A friend recommended this simplified version of quickbooks to me about a year ago now.  I felt, at the time, that it wouldn't be simple enough for me because I didn't have the time to "learn" the program. I had always heard that there was a bit of a learning curve with Quickbooks.  But, I have FINALLY signed up and it has changed my entrepreneurial life. I dread the bookkeeping part of small business...and it's taken me a long time to admit it, but I'm not as organized as I'd like to be.  I sell on ETSY, too...and reconciling those numbers monthly was such a chore that I avoided it entirely last year! Yup, so last month, after seeing a special offer on ETSY for one month free and $5.00 a month after that (it'll go to $10.00 after 6 months, I think), I had to give it a try.  I made a New Year's Resolution to, at least TRY, to get organized in 2017! WOW. I'm so thankful I did.  The program makes it easy to link to sites that you sell your goods, and ETSY of course, and it sticks all the numbers in the appropriate places. If you advertise on ETSY, it'll drop that monthly figure into the advertising expense...no work on your part. And it puts all the other small listing fees in to the right places...it's all an automatic sync.  I was so pleasantly surprised to realize that I could backtrack into 2016 (it automatically pulled that info from ETSY when I signed up) and add expenses & other sales in 2016.  I sell WiLDWooD CoLLeCTiF on Amazon Handmade, too, and they don't offer a link to there yet, plus the program does not pull my ETSY wholesale expenses from my ETSY account, so I've had to manually input those to get true figures for the year.  AND...the program also gives you your quarterly tax payment estimate. YAY. It's mobile, too, so you can take pictures of receipts (you don't have to) and log all expenses and sales as you go!  All for $5 a month.  

Quickbooks Intuit Self-employed is so well worth it!! Perhaps I will succeed in getting organized in 2017. At the very least, I'll be a little less stressed come tax season next year!

Here's a link to take a look or get started. You'll get the same deal I have.

Happy New Year!
.................Brandy

Just so you know, I'm a devoted local shopper...and a night owl, too, and so, I'm most productive late at night.  Unless I want to head to the 24-hour place that starts with a W (I won't shop there, ever!), which I don't want to do anyway because I'm already in my cozy pajamas, it's a good time for me to scratch things off my list heading into the next day. So, often, I'm a lone midnight online shopper.  Then, looking forward to getting that kid-at-Christmas feeling seeing a package on my doorstep a few days later when arriving home after work...yay!

So...I've recently discovered this great natural, wellness website (there seem to be so many to choose from now) called iHerb that I'd love to share with you! They have really fantastic prices on all you need in the natural, organic, wellness, and supplement realm.  It really is a good find.

Here's a link to iHerb. Click through and take a peek.  You'll want to sign up...the prices are that good!  If you sign up through the link, you'll get $5 off your order...and they offer free shipping (I'm such a sucker for it!)!  To get it, you only have to spend $20 (how awesome is that?). And you'll receive 10% loyalty credit for each order placed. So, I placed my first order this morning for $22.85 for Omega 3, Coenzyme Q10, and castille soap (just over $20 to take advantage of the free shipping offer!) and now have $2.29 in loyalty credit to apply as a credit towards my next order. As a single mom, I'm all about saving a few bucks wherever I can. AND...they have samples that you can add to your order...super cheap...like  smaller quantities of a supplement you're considering, but aren't ready to invest in 90 days and a lot of money worth.  Some are 7 days worth, some are 30 days worth and many numbers in between, but the bonus is that they are deeply discounted when you order. You can add 2 samples at a discount and if you add more than 2, you're paying the "regular" sample price (not discounted).  I LoVe little packages!!!
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So....I just checked a bit further...on the other iHerb perks and pluses...when you sign up and get $5.00 off, I get $5.00, too! Plus, I'll receive 5% of the total for whatever you order as credit towards my future purchases. And then, they even donate $5 to charity. How awesome. And just think, if you fall in love with the site as I have, you can then recommend it to your friends and family and YOU earn all of these same bonuses!  What a great company!

This is a picture of my most recent iHerb order (October 2016). I am so amazed at how good their prices are!  I paid $23.14 for all of this...and of course, got free shipping because I met the $20 minimum order threshold.  I had a few dollars in loyalty bucks that I used, too...
Y'all need to check this site out if you purchase supplements and wellness products regularly.  They are a well-rounded natural online store...along with supplements, you can purchase essential oils, castille soaps, nuts, coconut oil, ghee, flours, snacks...and so much more...and all ORGANIC and NATURAL. With no tax ;) ....and the FREE SHIPPING gets me every time!  Here's the iHerb link again....start exploring...I hope you love it.​

I have a 14 year old teenage boy.  Teenage boys are dirty.  Mine has a favorite chair that he sits in to watch TV.  I'm going to be straight up with you here...he sometimes uses the chair arms as a napkin.  The chair is so dirty.  It's a pretty off-white and grey IKAT cotton (when clean)...and it's desperate for a cleaning.

So, yeah...I could go buy some Resolve and spray it on, but I am on a mission. A mission to use only natural products in my house.  So, I get to thinking about how I'm going to clean this chair...of course, I head right on over to Pinterest to find some concoction someone already tried and is deeming it best. The first one that catches my eye is this one titled Homemade Upholstery Cleaner - 3 Simple Ingredients. Awesome.  Vinegar, Alcohol (yes, alcohol), and essential oil. Hmmm, I can do that. I have all 3 ingredients.  And the alcohol!  Who knew!  I've never even considered cleaning with it!  AND...it will sterilize this dirty chair, too!  So, I follow her recipe, make a batch, put it in a mister bottle, and spray it on.  Wait a few minutes and take a sponge (one side has a roughness to it...this is the side I use to start. I mean, this chair is dirty.) And I scrub away!  ...and all the while, thinking there's no way this is going to get this chair clean...it's ruined forever!

​But....Oh. My.  My chair and ottoman look almost brand new!  I now wish I had taken a before picture. I'll share my after picture with you. (I was so skeptical...well, because, ya know...the ingredients are so simple...and it's homemade). This is the real deal, y'all. Give it a try. You'll be happy (and healthier!) that you did!