Diaper Reward Programs: Earn Gifts for Yourself and Others

I'm not one to be brand-loyal when it comes to diapers. I've put all types on my baby's bum, just for the sake of keeping it covered. But, I'm not one to spend more than $5 on a jumbo pack of diapers, either. That means I usually buy Pampers and Huggies, thanks to sales and coupons. I know there are many of you who buy these brands no matter what, so I thought I would share my experience with Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards and Pampers Gifts to Grow. That way you can get a little something back for all of your smelly work.

In the 17 months that we've been buying diapers, I've collected enough Huggies codes to receive a $25 Sephora gift card. I'm half-way to getting another $25 gift card of some sort. The Huggies rewards change often, so you have to get what you want when you see it.

Like I said earlier, we also use Pampers. The use of both brands has not hindered my points collection! I redeemed my points with Pampers for a 12-month Shutterfly photo calendar. I did have to pay shipping, but that's minimal compared to the joy my mom has in seeing her granddaughter's face each day. I currently have enough points to get two more calendars, which I'm saving for Christmas. Many of the Pampers rewards are always available, but there are occasionally items that come and go.

There is nothing complicated about entering the codes on the diaper packages. You can save them and enter several at one time (the Pampers site is most conducive to this). Pampers also distributes codes in other ways. Many couponing blogs alert you to those free codes. Huggies has a few opportunities on their site to find and earn codes as well.

If you have a little one in diapers, I encourage you to get started collecting the rewards you've already earned!

Homemade Gifts: Not Crafty? Then Be Crafty!

I'm not necessarily a very crafty person when it comes to arts and crafts. But I think I can sometimes be pretty crafty in coming up with creative gifts. It's a sort of craftiness that you can acquire if you put your mind to it. First, consider what you have seen in stores or what you've been given that you found really thoughtful or useful. Could you easily make that same thing at a fraction of the cost? Would the giver of a homemade gift you received be willing to share her tips/recipe with you?

Second, think about the possibility of revamping what you already know how to do. I have a great hot chocolate recipe that I didn't use for several years. I began seeing hot chocolate "cones" sold in stores for $4-5 each. When I had previously given the hot chocolate as gifts, I put it in basic sandwich bags. Now I had an idea for a new gift with an old recipe!

Third, don't let what comes your way pass you by. The moms group I belong to had a recipe exchange last fall. One of those recipes was for homemade hand lotion. The mom who shared it mentioned that those she had given it to loved it. All of the women in my family received the lotion for Christmas last year, as did Alayna's teachers at church.

Finally, if you think your homemade gift is kind of lame on its own, come up with a theme to beef it up. To go along with the hand lotion I made, I added in other personal care items that were inexpensive (mostly free with my couponing adventures). I'm already thinking about Christmas gifts this year. My theme? Well, I can't give it all away, but it involves the kitchen.

In case you are interested, I'll leave you with the homemade hand lotion recipe as published in Parkwood Baptist Church's cookbook.

* 8oz Vitamin E cream or lotion

* ½ cup Vaseline

* 15 oz baby lotion

Mix all together. You may prefer more Vaseline. Store in a glass jar with lid. (3-4 oz Mason jars are a good gift size.)

My tips: you can find these items at dollar stores; baby food jars are also a great storage/gift option; I don't believe the exact amounts are necessary- just adjust until the lotion is a good consistency.