Could You Live On $1.50/Day?

As a member of BzzAgent, I am sometimes invited to campaigns in which I get to try out products, share some coupons, and share the opinions of myself and others.   I enjoy this program very much because of this.

Recently, I was invited to take part in a different kind of BzzCampaign.  When I read the description, I *knew* that I had to join in.   I also was not required to blog about this campaign, but I'm choosing to because I think it's an awesome campaign and more people need to be aware of this!

The campaign is called Live Below The Line.  It is a charity campaign whose purpose is to try and raise awareness of the 1.4 billion people in the world living in extreme poverty, whose average livelihood is $1.50 USD per day.

There is a challenge going along with this campaign to either donate money to a charity of your choice to help these people, or to challenge yourself to feed yourself for just $1.50 per day for 5 days starting next Monday (May 7-11)!

I know that many of my readers are not in a financial situation where they feel they can donate much, or anything, so I am thinking that my participation in this campaign will be twofold:  it will raise awareness of the issue and it may help us cut our spending even a little bit more, perhaps finding a bit extra to give!

Starting Monday, I will be blogging each evening my three meals for the day, along with the cost break-down of each  (I've actually got one all calculated, baked, and ready to stash in the freezer!).  It's going to take a lot of forethought and calculations, but I think I'm up to the challenge!

I hope that you will follow along with me and perhaps learn a few more ways to cut your owns costs, and I'd be thrilled if you would join me in this challenge.  I will even add a linky to my posts if you'd like to blog your progress along with me!

In the meantime, check out the Live Below The Line Website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to find out more!

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New BzzAgent Campaign: SCJohnson Smart and Easy Spring Cleaning

In the past I have told you about a company called BzzAgent.  It is one of my favorite market research companies.  Instead of sending you surveys, they send you actual products to try, and coupons to give out.  Anytime I see that I have an email from this company, I open it right away!  If you are interested, click the link above and sign up.  You do not have to be a blogger to qualify.  I was a member long before I began blogging.  I have been getting more opportunities recently, though. ;)

I had qualified for this particular campaign a while back, and in all the madness around here, I had completely forgotten.  I was pleasantly surprised when my doorbell rang a few days ago and the mailman handed me a large box.  Here is what was in it:

1 Scrubbing Bubbles Foam Spray
1 Plegde
1 Glade Spring Collection Candle
1 Glade Scented Oil Refill (something to put it in would have been nice....)
1 Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel
AND a coupon book with $58 worth of coupons (keep reading)

The only item I have had the chance to try so far has been the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel.  It came in a small tube/wand container with gel inside.  You push it onto the inside of the toilet (yes I cleaned my toiler prior to applying it, and I discovered that my 4 year old enjoys using toilet brushes =P).

I was very impressed with two things about this product.  First of all, being that is was a gel, I was expecting it to be soft and runny, or wash away after just a few flushes.  I was very surprised that it seemed to harden after being exposed to the air.  I had to poke it and examine it's consistency for curiosity's sake.  So did my 19 month old =/.  After three days of flushing, the product has no seemed to shrink or change at all.  I think that it should be there for quite a while.  I will be interested to see how long it actually keeps any stains from appearing, though.  About that I'm a bit skeptical.

The second thing that impressed me about it was the smell.  It has a wonderfully clean scent that I could smell down the whole hallway shortly after I applied them to my two toilets.  Still three days later, you are able to smell in strongly in the bathroom area.  It almost takes the place of a bathroom air freshener as well.

I cannot wait to try the rest of the products.  I may post another update to let you know what I think about the others if I am very impressed/unimpressed.  In the meantime, if you would like to try some of these products for yourself (as well as a few others), I would like to give you the opportunity.  In the coupon booklet I received, there were a few sets of these coupons (click to enlarge):

I have four sets like this to give away, and I will mail them out to the first four people who email me with their name and mailing address at savingmyselfsilly at gmail dot com.  *Gone* All I ask is that you email me letting me know your thoughts about the products so that I may convey them back to BzzAgent.

If you would like a printable coupon for $1/1 Glade scented oil refill, you may go here.

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BzzAgent: Gerber Graduates BzzCampaign--Would You Like a Coupon?

It has been a long time since I have mentioned anything about BzzAgent.  That is because the BzzCampaigns are few and far between.  I am happy to be able to tell you about it once again.  I got a small box in the mail when I returned from my Christmas travels containing three Gerber Graduates items, and a stack of coupons.

Pictured are some fruit snacks and a fruit twist.  There was also a small cereal bar that I attempted to give to my poor teething, runny nosed, not wanting to eat anything 17-month old the other day.  I'm pretty sure she licked it and tossed it right onto the ground, but the dogs seemed to enjoy it.

I have to admit that I am pretty disappointed  in this BzzCampaign, but I guess Gerber is probably more to blame for the contents of my package.  BzzAgent kind of hyped it up making it sound like we would be getting like one of almost the whole line to try, so I was kinda of expecting at least one of the meals instead of just snacks.  Also, the BzzCampaigns I have done in the past have included fairly high value coupons to pass out among friends.  This time the coupons are for $0.75/2 Gerber Graduates items, which considering their shelf price, I don't consider that a really great deal.  I suppose they would be nice to have if I made a habit of purchasing these items already, but I do not.

That being said, I am offering  to mail two coupons to anyone who would like them.  I have 8 to give away, so 2 each will go to the first 4 people to comment and email me their mailing address.  You must comment first, as I will honor the order of comments on this blog post.  Comments on Facebook will not count.  The only thing I ask is that you actually redeem the coupons, and email me back once you have tried the items to let me know what you think.  If you don't think you will use the coupons, but have a friend that you know buys these, send them over!

The BzzAgent site is interested in having people try items and getting their honest opinion of those items.  They also want us to have conversations about the items, share the coupons for the items, and see what others have to say about the items so that we can report back about it.

If you would like to become a member of BzzAgent, and be eligible for these type of campaigns, you may register here.  In the past I have gotten to try items such as Tom's of Maine toothpaste, Fruit2Day drink, Boston Market, Scrubbing Bubbles, and more.  You will get an email when a campaign is available for you, and if you get an email, you nearly always qualify.  It's a very nice program, and I enjoy it a lot.

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Scrubbing Bubbles Bzz Campaign

This is that other thing I told you about that came in the mail yesterday.  This package was sent to me from bzzagent.com where I am registered as a Bzz Agent.  From time to time, they will have Bzz Campaigns and you can take a survey to qualify for them.  If you qualify, they will send you a nice package of goodies in the mail that includes information about the product, samples of the product, and coupons to share with your friends when you tell them about the product.

This particular Bzz Campaign was obviously about the new Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayers.  They sent me the Extend-a-Clean variety, and there is also a version that is for daily use.  I received one battery operated one touch sprayer head and two full sized refills. 

I cannot wait to try these.  I have some family visiting on Friday and its been quite some time since the showers have had a good cleaning.  I keep putting it off because its such a time consuming task, and I never seem to have enough time to do it.  These new sprayers are battery operated, so there is only one squeeze needed for a continuous spray.  This means less time and less effort.  They are even recommended by the Arthritis Foundation.  Once they are used, they are supposed to form an invisible shield on surfaces that repels soap scum for 4 days so your cleaning efforts last longer.

I will let you know what I think once I use it, but I also received a packet of coupons that I can share with you.  I have $5 off the starter kit (with the reusable sprayer included) and $1 off the refills.

If you would like a set of these coupons so that you can try it out for yourself, please leave a comment and I will email you for your info.  I have up to 10 to give out.  You just have to promise to let me know what you think about it once you've used it so that I can pass that information along.

If you would like to register to become a Bzz Agent, and receive packages like this for yourself, simply go to bzzagent.com.  In the past I have been sent packages containing Mahatma Jasmine and Basmati Rice, Boston Market coupons including a pass for a free meal, Teddy Grahams trail mix, and Afrin PureSea nasal rinse to name a few.  As you participate in campaigns and submit reports about the campaigns, you gain status points and will be eligible for campaigns earlier than agents with less status, so you have a greater chance of getting into campaigns the higher your status is.  Overall, I think it is a great program.  It is fun to get free products to try and share, and they never want you to try to talk people into buying things, only to give them your honest opinion.

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