Vitacost is one of my favorite sources for supplements, natural hygiene products, and organic grocery items. I've been ordering from them for several years on a regular basis. The product that got us started with them was Nature's Plus Animal Parade vitamins. They have them for up to 30% less than our local health food stores. When you have multiple children taking them, one bottle doesn't last very long, so that can be a considerable savings!

My Favorite Vitacost Products

• Deep Steep Tangerine Melon organic bubble bath (for the hobbits)
• Organic Grooming Dusk cologne (for the big guys)
• Seventh Generation chlorine-free personal hygiene products
• Aura Cacia essential oils
• Carlson's for Kids Cod Liver Oil (in lemon)
• Natural Factors Vitamin D3 Drops (adults & kids)
• Nutiva Organic Chia Seeds
• Y.S. Eco Bee Farms Organic Raw Honey (my guys eat it off a spoon like candy)
• Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk (when it's on sale)
• Farmer's Market Organic Canned Pumpkin (when it's on sale)

If you are looking for good service, you'll find it with Vitacost. I am always impressed with how well my orders are packed - cardboard divider inserts, each fragile product wrapped in bubble wrap, and liquids in plastic bags. I've never had a leak or damaged product.

How It Works

If you have never ordered from Vitacost before, you can save $10 off of your first order by clicking through my referral link and placing a minimum $30 order. Not only do you get a $10 credit, so do I. Win-win! Orders over $49 automatically get free shipping also. While you are there, be sure to click on the Deals tab at the top right. They always have great sales going on.

Bonus!

Save a little more by getting to Vitacost via Ebates.com. By using Ebates, you can get a certain percentage of your purchase back in a quarterly rebate, either as a check or Amazon gift code. If you have never used Ebates before, you can click on this referral link to get started. (Again, I receive compensation for referrals.)


This post contains affiliate links.

Free eBooks

 6/7/12 - Sorry, they are back to regular price now! 


Here are a couple of free eBooks for you or as a Father's Day gift. 

That's My Teenage Son by Rick Johnson

What a Son Needs From His Dad by Michael A. O'Donnell

Free eBooks

I never understood what all the hoopla over smart phones was about...until I got one. One of my favorite things is being able to download free ebooks from Amazon.com directly to my Android phone. Here are several free ebooks, but I don't how long they will be free, so be quick!

Fresh Fruit Pies, Tarts, and Galettes - Every Recipe has a Gluten Free Alternative

Grandma's Best Muffin Recipes (Grandma's Best Recipes)

Healthy Whole Grains, Easy and Delicious Soup Recipes

The Organized Kitchen: Keep Your Kitchen Clean, Organized, and Full of Good Food-and Save Time, Money, (and Your Sanity) Every Day!

Amazon's collection of free Classics eBooks are perfect for homeschoolers or anyone interested in good literature. Download Treasure Island or Gulliver's Travels for the next time you have to wait in the car for soccer practice to finish or while you are waiting to see the dentist.

Parking Pal, Tag*a*long, & The Safe Side ~ Reviews & Giveaway ENDED

If you have a preschool age child, you know how impulsive and unpredictable they can be at times. While you (mostly) have control over making your home environment as safe as possible, going out in public can present countless dangers for little ones.

While there isn't anything safer than holding your child's hand, here are two Mom-invented products to help train your preschool-age child to stay close by while out and about. 

The first one is the Tag*a*long. In just seconds, it easily attaches to the side of your stroller or shopping cart to give your little one his own special place to hold on. I use one with Levi {blue is his favorite} and it really does help to keep him focused on where he is to be when we are in a store. Any time he wanders too far from me, I direct him back to his handle. 

The Tag*a*long comes in an array of bright, fruity colors and the handle part looks like a cute smiley face with a single tooth. The regular retail price is $9.99, but is on sale for $7.99! 

Another attention-grabbing helper is the Parking Pal. This nifty magnet attaches to the side of your vehicle, giving your child a place to "park" himself while he waits for you to load or unload siblings or groceries. All it takes is a trip to the mall to see that parking lots are dangerous places for small children.

However, the Parking Pal is not magic! It's simply a training aid, so use common sense. Keep your eye on your child as best you can and talk to him while you are unloading the baby or whatever. 

You could leave it attached to the side of your van {What? Not every mom drives a van?}, but I worry about someone taking it or it falling off while I'm driving, so I store it in the pocket behind the passenger seat. Parking Pals come in a variety of popular patterns to suit boys and girls. The regular retail price is $8.99, but they are on sale for $7.50.

Of course, child safety training isn't complete without tackling stranger safety. The concept of strangers can be confusing to little kids. They may believe that all strangers are bad or that if a person doesn't look like what they think a "bad guy" looks like, then they must be okay.

One way to help them understand who is safe and who isn't is to watch The Safe Side DVDs with them. All of my kids, including my 17yo, got a kick out of watching Stranger Safety. The zany main character, Safe Side Super Chick, teaches kids about "Don't Knows", "Kinda Knows", and "Safe Side Adults". While some adults and exceptionally mature children may not appreciate the wacky-ness, most children will enjoy watching Safe Side Super Chick as she teaches them what to do in certain situations in a non-threatening manner. {For those who need to know, there is a chihuahua, a man in a gorilla suit, and a clown. You've been warned.}

There are two Safe Side DVDs available: Stranger Safety and Internet Safety. Stranger Safety is also popular with child care providers and teachers. The DVDs are regularly priced at $12.99 each, but on sale for $10.99 for a limited time.
 
Purchase Yours Today

• If you don't want to wait to see if you'll win the giveaway, go to To Love and Protect to place your order. Get free shipping with orders over $49.

OR

Enter to Win Your Choice in a Giveaway!

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Natural and Organic Coupons

Let someone else do the work of finding deals on natural products for you! Sign up to receive updates from Saving Naturally, a frugal blog that focuses on natural and organic products. And you'll receive quarterly monthly coupon booklets when you sign up with Mambo Sprouts.

Recyclebank is another way to save on natural and organic products. Collect codes from Kashi cereal boxes, watch videos, complete quizzes, and perform a variety of ecofriendly tasks to earn points that you can use to get discounts and coupons. Here are some examples:

• $2 off any Earth Friendly Products
• 15% off at Abe's Market
• $1 off any Kiss My Face product
• $2 off any Kashi item
• $5 off any online purchase at Cleanwell
• 20% off any Kids Konserve purchase
• 15% off  at Green Mountain Coffee
• $10 off of $50 purchase at Macy's 

For coupons on products you use regularly, you can go directly to the manufacturer's website or "like" their Facebook pages. Here is a list to get you started:

Alexia Foods

Apple & Eve
Applegate Farms
Arrowhead Mills
Blue Diamond
Brown Cow Farm
Cascadian Farms
Coleman Natural
Country Choice Organic
Dreamfields Pasta
Earth's Best
Horizon Organic
Imagine Foods

Kashi
Laura's Lean Beef
Lundberg Family Farms

Organic Valley

Pacific Natural Foods
Rosetto Pasta
Simply Organic
Spectrum Organics

Stonyfield Organic
Voskos Yogurt

Tips: If you click the back button after printing, you may be able to print a second coupon. Check back each month to see if they have reloaded the coupons.


Linked to Homemaking Link-Up.

Truth in the Tinsel: 12 Days Til Christmas Sale

Just a couple of days ago, after seeing all of the good reviews, I finally purchased Truth in the Tinsel to use with my hobbits. I printed it off, slipped the pages into page protectors, and added it to my new Christmas binder. It's a great way to shine more light on Jesus for the little ones this Christmas. My plan was to start today (late, of course, because that's how I roll) and follow one of the alternate schedules listed in the back of the book. {I'm trying to type this quickly so we can get started. Levi is excited and tugging at my arm.} What we don't get to this year, we will get to next year because I'll be ready for it.

If you're like me and don't mind being late for the party, today's your lucky day! You can use the code 12DAYS to save 20% on Truth in the Tinsel. But it's for today only! If you're not sure now, but decide tomorrow or later that you want it, the regular price is still reasonable at only $4.99.


Disclaimer: I liked the Truth in the Tinsel ebook so much, I decided to become an affiliate and spread the word.

JM Cremp's Labor Day Sale

This is our family's new favorite store! Not only do they have awesome toys and gear for boys, but they are a  homeschooling family with five boys. We haven't ordered yet, but the boys have spent lots of time clicking through the website and flipping through the summer catalog. IB's 8th birthday is coming up in a few weeks, so I dropped a hint to my mom about JM Cremp's and she bought him a gift certificate. This sale is perfectly timed for us! IB has been adding items to his wishlist for a couple of months, making it easier for me to narrow down what to get him. 

Here are a few things on IB's wish list:

I have my own wishlist going, of course, that includes most of the G.A. Henty audiobooks. If you have sons, you will definitely be able to find some boy-pleasing gifts at JM Cremp's. Their Labor Day Sale is a great opportunity to get started with Christmas shopping. Just use the code LABOR10 by September 5, 2011 to get $10 off of a $50 or more purchase. You can also get free shipping on orders of $99 or more with the code FREESHIP.

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate with JM Cremp's and will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through the above links.

Discount School Supply Sale & Some Recommendations

  Are you a homeschooler, teacher, daycare provider, a parent of a special needs child, or just a parent who likes to do fun, educational activities with your child? If you consider yourself the last one, you're a homeschooler too. ;) Then you may already know about Discount School Supply. If you don't, I suggest checking it out. They have tons of art supplies, wooden bookshelves, puzzles, puppets, dress-up, sensory toys, Lego and Duplo sets. You'll also find everything you need for homeschool and classroom organization. Right now, you can get 20% off of EVERYTHING through July 25! Use the code TWENTYEV when you check out. And you get free two-day delivery on all orders over $79!

I recently purchased the wall calendar pictured below and am planning to have calendar time with Isaac and Levi. Carisa at 1+1+1=1 has a great idea for adapting your calendar time to teach multiple ages. 

Another educational idea I would like to implement for my younger ones is sensory boxes or tubs, like the ones at Counting Coconuts. The Easy Label Teaching Totes below would work well for those and for organizing our educational and art supplies.

Miles loves to look at pictures and I have looked at many different fabric toddler photo albums. I'm considering getting this one. It's simple, colorful, and holds 13 pictures. 

When I was organizing our toddler room at church a couple of years ago, I ran across Viking Toys' Chubby vehicles. All of the kids loved them. A bucket of 15 was barely enough for a half dozen toddlers because they all wanted several so they could connect them. This bucket is perfect if you only have one or a few little ones. Of course, Levi wanted to take them home too, so I bought a few for him and now Miles likes to play with them. I usually shy away from a lot of plastic toys but I really like these. The wheels are rubber, roll smoothly, and are attached well. There aren't any sharp corners and since they are hollowed out underneath, they are easy to wash and play with in the tub without worrying about them holding water and getting mildewy. They are also just the right size for chubby little hands.

These Easy-Grip Stampers would definitely get a lot of use at our house. I just don't know which set to get first. Transportation, Space, Sea Life, Shapes, Alphabet, Jungle, Farm, Seasonal, Dinosaur...

One more thing I'm interested in getting is this set of Textured Dough Rolling Pins made of hard wood. The boys love playing with our homemade play dough and these rolling pins would be a great addition to our collection of tools.

Have you purchased anything from Discount School Supply yet? What did you get? If not, what's on your wish list?

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation to write this post. However, I am an affiliate and will receive a small percentage of any future purchase made through the links above.

Bugaloo Baby Shoes Closing Sale

 

Love soft-soled baby shoes, like Robeez or Shoo Shoos, but can't justify spending that much money on them? I found Bugaloo Shoes right before Miles started crawling and bought him a few pairs. They are adorable, well-made, and, best of all, affordable. I was even planning a review to post here but Heidi has announced that she's closing up shop to work on her graphic design business. Bad news for future mommas who would have loved to get soft-soled leather baby shoes for only $14, instead of $25-$30. But we can help Heidi move on to the next phase of her life by shopping her sale. All shoes are only $9.99!! You have to hurry because the boys' size 6-12 months is already sold out.

Miles alternately wears the two pairs in the pictures everyday. They are 12-18 months and he has almost a finger width at the toe still for growth. An extra detail that I really like is that there is a cotton lining on the interior sole. We have already washed the dog pair and they came out great. I just tossed them in with his clothes and air-dried them.

So, go check out Bugaloo Shoes and stock up on some sweet little shoes for your little one or to have on hand for baby showers. For only $10, you'll have an awesome gift and make everyone ooh and aah.

 

15% Off Mindware

As homeschoolers, we love educational games and toys. Playtime and learning time rolled into one. That makes the kids and Mom happy. MindWare carries many of the best learning games, puzzles, and activities available and until February 15, 2011, you can get 15% off your MindWare purchase by using the code FEB15. 

We have the marble run and the boys have all loved it. While I'm attracted to the more natural wooden sets, this bright-colored plastic set is much more affordable and very durable. There can be frustrating moments when your structure comes apart {similar to Legos} but that is part of the challenge. One of the boys' new favorite games is Blokus. Even Levi likes to play by just taking turns fitting pieces onto the board, more like a cooperative game. We have been getting the MindWare catalog for several years and my wishlist is getting long. They have lots of things that are perfect for boys. I really want to get the Contraptions Catapult for Noah for his birthday but it won't be available until about a week later. And Levi would absolutely LOVE the Design & Drill Activity Center. I almost got the Perplexus for the whole family at Christmas and now I wish I would have. It would be great for travelling and for waiting for Mom to finish working with a brother during school time. The Ultra Stomp Rocket would appeal to every boy in the house, including the 16 and 38 year old ones. I would probably need to get more than one to save my sanity.

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate with MindWare and if you make a purchase through any of the links above, I will receive a small percentage. Thanks!

Black Friday Husband

Black Friday is past, of course, but it's not my thing anyway. I think I've only gone out for it a few times in my life because I don't like all of the traffic or the crowds. My holiday gift shopping mostly happens online. I like to comparison shop and take my time, putting plenty of thought into how I spend our money and finding the elusive "perfect" gift.

When I do go out to stores, I'm likely to put a few things in my cart during an hour's time and then put most or all back before leaving. As you could probably guess, I am also a solo shopper. No shopping with girlfriends for me. I would drive them crazy. Especially my impulse-buying friends and my mother. 

My husband, however, is my opposite. He loves the crowds and the busy-ness and has no problem making decisions. And because of his work, he thrives in the odd hours. I do NOT. So, while I slept, Papa Bear went out at 4 a.m. and scored some awesome deals. They are all for our home. 

His best buy was a GE Profile Dishwasher for $299! The regular price is $899! We were originally going to get another Maytag because of the recall rebate but he saw that this was an even better deal. He also got a GE Microwave for $99. We had bought a Samsung from Lowe's but once I read the reviews on it, we decided to return it.

And because he heard me mention that we could probably use a new toaster, he bought a shiny 4-slicer for $30. He had noticed a woman with "lots of kids" packing one around and asked her where she found it. I know, a toaster is a rather mundane thing. But my boys think it's cool that you can toast four slices at once and the buttons and dials light up. 

So, although I still don't have any Christmas shopping done, "we" did take advantage of the Black Friday sales. And my husband proved to me, once again, why he is so awesome.

Are you a Black Friday or a Cyber Monday shopper? What amazing deals did you take advantage of this past weekend?

15% Off Diapers.com and Soap.com

As a mom of five boys, I spend quite a bit of time searching for ways to save money. I use Amazon.com's Subscribe & Save for Seventh Generation diapers and get an extra 15% discount plus free shipping (if you join Amazon Mom, it's 30% off right now). And I recently read that Parents magazine sometimes has a 20% off coupon that can be used on TOP of that. I don't get it so let me know if you do. My kids' natural vitamins, baby wash, and some personal hygiene products come from Vitacost.com. They have the best price on those things that I've seen so far.

My most recent savings discovery is Diapers.com, but not just for disposable diapers. They have SO much more, even eco-friendly cloth diapers, toys, clothing, infant feeding equipment, and nursing bras. Today I used my 1st time discount to purchase a couple of Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers for Miles. If you're wanting to try cloth, they also have gDiapers, Happy Heiny's, Bumkins, and bumGenius.

Their partner site is Soap.com and you have the same shopping cart for both stores. If you make purchases from  both sites, you get FREE shipping after you reach $25. Very easy to do! Of course, they carry popular brands of hair care, bath & body, household cleaners, and supplements, but they also have natural and organic brands. Seventh Generation. Kiss My Face. Tom's of Maine. Aubrey Organics. Burt's Bees. Garden of Life.

If you are not familiar with Diapers.com or Soap.com yet, I'd like to introduce you. When you place your first order, enter RAKN1010 and get 15% off! Go on over and see all of the great stuff. You could even do some  gift shopping.

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of Amazon.com and Diapers.com and will receive compensation if you make a purchase through the above links or code. 

Saturday Thrift Finds #1

Normally, on Saturday mornings, I jump right into the daily routine of fixing meals, laundry, cleaning, etc. But, on occasion, I sneak out with just the baby and go to the local thrift stores. I never get out early enough for yard sales. Today, I went to Goodwill and St.Vincent dePaul on a mission to locate old jars or canisters, classic books for the boys, decorative plates to hang on my walls, and possibly some kind of shelves or baskets for organizing our office/school room. I ended up finding several of those items plus some other good stuff for a total of $18.92. Here's what I found:

Eight books (the 1946 copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is upstairs and I was too lazy to go get it)

I'm really anxious to start reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. The little bit I read while nursing Miles in the van was very good and thought-provoking. We have The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey, so when I saw The Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens by his son, Sean Covey, I knew it needed to be on Mason's high school reading list. He snatched 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea because he loves old hardback books.

Director's chair
Walker toy

As soon as I saw the director's chair, I grabbed it. It's in very good condition and was only $6. It went straight to my teen's room. The walker is for M2, of course, because he is determined to be walking much too early.

Clothes for Miles, who is growing way too quickly.
Old Navy, Gap, Carter's, Greendog, All Mine, Gymboree, Koala Baby

You would think that having five boys would mean plenty of hand-me-downs for the baby, but I actually had to start from scratch because I didn't have anything under size 2T. God surprised us with one more blessing after I gave away all of my baby clothes.

Two old jars with pretty fruit/herb patterns and an ironstone saucer

I am going for an eclectic French country kind of look in my kitchen. Our "new" house is 54 years old and we're only the second family to live here. The original owner never updated so we are remodeling and I get to make it just how I want it. I'm so excited! It will be new but I don't want it to look too new. Know what I mean? I want something that looks inviting and cozy, kind of like my Grandmas's kitchen, only without the metal cabinets and green linoleum.

Do you have a post about your special treasure hunt finds? Leave a comment with a link to your blog or just tell us about it. Happy Hunting!

Eating Healthy Foods for Less

Photo credit

Now that we are a family of seven with one income, it is even more important to stretch our dollars. Food is our biggest expense, next to our mortgage, and eating natural, whole foods is more economical in certain categories yet more expensive in others. By avoiding overly processed, convenience foods and making more foods from scratch, I save money. For example, soaking dry beans for soup or making homemade muffins or bread. But there are certain things that I buy on a regular basis that cost more, such as organic milk or yogurt, free-range eggs, and some organics.

Money can be saved at the grocery store by choosing store brands over national brands for certain items, like dry beans, canned goods, and frozen veggies or fruits. Some stores even carry their own organic lines, like Kroger's Private Selection Organics. The prices are very close to national non-organic brands most of the time. Another example from Kroger's is their customer-specific coupons. They track your purchases when you use your shopper's card and then mail out coupons for items that you buy regularly. You can also go to their website and load electronic coupons onto your card, but they tend to be for convenience or snack foods. Kroger's also doubles manufacturers' coupons up to 50 cents, so locating coupons for organic products can help out significantly.

While you're not likely to find many coupons for natural or organic foods in your Sunday newspaper, you can find some online. Many natural food manufacturers offer limited coupons on their websites. You download them and print them on your own printer. Here are a few:

• Horizon Organics
• Organic Valley
• Stonyfield Farms
• Cascadian Farms
• Laura's Lean Beef
• Newman's Own

For a variety of coupons that change periodically, check out Mambo Sprouts, where you'll also find recipes, reviews, and contests, The Natural Food List, and the Grocery Coupon Guide, with a list of links to natural food manufacturers.

Grocery stores aren't the only place to purchase staple foods and other grocery items. Many cities and towns have a food cooperative or two. Ask around or search online. There are also online buying coops or you can start your own. Amazon and Vitacost are two online resources that I use regularly for specific items. Amazon has a subscribe & save program that lets you select a shipping schedule for certain items and receive an additional 5-15% discount. I order vitamins, organic/natural foods, and some personal hygiene items from Vitacost. (See the sidebar for $10 off your first order.)

Some ways to save money on fruits and vegetables are to grow your own, find a generous neighbor with an over-producing garden, or buy local and in-season from your farmers' market and orchards. Talk to the vendors to see if they use any chemicals. They may not be certified organic, but may be grown without pesticides and other chemicals. You can find your nearest farmers' market here. Other related options for cutting costs is to purchase a side of beef (grass-fed) or find a source for free-range chickens and/or eggs. I'm still working on finding local sources for my last suggestions. We don't have an extra freezer, so the beef is not a possibility right now.

Eating healthy can seem to be more expensive at first but it will most likely end up costing less over your lifetime. Consider that eating natural, whole foods will support a healthy immune system, reducing illnesses and chronic conditions, help maintain a healthy weight, and therefore, reducing doctor visits and lost work days.

Update: You can find more ways to save money at Saving Naturally.