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5 Ways To Improve Your Sleep Quality

May 29, 2014

Sleep is so important. Not only does it give you energy for the next day, but it’s also when your body helps to repair itself, fight off sickness, and grow. We know it is a problem if you aren’t getting enough sleep, but it is also a problem if you aren’t getting a good quality sleep. Have you ever woken up and you feel more tired than you were the night before you went to sleep? Here are a few tips to improve the quality of your sleep and sleep better!

1. Sleep Schedule

Your sleep schedule is so important. Going to sleep at the same time every night and waking up at the same time gets your body on a schedule. Being on a schedule will help your body know when to begin to relax and help wake up refreshed.

2. Bedtime Routine

Not only is it important to go to sleep at the same time (yes, even on the weekends!) but also to have a bedtime routine. Giving your body time to unwind and begin to relax can help you fall asleep quickly. Think about it, just because you go to sleep at 10, doesn’t mean you necessarily fall asleep at 10! You should start your bedtime relaxation routine about an hour before you go to bed. And you should really try to keep it electronic free! Electronics can stimulate your mind and there is nothing worse than laying in bed with a racing mind!

So here are some ideas for things to do to help relax:

– Take a bath or shower.

This will help you a lot! The warm water can help relax you, but it also helps regulate your body temperature. This is my favorite tip for summertime especially! I find that when it is really hot out a shower can help cool you down and makes it easier to fall asleep!

– Read

If you choose to read, proceed with caution! Choose your book carefully! This is something that could backfire on me! I’m the kind of person that if I start reading a really great book, I will stay up until 3 in the morning reading! And if it’s part of a series – forget about it!

But reading can be super relaxing! Just make sure you choose your book carefully!

– Drink a glass of tea

At night, a drink can help you relax as long as you are drinking the right thing! You might think that a glass of wine or other alcohol helps you wind down, but it doesn’t! And you should definitely avoid caffeine! Caffeine effects can last up to 12 hours! Avoid caffeine after lunch time and if you need coffee after that, switch to decaf!

Tea on the other hand, can be a great choice at night! Certain teas (like chamomile) can even help to sleep better! Just avoid drinking anything about 30 minutes before bed.

3. Exercise

You know exercise is good for you, but did you know that it will help you sleep better! Working out will help you fall asleep faster, in a deeper sleep and overall improve your sleep quality. But it shouldn’t be done right before bed! It will give you a boost of energy!

4. Your bed is your place!

Your bed should be your oasis! It should be a calming place that is a place that you look forward to going to each night. It might sound silly, but making your bed and keeping your space clean is so important. There is just something a little luxurious about turning down your sheets and climbing into a nice clean bed.

You can even spray your pillows with a lavender spray. Lavender is a scent that is really relaxing and can make your bed seem like a real oasis!

Not only should your bed be a place you should enjoy, but it should be a place for you! (And your spouse!) The more people and fur babies that you pile into your bed, the more kicking, tossing, turning, snoring, getting up in the middle of the night and less overall room you have to get a good night sleep!

A quality mattress, pillows and sheets should be an investment. Some things are ok to splurge on! And these are a few of those things!

5. Prepare for tomorrow … today!

Don’t stress about tomorrow. Mornings can be hectic and crazy. Ease your tensions the night before by doing what you can the night before. Going to bed knowing that your clothes are ready, you know where the kid’s shoes are, school papers are signed, lunches packed, and breakfast is laid out means that you can rest easy. (And your mornings will be much easier!) If you shower at night then your mornings will be even easier!

Everyone needs a good sleep! These are just a few easy tips and tricks that you can use to help improve the quality of your sleep. Don’t forget to pin!

Avocados – Everything You Need To Know

May 26, 2014

Avocados are one of those things that used to intimidate me. How do you tell when avocados are ripe? How do you cut avocados? Heck, is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable? Avocados were just not something I was familiar with. Except for the fact that guacamole is delicious.

So for all of you who stand in the produce aisle confused this is for you! Avocados and everything you need to know!

First of all. Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable?

Avocados are fruits! (Random fact: They are also called an alligator pear.)

How can you tell when an avocado is ripe?

Hold the avocado in the palm of your hand. Gently squeeze. If it is ripe it will be firm but also yield to gentle pressure.

Make sure you avoid fruit with dark blemishes on the skin or over soft fruit.

How do you ripen avocados?

Avocados don’t take long to ripen. Simply place the avocado in a plain brown bag and store at room temperature. It will be ripe in a few days (2-5).

I don’t have 2-5 days!

Put an apple or banana in the bag with the avocado to speed up the process!

Do NOT use the microwave to speed up the process!

Alright. It’s ripe. How do I cut an avocado?

Cutting an avocado is pretty easy! Cut in half lengthwise around the seed. The turn it a quarter, and cut in half again. Remove the seed, but don’t throw it away! Then, starting at one end peel of the skin.

Why don’t I throw the seed away?

Because you can use it to regrow an avocado plant! Pretty awesome huh? Find out how here.

What do I do with my leftover avocado?

If you have any avocado leftover it is really easy to store. If it is uncut, store them in the refrigerator. If you have already cut it, sprinkle it with lemon, lime or white vinegar. Wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in an air tight container.

And just for any of you trivia people out there…

Did you know that California produces 90% of the nation’s avocados and 40% of all of those are grown in San Diego County.

43% of all US households buy avocados.

So there you go! Next time you are at the store craving some guacamole there is no need to be intimidated! Go ahead and pick up a few!

How To Replant Your Avocado Pit

May 26, 2014

Did you know that you can replant your avocado pit and out will grow a new plant? Pretty cool, huh? It’s really easy to do!

So the process is really easy. All you will need is a dish (like a custard dish or an old jar) and toothpicks. Oh and a little patience. It will take a few weeks to get started!

So after you have cut your avocado (learn the right way to cut it here) insert 4 toothpicks into the avocado pit. You will want to put the toothpicks into the center.

Fill your dish with water.

Then, balancing the toothpicks on the rim of your cup or jar, put the avocado so the bottom half is submerged into the water.

Place in a sunny spot. You will want to watch it. Every couple days you will need to add more water.

In a few weeks you will begin to see the pit begin to split open. Then, in a few more weeks your stem will shoot up. Then again, a few more weeks will yield leaves.

You will want to transplant into soil when your stem is about 7 to 8 inches tall. Prune the top few leaves. When you plant your avocado (you will need about a 10 inch pot), plant root side down and leave the top half of the pit exposed. Slowly add a little water. Keep your plant in a sunny spot!

Here are a few tips for growing a healthy avocado plant:

* You can plant your avocado plant outdoors, but they like warm sunny weather. If it gets below 45 make sure you can bring it indoors.

* Keep the soil moist, but be sure not to over water it. If the leaves begin to turn yellow that is a sign it is over watered.

* Now, before you go planting and expecting to harvest your own avocados in your backyard. You should know that this will probably NOT produce avocados unless you graft a fruit bearing tree onto your plant. And I am not an expert on that so you will have to do a little research. But this WILL give you a really nice plant and also be a fun project to do with the kids! 🙂

Don’t forget to pin!

How To Save Money At The Movie Theater

May 17, 2014

Are you ready for a huge number? 4,086. That is the amount that the average American family spends each year on entertainment. The average American family spends $1,367 of that at the movies. That’s a LOT of money! Luckily, I’ve got lots of tips for you to save big on your next family movie night! Here are tons of ways to save money at the movie theater!

Let’s Save On Tickets

Like everything else it seems, prices are on the rise for movie tickets. Here are some ways that you can save on your tickets!

Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

Buy your tickets in bulk.

This is my favorite thing to do each year! Close to our home is a Regal Theater so that is where I get my tickets. Each year I purchase a set of 50 tickets.

Pros:

– This is the easiest way to save money on tickets! A ticket to a 3D movie on a Friday night can cost $14. When I purchase my tickets in bulk it costs me $9.50. A regular ticket will cost $10.50 – with buying the tickets in bulk they cost only $8. That is a savings of $2.50 – $4.50 each!

– The tickets don’t expire and you can use them for any movie!

– 50 tickets is good for 25 date nights! 25 dates that are prepaid. If you don’t think that you can use all of those tickets (don’t forget to keep a few on hand for last minute gifts and for when the PTO calls for those silent auction donations!) go in with a friend! Going in with a friend means you each get 25 tickets – which is one movie night a month with an extra ticket left over!

Cons:

– Where we live children tickets are $7.25 for a Friday night movie. At $8 each for the prepaid tickets, it’s actually more expensive. Now, if you are going to a 3D movie, a child’s ticket is $10.75 so you would save $2.75.

– Sometimes it’s hard to come up with an upfront cost. 50 Premiere tickets will cost $400. (You can get a VIP tickets for $7 each, but these tickets will not be good on new releases – you will need to wait 12 days after the movie has come out.)

Have you joined the Ibotta App yet? Sign up here to download it onto your smart phone! Not only will you be able to save on groceries but also at the movie theater, restaurants and many other places! Just take a photo of your receipt (or movie ticket stubs) and the cash will be deposited into your account! It’s free to download! (Sign up here!)

You can even cash out your savings from places like the grocery store and restaurants as a movie theater gift card.

Use Your Memberships!

Movie theaters are giving discounts. You just have to know where to look!

AAA Make sure you check out the AAA website for your local theater to see if they are currently offering discounts.

Students If you have a student ID it could get you a discount!

Seniors Check your local theater to see if they offer a senior discount or Senior Day.

Warehouse Club Store Members Did you know that you can check your local Costco or Sam’s Club to see if they are selling tickets? You can currently get 10 tickets for $84 at Costco. That is $8.40 each (a savings of $2.10 per ticket).

Groupon and Living Social are also great places to check to see if there are any deals on tickets!

Change When You See

If you are able to change when you are able to go to the movie theater on a Monday-Thursday in the afternoon you can save big! Tickets cost about $8.50 each! That’s about 20% savings!

Change What You See

Those 3D movies can really bump up the cost! By going to see a regular 2D movie as opposed to a 3D movie can save you up to $3.50 each! If you have kids 3D movies are really cool, but those glasses are hard to keep on throughout the whole movie! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve purchased 3D tickets and my son wears them through the previews and as soon as the movie starts he takes them off and says “Here Mom!” No more 3D movies for us for a while!

Get Free Tickets

Yes, I said free tickets! Join Recyclebank! Recyclebank is an easy way to earn points for learning about going green. You can then turn your points in for gift cards and my favorite, movie tickets! Earning points is really easy and can be done in a few minutes a week.

Let’s Save On Concessions!

Buy Discounted Gift Cards

Now that we have gotten your tickets at a discount, lets use one of those discounted gift cards to get some concessions!

Where can you get discounted gift cards? Check your local theater! Especially at the holidays, your local theater may offer a bonus gift card or free concessions with a purchase. (Another thing to check for is if they have an discounted snack days. These are typically during the week and may include things like $2 candy or $1 drinks.) (Find out how to save on gift cards here!)

Currently our local theater is offering a free $10 gift card with the purchase of a $25 gift card. That’s almost a bonus 50%!

Discount gift card sites are another place where you can purchase gift cards. Card Cash has movie theater gift cards currently at 11% off their face value.

Use Coupons

Do you have an entertainment book? Be sure to check for coupons before you head out! (Get one here!)

Eat First

And speaking of before out head out, eat before the movies! I’m not saying skip out on the popcorn by any means!! But instead of a large popcorn going in full will make that small size completely satisfying.

Sign Up for Loyalty Programs

Now Your On You Are on Your Way To Savings

Make sure to follow your local theaters on social media to learn about special programs! Kid’s Summer Programs (many theaters will offer $1 movies in the summer!), programs for kids with Autism and other sensory disorders or discounted tickets for older movies.

And remember that friend you shared those bulk tickets with? Make sure to set up babysitting with them. Offer that when they are using their tickets you will babysit their children and when you are on your date you can drop off your kids to them. Trading on babysitting is a great way to save!

The movies are a great family activity and date night. With these tips you can easily save 30% (or even more if you trade off babysitting with a friend!)

How To Save Money On Meat

April 9, 2014

It’s no secret that grocery prices have been increasing. Luckily, your grocery bill is one of the easiest bills to reduce! There are tons of tricks you can use to lower your bill, but today I’m going to teach you how to save money on meat.

Find Your Stock Up Price

The most important thing you need to know in saving on anything is to know when it is a good deal. Think about it, if you don’t know what a good sale price is, how can really know it is a good deal? This might seem a little intimidating at first, but just take it a few items at a time! Next time you are at the store, pick a few items that you regularly like to purchase and write down the regular price of each item. Then, write down how much they items were on sale for (if they are on sale). Each week, when your store circular ads gets delivered write down the new sale price (again, if they are on sale). After a few weeks, you will see begin to see how to store prices go in cycles.

Knowing your stock up prices and how often your store puts items on sale will help you determine when to buy and how much to buy until the next time that prices will hit your stock up price.

Which brings us to the second tip to save money on meat.

Buy in Bulk

Sometimes I feel like a stockbroker, buy low! When your stock up price comes up stock up!

– Many stores also will sell ‘Family Packs’ that are cheaper per pound. For our family, we just take them home and divide them up.

– Consider buying your meat from a farm. You can purchase a whole or a half of a pig or cow. If that is too much for your family or you don’t have access to a large enough freezer ask family members or friends to go in with you!

– Order online! Did you know you can purchase online? Zaycon Foods is a great place to get really fresh, great meat! You simply sign up and check which products they have available in your area. Then you place your order and drive to your local location to pick it up on delivery day! They seriously have TONS of locations – I bet there is one near you! (You can check here.)

Items are sold by the case (so again, if you need to go in with a friend!) and lots of times you can volunteer to work a few hours on delivery day to earn a credit on your next order! (In the past I’ve seen credits for $15 for each hour worked! Not too shabby!) The meat is fresh (their chicken is no hormones or additives added – LOVE that!) and at whole sale prices. You do have to go home and portion it out and freeze but you save a bundle!

(For more information and to see what foods are currently available in your area visit here.)

Be On The Look Out For Discounted Meats

Even though we buy in bulk, while I’m at the store I like to keep my eye out for discounted meats. You know the ones, with the sticker that says best if used or froze by tomorrow? You can get great deals out there on mark downs! Just be sure to use them that night or pop them in the freezer!

Ask your meat manager if they do their mark downs in the morning or in the evenings. Knowing when to shop can save you a bundle!

Try a Different Cut

Buying boneless, skinless is nice but did you know you can often save a BIG chunk by buying bone in and skin on? Or that if you buyer a cheaper cut of meat and cook it in your slow cooker it will come out nice and tender? Don’t be intimidated by the different cuts of meat. And if you have questions or want suggestions just ask your meat manager or butcher! They are always great for giving advice!

Make Enough – But Not Too Much!

We have a small household – just 3 of us. And I’m going to be honest – we are horrible about leftovers. They get packaged with the best intentions. And then they get thrown away. For us, we don’t need a whole big tenderloin. So when I get home, I cut it in half and freeze it! We have plenty for dinner, but not enough for leftovers. Which means nothing gets wasted! Which means you not only save money on meat, but you save money on all of your food!

Shopping at night?

If you find yourself making a dash to the store at night, check to see if the rotisserie chickens have been marked down! Since these are made daily stores often marks them WAY down later in the evenings after the dinner rush. Our stores will mark them down to 99¢ or $1.99! They are perfect for taking home and shredding to add to salads, tacos, etc for lunch the next day or even dinner!

Cut Back On How Much Meat You Eat

Try implementing a Meatless night or serving the meat as a side dish rather than the main course. (Think spaghetti with a side of meatballs or a yummy salad with some chicken.) You can also try using less meat and adding things like beans or rice to your burgers. Many times no one can tell that you added them!

What are your best tips for saving on meat?

Make sure to check out all of our articles on How To Save On Everything here.

Boxtera Review & Giveaway – Healthy Snacks Delivered to Your Door!

April 7, 2014

I’m so excited to spill the beans! A few weeks ago I got an invitation to be a Boxtera Blogger! Yay! Which means I get one of Boxtera’s awesome monthly subscription boxes sent my way to share with you and give one away! Each month Boxtera fills a box with healthy snacks and mails it right to your door. They use FULL size products which is awesome since lots of monthly boxes just do samples!

Their products are designed to entice your taste buds by sending you one each of a salty, sweet, savory, sour and bitter snacks. These are natural products with no trans fats, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial colors, and no artificial flavors!

You can choose from their standard box (which I received) which includes 5 full size products for $19.99 each month or the family sized box which includes 10 full size products for $29.99. (There is also a company size too!) Shipping is FREE! That means you are paying between $3 and $4 for each full size snack to be delivered to your door! (Want a discount code? Use APRILBOX for an additional 10% off!)

My Boxtera Review

I have to say, one thing I loved about my box was that it was filled not only with good for you foods, but foods I probably wouldn’t have purchased at the store myself. And they were all really good! (If you find a snack you love and need more you can order individual bags on Boxtera’s website!)

The first thing I pulled out of my box was a bag of BBQ Banana Chips. They had run out of the toasted watermelon seeds so this was my surprise. I will be honest. The first thought I had when I read it was – ew. Gross. But I decided to be open and try it and guess what? They were good! Like you eat them in one sitting if you aren’t careful good! They didn’t taste ‘banana-y’ but instead of a really good sweet BBQ flavor. The fact that the BBQ was coated on a banana chip gave it a great texture and super crunch.

The next snack I pulled out was the Honey Almond Crunch. This was the savory choice. It’s a great snack mix filled with almonds, dried cinnamon apple, dried pineapple, cranberries, sesame sticks, and honey roasted peanuts. This was my favorite! I will have to order a few extra bags! The mix of fruits and nuts were perfect! Even if you don’t get a box – order a bag of this! 🙂

At this point I was super happy with my box! And then I pulled out dried tangerine slices. This was my ‘sour’ snack. They start off nice and sweet and then at the end you get the sour! They are AWESOME.

The Wasabi Bean Medley is full of rice crackers, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, almonds, lentils and black beans. It’s got some Wasabi flavor! I didn’t think the kids would be fans of it, but I was wrong! The bag was gone pretty quickly! I love that this snack packs in the protein!

The last item in my box were these banana ribbons. I was kind of excited – my son loves bananas. The banana ribbons tasted good, but they have a big banana-y smell. We ended up chopping them up and adding them to muffins and our oatmeal in the morning. For us, it’s perfect!

Overall I was really impressed with Boxtera! I’m super excited to get next month’s box and try out all the delicious snacks that will be arriving to my door! I love the fact that they are all healthy snacks and I love the fact that we can eat healthy on a budget! (Not to mention they are shipped to my door!)

Want to sign up to receive Boxtera delivered to your home? Click here.
Make sure to follow Boxtera on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram too!

One lucky winner will receive a Boxtera Box of their own! Good Luck!

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Project Resell: What sold this week

March 18, 2014

I don’t want to jinx anything, but spring is almost here. Which means garage sales and estate sales! I’m pretty excited! My mom and I love going to auctions and estate sales. Our new adventure is to bring items home and resell them. It’s a fun hobby to have! We learn tons of things (I think we are becoming quite the Useless Trivia Queens!) Plus, it’s a great way to earn extra money!!

Here are a few of the things from the past week that I sold:

Majolica Lion PitcherBought: $85
Sold: $150.00
Profit: $65
Sold in 1 week

Cobalt Blue Salt Glaze CrockI loved this crock! I was really tempted to keep it for myself. I think I should have kept it!
Bought: $50
Sold: $79.99 (See, I think I should have kept it!)
Profit: $30
Sold in 2 week

I got pretty lucky. I paid $20 for about 20 different tea cups. I purchased them kind of blind and didn’t know what kind of cups were in there. I figured I would be able to sell 8-10 of them for $10 each. Surprise! After some research there were some pretty good ones!
Crown Devon Fieldings Tea Cup & Saucer
Bought: $1.00
Sold: $50.00
Profit: $49.00
Sold in 1 week

Shelley Dainty Green Tea Cup & Saucer
This was another cup in my lucky box! I will be on the look out for more of these for sure!
Bought: $1.00
Sold: $94.20
Profit: $93.20
Sold in 1 week

Jadeite Water Cooler (Missing the Lid)
Bought: $50
Sold: $72.50
Profit: $22.50
Sold in 1 week

I wasn’t sure how this would play out since it was missing the lid. I over paid for it, but it was worth the gamble to me. (If you find one with a lid they sell for $100ish)

It was a pretty good week! So far I’ve sold 6 tea cups (the 2 above and 4 more) for $184. Not bad for my $20! Plus, I have 14 more! 🙂

Pre-Order Frozen & Get Lowest Price Guarantee!

March 6, 2014

Just a heads up you can pre-order Frozen on DVD or Blu-Ray right now on Amazon! The price is already crazy low! $14.96 for DVD or $22.96 for Blu Ray DVD combo! Remember Amazon Prime and Amazon Mom members will get free 2 day shipping! (Not a Prime member? Sign up for a free trial here.)

I love pre-ordering movies on Amazon! They come with Amazon’s low price guarantee! That means if the price decreases between the time you order it and the end of the first release date you will be refunded the difference! I’m not sure that the price will go any lower (ANYWHERE!) so make sure to pick this deal up while it lasts!

Frozen comes out March 18! Get it here.

If you are not a Prime member and would like to get to the free shipping here are some more fun Frozen items (if you are a Prime member they all ship free!):

Frozen Golden Book $2.74

The Frozen Soundtrack (includes a free MP3 Version as well) $14.88

Frozen Sparkle Anna Doll $14.99

Good Workout Songs To Add to Your Playlist

February 7, 2014

I don’t know about you, but I am so much more productive with music on! In fact, I don’t think I can clean, cook, or blog without it on! You know what else I can’t do with a little musical motivation? Workout!! So since I’ve been trying to workout a little more these days I asked around and got my friends help filling up my play list. So if you are looking for good workout songs — here is a list to get you started!

Girl on Fire (Alicia Keys)

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (Beyonce)

Yeah! (Usher)

We Run The Night (Havana Brown)

Push It (Salt n Pepa)

Get The Party Started (Pink)

Sabotage (Beastie Boys)

Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera)

On the Floor (Jennifer Lopez featuring Pit Bull)

Die Young (Kesha)

Work B***** (Britney Spears)

Burn (Ellie Goulding)

Hear Me Now (Hollywood Undead)

Can’t Hold Us (Macklemore featuring Ray Dalton)

Feel This Moment (Pitbull)

So there you have it 15 good work out songs to power you through your next sweat session!

Turbo Blu-Ray/DVD Just $10 Shipped!

February 7, 2014

I don’t share as many deals as I used to but this one caught my eye! With all of the snow and below zero temperatures we have been inside by the fire! We rented Turbo and Josh loved it! And now on Amazon you can get the Turbo Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack for only $10 shipped with your Amazon Prime/Mom account!! (No Amazon Prime? You can sign up for a free trial here.)

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