How Do You Calculate Your Savings?

At the Kerr house we figure what we saved with this formula:

Total saved (coupons, rewards used, gift cards)

[total spent (including tax) + total saved (coupons, rewards used, gift cards)]

this means that rewards and gift cards earned are not included but tax is. We love this formula because we feel it gives us a true representation of how we are doing.

Having said that. Here's what we did this week.

Total Spent: $65.02

Total Saved: $162.34 (71%)

Rewards Earned: $59.00

#EclosBeauty Review & Giveaway

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

As a young mother of three I am always looking for ways to help myself feel younger, more my own age, by keeping my skin clear. As I am pregnant and on hormone treatments sometimes this can be a challenge. Recently I was given the opportunity to try éclos Skin Care line and I have been very please with the results.

I was sent a kit that included Facial Cleanser Skin Prep, Cellular Activator Face Serum, Moisture therapy Regenerative Cream, Restorative Eye Cream, Instant Radiance Facial Scrub, Skin Renewal Clay Mask and a complimentary head band. These products are special because they contain Apple Stem Cells that have been shown to stimulate skin stem cells. Along with the new stem cell technology, the line includes plant extracts, vitamins and anti-oxidants to help your skin feel its best.

I have to say that I was super impressed! The only piece of this kit I didn't love was the Restorative Eye Cream due to a minor allergic reaction (this is super common with eye anything on my face). Other than that I have enjoyed using each piece. Completing the full routine does take a little longer than I would normally spend on my face but the finished result is worth it. I would have to say that my favorite piece is the Facial Cleanser Skin Prep. It tends to leave my face a little dry, only before using the Face Serum and egenerative Cream however. After using each of these my face is super smooth which I love!

As a side note, the scent of these face products is wonderful! They smell natural but beautiful and for me it is perfect.

Today you have your chance to win your very own beauty kit! Make sure you use the Rafflecopter below to enter and even if you don't win make sure you get your own kit because this stuff is awesome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Birthday Fun - Wordless Wednesday

Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler Review

As a family working on being as green as possible one of the things we try to do is recycle. Of course our city makes this as difficult as possible with their lack friendliness to recyclers. For us to recycle we have to save, sort, and then deliver our items to the appropriate facility (that means three different places). Sometimes this can be a struggle but we have worked out a system that works fairly well.

Recently Rubbermaid sent us their new 2-in-1 Recycler to review. I really like this product and think it is has functionality, just not in my kitchen. If you were to visit my kitchen you would understand our dilemma. Our kitchen is shaped like a T and is very narrow. Our trash fits between the stove and the cupboard under the counter and it's a tight squeeze at that. Since we moved in we have kept our recycling boxes just outside the garage door on a shelf (so you don't have to go down the stairs) and it has been working fairly well.

On the up side, we have been using the 2-in-1 Recycler to hold chicken feed in our garage and it is awesome! We have 2 types of feed that we need almost every day and this makes a simple way to access both. I love that I can simply take off the top container to carry outside with me when I feed scratch grain. I also love that both containers are removable for easy refills.

As I said, this would work as a great recycler in your kitchen if you have a spot to put it. It also works great for other things however when you don't have the space. Either way you should check it out and thank Rubbermaid for another great product!

Potty Time Review

Due to our children's developmental delays we have done quite a bit of signing at our house. This came at a recommendation from the older boys speech therapist when we first found out about C's tongue tie and began looking at what it would take to fix the problem. Throughout this process we have been teaching the boys to use sign language which has been interesting as neither E or I are knowledgeable about signing.

Through this learning time we have tried many different books and videos to learn new signs. Signing Times is a series we have loved from the very beginning because of their unique songs and simple way of teaching. Recently, Signing Times has sent us a Potty Time DVD to review. The boys have really enjoyed watching this movie and although I can't say it's helped our potty training any we do now know all the signs we need to potty train our boys.

If you haven't seen any Signing Time videos yet you should check them out. They are great for kids who talk and those who don't. They have wonderfully fun songs that you will find your kids, and yourself, singing because they are so applicable to everyday life. Make sure you check out these awesome DVDs today!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Plane Trips

Remember last week when I told you how I like to plan vacations when I'm having one of those days. Well this week as I was planning my vacation I decided it should include a Charter plane service. Doesn't that sound like fun! I've always loved flying, in fact when I was little my dream job was to be a stewardess so I could see the world.

I think my love of flying stems from the fact that I've lived most of my life on the opposite side of the country as my grandparents and my parents liked to make sure we went to visit as often as possible. That meant about every other summer we'd get to take that long, but fun, flight to see grandma.

It's been a while since I was on an airplane but I can't wait to take the kids to visit their grandma, who also lives cross country. There is so much to see and do and since I get car sick, flying with my family is the obvious answer to helping us get to all the fun places I want to share with them! Hopefully in the not too distant future we'll be able to take our first plane trip and start our summer adventures as a family!

The Job Hunt

When E and I first got married we faced two major tasks, find a place to live and find a job. The first one was fairly simple as we moved into a family rental property but the second one took more work. We considered a lot of different job options including some Local Driving Jobs.  We searched everywhere, online, the newspaper, and finally began looking through the phone book to see where we might go apply.

The last idea finally paid off and we found jobs for both E and I with comparable hours and decent pay. E's job especially was a huge blessing as he is still working this same job today and they have allowed him the flexibility to go to school, help me when I need it at home, and take an occasional vacation.

We know the job search can be hard and that there are lots of people looking but we also know there are lots of great jobs out there. E's boss is still looking for people to hire this year because no one, with a clean driving record, as applied. For me this is very sad because I know there are people who need these jobs. If you are one of these people please keep looking! The job for you is out there and I know you can find it!