No nonsense: Style Made Easy

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of No nonsense for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I like looking cute. I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things is getting dressed up, especially in the fall/winter time. It's so easy to look fashionable in the cool weather because that means...it's tights season! 

 

One of my favorite outfit combinations in the winter is wearing a dress with a cardigan, tights, hat, boots or booties, and sometimes a scarf. Wearing all these can get super expensive, but at least I know I can easily buy tights really cheap. My favorite brand is definitely No nonsense tights and leggings. They're really inexpensive and come in sooo many colors. You can find them at grocery & drug stores as well as big retail stores like Target. 

 

I love love love tights. I can't get enough of them. Ideally, I would have them in every color. There's just something about them that takes an outfit to the "next level" and adds a pop of color to anything. Take this outfit I put together on Polyvore for example:

 

See how the turquoise just adds so much depth to the outfit? It give it a color scheme as opposed to just wearing a yellow and black dress. I also added a bunch of other fun accessories since it's super fun dress to accessorize.

 

Here's another cool thing: No nonsense is partnering up with Jill Martin for a new product launch and brand modernization. Jill Martin offers fashion advice on the Today Show and Access Hollywood. I think it's pretty cool that No nonsense is rebranding themselves since I think so few people know how awesome they are.

 

How to keep in touch with No nonsense as they rebrand themselves: 

• Follow No nonsense on Facebook
• Follow @benononsense on Twitter

 

Check out this awesome video:

Fall Gardening Inspiration with Miracle-Gro and the Gardenieres

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

 

 

Are you gardening this fall? Get inspired and Find beauty in the Fall with Miracle-Gro and the Gardenieres! I have a small porch at my apartment, but I still plan to plant some small potted plants for the fall.

The Gardenieres are real-life gardening enthusiasts with real-world experience when it comes to growing anything. They will be covering the country, inspiring us all to get out and garden.

Check out http://www.gardenieres.com for great fall project ideas from the Gardenieres! What’s your favorite? I really like this video on Container Gardening 101:

 

It seems easy enough for me as a casual gardener to plant small container plants as opposed to an actual garden in my small apartment. In my project, I’ll be sure to use Miracle-Gro’s Expand n’ Gro Potting Mix, as recommended in the video. It will make sure my plants grow big and strong throughout the fall, even when the temps get lower! It’s ideal for all kinds of container or potted plants, and feeds plants for up to 6 months.

Want to connect with fellow gardeners and the Gardenieres? Be sure to like Miracle-Gro Facebook page so you can talk with fellow gardeners and share stories! 

Haircut Coupon-a-Thon!

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

 

It's Back-to-School time and that means it's time to make sure everyone in your family is ready. New clothes, check! New supplies, check! Haircut? Check! Get the family ready with back-to-school haircuts!

Tons of salons are teaming up together for the "Haircut Coupon-a-thon" to offer customers this great deal for back-to-school: $7.99 or $9.99 haircut coupons ($9.99 in select markets). The coupon will be valid through 9/30/12.

On a mobile device? To redeem your coupon: Touch and hold to save coupon image. Show coupon to your stylist. Trouble printing coupon? Email departmentcs@regiscorp.com with the salon brand you’d like to visit and we’ll send you a coupon.

Fifteen salon brands and over 4500 locations across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico are participating! Here are some of the participating brands:

• Best Cuts BoRics Cool Cuts 4 Kids (participating salons only)
• Famous Hair Fiesta Salons First Choice Haircutters (U.S. participating salons only)
• Head Start Salons
• HairMasters
• Holiday Hair Island
• Haircutting Co.
• MasterCuts
• Saturday's SmartStyle (located inside Walmart Supercenters)
• Style America TGF Hair Salon

*coupons valid at participating U.S. locations for the Cool Cuts 4 Kids and First Choice Haircutters brands.

All of these salons are full-service salons offering additional services like highlights, color, perms, waxing and more. Plus these salons all carry a wide range of professional haircare products from all your favorite brands: Biolage, Redken, Paul Michell as well as their own private label lines. These salon brands can help you (or families) get back-to-school-ready in no time....back-to-school starts here....and with a no-appointments-needed policy, customers can just walk-in.

And don't forget: these services aren't just for kids! The offers are available for adults, too. Why not take the kids out for a day, get them a fresh cut while you pamper yourself with a new `do too!

 

Famous Footwear Sale: 15% off + BOGO until 8/18!

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

I just heard about this awesome deal going on right now, that you shouldn't pass up! 

It’s back-to-school time and you know what that means--new shoes for you and the kids! Famous Footwear always has great brands at great prices, but right now their sale is an especially sweet deal. You may not know this, but FF has hundreds of brand name shoes and thousands of styles. I've always liked shopping there, and I highly recommend it.

I think the stores are super easy to shop in. I can get in and get out quickly because their stores aren't overwhelming. Also, if the shoe you want isn't in store, they'll get it for you with home delivery or on www.famous.com. You can also order shoes online at www.famous.com and have them shipped to your favorite store for pick-up at no charge.

 

They’re currently offering – 

15% off (20% off if you're a Rewards member or sign up to become one) + BOGO (Buy One, Get One Half Off)!! Print out the coupon here to get the discount and redeem in-stores August 2-18: BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon

 

I know I would use this for some cute flats personally, how would you use this discount?

 

Join their Rewards Program for FREE and you will:

• Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend in-store or online 
• Accumulate points to earn certificates up to $100 a year 
• Discount offer just for signing up 
• Other special inside discounts and perk

 

Let me know if you end up getting some cute shoes with this sale!

Food Porn (.net)

We have all come to know and love the phrase "food porn" thanks to shows like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and many other Travel Channel and Food Network programs. I stumbled upon this cute website today, simply called "Food Porn". It's similar to Food Gawker, where the site pulls in links and photos to delicious food recipes with yummy photography. I'm getting hungry just looking at it.

I really like the simple set up and easy navigation on the side. I can find pretty much whatever I'm looking for, in case I'm in the mood to cook.

I found an awesome recipe for something called a Ham and Potato Bake. This would be perfect for a weekend breakfast. Interestingly, I found it in the desserts section, but probably because the photo looks like a slice a pie, haha!

If I could change anything about the site, it would be...well I can't think of anything! It's fun to browse, and I encourage it if you need some recipe inspiration!

#CoronaRita for Cinco de Mayo!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chili’s Grill & Bar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Guess what's coming up? Cinco de Mayo! What are you planning on doing this year? I'm totally thinking about going out for some Tex-Mex (here in my state of Texas) to celebrate! People here in Texas make a pretty big deal out of Cinco de Mayo, and this year is no exception. I remember a few years ago, my friends and I had a huge fiesta with lots and lots of Mexico-inspired libations. Gotta have delicious drinks on Cinco de Mayo, of course! What's the hot new drink everyone's slurping down lately? The Corona Margarita! Have you seen this before? It's exactly what it sounds like--a margarita with a Corona turned upside down in the cup. The weather's hot, so why not? I've been seeing these everywhere, so I'll definitely be drinking one of these myself on Cinco de Mayo!

Do you have plans yet for Cinco de Mayo? When I do go out on Cinco de Mayo, I'm going with my girlfriends to Chili's, ordering some chicken fajitas, and getting myself a nice cold CoronaRita at Chili's!  Mmmm that just sounds perfectly delicious.  Now that I think about it, I could also go for some fire-grilled corn guacamole, or chicken club quesadillas. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! I have no doubt in my mind that these dishes will go perfectly with the #CoronaRita. Nothing hits the spot on a hot summer day like some Tex-Mex and an ice cold rita. Chili's is a such a fun place to do this since the service is friendly, the food is always good, and you can go in a huge group and have so much fun!

Are you planning on eating at Chili's on Cinco de Mayo? Or thinking about trying the #CoronaRita? Tell me what you think of this new fun drink!

**You must be 21 years or older to drink alcoholic beverages and as always, please remember to drink responsibly. 

LivingSocial: $20 to CVS for only $10

Here's another awesome LivingSocial deal you don't want to miss: Get $20 to CVS for only $10 today on LivingSocial. I was just about to refill a prescription, so this is perfect for me! What are you going to use yours on?

Camp Gladiator Only $69!

So how is that New Year's resolution coming? If you need a little push, consider this great deal. Camp Gladiator (Voted best camp by Competitor Magazine) is running a promotion in 8 markets (DFW, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, OKC, Los Angeles, Minneapolis) for $69 (normal price of $169) for one month membership in their Boot Camp. They have run this same deal through daily deal sites and this is the lowest they will ever go in price!

To anyone interested in an awesome bootcamp experience, I highly recommend Camp Gladiator. You can see my blog post about me trying it out here: http://frugalbutnotcheap.blogspot.com/2011/05/boot-camp.html.  I only did it for one month, but I had a ton of fun doing it.  I felt so much more fit than I ever have, and I wanted to share this awesome offer with all of you.

DO IT!

Stand With Walgreens

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

This is a very frustrating time for Walgreens. Up until recently, they have had contracts with Express Scripts prescriptions to keep costs for customers low.  The negotiations for 2012 fell through, and Walgreens is no longer part of Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network as of Jan. 1, 2012.

Express Scripts’ actions are causing disruption with no significant benefit to patients or their health plan. Patients covered by an Express Scripts plan now find themselves not only having to change their pharmacists, but many are having to drive farther to get prescriptions filled at pharmacies with less convenient hours for their hectic schedules.

And patients are not seeing their costs go down in exchange for the increased hassle they’re being subject to. It’s all pain with no gain.

Many patients under an Express Scripts plan have used Walgreens pharmacies for years and have a personal relationship with their Walgreens pharmacist. In an effort to minimize their disruption and inconvenience, Walgreens unveiled a comprehensive national effort to make this transition as smooth as possible and is doing all it can to help patients continue to use Walgreens when possible, or take care of them as they are forced to leave Walgreens in order to use their in-network coverage.

Among the steps Walgreen is taking to minimize the disruption is offering a special discount on annual membership for its Prescription Savings Club. An individual can join during a special January promotion for only $5, or $10 for a family membership, and receive savings on more than 8,000 brand name and all generic medications. More than 400 generics are available with a three-month supply for less than $1 a week. Regular annual membership is $20 for an individual and $35 for a family.

Express Scripts continues to gain financially from its position as a middleman as its profits have grown at a rate more than two times the average of peers in health care. Historically brokers in a marketplace take a percentage of the cost of a product for putting the buyer and seller in contact.  In Express Scripts’ case, the broker is growing profits faster than the provider of the service.  When the middleman is more profitable than the providers, the relationship is out of balance.

Employers value having Walgreens as a pharmacy option for their employees, but Express Scripts wants to take that choice away.

For more info check out these links:

Walgreens and Express Scripts

Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens

Walgreens on Twitter

Walgreens on Facebook

 

Free Greeting Card from CardStore.com

Love this!  Cardstore.com is offering up a FREE greeting card (with envelope) + FREE shipping! All you need to do is select and personalize your card, then enter the new coupon codeCSTHANKS112 during the final stage of checkout (after entering your shipping info)! Your final cost will be FREE + FREE shipping! 

Note that this is only valid for the first 10,000, so you’ll want to hurry!

Thanks Hip2Save.com!