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Fetch Rewards: Buy Bayer Products, Earn 5000 Points & Help Others!

Abby H.

It’s a good time to shop Bayer

The company is donating 1 million over-the-counter and multivitamin products to families in need throughout 2022*.

Right now, you’ll earn 5,000 points when you spend $25 on participating Bayer products below, now through 1/26/2022.

If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, or want to learn more, check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I earned $295 in rewards in 2021 alone, just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning in all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).

It is simple, takes minutes, and the points really rack up!

Fetch Rewards: Earn up to 20,000 Points with Unilever Products!

Abby H.

Earn rewards FAST with these brands!

Grocery Store Mix & Match is back. Now through 2/28, spend $15 on a wide range of popular Unilever brands and get 5,000 points*. Redeem this Special Offer up to four times for a total of 20,000 points.

Redeeming this offer is simple. Head to any of these 5,000+ participating grocery stores, buy your favorite products from these Unilever brands, and snap your receipts!

If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, or want to learn more, check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I earned $295 in rewards in 2021 alone, just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning in all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).

It is simple, takes minutes, and the points really rack up!

 

Make $10 by writing Software Reviews with G2!

Abby H.

G2 is a peer-to-peer review site. If you are looking to learn about new software before you purchase it, G2 is a great place to look. Right now G2 is offering $10 Amazon gift cards to those who review software that you have used in your business. It’s a quick, easy way to share your opinions of software and earn a little extra.

Plus, once you have reviewed for them, they will contact you when they are looking for more reviews (with incentives). I earn about $30/month from G2 writing reviews. It doesn’t take long, and it gives me a little extra fun money.

You will need to log in with either Google Business credentials or your LinkedIn account.

To get started, click here.

My Favorite Things and a $100 Gift Card Giveaway!

Abby H.15 Comments

I had respite last night, so I ran some errands and stopped to pick up a couple of my favorite things, and after my trip to CVS the other day, I knew I had to do this post. I posted about my trip here on Instagram.

I’ve shared my favorite things before, and this autumn I’ve got some new favs to share.

Note: This list is 100% pumpkin and pumpkin spice free. I know y’all love both, but I’m not a big gourd fan.

Gaiam Finger Massager Dual-Sided Hand Massage Roller Tool for Circulation, Stress, Arthritis and Hand Pain Relief- I picked one of these up at Target and it has done wonders for my stiff hands and fingers. And less than $10. I use it daily.

Tree Hut Sugar Scrubs. I like the Moroccan Rose (which I assure you does not smell like roses or old ladies), but the mango is good too. I usually buy it at Target, and it comes in 4 or 5 scents. Because it’s made with sugar, you can use it on freshly shaved skin!

I needed new sneakers for my job, so I picked up these New Balance Women’s Fresh Foam 1080 V11 Running Shoes and it’s like walking on a cloud! If you’ve seen my Instagram feed, you’ve seen my weekly posts of my step counts. I get a lot of walking in each weekday, and my feet needed something more supportive.

Speaking of support, I’m going to fully embrace my descent into becoming an old lady when I tell you compression socks are where it’s at. Seriously, they keep my legs warm, and they keep the soreness in my feet and legs at bay. This is super important when you are walking upwards of 15,000 steps a day.

How do I have the energy to do all that walking? I’ve recently come to appreciate the Espresso Con Panna. It’s two (or more) shots of espresso topped with whipped cream. Yup. so delicious.  And water. Lots of water. don’t forget to hydrate!

And possibly my most favorite items this fall are Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser. I have been in love with these products for like 10 years. Probably longer. Ever since I was introduced to Dermalogica in beauty school, I fell in love with their products, and for the longest time, I didn’t use them because I couldn’t afford them.

Now it’s sold at CVS. In the fancy/expensive product area. Where it’s all locked up. I had a 30% off my entire purchase coupon and I also had some extra care bucks, so I decided to splurge.

My skin has not felt this good in so long, I am frugal, and I always try to use quality skincare products, but I think I’m going back to Dermalogica 100% now.

Life has kicked up a notch, and I’ve been so busy. You’ve probably noticed fewer posts here and on Social Media.

I wanted to celebrate my new job and this awesome season by giving away a $100 gift card. The winner gets to choose either an Amazon.com GC, or a Target gift card to be delivered via email. More information and deets will be listed below.

Enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter here. Your first step is to leave a comment on this blog post. I want to know what you would buy yourself if you won. I want you to spend this gift card on yourself! New cozy sweaters, or some of the items on my Favorite Things list! I’ll choose a winner on 11/6/21- that gives you plenty of time to enter- there are entries you can do daily.

**Details, etc. Contest available to US residents only. The winner will select from $100 Amazon.com GC or $100 target GC to be delivered via email within 24 business hours of confirmation/certification of the winner. Failure to respond within 24 business hours to the winning email will result in forfeiture of the prize and a runner-up will be selected.

 

Gallery glass DIY: easy faux stained glass window clings!

Abby H.1 Comment

About 10 years ago I was gifted a beautiful set of glass dishes from a friend. They were painted with my SCA device/badge (they are blue and white with blue and white Fleur de Lis). I still have them, what I love about them is they look like they were made from stained glass.

The person who gave them to me used Gallery Glass, which is a glass paint that looks like stained glass once it dries.

I have played around with this medium myself over the past few years, and recently I wanted to decorate the kid’s windows, a mirror, and make some window clings/fake stain glass for some friends.

Before we start this DIY, all of the items that you need to make these projects, as well as some more kid-friendly sun catchers can be found here in my Amazon storefront.

I do earn a small commission when you purchase items through my Amazon links, Think about it as buying me a cup of coffee, or a taco.

Using Gallery Glass is very simple. If you have ever used puffy paint or fabric paint, you can use gallery glass. You can paint on glass, you can paint on mirrors, or any sort of clear glass dish/cup/bowl, or you can make window clings like I will be showing you below.

For the window clings, I start with a high-quality heavy-duty page protector.

Find an image that you wish to make into a window cling. I’ve done Celtic Knot Bears, prehistoric fish, unicorns, mandalas. Whatever speaks to you!

Slip the printout/drawing of what you want to make into the page protector. You’re going to use the faux leading (if you run out of this and can’t find more in town, sometimes in a pinch I will use black fabric/puffy paint). If your image is all straight lines, you can use the peel and stick leading (found here).

For this project, I used white puffy paint on a glass picture frame. The black leading wouldn’t have “popped” as much, and the white gave me the detail I wanted.

You will outline your image with the faux leading, and allow it to dry. Depending on the weather/humidity it can be as little as a few hours, or it can take overnight to dry properly.

Finished project- Gift for my dad

Once the leading has dried, select your colors of gallery glass and fill in the leaded “panes“ and allow your creation to dry. I usually let them sit for 24 to 48 hours to dry all the way, and cure a little bit so they’re not tacky. Once that time has elapsed you can make it a permanent window cling by gently peeling your creation off of the page protector and applying it to the window/glass as needed.

If you want something you can move around, then you will remove the paper from the inside of the page protector, and cut the image out of the page protector. And then place the creation on the window. The side with the page protector adhered to it will be facing outwards/not against the glass.

If you were looking for ideas for different art styles or creations for your stained glass/window cling project, check out my Pinterest board here. This is a project that anyone can do. It is a fun project, it is not necessarily good for small children, but I would say anyone probably ages 10 and up can handle it. It does take a lot of patience. And a fairly steady hand. This is why I tend to get Suncatcher painting kits for the little kid to do while I work on these. She can sit and do her “Stainglass“ craft while I do mine. These make great gifts. And they are absolutely beautiful.

The supplies can be a little expensive, but once you have them, a bottle of gallery glass will last you between 5 to 10 projects, depending on what size, and how many other colors you’re using in your project. Some local craft stores sell gallery glass products in their stores, so before you buy them on Amazon, you might try your local craft store.

My next big project is a Pride Flag for my nibling. I’ll be using a piece of clear acrylic (18×24) and the peel and stick leading, since it’s all straight lines.

Earn Gift Cards and Rewards with UpVoice!

Abby H.

In my list of monthly side hustles, I noticed I’m almost ready to cash out on UpVoice, and I wanted to share it with you again in case you haven’t signed up and started earning.

Screen Shot 2019-08-26 at 8.06.04 AM.pngI posted about UpVoice in late 2019 (see my original post here), and for a while, the program was down for some updates, and it’s back! Not only is  UpVoice back, but you can earn points the usual way, you can also earn points for referring your friends and family.

Do you spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin, and Amazon? If you do, consider joining UpVoice! UpVoice is BrandTotal’s user panel. They use the data that they collect from the UpVoice panel to build special insights for brands on their advertising activities and the ad campaigns of their competitors.

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I’ve been a member since August 2019, and I’ve earned over $140!

All you have to do is:

  • Click on the extension’s icon and go to the new “Referral” tab on the dashboard.
  • Copy your unique referral link.
  • Share it with your people through text messages, email, social media platforms, or any other way.

That’s it! Earn $5 (300 tokens) for every referral who fills out the qualification form on the website, installs the Chrome extension, and gains their first 100 tokens. You earn rewards for up to 20 successful referrals.

To get started, click here.

This post contains my referral link- if you click on it and install, I may earn a referral bonus.

Have Your Hot Girl Summer on a Budget

Abby H.

I’m sure by now everyone has heard the phrase “Hot Girl Summer”, but do you know what it means? The phrase can be traced back to a Megan Thee Stallion song a few years ago.

On Twitter, she explained: “Being a Hot Girl is about being unapologetically YOU, having fun, being confident, living YOUR truth, being the life of the party, etc.”

A couple of my friends have embraced it, and I think that it’s a pretty amazing outlook to have, especially since last summer was, well, Sad Trombone Noise? I know the kids are looking forward to having fun, more adventures, and getting out of the house. Here are a couple ways I’m bringing Hot Girl Summer (and sharing it with the fam).

New Bathing Suits. Kids grow, but what about me? Well after having the same swimsuits for 3 years, it’s time. Especially since we swim daily.  I bought a few new suits from Amazon. Since I’m fair-skinned I picked up one with long sleeves, the kids tease me about working at SeaWorld. This is just one of the many suits I’ve got. It’s perfect for prime sun time.

 

New Pool Bag and New Pool Toys. Every Summer it seems, we need new pool toys and a new pool bag. The Chlorine wrecks our bag (which is mesh- this helps the pool toys dry quickly), and daily use of toys leaves them.. wrecked. Dollar Tree has a great selection of sturdy pool toys, including inflatables for kids (We have a cool cookie ring that has a “bite” taken out of it). For me, I picked up a sweet inflatable float pool chair. 

Plans to meet up with friends. Now that most people have access to the vaccine, getting together with friends is a lot more feasible. We are still limiting ourselves and staying away from large gatherings where we don’t know everyone, but dinner and drinks with friends sound amazing. I’m hosting dinners a couple times a month over the summer for a few reasons: 1. To keep all of our costs down (Dinner out with drinks costs $$$ these days), and honestly, I don’t feel super safe going out for dinner all that often, especially now that there are no mask regulations in our state. And I’m having a weekend getaway with some girlfriends in a few weeks. I am really looking forward to a weekend away in a vacation rental doing a whole lot of nothing!

Take Advantage of the season: What does that mean? Summer has all sorts of fun advantages: Long days, Amazing fruit and veggies are in season, nice weather. Spend time outside (poolside, at the beach, exploring nature), enjoy a big bowl of fruit salad, make a huge salad! Community events are starting to come back (with limited event sizes), and there are lots of free events throughout the summer. EventBrite is a great place to find community events.

Make Time for You: I know… So many blogs and social media tell you to get self-care time and spend time doing things that you love, but as a parent, it can be hard without staying up late or waking up before dawn. Finding a sitter can be tough too. It’s ok to lean on family and friends. The past year has been exponentially tough on parents, and you need time to yourself. Swap child care with friends, or if you want to have a night out, split the cost of a sitter. Your kids can hang out together, while you and your friends get some time away.

Take Care of Yourself: And I don’t mean the stereotypical self-care of putting on a mud mask and drinking water with lemon slices. That’s fun, but I mean the simple acts that we often overlook as caregivers.

  • Sunscreen for your face and any exposed areas when you’ll be outside for more than 10 minutes during peak sun hours (usually 10am-4pm). Don’t forget the tops of your ears. Being super fair-skinned I also wear a sun hat too. Not super sexy, but I don’t want skin cancer.
  • Take something to drink with you. I know most of you pack snacks for your kids when you leave home, but take a few extra minutes to make yourself something that you like (bonus if it’s a snack that your kids do not like- No sharing!), and fill your water bottle. This is the water bottle I use. If you like fruit-infused water, bottles like this are great.  You can also opt for an infuser to go into your favorite bottle or insulated cup.
  • Find Something to Keep You Occupied.  Besides your kids. Pick up a book, grab a craft kit (I like embroidery- it’s easy and portable), Craftsy has some cool online classes to get you started.

I’d love to hear about how you are bringing Hot Girl Summer. Leave a comment below!

 

 

 

Reviewing Products from Tomoson: Sometimes it’s a no go.

Abby H.

I received this product for free (I paid for shipping and tax) in exchange for an honest review.

Recently I decided to check out Tomoson again and see what kind of fun products I could review. I stumbled upon this Vela Contour from Anacis. I thought “Why Not?”.

Here’s why not.

After wearing it for 40 minutes (the amount of time in the directions), I had a head and jaw ache. I figured I had it on too tight. So the next day I loosened it. Same thing.
After loosening it daily and wearing it per the directions for a week, not only did I not see any results, but I had the same head/jaw ache each time.

Zero Stars. Skip it.

Usually when I try products through Tomoson and I blog reviews, I give a backstory or tips and tricks to use the item. Not this time. I took no photos of myself in this contraption. This face slimmer is a hard pass for me. And honestly, getting a lemon of a product is bound to happen. It’s the law of probability. Sometimes you’ll get something cool, in fact, most times you will. This is maybe the second product in 4-ish years that has lacked any redeeming value.

You can buy this contraption on Amazon or Walmart.com if you feel the need to torture yourself, but as for me, I’ll be adding mine to the donate box.

I received this product for free (I paid for shipping and tax) in exchange for an honest review.

 

It’s Back! Earn Gift Cards and Rewards with UpVoice!

Abby H.

WOO HOO! It’s back! I’m stoked- I love UpVoice. It’s a super-easy way to earn gift cards.

Screen Shot 2019-08-26 at 8.06.04 AM.pngI posted about UpVoice in late 2019 (see my original post here), and for a while, the program was down for some updates, and it’s back! Not only is  UpVoice back, but you can earn points the usual way, you can also earn points for referring your friends and family.

Do you spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin, and Amazon? If you do, consider joining UpVoice! UpVoice is BrandTotal’s user panel. They use the data that they collect from the UpVoice panel to build special insights for brands on their advertising activities and the ad campaigns of their competitors.

unnamed.png

I’ve been a member since August 2019, and I’ve earned over $140!

All you have to do is:

  • Click on the extension’s icon and go to the new “Referral” tab on the dashboard.
  • Copy your unique referral link.
  • Share it with your people through text messages, email, social media platforms, or any other way.

That’s it! Earn $5 (300 tokens) for every referral who fills out the qualification form on the website, installs the Chrome extension, and gains their first 100 tokens. You earn rewards for up to 20 successful referrals.

To get started, click here.

This post contains my referral link- if you click on it and install, I may earn a referral bonus.

At Home Educational Opportunities for Kids!

Abby H.

Most of us are burned the heck out from distance learning, hybrid learning, or jumping feet first into homeschooling. This last year has put us through the wringer.

I’ve been doing some research on apps, online programs, and ways for my kids to learn without them feeling like the weight of school is pressing down on them. I’m tired of Zoom Meetings, regardless of what they are for (the least useful for me at least was the telehealth appointment for physical therapy for one of the kids).

Here are some of the cool stuff I’ve found:

I’m sure most of you have heard of ABC Mouse. Right now when you sign up and receive a 30 Day FREE Trial of ABCmouse.
When I discovered this deal, I signed up for it. Bitty Bird needs a little help with phonics and reading, and I figured with a deal like this, we should give ABC Mouse a shot.

Membership includes: 8,500+ Learning Activities, Access on All Devices, Comprehensive Online Learning, and Advanced Progress Tracking.

Add up to 3 children for the price of one.

If your kiddo is older than 2nd grade, ABCMouse isn’t for you, but there is still a great program for your big kiddos!

Adventure Academy is a great way for older kids to learn, and you can try the first 30 days free.

Membership includes: 8,500+ Learning Activities, Access on All Devices, Comprehensive Online Learning and Advanced Progress Tracking

Add up to 3 children for the price of one.

 

And did you know that Hooked on Phonics is still around? Your first month is $1!

Here ‘s What You’ll Get Monthly:

  • Unlimited access to the Learn to Read app
  • Get a FREE Disney Bookbag with your welcome package. Your FREE gift will be automatically added to your cart. Offer valid for new members only.
  • Workbooks that direct you through each step of the program
  • 2 or 3 books specifically written to reinforce the lessons learned
  • Discussion questions about each book designed to strengthen reading comprehension.
  • Celebration stickers to reward reading milestones
  • Tips & ideas on how to extend the learning at home and on the go
And one of my favorite freebies is the amazing varieties of free Kindle e-books available on Amazon when you have a subscription to Amazon Prime!