One Year Later – How We’re Doing Financially After I Quit My Corporate Job to be a Stay at Home Mom

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through or make a purchase.

This Saturday will officially mark one whole year since I quit my corporate job to be a stay at home mom.  While one of my long-term goals in life was to get to a point where I could eventually stay at home, it was not one of my goals for 2017.  Heck, it wasn’t even on my radar for 2018.  But due to circumstances at work, an opportunity presented itself, and after a lot of discussion and even more praying, B and I decided that I should take a leap of faith. 

And I did. 

And it has been the absolute biggest blessing.

This past year I have been to every single one of the kids’ class parties, I’ve been on loads of field trips with them, I spent an entire lazy summer off with them, I’ve volunteered countless times at their school, I’m rocking the room mom gig for Jacob’s class this school year, and B and I haven’t once had to scramble to figure out who was going to watch the kids on one of their many days off during the school year.  Gone is the mom guilt for missing any of the kids’ activities, and gone is the corporate employee guilt for having to take another long lunch or leave work early one more time.

Can I get an amen?!

However, along with my newfound freedom has also come new responsibility – cutting back on our spending and watching our money even more carefully than ever.  Before I get into the details, here is a little bit of background information on Brian and me…

B and I were both born with the gift of financial responsibility and both of us were well into our careers before we were engaged, so we both entered our marriage with zero debt (aside from B’s home mortgage, which is now our mortgage for the home we built together) and decent-sized savings accounts.  Because of this, we have been very blessed to be able to live comfortably since day one of our marriage.  Had circumstances been different (lots of debt, no savings, just out of college and starting our careers), I’m sure we would not have felt comfortable enough for me to take such a drastic leap like this. 

Before I quit, B and I looked at our monthly income, deducted my salary, went over our budget, decided where we could make some cuts, and we knew that we could swing it before I ever quit.  I NEVER WOULD HAVE QUIT MY JOB IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY UNCERTAINTY!! 

Now that you know a little bit about our financial background, I’m going to share all of the ways that we have cut back this past year and then I will answer the question about how we’re actually doing overall. 

How We’re Saving Money

(Please note that some of these figures are exact, but most of them are estimates and they do vary from month to month):

1. Moved Olivia from daycare to Pre-K4 at her new school.  Her new school is a private school so we are still paying tuition, but we are saving money each month since it is no longer considered daycare. – Total Monthly Savings $323
2. Took Jacob out of after-school care since I can now pick him up in the car line – Total Monthly Savings $112 ($135.00/month x 10 months during the school year = $1,350.00/12 months per year)
3. Took Jacob out of summer camp since I can now stay home with him – Total Monthly Savings $108 ($130.00/week x 10 weeks during the summer = $1,300.00/12 months per year)
4. Cut our Netflix DVD subscription to 2 DVDs instead of 3… yes, I do realize that DVDs are super old-school, but Netflix streaming doesn’t always have all the movies we want to watch, so we do still have a DVD subscription – Total Monthly Savings $4
5. Got rid of cable and home phone and switched to Sling TV and HD antenna – Total Monthly Savings $100
6. Got rid of Sirius XM Radio – Total Monthly Savings $13
7. Got rid of Tivo Mini in master bedroom – Total Monthly Savings $5
8. Brian started taking his lunch most days instead of going out to eat every day – Total Monthly Savings $75
9. Started eating Mexican more when going out to dinner as a family because it’s SO CHEAP!  – Total Monthly Savings $20
10. Stopped ordering drinks we have to pay for and started ordering water at restaurants more often, kids included… we still splurge on wine, beer, and margs, every now and then, though – Total Monthly Savings $20
11. Started shopping at Walmart for certain items rather than Publix… now that I have more time I have been buying a lot of the expensive items at Walmart (Halo Top, waffles, cereal, chips, etc.) and only shopping at Publix for certain things – Total Monthly Savings $50
12. Started shopping at Fresh Market for chicken on Tuesdays when it’s on sale… again, now that I have more time, I can go to multiple places for groceries if it means saving money.  Every Tuesday, Fresh Market puts their boneless, skinless chicken breasts on super sale and I only purchase from there now. – Total Monthly Savings $35
13. Started shopping at Trader Joe’s for wine… we used to purchase all kinds of different brands at different price points, but now any time we’re near a TJ’s we load up on their $2.99 Charles Shaw wine so we always have it on hand.  No more spending $10-$15 per bottle. – Total Monthly Savings $35
14. Started buying gift cards on Raise for every day use.  Raise is an app that you can use to buy gift cards at a discount and sell gift cards you are not going to use.  B has started purchasing gift cards for all of our frequented places (Starbucks, Old Navy, Carrabba’s, Five Guys, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, etc.) when he can get them for a good discount.  The gift cards are purchased for anywhere between 5-25% off, so we save money on the things that we’re already going to purchase.  See my detailed post about it here to see how you can get started and save $5 off of your first purchase! – Total Monthly Savings $20
15. Started using coupons for things we already buy – Total Monthly Savings $10  (I obviously need to step it up in this department because this number could be a lot higher!)
16. Started using cash back and rewards apps (Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, Ebates – see this post here) for things we already buy – Total Monthly Savings $20
17. Started buying more things (stocking up) when they are on sale Total Monthly Savings (not really sure how to calculate this)
18. We are now buying fewer nonessential items and waiting for sales/deals when buying nonessential items – Total Monthly Savings (not really sure how to calculate this either)

Total Savings Each Month – $950 (+ whatever we're saving on the last two items)

How We’re Making Extra Money

1. We got lucky with the timing of the raises at Brian’s job because they switched from giving raises in the fall to giving them in the spring this year, so he got two back-to-back raises, one in fall 2017 (right before I quit) and one in spring 2018 (right after I quit).
2. If we’re not using gift cards from Raise, we pay for every other expense with credit cards that earn points and give cash back.  This can be a dangerous game for anyone who is tempted to spend beyond their means, but B and I are always very careful to only spend what we can pay off each month and therefore, we don’t ever incur interest.  Instead, we pay every balance in full each month and accumulate points that can be redeemed for cash back.  We don’t use any credit cards that don’t have some kind of cash back or rewards program.  If you do, you’re leaving money on the table! 
3. I have more time to focus on my blog now, so I’ve started dedicating more time to affiliate marketing and sponsored content.  This blog post has been viral on Pinterest for several months and it has been generating a decent income in affiliate sales, so this has been very helpful financially.  Other collaborations with brands also bring in income and/or save us money on the things that we would have needed to buy anyway.  For example, this month we are saving almost $250 because we’re getting our Christmas cards for free due to a collaboration I was able to snag.  Post is coming soon!
4. I was also recently accepted into the Mediavine family.  In case you’re not familiar with them, they are a full service ad management company for content creators like me.  All of the ads you see on my blog are now managed by them and I am now making more money per day with Mediavine than I made in an entire week with Google Adsense.  Fingers crossed that my passive income continues to grow each month!
5. We had a yard sale back during the summer that generated a nice lump sum for us to put away.
6. Brian has been focusing even more on stocks/trading/investments and they have been generating a decent income although there are no guarantees for the future.
7. We switched banks for a higher interest rate on our savings account.
8. We started selling things we don’t need on ebay and FB (CDs, toys, various household items) which has generated a small side income.

On Travel, Experiences, and Other Frivolous Purchases

Vacations and experiences (concert-going, football games, date nights) are very much a priority for our family so we make sure to set aside money each month for those.  We made it to several concerts this year (Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Dave Matthews Band, Ed Sheeran, etc.) and continued to purchase season tickets for the Georgia football games as we always do, so our experiences were not compromised when I quit since they have always been factored into our budget. 

With regard to our Disney World trip earlier this year, that trip was already paid for before I quit my job, so that didn’t affect our budget for the year at all.  We all know how expensive a Disney trip is, so that would have been a tough one to budget for, and that’s why we are already thinking about a 2020 Disney trip.  It’s never too early to start saving! 

With regard to our beach trip, we still went and did everything we would have done before I quit my job, but we did try to save money where we could.  For example, we did downsize our condo for the beach this year to save money.  Instead of getting our usual two bedroom condo, we just booked a one bedroom and the kids slept on the living room floor in sleeping bags.  They’d prefer to sleep in sleeping bags anyway, so it just made sense, and it didn’t decrease our overall experience in any way.  As a matter of fact, I think this was one of my favorite beach trips ever!  And we were still able to save a good chunk of money!

With regard to our mountain trip that we take every year, we are very fortunate to have family members who own a house in the mountains and they graciously let us stay there for free.  Therefore, we were able to take a trip this fall and not have to pay for a place to stay.

How We’re Actually Doing

While making all of these changes has saved us a decent amount of money each month, it honestly hasn’t affected our overall quality of life very much.  We are still going out to eat, attending concerts, going on dates, traveling, and having fun… we’re just being smarter about saving money wherever else we can.  I honestly don’t miss that third DVD from Netflix, the Sirius XM radio, the Tivo Mini, the more expensive wine (TJ’s is the best anyway!), or any of those other things we cut back on… well, maybe I miss having cable a tiny bit.  But only this time of year because I can’t watch Hallmark Christmas movies.  Haha.  I’m perfectly content with my Christmas music or Christmas movies on Netflix anyway!  Don’t ask me to give up Netflix! 

For me, one of the harder things has been curbing my shopping.  I definitely wasn’t a shopaholic or anything like that prior to quitting my job, but when I saw something I wanted I would buy it without thinking twice.  Now that I’m not working, I’m way more intentional with my purchasing. 

If you’re a long-time reader, then you know that 2018 has been the year for me to simplify, and even if we hadn’t gone down to one income I had already planned to be more intentional with my purchases.  Not buying tons of new stuff has significantly cut down on clutter and excess, and this whole experience has changed my overall mentality for the better.  There is less to tidy up each day and I feel like we’re no longer drowning in clutter.  That has done wonders for my mental state. 

And let me go ahead and say, I haven’t stopped shopping altogether.  I will always and forever love fashion and I will always and forever buy a few new pieces each season, but putting this simplifying mentality in place has helped me to realize that I should only purchase things that I absolutely love.  I no longer purchase anything if I just kind of like it or am on the fence about it.  If I don’t love it to pieces, then I do not waste money on it.  Simple as that. 

My biggest struggle overall has been just knowing that I’m not contributing as much financially as I used to.  I’ve always been a very independent woman.  I have had a job since I was 16 years old and I have never relied on my parents or a man for money, so sometimes that guilt does creep up, but that also adds fuel to my fire to continue pursuing my blogging career.  I’m making more money as a blogger now than I ever did when I was working full-time at a corporate job, so having this extra time has literally paid off.  And let me also say that starting your own business from nothing and actually figuring out how to make your own money from it is so much more rewarding than making money at any corporate job!!  Or at least that’s how I feel, anyway.  :o)

Bottom line, I’m loving this opportunity to stay at home and I thank the Lord every single day that I was given this chance.  I feel like my sanity is more in tact because our house is cleaner than it’s ever been, B and I no longer have to waste precious weekend hours cleaning and doing laundry, we no longer have to scramble constantly to find someone to watch the kids when they’re out of school or unexpectedly sick, and I’m no longer in a CONSTANT state of rushing. 

I feel like I’ve been given the gift of time – more time with Brian, more time with my babies, more time to get things done around the house without sacrificing time with my family, and more time to pursue my dreams – and to me, that is the ultimate gift.  

Now if I could just figure out how to replace my entire corporate salary with blog income I’d be a happy, happy girl! 

Baby steps… :o)

Don't forget to link up with us below!  

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Whitney at Polka-Dotty Place / Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter 

Stefanie at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / Facebook

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*Linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I What I Wore, Pumps & Push Ups for Oh, Hey Girl! Link-Up, The Mummy Chronicles, Tucker Up, Shopping My Closet for Style Me Wednesday, Classy Yet Trendy for Trendy Wednesday Link-Up, The Blended Blog and Jessi's Design and Going the Distance for What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.

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How We Purchase Gift Cards at a Discount to Save Money on the Things We Already Buy

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through or make a purchase.

I was originally going to hop on today and post about our financial situation since I quit my job, but as I started typing that post, I realized that I never shared with you one of our favorite ways that we save money!  I know a lot of you have been waiting for the financial post, so don’t you worry… it’ll be up next week!

Today I want to talk to you about a little app called Raise.  Have you ever heard of it?  Basically, it’s an app that you can use to buy gift cards at a discount and you can also sell gift cards that you don’t want.  Keep reading to get $5 off of your first purchase!

Buying Gift Cards at a Discount

Raise offers gift cards from thousands and thousands of retailers and restaurants at anywhere from 5-25% off.  The app is free to use and it is very simple to use as well.  All you have to do is click here, sign up, and then you can search for retailers/restaurants in which you are interested.  Raise will then show all of the gift cards that they have available for that store and what percentage you would save on each. 

For example, when we searched for Bath and Body Works today, this is what came up:

The best deal today is that you can get a $98.58 gift card for just $89.54 which is a savings of 9.2%. 

When we searched for H&M, this is what came up:

Their best deal today is that you can get a $90.95 gift card for only $70.30!!!!  That is a savings of 22.7%!!  That’s a good one!

When we searched for Panera, these are the deals that were available:

Their best deal today is that you can get a $50.00 gift card for $47.02 which is a savings of 6%.   

Once you have found the gift cards you want to purchase, you just add them to your cart and then check out using your choice of payment method.  Raise will then ship physical gift cards to your house FOR FREE (a little truck icon indicates it will be shipped), or if it is an electronic gift card, they will send it straight to your app so you can use it on your phone immediately (no truck icon indicates it is an e-card).

B and I have started using the app to purchase gift cards at a discount for places that we frequent, and then we use the gift cards to make our every day purchases.  Since they have the electronic gift card option for some stores, if I know I’m about to go somewhere specific to shop, we will check out Raise first to see if there are any electronic gift cards available at a discount that we can use immediately. 

We have been using Raise for over a year now and we are currently saving an average of 8.8% on everything that we purchase using Raise.  This translates to hundreds and hundreds of dollars saved on the things that we already buy!

Here are the stores that we have purchased gift cards for through the Raise app:

Retailers/Grocery Stores

Nordstrom

Target

Old Navy

At Home

Bath & Body Works

AMC Theatres

Walmart

Lowe’s

Netflix

Rack Room Shoes

Advance Auto Parts

Autozone

Chevron

Fresh Market

CVS

Walgreens

Ticketmaster

Restaurants

Chipotle

Starbucks

Chick-Fil-A

Carabba’s

Outback Steakhouse

Chuck E. Cheese

Cracker Barrel

Dairy Queen

Olive Garden

Panera

They have pretty much everything!! 

The app also allows you to add stores to a favorites list for easy shopping and you can also set alerts for specific stores and specific percentages off.  For example, if you wanted to purchase an Old Navy gift card and you wanted to purchase it for at least 10% off, you can set those parameters in your app and Raise will send you an alert if one becomes available. 

They also run special promos from time to time where you can purchase gift cards for an additional percentage off which saves you even more money!

Selling Gift Cards

Ever receive a gift card for a store or restaurant that you either a) don’t like or b) don’t have in your city?  Well, instead of letting it go to waste, you can sell them on Raise and then purchase gift cards that you will actually use!  B and I have yet to use this feature because the opportunity hasn’t yet arisen for this, but it’s good to know it’s available in case we’re ever in a situation where we need it. 

Signing Up

Signing up is easy and FREE and if you use our referral link here, you can get $5 off of your first order!!!!  And if you make a purchase within 30 days of signing up, I will get $5, too!  :o)

One final thing to note before I go is that we do get the occasional bad gift card, meaning that we will purchase a gift card on Raise and then when we receive the card, the balance is $0.00.  If this ever happens to you, all you have to do is call Raise customer service and they will refund your money, no questions asked.  They offer a money back guarantee on gift cards for one year, so it’s probably best to spend all of them within a year just in case.  We have had this happen a few times and they have refunded our money every single time.  B said that their customer service is top notch… he said that every single time he’s had to call they have refunded our money immediately and we didn’t even have to return the gift card or give any kind of proof.  They just take your word for it.  Quick and painless!

Because this does happen every so often, my advice to you is to check the balances on your gift cards right when you receive them, and then check the balances again right before you use them to ensure they are still good. 

We love Raise so much and we know you will, too!  It’s just one more effortless way that we are saving money!  AND DID I MENTION THAT IT’S FREE?! 

SIGN UP HERE, Y’ALL!

Don't forget to link up with us below!  

Your Hosts! 

Whitney at Polka-Dotty Place / Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter 

Stefanie at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / Facebook

Keri at Keri Lynn Synder / Faceobok / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest 

Mauri at The American Patriette /  Facebook /  Pinterest / Instagram

Sarah at Sarah E. Frazer / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest 

Lindsay at Lindsay's Sweet World /  Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter

*Linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I What I Wore, Pumps & Push Ups for Oh, Hey Girl! Link-Up, The Mummy Chronicles, Tucker Up, Shopping My Closet for Style Me Wednesday, Classy Yet Trendy for Trendy Wednesday Link-Up, The Blended Blog and Jessi's Design and Going the Distance for What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.

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Five on Friday - Tried and True Favorite Products Purchased from Amazon + a Look Inside Our Amazon Account

*This post may contain affiliate links.

Aside from our local grocery store, Amazon is the “store” who gets the most of our money.  B and I have been Prime members basically since they started offering it, and I alone have been a loyal Amazon shopper since 2002.  That’s sixteen years, y’all.  I can’t even tell you how old that makes me feel.  Haha.

They have pretty much anything you could ever want or need, and to be able to get those things with free two-day shipping, save more money than you would if you had shopped at Walmart, and not have to set foot in Walmart?  Sign.  Me.  Up.  Olivia needs a plain white t-shirt for school next week?  Amazon Prime it.  Jacob needs a costume prop to dress up like a book character for school?  Amazon Prime it.  Birthday gift for a little kid’s birthday party next weekend?  Almost out of dog food?  Down to the bottom of the pile of diapers?  Looking for some cute sandals to wear on your trip?  Amazon Prime that junk and never leave the couch. 

Just from my Amazon account alone, we have placed 218 orders since 2002, the majority of them occurring from 2010-2018.  And keep in mind that doesn’t even include Brian’s account.  HOLY MOLY!

Quick side note, people who live in the same house can share an Amazon Prime Membership.  Therefore, we only pay for one Prime membership, but he and I can each shop separately.  That makes it a lot easier to shop for secret birthday and Christmas gifts and it also allows us to have separate wish lists.

Since we’ve been loyal customers for so long and we have pretty much bought all. the. things. from there and I thought I would share some of my all-time favorite purchases today.  All links below are shoppable!

O N E – For Your Home

Creative Co-Op Wood Two-Tier Tray with Metal Handle – I cannot sing the praises of these trays enough!  They are gorgeous and you don’t just get one, but you get TWO for this price.  We currently have one in our eat-in kitchen that I have too much fun decorating for the holidays, and the other serves as hair accessory storage in Olivia’s room.  See my post about that here.

Entry Way Outdoor Door Mat with Non Slip Backing – is this doormat not the cutest?  We bought it over a year ago and it still looks brand new.  It comes in tons of other designs, too.

Nail Polish Table Rack Display – Oh how I love this thing!  My nail polish storage was a hot mess before this came along and now it’s organized in color order and it takes up way less space.  Not to mention I can easily see all of the colors now!

T W O – For Your Closet

Womens Casual No-Show Socks – Ladies who love booties – BUY THESE!  I used to wear booties without socks (which always grossed me out) because my athletic no-show socks still peeked out of the top.  These come in a ton of different colors, they stay completely hidden in your boot, they are comfy, and THEY DO NOT SLIP.  Can I get an amen?!

All For You Women’s Tunics – I have sung the praises of these tunics many times here on the blog and I will continue until you each own one.  Hehe.  I own three of them, but they come in 42 colors so load up!  Boutique quality for that price – can’t beat it!

T H R E E – For Your Kitchen

Trident White Sugar Free Gum – In the words of Monica on Friends, “I will always have gum.”  Hehe.  And I do, thanks to Amazon.  I used to always get these same 9-pack bundles from Sams, but they are SO much cheaper on Amazon. 

Advanced Mixology Moscow Mule Copper Mugs – I’ve also mentioned these numerous times and here I go again!  ;o)  I bought these for Brian a couple of years ago for Father’s Day and we use them constantly.  They are 100% pure copper so that is an excellent price and they keep drinks ice cold.  See my favorite Moscow Mule recipe here.

Easy Lunchboxes 3-Compartment Bento Lunch Box Containers – All the yes to these plastic containers!  I use one every single morning for Jacob’s lunch and they fit perfectly inside the Pottery Barn lunch boxes.  We’ve had the same set for three years now and they are still going strong.  The best thing about them is that they are easy to open, even for tiny kids.

Hill’s Science Diet Dog Food – We buy Maui the expensive brand of dog food, and we used to get it at our local Pet Smart because Walmart and Target don’t carry it.  Well, once we found out that Amazon carries it for about $5 cheaper PER BAG, we have purchased it on Amazon since and we’ve never looked back.  They also offer a coupon if you subscribe!

Baker’s Secret Cookie Dough Scoop – Do you bake cookies a lot?  I used to use a spoon and my fingers to drop the dough on the cookie sheet which was pretty messy at times.  I came across this cookie dough scoop and it’s pure magic.  Every baker must have one of these.

F O U R – For Your Office

Cowboy Studio Photography & Video Lighting Kit – I bought this to help with my photography and I use it all the time.  It’s especially great during the winter when there aren’t a lot of natural daylight hours.

Pilot G2 Retractable Premium Gel Ink Roller Ball Pens – These are all I use for my planner and Amazon has them way cheaper than any other place!  Love these pens and this color selection!

My Passport Ultra Portable External Hard Drive – We back all of our digital files up on two separate hard drives – one that I keep in my office, and one that we keep in a fireproof safe (you can read all about my method for backing up digital files here) and we love this one that we purchased two years ago.  The price is higher now than when we purchased it, though.

Large Fancy Rectangle Chalkboard Labels – I use these to label all the things.  I use these liquid chalk markers and they are erasable, so you can reuse these again and again. 

F I V E – For Your Kids

One Line a Day – I’ve also talked about these on the blog and my love for them is still strong.  These are five-year memory books that you can either use for yourself or for your babies.  I have one for each of our babies (they also come in pink for girls if you so desire a girly color) and I have been writing in them since they were born.  They will make a sweet keepsake one day and they also make for the perfect baby shower gift!

Levana Jena Digital Baby Video Monitor – This is the monitor that we used (and still use) for Olivia.  Yes, we still have a baby monitor in her room.  Yes, we will probably keep it there for a while longer.  We’ve been using it for four years now and it is still going strong!  I love that it has an intercom so we can talk to her if we need to.  Just last night she had gotten out of bed to do something she wasn’t supposed to (likely grabbing a toy or something) and all I had to do was press the button and say, “Olivia, get back in the bed!”  It’s nice to not have to get off of my comfy spot on the couch and it’s even nicer to be able to know when she’s misbehaving.

5-Minute Stories – We pretty much get all of our books from Amazon because they are by far the cheapest, and some of the kids’ favorites are these 5-Minute Storybooks.  They have so many different versions and we own at least three or four of them.

Intex Crystal Blue Inflatable Pool and Intex Fun Ballz 100 Count – For Christmas several years ago we bought these two items and gave Jacob a ball pit for Christmas.  He and Olivia played with this for YEARS!  And it ended up being cheaper than buying any of the actual ball pits.

Crane Cool Mist Humidifier – A quintessential baby necessity.  We’ve had the blue one for Jacob and the pink one for Olivia since they were both born and we have used them countless times.  Both are still going strong.  And they look so nice!  Not at all like your typical humidifier.

Fisher-Price Rock ‘N Play Sleeper – If there was one baby item that we couldn’t live without, it was this!  We bought ours for Jacob before he was born and he LIVED in that thing for the first year of his life.  It is so dang portable and lightweight that you can bring it anywhere.  Heck, sometimes Jacob would be asleep in it and Brian could still pick it up and carry it over to the dinner table without disturbing him so he could be by our sides while we ate dinner.  I had a lot of nerve damage after his birth so it was a complete Godsend for me since I had trouble getting around for so long.

The Original Stomp Rocket – This makes the absolute perfect birthday gift for a boy or a girl and it’s only $15.  I can’t even tell you how many we have purchased over the years for birthday parties, and our kids love theirs.

Toddler Boys and Girls Striped Pajamas – Southern mommas and fellow lovers of all things monogrammed, DO NOT spend $50 on striped monogrammed Christmas PJs for your kids!  Grab these for just $14.99 (they come in red or green) and take them to a local shop to get them monogrammed.  I spent $8 on each monogram, so fully monogrammed PJs were only $23 per child.  If you try to buy them on Etsy or from any of the other boutiques you will pay an arm and a leg for them.  The quality of these is great!  Our kids have worn them for the last two Christmases!  Matter of fact, Olivia has been wearing hers on and off this entire last week!

Boutique Hair Bows 20 Pack – Fellow girl moms, y’all feel my pain on the cost of bows, don’t you?  They are SO expensive.  Well, we found this pack on Amazon a couple of years ago and it is probably the single best thing we have ever purchased on Amazon for Olivia.  The bows are excellent quality, they come with an alligator clip which we LOVE because the clips covered in ribbon often slide out of her hair, and there’s one of every color in the rainbow.  For a mere $4.99.  Yep, 20 bows for the price of one.  Just note, these ship from China so they do take about three weeks to arrive, but hey, the shipping is free, so why not?

Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll ‘N Trike – I take back what I just said about the bows because THIS might be the best product we ever purchased for Olivia and for Jacob.  Both of them received one of these for their first birthdays and they are still using them today.  Jacob is almost seven now so he has pretty much outgrown his, but sometimes he still loves to hop on and take a ride.  My point is, you will get your money’s worth and it’s so much more fun for the kids to ride in than a stroller if you’re just going for a walk around the neighborhood.  It also comes in red for the boys!

Pampers Swaddlers – Although we don’t have to buy them anymore, Amazon was our one stop shop to buy diapers!  Sams prices were pretty comparable to Amazon’s, but the convenience of having them delivered to our door stole our hearts!

Native Girls’ Jefferson Child Sneaker – Yep, we jumped on the bandwagon and bought Olivia some Natives in milk pink, and after only a few days of wearing them, I can tell that these are easily going to be one of our favorite Amazon purchases.  You can get these from Nordstrom, but they are $10 cheaper here on Amazon!  I’m already thinking about getting Jacob a pair…

In addition to shopping for products on Amazon, we also use the Amazon Drive for our online backup for all of our digital files.  All of our photos, videos, papers, and music files are backed up safely, so if our computer ever crashes, we’re good!  Read more about that here!

And did you know that Amazon sells gift cards to loads and loads of restaurants and other retailers?  Yep, they are your one-stop shop for gift cards!

We also have an Amazon Visa credit card which we can use anywhere, but we get double points when shopping on Amazon.  We then redeem all of our points for Amazon gift cards, which obviously, we know we’ll use on our every day purchases.  I can’t even tell you how many free gift cards we’ve gotten throughout the years from redeeming points on the purchases that we already make every day!

Not already a Prime member?  You can sign up here today and join us in our addiction! You absolutely will not regret it… especially if you have small kids!

Happy shopping!

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.