Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Shampoo

While I realize that best hair products for your hair are the ones you purchase in professional salons, not everyone is rich enough to spend that much money.

In the past, we've always bought really cheap shampoo and conditioner. I just didn't realize how much different your hair can look depending on the kinds of shampoo and conditioner you use.

Recently, we started experimenting with different higher-end shampoos. Dove was pretty good, but still didn't reap the benefits it said it would. Pantene Pro-V is great, but is still pretty expensive, especially if you go through a lot of shampoo. Herbal Essence smells great, but that's about where it ends. Then we tried Garnier Fructis. The first kind we tried was just for shine, and it definitely made my hair a lot shinier. However, I have really thin and wavy hair. Most of the time I straighten it and it tends to get frizzy and fluffy if I don't use just the right mix of products. So we bought GF Sleek and Shine. You can immediately tell how great it works when you lather it on. Its a much thicker shampoo. It leaves your hair just as soft as conditioner would. After using it for a week, I find that I really don't even need any extra products to straighten my hair. I still like to use some serum so that I don't burn the ends, but overall, the shampoo alone makes my hair sleek enough.

This product is wonderful for the price you pay. If you have dry, frizzy, or dull hair, or even if you straighten your hair a lot, Garnie Fructis Sleek and Shine Shampoo is for you.

Kodak Camera- Great Pictures, Low Price

Unless you're a professional photographer, you probably want a easy camera that will do all the hardwork itself. Digital cameras are where its at, but with so many choices, it can seem overwhelming to choose the best one for your needs.

I take pictures a lot. With two children, I don't want to miss a single moment of their lives. At the same time, I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a high-tech camera when I can't take advantage of all the special things it offers because I don't understand it. I want a camera that will do what I need, do it well, and do it relatively cheap. I love Kodak's line of cameras. My last one lasted for a long time (it actually still works, but since we upgraded, we don't use it anymore) despite being dropped numerous times. So of course, I sticked to Kodak when we upgraded.

My choice for the best camera for the best price is the Kodak Easyshare C813. This beautiful camera takes amazing pictures and videos. It comes with a zoom option, many frame and picture taking options, and 8.2 Megapixels for amazing quality. The best part is that it's less than $100. This would be a great Christmas gift, birthday gift, or even just a gift for yourself.

I love this camera and I use it constantly. If you are looking for a camera that takes great pictures, is easy to use, and comes with a low price... this Kodak camera is for you.

The Best Baby Formula

I'm a huge advocate of breastfeeding, but I know not everyone can or does. I attempted to breastfeed my first son but never got the hang of latching him on. I thought I did up until I was in so much pain the thought of feeding him made me cry. With my second son, I was able to breastfeed him for 5 months until I came down with an infected tooth that incapacitated me to the point where I couldn't even get out of bed to puke. When I was healthy again, he refused the nipple. In both cases, I had to buy formula. I wanted the best formula for my little one and while price wasn't as big as an issue because their health came first, it still matters somewhat.

With my first son, I was on WIC so the formula I used was Enfamil Lipil and nothing else. With my second son, we no longer get WIC so we buy our own. At first I tried Enfamil. I like it a lot, but he seemed to get a lot of gas and spit up. I tried the cheaper brand Parent's Choice because its supposedly comparable to Enfamil, but its consistency is completely different, and my son's poop was definitely different.

Then my fiance got a Manager's Special deal at our local grocery store for Similac Isomil Advance Soy Formula. It claims to help spitting up, fussiness, and gas issues. Its claims proved true. I buy nothing else for my son. While it is not cheap, I am able to go to Ebay and buy brand new cans for much cheaper than retail price. You can also buy coupons for it on Ebay as well.

Different babies have different needs and that's why companies make so many different kinds of formula. Similac works for my child, but another kind might work better for yours. Whatever you do, talk to your doctor first. Once you've decided what the best kind will be, check on Ebay for all kinds of deals.

Marshalls: Family Clothing, Fashionble Shoes, and Home Accents

Just like me, the economy is probably taking a toll on your wallets and bank accounts. Now that Christmas is sneaking around the corner, shopping just doesn't seem as much fun. Its hard to get excited about spending money when don't have much to spend. However, I have some good news if any of your lists have clothing, shoes, or home decorations on it.

Luckily for me, there is a store about 2 miles away called Marshalls. More than likely, there is one located somewhere near you also. Marshalls is like Christmas shopping heaven when you're on a budget. They offer high-end brand named clothes at a fraction of the price. I'm talking about Ralph Lauren Polo's for Men for about $20. Yeah, they usually sell for about $75 or $80. Another great thing is that their inventory is always changing. At Marshalls, you'll never have to sacrifice quality for a great price.

They sell clothing for the entire family and for any occasion. They also sell any accesories you might need for an outfit. Purses, belts, scarfs, and hats. They sell shoes and intimate apparell. They even sell home decorations and accents. Pots and pans, candles, throw pillows, christmas decorations, and candy dishes.

If you haven't checked out this store yet, you really should. And when you do, Marshalls will probably become the staple of all your shopping trips in the future.

Baby Wipes: Target Brand

I'm a big Target shopper. I'd have to say I'd much rather shop at Target versus Walmart. They seem to have much higher-end selections for a fraction more on the price. Quality over quanity is what I always say.

Their baby wipes are no exception. Sometimes I buy Huggies wipes if I happen to have a coupon lying around, but most of the time my choice for baby wipes are Target Brand Baby Wipes. I like the Scented kind because my two year olds diapers can be killer. The matieral is soft and they are very strong. I usually buy a regular box and then buy refills.

The price is great for the quality of the wipes. I actually prefer the material of Target Brand wipes over Huggies. Sometimes I'll lay some out to dry and then use those as kleenex or napkins for wiping their faces. They also do not dry out near as fast if the box is left open.

Great quality for the money, Target Brand Baby Wipes are my favorite.

Fresh Step Clay Cat Litter

If you have a cat, I'm sure you understand the need to keep your home smelling fresh. Sure, you can mask the smell with air fresheners, but what you really need is a better cat litter.

We've tried the cheap clay brands thinking that we'll save more money going the cheap route. We were wrong. We ended up using it constantly because it didn't clump and the litterbox always reeked. It started to become obvious that we owned a cat even when the litterbox was behind a door in our laundry room.

We decided to invest a little more expensive clumping litter, and even that wasn't good enough. It was much easier to get rid of the cat's waste, but it did nothing to elimate the smell.

Finally we shelled out another dollar or so to purchase Fresh Step Clay Cat Litter with Odor Eliminating Carbon. It was well worth it. I'll be honest, we do own a litterbox that has a top and a vent. I also clean out his poop as soon as I can smell it, but this is just once a day. Then afterwards I just swirl around the rest of litter until I can smell a wiff of the fresh scent. I completely change his litter once a week. That way we only have to buy one bag of litter every two weeks. I'd have to say that after doing this, you wouldn't even know we owned a cat anymore.

One drawback is the cat urine doesn't clump, I'm assuming its supposed to absorb into the little blue crystals. Either way, I'd rather have no smell with damp litter at the bottom of the box, than clumping urine that stinks.

I have heard from people that own multiple cats that it doesn't work as well as they thought, but I could only see this being true if they share a litterbox.

I use it and I think the odor eliminating carbon does its job.

However, I would take a look at all the products they offer. While some might run more expensively than others, if any of them do as a good a job as this product, they will be well worth the money spent. Click the link below to visit their site. Sign up to earn rewards when buy their products.

Fresh Step Cat Litter

Work At Home Mom

A long while back, on my initial search for finding a work at home job, I came across WAHM.com. This is what took my search to a reality.

Before I found this website, I was wasting my time filling out surveys and offers and endlessly searching the web for some legitimate work at home opportunites. I tried so many different opportunities and while they were certainly legit, they only netted me a couple of pennies here and there. I will admit, I had narrowed the type of work I wanted to do down to a couple of specific things, writing/blogging and a little bit of affiliate marketing. Although, I wanted to stick to the writing end of the spectrum as much as possible.

I heard of this website through a forum somewhere, and I did a search for it. I lurked around that website for a long time before I actually signed up and became a member, but I learned a lot of very valuable information before and after doing so.

No matter what work you do or want to do at home, there is a place for you on that forum. You meet hundreds of other women (and some men too) doing the exact same thing as you. They have great leads for jobs, great advice, and just great people as members.

If you are looking for a job to do at home, join their website for free and get more information looking through their forums in one day than you would searching on google for 2 weeks.

Kibbles 'n Bits: Wholesome Medley

Our dog Biscuit is a rambunctious 4 year old Dalmation that loves food. You could feed our dog just about anything and he would eat it. When we first got him, he was kind of overweight for a Dalmation. They are usually more slender, but he is naturally more stocky (yes he is pure bred). He was lazy and had a problem with eating plastic cups, cardboard, and paper. While that could be contributed to lack of entertainment, it all seemed to change when we started feeding him better food. He got more energy, he lost weight, he quit eating grass to make himself sick, and he also quit chewing and eating random objects.

We began feeding our dog Kibbles 'n Bits Wholesome Medley. It is much healthier than other dog foods in its price range. It has no artificial preservatives or flavors, and no wheat gluten.

I know there are many other natural brands and kinds that are probably even better for your dog, but in this economy, we really can't spend an arm and a leg on dog food when we have two children to worry about. We still want the best for our dog, so we buy the less expensive but just as healthy alternative.

If you visit their website and sign up, you can then print out a $2 off coupon for a bag of Wholesome Medley dog food.

Eye Surgeons of Indiana

Everyone needs eyecare. Whether you where glasses or contacts or just want to check the health of your eyes, you should visit an eyecare center every 2 years.

I live in Indiana and I recently needed to get a check-up on my eyes to see if my glasses prescription needed to be stronger. I made an appointment at Eye Surgeons of Indiana, the Anderson location. The front office staff was exceptionally nice and helpful. The assists were kind and talked to me as if we'd known eachother for years. The optometrist was quick and thorough and also very kind.

My experience at Eye Surgeons of Indiana was wonderful. Although they don't do contact lense exams and do not have an eyeglasses selection at their office, I will still go here for future eye exams.

In addition to just regular eye exams, they also deal with those individuals who may have cataracts, glaucoma, or who may want to look into laser eye surgery for eyesight correction.

If you live in Indiana, I highly recommend using them as your eyecare specialists.

Degree Deodorant for Men and Women

Most people I know use deodorant. In fact, I don't know anyone personally that doesn't. I've used many kinds of deodorant such as Dove, Secret, and Teen Spirit.

So far, the best anti-perspirant I've tried that keeps me smelling good and keeps me from getting wet marks on my shirt is Degree for Women. My fiance uses Degree for Men and I absolutely love the scent. He sweats pretty easily and this is the best deodorant he has found that combats this issue.

Degree is also available now in Clinical Strength for those people that have a serious sweating problem.

The price is comparable to other brand name deodorants.

Ebay: Great Deals, Great Prices

If you haven't heard of Ebay by now, then I'm assuming you haven't left your house or watched TV for the past 15 years. Ebay is an online auction website. Just about anything you could possibly want or need can be found here, and most of the time at great prices.

My fiance collect Pokemon cards as a hobby, and this is where we buy all of them. He has found some amazing deals on some cards.

We've bought Frontline Plus Flea and Tick medicine for our dog for much cheaper than vet offices or stores. I've bought clothing, dog supplies, baby toys, books, workout dvd's, game controllers, a computer printer, and more recently some beautiful wall sconces. Some were won through bidding in an auction, while other's were bought with their Buy It Now feature.

Ebay also allows you to sell items. Listing prices are very low and while they do take a percentage of the sale price, it is only a small percentage. We have sold a few items on Ebay in addition to buying and from either end, selling or buying, we cannot get enough of Ebay.

Visit Ebay.com for more information.

Partylite Candles

First off, let me just say that I do not sell Partylite candles. I am not affiliated with them in any way. I am simply a huge fan of their candles and am recommending them to anyone who burns them or uses them in their house.

I absolutely love a great smelling home. Its the first thing I notice when I walk into someone's house, and so its very important that my house smells good to whomever may walk into mine.

I do not like to use aerosal air fresheners in my home, because I have a dog, cat, and two small children and it worries me that I do not know the ingredients in them. I also don't know what the long-lasting effects would be if any from using them on a daily basis. I would use plug-in air fresheners, but with all the electronics I already use, I don't seem to have any spare outlets. Not only that, but they just don't seem to radiate throughout the room well enough for me.

I love long-lasting and lingering scents. I also must have a variety of scents because I like to switch it up now and then. Candles are a great way to create this effect. I've bought many different brands of candles and after trying them all, I strongly prefer Partylite candles. Not only are they top-of-the-line quality, but they are created to be safer than any others. They burn for much longer and do not burn as hot. If the wax accidently spills on your hand, it won't burn you, and that's a great feature when you have children in the home.

Partylite candles are sold by everyday mothers around the nation. You can even host a Partylite party and get gifts for doing so. For the quality that they offer, the price is unbeatable. In addition to candles, they sell many more products. Take a look at their website HERE. (Don't worry, that's not an affiliate link.)

I use Partylite candles daily in my house, and I highly recommend them as a wonderful way to scent your home.

Luvs Baby Diapers

Diapers are a staple in my household. I have two children in diapers right now. One is 5 months old and the other is 23 months old. Since we spend a lot of money on diapers, I've tried them all to find the best deal for the best price.

My choice is Luvs. Luvs baby diapers are almost identical in fit and absorbency to that of Pampers Baby Dry. My oldest son is a BIG leaker and nights are the worst. These two kinds of diapers are the only ones that last through the night with no leaks. Since Luvs are $2 cheaper than Pampers Baby Dry for the same amount of diapers, of course I buy Luvs.

I have tried Huggies, which are way overpriced in my opinion. I have also bought every store brand or generic brand I've seen. While they all work generally the same and well, they do not absorb as much as Luvs do. While the price is much cheaper, I go through them much quicker so I end up spending more than I would have had I just paid one more dollar from the beginning. And yes, the price of the cheaper brand is only a dollar and some change less than the price of Luvs where I live.

Another great idea is to sign up on Luvs.com and you will receive coupons through your email that you can print out and use at a Target store near you. I usually get an email with coupons every other month or so and they really help out when you buy as many as we do.

I will say that I've heard many different opinions from people on which diapers they like the best. Most of the time they vary, and the obvious reason is because all babies are different. My advice is to try them all and see which ones you like best. I did, and I love Luvs.

Excedrin Extra Strength Tablets

As a chronic headache/back pain sufferer, I am quite familiar with OTC pain medication. I've tried Tylenol, Aspirin, Aleve, and Advil (Ibuprofen). I've tried all of them in regular strength, extra strength, and rapid release. Then I discovered these wonderful little pills called Excedrin.

Unlike the other pain medications, Excedrin is a unique combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. With caffeine as an ingredient, you get much faster relief from aches and pains. The acetaminophen helps to relieve your pain, while the aspirin helps to keep the pain away.

This is the only pain medication we keep in our house (except for children's tylenol). While they have all different kinds of Excedrin like Migraine and Tension, they have relatively the same amount of each ingredient in them all. They sell for around the same price as the other pain medications mentioned above, but in my opinion, give much better value.

If you want fast and long-lasting relief from all your aches and pains, get some Excedrin Extra Strength tablets and you'll never need another kind of pain reliever again.

Smart Shopping

Smart shopping begins with a little research. It is important to know the best products for the best price. You want to make sure that whatever you are buying will work and work well before you shell out that money.

When you have a family to support, having a friend to go to for opinions on products, services, and websites is a great commodity.

That's what I'll do here.

I'm a mother of two little boys. I'm also a stay at home mother, so with the economy in shambles, it can tend to get difficult to live on one income. I try very hard to find the best deals, but also the best products.

In the posts to come, I will review everyday products that I buy and use on a regular basis. From cars to diapers, from stores to online websites, I'll let you know my experiences with them all.

What better way to do research on something than to ask someone who's already been there?

So stick around, and who knows? Maybe you'll learn something valuable.