Pamper Yourself With Groupon

This post has been sponsored by Groupon. All opinions are mine alone. 

One thing that I have come to realize I really need since becoming a wife and a mother, is "me time." I love making memories as a family but there's just something about getting pampered and not having a worry in the world during it. Often times, the days are long and I go to bed realizing I didn't do anything but chores and I feel stressed about all the things on my plate. Getting pampered helps relieve some of that stress and really helps my mental health. Whether it's receiving a much needed massage, getting a fresh coat of polish on my nails, or getting a new hairstyle, having some time alone helps me feel refreshed and rejuvenated. 

As much as I love feeling special and getting a spa day, these sorts of things can really add up fast. That's why I'm so glad Groupon helps me save on all things Health, Beauty, and Wellness while also providing quality services on their site. I ensure that I'm always signed into my Groupon account on my computer so that I can pull up all the local deals right around me making it easy to save money in my area. There are so many different ways you can save on pampering yourself with Groupon thanks to their daily deals on massages, nail salons, hair salons, day spas, and much more!

My family also loves to go on adventures together. We love getting out of the house and doing a fun activity together, trying a new restaurant, and going on vacation. Groupon helps you save on all of those things with new listings constantly. Groupon has been such a wonderful resource to help my family save on services and dining, to retail products.

Groupon is also a completely free service! That's right, no paying a membership fee! Simply create an account, log in, and start saving! I know you'll love Groupon just as much as we do so go ahead and give it a try!

Trust me, you need a spa day ;)

How do you save money with Groupon Goods?

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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I'm Feelin' 22 + How I Got My Birthday Dinner Completely Free!

My 22nd birthday was on Tuesday, May 3rd and it was so far, the best birthday yet!

I owe all of that to my husband for seriously exceeding my expectations.

The first year we were married, my birthday didn't quite go as I had hoped haha... so he has made sure to step up his game since then ;)

I slept in because somehow, sweet Oaklyn knew it was a special day for mommy and slept in too!

When I woke up, I went to go make her a bottle to find the kitchen completely decorated!

I got nervous when I heard a weird beep and called out for Hunter.

He had said he had to go to work so I wasn't shocked when he didn't respond... but also still worried!

Then I saw the t.v turn on and got really confused... when my current favorite song came on, Hunter jumped up from behind the kitchen counter and I couldn't help but start laughing so hard haha!

He said that he had been waiting for me to wake up for several hours in that exact spot. 

He didn't want to move because he didn't want to give it away haha!

He did end up having to go in to work that day, but made sure to make me breakfast first and take care of Oaklyn so I could get ready for the day. 

When we dropped Hunter off at work, we went to Sodalicious (who does a birthday discount) and then went for a walk with my bestie. 

When we got home I put Oaklyn down for a nap and spent some time doing blog stuff before heading out to get dinner!

I love going out to eat, but decided against it this year because I saw all the different emails coming in about free birthday meals.

At first, I just wanted to go to Red Robin, but then realized, why not get everything??

I stored up all these different emails in one folder so I would have them ready to go when it came time to pick up all the food.

I made sure to only store the emails that had zero rules and definitely stayed away from all the "BOGO" emails.

I'll type out the list of all the places I went to down below, but before that I want to talk about the strategy!

I love being alone in the car because I can play whatever music I want, however loud, and just have time to myself so driving to get the food was actually super fun for me!

Since getting married and having a baby, I have come to really appreciate my alone time!

I figured out everything I was getting from every restaurant and wrote it down so I would be prepared when ordering. 

I then mapped the whole thing out from start to finish so I wouldn't be driving back and forth constantly. 

Before going to said restaurant I would also call ahead and place my order as "To Go" so that it would be ready when I got there. 

I had zero issues with the coupons and everything was literally, completely, free!

Once I had gathered all of the food, I picked up Hunter and Oaks and we headed to my favorite park to have a picnic!

We placed all of the food in the middle and dug in to everything!

It was like a buffet! Haha.

We got to eat a bit of everything and we were completely stuffed by the end.

We even had leftovers!

Afterwards we just played at the park and had fun as a family.

I loved watching Hunter and Oaklyn play together and got teary eyed thinking about how different my birthdays are now. 

I used to care about a big birthday party and spending my birthday doing something big and extravagant.

I am now completely happy doing something very low maintenance and fun for the whole family.

I love being a mother, and I love how much birthdays have changed for me!

Once we got home, we had cake and ice cream that Hunter made!

I was very impressed with him ;)

He then gave me my presents which happened to be my favorite presents everrrrr and we called it a night after watching an episode of Shark Tank.

I had a wonderful day and I'm so thankful to all of you that wished me a happy birthday!

It definitely was, very happy :)

Alright, now on to the reason you probably came... the free birthday food!

Most of these places give you free food for signing up for their email list. 

So yes, you do receive other emails from them year round... but clicking delete a few times throughout the year to get an awesome free meal on your birthday, is completely worth it to me!

Here's the list!

*Red Robin - Email list - Get a free burger and fries on your birthday!

*Rubios - Email List - Free entree of choice on your birthday!

*Firehouse Subs - Get their app and fill out info - Free medium sub for your birthday!

*Del Taco - Email List - Free milkshake on birthday, 2 tacos for signing up

*IHOP - Email list - Free stack of pancakes on your birthday! Get the cinnastack!

*PF Changs - Email List - Get a free appetizer on your birthday! The lettuce wraps are SO good!

*Denny's - Present your ID - Get a free grand slam on your birthday!

*Baskin Robbins - Email List - Get a free scoop on your birthday!

*Krispy Kreme - Email List - Get a free donut on your birthday!

*Rita's Italian ice - Email List - Get a free ice on your birthday!

So there ya have it!

That's how I got the best birthday dinner completely free!

It was so fun to have a picnic with so much delicious food!

I'm sure there are several other places that do free stuff for your birthday as well... if you know of any, let me know!

I ignored all the BOGO stuff because I wanted to keep it free but there's several of those, along with free desserts or appetizers if you buy an entree.

I hope you enjoyed this list!

This is now going to be a tradition for us :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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Tasty Tuesday: Decadent Pumpkin Pie Bites

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SweetenTheSeason #CollectiveBias

I feel like I'm busier than ever these days.

Between taking care of Oaklyn, taking care of myself, making sure the house isn't a total mess, washing bottles constantly, trying to spend some alone time with my husband, making dinner, blogging full time, getting grocery shopping done, entertaining Oaklyn, and trying to do a few things for myself here and there I feel like I never have time to just sit and relax anymore. 

Don't ask me the last time I turned on the TV. It feels like years ago!

That being said, I've been looking for ways to simplify my life in any way possible.

I LOVE to cook and bake.

I love making treats and providing people with a smile because I made them something. 

In high school I was constantly spending hours making cupcakes, cookies, and all forms of other treats just so I could bring them to my friends the next day. 

Now, I use all my free time catching up on blog posts and maybe curling my hair? ha.

Since I still love to make treats, I've just decided I'm going to simplify my recipes so I can still fulfill that hobby of mine.

I was SO excited to see the Holiday Bake Center at our local Walmart.

That is an indicator that the Holiday season is HERE!

Aka, Baking season!

I immediately had a million ideas of what treats I should make for all my friends but all of those recipes required hours of my time and money that I just don't have.

When I saw the Jell-O no bake pumpkin pie for a price that can't be beat I knew I just had to incorporate it.

I then found some Baker's chocolate and the thought of a thick layer of ganache sounded heavenly.

Then I saw the Kraft caramel bits! Perfect! Everything is better with caramel.
I couldn't believe that I was able to get everything I needed for a yummy treat for under $10!
I was so excited that I found products in the Holiday Bake Center for a budget friendly price and thought of a recipe that will require little time and effort. 

I got so excited while making my treats and loved the way they turned out so we decided to bring them over to Hunter's little sister's apartment and give them to her and all her friends with little notes attached.

They loved them and I'm so happy we were able to brighten their night.

Ingredients:

1 package Jell-O no bake pumpkin pie mix (plus all ingredients it calls for)

1 Baker's semi-sweet chocolate bar

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 package Kraft caramel bits

12 cupcake liners

cupcake tin

12 plastic baggies

12 pieces of ribbon

12 "thankful" printables

Directions:

1) Prepare crust and pumpkin pie filling according to package

2) line cupcake tin with liners of your choice

3) scoop 1 tbsp crust into bottom of cupcake liner

4) bring 1/3 cup whipping cream to a boil

5) in the meantime chop chocolate bar into super fine pieces then add to medium bowl

6) once whipping cream is boiling pour over chocolate and stir until combined.

7) spoon about 1 tbsp ganache on top of crust

8) melt Kraft caramel bits by double boiling over medium heat

9) spoon 1 tbsp. caramel on top of ganache

10) spoon pumpkin pie filling over that then refrigerate for a few hours and done!

See how easy and quick that is? Just whip, melt, and spoon and you have yourself a yummy holiday treat!

If you are serving your treats at a party let them thaw out a little before serving so the caramel can become more chewy and less hard from the fridge.

If you are delivering your treats to friends and family simply remove the treats from the pan and stick them in a plastic baggie. Tie the top with a piece of ribbon and attach the "thankful" printable and you're ready to deliver!

The link to the free printable can be found right here! Just download, print, and cut them out. I changed my printer options to 2 copies per page to print 8 instead of 4 on one page.

I hope you have as much fun with these treats as we did!

I would love to hear what your favorite holiday treat is!

Let me know in the comments!

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Welcome Fall! +3 free prints!

Happy Fall Friends!

I love love love this time of year!

Last week felt a whole lot more like fall than this week but there is still a chill in the air at night that I am loving!

Summer is always a blast, but by the time fall rolls around I get so excited!

The holiday season is coming, the leaves are changing, baking every day is fully acceptable, candles burning throughout the day is so cozy, and not to mention boots and sweaters!

Fall in Utah is SO awesome!

I love seeing the leaves change.

The Fall colors are already visible in the mountains and I'm just itching to get our family photos done!

Yay! Time to start thinking about Christmas card pictures!

All my Fall decor is hung and I just love how cozy it feels in our home.

I purchased a few new things this year cause guys, Target's dollar section is killin it!

But I also added a few cute fall prints!

What is your favorite part about Fall?

What are your favorite autumn traditions?

Do you have fall decor? I wanna see!!

Free prints

Here, Here, and Here!

Happy decorating!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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