If you are a new reader of this blog you may not have heard me discuss where I find affortable eyeglasses. Even though I’m the only glasses wearing person in our family, glasses can still be $300 per pair every year or two. I had a year or so when my toddler and preschooler were being particularly tough on my glasses arm, and when I had to replace it for $50 I thought I’d get serious about finding a cheaper place for glasses.

After finding Zenni Optical I ordered two pairs for only $65 including shipping (and these were the higher end models!) I did manage to break one pair, but my other is still going strong! I plan on buying another couple of pairs this year but need to get my prescription updated (it has been two years or so since I bought my last Zenni glasses).

There is a reason that many bloggers are sharing about Zenni Optical’s affordable prices. With the economy still being shaking there aren’t many of us who can realistically spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars for eyeglasses, no matter how essential they are. I’m very glad to have found an affordable alternative.

I definitely recommend you check them out if you haven’t heard of them before.

Today I printed out some free geography downloadables that I found over at Confessions of a Homeschooler.  The Continent Hop is a free floor game that you can print and laminate for your little ones to learn one of the first ‘facts’ to learn about geography, that there are seven continents, their approximate locations, and their names.

So, we had at it tonight and our 7 and 4 year-olds wore their Dad out by having him call out continent names.  He got pretty creative and turned it into a bit of “Continent Twister” telling the girls to go to two continents at once, or having them hop to two or three continents in series.  He then mixed it up further by telling them to hop to where elephants come from and so on.

Continent Hop is FREE, just scroll down to get it.  Simple concept, but VERY fun for little ones who all have a touch of “Wiggly Willy” in them!

I know this isn’t a financially-oriented blog, but I think it’s SO interesting that the US dollar is actually a tiny, wee bit under the Canadian dollar right now.  Wow.  You don’t see that very often!   Everything in the US is priced much lower than it is here in Canada, so NOW is the time for online shopping from the States!  Bwahahahaha!

Ahem.

Yes, even with shipping calculated in, the normally lower prices more than pay for the shipping when a substantial order is made.  Shipping is high, true, but we’ve saved up to $200 on large purchases by buying US.  Oh, we are so unpatriotic.  I like the NAFTA…

Remember in the ‘good-old-days’ when women used to iron their hair flat with…irons?  Okay, it was before my time too.  Hair styling technology has certainly come a long way though hasn’t it?  You can now buy hi-tech fhi flat irons, chi rocket professional hair dryers, and hair cutting shears that are all designed for high performance.

Actually, I need to get a pair of good shears for doing my husband’s hair with.  Using regular scissors is SO frustrating!  I’ve actually been using my BIG sewing scissors, but the tips don’t cut straight for hair, it sort of ‘spoons’ it.  There are some BEAUTIFUL pink/jewel tone shears, but the student models are more in our price range.  If you compare cutting at home (even with the cost of expensive shears) to going out for hair cuts, it’s still much cheaper!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

When our first daughter was born we went through a LOT of different diapering ointments. One that wasn’t available at that time was Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, formulated by a pharmacist with the direction of a pediatrician to help out with effective diaper rash care.

Diaper rash, I know we’ve all battled it at one time or another. One of the main ingredients in Boudreaux’s is zinc oxide, around 16%. If you’re familiar with mineral makeup at all, zinc oxide is one of the compounds responsible for the protective, nourishing properties of minerals for the skin, and it works this way on baby bums too. Zinc oxide is a soothing, anti-inflammatory, and definitely worth giving a try. There are other ingredients as well, like peruvian balsam. Apparently it smells good, cleans up easily (have you ever had zinc preparations that are terrible to wipe off of babies bum at changes?), comes in many sizes, has been featured all over national television, and is easy to find nation-wide.

Whew. Worth giving a try? You can get your free sample of Butt Paste by sending them a 6″ x 9″ SASE (around $1.69), so you can try it for yourself on any rashy baby bottoms you have handy before investing in a full size.

Enjoy!

This is a Mama Buzz review for My Coupons.

Wow, is it already that time of year again?  August is almost upon us, and while we homeschool pretty much year round, I know children in some districts will be back at it come the beginning of next month!  Others will be restarting their educational studies in September, but still, I can hear moms across the continent already turning their thoughts back towards scholastic activities.

I’m always up for a good bargain, and although I’m not the most ‘online coupon’ savvy cookie in the bunch, I’m starting to learn that there are great savings to be had online, if you only know where to look!

My Coupons is a source you may not be familiar with that offers free, exclusive coupon codes for back-to-school.  They have popular back-to-school savings for new wardrobes, to textbooks, novelties, and more.  From free shipping at Crocs to 15% off at Oriental Trading Company, there’s  a little bit of everything there for young students on through college (like textbook rentals).

You can also find My Coupons on Twitter and Facebook for easy ways to stay up to date on new coupon offers.

Have fun bargain-hunting as back-to-school season kicks into gear!

99 Ways to Increase Your Income is part of a series of short, “99 Ways” titles from Waterbrook Press designed to give succinct, helpful advice on a variety of topics.  Written by an entrepreneur, Frank Martin divides his 99 tips into seven major sections: Foundations of Financial Management, Earn More by Keeping More, Increase Your Income at Work, Simple Ways to Earn Cash, Home-Based Business, Managing Your Expenses, and Saving and Investing Wisely.  Each section concludes with a summary of the main points for each section.

This title is a good choice for readers who just want to “dip a toe” into the world of economizing and increasing potential earnings.  For dedicated frugalistas and economizers, there are likely to be few tips here that they haven’t come across before.  Personally, we already utilize many, many of the suggested economizing methods, and are engaged in developing alternative income sources ourselves.  For readers like us, you’ll need a meatier book than this one, but for young adults with little financial or budgeting experience, who are just setting out on their own, this title could make a good, broad introduction to the subject.

The tips are fairly short, and none go into much detail.  For example, in the sections on blogging for income and freelance writing and editing (both of which I have done myself), there is only a paragraph or so, which is really only enough to plant the germ of an idea, not enough to actually pursue these courses as a viable source of income without further extensive research (entire books can and have been written on the topics!)

Martin does write in a lively, entertaining style, and the book is a brisk, introductory read.  Christian principles shine through in his dedication to generosity, and avoidance of any sort of unethical suggestions.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Times remain tough across North America – even here in Canada we are just at what is predicted to be the start of a lengthy recession.  Despite some news that the economy is starting to improve, a recent report entitled Recession, Recovery & Store Brands found in a survey of 800 US shoppers, that 8 of 10 supermarket shoppers see no improvement in the economy, and 40% say things have actually gotten worse in recent months.

In a reaction to their perceptions of an economic low, 62% of consumers plan to buy more Store Brand products as they deal with the tough economy.  These are the ‘No Name’ or store name branded products, up here we have “Our Compliments” as one store brand, I’m sure you can think of the others that are available locally.  These products are lower priced, but are often still good quality, the only difference being the savings that would normally be spent on marketing campaigns. Parent’s Choice is a baby formula that meets all government regulations but offers significant savings to formula-feeding parents who are feeling the crunch.

Shoppers who identify themselves as frequent buyers of store brands are now at an all-time high (57% of shoppers), so if you are trying to economize in this way, you’re not alone!  43% of shoppers are trying Store Brands for the first time in categories where they used to buy only national brands and virtually all (97%) of shoppers who switched to a Store Brand are happy with their new choice.  49% say their new Store Brand selections compare “very favorably”, a percentage which has increased from 35% in June 2009.

This is definitely an area where downsizing is as simple as changing brands, if you aren’t already economizing with store brands, you might want to step out and give it a try.

We’ve been thrilled to host two giveaways for Natural Pod here at Quiverfullfamily.com, we love their emphasis on natural toys and family gear.

This spring, they’re celebrating their 3rd birthday with 15% off everything!  They also have some exciting new products like all natural play clay.  So, hurry on over before March 21st at midnight and use coupon code “springbirthday2010″ to get your discount!

I just received an email in my inbox today from Chapters (an online Canadian bookseller).  Seems they’re giving away a $5 gift certificate if you join their facebook page.

You can sign up here, and they have free shipping on orders over $39 as a matter of course.

Hmm, I can hear chapters calling my name…

Fellow Canadian book-lovers, this PSA is for you .