Ever wonder what you’re going to do with all those free samples you get in the mail and the free trial size items in store? I typically like to store mine in a bin for when we go on vacation I can quickly grab what we’ll need. They are also fantastic for donating to the Ronald McDonald House and other charities!

But there’s also another unique way to use those samples, I had a reader suggest this a few months back and I thought it was a fantastic idea, one i’d never thought of before.

Take all the samples and place them in a basket for your house guest! Stock them up with body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, mouth wash, etc. Items that some guest may forget to bring with them and that way you’re not having to constantly hand out your full size products for each guest to use. Not to mention  it’s a nice “welcome gift” for house guest, our friend told us he felt like he was staying at a hotel when he saw the basket of goodies to use!

(I do recommend having the guest take certain items with them or discard after use such as razors, toothbrush, deodorant, mouthwash, etc)

My husband and I have tried a lot of methods to balance our bills since we’ve been married. One of our older methods was to cash our paychecks instead of deposit them. That evening we would set aside what goes to what bill and what remains for groceries, gas, etc etc. Well that method didn’t work too well for us because we can’t keep track of where the cash goes and I don’t like that. We spend cash quicker than anyone because it’s there and at the end of the week I can’t figure out where it went!

After that method flopped horribly we stopped using cash all together. And while it is a pain at times to only have a debit card, it stops needless spending and I can track where every penny goes! I write every single debit transaction in our checkbook and balance it a few times a week so we always know what we have.

Our new bill method is also quite a bit more organized and works great for us, so I thought I’d share! I actually write all our bills for the month on a planner we have…  [Read more...]

If you’re looking for a delicious desert to make during the winter break Sippy Cup Mom has a fantastic one for Easy S’mores Bars!

I plan on making these next week for us to try out, not sure if it’s the pregnancy or just the delicious looking photos but I can’t stop thinking about these now, haha.