Throughout my posts, you will see products and services mentioned that I personally use as I believe they are a benefit to me in my personal life and/or my business.
Below you will find a list of these items all on one handy page! They’re sorted by category for your convenience. I will continue to update this page, so check back frequently.
*Please note, this page may contain affiliate links (read full disclosure here). This means that when you click through some of these links, I may receive a commission from products or services purchased by you, at no additional cost to you.
Blogging Resources
Siteground
I currently use Siteground for hosting this website and I would highly recommend them. My website has never been as fast as it is now and customer service is very prompt to answer my questions via phone or live chat.
If you’re going to start a blog that you want to monetize (make a profit through affiliate marketing, advertising, etc), you need to be self-hosted. Starting a blog has been one of the best decisions I’ve made (career-wise and on a personal level!).
Pinteresting Strategies (Updated for 2018!)
Carly Campbell’s Pinteresting Strategies course is, in my opinion, the best resource available for anyone who really wants to understand how Pinterest works – and how to use it to your advantage as a blogger. It’s jam-packed with information on how exactly she was able to receive over 200,000 page views per month just 7 months after launching her blog by using a unique manual pinning method that she developed on her own.
Six weeks after implementing the methods as a new blogger, I increased my blog traffic more than 5x! I also feel like I have a much better game plan for Pinterest than I did before. I’m not just pinning things at random — I understand how Pinterest views my activity and I can adjust my strategy accordingly.
After manual pinning for several months, I felt confident enough to start using a scheduler again once armed with the knowledge of how to use it intentionally. So don’t let the idea of “manual” pinning scare you away – I still recommend this course for a solid understanding of Pinterest. Not to mention – it’s priced much more affordably than other Pinterest courses out there.
This course was just updated in October 2018- it was previously an e-book. I typically DON’T like video based courses but this has a good balance of written material + video, and the videos are incredibly helpful to understand this strategy.
Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers
This is another course by Carly Campbell (can you tell I like her style?). It’s totally worthwhile and I think it’s ESPECIALLY relevant for mom bloggers because she gives some concrete examples for this niche.
It’s also super detailed and packed with a lot of actionable tips I was able to implement very quickly.
I had taken another big-name affiliate marketing course when I was a new blogger and while it was great for understanding the basics of affiliate marketing and proper disclosure, etc., I felt it barely skimmed the surface of how to realistically make money because it was short on real-life examples that worked for ANY niche. (It was also 4 times the price of this course!) Obviously, I don’t promote courses I don’t think are worthwhile so I’m not even going to mention it here!
Check out Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers Here.
PicMonkey
PicMonkey is the photo editing software that I use to edit my graphics for my blog and on Pinterest. Along with implementing ideas from Pinteresting Strategies, I have spent more time improving my graphic design (Pinterest pins especially) and over the last month, my Pinterest views, saves and blog traffic has grown exponentially! Having professional-looking graphic images on your blog and on Pinterest is critical for growing your blog.
You can get a free 7-day trial for PicMonkey here.
Tailwind
Tailwind is another great scheduling tool for automating your Pinterest activity. You can fill up your “queue” with relevant content from other bloggers all at once and then schedule it to slowly pin these to your Pinterest boards (or group boards) over time. This means you can spend just a few hours a month curating and scheduling content for an entire month!
You can get a free month of Tailwind Plus with my affiliate link here: Sign up for Tailwind.
Whether you are scheduling pins or manually pinning- I highly recommend joining Tailwind Tribes to expand your reach and find great content in your niche. They’re very similar to group boards on Pinterest – but much easier to maintain. In my opinion, using tribes is a great strategy for growing your reach (in addition to using Pinterest group boards) as it can sometimes to be hard join quality group boards right away, when you’re a new blogger.
BluChic WordPress Themes
I use the Isabelle theme from BluChic and can highly recommend their web themes. Easy to set up, customize and their customer support has been amazing any time I have questions. (Which is often.)
Mailerlite
I recently switched from Mailchimp to Mailerlite for sending regular updates and freebies to my email subscribers. This allows me to keep everyone in the loop about new material on my website, great resources I’ve found that they might be interested in, or special offers and coupons for products that I am affiliated with.
Check out Mailerlite here and you’ll receive a $20 credit on your new account. if you have started a blog but have not set up your email provider yet — you should do it right away! Unlike social media platforms, your email list belongs to you and it can be a valuable asset for monetizing your blog and growing your audience.
Money Saving/ Time Saving Tools
Capital One 360 Savings
If you don’t have an online savings account you’re missing out! The Capital One 360 Savings account has been a lifesaver (and money-saver, of course!) for our family in the past few years. I have an account that’s linked to my brick-and-mortar bank and I can easily schedule deposits and transfer funds between the two. I love that you can set up several “accounts” within your main savings account (For instance, “Vacation fund”, “Christmas fund”) so that I can set specific savings goals. You don’t have to worry about having a minimum balance, there’s no fees and they offer competitive interest rates as well. It’s really a no-brainer!
Be Frugal
If you shop online, EVER, you should be using Be Frugal. Simply create an account, select the website you’re going to buy from; shop as usual; earn cash back! Literally no effort required. Earn $10 for every friend you refer too! (see terms and conditions)
Natural health & wellness products/companies
Rocky Mountain Oils
The best place in my opinion to buy 100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils, at a fraction of the cost of their competitors. As a direct-to-consumer essential oil company, you will not only save money when you purchase from Rocky Mountain Oils – you’ll also receive free shipping on every order!
Organic Feminine Hygiene Products
Primal Life Organics
I stumbled upon this company about 10 months ago when I was having some major issues with tooth sensitivity and believe it or not, after using Primal Life Organics‘ Tooth Powder for about 6 weeks, I started to see a huge difference in my tooth sensitivity.
Another product I’ve used and loved is the Bare Face Package. My skin has been a little crazy over the last few years. (I blame it on pregnancy hormones and stress). The Bare Face Wash and Moisturizer made my skin incredibly soft, has helped prevent acne better than anything else I’ve tried and is very moisturizing without making my skin oily.
Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
Mrs. Meyers Dishwasher Tabs
I have tried many natural dishwashing detergents without great luck, but Mrs. Meyer’s Automatic Dish Packs have worked great even with our hard water. I like that they’re 97% naturally derived and cost about the same as the other brands (which are loaded with chemicals we probably don’t want on our dishes and consequently- in food).
Method Dish Soap
Biokleen Free & Clear Powdered Laundry Detergent
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
• Read more about easy, “natural” swaps you can make in my article, A Practical Mom’s Guide to a Healthier Home This Year.
Baby Items
Earth Mama Angel Baby Products
I’m in love with the Earth Mama Angel Baby Body Wash in Natural Orange Vanilla. It’s been a great alternative to other baby washes that contain potentially harmful chemicals and synthetic fragrances.
They are known for their high-quality organic ingredients and the Earth Mama® Herbal Teas are another very popular item.
Honest Company
After battling constant diaper rashes with our other three children in the past, I tried out the Honest Company with baby #4 and have really been impressed with the quality – and no more diaper rashes!
Bambinoland
Organic Muslin and Bamboo Blankets, Crib Sheets, Burp Cloths, Bibs and more! We especially like the 2-layer blankets and the leg warmers at our house! Seriously some of the softest baby products I’ve ever used (and they offer much lower prices than their competitors.)
(Read more about the above products here: “Top 5 Baby Products for the Natural-Minded Mom“).
Parenting Resources
Love & Logic Magic for Early Childhood
Love & Logic contains popular techniques that are often used by teachers in the public schools. It features simple discipline techniques that anyone can implement right away.
Boundaries With Kids
Boundaries with Kids is a great resource that I’ve used as a teaching tool in parenting classes, and I’ve also implemented it in my home. It stresses Bible-based instruction, the need for setting limits with love and instilling strong character in our kids.
Read more about my parenting journey here:
Why I upped my Discipline Game after Baby #4.
When Conflicting Advice Threatens Your Parenting Confidence, Remember This
Teaching Kids Respect- in a Positive Way
Resources for the Christian Life
From my 5 Favorite Online Bible Study Tools Series:
• Doorposts Blog and the Blue Letter Bible
Others that I enjoy:
Right Now Media : A huge video library of Bible Studies from today’s popular Christian speakers and authors- a great resource for Churches and small groups.
Proverbs 31 Ministries: Devotions and podcasts for Christian women.
The Bible Project: Visual Storytelling Meets the Bible! This has been an incredible free tool for our Sunday School class and my personal study.
Institute for Creation Research: Scientific discoveries and current research that points to the evidence of Creation, from leading scientists. You can also sign up for the free Acts & Facts magazine here.