saving money - Stuff Parents Need

This post was sponsored byCharmin as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.

Can we all just acknowledge for a moment that toilet paper is one of those adult purchases that isn’t very fun? It’s something you purchase only to turn around and throw away! And as your family grows, it’s a purchase you have to make more and more often (especially when you have toddlers who cannot resist playing with the toilet paper all the time)!

So for me toilet paper is something that I try to watch closely for sales and then stock up on when a brand I like is discounted a bit. I used to just buy whatever was cheapest when we were close to running out, but that has resulted in several instances of having toilet paper that was just awful. It was either so scratchy that it felt like punishment to use or it was so flimsy that you had to use twice as much, rendering it’s “bargain” price null and void. So I typically steer clear of the bargain brands now.

Fortunately, there’s a new product on the market that competes price-wise with some of those bargain brands, and all while delivering outstanding quality. It’s called Charmin Essentials and I’ve purchased several packages already after giving it an initial try. It’s a winner!

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Look for it at the store, friends, and note that you can choose between Charmin Essentials Soft (that’s our pick!) or Charmin Essentials Strong. You’ll like the price point and you’ll love the quality you get for the price. I’m actually a lot less grumpy about this household purchase now, thanks to Charmin Essentials!

Make the Swap for Free!

Thinking about trying it for yourself, but are feeling unsure due to bad toilet paper purchases of the past? Well no worries, because you can take part in the #CharminEssentials TP swap program! You can upgrade your Angel Soft® or Scott® 1000 TP to Charmmin Essentials Soft of Charmin Essentials Strong totally for FREE!!! Just tweet your TP swap out request to @Charmin with #CharminEssentials and #Promotions (full details here).

I’m happy with our purchase because we got the quality I want and we are paying the price I like. I used to have to sacrifice one for the other, but no more!

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You, but all my opinions are my own. #lifeforless #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Aren’t magazines like a mini-vacation, wrapped up in glossy paper and just waiting for you at the end of yet another LONG day (be it at the office, with the kids, or any combination therein). Sometimes my magazines have to wait a few weeks for me to get around to them. That’s just how life goes when you are juggling so many things: personal time takes a back seat.

But there is one exception: when the new issue of All You Magazine comes out, I am ALL OVER THAT BAD BOY! I read it the day I get it. Every time. Without exception. It is my very favorite magazine of all time, and if you have never experienced the joy of reading an issue, let me suggest that you give it a try. It used to be exclusively sold at Walmart, but now the floodgates are open and you can find them at many different locations! I found mine at my local grocery store, Bi-Lo.

Why I Love All You Magazine

It’s simple, really. I love All You Magazine because it saves me money every single month. And I’m not talking about $1. I’m not even talking about the price of the magazine, itself. I would estimate that it saves me anywhere from $10-$200 every month. I’m totally serious! It has the BEST tips and tricks for stretching the money you do have. It also gives you ideas for generating more income or finding other creative ways to meet the needs of your family without breaking the bank (clothing swap, anyone?). Here are just a few examples of how All You saved the day for me this month.

1. Free Food? There’s An App for That!

In the July issue of All You, there’s a fantastic article all about apps that can help you save money with ease. I downloaded the app Kids Meal Deals after it was suggested in the article, and then went about my business. Last week we had a cookout planned for one of our evening meals. It’s July…the perfect time of year to do that! Only this is what the sky looked like at 4:30 when we were ready to get the grilled fired up:

So I got on my new app, thanks to the recommendation from All You, and went for plan B, which is to go out to eat. Dining out is expensive, so this app showed me which restaurants in our area were offering special deals on kids meals. Two free/cheap kids meals = a much more affordable dining out experience!

It turns out that Captain D’s was offering a special (the app said free, but kids meals were actually 99 cents…still ok by me!). We loaded up the crew and headed down the street to have a visit with the Captain. Incidentally, my very first job was at Captain D’s. I lasted 4 months. I’m claiming it as a success, and if you’ve ever worked in fast food, I think you’l agree. 😉

We spent $10.35 for all 4 of us to eat. We only purchased one “adult” meal, and got two 99 cent kid meals to go along with it. Our kids are young enough that they won’t finish their meals, so we took full advantage of that and just polished off what they couldn’t eat. Don’t judge!

2. Coupons for Useful New Products!

So last week my beautiful glass olive oil dispenser broke. It was my fault. I knocked off the counter in a less-than-graceful move while cleaning up. It shattered into approximately 4,000 pieces. In other news, our floors are super shiny due to having a very expensive oil treatment! So I needed a new oil dispenser, but just didn’t want to have to spend time and money procuring a new one. Lazy? Maybe, but it is just the truth. I wasn’t in the olive oil container shopping mood, what can I say? And then I saw a coupon in All You for some olive oil. It was a brand I had never tried. I picked it up because saving $1 on something we need is good.

But now let me show you why I really bought it:

You guys, I can put off my olive oil dispenser shopping indefinitely, because All You just introduced me to a product that eliminates the need for one!!! Maybe I’m more excited about this than I should be, but this is one product that just blew my mind this month. I would have never noticed it without All You.

Do you real All You? If not, there’s no time like the present to start reading and start saving!