life

How To Save Money on Everyday Essentials

May 6, 2020 by Rachel 23 Comments

This post is sponsored by Optum Perks but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

It’s hard to believe that I have been “laid off” from my job for going on 7 weeks now. The job that, over the years, became my happy place — has been missing from my life for nearly two months. As things have changed rather dramatically for all of us, I’m finding new and inventive ways to pinch pennies.

Saving Money on Essentials Can Be Easy

I made a lot of changes in these last 7 weeks. Surprisingly, most of them were incredibly easy! Here’s what my family is doing to cut down on our every day expenses.

Shop at discount grocery retailers.

Going to the grocery store is unavoidable. For my family, we are making far fewer trips than before — but we’ve also made the decision to use grocers that offer off-brand or discounted groceries like ALDI and Save-a-Lot. We still are getting the same quality fresh foods, produce, and non-perishables, but we’re doing so at a much lower cost.

Cancelling Unnecessary Subscriptions.

There was a time when we had a cable TV subscription, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Honestly, we’ve never had that much time to watch TV. So we have trimmed up our TV subscription services by cancelling our live-television services and picking one of the online streaming services.

This can go for many types of subscriptions like a grocery delivery service, music streaming service, and even beauty boxes.

Using Optum Perks to Save on Prescription Refills.

Prescriptions are another ‘unavoidable’ cost, but there are brilliant ways of saving cash when it comes time to fill or refill! Savings reach up to 80% with no membership and no fees!+

Prescriptions saving is easy. You just search, find, and save without ever having to enter personal information or data in. Optum Perks can be used at over 64,000 pharmacies nationwide, including Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. Once you find the prescription and pricing, you can decide if you’d like the free coupon to be delivered by text, email, or by printing it out.

These prescription coupons can be presented to your pharmacist whichever way is convenient for you. So whether you’re using the drive-thru or picking it up in-store, your pharmacy coupon will be honored. Truly. That’s it.

I’ve been really open about my struggles with mental health, particularly since having children. As many know, I’ve relied mostly on my Lexapro prescription for the last 5 years. Usually my refills cost upwards of $20. By using Optum Perks I’ve been able to fill it at the rate of $9.00! That’s an eleven dollar savings! While it may not seem like a lot, with a family of 5, every bit helps.

You can see for yourself by heading to Optum Perks today and finding out just how much you can be saving on the prescriptions you need for the whole family.

Putting Memberships on Hold.

If you look at the number of items that are auto-deducted from your account each month, what would you see? For me, it’s our family gym membership, zoo membership, and my auto-renew of my coffee card. While these memberships are handy and even affordable in times of employment, they can be detrimental to savings when going through financial hardship.

Most memberships will allow a ‘hold’ or ‘break’ for anywhere from one to 6-months. And it’s usually as simple as giving them a call or shooting their customer service team an email.

These Adjustments Do Not Have To Be Permanent

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in these last couple of months it’s that I am capable of much more than I previously thought I was. I’m the same girl who would grab coffee from Starbucks before work almost every day. But I don’t have to be. In fact, I’m amazed at how these small changes I’ve made in our spending have had such a tremendous impact on not only our pocketbooks, but our overall psychological well-being.

But knowing that at least some of what I’m doing right now is just temporary certainly helps. I may not stay away from my beloved coffee forever, but I can tell you that I will never go back to paying full-price for my prescriptions.

+Prices are subject to change over time

Tell me — what will you do with all of the money you save using Optum Perks?

5 Foods That Will Help You Sleep at Night

May 5, 2020 by Rachel 20 Comments

Sleep is essential for living a healthy life. Tossing and turning nonstop can lead to a variety of adverse health effects, such as an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among others. Sleeping disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, along with lifestyles that limit the amount of sleep you get per night, can cause you to feel groggy and irritable. Luckily, food might be your answer to catching some shuteye and sleeping peacefully at night. If you’re suffering from sleep deprivation, try one of these five foods below to help you get the rest your body deserves.

PIN ME - 5 Foods To Help You Sleep At Night

Chocolate

What else is there to say? It’s sweet, delicious, and the best pick-me-up after a long day. While dark chocolate does contain caffeine, it also contains serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that’s responsible for helping you feel more relaxed and tired. If you’re counting sheep at night, try eating a chocolate sleep aid. Just make sure it’s dark chocolate and not milk chocolate! Milk chocolate doesn’t contain serotonin and can actually make you feel more awake.

Furthermore, dark chocolate has many attractive health benefits that make this the perfect treat to eat day and night. It is high in antioxidants, which aid in cognition and memory formation, and also help reduce the risk of heart disease! So eat the chocolate!

Chamomile

Herbal teas, such as chamomile, is a great drink to sip on before bedtime. Chamomile tea is proven to improve sleep quality. It contains apigenin, an antioxidant that is responsible for making you feel tired and can reduce insomnia. This study even found that those who drank chamomile tea before bedtime fell asleep 15 minutes faster than those who did not drink chamomile tea and reported fewer instances of waking up during the night.

Along with the ability to whisk you away and into a solemn slumber, chamomile offers many additional benefits, such as:

● Reduces symptoms of depression;

● Improves skin health;

● Boosts the immune system;

● and Reduces inflammation that leads to diseases like cancer and heart disease!

Turkey

The fourth Thursday in November is one of the best days of the year. Why? Because it’s Thanksgiving! This means endless mounds of food, desserts, drinks, and conversations with friends, family, and loved ones. As you may know, turkey is often the centerpiece of every Thanksgiving Day meal, which means you’ve probably experienced the after-effects of eating turkey.

Have you ever realized how tired you were after indulging in your Thanksgiving meal? Filled tummies with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans? That’s because turkey contains an amino acid called tryptophan, which causes the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin to increase in production. This increase in melatonin will make you feel more tired and will reduce the chances of you waking up in the middle of the night. So, before bed, try making turkey sandwiches or a turkey loaf for dinner!

Kiwi

One of nature’s greatest candies are kiwis. Kiwis are a delicious and nutritious fruit that are packed with healthy vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K. Additionally, they’re a great food to have if you’re having trouble sleeping! Packed with serotonin (just like dark chocolate) they help regulate your sleep cycle. Kiwis are also full of antioxidants, such as carotenoids and Vitamin C, which help reduce inflammation and promote sleep.

Along with these sleep-aiding benefits, kiwis also:

● Improves digestion

● Lowers cholesterol

● Reduces inflammation

● Fights heart disease

● Clears out toxins

● Lowers blood pressure

Nuts

Tree nuts, such as walnuts and almonds, are also great foods to eat before bed to get some shuteye. Walnuts, in particular, are filled with the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Additionally, walnuts house healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids that convert to DHA, which aids in the production of the sleep-enhancing chemical serotonin. Along with that, walnuts provide over 19 vitamins and minerals, making them an extremely healthy nut to snack on.

Almonds, like walnuts, can also help you sleep at night. Almonds, too, are filled with melatonin, which will turn your brain’s lights off to help you drift away to dreamland, and provide 19 percent of your daily needs of magnesium, which is thought to improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia.

Time for bed

If you’re struggling to sleep at night, try eating one of these five foods. However, if insomnia or other sleep disorders are keeping you up at night, it’s always recommended to see a doctor or specialist who can provide professional treatment.

Easy Tips to Help Stay on Track This Year

January 14, 2020 by Rachel 30 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Distillata. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Can you believe we’re about to open a brand new chapter in this book of life? A new decade is upon us and it’s hard not to think about goals for the coming year — or ten! As a busy family of 5, my priorities and goals are a little bit different. My goals aren’t as concrete as they were in the past, but they are attainable and sustainable for a busy family.

Health Tips

Drink all of the water.

We are huge H2O drinkers in this house. And I’m not just casually saying that. I mean that for the longest time my children did not know they could drink other things… like milk.

My biggest tip for getting your family to drink the appropriate amount of water is this — install a water cooler in your home from Distillata. Distillata delivers our 5-gallon water jugs at the intervals we choose. When I say we drink a lot of water, I mean a lot. We go through approximately FIVE 5-gallon water jugs every 4 weeks!

Having a Distillata water cooler in our home has been a game-changer. The big kids can get their own water whenever they want, and that just means they’re drinking even more than they normally would!

Head here to check into having Distillata delivered to your home.

Take a daily multivitamin.

Newsflash: our kids don’t eat what we want them to. Do any kids? I mean, ours used to. But somewhere between two and 3-years of age, they started to get little minds of their own.

Where we lack in food nutrients we make up in the form of a daily multivitamin.

Keep moving.

I have gone through phases and stages in my life where I am always on the move and then never on the move. It’s hard to find a balance. For me, I have found instant accountability by wearing a fitness tracker. It’s like a game for me. I try to stay at the recommended move goal (which is usually 10k steps per day) and I despise breaking my ‘streak.’ It’s a great motivator.

Not every day is going to be a knock-it-out of the park type of movement day. And that’s okay. But the trick is to make a conscious effort to move more.

Life Tips

Stay organized.

As a busy mom of three, having a well-communicated schedule is key. I keep two schedules, the first of which is my Google Calendar. It’s easily accessed when I’m at home or on the go so I can keep track of all of our commitments, work, fun and otherwise. The second is a large wall calendar in our kitchen.

It may seem silly to keep two calendars, but I assure you this is key to keeping the whole family on-track. My husband can glance at our wall calendar and see exactly what we have scheduled on any given day.

Make life easier.

One of the best decisions I made for my family was to streamline whatever I could. I subscribed for services like Shipt, which helped tremendously when I was out of diapers and couldn’t take three kids out during a snowstorm. Or I would schedule grocery pickup with Curbside Express. Heck, I sometimes even subscribe to meal delivery services!

But the real game-changer came when we started having our water delivered by Distillata. Prior to that, I would take all three kids to the store to fill up our two 5-gallon jugs of reverse osmosis water, carry them back to the car and in the house, only to have to constantly pour more water into our fridge container for easy dispensing.

Distillata has changed the way we drink our water. I’m no longer going to the store, trying to manage filling up two jugs of water while fitting them in the cart with my kids. Our deliveries are scheduled every few weeks directly to our home. They take our old jugs away and leave us with four or five bottles of the same water I was struggling to get at the grocery store.

Work Tips

Focus.

Whether you’re a work-from-home mom like me, or a part-time employee, or a full-time worker, we can all benefit from having more focus. Personally, I struggle with wanting to attack all of my goals at once. That just isn’t feasible. Not for me, not for anyone.

I’ve found that by creating a to-do list based on three categories works perfectly. The first category is Must-Do’s. These are items that need to be tackled immediately. The next column on my list is Try-To-Do’s, and it’s exactly how it sounds. They should not be done before the must-do’s, but if I can get around to these items, then perfect!

The last column on my list is Bonus Items. These Bonus Items are things that are less of a priority at this moment (that doesn’t mean they are not a priority!).

Limit distractions.

I know so many people who get sidetracked from their workload due to outside forces and circumstances (*cough, cough* I am one of those people). Limiting those outside forces of distraction can and will be very helpful for your work environment.

Actions such as deleting social media apps off of your phone and drowning out office chatter with headphones can be a tremendous help. I find myself even being distracted by regular music so I’ve found a piano and classical playlist to help me limit the distractions.

The Big Picture

Regardless of how your year has gone thus far, there is one important thing to remember: You have the ability to change. You don’t have to wait for the start of a new year, a new month, or even a new day. You can implement changes all at once or slowly, but the important part is deciding to start.

This is going to be the best year yet.

EASY TIPS TO HELP YOU STAY ON TRACK THIS YEAR WITH DISTILLATA

Tips to Get Picky Eaters to Eat More Vegetables

December 12, 2019 by Rachel 27 Comments

This post is sponsored by CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortilla but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Before having kids I was convinced my children would have a sophisticated palette. I mean, Chad and I have always been adventurous eaters. We weren’t going to change our eating habits for our kids. Nope!

For all of the parents in the room, you can totally eye roll and laugh with me now. Because the parent I thought I would be and the parent that I actually am? Those are two totally different people.

As babies, all three of our kids would actually eat anything and everything! But as they group from toddlers to preschoolers, they decided they only wanted ‘kid’ things. So I got creative.

Picky Eaters Will Be Picky Eaters

We make our kids try bites of foods they “don’t like,” but it often ends there. In my experience, creating a battle for the full length of a meal can be exhausting and lead to few results. I, for one, recall endless fights with my parents over my refusal to eat what they had prepared. I also recall having won those battles several times. It’s a battle of wills. And, guys… kids can be really strong-willed.

Beyond making them try the “gross” foods, we then allow them to have an alternative. I realize that this isn’t always a viable option. Preparing separate meals for the kids versus the adults can be exhausting, too.

Other Options

The good news is this — you have other options!

Mix it in!

I’ve come to love the option of pureeing vegetables, like carrots, and adding it to whatever I’m preparing. Our macaroni and cheese isn’t just any mac and cheese. It has pureed veggies in it! (Mom hack: You can sneak it in the boxed kind, too!)

If you don’t have the option to puree your own veggies, you can find dehydrated powder at the store to mix in.

Get creative with alternatives!

CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas have been a game-changer for our family. Since we are always on the go, we eat a lot of quick and easy meals like tacos and quesadillas.

My kids cannot tell the difference between a traditional grain tortilla and these CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas. They are vegan and dairy-freeand are available in both Original and Grain Free versions. And the best part? The first ingredient is cauliflower!

I picked up three bags from our local grocers freezer or refrigerated section, where I scored $2 off with this coupon! It’s also nice to know that they’re better for me, too. CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas contain less fat, fewer calories, and more fiber than traditional tortillas.

If they like it, give it to them!

My three-year-old has been on a near-hunger strike lately if she doesn’t get exactly the food she wants. But the one vegetable that she has decided she likes is brocolli. Sometimes her request for broccoli comes at breakfast.

My gut reaction was to say “no, we don’t eat broccoli for breakfast,” but I decided that if she wants it at 7:00 am, she can have it. So if your child is clinging to one vegetable, let them have it!

The Good News

The good news, friends, is that we all go through this phase. I went through it, my sister went through it, my husband went through it, and I’m sure his siblings did, too.

But it’s just that — a phase! Keep offering new foods, keep introducing new vegetables, and stay creative.

And don’t forget to save $2 off CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas by clicking here.

Christmas, Credit, and Focusing on What’s Important this Holiday Season

December 9, 2019 by Rachel 30 Comments

Thank you CreditRepair.com for sponsoring this post. CreditRepair.com’s team understands that a credit score is not just a number; it’s a lifestyle.

Being an adult, unfortunately, does not come with a handbook on how to “be.” I can’t speak for everyone, but I can tell you this — I’ve learned the hard way. With practically everything.

My personal credit journey.

I partially blame my struggles on the fact that I just didn’t understand privilege. I was a child of two very hard-working parents. We didn’t take lavish vacations, but we did take vacations. I recently recounted my childhood with a friend. We were talking about how we didn’t know how hard our parents worked and how lucky we were. We were happy to have had our vacations and to not want for anything, but we also didn’t realize the privilege that was afforded to us.

I’m not blaming that on my struggle. No, I created my problems. But I’ve made the mistake of not knowing my parents struggles twice now. I expected to just HAVE. Because that’s what you do. You work and you get, right? Well factor in a mountain of student loan debt (we’re talking Mount Everest) and a desire to fit in? And we have a problem.

The first time I rebuilt my credit on my own (with the guidance of my dad — thanks, Dad!). But fast-forward many years, a husband, and a child later, and it took a bit more help.

A cry for help.

The second time around I decided I truly needed help. I used CreditRepair.com to help me get my finances in order, get me back on track, and find a clear plan for the future. CreditRepair.com is a leading provider of credit report repair services in the United States. They are a team of credit professionals who educate and empower individuals to achieve the credit scores they deserve. I worked hard, made lifestyle changes, and made plans for my future. I knew I owed it to my growing family to repair my credit and create a better life.

The holiday spirit.

Part of my struggle with the holidays is the fact that EVERYONE wants to do something extravagant. But I’m beyond that. My number one rule is to NOT go into debt for the holidays. In the end, we’re all exchanging (likely or almost) equally priced treats for one another.

But at what expense? I don’t want my financial security to be ruined because I’m trying to keep up with superficial gift giving. We are all adults. When we want something we work, we save, and we purchase it. And if there’s something that you desperately want, you will get it.

I would rather see the joy on the faces of my children when we are able to take a fun vacation to the beach or go to an event with them. I would rather build memories than give superficial gifts. They will know love and they will know how much the holidays mean. But they will also know that it is more important to avoid financial disaster and avoid going into debt than to celebrate any holiday.

A quest for financial literacy.

Financial literacy should absolutely be a point of discussion in families, schools, and even work environments, but it isn’t. Until it is, we need to rely on outside resources. CreditRepair.com is there to help.

Your credit score is not written in stone, and you are more than a credit score. CreditRepair.com will help empower you to work on your credit score, enjoy your life, and make small lifestyle changes to help you achieve your dreams! But your credit won’t fix itself. Get help from CreditRepair.com today with a free consultation and kickstart your credit repair efforts.

Whatever you do this holiday season, please remember that no holiday ‘cheer’ is worth going into debt for. Let’s build our credit scores together with CreditRepair.com.

Getting your credit back on track with creditrepair.com

Mila Rose // 9 Months

March 27, 2019 by Rachel 5 Comments

Here we goooo again! I thought for certain we would make it through this month without an illness. Isn’t that funny! I know, I should have known better.

So yeah. This 9-month update should have come to you a few days ago, but Meebs was in no position to have her picture taken. Ha!

Meebs //

For those of you who are new around here, Meebs is the nickname for baby number three — Mila Rose. Her big sister, Remy, age 3, can’t manage to pronounce “Mila” so she says “Meeba.” The name Meeba has somehow turned into “Meebs” and now that’s generally what she is known as… by, like, everyone.

It’s funny and cute and weird, but totally normal to us. And I sometimes have to remind myself that people who don’t know us well aren’t familiar with this name (and find it strange, not surprisingly) and that I should just take a second to explain.

On The Move //

My first child, Ari, was quick to pick up everything. From the bottle to crawling, then walking to talking — even potty training! — he just did it all early. Kind of odd for a boy (and first child), but I rolled with it.

The same cannot be said for my girls. Both have completely different infant temperaments, but they both seem to be taking their darn time at ‘big kid’ milestones. And I guess I’m just rolling with them, too.

Although I expected Meebs to start crawling before 8-months, it wasn’t until about 8-months and one week before she started doing her own little army crawl. And guys, this army crawl is unlike anything I’ve seen before! It’s a combination of an army crawl and a half-roll! It’s hilarious but effective!

Boob + Food //

I’ve never been in any sort of hurry to start my babies on solids. We have always done a combination of Baby Led Weaning (BLW) and purees but only began once we were certain that they were ready. And with all of the meal-making for the big kids, I was honestly in zero rush to sit and force another child to eat.

In the last month I’ve been giving her at least one jar of food every day, but oftentimes it ends up being 2 or 3. I kind of let her take the lead and tell me when she wants food. She makes it pretty clear when boob isn’t cutting it. But last night, for instance, she let me know that less than one jar of food was sufficient for dinner. And that’s absolutely fine with me.

Her favorite baby foods are pears, sweet potatoes, and oats. And, thus far, she hasn’t really spit out anything.

Weight + Height //

Well, I was super excited to see her weight and height progression at her 9-month well child visit. Although she was born my ‘biggest’ and is my chunkiest baby, I knew she was still really small compared to the average. Her weight, coming in at a whopping 15 pounds 11 ounces, came as no shock to me (although, truthfully, I was hoping she would break the sixteen-mark!), as she is still fitting quite comfortably in most of her 3-6 month clothes. That puts her at 10th percentile for weight! — STILL my biggest percentile baby, can you believe that?!

I can’t remember her exact height, but she’s over 40th percentile for height. Makes sense considering those 3-6 month clothes are just starting to get a little short.

In the end, our pediatrician isn’t worried one bit. She’s exactly perfect and right on track with her siblings. She’s meeting all of her milestones (and has crazy good hand-eye coordination!) regardless of her tiny stature.

Health //

We’re on a once-a-month illness schedule around here. I’m chalking it up to building her immune system — and I’m just grateful it has never been something truly serious. But just days ahead of turning 9-months, she got hit with yet another yucky cough, turned double-ear infection, turned bronchiolitis.

Again, not serious, but definitely not all that fun either. We had a couple of really bad days and nights battling a low-grade fever and fussiness, but no sooner was she diagnosed and put on an antibiotic did she start to show signs of improvement.

Just three more months //

It’s hard to believe that we’ll be celebrating her first birthday in 3 months. I’m already (slowly) starting to plan an elaborate celebration (my very last babies first birthday, y’all!). But in the meantime, I’ll be over here crying over every teeny tiny milestone.

Also! I’m hosting a Giveaway for a 4-pack of tickets to Sesame Street Live! at the Wolstein Center this April 6th – 7th. The giveaway closes at 11:59 PM EST 3/27/2019, so head here to enter now.