I do enjoy a good SCORE

scorebigWell you learn something new every day. The other day I learned something new, and here’s your new knowledge-bomb for today: there’s a service where you can bid on event tickets to get great deals (think Priceline for concerts and sporting events!!!) and it’s called ScoreBig. I had never heard of it before, but when they emailed me asking if I’d like to review their service in exchange for a credit, I of course said YES, because I love a good deal and I wanted to check it out. You guys know I’m cheap as crap frugal, and this often prevents me from attending concerts and games – I am so excited to know there’s a way to get discounted seats!

I’ll tell you about my experience using ScoreBig to get Cincinnati Reds tickets, but first, I want to tell you HOW it works. It’s pretty simple actually. You log on to ScoreBig, select the event you want to attend, select your seating area, and name the price you want to pay. They even have a helpful little meter that tells you how likely it is that your offer will be accepted, and they also identify the list price for you so you have an idea of where you should be bidding. Once you make your offer, you find out INSTANTLY if it was accepted. If it is, YAY! If not and you want to try again, you have to wait 24 hours. Once you get your tickets, ScoreBig will send you an email letting you know how they will be delivered. The BEST part, I think, is that you pay NO FEES EVER. What you bid is what you will pay, PERIOD. Extra fees are often what keeps me from pulling the trigger on something like this, so I LOVE that part. A LOT.

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I decided to use the credit ScoreBig gave me to get some Cincinnati Reds tickets for my baseball-crazy brother and nephews, because my brother’s family has helped me out a lot and so I like to hit them back whenever I can. My brother picked a Reds vs. Red Sox game, and I hopped over to ScoreBig to see what kind of deal I could get on 4 seats. It was a really popular game, so the only seats available were bleacher seats but he was ok with that. The list price was $32.50, so I bid $22.00 per ticket – and my offer got turned down. The meter told me it was iffy but I wanted to try anyway – what can I say? I’m a gambler! Plus, I really wanted to get the whole ScoreBig experience, and didn’t mind having to wait 24 hours to try again.

After my offer was rejected, ScoreBig did make me a very decent counter offer, but I decided to wait the 24 hours to see how cheap I could be. 🙂 I am sure this surprises NONE of you!

The next day, ScoreBig conveniently sent me an email when it was time for me to try again, so I went back to their site and bid again – this time $23 a seat – and my offer was accepted instantly! Woohoo!! My brother & fam are going to see the Reds vs. Red Sox! Immediately after my purchase was confirmed, I got an email from ScoreBig letting me know they’d tell me how I would receive my tickets (shipped, e-tickets, or will-call) ASAP. And just a few minutes later, I got another email that said I would get e-tickets. And a couple hours after that, the e-tickets came and I was able to print them immediately. The whole thing happened so fast, and I didn’t have to go anywhere or talk to anyone on the phone, or pay any delivery fees or ANYTHING! Awe.Some.

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Basically, I could not have enjoyed my ScoreBig experience any more. I am super-happy to know it exists, and I hope you will be too! Head on over to their website to see what events are going on in your area and see what kind of a deal you can score! (Then come back here and brag about it in the comments!!)

Happy Scoring!

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When Jenny Met Sally

I have a confession to make: Despite the fact that I am beauty-obsessssssed, I haven’t visited a Sally Beauty store in years. Scandal, I know! I am not even sure why, perhaps it’s my drugstore coupon obsession that kept me away and/or my unwillingness to spend actual money on myself. But whatever the reason, I am happy to say all that has changed! As part of a sponsored post campaign to celebrate Sally Beauty’s 50th anniversary, I recently visited the store and I was super-impressed with their selection of makeup, shampoos, skin care, and hair styling tools –  not to mention the stuff they have for professional stylists and makeup artists.

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I was very tempted by the makeup, but since I need a new lipstick like I need a hole in the head, I decided to go after something I’ve needed for a long time but have been too cheap to invest in: a decent hair dryer. And oh baby, did I find one! Meet my new BFF:

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I shall call her Harriet!

Let me just tell you something, there is a REAL difference between a higher-end hair dryer and the crap I’ve been buying for years. WOW, does this baby dry my hair FAST. I hate drying my hair because I have thick hair that holds water like a sponge and it takes FOREVER and leaves me a sweaty mess. UNTIL NOW. Now it takes about five minutes and leaves me happy. YAY!

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And the experience shopping for this dryer at Sally Beauty was great, too! I could NOT believe how many hair dryers there weere to choose from, and there were lots of reputable brands. (They also had tons of flatirons, wavers, curling irons, curling wands…it was crazy!) I had done some research online, reading reviews, but I still needed help in the store because the selection is huge and they all looked fantastic. The Sales Associate was really helpful and she assured me that if I don’t like it I have 60 days to return it with my receipt. YAY! So I have plenty of time to test it out and make sure it’s what I need! (So far so very, very good.)

So, did you catch up at the top of this post where I said it’s Sally Beauty’s 50th anniversary this year? 50 years of bringing the beauty – that’s pretty great! Of course to celebrate they are having some awesome sales  – the aforementioned wonderful hairdryer was 25% off PLUS I had a coupon as well, yes I did and you can print said coupon yourself! Head on over to Sally Beauty’s 50 years of Beauty website and print this $3.50 off any $10 purchase coupon!

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I would totally do that if I were you, because the sales to celebrate 50 Years of Beauty are AWESOME (including some great buy one get one free deals!!) and you can score some really great deals with that coupon and a sale. They even have some special OPI nail polish limited edition colors that were specifically made for Sally Beauty’s 50th for you mani-lovers. I myself might have to go back for some of the BOGO makeup. I can’t help myself. It’s a sickness.

I gotta say, it won’t be long before I walk back into a Sally Beauty store again, especially since this kickin’ 50th anniversary sale will be going on for a few more weeks! Now that I’m into styling my hair a little more, I need to get back in there and get the latest greatest products to put in it! I am SO glad I finally took the time to invest in a decent hair dryer – it has already made my life so much easier this week and was well worth it!

What’s that beauty item you’ve been needing but can’t quite get around to purchasing? (I bet I know where you can get it!)

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It’s Official. I’m the World’s Okayest Mom

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The kids made me SO MUCH STUFF for Mother’s Day, half of it is not even pictured. 🙂

My children overwhelmed me with gifts of the handmade variety this Mother’s Day, and it was great. There are at least 4 items missing from this picture that have been placed or hung up in places of honor. My little creative kiddos! Even Jonah keeps saying “Make a hand for Mommy!” about his little handprint picture from preschool.

But my “favorite” -if I can have a favorite, was from Sophie. She made me the lovely mod-podged heart box, but what I loved most was the wrapping it came in:

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Clearly the apple has not fallen far from the tree.

This is so Sophie, and I love it!  I’m glad my darling girl has inherited some of her mother’s um…self-confidence. I also love the list she wrote about me. “Top Then Reasons I Love My Mom”.

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You will notice that Sophie’s list doesn’t say anything about how perfect my makeup looks every day or how FUN I am. *Ahem*.

But, she seems pretty cool with me covering the basics. I think she’s figuring out that love is in the little things. And even though she didn’t say as much, I’m pretty sure Sophie thinks I’m the World’s Okayest Mom.

And I am honored. I’d be more honored, though, if the title came with a sash.

What did your little darlings make YOU for Mother’s Day?

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