Luv Saving Money – Page 750

A Problem I’ve Gained Since Becoming a Mom, I Can’t Remember Anything

**I was given a box of 30 capsules for review purposes. This post also contains Amazon affilliate links**

My memory has never been perfect. Honestly once I started having kids it seemed to get worse. Now after number 4 I feel like I can’t remember hardly anything anymore. I tell people that I think with each kid I had a piece of my brain when with them when they were born. People often make excuses for me “Oh well you have 4 kids”, “No one remembers everything” , “You have so much going on, no wonder you don’t remember some things”. Still I know there’s more to it then that. I’ve honestly debated on talking to my doctor about it but until then I use reminders: keeping a a daily planner with appointments, the kids games and practices, meet ups with friends and coworkers, etc. Writing notes for myself at work too. I also utilize the notes and scheduler on my phone to remind me of really important things.

I do have depression and I’ve heard that some memory loss can be a part of that. I also know that sleep is a factor and I know I don’t always get enough sleep. Some nights I’m lucky to get 6 hours (and I really don’t even feel rested unless I get 8 or 9). I’ve also read about herbs and supplements that can help with memory and alertness as well.

Excelerol™ is a maximum strength #1 brain supplement it is said to support and maintain memory, concentration, and focus.

Excelerol tablets are vegetarian capsules. These capsules contain a variety of ingredents that are said to help with memor, focus and alertness including: Ginko Biloba, Guarana & Kola nut, Green Tea, Black Tea, & White tea which make up the botanical sources of caffeine found in these pills.

There were a few ingredients I had never heard of so I decided to look a few up just to see. One was Baccoppa Monnieri. Never heard of it in my life. When I looked it up it turns out it’s an herb that grows in marshy areas in parts of asia. In my reading I found out that there have been several tests that showed increase in retention of new information and has “potential for safely increasing cognitive performance in the aging”.

The list went on like this and I was satisfied enough to go ahead and give these supplements a go. I took them over a 2 week time period. The directions say to take 1-2 capsules up to 3 times a day. I started with only taking one a day and gradually increased my dosage to see if anything changed.

size comparison for size of capsule

I did notice that I was able to concentrate more when attempting to write my blog posts in the evenings. One thing I was most impressed with is when I was grocery shopping. I always have to write a list. If I don’t write it down, inevitably I forget something. Even with a list I some times miss a thing or two on the list and notice while I’m putting groceries away. Well I took 2 capsules and went grocery shopping with the list. I realized I only looked at the list twice in our hour and a half grocery trip and didn’t forget one thing. This might not seem much to some but to me it was a good feeling.

Did Excelerol make remember everything in the last 2 weeks? No. Did I get distracted on occasion and try to remember what I was doing in the first place? Yes, a couple times. But in the end I think it did help and I would definitely take it for stuff like when going to my CEU courses for my professional license and things of that nature.

Create Custom Shirts from WhoopTee.com Enter to win a Luv Saving Money shirt!

**I was able to create a custom shirt in order to complete a review. No other compensation has been received**

It’s something I’ve been wanting to do, create a shirt for my blog. I thought it would be great to have when I do on-site reviews, represent at a show, or when I finally make it to an in person blogging conference. Sure I’d wear it for other things too but that’s really why I wanted one.

Whatever your reason for wanting custom t shirts, WhoopTee.com can help you. Family reunions, teams, clubs, websites, whatever. Given the first paragraph, when I had a chance to create mine you can guess what I created. Yup, a LuvSavingMoney.info shirt and I’m so excited.

This is what the designer tool looks like to design your own custom t shirt. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to do what I wanted to do but once i got the hand of it I was trying different things, moving stuff around, and eventually save my design. Now I have my own LuvSavingMoney.info shirt I can wear proudly :-).

I chose a fitted tshirt but there are lots of shirt types to choose from. Unisex shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts. If you were to create a custom t shirt, what would you want to do? You could even design your own holiday shirt if you wanted to!

The fitted shirt was a bit snug. I ordered the size I normally wear but I might have done better to get a size bigger. It was soft and light weight. It washed well and didn’t fade. And Hey it’s pink and what a better month to wear pink right?

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Mens Costumes : What’s Shakin’ bacon? Bacon costume

**I received a costume from FrightCatalog.com in order to complete an honest review. No other compensation has been received** This post has been updated as FrightCatalog.com is no longer available.

The days are getting shorter, they’re cooling off. You’ve probably already dug the jeans out of your drawers and have worn your casual boots a couple times. It’s also the time that the kiddos are thinking of costumes ideas for Halloween.

I have 3 boys and a baby girl. I allow my kids to choose their costumes (with parental approval of course). It seemed like all my boys wanted to be was ninjas, soldiers, or a Star Wars character every year. I was getting bored of it but ultimately they were the ones to wear them so I wanted them to be happy.

It was my 9 year old’s turn to select his costume. As we scrolled through the pages of HalloweenCostumes.com He went to the usual Star Wars and Ninja categories. Then he said well let’s look at the food category. Surprised we scrolled through and seems quite interested in the Bacon Strip costume. But then he went back to his normal categories. My 9 yr old is very choosy and spends a lot of time making his decisions (which is usually a good thing) finally he says “I want to be the Bacon Strip” Awesome! When it arrived I thought he looked super cute!

This is awesome. I told him I’ll probably get him a maroon or brown sweatsuit to wear underneath but I love it and so does he. Even though it’s an adult costume it still worked for him. I’ll most likely have to safety in the bottom up a little bit so he doesn’t trip but we love it. It’s a one size fits all kinda deal. there’s an attached vest type thing that keeps the strip in place and the head is something like a hoodie.

After I took his picture he says “Ok mom it’s your turn to try it on and I’m going to take a picture of you” Well I guess it’s only fair.

Lol that’s hilarious. I told him, “I’ll bet you’ll be the only piece of bacon walking around for trick or treat.” My son is excited about his costume. Would you leave a comment and tell him how cute he looks?

Since the original sponsore of this post is no longer in business here some some links so You can find bacon costumes on these sites:

Halloweencostumes.com Bacon costume

kids bacon costume at Wholesale Halloween costumes

toddler bacon strip costume

Adult bacon strip costume at Walmart

Making Homemade Baby Food: Applesauce

As a family of 6 budgeting and cost cutting is a necessity. Now that my daughter is 6 months old I’ve started introducing stage 1 baby foods to her. Initially I bought them to try them with her. I couldn’t believe how much the prices have gone up on baby food even since having my son 4 years ago. 69 cents for a small 2 oz stage one baby food jar that’s good for one serving. Sure I use coupons when I have them but still, it seemed like a rip off. I had heard about people making homemade baby food but honestly the idea scared me a little. “What if I don’t make it right?” “Will I have time to make it with 4 kids, a job outside of my home, a blog to run, and kids’ games and practices?” “Will I have to busy special equipment?” I quickly found the answers were yes, yes, and no respectively.

There are plenty of places to find recipes for homemade baby food and it’s quite simple. I found it’s actually not too bad time wise. I can make up multiple containers of baby food at a time and it’s good to go for a week or 2 depending on how much I want to make at one time. As far as equipment, if you have a knife to cut, a pot to cook, and either a food processor, blender, or stick mixer, you’re good to go.

I’m starting with applesauce. It’s a good first good to try and apples are available pretty much everywhere. I bought a bag of golden delicious apples at Walmart for about $5. That bag can makes weeks worth of stage 1 baby applesauce. Huge money saver considering the 69 cents for 2 oz good for one serving I mentioned earlier.

Start by washing your apples then peeling, coring, and chopping the apple. Make sure you get out any seeds and the hard area around the seeds. Of course baby can’t chew those things. I happened to have one of the apple corer/slicer things but a plain old knife works just fine too.

Put your apple pieces into a small saucepan on the stovetop and cover with just enough water to cover the apples. (The apple slices float a bit). Alternatively you can also steam your apples if you prefer. I like to boil them then I use the water they were cooked in to think the applesauce to the right consistency.

Boil (or steam) the apples until soft enough to mash like potatoes.

Once their cooked to a mashing consistency you can put them in your blender, processor, or stick mixer cup (whatever you are using). I have my handy dandy stick mixer I like to use for this because it’s less mess and easier clean up. I start by just blending the apple slices by themselves. Once they blended well you can add a little of the water from the pot you cooked them in. (Or add water to your steamed apples)

For a first food you want it to be fairly smooth. Not too thick or chunky. If you’re making for older babies a little thicker consistency or small chunks is fine.

The picture above is a good consistency for a 1st food. You can then store your applesauce. I saved some of the store bought containers I had and used some little storage containers I had in my cupboards;

The applesauce will stay good in the fridge for about 3-4 days. If you make up more than a couple days worth at a time, be sure to only put about 3 days worth in the fridge and freeze the rest until you’re ready for it. I only used 4 small apples and was able to get 10 oz of baby food from it (equal to 5 jars of number 1 baby food at the store) at an average of 69 cents per jar that’s equal to $3.45 worth of store bought applesauce but there is still plenty of apples left in the bag for more.

Making homemade baby food is not only cost saving but it’s also good for your baby. Be sure to label your baby food so you know how long it’s been in the fridge. You can label with something as simple as a piece of masking tape or I have these super handy Date it! labels from LovableLabels.ca http://www.lovablelabels.ca/product/date-it-labels/

They’re reusable, washable, microwave, and dishwasher safe. If you want some too you can use my coupon code: AngieBLB3 to save yourself 10% off.

Artistic Rhinolin Desk Pad Available on Shoplet.com

**I am a Shoplet.com blogger. I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. No other compensation has been received**

Before trying the Artistic Rhinolin Desk Pad (AOPLT41S) I had no idea really what the point of a desk pad was. I’m being honest, I figured it was to protect the desk but wasn’t really sure. I have an old desk and it’s seen it’s share of wear and tear. My desk top is kind of rough and has some bumps and dings so writing on it isn’t always the best. Seeing the desk pad I thought it would be good for me to serve the purpose of a smooth writing surface.

The finish on the desk pad is a low glare Black Satin. The finish helps reduce glare and eye strain. One of my favorite features of the Artisitc Rhinolin desk pad is that it has microban technology and wipes off super easy. It has a no slip backing to keep it from sliding around on your desk. I can attest to that. I’ve had it on my desk for several days filling out papers for my boys school, taking notes, etc.

The writing surface was so smooth compared to having no desk pad at all. It’s more comfortable for my wrist to as it slide along the pad as I was writing.

Shoplet.com has a huge selection of office supplies and office stationary. Everything from desk top to lunch room to cleaning needs. Keep Shoplet.com in mind for the holidays or for your promotional products as well. If you’re looking for company branded gifts for your employees or items with your website on them to hand out at events you can get small items like lanyards, pens, or koozies or larger items like jackets, promotional shirts, or duffle bags.

Shoplet.com is available in several countries including Shoplet UK.