Thank you to Cheap Sally for sponsoring my post. As a sponsored blogger, I will not be entering the “Bring Home The Bacon Contest,” but I’m delighted to spread the word! #cheapandclever

Who wants to win a $100,000 opportunity for a guest blogging spot for 2012?

If you haven’t heard about Cheap Sally’s Bring Home the Bacon Contest, Cheap Sally is giving away $100,000 for a guest blogging spot for the year 2012!  If you have a  passion for saving money and love to share deals and discounts then this opportunity is perfect for you!

The goal is to make more people aware that online coupons are a great way to save money when you are buying anything online.  Cheap Sally has found that the average person can save 15% in just one minute.  That’s a huge savings in money and time.

In our current economy, more people have turned to using coupons as a way to save money.  It has become “chic” to save and to never pay full retail.  I discuss this all the time on the blog.  There are so many coupons and discount codes out there.  It only takes a few minutes to save on your next purchase.

The winner will be chosen by popular vote (top 5 from each state, then top blogger from each state) and a money-saving challenge in the month of December.  The best part about winning the competition (besides the $100K) is that you don’t have to move or quit your day job.

If you are interested in trying for this position, the contest sign-up is in full swing with initial voting beginning September 1st.  If you have been considering starting your own money-saving blog or just enjoy sharing ways to save money, head on over and sign-up.

Find out more details, share the contest with your friends and followers, and register here: http://www.cheapsally.com/contest/

Please click here to learn more about the Cheap Sally contest. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Verizon has been adding new features to their fiber optic network to enhance your viewing experience.  A few of the new features include:

• Verizon FiOS TV Widget
• Turning your smart phone into your TV remote with FiOS Mobile
• Starting a movie on your couch and finish it on your laptop with Flex View

Last month I discussed using the Verizon FiOs TV Widget, Music Choice to listen to music and watch music videos on my time straight from the TV.  This past week, we tried out the new Flex View option.  I was a bit skeptical at first but it is actually a cool feature!

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The Nintendo DS Lite has recently dropped in price from $169.99 to $99 making it a great bargain to keep kids entertained on your end-of-summer travels.

Does anyone remember playing on the old Nintendo Game Boy?  Nintendo has certainly come a long way since then!  We still have our old Game Boy and Monkey actually laughed when he saw it. The clarity and ease of play is exceptional with the Nintendo DS Lite.  It’s a hand-held game system that even my 4-year old can play.  She often gets frustrated with me though.  I can’t play these games very well 🙂

There are countless games to engage your child on the Nintendo DS including the iconic Mario.  I remember when Mario was first introduced over 15 years ago.  I found it interesting that 262 million games in the core Super Mario series have sold worldwide.  That tells me that Mario is just as popular now (if not more so) than he was when I started playing.

If you’re looking for great child-friendly games for the DS Lite, the following Mario games are sure to delight your child:

1. New Super Mario Bros.
2. Mario Kart DS
3. Super Mario 64 DS
4. Mario Party DS
5. Mario & Luigi
6. Mario vs. Donkey Kong

My 2 kids enjoyed playing all 6 of these games.  I made them each choose a favorite and after much debate – Monkey chose Super Mario 64 and LuLu chose Mario Party.  While their favorites may depend on the day of the week, they could not pick any of the games that they did not like playing.

Another interesting feature of the Nintendo DS is that you can “DS Download” with some of the DS games.  This is when you can play against another person with a DS next to you.  My son and his friends think this is cool.  They enjoy getting to play against each other and trying out a game they may not own.

As we approach the Holiday’s make sure to keep an eye out for specials for the Nintendo DS Lite and Mario DS games.  I’m sure your child will enjoy this hand-held game system just as much as mine have.

Disclosure:  I received a Nintendo DS Lite and the games mentioned above to review and keep.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% my own and my differ from others.

Buying in bulk is a great way to save money.  The more you purchase, the less money you pay per pound.  Zaycon Foods offers a unique program to help your family save on possibly the most expensive part of your budget – Meat.

Zaycon Foods purchases in bulk straight from the Farm and brings the savings to you, literally.  Zaycon Foods doesn’t have brick and mortar stores, instead they hold events to distribute the meat saving you money.

A great feature of Zaycon Foods is that the chicken (and other meats) you receive are FRESH.  And when I say FRESH, I mean straight from the farm to your kitchen.  The chicken usually arrives to the event within 2-3 days of leaving the farm.  I’d say that is about as fresh as you can get unless you’re chummy with your local farmer.

Zaycon Foods bulk chicken is also 100% All Natural with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.  I can’t tell you how delighted I am to find affordable chicken without hormones and artificial ingredients.  As I strive to move my family towards more natural foods, it’s good to know that quality meat is in my budget.

Moreover, the taste is fantastic!  My entire family (excluding Monkey who doesn’t like chicken) has enjoyed our meals.  I am looking forward to trying more recipes with our fresh, natural chicken.  So far, we have used the Zaycon Foods chicken in the crockpot for Rosemary Chicken and baked in the oven with a little bit of spices.  Yum!

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I was given the opportunity to try 3 bottles of Flipflop wines; Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir & Riesling.  I was sold on the brand from the moment I saw their label.  I could just picture myself sitting in the backyard with my flip-flops on, drinking a glass of wine while the kids played with the dog.  It’s such a nice picture…

My experience with flipflop wines was surprising and went against everything I would have expected from wine.  When I drink wine, I tend to lean towards a Pinot Grigio over all other varieties.  So naturally, when my bottles of flipflop wine arrived, I opened the Pinot Grigio first.  While I liked the wine, it actually wasn’t my favorite.  This was my first surprise.

I took the flipflop Riesling over to a dinner party a week later.  I absolutely loved the Riesling!  This was a complete shock to me since I don’t usually favor Riesling.  I’ll definitely be purchasing the flipflop Riesling again.

The biggest surprise of all?  I liked the Pinot Noir!  In fact, I actually finished the entire glass.  It’s much sweeter than other Pinot Noir’s I’ve tried, so that may be the difference.  Typically, I only drink red wine if it’s being served as part of a meal and I never finish my glass.  It’s nice to finally have a bottle of red that I like!

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We took the Flavor Over Fizz Challenge and replaced our soda with Crystal Light On The Go.

My family has been Crystal Light drinkers for years.  My children even call Crystal Light “juice” because we usually make large pitchers for the fridge.  Obviously, at the time, we purchased the mixers specifically for making a quart or gallon of Crystal Light to keep available.  Recently,  we have purchased On the Go packets to make life a little more simple.

My family has found Crystal Light On The Go to be a convenient beverage to add a little flavor to our standard glass (or bottle) of water.  The individual packets make it easy to slip in a purse, diaper bag or lunch box.  We like easy in my house.  With 2 children running around, having a convenient and great tasting beverage on hand is a must.  As parents, we like crystal Light for ourselves as well as our children for the flavor and lack of sugar.  Our favorite flavors are fruit punch and lemonade.

I tried to take an interesting picture of the Crystal Light On The Go packets I was provided but as many of you know,  I am rather lacking in photography skills. I tried to “beach theme” the photo since we tend to drink Crystal Light On The Go when we’re out at the pool or beach, so I added a fun glass and shells.

Try Crystal Light to Go out for yourself and take the Flavor over Fizz Challenge.

What is your favorite Crystal Light On The Go flavor?

Disclosure:  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Crystal Light.  No monetary compensation was provided by Crystal Light or Glam Media for this post