Sisterly Savings

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

“It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product”

As you may have heard by now, PBM has won a $13.5 million false advertising judgment against Mead Johnson that has the potential of forever changing the $3.4 billion infant formula industry in the United States and saving parents significant money each year.

As a mom of 3, I know firsthand about purchasing store bought brands instead of brand name items and yes, I myself did purchase store brand formulas on quite a few occasions because of the lower cost and I most certainly wasn’t concerned with the store brand being less nutritious just because of the difference in price.

I find it a little shameless for a major (and reputable) company like Mead Johnson to make up such false claims just to sell their products. Mead Johnson’s false allegations actually cost some parents hundreds of dollars extra in one year of formula purchases. If the company was really concerned with the overall nutrition value of a store brand then why didn’t they just lower their prices on their own brand?

Unfortunately, instead of lowering prices Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas (which are sold at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers), suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands.

Mead Johnson actually sent direct mailings to more than 1.6 million parents of  “an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development”.

Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.

PBM Products cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL® and allows parents to save as much as $600 per year on their formula purchases.

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.

I think it’s great that Mead Johnson was not able to get away with such misleading information and definitely needs to be held accountable for their actions. If your interested in reading more about the suit, you can read the full press release here.

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

• http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf
• http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

*This Giveaway is Now Closed*

A new line of environmentally friendly body care products that are grape seed enriched have been unveiled that is a must have this winter season!

SEED+ offers soothing lotions, moisturizing soaps, and unique shampoo bars enriched with nutrient-rich grape seed byproducts, which are packed with powerful antioxidants, Vitamin E, and beneficial essential fatty acids, ingredients shown to promote healthy skin and help prevent premature aging.”

The line of  SEED+ contain the following products:

Grape Seed Enriched Moisturizing Body Bar:

Made of all natural ingredients which include refined pomegranate, apricot and strawberry seeds that gently exfoliate and cleanse.

Grape Seed Enriched Conditioning Bar Shampoo:

This shampoo bar includes conditioning panthenol Pro-Vitamin B5 and fruit seed oils which are shown to moisturize and repair to promote healthy hair.

Grape Seed Enriched Nourishing Body Lotion:

This thick & rich lotion provides natural Vitamin E, and is also rich in linoleic essential fatty acid, which protects the skin and aids in moisturizing. Body lotion is also enhanced with green tea extract and shea butter to soothe and condition skin.

My Thoughts:

The lotion was really thick and very moisturizing with a really citrusy scent. I definately recommend this to be used as a nightime deep hydrating lotion since its a really rich formula. My skin did feel hydrated although it does have a “greasy” feel to it which is why I prefered to use it at night.

While I have never used a bar for shampoo, I did find that it certainly will last a while which in turns saves money. It left my hair “sqeaky” clean, and I literally  do mean “sqeaky” lol! I didn’t feel the conditioning effects of this shampoo though, but I  do use a concentrated conditioner since my hair is so curly!

The bath bar was truly one of my favorites though because of the exfoliating benefits and I thought the fragrance was great! I love when a product can do 2 things for the price of 1!! Gotta love convenience and affordability!

These all natural products would make perfect everyday spa moments that you can  indulge in daily! Currently you can purchase (seed)+ Products
on Amazon.com!

Giveaway!

One reader will win 3  full sized products (1 of each) :

• Lotion

• Soap

• Shampoo Bar

Mandatory Entry:

To enter, please visit www.seedpowerbodycare.com and tell us which product and/or scent you’d like most!

Additional Entries:

*Follow (seed)+ on Twitter, then come back here and leave a comment with your Twitter ID

*Tweet this giveaway, then come back here and leave direct url to your tweet. This method of entry can be done once daily!

This giveaway will end December 21st at noon EST.

{Please Note: A free sample of this product was provided for review purposes. This has no impact on my review and any comments are my own personal opinion.}

To help you in your New Year’s Resolution to stay fit and eat right , Baskins Robbins has joined in by introducing a their new line: BRight Choices !

With this new introduction to Baskins Robbins you get better-for-you light ice cream options including fat free, dairy free, no sugar added and light ice cream offerings. BRight Choices flavors have all the great taste and quality customers expect from Baskin-Robbins but with less guilt. To celebrate the launch of BRight Choices, Baskin-Robbins is celebrating the bright choices customers make each day with BRight Choices Day on Jan. 15, 2009. On BRight Choices Day, participating Baskin-Robbins shops nationwide will offer a free BRight Choices scoop to any customer with proof of a gym membership. BRight Choices flavors are indicated by a pink star decal.

How’s that for a Yummy Beginning to 2009?

**This Giveaway is Now Closed**

I am a firm believer in supporting Mom Owned Businesses which need all the love & support that we as SAHMs or WAHMs can actively engage in. And that is why I am a big fan of Etsy Shops. I love all the unique hand made gifts that are available and are owned by Local Mommies like you!

One of my biggest thrills to gaze upon, are the beautiful handmade aprons made by so many home seamstresses. I could look forever at all the delightful styles and patterns!

One Etsy Shop, BoojiBoo, caught my attention with their Gorgeous Retro Style Aprons that I kept coming back to. The styles were fresh,vibrant and oh so Modern June Cleaver- like, which I absolutely adored!

I was able to procure The Bella Vintage Inspired Cupcake Apron (I chose a pink one of course!). It came delightfully packaged all tied up in a ribbon just like a vintage package. When I slowly unwrapped it, I had to gasp at how exquisite this apron was! I fell in LOVE immediately with my beautiful apron!

It was so well made and had so many details to the sewing that made it sturdy, durable and lovely all in one. The material was a soft flowing sort with a full skirt and a beautiful designed top. When I tied it on, I felt like a Modern June Cleaver, but I didn’t want to dirty such a beautiful frock,lol! What do you mean bake in it!?? And get choc cake batter splattered on my new apron, I think not! But eventually I did cave in and do some dusting in it, feeling all pretty & mommy like, even do a quik twirl here & there (much to my pre teens laughter!).

Now, who is BoojiBoo?

Boojiboo actually started out as a raggedy-ann doll company created by my mother. After a few years, the children decided it was finally time to appeal to a different demographic (their generation). Always having a love for vintage and retro fashion, they suggested vintage inspired aprons, and when they began school that required many books, they suggested bags! Fast forward a few years, Boojiboo is now a family company that sells vintage inspired aprons for women and children, book bags, market bags, tea towels, and baby bibs!

Ahh, to slip back to the days when everything was simple! This is truly an apron that brings back days of pasts when Homemaking was considered an art form in itself! You really do need to have one of these aprons in order to appreciate it!

She offers all types of Different Styles of Aprons:

• Classic Full Aprons
• Bella Full Aprons
• Chloe Full Aprons
• Betty Plus Size Aprons
• Half Aprons
• Madison Aprons
• Little Girl Aprons

Would you you like to enter & win one of your very own! One lucky winner will be chosen to win their very own Retro Apron, your choice!

To enter:

• Visit BoojiBoo and browse around her lovely shop.
  Come back here and leave a comment with which apron you would love to win!
• Blog about this Giveaway and come back here with link to Blog Post to earn an extra entry!

Giveaway will end Oct. 30th at midnite and winner will be chosen Nov 1st! Good Luck:)

In honor of our newly designed look by Revka Stearns of RSDesigns, she has graciously offered one of our readers a chance to win a $60 Credit towards a New Design from her site!

Not interested in a new look? Revka also offers other great items such as mommy cards, blog buttons and a host of other great items here that are sure to capture your fancy!

RSDesigns offers the following Products:

• Full Blog Design Packages
• Pre Made Limited Blog Designs
• WAHM Advertising Packages
• Etsy Banners & Buttons
• Custom Headers with Blog Color Coordination
• Custom Headers
• Custom Blog/Business Cards
• Pre Made Mommy Cards
• Blog Buttons

Pre Made Mommy Cards

RSDesigns also offers special discounts for WAHM with special pricing on packages to help out those mommies that otherwise could not afford a new design. Its important to Revka, who herself is a WAHM, to help others get the products they need to help their business flourish!

Pre Made Design Packages

I myself have been working with Revka since January, 2008. She has been there through all my tweaks & changes and I HIGHLY RECCOMEND her! I wouldn’t consider working with anyone else! She is a self taught designer who homeschools her 3 children and with the newest addition of her beautiful baby, she is one busy mommy! But she always has time to make sure you are completely satisfied with your design/product. I have come to consider her not only as my Web Designer, but a friend who is always available to help me when I need it or answer any questions I have! That kind of service & dedication you cannot buy!

*Now how would you like to enter to win a $60 Credit to RSDesigns? (please note, any product/pkg you choose over $60, you will need to pay remaining balance oop).

To enter:

Visit RSDesigns to choose what you would like, then Just leave a comment below!

Get an extra entry by Blogging about this give away! Leave your 1st entry with your comment, then after blogging about it, come back and leave a link to your post in the comments!

Please leave your email address so that we have a way to contact you!

Giveaway will end October 26th at 6:00 pm EST.

Winner will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced on Monday, October 27th. Winner will have 48 hours to claim prize before another winner will be chosen, so please leave your email addy!

Good Luck To All!

Here is a new concept that piqued my interest! Now instead of Clipping or Printing Coupons, you can get Coupons on your Cell Phone and the service is free of Charge through CellFire.

According to their site, you can get great deals and discounts for shopping, restaurants, and entertainment:

FIND deals where you want: You can search for discounts near where you live, work, and play. Cellfire has retail partners nationwide, in all major metropolitan areas.

STORE the deals on your phone. You can save your favorites to access easily later. No pesky text messages to get lost within your personal SMS. Just go to Cellfire on your phone. The deals are right there when you need them

SAVE on everyday items; everything from restaurants to entertainment to shopping. The deals on Cellfire are constantly changing, with new offers coming all the time.

From what I’ve read, you do need to have a data plan in order for it to be cost efficient for you but other than that, the reviews seem to pretty stellar and worth a try. It may come in handy for those days when you forget your binder or are out and unexpectedly come across a sale.

Some of the features I was most interested were the grocery savings section as the coupons that are in your cell phone get linked to your Store Savings card which makes it easy for you to add the available coupons all in one step.

Another feature I liked was the browsing of all offers by different categories to help you find the coupons you want fast.

To see a detailed demo of how CellFire works, click here to view a live demo.

I’m curious to see if any one has tried this service, if so, please share with the rest of us your experience!

With our financially economy at the present moment, needless to say that buying high priced DVDs, video games and CDs are a careful expenditure to say the least. My one daughter loves CD’s and the other one loves video games but we really don’t have “budgeting money” put aside for their hobbies which can range from $20 for a single CD or $30 for a new game which in about a month they are already tired of and a new artist has come out by or the newest game craze!

Which is why I’m glad we’ve discovered Swaptree which actually helps you save money! At Swaptree you can trade the books, DVDs, video games and CDs you have for the ones you want, for free. You simply list the items that you have to trade and the items that you want and Swaptree’s two and three-way trade algorithms instantly shows you all of the items you can receive in trade.

With Swaptree, parents/kids can just list what they are no longer interested in and trade them for the items they want now.

Swaptree even makes the mailing process simple, by providing you with a postage label that can be printed right from your computer, so you never have to go to the post office.

Swapptree, not only saves you money and allows you to discover new authors and artists, it is also environmentally friendly by reducing consumption and promoting sharing and recycling (good for going green!).

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have our very own personal shopper. One who knows what sizes are just right, what kind of clothing we will actually wear, the brands we love and most of all– Frugal Minded!

Sounds too good to be true? I’ve found a site that does all that and more for FREE. Are you looking to be Fashionable and Stylish all while saving money? Then read on:

From J.Crew to Old Navy and Gap to Levi’s, Shop It To Me will email you as soon as the stuff you love becomes marked down or available at a significant discount. Whether it be bags or blouses, shoes or super-hot frocks, once you sign up for “sale mail,” you’re on your way to never paying full price again.

It’s like having a personal shopper who gives a private heads up on all your favorite merchandise — better than a sample sale! Perhaps best of all — users, on average, save over 40% by using Shop It To Me.

Another great feature? The site is also great for Moms looking for great deals for Kids or Maternity clothing!

All you have to do is sign up and then you get to pick which stores you would like to be notified of upcoming sales. You then pick the items that interest you, be it Jeans to Khakis to skirts and the like. You then pick your sizes and voila! You’ll receive updated emails (you choose the frequency of the email alerts) with the items you chose when they go on SALE without ever leaving your home or scouring the internet!

And if you change a size or the kiddies grew over the summer, no worries, you can change your preferences/sizes/stores at anytime in your account.

For me, I’ve already gotten a few great deals at Old Navy that I otherwise would not have known about or even missed!!

If a store isn’t listed that you are interested in, just keep checking back as I was told by them when I requested a certain store, that they are always looking for and adding new stores frequently!

Now go and treat yourself to your very own affordable luxury and then sit back and relax. Let someone else find the sales for you!