The other day I wrote about how my new hairstyle has improved my outlook. I also mentioned that I'm fortunate enough to blog for a wonderful local hair salon, and I'm able to trade my writing services for hair and beauty treatments. It's an awesome exchange! Even if you're not lucky enough to have your hair stylist on retainer, there are still tons of ways to treat and pamper yourself, as well as your family, without spending a ton of money. These are tough economic times. Throughout my working life, I've had various period of ups and downs with my finances. The times I was the least happy were the ones in which I constantly denied myself. Living in a mindset of lack or want is not healthy. It's no good for you, and it's no good for your loved ones. So I'm going to get you started with a list of things you can do to add some fun and pampering to your life without spending the big bucks that so mahy of us just don't have right now.

Health and Beauty

Going to the salon and buying beauty products can really take a chunk out of your budget. Consider these ways of pampering yourself on the cheap.

• Ask a hairdresser friend or family member if you can barter services. Or check out your local beauty school to see if you can't get a great new color from one of the school's students at a significant discount.
• Score some freebies at the beauty counter. I know that some cosmetics brands at high end department stores offer samples for customers to try. Stores like Sephora or Crabtree & Evelyn are also generous with the free samples. Sometimes these samples can last up to a week or more.
• Check out online beauty sample sites. There are websites that allow you to sign up to receive small boxes of samples sent to your door for a relatively small fee. Some of the ones I'm familiar with are birchbox.com, newbeauty.com and herbeautysamples.com.
• Get a makeup lesson at the beauty counter. Many department store makeup counters will provide complimentary makeup application lessons in the hopes of making a sale. It's a great way to learn new techniques and get a little pampering for free. If you can't afford to make a purchase, you're likely to find an item you'll add to your wish list for later.
• Give yourself a mani/pedi or trade services with a girlfriend. I always feel so much better with a coat of polish on, and a nice scented lotion just adds a touch of pampering. It's almost as good as going to the salon. It is!

Dining and Leisure

We all can start to feel a little deprived after being stuck in the house for weeks on end. Don't get stuck in a rut. There are plenty of things you can do to get yourself and your family out and about.

• Head to the internet for deals. There are so many discount sites right now like Groupon, Living Social and PopSugar Shop.They may not all be to your liking, but surely you'll find some bargains that work for you and your family. My husband and I got to have dinner at a fabulous local restaurant we normally couldn't afford for half off because of a Groupon deal.
• Go for ice cream. One thing I always said was that I could take my kids out for ice cream no matter how poor we may be. It doesn't have to be to Dairy Queen, which can be a bit pricey. Head to McDonald's for a sundae off the dollar menu or pick up supplies at the store for a make your own sundae bar at home. It's a fun tradition.
• Have a movie night. Going to the theatre can cost an arm and a leg. It's a luxury we can't often afford. But another tradition my kids love is movie night where we choose a Netflix movie to watch together. We eat popcorn or a sweet snack and stay up late. The kids get to sleep out on the living room floor. It really feels special.
• Check out your local radio station for auctions or half price deals. Most stations these days have some kind of discount partnership with local establishments.

There are so many more things you can do to treat yourself and your family for little or no money. I will continue this post in the coming days with ways to find time for yourself and ideas for enriching your life spirutually or academically.

Leave a comment sharing how you treat yourself without spending a lot of money.

I had the chance to talk with toy expert, Elizabeth Werner, on what's hot for kids this summer. Take a peek at our interview to find out what Elizabeth, toy expert for the Today Show, recommends. It's the middle of the summer, and if you're like me, you could use some suggestions for fun ways to entertain the kids!

Hershey's has just launched a fabulous new contest on their Facebook page that is bound to be a lot of fun. I'm thrilled to share with you that I get to be a part of Say S'mores campaign and will have some super S'mores surprises for you later in the summer, including a giveaway right here at Everyday Baby Steps. But right now, I'll tell you all about the contest that's going on over at Hershey's Facebook page.

Hershey's wants everyone to share their own S'mores memories this summer, and to encourage you, they're offering some amazing prizes. Simply by submitting a photo of your family enjoying a S'mores moment, you'll be eligible to win some really cool stuff. The grand prize is a Canon Rebel camera, slate marble outdoor firebowl, $250 Snapfish gift card, roasting skewers set and everything you need to make S'mores - Hershey's bars included.

What I like about these prizes is that there's something for everyone. Dads will surely dig that firebowl and skewers, the kids will be thrilled with the S'mores, and I, oops, I mean moms will LOVE the camera and Snapfish gift card. Okay, everyone will love the S'mores. Don't you want to win? Then all you have to do is visit the Hershey's Facebook page to download the Say S'mores application and participate in monthly photo contests. Plus, you'll get a $1 coupon good toward the purchase of 2 Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar 6-packs.

So get snapping and enter this contest. Will you invite my family over for S'mores if you win? Thanks!

Just had to add this. It's my little guy eating his very first S'more! Cute, isn't he?

*This post is part of my participation in the Hershey’s “Say S’mores” Promotion. All opinions expressed are mine.

Tiny Prints is gearing up for Mother's Day, and they threw out a few topics for bloggers to consider. One of the topics really caught my attention. The question was, "Wnat do your kids think makes you awesome?", and it really made me think. Do my kids think I'm awesome? Every mother hopes so. But my big kids are tweens now, and they probably just think I'm lame and embarrassing. And my toddler, who used to be my shadow now only wants his daddy. So, with a mix of emotions, I decided to ask my big kids their thoughts.

Both of them had very similar answers. Apparently, I'm awesome because I take them places. They say I take them to the mall, to fun waterparks, out to eat and to the movies. That's great. I'm glad they acknowledge that I take them out for special experiences when I can afford to do so. I had to press them for a bit more though, as they weren't gushing and overflowing with examples of my greatness.

They grudgingly elaborated and talked about the fun things we do at home. They both talked fondly of our movie nights when we make popcorn or have snacks and candy while we stay up late and watch movies all night long. We all sleep in the living room, and it's really fun. I was so happy to know that these movie nights have made an impression on them and hope that they will look back on these times and remember them years from now.

I'm glad to know that my kids do think I'm awesome in some ways. This experience has taught me that the time when they'll readily admit that to liking me is quickly fleeting. It's taught me that I need to take every opportunity to make time with my kids meaningful and not take a moment for granted while they still enjoy doing things with me. Because the only other thing they mentioned about my awesomeness is that the whole part about me being Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy is really awesome.

If you'd like to show your mom or any other mother in your life how awesome they are, check out the mother's day cards at Tiny Prints. I've written about my love for Tiny Prints on numerous occasions. I love my business cards from Tiny Prints, and my friends and family always rave about the Tiny Prints personalized greeting cards I send them. Here's a bit more about the kinds of products Tiny Prints has to offer:

Tiny Prints provides simple, modern and unique stationery from Father’s Day Cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards, business cards, and even custom wedding invitations or photo birth announcements. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch! They offer perfect party invitations for every occasion and memorable personalized photo-gifts like notebooks, photo books and calendars to commemorate the event.

I will receive free Tiny Prints product in exchange for writing this post. I've always had good experiences with Tiny Prints and am happy to recommend them.

I love to try new things! The newest item my family and I got the pleasure of trying is Orville Redenbacher's Pop Up Bowls. This stuff isn't even available in stores yet, but you can buy it at Walmart starting February 20th! Just one of the many perks of being a blogger. I get to meet fun people, write about things I care about AND try new things. I love my job! But, back to the popcorn. My kids were bugging me for it the minute it arrived in the mail - they love popcorn. They were excited to see the new bowl packaging. Wanna peek?

Looks like any other microwave popcorn, huh? I know. It even comes out of the microwave looking like any other popcorn bag.

But check this out!

Voila! Open it up, and you've got an instant popcorn bowl. As a mom, I really appreciate this. I can let them eat right out of the bag without getting butter up to their elbows. Saves me all the extra bowls I usually end up washing on popcorn night. Love it!

Speaking of popcorn night, we enjoyed our new Orville Redenbacher Pop Up Bowls while watching our favorite show, Glee. The kids just love the music and think it's so much fun. Here's my big kids with their popcorn.

We had a great time just hanging out as a family. Just a small touch like a bowl of popcorn can make a night in seem really special. What kind of little things do you and your family do to make a night at home fun?

* I was compensated by Collective Bias for this post. My kids loved the popcorn.

That's what he said to me when he handed me these beautiful roses. I love him so. And I love his father, who may have played a part in bringing me the flowers. :)

We got the red Wii for Christmas at our house, and we're having so much fun with it. Even our toddler, Brady, is getting in on the action. Take a look.

Yes, I did almost get beat by the two-year old in Wii bowling. In my defense, his sister, the Wii bowling master, was helping him. :)

This is just too cute not to share. It's Brady singing along as his sister plays on her tenor saxophone. He really does have a good ear. Perhaps he'll be a musician too.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. These pictures are worth that and $129.21. That's what we ended up shelling out at the portrait studio last night. But it was worth it. Not only did we get these pictures, but we got a CD with copyright to all of the images the photographer shot, along with some great prints and gift items. Take a look!

My mother has sung the praises of outlet groceries for years, but I'd never actually gone to one myself. That changed last week when I decided to drive an hour to try one out. So after dropping the kids off at the bus stop, Brady and I headed out on our drive to Sharp Shopper. My husband was less than enthused. He assured me that the place was sure to be dirty, with little selection. I told him I wanted to give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did. When we arrived, this is what we saw.

I had a good feeling that I had made the right choice when the parking lot and exterior of the store looked nice and clean. Besides, my girlfriends had raved about the place. I don't think they'd steer me wrong. So we headed inside to be greeted with this.

Aisle after wide, clean aisle of groceries to choose from. There were ten aisles total. Seemed like a lot of variety to me. Turns out that there were lots of items to choose from. In fact, we ended up spending nearly two hours perusing the store by the time we left with our cart overflowing!

I was pleased to find that Sharp Shopper carried brand names. I chose these for hubby, original flavor because it's his favorite.

I believe they were $1.29 a bag. Another fabulous deal I found was the Edward's frozen key lime pie my family loved for $1.99. Today's lunch was pizza - Health Choice individual supreme French bread pizza that cost only .99! There were so many great deals there. Another favorite of mine was the case of 24 Propel flavored water for $7.99. This is something I wouldn't usually indulge in. They kids were ecstatic.

The baker in me was thrilled to see the aisle full of bulk goods. Check it out. There were chocolate baking chips, sprinkles and  all kinds of flours. There were also bulk candy, dried fruit and more.

When it was all said and done, I ended up with a cart overflowing on top and bottom, with a few items in my hands. All of which came to a grand total of $195 and change! Amazing. I will definitely be going back to Sharp Shopper. It was worth the drive for me and my family.

Do you have an outlet grocery store near you? How far would you drive to find one?