American Mom

Free Stuff from Influenster.com

2011-12-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

Now a days we all use social media in everyday life. There is a great site called Influenster.com that lets you use social media to there advantage and in return you get FREE products!! That's right free. I signed up last month and this month I got my holiday Vox Box in the mail. The box had a new Coconut Scrub by soft soap, Mentos, NYC Liquid lip Shine, a Larabar, imPress on manicure, and a Mud Pac. It also included coupons for the Larabar and imPress on manicure. We use social media everyday why not to our advantage. On top of that Influenster.com is free to sign up for is a great place to get reviews on product by everyday people and deals on products. What are you waiting for go get your free Vox Box at Infuenster.com

Great places to save money on presents

2011-12-08T13:43:00.001-08:00

As promised I am added some stores and ways to save at store for Christmas or anytime of year.

MAUI Enterprises

I went to a great store today called MAUI Enterprises. This store is a whole store kind of place. They have lots of toys and nick-knack things at great prices. This store is located off of 58th and Washington st in Denver Colorado.

I Decided to buy a couple of things while I was there to show that it is very affordable. I picked up a dress up set with jewelry and two stress ball things at incredible $8 total. I have added a photo to show. The two puff ball looking things are dragon stress balls.

If you are short on cash this is a great way to get an affordable gift. It is a huge warehouse filled with items for everyone.

Michael's

The art and craft store is a great place to score gifts for a cheap price. It also gives you the option to make something for someone. If your not into that idea its still a great place to get gifts for children at a great price. During the holiday season the store puts a lot of Crayola art sets and products on clearance. Better prices then Wal-Mart!! They also have a section of 50 cent to $3 stocking stuffers on sale. This items are of a better quality then the dollar store. Check them out you wont be disappointed.

Jcpenny's

The Jcpenny's at the Westminster mall off of 88th ave and Sheridan is a great place all year round to by clothing as gifts for people. Most of the store is marked down to 80% off. This Jcpennys has more items then other Jcpenny's marked down because the Westminster Mall is now a ghost mall. There is also a Dillard's closeout store at the Westminster mall, However, the Dillard's is a little bit more prices. I buy clothing for my children and myself from this Jcpenny's. If you stick to the 80% off racks you can get close for a couple of dollars. This is a great deal on name brand clothing. They do have more then clothing marked down at 80% off. I have never bought anything but clothing though. Another great tip is to give Jcpenny's your malling address. Once a month I get a coupon in the mail from Jcpenny's that is a 20% off anything including clearance. When I receive the coupon I still only shop at the 80% off rack and then save an additional 20% off. I personally have saved over $500 in one shopping trip buy doing this. I didn't have to spend hundreds to save that amount. I saved the $500 and paid under a $100 for my items.

Tip to save money at your favorite store

When you go to stores now a days they always ask for an email address. A lot people are hesitant to give it up. My advice is DO IT!! By giving them your email address you will get coupons at least once a week from your favorite store. The best part is if you have a smart phone you don't even have to print them out. You go to the check out with your items and show the email from your phone and walla your coupon is applied to your order. Giving your email and mailing address gives you perks that others are not receiving. I personally get Children's Place(best Children's Place to go to in Colorado is at Colorado Mills Mall in Lakewood), Hot Topic, Avon, and Burlington Coat Factory. If you need any of these coupons pleas let me know in the comment section.

Happy Holidays and Good Luck on the hunt for affordability. Please let me know if you need any help!

Saving money on Christmas

2011-11-28T14:51:00.001-08:00

This is my first blog of more to come on saving ideas for Christmas. Today I'm going to talk about eBay.com and other internet sites. Ebay can be a great way to save money on Christmas if you know what your doing. First make sure that you know what an item is worth and what you want to pay for it. I have seen items go for way more than they are worth new or used. For example I can buy the new Kindle Fire from Amazon .com for $199.00 with free shipping. On eBay they are going for over $200 and not always with free shipping. That comes to the next thing shipping some people are making their money off of outrageous shipping cost. This can help you or hurt you. Some sellers sell their items for a couple of penny's with $10-$20 shipping cost. If you now what the item retails bran new the combine price might be actually lower then retail. However, there are those who will sell an item for a higher price and shipping cost that makes the item cost more then retail bran new. I want to address electronics on eBay. I have personally saved $100s if not $1000s on electronics on eBay. You do have to be careful make sure you read the refund and warranty information. MOST IMPORTANT DO NOT BUY ELECTRONICS FROM SELLERS THAT ARE IN CHINA. This products don't work well for Americans and have weird versions of software on them and are in Chinese. Even if the seller has a solution it usually has to do with buying something else. You can find great deals from american sellers. Also, don't be scared to buy used things it a great way to save money on anything. Just make sure that you read the description and refund/return policy carefully. Ebay is great for Moms especially when it comes to cloths all year round. the best bang for your buck is wholesale lots. When I was pregnant with my son I bought a whole newborn closet full of cloths for $25 it had 60 pieces in it!!! I still buy my kids cloths this way and it saves be a bundle!
MOST IMPORTANT RULE FOR EBAY.COM, DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN A BIDDING WAR KNOW WHAT YOUR MAX BID IS AND STICK WITH IT!!!

Other bidding sites

Don't go to bidding sites that require you to buy bids to bid it makes items cost more because you pay for bids and the item.

Craigslist
Personally I use craigslist for free stuff. I have bought stuff off of craigslist at great prices. You have to know what your willing to pay and what one cost retail new. Don't be afraid to haggle. A great tip is to look and see how many times the item has been re-posted (make sure its the same listing) the more times the more you can get the prices to come down. I would still stick to free stuff. A lot of people give away and throw away items that are in good usable shape. I look at what neighborhood the stuff is being throwing out at. The better the neighborhood most of the time the better the stuff.

HAPPY HUNTING!!

P.S.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR NEED HELP ASK ME. I AM MORE THAN WILLING TO HELP ALL OF YOU.

ALSO, I WILL BE WRITING MORE WAYS TO SAVE. FOLLOW ME SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT'

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Can I get a clone or robot please??

2011-11-22T22:06:00.001-08:00

Yesterday my phone rang, it was Children's Hospital reminding me of a genetics appointment that I scheduled for my son 8 months ago. The first thing that came to my mind was oh sh** I scheduled an appointment for my daughter on the same day two months ago. I know its my fault but sometimes it's a little hard to keep track of appointments that have to be scheduled almost a year out. For two parent households this isn't really a problem. You just split it up. Unfortunately like most of us single moms the feeling of having to be in two places at once is a common feeling and anxiety provoking situation. It made me think of a show I watched on Vanguard ( Vanguard makes unaffiliated uncensored mini documentrys about current events. You can find them on the Current tv station http://current.com/shows/vanguard/) about Japan and robots that are human like. I though to myself they should give those to single moms so we can be at two places at once. A clone would work too, even if its a little weird. I just wanted to share this with all you moms out there. Your not alone, don't get to much in a panic. At times you just have to say fu** it and get rid of one of the appointment's. Just make sure you call and reschedule so the doctors office doesn't get upset. What are they going to say I don't want your money?? Yeah right lol!!!

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!

Jade

It will be okay

2011-11-21T13:17:00.001-08:00

I know at times that it may seem stupid to say or sometimes the chant you have with yourself locked in the bathroom, but when your trying to find the strength to face the day things WILL BE OKAY! You are not alone. Remember yourdelf today and something nice for yourself. Lock yourself in the bathroom and take a hot bath with candles instead of having your warrior chant. Life isnt always fair and it sucks but find the little things that put a smile on your face like music or some ice cream or maybe just an hour with an old friend you haven't had enough time for in a while. Be good to yourself and that will spread into the rest of your life and keep you a a lot when you feel like your drowning. Here is a song that puts a smile on my face

The Empowerment of women

2011-11-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

So today I am going to write about the things we can do to supporteach other. Sometimes in life we get so caught up with our problems that theybecome overwhelming. It’s important to realize that you’re not the onlyone. The best way to support others is by choosing something that youhave dealt with. We can help each other through the experiences thatwe have dealt with in life. I want to share a great movement with allof you that was shared with me by my mom through Facebook. Right now is agreat time in our history because of the internet and we can do so much more thanbefore. Andrea Montoya Mitchell started the It CanHappen Women's Empowerment group. The group can be foundon Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/It-Can-Happen-Womens-Empowerment-Grp/160513814008698?sk=wall You can also find the group at the website http://www.i-c-h.webs.com/ Andrea Montoya Mitchell does greatthings for her community and is always in need for others to help.She doesn't only help women empower themselves but also helps womenempower other women. Andrea Montoya Mitchell and I our both inspiredto help end the cycle of poverty, domestic violence, and all theissues that come with being moms in our communities through ourchildren. She is outspoken to school districts and help children in some of thepoorest school s in Denver. It’s as simple as making sure that a child hasa snack. No matter what might be going on in your life right nowI challenge you to contact Andrea Montoya Mitchell or anyother organization that helps others and see how you can help. I willbe doing the same in the coming weeks and blogging about my experiences.Helping another person feeds your soul and is worth more thanits weight in gold. Happy Holidays to all of you andalways remember during the holiday seasons there is someone less fortunate thenyourself and in need!

Intro

2011-11-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hi my name is Jade. I am a mom of two amazing kids. I decided to start this blog because I am a typical american mom. Not what is shown in the media. I had my first child when I was 18 and I got married at 19 and another child when I was 21 and divorced at 25. There is a lot of hardships being a mom in America that aren't shared. I want to share my Joys, Disappointments, and Struggles. What us American moms go through. I want this to be a place where we come together support each other and most of all we don't feel like we are ALONE in all of this. I look forward to comments, discussions, and sense of community.

With my Love
Jade