Healthy kick to the immune system

 

It's a new year, which usually comes with New Year's Resolutions. On the top of everyone's resolution is often, "get healthy." Well, I'm happy to say that I've found a tasty new way to help with the get healthy part of the resolution. 

BzzAgent sent me a bottle of Tropicana Vitamin C & Zinc orange juice to try. It helps support a healthy immune system with three times the Vitamin C of regular OJ. It has no added sugars, and quite delicious. Now, in addition to vowing to take the stairs instead of the elevator, track my daily steps, and eating better, I can add Tropicana Vitamin C & Zinc oj to the ritual, to give my immune system a good kick. At least drinking something healthier is easier and requires less motivation than going to the gym. ;)

Tropicana Vitamin C and Zinc

 

 A little while ago, I was sent a bottle of Tropicana Vitamin C and Zinc orange juice from BzzAgent to try. Now, usually when it comes to "healthier" orange juice, especially the kind that boasts "sugar free" I find it tastes like crap. I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners, so naturally, I was a bit skeptical. But, free is free, right? It was no risk to try so I promptly poured myself a glass and took a sip. Much to my surprise it tasted great! Nothing like artificial sweeteners. Knowing that my family would quickly devour the entire bottle, and I'd never see it again, I topped off my glass, to enjoy it before they got home. 

So yeah, go ahead, do something nice for your body. Walk a few more steps, and add Tropicana Vitamin C and Zinc to the mix. It was delicious, and has no added sugar.

Coppertone Clearly Sheer sunscreen Bzz

 I had the opportunity to try Coppertone's Clearly Sheer sunscreen courtesy of BzzAgent, and I must say, I really enjoyed it. My favorite is the travel size spray which is just the right size for air travel so you don't have to drop a ton of money on a full size one in tourist areas.  It provides great SPF even for the beach and swimming in the ocean.

The Clearly Sheer formula goes on smoothly, absorbs quickly and won't clog pores so it's great under makeup. It's a great way to get the daily sun protection you need and should be using.

Kroger Skillet Meals

Like most families these days, mine gets super busy with crazy weeknight schedules. While I like to prepare food from scratch and ensuring my family eats nutritious meals, the truth is, I don't always have the time to. Admittedly, we've been getting a lot of frozen skillet meals lately because they're just flat out cheaper than take out and drive thru plus it's healthier as well.

I recently had the opportunity to try out Kroger's Skillet Meals from BzzAgent and picked the Sesame Chicken with Brown rice to try. First I will say it's super easy to make and fast. Just 10 minutes and my family had a fairly wholesome good meal to eat. That's the good part. The down side is, the packages are small. I have a family of four, two of which are kids. I had to buy and make 3 packages of the Skillet Meals in order to have enough for everybody. At just under $6 a pop, that adds up to just under $18 to feed my family of four. Which really, isn't all that terrible, considering that's about how much we'd spend at McD's and these Skillet Meals are far healthier.

Visually, it looks nothing like take out Sesame Chicken, but it's edible. In fact, we were all so ravenous about it that I forgot to take a picture for this review and for BzzAgent. I am looking forward to trying other varieties though.

Skip the ugly sweater

Gift cards tends to get the bad rap that it's impersonal, when the truth is, most people would really rather get a gift card than a knick knack or ugly sweater they don't want or need. No, it's not about what YOU think they want or need, but gift giving is about the recipient. Not only that, but gift cards make life so much easier for you and the recipient.

Kroger offers 4 times the fuel points when you buy gift cards from them. No fees, no hassles. Just use your club card when you shop and when you get gas. Heck, half the time I don't even remember to bring my card. I just use my phone number at the store and gas pump. Picking up some gift cards, knocking a few things off of the Christmas to do list while picking up groceries, AND getting fuel points to help lessen the pain of prices at the pump? Sign me up! I don't need MORE stress this Holiday season. :)

Guilt free frozen treats

I had the privilege to try Kroger's new Yogurt Smoothie Bars for free from BzzAgent and they are so good! My favorite is the strawberry banana. I love having a guilt-free treat on those hot scorching summer days. I love the feeling of not having to worry too much when the rest of my family wants to indulge too. Yum!

Bzz Agent: Dark Monk & Hangman's Daughter books

I was recently asked to check out these 2 books with BzzAgent. Check it out!

• Link to The Dark Monk: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JTTK3O/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=darkmonk_bzzagent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B006JTTK3O
• Link to The Hangman's Daughter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P9XMFI/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=darkmonk_bzzagent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003P9XMFI

 Disclaimer: BzzAgent provided the books for me to check out in exchange for my opinions on them.

We were fortunate enough to be selected to try these for BzzAgent and figured our 4th of July get together would be perfect for it. Our guests have enjoyed them and found them to be nice and juicy. You can find these at King Soopers/Kroger.

BzzAgent: Truly Awesome Cookies - wk 4

Wouldn't you know it, it's been almost 4 weeks since trying those Truly Awesome Cookies from Kroger. I think I still have a couple of them left, and they're still tasty. I'm sure they would've been long gone had it not been the plethora of various holiday cookies floating around here, but nonetheless...4 weeks later and they're still good and not stale. :)

BzzAgent: The Little Clinic

A while ago, while in a local Kroger store, I'd noticed that they'd opened a new clinic. For a while here, most if not all of the grocery store clinics were closed. I never knew why, but they just vanished. Soon after noticing The Little Clinic, I was invited to check it out by BzzAgent.

While I haven't personally had a chance to use them yet (and knock on wood that I don't simply because I don't want to get sick...I don't have time to! Who has the time to be sick?) I'm happy to know that they're there and conveniently located so I know it's an option for if and when I need them. When I was walking by it, I did notice a sick child in the small waiting area of the clinic. And it is small...just a tiny section at the front of the store. The waiting area is just a few chairs outside of a door. It would've been nice to see some sort of wall or door to isolate the sick from the masses of other Kroger shoppers as to avoid the spread of germs, especially when food products are being purchased just a few feet away. Nonetheless, having the option of a conveniently located clinic is nice when you feel like death.

Kroger Private Selection

I was recently selected by BzzAgent to try out the new Private Selection frozen foods from Kroger. On a whim, I decided to stop by and pick some up today. I will admit, they were a bit challenging to find because they were scattered all over the frozen food area, but once I found them, I was pretty impressed with how they looked. The selection isn't grand, but they do have some great flavors and options. I ended up picking up some cheese puffs, a roasted garlic pepperoni pizza, and some crab rangoons. I can't wait to try them out, especially the crab rangoons. The packaging says they're made with real crab, not "krab" so that makes me happy. :)

BzzAgent: Truly Awesome Cookies

As a BzzAgent, I recently joined the Truly Awesome Cookies by Kroger campaign. If you have a Kroger near you, check them out! They're made with real, wholesome ingredients, loaded with chocolate chips, no added preservatives. What more could you ask for from a cookie?

Bzz Agent Product Review: Bil-Jac dog food

A short while ago, I joined the Bil-Jac dog food campaign on BzzAgent. I had my dogs try out the food over the weekend, and I must say, they love the food. Even my picky eater dog gobbles it right up. I'm rather impressed with the ingredients, which clearly states they use an adequate amount of meat, no fillers, no gluten meals, and no spray on fat, right on the packaging. Overall, my dogs loved it. The only con is, the food is tiny, reminiscent of rabbit pellets. In fact, it looks exactly like rabbit pellets. I think it's much more suitable for small dogs. Big dogs might have an issue with it. Other than that, my dogs would give it a rave review for taste.

Daily Deal sites & a heads up

No doubt you've seen tons of Daily Deal sites with some great deals, but before you buy, read up on the pitfalls and dangers of those sites. (Source Wall Street Journal SmartMoney)

Also, heads up if you have any Blockbuster gift cards laying around. They've filed for bankruptcy and will stop accepting gift cards after April 6, 2011.

Coupon printing whoops

Earlier today I was printing out the $1 off/2 Eggos coupons. Apparently it'd been a while since I reused a sheet of paper for 1 type of coupon because I screwed up and printed 2 coupons right behind one another. One coupon was on one side, the other was directly on the back. Since they only allow you to print 2 coupons, I was annoyed at my screw up. Nonetheless, I figured it couldn't hurt to try to use both coupons anyway. The worst that could happen was they wouldn't let me use one of them, right? Off to Walmart I went for my grocery shopping trip.

When I got to the cashier to pay for my stuff, I explained to the cashier about my screw up and asked if I could still use both coupons.

"I don't think it'll be a problem," she replied and continued scanning my stuff. A few seconds later, a manager walked by and the cashier asked her about the coupons just to be sure. The manager was kind enough to explain that since it was the same coupon for the same thing that they could do it, but otherwise, probably not because they have to send the coupons in for reimbursement. That makes sense. And I was very thankful.

Time and time again, I frequently read about people having horrible couponing experiences at Walmart and their cashiers being less than cooperative. So far, I've been quite thankful that the cashiers at the Walmarts in my area have been cool about accepting my self print coupons. Don't let other people's experiences discourage you from using your coupons. Try it. Arm yourself with the knowledge of the merchant's coupon policy, print it out and bring it with you if you have to (thankfully I haven't had to do that yet) but try. The worst they'll do is decline the coupon. Misinformed cashiers can be every where and at every store.

As for coupons and Walmarts, I don't know why some people have such a hard time with it. Maybe it's because the Walmarts in their area have had issues with fraudulent coupons. Who knows? All I can say is, try. Be kind. Be understanding. You know the adage, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. ;)


(Source of Eggos coupon tip: Couponing to Disney)

Walmart clearances

Walmart is having some huge clearances going on now. I'm not sure if it's at all Walmarts or not, but at least 2 in my area have some amazing deals.

I was able to find:

• laptop backpacks & outdoor backpacks for $10 (down from $25) great for those with school kids who'll need backpacks come Fall
• hydration packs (similar to Camelbak) for $15 down from $19.96
• neoprene collapsible lunch bags for $2
  
• Wolverine Electronic Battle Claw for $3 down from $21 (they're $16.49 each on Amazon)
• Newborn Elmos for $1!
• Vtech V.Smile Motion Active Learning System for $10! They're normally $40-$60
• SuperSoaker water guns pack of 2 for $1
• plush bathroom hand towels $2.50 ea
• DC superhero action figures for $3.50
• Marvel Heroscapes or $15
• toddler ride on toys for $10
• tons of How to Train My Dragon tons on clearance
  

Plus there were tons more stuff including outdoor camping & fishing gear that I didn't really look at. In one Walmart there was an aisle of clearance toys clearly marked, at another, they were all thrown in carts towards the front of the store. Things like the backpacks were back by the camping gear. Some stuff were down right steals others, while still a good price, aren't "ridiculous" bargains. I've noticed that mark down prices also varies by store. For example, the backpacks were $10 at one store, $15 at another. Still it's worth a look. Happy shopping!

Exemplary Customer Service to the Rescue

In a typical "Case of the Mondays" I found myself in a bit of a surprise predicament this morning. Like many people, I don't function very well first thing Monday morning, and I operate on what I call "robotic mode" where my body just does what my brain is trained to do out of habit:

1. alarm goes off
2. smack snooze button
3. roll out of bed a while later
4. look at clock
5. shout out an "oh, expletive!" because I over slept
6. toss each kid an Eggo or something portable to eat
7. shove kids in car
8. drive off to take them to school

After dropping 1 kid off, I noticed that I have a flat tire. Again, I uttered an "oh, expletive!" Ugh, now wtf am I going to do? I still have 1 more kid to drop off at another school a few miles away and even the nearest tire shop is a few miles away. Mind you, my tire pressure light had been on since yesterday but we mostly ignored it because it's sensitive. It'll turn on at the slightest temperature drop and it could often times mean it's not an emergency. We figured that it's just a temperature change and we'll fill it up the next time we get gas (since most gas stations will give free air to paying customers, might as well kill 2 birds with one stone, and save a few coins, right?) I remember a nearby gas station having a mechanic's station so I head off there. I pulled up to one of their repair bays and waited for a few seconds. No one's around. I get out of the car to look at the tire again and I notice a big huge screw stuck in the tire. Well hell. There seems to still have enough air in the tire for me to drive the 1.5 miles to the nearest tire shop (I wasn't terribly comfortable working with that gas station since it looked a bit sketchy, not to mention no one ever game out to greet me or show any sign that there was a mechanic on staff even though the garage doors were open.) So I hopped back in the car and headed to the nearest tire shop which was Big O Tires.

I pull up to Big O Tires, grabbed my kiddo and headed inside. An employee greeted me and asked me what he could do for me.

"I have a flat on my rear driver's side tire," I said quite frantically because I'd been pretty freaked out about driving on a flat that'd been there since yesterday. Not only was I worried about damaging my rims, but I was worried about losing control of the vehicle having to drive so long and far on it, with my kids in the car.

"Ok, we can get you taken care of," the employee calmly said, "It'll take about 45 minutes."

"45 minutes?" I said more shockingly than I should as panic and my hectic Monday morning schedule raced through my head. My kid was already 15 minutes late to school by the time I pulled up to Big O Tires. I was going to run back to Kid #1's school to photograph an event going on, and dash off to a dr's appointment that took me well over a month and a lot of hassle to get.  "Um, ok, I have to get my kid to school," I uttered.

"There are a few other cars ahead of you but we'll get you taken care of as fast as possible," the employee said.

I didn't really have a choice. "Ok, thank you," I said, and had my kid follow me to the waiting area.  A few minutes later, a light bulb went off in my head and I pulled out my phone to make a call to one of my kid's classmate's mom. I begged her to meet me at Big O Tires and take my kid to school. Thankfully, she was happy to help.  As I was walking out of the door to meet with her, I asked the employee if I could have my car keys back for a moment to get my kid's stuff out of the car.

"We're going to go ahead and get you in right now," he said. "We'll go ahead and have you jump ahead of another car and get you taken care of."

To my shock, I nearly fell to my knees to thank him for his awesome customer service.  He took mercy on my frantic state and saw that I needed to get out of there in a hurry, pulled some strings and got things done for me.  My kid's classmate's mom whisked him off to school for me (since she'd already arrived to meet me) and I am forever thankful.  Within 10 minutes, the employee came back out with my keys and said, "you're all taken care of and there's no charge.  You're parked right out front."

WHAT? No charge? Are you sure? I mean, dude you just came through for me by having me jump ahead of someone else since I was in a rush, now you fixed my flat for...FREE?

"Really? Are you sure?" I asked him.

"Yup, just come back and see us again," he said.

"Oh I definitely will!  THANK YOU!"  I said with a huge sigh of relief.

It was no doubt a crazy morning for me, but it's nice to know and experience some amazing humanity and great customer service.  I never even got the employee's name. In hindsight, I wish I did.  Regardless, he was awesome and I am very grateful for his compassion and service.  Much like my friend who came to take my kid to school, the Big O Tires employee was a hero to me today.  Both people came to my rescue. I'll be happy to give Big O Tires my business in the future.

Swaggin'

Are you SwagBuck-ing? If so, make sure you tune in on Monday, February 28, 2011! They're having a huge birthday (3 years) celebration and there are bound to be tons of Swag Codes flying that'll get you closer to your next reward.

Hi yeah, remember me?

Yeah, I know it's been a while. I've been slacking, yes, I know. I can't really say I have much of an excuse either, unfortunately, other than life got ridiculously busy so I got lazy whenever I could to catch a breather. Hopefully if nothing else, I'll get a chance to post some deals and such here again at least sporadically.

One thing I have been addicted to lately are Cuties. I could easily sit and munch on 4 of them in a span of 5 minutes. At least they're a healthy addiction, right? Anyway, if you like Cuties and get the Sunday paper, there are 2 coupons for them in this week's paper. Just a heads up just in case you're like me and let the paper sit in the driveway for a few days. ;)

Enjoy and hope to write again soon!

P.S. if you use Google Reader you can add this blog to your Reader lists and get updated whenever I get to update this blog. :)

Coupons & samples through TiVo

With Fall TV premiering this week, I am SO ridiculously excited for today because I have SIX shows going on tonight, 4 of which are premiering. Woot! I am SO thankful for my TiVo on days like that. Tonight, while I was going through my TiVo I noticed an ad for Pretzel M&Ms. I clicked on it and it allowed me to request a $1 off coupon via email! How awesome is that? I can't say TiVo is the first place I think of when I want samples and coupons but I've also requested samples through my TiVo before too. If you have a TiVo, what have you requested and received? I'm not sure if other DVRs offer samples and coupons. If you have some other brand of DVR and service, do you get coupons and/or sample offers through it?