Especially in these hard times. I remember having to make small monthly payments on everything in order to afford anything. While I really don’t condone opening credit (we pay everything cash), I know that it’s a convenience and can really help a struggling family.

Gettington.com allows you to do this. By opening a credit account with them, you can choose to pay in one lump sum, pay in 4 monthly installments, or 6 monthly installments.  The below image displays the total amount from the products I added to my cart.  I bought a Uniden Phone System and a French Fry Cutter which totaled a one time payment of $109. 91.  Had I chose to, I could have made 4 payments of $28.41 making the final total $112.99, or 6 payments of $20.00 making the total $115.96.  As you can see, there’s only a $6 dollar difference in paying it out. That’s a HUGE difference than paying something out with those high interest credit cards.

I’m quite impressed with the payment option and can honestly recommend it to those who like and/or need to use credit.  The site is easily navigated with Newest Arrivals, Goodie Bag, and Get Gifts being highlighted.  There are coupon codes all over the site so keep your eyes peeled to make sure you use what’s best for what you are buying.

My Dislikes-Shipping is a little higher than what I’m used to.  I was able to find various coupons that cut the cost down either in shipping or as a percentage off.  Also, there’s not a huge amount of inventory of things I was looking for. For example, in the sleepwear category for women, I only saw a few robes and slippers but not actual sleepwear.

These are things that I’m sure will be improved upon so I definitely recommend you check it out.

If you do decide to shop there, I do have a 15% off coupon code you can use during checkout.  The code GT273 is valid until November 30th.

Upcoming at Gettington.com that may be of interest to you.

Next Thursday, November 12th Gettington starts “Black Friday Sneak Peak” which allows customers to choose some of Gettington’s Black Friday deals.  The top five deals based on consumer votes will become actual Black Friday deals. Consumers will be able to vote for any of the following deals.

1)    A 48” inch soccer table for $49.95 (save 50%)
2)    Bermuda sofa bed for $199.95 (save $80)
3)    10k Diamond Threader Earrings for $62.50 (save 50%)
4)    A robe and throw for $9.95 (save 50%)
5)    10MP Pentax Camera $79.95 (save $20)
6)    10X Digital camera & binocular set for $29.95 (save 40%)
7)    Shiatsu massaging cushion with heat for $49.95 (save $50)
8)    10k Black & white diamond heart pendant for $145.95 (save $150)
9)    8 pc Towel set for $9.95 (save 50%)
10)    7” portable DVD player for $59.95 (save 25%)

In addition to the top 5 consumer voted deals, there will be 70 other Black Friday deals with over half of them at 50% off or more.  And FINALLY, leading into Cyber Monday there will be a Buy and Save with higher discounts the more you buy (10% off a $100 purchase, 20% off a $200 purchase, etc.).

With the FTC “laying down the law” on us bloggers, it’s time to clean up and refine your disclosure policy. While it’s perfectly okay to have a generic statement as your disclosure, I highly recommend your personalize it in your usual writing tone. I also recommend you mark your posts clearly as benefited and/or compensated with whatever your choice of words are.

I’m doing this for three main reasons.

• 1) I want to be in compliance with the FTC and will make sure my butt is covered.


• 2) I want companies to feel safe about working with me and understand what my ethics are as a blogger and as a person.


• 3) I also want new readers and current readers to understand that just because I do receive a free product or compensation, doesn’t mean I can be bought.  My opinions are always my own and if I don’t like a product or company, I simply won’t work with them or accept the sample.  I want them to know that they can trust what I write, about a product/company.

WHAT TO COVER IN YOUR DISCLOSURE

Some things you might overlook that should be considered for your disclosure include, Twitter, Facebook, and Affiliate links.  Clarify your position on on all three of these things.  It’s also important to add a way to contact you on that particular page just in case a reader, company, or blog police need to ask you any questions.  {giggle}

MY DISCLOSURE

Disclosure Policy for A Cowboy’s Wife (dot com)

As of today, November 5, 2009, you will see one of two badges on a review or sponsored post, along with any additional disclosure a company may require.  They will look like this (and lead to my disclosure policy):

BENEFITED REVIEWER

When you see this image, that means I was sent a product for review. I want it to be clear that something was sent to me. Please read the entire disclosure so that you understand how I work!

COMPENSATED REVIEWER

When you see this image, that means I was paid to create the content for this post. That means the time it took to create the content such as researching, writing, editing, and publishing. Again, read my entire disclosure to understand my standards.

As with any and all posts and in my life, I strive for authenticity.  I’ve worked hard to establish a trust with my readers and hope that you all know that I would never lie or deceive you for a product or for money. It’s not how I roll. ;)

OVER TO YOU!

So, what’s in your disclosure and how are you handling review and compensated posts?  I’d love for you to read mine and give me your thoughts on it too.  Maybe I missed something or maybe it’s overkill?  I wanna hear from ya!

You had to know that some kind of horse would be included in my gift roundup this year didn’t you?!  Can you imagine the excitement on Truett’s face when Blaze trots up? Radio Flyer has such a great reputation for quality, fun, and keeping with tradition.  You know the wagons, you know the bounce horses….now meet Blaze, Radio Flyer’s Interactive Horse.

From the website:
Blaze is a beautiful, realistically designed spring horse that responds to a child’s motion with lifelike horse sounds triggered by three levels of riding action: walk, trot and gallop. The interactive Blaze may bring back fond childhood memories for parents and grandparents, as she encourages children to engage in imaginative and active play through riding and caring for the friendly horse; when “fed” the carrot accessory, Blaze responds with eating sounds, and her soft yarn mane can be brushed with the comb accessory.

Tell me what kid would not love that!  And he has a cool name to boot!  While this gift is a bit more on the pricier side, coming in around $150, the durability of all Radio Flyer products speak for themselves. You know you’re getting something built to last that can be handed down to future young’uns!

I always recommend the Radio Flyer products and Blaze is no exception. I can see my cowboy havin’ a rootin’ tootin’ good time on him as I’m sure your little one would too.

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I had an interesting discussion with some folks the other night and one of the main topics that came up was, “How much would you sell your blog for?”  One said $1500, one said $5000, and one said $5 million.  It’s not only an interesting question, it’s a valid one because you never know who might offer you a good chunk of change for your blog.  It happens all the time.

Back when I had Blogging with Cents and was in the Top 50 Money Making blogs…I was offered $6000. I turned it down. Big mistake now because I ended up letting it go due to blogger burnout but at the time, it was my baby. I was so proud to be a woman who was doing well in the affiliate marketing niche,that I just couldn’t let it go.   I think about it all the time…what would I have taken for it?  $10,000?  I just don’t know and for most people, you won’t know until you’re offered something for it. You’re gut will play a big role in deciding, along with your heart and even your current financial situation.

Maybe the real question is, Would you sell your blog?  I think some soul searching will be needed for that decision.  Whether you might want to sell now or later, it’s good to have an idea of what your blog is worth.  And if you’re saying, “but I don’t really make any money so it can’t be worth much”..well, maybe not right now but it could in the future..or someone could come along who NEEDS your domain.  I think it’s a good idea to have some kind of marketing strategy for your blog, just.in.case.

OVER TO YOU

So WOULD you sell your blog, and if so, what number would hit the spot and make you grin?  And I mean that as  serious question.  Maybe an interested buyer is watching this post right now. What is your bottom dollar that you would take for your blog and what is your ideal price?

~~from another time, hands as fine as the dealer in reno…..(name that song)

This is my man.  I know, he’s hot.  Thank you.  I was going to blog something else today but because I got caught up on twitter all night, I had nothing. So you get this fine cowboy. heehee

Photos are from the book he’s in and they’re actually supposed to be black and white but I thought I’d try a different color….

EDITED TO ADD: There’s a giveaway going on for one at Bizziemommy.com that ends on Nov. 12th. Check it out!

EDITED: From the folks at Lightscoop!! If anyone reading this would like to try out lightscoop, we are happy to offer a discount. For 10% off when you purchase Lightscoop – use code TNEWFOLPROMO when you checkout here http://is.gd/2c6of.

It’s hard to get photographers gifts because everything is so dang expensive but the Lightscoop comes in just under $35 and would make for a great gift.

I was asked to review and since I have a SLR camera, I accepted.  It comes with a brief but informative manual, complete with photos and all to show you how to use it.  I read through it all but decided to use my normal settings and just go!  It was super easy to place on the camera and using it was a breeze. From the website:

Lightscoop is a smart low-tech device that creates soft, flattering light by redirecting your camera’s pop-up flash to a ceiling or wall.

Don’t let your convenient little pop-up flash ruin your photos with evil red eye, ugly shadows, hot spots, bleached out faces, underexposed colors, and blurry movement that exist only in your photographs, not in the real world.

Slip a Lightscoop on your camera and never miss out on another fabulous picture! Lightscoop creates soft, natural light and lets you capture the scene the way you see it.

That’s a better description of what I could give you. The best thing I can do is show you the difference it made.  There are times when I’ve wanted to take a picture of the cover of a book or photo inside. I’m weird that way.  I chose this photo of a book we have called, Pitchfork Country-The Photography of Bob Moorhouse.  My brother-in-law is on the cover of that book as well as inside it.  It’s a great picture and I’m a sucker for wagons.  (just in case you need gift ideas for me..just sayin’. )

As you can in the before photo, without the Lightscoop and with the regular flash, it’s very washed out and you can see the light reflection on the book. Not a good photo.

I attached the Lighscoop to my camera and viola!  Now THAT is a HUGE difference!  I’m already sold and that was just the first comparison I did.  I still need to play with it more to get a good feel of what it’s really capable of doing but judging by this photo alone, I’d say it’s worth every cent and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all.

Bloggers all over face the same problem. A great idea, a great blog that isn’t translating into a great moneymaker. Most bloggers first reach for Google Adsense and affiliate links. Both tools are a smart way to get started, but you may soon discover it is just not enough. The question is, “What do I do?”

Once you’ve built up a solid traffic flow then you can start selling ads to local companies that compliment your blog. Even though I have a national audience, my blog, 918couponqueen.com still reaches a local audience as well. For example, I’ve found with my blog, the advertisers like to see at least 250,000 page views per month. 918couponqueen.com is a coupon/money-saving blog, so it made sense to approach advertisers who directly benefit from my content. The result? The first advertiser was a local grocery store chain and they have been thrilled with the response. A contract is drawn up outlines the specifics which includes where the ad will be placed, how long it will run, etc.

A win- win for the advertisers and my blog is all of the media I do. I have weekly segments on the television, write a monthly article for a local magazine and guest host a radio show. If you want local media coverage of your blog, you have to aggressively pursue it. Promote yourself and if the content is good, the media will come. Media coverage not only brands you locally, but also nationally. That way, when you approach an advertiser they already have a general idea of what you do and who you are.

Even our local advertisers love the national traffic flow, as it also gets their name and company out there. Since my blog centers around coupons, I strongly recommend that my advertisers offer coupons to our users. In fact, many of the ads are actually coupons. This not only benefits my blog, but the advertiser as well.

You know your blog and content more than anyone. When pitching your blog to advertisers you must focus on how your content can reach their customers. Know your audience and know your potential advertiser’s audience. Talk about the benefits the company would receive by advertising with you versus other media outlets. Your price points should be predetermined and need to correlate with the traffic you receive. Whatever your price is, stick to it. I would also advise against signing long term advertising contracts because you may undersell your blog. For example, an ad that you sell for $50 today could be worth $150 in six months.

Create a demand to advertise on your site by providing excellent content and the advertisers will follow. Your blog should be a blog that no company could resist!

Guest Post:  Sarah Roe teaches thousands how to save money on her blog www.918couponqueen.com with daily deals, forums and online workshops. She is also the author of The Power of Coupons: 13 Ways to Save. Sarah hosts weekly news segments, a local radio show and will be featured on Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Meyer in 2010

Remember when I wrote about the Living in HD Community the other day. I about died when around 2hrs later, Fedex showed up at my doorstep with some papers.  Papers telling me our family was chosen as a LIHD Family!! WOOHOOO!!!  Papers have been signed and Pre-installation questions answered.

You can read my previous post about it but some of things our family will receive are:

* 50″ VIERA HDTV with web entertainment
* HD camcorder with 5.1 surround sound
* Wi-Fi digital cameras
* Blu-ray Disc player with movies
* Toughbook laptop
* Wii gaming console with games, and more.

And don’t forget, YOU can join the community and apply to become a LIHD Family too!!!

Visit more Wordless Wednesday participants at 5 Minutes for Mom and Extraordinary Mothers.

Visit Wordful Wednesday participants at Angie’s Circus

Visit Mostly Wordless Wednesday participants at Ordinary and Awesome

More Wordless Wednesday at MomDot