers}
• Extra Clothes {warm clothes, rain gear}
• Working Supplies {work gloves, duct tape and utility knife}
• Personal Hygiene Items {toilet paper, hand sanitizer, feminine products, soap}
• Blankets & Sleeping Bags
• Plastic Bucket & Heavy-Duty Trash Bags {waste and sanitation}
• Items for Children, Elderly, and Pets {medications, formula, food, supplies}

When disasters happen, you rarely have time to run around remembering all the items that you need. Put your emergency kit together and have it there so you'll be prepared. 

Sunday Coupon Preview!

Love getting your Sunday paper to see what the coupons are? Now you can know ahead of time! 

Get a -FREE- Sub from Subway!

Free! My favorite price. You can get a free Subway Sub without having to use a coupon!

Simply sign-up for Offermatic and add your debit/credit card or Paypal account. Then you can go get your sub from Subway and pay using the card that you used to sign up with. You'll get a rebate for the $5.00 making the sub FREE! 

From Remy Friday (Easy & Cheap Dog Treat Recipe + Free Sample!)

Hi again! As you probably already know Remy is my cute dog in that picture. Every Friday will now be 'From Remy Friday' and dedicated to everything canine. From tips, tricks, recipes, reviews and everything else that has to do with dogs. We'll be kicking off the first 'From Remy Friday' with a dog treat recipe. It's one I made for his 1st birthday party {yes, I had a dog birthday party} and it went over great with the dogs. I also love the recipe because its so simple to make and doesn't require any ingredients that you probably don't already have in your cupboards. 

Oatmeal & Peanut Butter Dog Treat Recipe

2 cups flour {you can also use whole wheat if your dog isn't allergic}

1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup peanut butter {smooth or chunky, your choice}

1 1/4 cup hot water

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix your dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix in the peanut butter and hot water. At this point, I added some extra flour because it was so sticky. Knead the dough until its well mixed. Cover and place into the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up. Sprinkle some flour on your counter and then roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. It's a lot cuter if you have dog themed cutters but its not like your dog will care if they're in the shape of santa. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for about 40 minutes; remove and cool them on a wire rack. Make sure they are cooled before giving to your pooch. 

*You can store these in the fridge or the freezer. If outside of your fridge, make sure they are in an air-tight container. Dog treats should be in addition to your dogs' regular food. 

Hope your dog likes them as much as I do! Big wet sloppy kisses, Remy

Can you help? I wanted to ask my readers for some help for a future blog post. I want to do a post about service dogs {military, seeing eye or therapy} so please contact me if you know someone with one of these wonderful dogs that would be interested. You can either leave a comment here or email me at bnichole87@gmail.com. Thanks!

ALSO: They are going to be giving away 500 free samples of Hartz Dog Biscuits today at 12 p.m. {Eastern Time}. Head to their Facebook page and be ready to get yours! 


Save $2.00 on Purina Puppy Chow by signing up for their Healthy Start Program! Go to sign up here!

Thank You Thursday!

THANK YOU THURSDAY!

I am going to be starting something new! Since starting this blog about a week ago I have 'met' many great bloggers and followed some lovely blogs. I've learned a bunch of tricks from them have enjoyed joining in on blog hops and posting. All the comments have been great and my first giveaway is going better than I thought. But I can't take all the credit so I am saying a big THANK YOU to all the readers, followers, blog hop hosts and other bloggers that have helped make this journey so much fun! 

I look forward to all the things I have yet to learn and all the bloggers and blogs I have yet to know!

My Current Blogging Stats

Twitter Followers: 47

Facebook 'Likes': 10

GFC Followers: 20

August visits: 429

Again, thank you everyone! If there is anything that I can do for you please let me know by leaving me a comment below! ♥ Brittany

You, Me & Remy: That annoys me!

You, Me & Remy: That annoys me!: Usually I am a very laid back person. Usually. But after all I am a Type-A person and a Virgo {that's my astrological sign, very fitting}. T...

That annoys me!

Usually I am a very laid back person. Usually. But after all I am a Type-A person and a Virgo {that's my astrological sign, very fitting}. The common bond those two share would be: critical, irritable and demanding. Not the most pleasant character traits but I am who I am. And with my recent ankle mishap {if you don't know, check out my post 'Recycling=pain'} I get annoyed every time I have to move, have to use the bathroom and have to get up to walk in general. With all this time spent sitting down, I started to think of all the other things that annoy and I'm going to share them. Not that you care but because I need to get them off my chest. 

My {UnOfficial} List of Things that Annoy Me

When people say they are going to have a 'tuna fish' sandwich. Most people are aware that tuna is a fish. There's no need to use the word 'fish'. When you have trout for dinner, you don't say, "I'm going to have some trout fish." Completely unnecessary and I bring it up every time someone says it. 

People who do not know the difference between to, too, and two. Yes, they all sound the same but have different meanings. Ah, the fun of the English language. I will freely admit that I am not an expert but its probably the easiest thing to master. Telling me that you are 'Going too the store' makes me wonder if even you know who's all going with you. 

When someone texts you "LOL" constantly in their texts. I always wonder, Are you really laughing out loud? I doubt it. You could just say, "That's funny." If people really did laugh out loud as much as they use 'lol' there would be laughing fools all over the place. I haven't seen it but perhaps I'm looking in all the wrong places. 

People who drink straight out of drink containers and lick the utensils while cooking. I included these two all in one because they're related. Its gross! If you're too lazy to get a glass to drink something then buy single use containers. I don't care how much you love someone, you don't want to drink their spit. And the licking thing- perhaps you want to taste to make sure its good but its officially not good because you added your own DNA. Ick. 

The hand rinsers. When I'm in a public restroom and notice people wash their hands by running them under water. And that's it, they're done. That's not washing, that's rinsing. There are steps to this that they teach in Kindergarten. And no, you didn't fool anyone by just standing by the sink with the water running. We all know that you're now the lady that doesn't wash her hands. Everything you touch in the store I'm staying away from.

When I cook a dish and someone immediately grabs for the salt and pepper before even tasting it. How do you already know it needs it? Did it tell you? "Salt and pepper me!" I didn't hear it. I don't like that you assume that I don't know how to season something. And if you're such a chef then why didn't you cook instead? 

-Update: I just wanted to put an update on here after comments from readers and my uncle {you finally visited my blog!}. I am not usually this pessimistic or snappy- but hobbling around the house put me in a bad mood. I still agree with everything in the post. I expect people to be honest with me so I will always be 100% on here. Brittany xx

Recycling = pain!

My boyfriend and I moved into our house back in April. We loved the house and the neighbor is so-so, at best. Not that anything bad has happened but its on the 'east side' so I guess it has a bad rap. I tend to be a bit paranoid when I'm home alone but that's because I'm obsessed with watching Law & Order on Netflix. {I swear that show makes you sure that you heard a door open or foot steps}lol but anyways..

We got a postcard in the mail letting us know when our recycling would be picked up. Ah, recycling. I've always had every intention to start recycling but now that I had a postcard in my hands telling all the details I figured, we'll recycle! We'll be responsible citizens that care about our planet. So I set up brown paper bags that we got from grocery shopping {do we get do-gooder points for paper bags?}in the kitchen and clearly labeled them: aluminum, paper, plastic, glass. I thought, this is so easy! Why hadn't I done this before?

And now it is August. It's 4 months later and we still hadn't set out our recycling. Not once. Somehow we always forgot when to set it out and then we figured, We'll remember next week. This weekend while cleaning the house I couldn't ignore the heaping collection of recyclables that was taking up a quarter of our kitchen. Instead of trying to remember all on my own, I announced to my boyfriend that it was also his responsibility to remember to put it out on the curb. 

We get our recycling picked up tomorrow and the good news is- we actually remembered to put it out! Yay for us! {I'm sure you'd high-five me if you could} The bad news is that we had so much that it all wouldn't fit into the bin that the recycling people gave us. So we had to fold some boxes. I had my box full and went to go down the deck steps when all of a sudden *boom*. Down I went, on the ground, my ankle numb. My sweet boyfriend tried to help but I told him to quit talking because I was so nauseous. My ankle now looks like its hoarding an egg {maybe it can get on that show Hoarders}and I walk all funny and can't get comfortable. But much much much love goes to my boyfriend who has taken care of me and made me ice it and elevate it. Its good for a sprain, I know, but it hurts. He also ran to the store to get me suckers to make me feel better. 

And I do feel better. But I may be putting him in charge of both trash and recycling now. 

It's the Thought that Counts {cheap romantic ideas}

Romance confirms for us that someone cares about us, loves us and wants us to know. I'm all for being romantic and showing the people in your life what they mean to you. And often. One thing I'm against is having to shell out big bucks to do it. You'll be happy you made them happy but sad because you're broke. I believe love does not have a price tag and spending more money doesn't mean you love someone more. I hate wasting money on something that could get the message across for less!  

My Cheap Romantic Ideas

I love those cute chocolates that have romantic messages scrolled across them. They're lovely but expensive. So I did it my way for much less. I made cupcakes {from the box, adding chocolate chips to the batter}, then frosted them and spelled out "I love you" with chocolate chips. I also decorated a couple cupcakes with hearts and our initials. I left them on our dining table as a surprise when my boyfriend got home. Here's a pic I took..

I also did something like this but wanted it to be something that wouldn't go away because we ate it up. So I took some stones that we had in our yard and decided to paint them. I wrote one letter on each stone and left them in order on our walkway from the garage to be seen when my boyfriend came home. The nice thing is that we still have it and have it set up in our yard. The pics are of when I first set them up and where they are now. 

Sweet and still super cheap to do! Here are some other cheap and sweet {even silly) ideas if you want to be romantic to your love. 

Not a romantic poetic? Get a stack of sticky notes and write one thing you love about them on each. Stick them all over the house or in their car. If they're a reader, stick one on each page of the book they're currently reading. 

Do they love star gazing? Buy those glow-in-the-dark stars and stick them on your bedroom ceiling. Turn on the lights before bed {they need light before glowing} then when they're in bed switch off the light. They get to fall asleep to the whole sky. You can even write out a message if you feel like it. 

A frequent casino-goer? Pick up a lottery ticket and attach a note with something like, "You're 1 in a million."

Do they love to cook? Write little faces with a permanent marker on the eggs or spell out a message. 

The sentimental type? Find a picture of the both of you earlier in your relationship. Write on the back, "Remember when?" and sign with a few x's and o's. 

Lover of gardening? Buy a rose bush and plant it in the yard so that they'll have roses year after year. 

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." -George Sands

Puppy Love {pics}

This past weekend we took a road trip with Remy to a corn feed with my boyfriends parents. We brought their dogs back with us and babysat. Of course, there are pictures of our adventure.

My boyfriend, Nathan {love him}

The pooches in the back {Remy hates car rides, the others love it}

This is me & Theo {he's a lover}

Puppy Kisses {xoxo}

And puppy play {he looks meaner than he is, lol}

Awww

Sleeping babies {Jasper & Theo}

Remy's Before & After

Remy {BEFORE his haircut, he's a Shih Tzu/Poodle Mix and gets all puffy}

Remy {AFTER his haircut, he lost tons of pounds in fur!}

He looks so little now! 

Herd of Book Nerds {Save $$ Tips}

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." -Cicero

Many people have said that happiness is having something to look forward to. For me, its when I get an email every two weeks reminding me that my library books are due back. Our local library is only 4 streets away from our home. Lucky, I know! But I am well aware that not everyone shares my loves of books. Including the love of my life, my boyfriend, who hates books. I love books and he hates them, how does that work? Opposites attract, I guess.

Wait- I take that back. He does enjoy cooking so he likes cookbooks. Does that count? But I did buy him a Julia Child cookbook and he has *yet to try a recipe. {Note to self: no cookbooks this year from Santa}

The first question most people ask when someone says they read is, "What's your favorite book?"

My answer has been the same since I was in high school and I'm pretty sure will always remain, The Great Gatsby.

So much so that when I noticed the picture of the books' cover on the wall at Barnes & Noble, I started figuring out a plan to get it out the front door. {lol} Since it is a well-known book, I won't bother going into the details of the story. I'm sure you know. If not, I'm sure your cousin or best friend does.

My second favorite would be Freakonomics. That book is so thought provoking and gives you a different view on everyday issues. Be warned though: it does deal with some sensitive issues that might bother someone who is not very open-minded.

Even if you are not a fan of books there are still reasons why you should stop by and check out your local library. With all that libraries have to offer, you can save yourself money!

Save Money {$$} by Visiting your Local Library

Movies: We don't use this service but there are usually a lot of movies {new & old} that can be rented. If you've cut back on your movie night to save money, head to the library to pick up a dvd and have a stay-in movie night.

Exercise: There's a big selection of workout dvd's at my library which saves me from having to pay for a gym membership. And I get a new workout each week which keeps me from getting bored with my workout {which is one of my downfalls!} Also, I don't have to go and be sweaty in front of strangers which is a plus for me.

Internet & Computer Use: I also don't use this service but every time I'm at the library all the computers are being used. I believe that the time is limited for each user but for people that don't have Internet service that are looking for employment or kids who needs to do school assignments, its a really good resource.

Magazines: I absolutely used to be a huge magazine junkie. And then somehow I got smart and just started pulling out the articles from the magazines I wanted and kept them in a binder instead of keeping the whole magazine. And then I realized how much I was spending on magazines that just got thrown away. So check out the magazines that your library offers. Of course, you can't pull apart the magazines you borrow from the library! But if you have a printer/copier/scanner you can do what I do and copy the page out of the magazine. You get to read the magazine and keep the articles that you like.

Local Events: Your local library will most likely have a lot of fliers and pamphlets about the events going on in your city. Some of them might even have coupons or deals inside them.

And, of course- Books: For people that think books aren't really their 'thing', I suggest going to the library and just looking around at all the genres. There are so many different kinds of books out there I doubt that there is one that doesn't suit your interests. And, if your library is like mine and linked to others in the area- you can go online and request items from other libraries. They will then send it to your library for you to check out without having to make the drive.

I will admit that the biggest money saving advantage here is that if you hate the book or magazine or movie- it's only borrowed and you haven't wasted any money on it. You get to just return it and try again. And try, try again.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. The opinions are completely my own based on my observations while reading the above mentioned books. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

Laundry Woes {and Tide}

Compared to last night, tonight was a breeze! I was unaware that the dogs we're babysitting suck down water like its going out of style so I kept re-filling the water bowl. Big mistake. At 11 p.m. I heard a yell from the bedroom. The chubby one peed on the bed. On the bed! Ugh. And then an hour later on the floor. Then the old one peed on the kitchen floor. I don't know why they enjoy peeing in my house. At that point I was thinking about letting the dogs sleep outside. One good thing did come out of all of this though- I had a chance to try out the new sample I got in the mail a couple weeks ago.

On Facebook, I signed up for a sample of the new Tide Stain Release in-wash booster packs. I was a little surprised when it actually came in the mail because it wasn't what I would consider a sample size. The package came with 10 packs. The samples I usually get are just for one use. Kind of like the shampoo bottles they have in hotel rooms.  I'm not a woman that's a brand snob so I buy whatever laundry detergent is on sale and the cheapest so these were new for me. When my boyfriend and I moved into our house together he was a Tide fanatic and claimed it was the only kind he could use because of his 'sensitive skin'. I told him it was probably all in his mind. {I think it should be noted that I've changed to 3 different brands since then and there have been no 'skin issues' lol}

I opened the package and was hit with a nice fruity orange smell. Not really like real oranges but it smelled nice nonetheless. The packs are sealed so I didn't have to deal with opening them up before throwing them in the washer. You just throw them in the washer with your regular detergent. I currently have dishwashing packs that you have to open each one individually before using. I hate them, they're a pain!

On the package it claims to remove tough stains such as: grass, ketchup, wine, chocolate, gravy, grape juice and more. I didn't have any clothes or laundry with those stains but I did have cleaning rags that had to go in. They're white rags {I don't know why I bought white?!}and the ones I use to scrub the floors so they get pretty grungy. So the white rags, soiled towels and bedding went in with the Tide Stain Release packs.

The result? The towels came out of the dryer stain-free. My white cleaning rags came out cleaner but still had some smudges on them. Maybe only bleach can get them completely white again? All in all I would say that the Tide Stain Release in-wash booster packs worked pretty well. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being best, I'd grade them an 8. I was at our local grocery store today and checked on the price of them and I will only be purchasing these if I have a coupon or I'm feeling wealthy that day.

Maybe one of these days I'll feel ambitious and try that homemade laundry detergent recipe I have laying around. It's cheap to make and apparently works wonders. Has anyone tried homemade laundry detergent? If so, please let me know which recipe and how it worked!

*The opinions are completely my own based on my experience. 

Butter {my favorite food group}

Oh, my love affair with all things bad for me. I think food is meant to be enjoyed and believe me, I enjoy it. Cream cheese, mayo, butter- should be food groups as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure one day I'll get a stern lecture from my doctor about it but until then I will continue to live on the dangerous side. 

Which is why I'm so excited about tonight! My boyfriend and I are going to a corn feed. If you're not familiar with this, you're probably not from the Midwest. It's okay, I'll forgive you. They roast cobs of corn and they brush them with beautiful melted butter. And I will look like a messy happy fool while it drips down my chin. 

Hopefully that butter high will help me through tonight. We will have 2 extra dogs in our house tonight. Doggie sleepover! Excited? Not really. I love my Remy but I'm much more of a cat person, always have been. Cats are independent, they take care of themselves. I like that in an animal. 

So bedtime will probably come early tonight for this lady. But 1 man + 3 dogs in 1 bed= I'll take the couch. But knowing my luck the little devils will probably follow me. 

Coupon Giveaway! {CLOSED}

Coupon Giveaway!

When the extreme couponing craze started, I jumped right in. Now, a couple months later I have too many to know what to do with. So I am having a giveaway for my 'grab bag' of coupons. 

They are for a wide variety of products from over the counter medications to laundry detergent to groceries. None of the coupons are for free products or buy one get one products. Some I received as promotions in the mail and others are from ad inserts from my local paper. 

I cannot guarantee the amount but I estimate there to be between 50-75 coupons total. 

This giveaway is open to residents of the US ages 18+. One winner will be chosen.


This giveaway will end August 26th, 2011 at 12 a.m. Central time. 


To Enter this Coupon Giveaway:
1. Leave a comment stating why you enjoy using coupons. Include your e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you if you win. 


Additional Entries:
(Remember to post a comment on my blog stating you did so)
1. Follow my blog by email by joining on the left side of my page
2. Follow us on Twitter 
3. Like us on Facebook 


The winner will be selected by Random.org and will be notified by e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Be sure to check your email and good luck!


[This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!]

Indestructible Doggie Toys?!

Welcome to You, Me and Remy!

This is the first post for my blog. I thought for quite some time about something to write about but then became distracted by all the white little bits of fluff scattered across my carpet. Bad carpet? Nope. Another casualty of Remy. We got him an adorable long Snoopy that was dead in 2 days flat. Bye-bye Snoopy.

I really wish that a company would come out with plush dog toys that were indestructible. I thought I'd found one- the tag said that it was 2x stronger than most toys. I cut off the tags and handed it over confident that he now had a toy that I wouldn't have to pick up after. Wrong again.

This is not the 1950's and I do not know how to sew so each of the deceased toys get thrown away. Perhaps poor Remy will no longer get plush toys, just hard rubber and rawhide. So until a dog toy company comes out with stronger seams he will be here pouting. But don't feel too bad for him- he's pretty spoiled already.