March 30, 2009
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Week 9
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.COMI 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 ReviewThe 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 $!
Comments (70)
I still just love the shots of both bella and evan together! I wish I could do that but Connor is always trying to attack Bailey now, so Bailey usually stays away from him. Evan is getting big already! It’s great to see him growing up happy and healthy. =) Definitely let me know if you’re ever in town!
i almost died looking at the evan sneezing video. he’s adorable j! nice, retail therapy! at least you’re getting a heap back. i start work tomorrow and i’m already looking forward to spending money with my paycheck. that’s bad right? haha
Hope everything is better now. *hugs*
Evan is getting so big… he looks so cute next Bella.. they seems to be very good buddies…your little chubbier wubbier is just way too cute
the evan pics with bella is always so cute. makes me want to bite them.
The first couple of pictures that you posted of bella and evan are so adorable. it’s so cute to see bella loving him!
and my gosh, your informative update, i must check out ebate now!
claimit – i found something for my brother in law for about $100 from like 15 years ago from his paper route. nothing for me but was super excited for find it for someone else.
you know, you make me want the flip it like right now, my friend loves her kodak zi6 and raves about it. for the first time ever after like 6 years owning digi cams, i plugged my p&s directly into the tv and amazingly great quality, for some reason transferring it into the laptop then making a movie out of it, i think it loses some of its quality. but i’ll have to consider the flip!
aww evan and bella are sooo cute together???? is bella warming up to him now??? zoe warmed up to gavin really quick, but with belle…it took her over a year!!! crazy, huh?? but bella seems like a really sweet dog, so i wouldn’t be surprised if she warmed up to him quickly either =)
ooooh speaking on CL’s…i was totally browsing online last night wondering where i should order my CL’s from so THANKS!!! i’m def gonna check this out later. i’m on my last pair of CL’s. so you don’t need like a prescription or anything from your optometrist??? oooh and i love ebates!!! i found out about it from YOU…hehehehe. i love how the percentages recently inreased too =D ooooh and i just looked up mine and hubby’s name and found $25 in hubby’s name. hehehe. YAY! i love free money
oooh the flip is nice, huh?? i had one but i returned it and am getting the HD version. i can’t wait =)
sorry about your bad week =( let me know if you want to meet up for a playdate…i want to meet your little guy and you too of course
such a helpful update. thanks! i’m going to have to check out ebates. i’ve been ordering online more and more. and i had been looking for a camcorder for my husband since he returned the full sized on i got him for his birthday.
evan’s such a good boy keeping his socks on!!
awww Es getting cuter and cuter by the day!! I bet I always say that, but i dont care, its TRUE~ sigh… more posts of E please! hehehehe~I love vimeo too, and because allll of the kams are raving about this vimeo, I think I shall have to check it out for myself.
Thanks for that review 
awwww, i love the picture of E and Bella together! soooo cute! btw, i will have to check out ebates! thanks for sharing your reviews of the flip camcorder! hubby and i were researching on a small camcorder as well…in will have to revisit your site later once he gets home so i can read your comments! =)
ahhh im so impressed/envious of how well bella gets along with having a newbie in the house! im so worried.. cus i have a frilly/pmsy toy poodle and a silky that most likely will have to be given away once i decide to have baby ~sad! anyhow ethan is soo cute, i love looove his cheeks! i was a very cheek-y baby too haha
evan really is very very cute! seriously, such a cute baby! awww…now i miss having a newborn. but i’m SO not ready for another one. what to do…what to do….=) i’ll just have to live vicariously through your vimeos!
awww..hope you feel better soon hon. you are always such an optimistic sweetheart, you deserve to always be happy! :hugs:
I love the first pic of E & B sleeping together lol sooo cute! Hope you are feeling better!
Ahhhhh adorable!
Only 9 weeeks?! I remember when my niece was that young.
I can’t believe she’s almost 6 months >_<
Hi Jenny! I think Evan and Trystan are twins. I was looking at some of
your pictures and I noticed that Trystan and Evan have the same swing,
infant carrier and hat. I’m sending you BIG hugs your way. You’re a great photographer. I need to be a more positive person. Thanks for reminding me. I have the Vado HD and I love it too. Thanks for all the useful information on this posts! Totally awesome!
aw, I’m sorry to hear you had a tough week. Here are lots of e*hugs* for you from me! Your little man is getting more handsome every week. I absolutely love the photos of Evan & Bella together- they look so peaceful & content.
I want to give you a heads up though about ebates- they’ve been having issues the past few months from things I’ve read and from what I’ve personally experienced. I spent more online this past Christmas season than I’ve ever done in the past so I was expecting a pretty good ebates check for February. Well, come March and I still hadn’t got paid. They actually flagged my account and were not planning on paying me until I e-mailed them several times about it. Apparently, they have a fraud department checking on referrals and what not and because my brothers and parents signed up for ebates during the holidays but only used it once or twice during that time and have not since (they don’t do a lot of online shopping), they suspended MY account! So they refuse to give me the referral credit first of all which actually was $20 each person during the holidays. Whatever, fine. A lot of other people had the same issues apparently and ebates is not very eager to change their mind on the matter. But I at least wanted all the cashback from MY own purchases. I had never had this problem in the past and I’ve been a member for about the same amount of time you have. I just thought it was really shady that my first really big payout (other times it was only $20-25 or so) was when they were going to decide to just not say anything and suspend my account. Even when I brought it up with the rep, he said, “yup, if you hadn’t contacted us, you would never have gotten paid.” I think that’s really bad business on their end. I may start using cashbaq and live.com more often instead.
i adore the pics of your 2 babies!! looks like bella loves evan very much. aww! wow wow thanks for all the savings info! i’ve had an ebates acct for the longest time, but always forget to use it when shopping online. gotta remember now that i see how much you saved! i’m totally gonna check out vision direct for my contacts. gosh, evan has grown so much already at 9 wks and he won’t stop getting cuter!!!
your son is soo cute!!!
btw, thanks for the link! I checked my mom’s name, and looks like she’s owed almost $1500!!
(((HUGS))) Sorry youre having a tough week. Butif it makes you feel any better, your son is SOoooo cute. I dont know how I missed your post last week?? Anyway, I think Ebates is great. I signed up almost a year ago with you as my r eferral and have rec’vd $200 or so. I love it! Thanks!
awwwww… i just wanted to tell you that your baby is sooooooo adorable and cute…it looks like Evan loves to take pictures cause he comes out soo cute in all of them !!! hehe ^_^ im sorry about your bad week~ >.< here is a mini hug for you !! and thank you soooo much for all the helpful websites… i love your xanga ^__^
Jenny, how do you know all this stuff!! You are my go-to girl when I have questions regarding websites and products!! =P Thanks for all the info you always post. I REALLY love it!
Evan is soo cute!! He holds his head up sooo well! And I’m loving his little belly!! =)
Hope all is well. You said this week was horrible =( I hope it gets better.
Wow you’re very persuasive with everything. If you weren’t into sales, you should go into sales in the future!
I was thinking about getting Flip HD too but Jung stopped me saying that there is no zoom. is that true? I still think it’s a good buy. let me know. seriously… i’m gonna check out all the site you mentioned when i get my time (aka when Des goes down for the night!).
oh.. before i go… BIG virtual hug for the tough day you had. Girl.. I SO know how you feel since my days seem like that all the time! Maybe I need to be a better parent and think positive? ;p
oo i love getting money back!! thanks for all the shopping tips. I’m just about to get new contacts so this post came just in time!
And I love how creative you are with your photos! I especially like the reflection one.
i have a quick question, so i got myself a new rebel xsi canon slr camera…i’ve been fidgeting with it…but can’t seem to know work the fuctions…any recommendation in how about i can learn the functions?? thanks!
* hugs * =)
this was a very informative post. thanks! i’m going to check out couple of the links you posted. i love the pic of E in the mirror. he looks like a little bear with those ears.
are you a mommy in LA (i read your email to tracy)?
your little evan…what a handsome boy! i feel like we treat our little doggies like our own ‘babies!’ people seriously thought i was nuts before i had kids. our little chihuahua will always be my ‘first born’ but of course, the KIDS come first!
Thanks for the tips and I would love to try them but unfortunately Im not living there anymore. I’ll keep them in mind, just in case I do go backfor good =)
Evan is growing so fast, wow… he is surely well fed, esp that last pic of him… lol jk. I can see his muscles coming out !! He is gonna be a tough guy !! =D
Hi fellow online shopper! I’m an addict of Ebates & Drugstore.com
Thanks for the review on the minicam…maybe I will try to convince Hubby we need it. We use our video cam but never can upload the videos onto our computer. It is a pain in the behind to do it.
*HUG, HUG, HUG* Jenny, you’re a great mom and (according to my brother
) a great wife to Andy! I hope all your lemons turn into lemonade soon. 
Evan is such a cutie! I love his little budda belly in the last pic. Thanks again for all your shopping tips. I think I’m much of a shopaholic as you and love finding discounts! 
evan’s adorable in that video! and i love that first pic of him and bella!
*Hugz* hope everything gets better. your son is sooo cute and i love his name too! it was a name i considered but i ended up having a little girl =D thanks for the money saving tips!
Evan is getting big!!
Even (love the second to last pic!) and Bella are tooooo cute together!!
thanks for all the shopping tips!!!!!
heehee love the tummy time video you posted!!
thanks for sharing!
oh j, the video of evan is TOO CUTE!!! i just watched it like 5x! the accompanying music is perfect too~ you’re so dang creative and you make the BEST photos & videos! i need to be better and do more tummy time with callie… =) the flip HD is on our list “to buy” so i’m glad to hear you like it! i’ve been doing videos on my p&s so i’m so looking forward to playing with our new toy!
the tummy time video is so cute! thanks for the flip review. it was very helpful. i am going to buy one but my hubby keeps telling me to get a different kind, not the flip. but it seems everyone on xanga has the flip.
@always_ss - Hii! I so want to see Connor + Bailey pics…please!
Hey~~ I might be in Vegas on Monday! Sorry for the short notice. Still haven’t bought my ticket but most likely I’ll be going. Would love to meet you, your sis & trueClassic! 
@petitetokio - Hey you! You totally deserve to spend your dough from working~ do it while you’re young and hot, hehe! Good luck with work!
@yun_bug - Hi! Yup, Bella is totally loving Evan now.
Aww…glad Belle finally warmed up to Gavin so now the 3 of them can be best buds! Ooh~ you totally have to try Vision Direct for your contacts! I used to use 1800-contacts until I found this. Vision Direct works the same…you just input your prescription and your optometrist and they’ll give them a call to verify before they ship your order. Hey~~ YES, would love to meet up with you & the G-ster. If not this week then let’s try for next week or the next! Yippee! 
@trueClassic - Hi hi! Yay for getting the new Rebel! Funny that you asked this q…we gave our Rebel to my brother last night because he was leaving for Korea today so we tried to explain the basic functions to him in like 5 minutes. Anyways, so I saw your comment and was talking to my friend who is totally into photography too and asked her what kind of advice I could give you…she was saying the best thing would be for someone to actually explain to you in person (i.e., class, friend). I learn best that way too. I had my dslr for over a year and only used it on the “auto” setting like a p&s. I finally learned the real way to use it after I took a class. I have books too but I think I learn better from someone explaining it to me. So I was thinking~ too bad we don’t live close to each other so I could just show you some of the basics (although I’m totally not qualified or good enough to be teaching anyone anything, hehe). Then all of a sudden I just found out that I might be going to Vegas! If I go I’ll most likely be there on Monday…it would be great to meet up with you, always_ss & her sis if you gals are free!
@Daydreamer33 - Hey buddy! Thanks for the hugs and heads up about Ebates! That totally stinks what they did to you! I’ve never had any problems with them but I’ll be careful not to refer my family. Sheesh! You should keep bugging them to get your $~ don’t give up!
@snappleapples - OMG~~ that’s soooooo awesome!!!! Hope your mom buys you a little something or a big something for finding all that dough.
@wedders111 - Awww…thanks for the hugs! Virtual hug or not…it still feels nice to know people care.
Oh~ happy to know someone else loves to shop online as much as I do, hehe. $200~ yay! 
@kimchi_camry - Thanks!! You’re so sweet!
@parkster7831 - Hi mama! There IS a zoom! It isn’t a crazy zoom but a zoom nonetheless, hehe. It’s such a good deal for what it is. I say get it~ if it lets you capture that one awesome Desmond moment that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise then I think the Flip is worth its weight in gold.
Thanks for the virtual hug! When I see you in real life can I exchange it for a real one? Hehe~
@lord_tigon - Thanks! I’m so happy you can use the info I posted! I know contacts aren’t that exciting but I got all excited when I got such an awesome deal, hehe!
@hongfamilia - Thanks! I love the bear photo too, hehe! Yup~ I’m a mommy in LA. Hope I get to meet you one day!
@joesee22 - Hii! I’m happy to know I’m not the only one obsessed with Ebates & Drugstore.com!! I know what you mean about the regular video cam and uploading the videos to the computer. I get all confused about the formatting and the files are always so huge! With the Flip it’s really easy to upload it on your computer, e-mail it, upload it to different websites, etc.
@graciegrace2000 - Awww…thanks! You’re so sweet!
I’m a total shopaholic and discount lover…we were meant to be buddies. 
bella’s such a good nuna.
absolutely love how she watches over your little one. dang. the bobble head action is TOO cute. =) your baby’s growing so fast.. <3
hope your next week gets better =)
can those pictures of your baby and your dog sleeping together be any cuter?!?!?!?! my sister’s going to have a baby in august and i can’t wait, esp looking at all your cute photos!!!!
the quality of your flip is really good!!!! it’s true that it’s small enough you would just carry it with you everywhere!
hi j! it’s been awhile since i have been on xanga and i’m finally catching up on posts. i hope that things have gotten better since you posted this! i will give you another a virtual hug in just in case.
{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}
i love how you are always so thoughtful and like to share deals and reviews with us. i will for sure check out that ebates site and flip. i wonder if it would be good to take on trips/vacations? jack and i always use our canon for short vids because we don’t have a real video camera and i don’t like the idea of having to carry one around, but the flip just might work out for those occassions. thanks for your review!
Talk about great photos!! look at yours! don’t you just love how the babies interact with our dogs? My daughter loves our dog.
Yay for unclaimed property!
It’s like opening up a purse you haven’t used in a long time and finding a $20 bill inside. Nothing for me on there, but I’ll definitely be bookmarking it for future checks.
*hugz*. Bella and Evan are best of friends. I love it! Evan’s tummy is so cute. I can’t wait to rub it.
@skippeeahn - HIII!! OMG, you should totally come out to Vegas and we can all get together! about a month ago we had a little get together with the babies with Tracy (Girl_interrupted)! when will you know if you are coming out here>? Oh i hope you do, so i can meet little E!! email me the info….lilsue80@yahoo.com
and will try to figure something out! yay! more visitors!! i can then arrange it with the other mom’s here in vegas~
bella & evan are SOOOOO cute! the pictures u took of them are priceless!!! btw thnx for all the great $ saving info! i love shopping online esp after moving to hawaii so im always looking for discount codes etc keke^^
@skippeeahn - =)
as always i looove your entries! i adore the pictures of evan & bella together! they’re too cute for words, how did you take a picture of them together w/ the st patty hat without both of them trying to take them off?? i just heard on the radio today that there’s a cutest baby contest, you definitely need to send pictures of them together!
cute video! congrats on evan lifting his head for so long!
like you, i love deals! i rarely pay full price on anything but i’m always lazy, i hate waiting on line w/ a passion, lol. so i won’t be able to dig through a pile of clothing and line up for 3 hours just for a $5 shirt. lol. time is more precious! online shopping is the way to go! i thought i signed up ebates the last time you posted, but i just signed up again w/ new email addy so you should get your $5! thanks for the ebates info, i completely forgot about it! i shop at most of the stores you listed so it’s perfect! and wow i always get contacts at my optical, good to know it’s cheaper on vision direct, thanks for the info! miss you and yes i still owe you a long email! i just moved sunday so still trying to settle in. miss you =) *muah*
ahhhh!! b and e are sooooo cute together!! i actually have a similar picture of k and bbbobbo. hahaha.. can’t wait to have a lil playdate with you both! next time i have a “SMALL” playdate (4-5 babies?) at my house, i will let u know. i loove the vid clip, such a precious moment~ and nice choice of song too.
Damn girl you are ORGANIZED! I loved meeting you and Evan (that’s his name, right? I’m bad with names). Hope to see you again soon.
Oh and thanks for the Sprinkles cupcakes! I’m officially addicted and I use to hate cupcakes!
@iheartphotos - Your sister is so lucky she has YOU for when she has a baby. You’re going to take such awesome photos of the baby! Can you be my sister too? Hehe!
@GeLLiBeLLy - Hi sweetie! Thanks for the giant hug!
We got the Flip to take on vacations~ so we don’t have to lug our big video camera around. We already have enough camera equipment to deal with, hehe! 
@MsYuMMieJ - Hi hi! I was SO happy to get your e-mail this morning! It was such a nice treat!! We’re off to Vegas now but will try to write when we get back. Thanks for signing up for Ebates~ hope you get big bucks back, hehe! Have a wonderful week and hope you get lots done with your new place!
@ginazZbored - *hugz* Love you! We’re off to Vegas now!!!
@K_G_C - Hiyee! I’d love to meet you, K & Bbobbo!!! A house playdate would be awesome. I went out last week to the mall and I was so out of it…too much background stuff going on, hehe! Gosh, never thought having a baby meant relearning so much stuff…like how to function properly at the mall with a group of people.
I totally clicked on you. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve been looking at your last couple of posts, and your photos are amazing! Your dog looks a lot like mine, too!!
im soo glad that i got to meet baby evan last week!! he is one chubby cuddly cute bundle of joy! i love making him laugh – its my fave part of being an auntie!! =)
@lovelyingenue - Thanks! You’re so sweet!
That’s so cool my dog looks like yours~~ can’t wait to see pics!