Pentimento

How I Scored Using Groupon On Ebay

This isn't an affiliate post or anything. Sometimes I just write about things that seem like a good deal. Do you belong to Groupon? I recently signed up with them and in doing so I got an email from them for a "deal". If I spent $7 I could get a $15 Groupon for Ebay. I didn't use it right away, but it didn't have an expiration date anyway.

My Bundle Of iPod Joy

Rencently, I'd purchased a new iPod Touch 4G and needed some additional accessories. I looked around on Ebay and found quite a few bundles of chargers, cords, ear plugs, etc. from RDStore. The total for my purchase (including shipping) was around $10+.  They ship from Huntington Beach, CA so it was a very quick turn around time on my purchase. Everything was just as it was described, and all of it are things I will be using. Using my Groupon - Ebay coupon though, all of it cost me about half of what I would have paid.

I still had a few dollars left on the Groupon coupon, and I used the residual money to buy something else on Ebay today. In both transactions it was as easy as typing in a code and paying.

The Nivea For Men Body Wash Blues

How I Got The Nivea Blues

Recently, we decided to switch from bar soap to body washes after Jim spent hours and hours scrubbing the walls and bathtub in our remodeled bathroom to get off some of the scum. Jim likes Nivea shave gel and so he went out and bought a nice tall bottle of body wash by the same brand. Well...then I began noticing something on my *NEW* washcloths.

Thumbs Down On Nivea Body Wash For Men

They were turning gray! I mentioned it to my husband and he thought maybe it was the wash too, so I went in and put a small drop in my hand. It was blue! Well, kind of a gray-blue. What in the heck? Why in the world would you need to put some darn blue color in a body wash unless you're an Andorian or something! (I can't believe I remembered the name of those aliens!) :::chuckling:::

Anyway, if you value the color of your washcloths (mine are were a sparkling white color) no matter the hue, I'd recommend staying away from this particular body wash. By the way, I saw in another review that they put menthol in some of their washes too and guys were not happy with that on their "junk". Ouch!

PlayStation® Move Is For The Over 60 Crowd Too

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

It's another dull and boring evening in the Wilkerson household. The cat's snoring, I'm almost asleep in my chair and Jim has already gone to bed and it's only 8:30 PM! 

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Something, some noise I hear in the zone between asleep and awake brings me back to reality and sitting there on the coffee table is a PlayStation® Move game with "Try Me" written all over it. Jim comes in from the kitchen and says, "Let's get this PlayStation®Move fired up, cuz I'm gonna whup you this time"!

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Alrighty then! Hey, just because we're over 60 doesn't mean we aren't competitive and up for a little fun and games. First up is Brunswick Pro Bowling. There's a big difference (for the better) playing at home with the full motion game play and realistic effects when using the ergonomically designed controller, than having to jump in the car drive 5 miles just to bowl. We can Move right here in our own living room in our sweats!

If you already have PlayStation®3 you can add motion gaming to your system for $99 by purchasing the MOVE Bundle package and start playing games like Get Fit with Mel B, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, or Start the Party for kids.  It's all hours of family fun and wireless games where the eye camera puts you in the picture so you can see yourself become a star player. Game on!

Rambler's Way Farm Brings Back Made In America Spirit

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

While this is a paid post, I have to tell you that I am thrilled to write about any business endeavor that promotes the spirit of bringing back Made in America to our communities.

I've seen my own home town of Olympia, Washington, as well as my current home of Port Orchard, Washington, go from thriving and robust downtown areas to abandoned or struggling storefronts that lack the liveliness of the 1940's and 50's. In my childhood days almost everything was "Made in America": radios, cars, candy, clothing, textiles, and even food, just to name a few. We looked for the Underwriter's Lab logo and felt we could count on them to protect us.

At this point, you're asking yourself, "Just what is Rambler's Way, and what are they doing to bring back the Made in America spirit"?  Rambler's Way is helping to bring back revenue and revitalize towns that were struggling by introducing manufacturing facilities to process their fine woolen apparel using 100% domestic resources.  That means they find the sources here in the United States, grow it here and make the wool textiles here. This isn't like grandma's old scratchy wool you know. They have come a long way from that to superfine threads that far surpass any artificially created materials.

Kennebunk, Maine is the location for the corporate offices of Rambler's Way. They've completely refurbished to its original condition an old 1792 building in downtown Kennebunk and brought it up to modern standards and codes.

Everyone, this is how we're going to take back our country .  One business at a time with the economic help from you, the consumer.  I've seen it in other genres too. We just have to make a commitment to go back to basics, and buy American goods and services whenever and wherever they're available.

FriendGiftr Makes Gift Giving MISTAKE PROOF

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

Special Occasions Call For Special Gifts

We're midway through June and it's already been a busy gift giving month. We have four birthdays, a family reunion, two graduations and not only that but I've been thinking of what to take on our trip to California next month.

If you knew me at all, you'd know I'm not really someone who likes to go out and walk around shopping for gifts. I get tired very easy and three stores are about my limit...on a good day. 

Truthfully, I just bought a gift card for our granddaughter for one of her favorite stores and the store suggestion came from her mom, but for future gifting ideas I think I'm going to go to FriendGiftr too. Why? Well, I just saw today that they make it super easy to send a gift card to recipients using their website, Facebook, iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. 

One Of 120 Merchants On FriendGiftr

Barnes and Noble is just one of the merchants on FriendGiftr.  I'm a book gifting fool when it comes to giving presents to the grandkids. I love books and I hope they will love them as much as I do.  For almost every special occasion we've given them books. But, what if we gave them a gift card for a store and they couldn't think of anything they needed in that category?  No worries there...FriendGiftr lets them swap out the gift card for a different merchant at no extra cost. I think that added feature is awesome! 

The gift giver doesn't have to know, and the recipient can split the gift card among multiple merchants.  So, for instance, you get a gift card for Cabela's but you already bought that new fishing pole. You can just exchange it for a gift card for a dinner at Red Lobster since you heard the fishing season closed for the year right after you bought the pole.

You Can't Make A Mistake

As I said in the title of this article, FriendGiftr Makes Gift Giving Mistake Proof. Don't you agree? 

Where To Shop For The Right Bathroom Vanity

The first part of this year just seemed to drag along as we waited for spring and summer so we could start on some of our indoor and outdoor projects.

Inside, we're remodeling our bathroom with new flooring, medicine cabinet, vanity, and eventually new paint on the walls too. We looked around at all sorts of vanities and considered antique bathroom vanities as well as more modern versions, but we will opt for something in between. Bath, Kitchen and Beyond carries high quality products and vanities of all designs and sizes.

Compensated post

New! Babies R Us Brand Infant Care Products

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

What's new on the infant care line horizon? It’s Babies R Us the brand, now in their stores! It includes everything from diapers, formula, baby wipes, detergent, and purified water at significantly lower prices (as much as 50%) so you know you're getting a trusted brand as well as affordable products for your family.

Late last year, this product line made it’s debut in Babies R Us and Toys R Us stores, and I can imagine it was a hit with anyone looking for one-stop shopping for the little ones.  It might initially be a surprise that Babies R Us would offer their own brand of formula, but when you think about it, why not? Other stores like warehouse and chain grocers are offering their own high quality store brands too, and truthfully, I, for one, like them just as well if not better.

Let's face it, the economy is tight and there doesn't seem to be any reversal of that on the near horizon. As I mentioned in a tweet recently, store brands are just as good as national brands. It's the name that's different, not the quality. Babies R Us and Toys R Us make it easy to buy their trusted brand and do your infant shopping all in one place.

Love Your Cash Back From Ebates Too

Today was cash back day from Ebates, and my PalPal account is $19.40 richer because I shop through the site. I've been using Ebates for many years now and over time my shopping has netted me over $500. I was especially happy to see my latest rebate from Roxio was a whopping $14.76!

There are over 1200 businesses that use Ebates and as you can see, you can get some pretty good deals. It's FREE to sign up, and the only thing you need to remember to do is shop through a link on the site for the store you want. I will disclose that this is an affiliate article, but I truly use this site and recommend them highly. Please give Ebates a try.

Can An Upside Down Statue Sell Your House?

I just cracked up when I saw this statue in a catalog today. I mean, really? You know times are tough and people are desperate when they have to resort to planting this guy upside down in a hole facing their house just on the off chance it might help their house sell quickly. Don't forget to click your heals together three times and say, "There's no place like home" too.

Go Ask Alice To Do Your Shopping

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

There are times when I find it very difficult to wander around a grocery store shopping. I might go in with energy, but by the time I'm done strolling up and down the aisles, I'm exhausted and can't wait to get home and lay down.

I've always thought it would be so much easier to just get online and order all the things I need from one place.  Today, I signed up for a free account with Alice.com, a site where I can do just that, at least for all my household essentials. 

Alice offers hundreds of dollars of free coupons and discounts on many of their items, along with ALWAYS FREE SHIPPING. That last bit is always a good deal when you can find it. When you enter the site you can begin by searching for your most-purchased products and add them to your list. You're also given the option to have any of the items sent to you on a regular basis. If you're a stay at home mom, or unable to get to the store as often as you like, having your favorites delivered to you can be just what you need to make your life easier.

Don't just take my word for it though, check out Alice.com yourself. If you like Alice.com, be sure and refer a friend. Once your friend has spent $50 on the site, they will receive $10 off their purchases and you, the affiliate will get 3% of the friend's purchases for a year. Not quite convinced, or you have more questions? Check out the FAQ's on their page to help you decide.