Hi My Name is Erika and I am Cheap!

So, due to financial struggles, I have become extremely cheap with how I spend money on myself.  However, I am a girly girl and love to feel pretty so I have found some ways to make some extra cash and also to save as much as I can.  Here are some of my tips:

1. Sign up for store loyalty cards, emails and follow on facebook/twitter.  I know... Big Brother is watching you, but Big Brother is watching you save some money!!  I sign up for all the stores that I could ever want to shop and I get some seriously good deals for my kids, myself and my husband.  

2. Surveys.  Yes, they can be time consuming but I get amazon gift cards for taking surveys a couple times a month.  My favorite sites for these are Swagbucks (you can earn money by doing more than surveys), Opinion Outpost (I have earned the most on this site) and Valued Opinions.   I also do e-rewards for free magazine subscriptions.  

3. Sign up for other various things.  I am a member of the Loreal Consumer Program and although I have never had the opportunity to test a product, I did answer some surveys and got a free Lancome Eye Shadow quad.  I also am a member of Influenster (previous post on my 1st box) and love the fact that I can free things from that, however, I have yet to get beauty related products :(

People are amazed at what a bargain shopper I am and how much I can get for free.  It takes some work, but it is worth it to me in the end.  

My experience with Influenster

I signed up for Influenster a few months ago and was ecstatic when I received an email stating that I had been chosen to receive a complimentary box.  If you are not familiar with Influenster, it is an exclusive community for trendsetters to share news, products and reviews with the opportunity to be rewarded by brands.  I have spent time linking up my online social interactions and submitting reviews of products and services that I have used. It was definitely worth the work that I put in.  Here is what I received (all items were sent complimentary by Influenster for my honest opinions and reviews):

My box was called The GoodLife VoxBox and included the following items:

• New-Skin Liquid Bandage (retail price $7.29)
• the Vitamin Shoppe Garcinia Cambogia (retail price $16.99)
• ZonePerfect Greek Yogurt Bars (retail price $1.25)
• Nonni's THINaddictives (retail price $3.99)
• UrgentRx Fast Powders (retail price $1.39)

My favorite item was Nonni's THINaddictives because the taste was better than expected.  The other item that I really liked was New Skin liquid bandage.  I used NewSkin (non liquid) when my daughter was 4 years old and reopened a cut on her chin that had required stitches.  I was very impressed with the product then and am even more impressed with the liquid version.  You can use it on blisters and cuts that are in an area that is hard to use a bandage on.  The only item that really didn't work for me was the Garcinia Cambogia, which is a weight loss supplement.  I am very happy with my current weight and do not want to lose anymore.  However, I am trying to convince my husband to use it and it does have very good reviews online.  

I highly recommend signing up for Influenster and giving it a try.  I am definitely hoping that I get selected to get another complimentary box to try some new products.  For more information, go to www.influenster.com

Communication is key

Like everyone else out there, I have gotten in my fair share of fights, arguments, misunderstandings (what have you) and at the heart of all of them there is one key element missing ... communication.  I think the majority of people out in the world today are not good at communicating.  Way back when, I was a psychology major and definitely learned a few tricks and trades along the way.  And, I have had to use these lessons in my marriage, with my kids, with my family and in work situations.  

Here are my main rules when it comes to communication (mind you that I am in no way saying that I am an expert, I am just stating my opinions):

1. Empathize- this is a difficult task to master.  It basically means to put yourself in the other person's shoes. This can be thinking like a different sex, race, socioeconomic status, age ... what have you.  It also forces you to think outside of yourself and your own personal situation, which opens up your mind to different possibilities.  

2. Reread what you write- this is true for facebook, text and e-mails.  Read what you write!  Words are misinterpreted so often and if it's in written form, it is so easy for the other person to read it differently than how you mean it.  I scan everything that I write and reread it probably 3 times.  This might sound crazy, but I try to read it from the other person's perspective.  It also allows me a few minutes to make sure that I don't write anything too hurtful, which can be done so quickly when you are mad.

3. Take ownership- as an adult, you have to be willing to say I am sorry even if you didn't mean it, or if you don't remember saying it.  If it hurt someone else or made them feel bad, say "I am sorry."  It almost always makes things better and it often will lead to the other person saying they are sorry too.

4. Don't believe what others say- When it is second-hand information, try not to believe it.  It is so easy for words to get twisted when it does not come directly from the horse's mouth.  People mean well, but it is never verbatim and therefore cannot be trusted as fact.  

These are things that I have found to be obstacles in relationships as a whole (workplace, marriage, kids, etc.) and the main contributors to conflict. 

Workout Inspiration

I, like almost everyone out there, struggle to motivate myself to workout and be healthy.  What are my non-motivators? Life getting busy with my kids, a small bout of life blues, my hormonal imbalance and sicknesses are my biggest ones.  Stress is actually a motivator for working out for me.  Crazy, I know.  But, I like to prove myself wrong and work out even when life gets the best of me.  I have been working out at home through YouTube videos for the past three years and I wanted to compile a list of who I love to watch and who motivate me to do my very best.

1. Cassey Ho or Blogilates.  She is a crazy young woman who will make you insanely sore in a very short amount of time.  Cassey does a mix of short and long videos and most have a pilates type feel to them but she incorporates cardio and interval training into her workout videos.  This is a must try video of hers.  Your legs will be burning!!

2.  XHIT Daily.  There are currently three instructors that do a wide variety of workouts and I love to use these as supplemental workouts when I want something extra, but you can also combine a few of them and get a great workout for the day.  Most of their videos are 10-15 minutes long and some are very intense!  Sometimes they get a little cheesy but remember that the videos are all about keeping your body at its fittest, so some days I mute them and rock out to my own music.  Here is a great one from them:

3. Fitness Blender.  Talk about a wide array of videos!  I think they have over 450 videos and they are all done very simply with minimal equipment needed.  It is a husband and wife team of personal trainers and their workouts are very effective.  I like to use the longer videos for intense cardio and calorie crushing.  Here is a good video for calorie burning:

These are just my current 3 favorite workout inspirations from YouTube.  I also follow people on instagram, lots of healthy blogs and recipes on Facebook and have healthy reminders in my email inbox.  I am no health freak or perfect person but I know that I only have 1 body and I have seen my body do amazing things by creating three beautiful children and I like to push myself to the limits when I am working out.  I enjoy the pain in working out (weird, I know, but it's true) and I like to be covered in sweat even though I know it's not necessary.  Hopefully, this will help you get some motivation too.

My Happy Breakfast

I am currently battling a cold.  As a stay-at-home mom to 3 kids (all home because it is summer), this is not a good day!  So, I am cheering myself up by having my "happy breakfast."  It is sooooo good and so easy.  You must have roasted potatoes (I did not.  I had baked but that worked too) and some eggs and then the magic begins ....

- start with an oil (I use coconut oil mixed with cooking spray)

- saute your roasted potatoes (mine are always leftovers from previous dinners)

- saute your veggies (onions, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach ... whatever your heart fancies)

- saute your meat if you like (the only one I like is ham, but you do whatever makes you happy)

- last add the eggs (I use one whole and some egg whites in a carton) and scramble them into all the goodies.  you have to massage them into the potatoes and fixings so that it crusts over all of it

That's it.  You can top it with cheese, fresh tomatoes, herbs, salt & pepper, srirachi, salsa.  Go for it and enjoy!  Honestly, this is good enough to wake my husband up from his Saturday late morning sleep.  And, please excuse the picture.  My son is addicted to angry birds and killed my battery and this is the best I could do.

Best Face and Body Scrub!

So I read somewhere that coffee scrubs are used to help decrease the appearance of cellulite. This mama of 3 was intrigued to say the least!  Well, I also know that baking soda is something fantastic to bring back the glow in your face (Lauren Conrad is said to firmly believe in it!).  So, I created a facial and body scrub and let me tell you it is amazing!  It makes your skin glow, makes shaving easier, helps lotion really sink into skin and well, I haven't noticed a decrease in cellulite but it does make me feel a little less puffy.  You are supposed to use the coffee scrub every day for something like 6 weeks to get a decrease in the appearance of cellulite and I usually take a shower once every 3 days so that is not gonna happen!  Well, here ya go ....

1/4 cup coffee grounds (I use the stuff that I have already made my coffee from)

1/4 cup baking soda

juice from 1/2 lemon (more or less to create a paste .... again helps bring out a glow)

You can also use brown sugar if you want, but I don't want to scrub my skin too hard.  I mix all the ingredients together and store it in a plastic container and keep it in the shower.  I like it to sit on my skin for a few minutes and scrub, scrub, scrub. Rinse it off when you are done and I like to soap up after because I don't want to smell like a coffee shop all day.  I do put this on my face (avoiding eyes of course) but that is a personal choice.  Enjoy!