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Favorite Credit Cards
- American Express Blue Cash Preferred – We use this for all groceries for the 6% cash back in this category (note $95 annual fee). Use my referral link for a $300 bonus.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred – This card generally has a kick-butt sign-up offer (like $600) & during current offer (Mar 2021) has a nice 25% up-value on applying points as statement credit which I have never seen before! So much free money! (note $95 annual fee if you don’t cancel within first year)
- Discover It – I’ll always be partial to Discover for being the first big player in the industry to offer cash back. Their “It” cards have great features & their 100% U.S.-based customer service is always fantastic.
Top-Notch Blogs & Podcasts
- Afford Anything website & podcast
- Atypical Finance
- Dividends Diversify (see my fav post on income investing)
- Frugalwoods
- Young House Love website & podcast
Great Books
I Know How She Does It, by Laura Vanderkam: This book always gives me a productivity mindset boost! Laura’s refreshing point of view on approaching one’s time is a breath of fresh air for working mothers everywhere. Highly recommend to every working mom! She also has a couple podcasts and other great books.
The Money Book for the Young Fabulous & Broke, by Suze Orman: I read this book very early in life and it was a fantastic introduction and education on credit scores and the basics of being savvy with your finances- while being useful for someone in their 20s when you don’t have a lot to work with. Published over 10 years ago, I continue to highly recommend it as a great easy read for money & credit knowledge to anyone getting started.
Household Loves
Instant Pot: The only reason I can cook. My super star soup maker. My we didn’t plan ahead pot roast cooker. My I can finally make rice cooker. My I’m so thrifty I cook my own beans secret. <3
The Chili Ooler: A luxury purchase for your sleep quality. This was a game changer for my husband staying comfortably cool during the night, preventing us from buying a new mattress instead. Apparently the temp problem is better addressed directly instead of trying expensive mattresses that still don’t solve the core problem! I love getting into a heated bed so I use my side for the opposite of the intended purpose- but that’s the beauty of the dual zone (heat or cool). Remember, we spend a third of life in bed, my friends! If you purchase through my link, be sure to use coupon code OOLER15 for 15% off an Ooler system, or for a ChiliPad use CHILIPAD25 for 25% off, or for a ChiliBlanket use CHILIBLANKET10 for 10% off.
Garden & Compost Go-Tos
Info
Crazy About Compost You Tube Channel
Harvest to Table – fabulous informational website, comprehensive but simple enough to not get overwhelmed.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange – my source for organic & heirloom seeds, with most suited to the Mid-Atlantic region
Products
Greener, Cleaner, Simpler Stuff We Use
Everyone Soap: It’s baby shampoo/wash, big kid shampoo/wash, bubble bath, adult body wash, adult shampoo if you like… all in one large 32 oz. pump bottle. We get ours as one of our Amazon Subscribe & Save items, so we get 15% off, making it also an excellent value compared to grabbing bottles from Target or the grocery store. And it rates very well on the EWG Skin Deep registry, making is a super safe product pick for everyone in the family (by comparison, check out good old fashioned Johnson & Johnson baby wash). Highly recommend!
Everyone Lotion: Same story as the soap above. I often get the Unscented because I even use this as my face lotion but the various scented varieties tend to be more available and with a better price on Amazon. So we tend to get what’s well priced, and pick up the Unscented when available. This is just an all around awesome lotion though, no greasy feeling, lightweight but effective. We keep a big pump bottle in each bathroom and even the kitchen.
Puracy detergent: A clean, safe, and effective laundry detergent… in a tiny convenient bottle of super 10X concentrated gel… with a pump… that has plastic-saving pouch refills… and costs less per load than standard detergents! For a full load in my HE machine I use two little pumps of detergent- that’s it. Need I say more?
Puracy handsoap pumps and pouch refills (pouch pictured above): We bought the Puracy handsoap pumps years ago and have just refilled as needed by buying these plastic-saving pouch refills in our Subscribe & Save deliveries over the years. The pumps have held up well, but you could also use this refill in a decorative soap pump. Love anything that reduces our plastic waste. It also has a very mild scent and is gentle on sensitive skin. We do the same thing with Puracy dishsoap and refills.
Dryer balls: Did you know dryer sheets are bad for your fabrics and your skin? And it seems like just another item I used to buy only to be thrown away, as well as being another source of chemicals which seems worse. We bought these 100% wool dryer balls almost six years ago to bounce around in the dryer in place of fabric softener or dryer sheets. Besides losing one to the dog, they are still going strong! Clothes don’t have that ‘chemically soft’ feeling that softener or softener sheets give, but I think once you get used to unscented laundry, you won’t want to go back either. Definitely worth a try!
Mason jars: These jars are basically the ageless, multi-tasking master that do their various jobs while looking great too- a lot like moms everywhere! ;). Besides canning, they can be used as beverage glasses, food storage (dry, wet, cold, hot), breastmilk storage, home organization, clever gifting, the list is endless. We have a couple of these white plastic reusable lids that can be used indefinitely with our jars, giving a leak-proof seal for transporting soup to the office for lunch and such. My coworker uses the little tiny jars for salad dressing, brilliant. I love the jelly jar size for kids’ beverage glasses, the perfect size for little hands.
Surgical/huck towels: These towels are no lint, absorbent, 100% cotton (designed to be used in surgical instrument packs!) and hold up a loooong time. Use a set as dish towels, cloth napkins, housecleaning, pretty much anything (I bet they’d make great burp cloths too). Another multi-tasking household workhorse- at a bargain price no less- that reduces dependency on disposable stuff. Love.