Fall Beauty Favorites Under $25 (& Amazon Gift Card Giveaway)

It’s fall, it’s finally not 90 degrees all day long in Southern California. I’ve been tweaking my self-care routine to incorporate everything I need to keep my body looking and feeling good. Some of these items are not 100% skincare/beauty-related, but remember that self-care is more than slapping a mask on and relaxing on the couch!

Here are some of my favorites that come in at $25 or less:

These Microfiber Facial Cloths are quick drying, wash up well (I wash mine in a large lingerie bag), and you get 12 for a little over a dollar a piece!

These Stella and Grace undereye patches are just one of my go-to eye patches. They are a cooling gel that infuses the under-eye area. Did you know that our undereye area has no oil glands? After you’ve enjoyed an eye mask, make sure to keep that area hydrated with an eye cream. I’m digging Global Beauty Care Smooth & Lift Collagen Eye Cream with Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, and squalane. You can buy it on Amazon, but I recently found it at Dollar Tree of all places (Shout out to Dollar Tree for having some pretty decent skincare lately- remember to read the ingredients and know what active ingredients you are looking for!).

If you are like me and take meds twice a day and HATE refilling the stupid little containers every week, here is my savior… A 28 day pill organizer that has a day and a night area for each day.

28 days is perfect- That way it reminds you to check with the pharmacy or your doctor to get another refill.

As the weather gets colder, our poor feet need love too. I’m all about compression socks to keep the fluid retention down. I also love doing Legs up the Wall in the evening to help with circulation. Slather some of O’Keefe’s Foot Cream, pull on a pair of compression socks and chill with my legs up the wall for 20 minutes.  I have chonky claves, so I need the wide calf socks, but Levsox sells compression socks for all-sized calves in tons of cute patterns.

My absolute favorite bubble bath and bath salts are from Dr. Teals. They have melatonin, lavender, and chamomile. Target frequently has these on sale or as part of a beauty gift card deal. Even the kids like it!

If you are looking for something to help with your sleep routine, I use ASUTRA Magnesium Body Butter Lotion Lavender Scent. It contains Shea Butter and Almond Oil, and the magnesium can help calm your body for rest. It really helped Bitty Bird when she was having problems turning her brain off to sleep.

And finally, I’ve really gotten into Gua Sha facial massage over the past few months. It’s really helped with the dark circles under my eyes, and increased the blood flow to my face (but honestly all massage does this). I have a tool like this one (I bought mine at Dollar Tree), and I use this Glide Oil, but you can use any serum or facial cream. Tina Enego has some great videos and follow alongs on You Tube.

I’d love to hear about your favorite fall self-care. Drop a comment and be entered to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. I’ll choose a winner on 11/20/2023 and notify you via email. The gift card will be delivered via email. 

Upcoming changes to IKEA Family benefits

If you are like me, you’ve been a member of the IKEA Family benefits program since its inception.

I received an email from them the other day and I had to share it since it’s a pretty big change:

Thank you for being a loyal IKEA Family member. We have an important update to your IKEA Family benefits. Effective 2/1/24, IKEA Family members will no longer receive 5% off in-store on all furniture and décor. All currently enrolled and new members can enjoy this benefit through January 31, 2024.

Stay tuned for new ways to save throughout the year with offers and perks as an IKEA Family member.

In the meantime, continue to use IKEA Family benefits like free coffee and tea in our Swedish Restaurant (every day!), 90-day price protection, previews of store events, exclusive access to IKEA Family member discounts, and more.

We aren’t huge Ikea shoppers, but the discount was nice. Will this change to their IKEA Familiy benefits program change your shopping habits?

PRC: Young Travelers needed for upcoming market research study $350

PRC aka iOpinion is a nationwide research study company. They are always running studies and looking for more respondents. They email me once a week with online studies they are looking to fill.

This morning I received an email about an upcoming survey looking for Young Adults Ages 19-23 to conduct a study about travel. This study pays $350 for those who qualify and complete the study.

When: November 8-19th, 2023
Length/Pay: 12-days of mobile tasks (15-mins/day/3-hrs total)/$350
Where: Online in the comfort of your own home

If you are interested in taking part in this survey, complete the interest form here.

11/5/2023 Weekend Freebies!

The 2023 Birthday Freebie post is here! Make sure to check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

It’s Freebie time! There are all sorts of cool freebies this weekend. 

Freebies:

Free Longbottom & Co Virgin Mary Bloody Mary Mix After Rebate
Free Doritos Locos Taco at Taco Bell
Free Box of Beekeeper’s Naturals Kid’s Throat Soothing Lollipops After Rebate
Free Sample of Pharma-C Triple Action Hemorrhoid Pads
Free 4-Pack of Nuby All Silicone Softees Pacifiers
Free Gucci Guilty Elixir de Parfum Fragrance Sample
Free Member’s Mark Better Nut Bar at Sam’s
Free Kroger Sample Box
Free Genio Della Pizza After Rebate
Free Sample of Enfagrow Toddler Nutritional Drink
Free Grand Slam at Denny’s for Vets & Military Personnel
Free Monopoly Knockout Game Night Party Pack
Free Fragrance Samples from Macy’s
Free Jar of Brooklyn Delhi Sauce After Rebate
Free Samples at Ulta Beauty Kiosks
Free Creed Aventus Fragrance Sample
Free Sample of Twist + Lick Dog Dental Gel
Free Gucci Guilty Pour Femme Fragrance Sample
Sam’s Merry Express Event – Free Samples, Gifts & More
Free Ocean’s Halo Trayless Seaweed Snack
Free Sample of Revlon Illuminance Skin-Caring Foundation
Free Simple Mills Pop Crackers
FREE Sample Mail Call for November
Free Sample of BIODERMA Atoderm Intensive Balm
Free Box of MingsBings After Rebate
Free Sample of EQUAZEN PRO Jelly Chews
Free MicroSculpt Microcurrent Facial Device
Free Bottle of ZEN Calm & Stress Relief Gummies After Rebate
Free Large Fries at McDonald’s
Free Real Food From The Ground Up Snack Product After Rebate
Free Bulgari Le Gemme Tygar Fragrance Sample
PlayStation Plus – Free Mafia ll, Dragon Ball, Aliens Fireteam Elite Games
Free Download of Jeff Bridges Sleeping Tapes
Free Kohl’s Game Card on Black Friday
Free Heroic Fire Truck Build Kit at Lowe’s
15 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
5 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free NFL RedZone Channel Preview for Select Providers
Free 2024 Rainin The Art of Pipetting Calendar
Free Photo with Santa & More at Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s

State of the Blogger November 2023

Hey friends, it’s been a hot minute. Honestly, with everything going on in our lives, by the time the kids are in bed, and I’ve got all of my household reset tasks done for the night, I am too exhausted to sit down and blog.

In fact, I “wrote” most of this using my phone’s talk-to-text feature. Seriously. So tired.

The past three months have been busy, and have been snowballing too insanely busy. Hopefully, this month will be a little more forgiving, but I don’t hold out much hope.

I have been using a lot of KC Davis’ resources to keep my house and my life somewhat organized. Using a weekly care task list has been very beneficial. As well as having an end of day reset task list. The end-of-day reset basically it’s just a way for me to give “future me/tomorrow me” a break.

While all of these are on the daily list, they don’t always all get done. A bare minimum is that I take my meds and drink a bottle of water before bed. Sometimes it’s the bare minimum and sometimes I get all of it done.

Between kid’s activities and family stuff, it feels like every weekend has just been something.

This week it was a few activities in the morning, and I spent time this afternoon rearranging parts of the garage, steam cleaning the couch, living room carpet, and my bedroom floor, as well as refilling pantry stables in the kitchen.

Because the one thing I have been putting off in the past month or so is a large restock grocery trip. Our stockpile of key ingredients has dwindled, and since we don’t have a garage attached to our home, bringing up large loads of groceries is my least favorite thing about grocery shopping. However, I broke down and did it last night. I went to Costco by myself and got all of the things we stock up at Costco. And I got a couple extra treats.

So what you can expect to see from now until the end of the year is:

  • More easy, healthy, and tasty recipes
  • Realistic Deals for gifts, and practical gifts for the whole family (including a post with $15 or less stockings from Dollar Tree for each member of the family)
  • Weekly Freebies
  • More time-saving ways to keep your home running smoother

Originally I had a bunch of stuff planned, including giveaways and contests, however, my favorite family blogger event- WOW Summit by Moms Meet was canceled because the May Group (its parent company) went bankrupt earlier this year.  I always connected with brands, bloggers, and friends there. It was a big event for me to go to and came home with all kinds of goodies to share via giveaways and contests. That was the second blogging event that was canceled this year.

I’ve got some meal prep to do- Have a great evening, and I promise, good stuff is coming!

 

Q-Insights Dining out Study- It pays $200!

QI-logoNOslogan.pngQ-insights is another company where I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.

They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often in San Diego County. Right now they are recruiting for a virtual study.

The study will run from November 6th to November 9th and will pay $200 as a thank you for your time.

Please note that this study requires a homework assignment and it will pay an additional incentive

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the survey here.

10/8/2023 Weekly Freebies!

The 2023 Birthday Freebie post is here! Make sure to check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

 

We’re only doing Freebies this week- I’ve got tons to do today!

Freebies:

Free Smoothies at Tropical Smoothie Cafe This Halloween
Free Pitaya Foods Smoothie Bowl at Walmart After Rebate
Free Pack of Plant Provisions After Rebate
Free Member’s Mark Better Nut Bar at Sam’s
Free Açai Cocoa Haze Smoothie Bowl at Smoothie King
Free Sorion Cream or Soraresal Cream Sample
Free Sample of L’Oreal 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum
Free Nature Valley Savory Nut Crunch Bar
Free Werther’s Caramel Minis After Cashback at Walmart
Free Sample of Xyzal Allergy 24H
Free Samples of Four Sigmatic Coffee, Protein Mix & Supplements
Free Playfinity Active Thanks-gaming Party Pack
Free Advil Dual Action Sample
Free Museum Admission – Bank of America/Merril Lynch Cardholders
Free Sample of Primal Pronto Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food
Free Zombie Survival Kit
Free 2024 BNSF Railway Calendar
Free YCOD Pin or Sticker
Free CeraVe Moisturizing Cream Sample
Free Mezcla Plant-Based Protein Bars
Free GnuSante Functional Fruit Shakes
Free Sample of DripDrop Zero Electrolyte Drink Mix
Free Pawse CBD Tricks and Treats Chatterbox Kit
Free Hand Soap
Free ZICO Coconut Water
Free Scissors, Pick & Hook Set or Screwdriver at Harbor Freight
Free Sample of NYX Face Freezie Primer & Moisturizer
Free Laoban Frozen Dumplings
Free Brick Bag at LEGO Stores on Oct. 12th
PlayStation Plus – Free The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22 & Weird West
Free Cards Against Humanity: Family Edition Playtest
Free Group Guitar Lessons at Guitar Center
Free Candy & 100 Free E-tickets at Chuck E Cheese
Get Tons Of Free Stickers Online: Updated 2023
Free Tickets to The Burial for Prime Members
Free Prime Gaming PC Games for September
5 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points

 

Penzeys Sale: $35 for $50 in Gift Cards!

This is one of my favorite deals. It makes a great gift for the home cook, baker, or foodie in your life. It can be used in-store or online.

This deal is back, but only until Sunday, October 8, 2023!

Penzeys is offering two $25 Gift Cards for just $35. Limit of TWENTY Embrace Hope Gift Cards per household during the run of the promotion. Cannot be used on the date of purchase. Cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Not applicable to prior sales, not valid with other offers. Not for resale. While supplies last. The offer ends at midnight on Sunday, October 8, 2023.

 

PRC Research Study Round-Up!

PRC aka iOpinion is a nationwide research study company. They are always running studies and looking for more respondents. They email me once a week with online studies they are looking to fill. Here are the latest studies:

Topic: Golf Pros
Incentives: $250
Who: Adults 25+ years old
Type: Onlie
Location: From the comfort of your home or office
Duration: 2 hours
Date: October 12, 2023
If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

Topic: Travel
Incentive: $125 digital incentive
Who: Nationwide residents
Type: online bulletin board
Location: From the comfort of your home
Duration: 1-day
Date: October 24th, 2023
If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

Topic: Scalp and Skincare
Incentive: $125
Who: Females/35-55 years old
Type: Online Bulletin Board
Location: From the comfort of your home or office
Duration: 60-minutes
Date: October 25, 2023
If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

Topic: Flu Vaccines
Incentive: $150
Who: Males & Females; Ages 18-49
Type: Webcam Group
Duration: 60 minutes
Where: From the comfort of your home or office
Date(s): October 25th -31st
Time(s) At various times
*YOU MUST HAVE A WORKING WEBCAM ON YOUR DESKTOP OR LAPTOP TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STUDY.
If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Today is National Child Health Day!

The first Monday of October is National Child Health Day. I’m taking a little time today to share some ways you can keep your kiddos healthy while still staying on budget.

Here is my post about how to care for your children’s vision on a budget. If your kids are hard on glasses like my big kid is, contact the company/optometrist’s office if the glasses break within 6 months of receiving them. My kiddo gets 1 pair per year through insurance, and I make sure that if anything goes wrong, we contact the office and get them repaired or replaced ASAP.

Here in California vision and dental insurance is included under health insurance plans for kids 18 and under. To learn more, check the back of your kid’s health insurance card for phone numbers.

Studies have proven that poor dental health and hygiene can lead to other more severe health issues, so please take care of the kiddos chompers! My kids love the Toms of Maine Strawberry toothpaste (also available in fluoride free).  They are not bubblegum or mint fans. Whatever it takes to get them to brush their teeth!!

Another thing that is important to overall health is PROPER REST. The CDC recommendations can be found here. My littlest is hard to get settled for bed, so here are some of the ways we help get her ready to rest each night: