Hi there! I always try to be a positive person but this past week was really horrible. I need a hug, maybe two. To take my mind off of things I thought I’d whip up a post.
WEEK 9
Retail Therapy
EBATES
If you guys know me you’ll know how much I love (1) to shop and (2) to get good deals. So I always use Ebates. Ebates is a site where you earn a certain % back on purchases you make online if you click through from the Ebates site. The stores (over 1,000) pay Ebates a commission and you get part of it. It’s free and super easy. Whenever you’re shopping online first check Ebates to see if they have that store.
I started using Ebates about a year and a half ago and I’ve gotten $453.59 back!
Here are some of my faves:
Sephora (8%), Nordstrom (3%), eBay (3%), Target (4%), Macy’s (6%), 1-800-Flowers (8%), Gap (2%), VistaPrint (6%), ValueMags (26%), Bloomingdale’s (2%), Kodak Gallery (10%), Snapfish (10%), Shutterfly (10%), Shopbop (6%), drugstore.com (6%)
If you use the link below and make a purchase through Ebates then you’ll get $5 and I’ll get $5. Yay!
VISION DIRECT
This is sort of boring but since so many people wear contacts I wanted to share. Check out Vision Direct (partners with drugstore.com). You get 15% off of your first order and free shipping.
Proclear 1 Day 90 Pack
My optometrist: $75 >> plus tax >> $81.38
Vision Direct: $69.99 >> on sale for $58.95 >> less 15% >> 7% cash back from Ebates >> no tax >> $46.60
I paid $372.80 for one year’s supply of contacts when I would’ve had to pay $651.04 through my optometrist. I saved almost 43%! It was an even better deal for Andy’s contacts because Acuvue has a $30 rebate.
Bonuses: You can apply this purchase towards your Flex Spending Account. Also, you get 5% in drugstore.com dollars. So now I have $18.64 to spend at drugstore.com!
DRUGSTORE.COM
I always shop at drugstore.com. It’s easy to get free shipping. The first time it’s free on any order over $25 then it’s free on any order over $49. You always get 5% back in drugstore.com dollars. Plus, it is 6% back from Ebates!
In doing a lot of comparison shopping for random household items I’ve generally found that drugstore.com has really good prices and a huge selection. I love that they have a “green & natural” section so I buy baby stuff from there. Make sure to check out the special offers they have! Right now you get a free baby organizer for buying any 2 California Baby products and you get a free sunscreen for spending $25 on Burt’s Bees.
THE CHILDREN’S PLACE
This is totally random. The Children’s Place usually charges $5 for shipping but if you call one of their stores they’ll give you a free shipping code. I’ve done it a few times already. You also get 3% back from Ebates!
Flip Mino HD Review
The Flip Mino HD is such a popular mommy product! I kept hearing rave reviews from moms so I was so happy when I got it. If you buy it from Amazon right now you get a $20 Shutterfly coupon.
I love the Flip! The best video camera is the one that’s with you. I feel like I’ve been capturing so many more moments on video now. Even with any flaws it has I think the most important thing is that it actually gets me recording stuff. I was able to record a video of Evan’s first super-long-holding-head-up moment and share it with my family. It’s really awesome how I can so easily take a video, upload it and e-mail it so that within minutes even my grandparents in Korea can watch it.
You have to actually click on the “HD is off” button to watch the HD version on the Vimeo site. By the way, Vimeo is awesome. The quality is a lot better than YouTube!
The Good:
- Size — The Flip is sooo small and light. It’s smaller and lighter than my iPhone!
- Simple — It’s just one piece. No extra chargers, USB cords, memory cards, etc. to worry about.
- Easy — I never use our fancy video camera so I always end up using my point & shoot. The p&s video quality isn’t good and I’m always fumbling around trying to switch from camera to video mode. It’s so easy to have the Flip in your pocket/purse and just whip it out and start shooting.
- User-friendly — The Flip is so user-friendly. There’s just one big red button that records and a few other buttons. When you’re ready to download and/or charge you just plug it directly into your computer.
- Quality — The HD quality is so sharp!
- Software — The software is really easy to use. It lets you share videos by sending a web link, capture still shots, edit, add music, upload to different websites, burn to DVD/CD, etc.
The Bad:
- Screen — I feel like the screen is a bit small and too wide. I’ve gotten used to it though.
- Sensitivity — Since the video quality is so high your eyes are more likely to notice shakiness. I need to practice being steadier when recording.
- Size — Since it’s so small and light it could be easy to misplace. Andy got me the Flip and within 2 days I lost it!! I was so sad but that night Andy told me that I shouldn’t feel bad about losing it…we’re so blessed with a wonderful family and at least we have each other…we’ll just get another one. That made me feel so much better! Luckily my friend found it at her house though. Whew!
Money Money?
Check out this site and determine whether you have any unclaimed property. The California State Controller’s Office has this site where you can search for unclaimed property that has already been sent to the State for safekeeping. State law requires businesses to send to the State any property that has remained in their possession without any activity on the part of the owner. If you’re not in California, check out your State Controller’s Office site.
I found $50 that Cingular owes me! I also found $150 for my friend. Let me know if you find $!