Full time RV living...are we crazy?

Are you considering going full-time into RV living? Are you nervous about the change? Do you have lot of crap to get rid of? Are you completely clueless as to where to start?
Then you're us, just 6 months ago.

Todays story isn't about why we're here (yet) or what made us come to this decision....because to be honest, we fell into this black hole very suddenly. This first post of this series is to share the real life struggles (and solutions) to full time RV living.

We're currently living in a 38 foot fifth-wheel thats parked stationary. We were extremely fortunate to find this scenario to begin testing the waters of RV life.
Despite the seemingly ease of living when parked stationary, we have experienced a plethora of "RV life" in this short time here.
And no, we don't regret it for a second.

We didn't live in a large house, and thought the downsize process would be fairly easy. It wasn't, like at all. We only had a couple of weeks when we got our for sure moving dates and we had way more crap than any two people should accumulate over 4 years. Up until the day we moved (yes we did it the big move in one day due to the far distance we were moving) we were throwing boxes and bags on the curb of random crap. When you're living RV life, every cabinet is precious space. We were very fortunate to end up with a model full of storage, but still. Lots of crap. Did I need 13 bath towels? No. Was I ever going to use 3 different french presses? Not a chance. When was the last time we used all 16 dinner plates? Never.  You can see where I'm going with this. I'm going straight to the curb with it all. No one tells you how stressful it is do decide what you're doing with all the stuff you get rid of. Do I sell it? But how and will I have enough time? What about a garage sale? Is it worth a whole day? Should I give it to Goodwill? When and how will I drop it off? Do I throw it all away? What if someone I know needs it?
Endless. It's endless. Give up. Do your best and move on....no one really wants your crap.

I get slight anxiety looking at these photos. But I also don't even remember what's in those boxes. And I'm very okay with that.

A couple months before we started packing, I had a closet purge. It hurt, alot. It took two strong willed friends and a bottle of wine to get it done.
This is a before and after...I purged again before the big move. I have no regrets. Maybe more later on this closet process if you're interested.

Even now,we're still constantly cleaning out. We just barely fit in this space, so everything that comes in the house has to replace something else. Today it was a steamer to replace the iron and ironing board. Yesterday it was folding pants to fit in a cabinet while throwing away hangers.

RV people on IG are just that. IG people with cute decor photos, while they're carefully angeling the photo to hide the laundry pile on the couch. The pressure for cute "diy" RV living is high. And some good ingenuity can maximize your space. But don't let it overwhelm you. We're all living in small spaces while trying to find a place for everything.  Some of us just take better photos of it.



What do you want to see discussed here? Let me know in the comments!

Holliday Inn Club Vacations:Timeshare review! We made it out alive!

In preparation for an upcoming trip, I realized I never did write about out Holiday Inn Club vacations timeshare experience.

About two years ago we received a call for the HICV timeshare tour promotion.

Let me just start by saying yes, the majority of reviews are terrible on these things. They're not for everyone, and not for the faint of heart.

At the time we turned it down and didn't meet the requirements anyways. Then once again last year we got the call. This time I was prepared for what was coming, had done research and we met the requirements.

Their end goal is of course for you to purchase into the program. Which we had no intention of doing....playing the points game is the win-win situation for us.

But a cheep vacation isn't something I turn down. And that's what MY end goal was.

Throughout the course of the phone call you'll talk to several people, offing you several options. 7 or so resort locations, and an upfront price. Maybe something like $300 with $50 back and a 4 night stay. The stay most likely will not be at the actual resort, but a nearby Holiday Inn Express.
You will be required to attend the timeshare presentation, or they will charge you for the full stay at retail price.
After about an hour on the phone we got it down to $199 out of pocket, $100 back in cash at the conclusion of the presentation, $100 IHG gift card mailed to us once we sent the hotel invoice to them, and a long weekend (I think 4 nights) at a Holiday Inn Express across the street from the beach.  The location we picked was the Cocoa Beach resort (formally owned by Ron Jon) due to how local it was.

I can honestly say everyone of these things were fulfilled. The hotel we stayed in was super nice and in a great location. We took the timeshare tour, had a great salesman (I think the youngest salesmen there...and former NFL player oddly enough) and even the upper management salesman that jumps in at the end was super nice. We even stayed for the longer than the "presentation length" because we got caught up in chatting. I got to explain how we play the "point game" and how much we've accumulated and spent and then earned back over the past couple years. Not something the salesmen are typically familiar with, but they seemed moderately impressed. I can honestly also say that they really backed down on the sale once we went though that explanation. And we were by far the youngest in the room, another thing that made them say multiple times "We know this isn't the program for you, you need more flexibility in your travel options. Come back in a few years maybe."
The resort is beautiful, and yes we'd go back and stay. But on a low season when cash rates are cheep. We took a trip to the Orlando location less than a year later at that!
At the end of the presentation we got our $100 cash, and then we mailed in our hotel invoice and 6 weeks later got the check in the mail for the rest.


Lets be honest, if you're a pushover this isn't for you. If you can't haggle at a car lot, you can't successful escape one of these things unscathed. I'm proud to say I've survived both experiences.
They're brutal and will haggle you to death.
And when your time is up (literally, keep any eye on how long you've been there) you have the right to leave.


When we stayed at the Orlando property, they said we're allowed to take a tour every 90 days per property. Meaning we could take one fairly often.
If we had taken one that weekend, they were offering resort play passes (pretty much rental for tubes,kayaking,etc) or 20,000 points. I didn't try and haggle for more since we didn't have the time.

All said and done, we would do it again. Why not, a couple hours for a free weekend away? To me, its worth it.
I think different resorts offer slightly different packages too. I've heard the Orlando resort has offered 1 day Disney passes before.

Have you done something similar? What was it like? Would you do it again?

Review: Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort

Back in October when we attended a surprisingly enjoyable time share tour in Cocoa, the salesman talked a lot about Orange Lake Resort. We knew of it but not much about it. We late researched the details and found it to look like a great stay-cation spot for a future trip. The reviews seemed slightly mixed but the majority did still seem positive. For the price point at even peek season, and the location, I figured "why not."

A few weeks ago I started looking into a local spot to take the whole family on a weekend trip for my parents anniversary. I had points in IHG I didn't mind using and the cash + points purchase option is great for splitting the cost with other family members. 35k a night is in my option, a great deal for a villa. We ended up taking advantage of a IHG points promo and buying 30k points for $187. This was just about enough for one night and a lot less than the straight cash price for one night. Not the most ideal way to get points, but my sister is not an IHG member and had no intention of getting the IHG credit card.
Not a terrible deal over all. And still cheaper for her than doing a cash + points option.
I should also note this is mid-June, prime season for Florida tourist and booking only a month out.


So how was it????

Check in was easy and quick. Resort was super busy as we arrived Friday morning but one person ahead of me in line for check in. We arrived at 10:30am, had requested early check in (plus we're gold status anyways, which also gave me 300 points at check in) but I knew it could be anytime between 12-4. Never the less, we wanted to get in and hit the pools while we waited for the room. As we're talking with the super nice woman at the counter, she informs us that there are villas available NOW if we don't mind moving buildings. Considering the building they had us in wasn't the high rise we wanted, and those were the available ones, I couldn't say yes fast enough. She gave us a ton of options with the exact floor and room locations clearly explained. River Island (lazy river village) was the only "village" not available. So we picked the 86700 building in east village. We were in a room and unpacked at 11am. Perfect timing to make lunch in the villa. I don't think I've ever checked in that early.

East village was perfect. The pool in that area was right next to our building, and we were on the 5th floor looking out to the golf course and woods. SO quiet.

We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa. 6 Adults, 3 kids.


The kitchen was full stocked with pans, small appliances like blender and toaster, really anything you need to use. We just brought our food and were good to go.

   We were able to see MK fireworks from here!

 This couch converted into a really comfy sofa bed for the kids.

 Master suite...and that tub...Look at that tub.

 The second bedroom we shared with my sister and her husband. This side of the unit also had a pocket door to close it off from the rest of the villa.

 Priceless. And oddly enough the same washer I have at home.

The unit was a great size for all of us. No complaints on size.

I have read the reviews about the upkeep problems. No, its not a brand new complex. Sure its not perfect. But it was clean, large and we had no major flaws. We did not stay in a "signature villa" but I would suggest them if you're picky about the quality of the property.  They seem to be a bit nicer and give you access to a separate area at River Island.

Speaking of River Island.

Prepare to pay. The lazy river requires you to rent the tubes. $9 a pop. On our receipt it seems like they only charged us for 4 of our tubes.... not sure why. Maybe BOGO?

Not a terrible cost if you're spending all day at River Island.

A quick Google search gives some great views of River Island. I find the IHG site photos a bit weird.

Additional activities also cost. The lake activities by the pool at the main office were not impressive. Old gear, not the prettiest lake. Stick to River Island.

They offer a refillable cup service similar to the Rapid Fill mugs at Disney resorts.

If you're one to drink soda, it might be worth it for a week stay. But if you're in the parks all day, think again.

Our overall thoughts:

We would come back. And I would recommend it. It's a great base camp for a Disney vacation if you have a large family or multiple couples traveling together.

The location is great. Adjoining property to Animal Kingdom lodge. Publix and Target right around the corner.

We enjoyed the last time share tour we did with Holliday Inn Club Vacations, and are considering another tour at Orange lake if they offer us a good enough deal. While we were there they offered us 20k points for a tour. I'm sure if I had the time to sit a haggle I could have gotten a lot more from them. But I just told them we were with family and didn't have the time. Unlike some of the reviews I read, they did not call us repeatedly about a tour. The only mention was at check in.

If I forgot to cover anything or you have an questions, leave me a comment.

Disney getaway...on a budget.

I know, I know. Disney trips are comparable to a down payment on a house. As a Florida native,its hard to fathom the price of a week at Disney for a family.
As a Floridian, sometimes we want a weekend at Disney too.
Here is our breakdown of how we accomplished it on the cheep.

Passes: Annual Passholders.
This gave us the upper hand in two ways. Free parking (Which is now $20) and 10-20% off most dining in the park,at the resorts and at Disney Springs. This saved us a lot of money in the long run, especially by planning our dining around the discounts. This discount excludes alcohol, so picking a place to get a drink based on the discount isn't worth it.

Hotel: IHG (Holiday Inn Disney Springs)
We used a Chase Anniversary certificate (Free night for having the IHG Chase credit card for one year...can be used anywhere as long as "reward nights" are available.) for our first night, and paid cash for the second. We had our $100 IHG gift certificate from our Holiday Inn Resort tour that we redeemed for that second night. The certificate is only for a  Holiday Inn property, not express, not resort. Other wise we would have booked at Orange Lake. The certificate has to be mailed in, with the receipt from your stay. (Since initially drafting this post, we did receive the check as promised)
This made booking a little complex because it had to be two separate reservations. Because we requested a specific balcony view at that hotel, we had a bit of a confusing check-in. But everything was worked out and we had a lovely room on the 11th floor with a great view.
The plus side to this was our "Welcome amenity points". I always choose this on check in, over the drink voucher. And because it was two reservations we received 300 points per night.
Out of pocket we spent less than $100 for our two nights.

Our balcony (with two chairs and a table) had a great pool view and a view of Disney Springs.

 I had no idea we would get balloons and a note for our IHG anniversary.

The hotel restaurant seemed a bit over priced, so we opted to eat in the parks.
 The do offer a park shuttle, but with reservations for breakfast, we were able to park at the Grand Floridian and take Disney transportation the rest of the day.
Parking was an additional cost  at the Holliday Inn. I think $12 a day and valet was $18-20. I wish things like this were waved for higher ranking IHG members.






We had two meals at the Grand Floridian. First, Breakfast was at the cafe, which we had reservations for. Excellent meal, and we had a great view by the window. Also had an outlet next to the table so I could charge the tech hahaha!
I would come back for a nice anniversary brunch here anytime.

 Our second meal was a late lunch at the quick-serve. We really like most of the resort quick serve options. And they almost always qualify for the pass holder discount.

Beautiful sitting area, and super quiet. And a nice short monorail ride from MK to have lunch here.











Sometimes new we tried and really liked was using a tablet for our Disney app. Phone batteries die so quickly in the park, and the Disney app is really essential for an efficient day. We both have smaller tablets, so it was super easy to have them in our backpack. In case you were wondering, there is open WiFi throughout the property.

By the bridge into Avatar land is a great place called Tiffins. Expect the higher end of in park dining when you eat here. We opted for the lounge with super comfy outdoor seating and a nice set of drinks. This was before Avatar was open and so this end of the park was QUIET and EMPTY.

We also found an outlet by our table here, and it was great timing mid afternoon. Phones were dying fast.

We had a couple "splurge moments".
One was wine and tapas with a fireworks view at Epcot. This was at Spice Road Table in Morocco. I am not sure if any of the other countries has such prime dining placement for fireworks. Its hard to beat a romantic table on the water with such a great view.

The drink portions were generous. The food...not so much.
Still, what a view. We arrived early to request an outside table on the water and they had no problem accommodating that request. If you're not sitting in the first or second row of tables by the water, your view is really blocked.

Just a few tidbits from our weekend away. We have since let our passes expire but I look forward to a repeat trip once we circle back to Disney.

(Bought this on Etsy in case you were wondering. He got a TON of compliments on it.)

Coming up on the blog......

Orange Lake Resort trip report AND Blue Apron breakdown.

Car buying takes 5 years off your life

Or least that is what it feels like.


About two years ago we saw the Honda HRV announcement. A brand new model for the states, with promising MPG numbers. I just knew. I told my husband, "In two years when we can buy it used, we're getting one."
He chuckled and just shook his head, like he does most of the time when I have a crazy idea.
But I wasn't kidding. Over the course of time, we looked at the features, read reviews, and eventually test drove one. The test drive was the make it or break it. And in our case, we fell in love. Okay, so maybe I fell in love and my husband just agreed.
But used ones were rare and far away. And not cheep. My plan was failing us.
No one was trading them in. And in our area, the 2016 models were sitting on the lot right along side the 2017 models. A strange turn of events in my master plan.

Our house buying master plan for was postponed, I was craving a bigger vehicle,and our jobs changed for the better. In addition,we calculated the savings of fully financing a new car and paying off some newlywed/medical debt we had with the cash from selling my current car. Financially, the new car financing rates were so low, it made more sense than credit card interest we were trying to get ahead of. (See below for how it feels)




Crazy right? Saving money each month by buying a new car! This idea came to me in the middle of the night in case you were wondering.



Before we knew it, our used HRV shopping turned into haggling the price on a 2016 sitting on the lot with spiderwebs. The price we were quoted after 3 hours of haggling was impressive. And they agreed to include all weather mats throughout. But I didn't want to settle for the manual transmission they wanted to give us.  So we walked away. But we walked away armed with information, including an offer of 0.9% financing through Honda.
I did what any cheapskate would do. And I went to other local Honda dealerships with this information, asking directly "Can you beat this price?". All but one flat out told me "No."
(Side story: I'm so cheep I haggled someone from $5 to $4 on a table at a garage sale this weekend. The value of this antique table is $300.) Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. 
But alas, the rival local dealership said "we will do whatever it takes to earn your business."
My favorite words. Because at that moment, I called the shots.
In a matter of minutes we agreed on a 2017, in the Purple I wanted, in an automatic, with all weather mats, and window tint, for the same price the other dealership offered us a 2016 for.
Considering this was the ONLY purple one left in the state, the first dealership threw their hands up (OK so maybe I just imagined that) and said "we can't beat that offer."
A few hours later we were at the dealership "to talk to them in person and not buy."
Famous last words, I know. But hey... enough answered prayers in one day means we were 100% confident in the decision we made to go through with the purchase that night.

If you hold out long enough and are stubborn enough about what you want to pay, you have a good change of getting to that point.
We were in no rush to buy it, and because of that we didn't feel the pressure to jump.
Check out my sisters post for a whole list of great tips we used!

http://veganrunnermommy.blogspot.com/2016/10/me-vs-dealership-how-to-get-best-price.html



Oh and yes, my MPG is actually exceeding the posted. We have gotten up to 37 MPG, but are averaging 33. Updates will continue, as we are only 600 miles in :)

First year. Second hand.

January 1st was the final day of my personal challenge to only shop second hand for the 365 days of 2016.

To be completely honest, I had some rule breaking moments.
Twice this year I bought bridesmaids dresses. The second dress I did try to find on eBay , with no success. If you happen to be in a wedding with a common style from Davids Bridal, the odds of finding it on eBay can be surprisingly high. Worth a shot.
In connection with those dresses, I also bought the shoes for those weddings. Again, first attempt was to buy them second hand, but with specification on color and style, I had no success.


My primary shopping spots for 2016 were ThredUp (13 referral credits earned in 2016 equaling $240!!!THANK YOU!), Poshmark, and Goodwill. If we happened to be out of town and had some time, we always looked up the nearest Goodwill. I've learned a lot about the pricing structure of various Goodwills over the year. They're not all the same. And sometimes a name brand item (Express,Ann Taylor, etc..)will be tagged as "boutique" which will roughly double the price. At our local Goodwill this typically means $9 for a shirt, $12-19 for a dress.If the name brand is not caught during pricing, you can get a steal of a deal.

ThredUp continues to be the most successful second hand shopping platform for me. The consistency is unbeatable and the quality is always exactly as promised. They are really starting to explode and I'm currently on a waiting list for a bag to send in clothes!!! Never expected that to happen.
It seems like shipping is taking slightly longer, but that could have just been because my last order was over the holidays. Whatever the case, it my #1 recommendation for online shopping. (Link in side bar)
This what my typical ThredUp savings are per order:

Poshmark is a community of sellers and because of that your experience can vary. The only negative I've seen was when I bought shoes and the seller never sent them. There is not a way to direct message them at that point in the sale, but you can comment on the item. About a week into things, the seller assured me the item would ship the following day. It never did. I gave them 2 weeks before I canceled my order. Getting a refund wasn't an issue, because payment is not released until the item is marked at received by the buyer. I haven't had this happen again, and most of the sellers are extremely nice. Most of the time a hand written note is included even.

 I decided not to stick as strictly to the second hand challenge this year, but I do think I will have a hard time going back to "regular shopping".
 

Selling to second-hand websites? Worth it??

I was really hoping I had as many positive things to say about selling as I did buying on these sites.

But alas.....not so much.

I sent off my first bag to ThredUp a few weeks ago (ok, many weeks ago...the turn around time on them is pretty slow right now) and received a whopping $4.25.

You can only see what they accepted from your bag, not everything you sent. Honestly I forgot most of what I put in there but I do know there was several clothing items and 3 a pairs of shoes.
They only accepted the shoes. Which surprised me. I made sure to include the clothing brands I knew were popular on there (Ann Taylor and the like).


Around the same time I posted some clothing items on Poshmark.
You would think a NWT J. Crew skirt would sell for $30...... spoiler alert. It hasn't. Neither has the other items I've posted.
I'm not giving up yet, and I have lot of things I still want to post on Poshmark.


Yerdle has been pretty successful. Easy to post. For the most part it doesn't seem like people are looking for big names or brands. But Yerdle dollars aren't redeemable in the real world. So you're obligated to use the dollars you earn in the app to buy things.
Unlike Poshmark, Yerdle doesn't take a percentage but the buyers do pay shipping and a processing fee.

In the end, they all have their pros and cons. But as a person who's most likely to shop, ThredUp has proven to be 98% successful for me. Great size accuracy, extra measurement info, and clothing in fantastic condition.


Mercari is my next adventure in second hand shopping.
So far the buying process has been great. And the 2 day shipping is a nice perk.


Coming up soon:
-IHG stay review on two different coasts.
-Using our 1 year IHG certificate on a resort stay.

Updates on ThredUp, Yerdle and Poshmark

What can I say? I am in love with the sites in the title.



Shall we start with the favorite?

Our poor mailman must be convinced that I'm addicted to shopping on ThredUp. In case you didn't know, every package from ThredUp comes in a branded bag or box. No doubt who it’s from.

Thanks to you, lovely readers, using my referral link in the side bar, I have ordered a few...ahem... ok ALOT from ThredUp. Sadly they are no longer offer $20 both ways for referral credits but $10. Still, fantastic. I think I signed up when you could also use the credits towards shipping costs. I have heard that recently they've discontinued that. If you signed up back when it was still $20 but haven't used it yet, they're not reducing it to $10, so good news there!!! The accuracy of the measurements and dress/skirt lengths is EXTREAMLY helpful. And the packaging when you receive the items is always PERFECTLY wrapped. Never ceases to amaze me.  



Yerdle has been super successful for me in selling clothes. (I did send a bag to ThredUp this week but I won't know what they accept or how much credit I get for several weeks. Blog post on that in the future.) I signed up a few friends and accumulated a fair amount of "Yerdle dollars" (No value in the real world). Yerdle provides you with the postage via email to print and attach to your box or envelope when you sell an item. If you don't ship it out in a week, the transaction is canceled and the item is not relisted automatically. This happened to me on the buying end, and there was no way to contact the seller. A beautiful vintage dress I never got. Of course my Yerdle dollars were returned to my account. If you don't check your Yerdle emails or app notifications, you might not realize when you sell something and could end up losing a sale. So far, everything I've bought from Yerdle was a success. One seller in particular I've bought from on multiple occasions. Adding a seller to your favorites is a great way to see what new items they post and a real win win situation if you know clothes you've bought from them fit perfectly.  I don't know how often or how randomized it is, but I have received free shipping credits on my account a few times. They do expire and don't count for the up charge in bundling so watch out for that.



Ahhh Poshmark.

I’ve had only one minor experience with Poshmark, when I bought a shirt with my initial $5 sign up credit. I like that you can submit an offer on an item. Makes it a little different than similar sites. I only have one thing posted in my Poshmark store for sale, and it is because I wasn’t happy with the amount ThredUp would give me and it didn’t sell on eBay. I’ve lowered the price and it still has not sold. But hey, I don’t know why I ordered a J Crew skirt that small…..who is that tiny?!! Not these hips. Just saying.

 This week I’ve made two purchases via referral credit and I’m extremely excited about both. Honestly, I can’t give a real review until I receive the items. But I’ll post an update when that happens. The pricing on both items was fantastic and over all the experience of shopping on Poshmark is easy.



I like to think of it like this:



Yerdle= Goodwill

ThredUp= Regulated consignment with occasional sales.

Poshmark= Online shopping trying to look consignment but with prices set by the people who owned the items and might possibly accept less. Or might just over price them.



I’ve included referral links for your convenience in the side bar. Tee Hee Hee.





This is the referral for https://poshmark.com/   

Use the following code when you sign up VIA THE APP  JPHVZ

Continuing cleanser cleanse, and some alternative options.

Back in November I decided to challenge myself to 30 days of no harsh cleansers on my face.  Those 30 days have turned into 7 months. That’s right…. Nothing besides what I’m about to talk about has been used to wash my face.

(Link to original post)

During this time I did not stop using makeup. Yet I DID see a major improvement in my skin. I clearly have to use something to remove my makeup, and being the lazy person I am, I opted for wipes. I went through a few different brands and did like these
LINK

With a good coupon I think they’re an excellent option.

For slightly less (Walgreens and Ulta for price references) I discovered these fantastic wipes

LINK

Of course they use coconut milk and anything related to coconuts I’m in love with.

And that’s a segway to my next discovery.

I was already using coconut oil (make sure it’s not the cheap stuff, that will clog your pores.) to remove any extra makeup left over after using wipes. So I thought, there is surely a way to use this for my entire face. And that is when I discovered coconut oil scrub recipes on Pinterest. There is about a million and I would to tell you I have made them all….but I have not. So far I’m loving a simple mix of coconut oil and sugar.

Here is a link to my board on Pinterest with some recipes to get you started.

The need for a “soap product” still existed in my life, and I instantly knew what route to take. Our local (I use that word loosely as we live in the middle of nowhere) flea market has a fantastic lady that makes her own soaps with a base of palm, olive or coconut oil.
Her Facebook link

We already had a habit of buying her bar soaps so I decided to use that (in conjunction with the scrub I made) for my face since I knew the exact ingredients and process.

I have seen a major difference in my face since I started this process.

I have gone into Sephora in recent months, not wearing any makeup and received compliments on my skin. I’d say that is a major success.

A new look at the world of glasses. (Pun intended)

Since I was about 13/14 I have worn glasses, then a couple years ago contacts as well.
Up until this year I did not have vision insurance and as you know, glasses are not cheep.
Maybe you've heard of discount sites for glasses and been skeptical. After all, who wants to buy something that they're going to wear everyday without trying it on first?
Or maybe you're the type of person who likes a brand name on the side of their glasses. It's ok, you don't have to admit it out loud.
For the second time I have had a fantastic experience with Zenni optical.
The home of glasses starting at... DRUMROLL....$6.95
Nope. Not missing a digit or two. And yes, that includes the lenses.
Crazy right?
Take a look at these two pairs of glasses. Which were from Zenni optical for under $20 and which were from BJ's at a discounted price of $160 before lenses?

The answer to which is from Zenni?
The second pair.

Personally my insurance only covers contacts or glasses,not both for the year. So I picked contacts.
I'm super happy with my new glasses and it took less than two weeks (comparable time frame to when I've ordered in store before). At a great price point, you could even get multiple different styles and even prescription sunglasses.

Ebates (my best friend when shopping online) is also offering 4% back on any Zenni purchases.

Also if you're doing any shopping online today, they are offering double percentage back at many stores.

Product review time! Entering the world of eye cream.

Last week the makers of Valentia True Glow Eye Cream reached out to me so I cold test their product. I love testing products. And I love giving my opinions. Don't we all?

What really stuck out to me when I read up this was that it is vegan friendly and 98% natural ingredients. Even though I have dark circles and redness under my eyes and near the bridge of my nose,I typically used concealer to cover it up. This stuff changed the game. The cream has a mild tint to it and had a way of almost acting like a concealer. Totally unexpected. 

It wore fantastic under my foundation,it did actually seem to firm up my skin somehow and I was really tempted to use it on my entire face. I used some leftover (one pump is more than enough for both eyes) for my nose and saw great results in taking care of the redness.  I don't always notice the tingling feeling when I apply it but sometimes I do. I love feeling stuff work its magic!

As someone with skin that tends to have an extremely oily reaction to heavy products,I was worried when I saw this had a lotion type consistency. But it soaks in super fast and I have yet to notice any extra oil in that area.  

I feel like this bottle will last me a very long time and so far, I'm really enjoying it.

* Disclaimer
I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review of the product. All of my opinions are that of my own. I was not paid in any way.

Home sweet Pinterest home

I am sooooo guilty of a Pinterest addiction. I am also guilty of starting a home decor project and not finishing it.
I have finally been stubborn enough about my latest one to finish it. Our living room feature wall.



    It all started a few weeks ago I picked up some amazing clearance finds at Target. These awesome multi-picture frames. (Also another 5x7 frame that is no longer on their website)

Did I pay those prices?
Who do you think I am?! Of course not. Clearance at my local Target brought them down to $3 and $5. SCORE.

For prints I tend to order from Snapfish. The coupon codes are always fantastic! Plus Ebates is offering 10% back currently.
Example of some pricing with coupon codes

I then headed over to Tj Maxx clearance and found some adorable wood letters that even had holes in the back for hanging. Made hanging them up super easy.
But I needed an "&" for between the letters. I looked no further than Pinterest. A quick search for "printable free wall art" and a trip to Dollar Tree for a cute 4x6 basic frame.
Here is the site I printed my "&" from
http://smittenonpaper.com/blog/free-download-wall-art-collage/

I also LOVE this site for free printables!
http://chicfetti.com/free-printables/
I used this site for a cute monogram wedding planner cover and also the same graphic I used for our wedding shower cake inspiration. Just took the store making the cake the print out and they copied and printed it like they would typically print a picture on the cake. I've also used cute decor printables for other rooms in our house.

With the help of a couple pre-existing wall art pieces,this is the finished project!

Victoria Secret reward card mail-in is back!!

These mail-in promos make me into a crazy monster. My poor husband having to deal with all the entries I'm writing out,going insane if I forget to mail one each day,and then furiously checking my email for codes to be sent. The first time I received 5 at one time he probably thought I won a million dollars from my excitement. Sorry babe...just a $10 VS gift card. Same difference.

Here's all the official deets!

https://www.victoriassecret.com/secret-rewards-official-rules


There is a substantial difference in it this time though!

:All eligible entrants who are residents of the US, PR and Canada may enter by mail during Period 3 without making a purchase by legibly hand-printing your full name, address, valid email address, and date and year of birth on a 4” x 6” piece of paper, and mailing it, along with a legibly handwritten, self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient return postage and a return address, including first and last name, street address, city, state and ZIP or postal code, both in a sealed outer envelope with proper postage to Victoria's Secret Secret Reward Promotion, P.O. Box 139024, Dallas, TX 75313 (“General Access Mail-In Entry”). Outer envelope of General Access Mail-in Entry must be postmarked by March 28, 2016, and received by April 4, 2016 in order to be eligible.

• v.Once your fully completed eligible mail-in entry is received, you will be sent one (1) Secret Reward Card via postal mail in approximately fifteen (15) business days (i.e. excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) from the date the mail-in entry was received. Mail-in entries, including both outer envelope and self-addressed, stamped envelope, must be handwritten. Each mail-in entry must be mailed in a separate stamped outer mailing envelope (i.e. more than one entry may not be mass mailed in one envelope). Each outer envelope must include a return address in the upper left hand corner that matches the requestor's street address indicated on 4” x 6” piece of paper included in the mail-in entry. Requests from Vermont (“VT”) residents that are postmarked in VT may omit return postage. Requests that are sent in business reply envelopes, that utilize address labels or stickers (for any address), that are photocopied, hand-stamped, computer-generated or otherwise mechanically or digitally produced or reproduced, or that otherwise fail to comply with these Official Rules will NOT be honored, acknowledged or returned, and the persons submitting such requests will forfeit any corresponding postage and envelopes. All entries become the exclusive property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. Proof of sending or submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.

No more emailed codes. I'm not sure if this is a better or worse system than last time. As long I can still put them into a gift card app and use them all at the same time,I'll be happy.
Good thing I saved the leftover entries I wrote out from last time.

Here are the last two posts I wrote more about this promo.

http://savvysunshinewife.blogspot.com/2015/10/free-secret-rewards-card-from-vs.html

http://savvysunshinewife.blogspot.com/2015/12/secret-rewards-card-follow-up.html

Even after I wrote the follow up post, I got a few more codes emailed to me. The VS I used them at was a bit more skeptical of the app I had them stored in. Hopefully it's not such a hassle this time!!


Edit: A friend pointed out that the rules do state that you cannot use any gift card app and lists them specifically. Looks like this is going to be a frustrating redemption if all you get is $10 cards.

At home gel nails for CHEEP. And some other recent favorites for under $10

I love a good manicure. When I was single,living at home and working a decent job...I got manicures fairly regularly. Life changes,now I'm married and that's just not in the budget currently. When I did get manicures.I really liked splurging for gel because they lasted substantially longer. A few days before my wedding I got a gel mani and it looked flawless for a good two weeks, last through our honeymoon. Since then I've been on the hunt for a good at home gel manicure kit. The light systems aren't always cheep so I started out with just a two step polish hunt. I tested some products sent to me that were gel and also bought a few different kinds at target.

My overall absolute favorite is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Duo. It's around $15 for the kit but once you buy the kit, you can use the gel topcoat with any other color in the line. My box came with a $2 off coupon inside..and it was on clearance at target for $7. STEAL OF A DEAL.
This one doesn't need a special light....so no further investment than the polish.

Day 5

On the same topic of nails I spotted these at DOLLAR TREE (take your jaw off the floor please).

The exact same product sells for $10.25 at Walgreens!

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/essie-sleek-stick-nail-applique/ID=prod6177354-product

I will warn you, they're not at every Dollar Tree. I found the above at a hugeee Dollar Tree in Tennessee but locally at the newer and bigger stores they do typically have a small selection. 

Moving from nails to face..

The Maybelline Fit Me line is just a hidden gem... buy it at Walmart for the best deal.

Walmart tends to have it for just under $6 and the concealer priced about the same.

It has replaced my Mac foundation. That how much I am in love with it.

The concealer comes in a wide variety of shades and works great for contouring as well.

I have not heard a single negative review about this foundation....and I've watched alot of YouTubers review it. And I mean a lot.

Side note: I've heard if you have an older bottle it can start to do some weird things color wise. I've had mine for a bit now and I am starting to noticing some orange-ing as the day goes on. For under $6 a bottle I don't mind replacing it, and foundation shouldn't be kept forever anyways. So if that does happen to you, you're not the only one.

While I was on the hunt for the new Maybelline Dream Velvet foundation I found THIS crazy clearance at Target... Maybe Dream Velvet is replacing it??

I really hope not because I am loving this!! 

The weird wand applicator means you don't use to much at one time.

When you swatch it in the store it looks crazy dark..like hello, there is no way I'm lighter than #40 Nude. But after application and blending it was impressively close to my natural color. Even got the husband seal of approval for color match!! 

The same day I was browsing for something new and exciting I picked up this palate after hearing surprising good reviews.

The packaging feels like more than $3

I've been using this for a good two weeks and you can't even tell. So this is gonna last me a very long time. ELF can be a super win or a super disappointment. This was a $3 SUPER win. Contouring is a new and scary thing to me but I am easing into it with this super simple palate.

In case you were wondering,I am still keeping up with the "anti cleanser" challenge!

I've had ZERO breakouts and my husband said my face has never looked better!

Still working on finding a make up remover wipe I really love...so coconut oil is doing the job until then. And just maybe,It will stay that way.

~Emily~