Coupons

You all know how much I love coupons and use them as often as possible. My little stockroom is growing. (ignore that looters after the zombie 'pocalypse) Well, what if you could make it easier with a coupon search engine? Now you can! You can look up promo codes and deals and then when you go shopping, you have everything you need.

Drastic Deals has tons of merchants that participate and don't worry, they're not some kind of merchant you've never heard of like Bob's Grub Worms or something. They're real merchants that you might use already such as Amazon, Abe Books and Best Buy. Go have a look!


*If there is a site called Bob's Grub Worms, please accept my apologies in advance.

The Sims on Facebook

I forgot how much I love The Sims. Back before we had a computer I'd read about how you control your sim's life and how you create their world and I told Rich that if I ever get a computer (hey, this was eons ago like 1994 or something, yo) I wanted that game. Well, once we got a computer I did get that game. Over the years I fell out of love for The Sims until this past week when lo and behold, Facebook got The Sims.

Now I can fall in love with my Facebook friends, argue with them, watch TV together and more; all in this weird Sims language. I was in love again for 2 days before it broke. Now they have hopefully fixed it and I can go back to wasting more time I shouldn't but hey, life is short. Besides, if I don't play now my Sim will go all nuts, pee in the floor and die.

Straight Talk - Great Prices

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Everyone can use the ability to save money. I don't care how well off you are, why pay more? If you've always wanted a phone plan that is reliable but affordable then Straight Talk has everything you need. Imagine not worry about a contract or even a credit check when it comes to your cell phone bill. You can call a friend or anyone else with rates like these.

There is the “All You Need Plan” that has up to 1,000 minutes, 30 mb of data and 1,000 texts (which is a lot) and the Unlimited Monthly service for just $45, and that one includes calls, texting, picture messaging, and web data. There are also no activation fees at all yet you still get everything you need.

For just $10 you can get a reconditioned phone. These can come with a camera, mp3 player, Internet  access, and more or even a smart phone with everything you've seen that others have such mp3 capability, apps, voice activation and more!

Hey, if your mom has often told you to save your money then this is the deal for you and you know that  mom knows best.

Swan

Swan is doing better. It seems that she may be sleeping on her leg and making it go to sleep so when she wakes up she freaks out. It really sounds like someone is murdering her but the vet couldn't find a thing wrong with her legs, joints, feet, etc. Thank goodness it's nothing serious. Rich just brought her home the cutest toy that plays music and she was really fascinated with it. It's a pink giraffe and boy is it soft. Swan is our only little girl right now and she's almost 10 years old now. Boy does time sure pass by fast. Here she is as a little puppy.

TracFone Phones Are Less Expensive but Full of Benefits

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Not everyone can afford a smart phone or some crazy contract that requires you to pay for everything you get and takes up a huge portion of your life. This is where TracFone comes in. TracFone has so many features  that may surprise you. Features such as international long distance where they are the only company that doesn't make you pay extra to call out of your own country, phones that have all of the extras such as a camera or video recorder, Internet access, app capabilities, an mp3 player, a full QWERTY keyboard and more!

You can pay as you go or choose among the many monthly plans; some as long as just $10. You really can't beat that deal and take it from the real TracFone customers , it's great to be included with the rest of the world without breaking the bank. In fact, you can get one affordably for your kids so that you can stay in touch with them and not worry about owing a large bill that you can't afford.

In fact, why not see what these real TracFone customers  had to say about TracFone. I bet you'll think about getting your own after you hear.

Hill's Pet Nutrition

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hills Pet Nutrition for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you have a dog that you love then you probably want to always make sure that his health is top notch. Well, Hill's Pet Nutrition has this awesome Healthy Mobility Challenge where you can register and get all kinds of great savings like the Hill's Healthy Mobility Coupon  and more. You actually get $30 in coupon offers. Once you're signed up you can an automatic entry in the Healthy Mobility Challenge sweepstakes where 30 people will receive free pet food for a year. You can then use your coupons to start your dog on a healthier lifestyle and check back in 30 days to see your dog's progress and even share it with others who love dogs.

You can learn more about  Hill's Pet Nutrition by visiting their site and like many innovative companies, you can find Hill's Pet Nutrition on Facebook  as well. On their Facebook page you can share stories and photos of your own furry friend and see others. They love hearing about dogs and what all they can get into! You all know I love sharing my dogs' adventures like the fun times in the pool and not so fun times in the bathtub.

The point is, you want what is best for your dog just like I do. With Hill's Pet Nutrition you can not only get the best but save on it and track your dog's progress; all for free!

Blue Sky Scrubs

Do you work where you wear scrubs? It doesn't matter if you work in a doctor's office, as a surgeon, a dentist assistant or a veterinarian hospital; Blue Sky Scrubs has scrubs for everyone!

In fact, they have scrubs and more. Their scrubs are of the highest quality and each item is tested three times before it is shipped out to you. You can't get service like that at most places. Some of the scrubs come in up to 16 colors so you always have a choice and their custom scrubs are sewn to your specifications. So check out http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/ and see all of the exciting scrubs that are offered.

Someone Please Explain Torchwood To Me

I love Torchwood. I know that it is a spinoff of Dr. Who. Okay, I have all that and understand it. What I don't understand is the one we are watching, Torchwood: Miracle Day. Believe me, I've searched online and still I'm not sure.

Torchwood: Miracle Day is a series within Torchwood. However, if you go to IMDb and look, it states that it is a series from 2006. I know they Americanized it for audiences here and it is shown on Starz. So is the American version the same as the 2006 version? Did it have the same American actors with the regulars from the British series? This is where I am confused.

Does anyone know? I have a friend that lives in the UK but he doesn't watch it, just knows of it. I'm not sure who to ask.

I think I just figured it out finally. I saw this on IMDb

In contrast to the first three series, which were produced by the BBC, the fourth series is a British-American co-production involving the BBC's drama production house BBC Cymru Wales for BBC Worldwide and the US premium network Starz. It will be broadcast over ten episodes beginning 8 July 2011 (US)

MKV to AVI Converter

If you are looking for an MKV to AVI converter and having trouble finding the right one, you can now download a free trial of software and try it out.

This software not only supports numerous formats such as HD video to AVI and more, but you can also customize your video by setting the bitrate, frame rate, video encoder and you can even edit. How many times have you wanted to trim or crop something out or even add a watermark? Now you can and it's free to try.

The software supports all kinds of formats such as iPod, Sony Walkman, iPod touch, Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson, Mobile Phone, iPhone, Apple TV,PSP, PS3,Samsung Galaxy Tab, Wii, Zune, Xbox 360, Google Phone, Creative Zen, iRiver, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry, BlackBerry Storm, Palm Pre, etc.

Opinions on Talking Too Much

What do you all think about keeping things to yourself? Do you feel the need to censor what you say so that others can't use it against you? Do you wonder if someone will tell someone else that you may not want to know? I'm curious because I tend to speak fairly freely when I want to and don't feel I should have to curb what I say. However, it does cause issues sometimes. Perhaps I'll just block everyone from seeing my posts, blog posts and conversations so that only strangers can view my stuff. Then, what is the point in that?

Linknami

Linknami is an awesome site that helps you advertise your business. Online advertising is a huge business where you can't afford not to take advantage of it. What is really great about this site is that you can advertise on specific pages that relate to what you are selling. It's all in real time and profits from social media traffic that new pages create when when they go viral on social networks.

To make it easier to understand, let's say you want to promote your latest dog nutrition product and a pet expert with a lot of followers and fans posts a review about dog food on his blog. You will get notified via email the very second the post is online, and before it goes viral you can write an ad that targets specifically the readers of this blog post for example "Try the incredible nutritional food product, discounts available for the first 10 orders". This ad would most likely beat all Google Adsense ads in terms of ROI because it is much more targeted while you are paying a lower fee.

Now how awesome is that when it comes to advertising? You get targeted ad space by your ad being seen by the very people that you want it to be seen by. It makes sense for you to choose an advertiser that knows that much about targeted ads. Plus, their site has free tools that you can use as well as publisher tools. Check them out and see why it's in your best interest to use their service. It doesn't matter if you want to advertise your site or take advantage of blog advertising; they can help you get the best results.

Pests This Year

Has anyone else noticed how bad the insects are this year? We've had a bear of a time (who says that?) getting rid of fleas this year. There are tons of bees outside our door that keep showing up although bees are a good thing, right? And just in general, the bugs seem to be out in full force. Maybe it's due to all of this heat. I know fleas and stuff are worse when it's very hot and I guess other bugs might come out when the temperatures are extreme. I tell you, I am ready for fall!

The Positive Thinking Playground

I was just talking about positive thinking and believe me, it works if you stick with it. Luckily, there is a site where you can get all of the positivity you need. It's like the positive thinking playground and it's called Monalle. There, you can receive positive affirmations, see inspirational videos, play free brain games, watch music videos and just check out the numerous positive thoughts that are available.

Everything is set up so that you can spend as much time as you want and easily navigate the site. Everything is updated daily so you never have to worry about fresh content not being available. It is kid-safe and family friendly with tons of fun things to do.

Check it out and see if it doesn't help your day!

When a door closes....

...hopefully a window opens; or whatever that saying is. I'm not working with the contracting business now. It wasn't a good fit for me but it was good while it lasted. Hopefully something else comes through that is equaled to that income. I have positive thoughts and hey, I always persevere and move forward so I have no reason to believe that this will be any different. Besides, I was doing my thing before this job so I'll be doing my thing after too. Does that sound like a 70's ad or what? I'm picturing someone walking down the street with their transistor radio saying, "Yeah, I'm just doing my thang!" But in all seriousness, I know that things will work themselves out and it'll all be just fine. :)

Using Your Brain

CogniFit is an awesome site that helps you improve your brain skills. It is kind of like exercise for your brain and who can't use that? Best of all, it's free to use. Imagine going on a site and testing your cognitive skills. I actually did it and it was fun. That is important to me when I'm doing something that is going to help me; whether it's work or training for a new job and believe me, this was rather fun. My cognitive score was 355, which is average. I excelled in cognitive memory, eye and hand coordination and stuff like that but when it comes to spatial perception, forget it. I knew that anyway because of my issues with math. Anyway, check out this awesome free site and if you have time, you can work on exercising your brain. I'd love to know what some of you scored too. :)

A new phone and one for sale

I love my new Google Nexus S phone. I never thought I'd say that I like something better than the iPhone but I really do love this one. This also means that I have a jailbroken and unlocked iPhone 2G for sale. So if anyone wants it let me know. Anyway, this Droid phone does the neatest things and I love having flash and an animated wallpaper. Here is what it looks like:

Concept Personnel

If you live in Europe and work in design then you might be interested in checking out Concept Personnel. They are the leading recruitment agency in Newcastle and Scotland. They offer design jobs, marketing jobs and creative jobs in the North East of England including Newcastle Upon Tyne and throughout Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow. They are experts at what they do and only work with clients and candidates in commercial creative industries such as those that work in marketing, advertising and design.

Their site is extensive with a blog of helpful articles as well as information on job searches, resources like time sheets and more. So whether you need to update your CV or you're an employer looking for the perfect employee, they have it all in one handy site.

My Son, the Good Kid

Thanks for the post, Kathy Shelton

Mack had done really well in school last year and my husband and I promised to do something really special for him if he did. It's tough because he's a great kid and we'd already given him all the big stuff like a car and the PS3 so there weren't a ton of things left on his list. We started thinking about it and came up with the most brilliant plan. We'd get him a gift that we could use too! I went to Direc4U.COM and started looking at satellite packages since Mack's a huge football fan and we didn't have many good channels for it. I think he?s going to be really excited when we give it to him next week but who knows, he's kind of fickle so maybe he?d rather have something more tangible. Either way, I think the gift's a great idea since we can use it in more ways than one and the whole family can get some enjoyment out of it! I love the idea!

Maybe Today is Better (somewhat)

Well, so far today is turning out a little better than the past few days. For one, we were finally able to order our new phones at Best Buy. They are being shipped to our house so we'll talk more about that once we get them.

The other thing is that I had my scholarship interview today and it went very well, I think. I have very high hopes that I will be getting something.

The only bad news today is that Donner needs to go back to the vet and it'll be another $130. He was doing better but now he's dribbling again so he needs more medicine, etc. Any donations are welcome.

I guess if you think about it, the other two good things outweigh the bad by a little bit at least. Tomorrow I need to work on more good things.

London plumbing training

Hey, if you live in the UK (y'all have some darn awesome shows there!) and want to take London plumbing training then you definitely need to check out this site. Did you know that you can finish in just eight weeks and start working in as little as a few days. It's rare that you can find that kind of skilled training and be able to start a career right after you're done. Not to mention that it's just eight weeks! Imagine having an entire career in just a couple of months; a career that typically pays quite well.

Some of the training sites even give you free tools so that is one less thing you have to worry about once you're ready to start working. What a huge bonus that is!

Best Buy, You Are Dead to Me...Maybe

We've had the worst experience with Best Buy the last couple of days. To make a horrendously long story short, there was a sale on Google Nexus S phones. Regular $699, for one day only they were free. All we had to do was extend our contract.

We show up, they try to give us the phones, manager of mobile dept says they can't because they don't have contracts for T-Mobile; we can get them sent at home. Call the BB main number to see if they have some. They do not but the store will honor the free price.

Call the next day to see if they have any in yet and was told now that they can't even order them.

Manager said she'd fix it for us. Called and said if they couldn't get them by Sat. we could have the phones in the cabinet.

Called today to see if they had any; guy says no but calls me back a half hour later and says to come pick up the phones they have there.

We go there. Mobile manager says we cannot have them. We talk to the store manager. He calls manager that set this up (they even had our names on them) and she didn't know they couldn't sell them.

Now we are waiting till they can order us some. Sheesh! Talk about miscommunication. This isn't the whole story but it's so long that I didn't even want to type it all out.

Vernon Howard

A while back I told you all about a book that may help you out in life. His book, Your Magic Powers of Persuasion, can help you change your life by teaching you about your invisible power and how to get the things out of life that you want by using that power. Vernon Howard has hundreds of secrets in his book that will help you realize your goals in life and how to use others to achieve those goals. Now this doesn't mean you are "using" someone in a way that is selfish. It shows you how to simply utilize, persuade and predict others in a way that helps you get exactly what you need.

Check out his book on Amazon. It's on the Kindle so you can take it anywhere and learn some life-changing rules.

Poor Donner

Donner was sick this past week. We took him to the vet and it turns out that he had an enlarged prostate that was causing him issues with urinating. He got a checkup and some medicine and he is already about 90% or more better. The thing is, I loved the vet at Banfield

, which is part of PetSmart.

They spent a ton of time with Donner, wanted to hear all about him and gave us line by line amounts before we were billed. They even called to check up on him the next day. I saw on the wall letters from people who had lost pets and how they were thanking them for the flowers, etc. Heck, our vet's office didn't even call us when one of our dogs passed away. So far, I'm very pleased with what I've found at Banfield and will definitely use them again.