I love to catch up on my magazine reading and have several "free" subscriptions that come to my mailbox several times a month. I have discovered some really great magazines this way that I had never read before or considered. I think I currently receive 12 magazines a month, and several of these I donate to the school, and to a local gym waiting room, so they definitely get recycled use. Out of these 12 magazines I pay for one, and one is a gift subscription that my aunt renews for me every Christmas.
Three of the magazines that I have really enjoyed and never would have gotten myself are TV Guide ( just never thought I had a real need for it , but it sure comes in handy sometimes), Memory Makers, and Instructor.
Memory Makers is a wonderful magazine for people who like to scrapbook like me. It has innovative ideas and creative layouts. It has product reviews and plenty of information to help a novice scrapbooker like myself be more creative on my limited budget. This is definitely one I would consider buying if the budget became available.
Instructor is an innovative magazine that takes a look at what teachers all over the country are doing to improve their classrooms and learning environments. As the mother of two girls and a part time school district employee. I like that I have ideas to help my girls study and lots of educational projects to occupy their summers and weekends. It has really turned into a great tip mag on creative parenting too. I also share tips and articles with the school staff if they seem applicable to a lesson plan that is happening. The teachers are really appreciative to have some innovative ideas available to them.
The one magazine my Aunt gets for me every Christmas is Southern Living. Wow, do I just love this magazine. It has recipes of foods that my family would actually eat, and the ingredients can be found in my local grocery store. Believe me not all cooking magazines share in that practical tip. It has great ideas for landscaping your house. Wonderful travel destinations throughout the south, that are many times very reasonably priced when looking for weekend trips. They have beautiful home decorating ideas. Nearly every article and picture in my house decorating folder are straight from my Southern Living magazine. This is one of those magazines that I can not pass after I finish reading it because I have cut out way to many recipes, and articles, to file away.
Now the one magazine that I actually pay for is Taste of Home. It is full of wonderful home cooked recipes, party planning, and menu tips, and the best part of all is that it is not bogged down with advertising. It is like the PBS of magazines. I have gotten many compliments on dinner parties I have given and food made that were easy and required very little effort. It also has many healthy choices and many of the recipes include the nutrition exchange for those watching their diets, or are diabetic.
Many of the othr magazines I get simply because at the time they were free, and I thought they might also be interesting. What I have learned though is that without some people getting trial or free issues they might not realize how much is out there they could still learn and enjoy. I will have to seriously consider some of the magazines that I have received so in this respect free subscriptions will probably benefit some of these comapanies in the long run and make loyal subscribers out of some of us.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
The Santa's Workbench Collection at JoAnn's
Today I am finally taking down my Christmas decorations. Partly, to save my husband from any further teasing like he had during the poker game going on at my house last night, and secondly because I had finally had our final official Christmas Party last week. Well today as I lovingly pack all my wonderful memories away til next year I have somewhat of a rant.
For the last several years I have faithfully bought the Santa's Workbench collection of Christmas houses and accessories. I have currently a beautiful village and a little skating pond. I have small figurines in the holiday spirit scattered throughout. It is a very precious part of my Christmas decorating. The great part of this is I have also not paid full retail for a single piece. I prided myself on waiting for after Christmas bargains and using the online and store coupons that Joann's Fabrics puts out periodically. It looks as beautiful as those expensive department 56 brand at a fraction of the cost.
This year JoAnn's decided to go a different route with their village and only produced retro 50's looking pieces. I have to say I was devastated. This is the first year I have not been able to add to my village. Nothing retro fit with the classic and Victorian looks they had been producing for years. Why the sudden change? Surely you knew you had a faithful following out there? I don't even know what company to look for switching to that might be similar and cost effective. I do not plan to spend department store prices on my own whims. I love JoAnn's fabrics usually. I purchase craft kits for my girls and yarn to practice my knitting, I also purchase a ton of scrapbooking supplies from them during their sales, but now I have no reason to go at Christmas time to pick out my new pieces. JoAnn's I am very disappointed and I hope that next year word of mouth will have reached you on how you are losing Christmas revenue from a loyal consumer base.
For the last several years I have faithfully bought the Santa's Workbench collection of Christmas houses and accessories. I have currently a beautiful village and a little skating pond. I have small figurines in the holiday spirit scattered throughout. It is a very precious part of my Christmas decorating. The great part of this is I have also not paid full retail for a single piece. I prided myself on waiting for after Christmas bargains and using the online and store coupons that Joann's Fabrics puts out periodically. It looks as beautiful as those expensive department 56 brand at a fraction of the cost.
This year JoAnn's decided to go a different route with their village and only produced retro 50's looking pieces. I have to say I was devastated. This is the first year I have not been able to add to my village. Nothing retro fit with the classic and Victorian looks they had been producing for years. Why the sudden change? Surely you knew you had a faithful following out there? I don't even know what company to look for switching to that might be similar and cost effective. I do not plan to spend department store prices on my own whims. I love JoAnn's fabrics usually. I purchase craft kits for my girls and yarn to practice my knitting, I also purchase a ton of scrapbooking supplies from them during their sales, but now I have no reason to go at Christmas time to pick out my new pieces. JoAnn's I am very disappointed and I hope that next year word of mouth will have reached you on how you are losing Christmas revenue from a loyal consumer base.
The "Upson Downs" of Febreze
I have really enjoyed Febreeze laundry freshener as a product for several years now. I admit I was hooked by the commercials that said you could spray the fabric that had gotten slightly odorous, and it would just lift up offensive particles and replace them with fresh smelling clean ones. I still remember the one about the mom spraying her kids marching band uniform. I had a friend who sprays her carpets so that when you walk around you release more of the fresh odor. So for the last few years I have been a loyal Febreeze consumer avidly spraying pillows, curtains, carpet, and upholstery.
Recently I received a freebie from the febreeze Home Made Simple site that involved one of their newer products called Febreeze noticeables which when you plug in alternately sends one of two scents into the room. Well my first thought was a bathroom air freshener, but my first whiff of the scents was much to strong for a small bathroom space. Luckily my house has an open floor plan so I plugged it in the living room/dining room area. Wow does that stuff smell strong! It is absolutely unbearable! I gave it a 24 hour trial run, and got such a headache from the overpowering scents coming from the plug in. I can assure you that I did have the scent on the low odor zone because I tested the high one just to make sure (It was worse).
Anyway today's entry is to say I will still remain a loyal febreeze customer to their fabric sprays, but I don't know who they tested the other kits on.....but if you see these at the store, just pass on by to your current favorite room deodorizer ( I think I will stick to candles for now).
By the way...the kitschy title?
What can I say...I love a good classic musical...If you can guess, I will be impressed!
Recently I received a freebie from the febreeze Home Made Simple site that involved one of their newer products called Febreeze noticeables which when you plug in alternately sends one of two scents into the room. Well my first thought was a bathroom air freshener, but my first whiff of the scents was much to strong for a small bathroom space. Luckily my house has an open floor plan so I plugged it in the living room/dining room area. Wow does that stuff smell strong! It is absolutely unbearable! I gave it a 24 hour trial run, and got such a headache from the overpowering scents coming from the plug in. I can assure you that I did have the scent on the low odor zone because I tested the high one just to make sure (It was worse).
Anyway today's entry is to say I will still remain a loyal febreeze customer to their fabric sprays, but I don't know who they tested the other kits on.....but if you see these at the store, just pass on by to your current favorite room deodorizer ( I think I will stick to candles for now).
By the way...the kitschy title?
What can I say...I love a good classic musical...If you can guess, I will be impressed!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Introduction to Brown Hollow
In November of 2004 I became interested in venturing out on my first Black Friday Shopping event. For those not aware of this phenomena, it is the day after Thanksgiving where crazy people go stand in lines at Wal-Mart and Best Buy at 3:00 in the morning to get unbelievable deals. I had heard from friends that it was fun and the deals were amazing. Well honestly, Christmas was going to be tough to buy a lot that year so I thought this would be a great way to venture into the world of bargain shopping. I have always been interested in a great sale or deal. I have been known to hit garage sales on Saturday mornings and every once in a while I make it to the local auction house to attempt to furnish my home on a budget, but in researching black Friday on the internet an entirely new world has opened up to me.
I googled black Friday and came across a website forum called bargainshare.com which intrigued me with all of the word of mouth experience of loyal Black Friday shoppers from all over the country. I devoured all the research and started to make an entire game plan and shopping strategy.
Then another section of the forum also caught my eye.....FREEBIES!!!!!!!!! Wow what a fantastic world opened up to me when I looked at that forum category. I became obsessively hooked with all things coming to my house for free. For a mom on a budget the idea was perfect. I started searching all over the internet for more and more things that could be sent to my house free. I must have checked that website at least ten times a day to see if something new and *free* could be sent to my house. My mailbox became full of all kinds of samples from basics like shampoo to cleaning supplies, and odd things like earplugs (my husband still questions why those sit in my junk drawer) and colon cleansers. My Mail lady asked me where I was getting all of this stuff from, and I found I couldn't wait to share the information with her, my family, my friends, the staff at both part time jobs that I have, and basically anyone who would listen.
Then a new door opened to me a few weeks later, and I became interested in Surveys. Wait you mean people will pay or send me products and are interested in my opinion? How cool is that! I ventured into a new forum that along with bargainshare I read obsessively. Yourdailyfreebiessite....or YDF. Which had an entire section dedicated to surveys. I joined every company that all the fellow forum member loved and touted. I learned which companies to avoid, and which most people try for years to join ( which I now belong to, but will not name in deference to the company in question). I also began to get checks in my mail box, and products to try. I love that I have a voice in what companies are making and doing. Sharing all of this new information with my family, friends, and coworkers has been wonderful.
I try new products now all the time and some I have absolutely loved, and some were not great at all. I think that since I share this information with companies (although sometimes I have already noted that other people must have felt differently because nothing changed) that it would be great to do my own word of mouth about what I have thought was worthwhile or worthless. Since I already tell an extensive network of people in my daily life, this would give my own personal good housekeeping seal of approval. While I welcome people who will disagree with me, I hope there are those who might try something new because of a recomendation that I make. These are things that an ordinary housewife and mother have found fit to write about and pass my own personal buzz to others.
I googled black Friday and came across a website forum called bargainshare.com which intrigued me with all of the word of mouth experience of loyal Black Friday shoppers from all over the country. I devoured all the research and started to make an entire game plan and shopping strategy.
Then another section of the forum also caught my eye.....FREEBIES!!!!!!!!! Wow what a fantastic world opened up to me when I looked at that forum category. I became obsessively hooked with all things coming to my house for free. For a mom on a budget the idea was perfect. I started searching all over the internet for more and more things that could be sent to my house free. I must have checked that website at least ten times a day to see if something new and *free* could be sent to my house. My mailbox became full of all kinds of samples from basics like shampoo to cleaning supplies, and odd things like earplugs (my husband still questions why those sit in my junk drawer) and colon cleansers. My Mail lady asked me where I was getting all of this stuff from, and I found I couldn't wait to share the information with her, my family, my friends, the staff at both part time jobs that I have, and basically anyone who would listen.
Then a new door opened to me a few weeks later, and I became interested in Surveys. Wait you mean people will pay or send me products and are interested in my opinion? How cool is that! I ventured into a new forum that along with bargainshare I read obsessively. Yourdailyfreebiessite....or YDF. Which had an entire section dedicated to surveys. I joined every company that all the fellow forum member loved and touted. I learned which companies to avoid, and which most people try for years to join ( which I now belong to, but will not name in deference to the company in question). I also began to get checks in my mail box, and products to try. I love that I have a voice in what companies are making and doing. Sharing all of this new information with my family, friends, and coworkers has been wonderful.
I try new products now all the time and some I have absolutely loved, and some were not great at all. I think that since I share this information with companies (although sometimes I have already noted that other people must have felt differently because nothing changed) that it would be great to do my own word of mouth about what I have thought was worthwhile or worthless. Since I already tell an extensive network of people in my daily life, this would give my own personal good housekeeping seal of approval. While I welcome people who will disagree with me, I hope there are those who might try something new because of a recomendation that I make. These are things that an ordinary housewife and mother have found fit to write about and pass my own personal buzz to others.
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