My Favorite Goods and Services

Here you’ll find a list of all of my favorite tools and services, from blogging to homeschooling to finance and everything in between! At the end of the page, you can find a list of all of the discounts you can get from my codes and links.

This page contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases through them as well.

Homeschooling

AmblesideOnline

This is what we use for our overall curriculum and it has been so wonderful to be able to access for free. You can read about how we use it in my term overview posts here.

Beautiful Feet Books

This is a great source for homeschooling books and resources, including the blank maps we used for the Holling C. Holling books in Years 1, 2, and 4.

Living Book Press

Another great resource for high-quality, out-of-print books, many of which are found in the AmblesideOnline curriculum!

Home Science Tools

I use this site to get all of the supplies for our science lessons. I have been very impressed by their variety and the quality of their products! (Get $10 off your first order with my link!)

RightStart Math

This is the math program we have used since first grade, and I absolutely love it. It offers different ways of learning various math concepts through hands-on activities with manipulatives and all of the lessons are scripted and laid out for me in advance so I have to do very little prep work.

Bookfinder

This is where I find all of my used books and it’s a great way to save money while homeschooling!

Epson EcoTank

I have had the 3700 model since 2017 and use it for all the printing in our house, including our homeschool materials, and I absolutely love it. I was able to use the ink bottles it came with for more than two years before I had to buy any and I print a LOT. It prints beautifully and it saves so much money on ink!

Homekeeping

Plan To Eat

I have used Plan To Eat since 2010 to keep track of my recipes, make weekly and monthly meal plans, and build grocery lists. It has saved me time, money, and sanity as it makes meal planning SO MUCH easier than how I used to do it. You can read about how I use it here. (Get a 45-day free trial plus 20% off your first year with my link!)

The Minimal Mom

If you need guidance to begin decluttering, getting more organized, simplifying, and freeing yourself from stuff, I can’t recommend this YouTube channel enough. Every time I need inspiration to get some decluttering done, I load up one of Dawn’s videos and it’s the perfect motivation.

Clean Mama

I love this site for decluttering tips and homemade cleaning solutions that are inexpensive and much healthier than their store-bought counterparts (and they actually work!). I have used her ideas along with FlyLady to create my own cleaning routine.

Plant Therapy

Did you know that some essential oils are not safe to use around kids? I didn’t until I started using this company’s products. They have an entire line of oils and blends that are specifically formulated to be safely used around children. I’m currently using Germ Destroyer mixed with my all-purpose cleaning spray as well as our hand soaps. Their oils are high in quality, but well-priced, they offer free shipping, and they have a very generous rewards program! (Get $10 off your first order with my link!)

Sunday

We started using this service in 2021 and were very impressed by the results. Not only do they have a general idea of the soil conditions in our area, they also send a soil kit so they know exactly what they’ll need to send us and at what times of year. They also mapped our yard so they knew exactly how much they’d need to send us as well. If you have a lawn of any kind, I highly recommend this service! (Get $50 off your first order with this link!)

Shopping

Rakuten

Formerly known as Ebates. I have the Chrome extension that automatically tells me when there are coupons or cashback for a site I’m visiting! Occasionally they have 15% cashback on many sites which is a nice little discount for things I’m already planning to buy!

Honey

If a site doesn’t offer any Rakuten discounts, I use this with Chrome to automatically find coupons for me when I’m in the checkout. They also offer a type of rebate system, and if Rakuten doesn’t offer a discount for a certain site, I’ll use Honey. Instead of offering cashback, they give you points for each purchase instead. When you collect enough points, you can redeem them for giftcards at stores like Amazon!

Gifts

nature + nurture

Tricia has curated an absolutely beautiful array of gifts, including books, nature items, art, games, stationery, and more! She ships anywhere in the United States and packages the items with a great deal of care. One of these days I hope to go out to Ohio and live in her shop for a few days. (Get $5.00 off your order with my link!)

Finance

YNAB

I have been using YNAB for several years to keep both our home and business finances squeaky clean. They’re always making improvements and I’ve been so thankful for how easy it has made budgeting!

SeedTime

I really love the approach Bob and his wife, Linda, have toward money. He sent me a copy of his book, Simple Money, Rich Life, and I agreed with it wholeheartedly. If you’re looking to get out of debt and live more free, I highly recommend their methods!

Freedom Filer

I have been using this filing system for over ten years, and it has kept all of our paperwork, including taxes, bills, receipts, and all of our other important documents, well-organized and easy to find!

Beauty/Fashion

Kettle Care Organics

I was first introduced to this company through Azure Standard and I absolutely love their offerings, especially their Balancing Lavender Face Cream. All of their products have ingredients I’m comfortable with putting on my skin and finding a natural skin care regimen that is actually affordable has been a fun little way to pamper myself on a daily basis.

thredUP

I get about 95% of my wardrobe on thredUP these days, which has saved me a LOT of money. I love that they offer all of my favorite brands, especially for hiking clothes. (Get $45 off plus free shipping on your first order with my link!)

Pact

I’ve started buying from Pact in more recent years as they offer clothing made with natural materials (mostly organic cotton) and use fair trade factories to manufacture their clothing. It’s also very comfortable and durable! (Get 15% off your first order with my link!)

Food/Supplements

Azure Standard

I have been using Azure since 2012 to save money on bulk items as well as hard-to-find-at-the-store products, including perishable items. They deliver to a central drop point in different locations, so check to see if they’re in your area! (You can see my favorite things to buy at Azure here.)

Perfect Supplements

I get grass-fed collagen peptides, gelatin, and desiccated liver from this company. You can get a 20% discount if you buy three of their products, or a 25% discount if you buy six or more of their products, so I like to bundle these three items together.

Blogging

WordPress

This is my content management system, and I recommend it to anyone starting a new blog. In my 20+ years of blogging, I’ve done everything from hand-coding all of my posts to using Greymatter, Blogger, Movable Type, and now WordPress. I also contracted with Six Apart back in 2005 responding to support tickets for TypePad. WordPress is the most user-friendly and easy content management system I’ve used to date. If you have your own domain and hosting, you can install WordPress on your own server, or get started for free on theirs.