This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

As a mom, I do the grocery shopping for my family. Ok, I also do it because I'm the only adult who lives in this house, but still, even when I was married, grocery shopping was my job. So, when money started getting tighter and tighter around here, I started switching to cheaper brands and in some cases, even store brands. Those who know me know that I don't tend to go towards what I've dubbed "generics." But, when money is tight, you do what you have to do.

According to a report I just read, I'm not alone in that way of thinking. Eight out of ten supermarket shoppers see no improvement in the economy, and 40% say things have actually gotten worse in recent months. That's a bit scary, isn't it? I mean, I live in Michigan so I know the economy sucks. I know people who have been trying to get a job here for over a year and are just now getting a few leads. So, I'd have to say that maybe it's improving, but it sure is improving slowly.

It turns out that I'm not alone in buying more store brand than I used to be either. The same report said that 62% of consumers plan to buy more store brands as they deal with the tough economy. It seems that 57% of the shoppers that were surveyed actually say they're frequent buyers of store brands. I don't think I would put myself in that category, but I can understand people who are!

This next group is probably the category that I'm in. The survey showed that 43% of shoppers are trying store brands for the first time where they used to buy only national brands. Plus, 97% of the folks who are now trying out the store brands are happy with them. I've been a bit hit and miss in that area but I was surprised that some of the store brands are quite good.

Now, if you want to check out the report, you can find it at Recession, Recovery & Store Brands. Also, if you're at Walmart and need diapers, formula or other baby needs, you can check out their store brand: Parent's Choice.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank goodness it's nearly dinner time. This post is making me super hungry and I'm just starting to write it! Are you guys familiar with hormel foods? I admit that I am, but I haven't bought any of their chili in ages. That might change since I just saw their Chili Master line. It looks scrumptious! I'm thinking I need to pick up a can of their White Chicken Chili with beans. I'm thinking it sounds delicious and then I can make a nice yummy salad and some breadsticks to go alongside it.

Ok, now that I've made myself even hungrier, I do want to share a delicious looking hormel recipe with all of you. It's a tough one so you might want to go to the website and print this one out.

Coney Island Dogs-
8 hotdog buns
1 can Hormel® Chili No Beans
8 hotdogs

Directions:

1. Grill hot dogs.
2. Heat chili according to package directions.
3. Place hot dogs in buns. Top each with chili and favorite toppings such as mustard, pickle relish, chopped sweet onion, shredded Cheddar cheese and chili sauce.

Totally hard, right? Nope and totally delicious! I've been wanting chili dogs so bad lately and I think I'm going to give into my craving and pick up some deliciousness when I go into town on Tuesday. Now, I just hope that I still recognize the packaging. Over the years, the packaging has changed and since it's been a while, I'm not sure what it looks like anymore! I know! I'll just look for the classic Hormel foods logo!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 20th Century Fox. All opinions are 100% mine.

I would so love to go out on a date night, but certainly not with all of the excitement that happens in this movie. Tina Fey and Steve Carell star in the new Date Night Movie, that is opening in theatres tomorrow, April 9th, 2010. Thinking they're going to go out for a nice dinner, the couple ends up being involved in shootouts, car chases and even a stop at a strip club!

Now, while I might not want to go through all of that in one night, I think this might make a fun movie to go and see on a more sedate form of their date night. I know dinner and a movie is so...I don't know, old fashioned (?) but it's still one of my favorite ways to enjoy a night out. Besides, even if your date is a bit of a flop, you at least have the movie to talk about over dinner, right? So, while I may not get the opportunity to go see this movie, I hope that some of you will and you can fill me in over a nice dinner. Ok, maybe not dinner but perhaps I can post a recipe and we can pretend while you tell me all about how this movie turned out.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't know about all of you, but movies are love in this house. The boys and I often sit down before bed to watch a movie and just relax together as a family. Due to financial constraints, we don't get to go out to the theatre very often, but when we do, we make sure we pick something that we all want to see. Back at Christmas, our yay friend Jim gave us a "family" pack to the movies in Lansing. The boys immediately jumped all over seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. I'm glad that they did. We loved the movie! We all voted that it was actually better than the first.

Of course, as a mom who lived way back in the 1900's and as a dj who loves playing slightly offbeat music, I was thrilled when Alvin and the gang came back out to play. I love sharing "old" things made new again to my boys.

Now, the movie is out on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download! We're all twitching to add it to our collection. It may be a while before we can afford any new movies, but when we can, this one is going to be right at the top of our list. Plus, there's the Double DVD Pack that includes "The Squeak Along" Bonus Disc, with more music, mayhem and all-new singalongs!

If you're looking for some good family friendly fun, don't hesitate but buy it now. Plus, check out http://www.foxfamilyflicks.com/ for More Munk Mayhem.

For those of you who love getting paid to blog or those of you looking for those of us who love being paid, have you checked out SocialSpark, yet? In their words, Social Spark is “is a Social Marketing Network that connects advertisers and bloggers through an online advertising marketplace.” Perfect for those of us on both sides of the fence!

I know that all of you probably read my previous post about Social Spark, but guess what! I’m back with even more information for those of you who still may be on the fence.

Let me start with their code of ethics. It’s so nice to see a company out there that actually cares about ethics. Their code is so easy, just four simple points:

100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure - You guys trust me and I would hate to lost that trust, so Social Spark makes sure that I let all of you know what I’m being paid for one of my posts (like this one!).

100% Transparency – Every participant is viewable to you, the public! You can check and see which advertisers I’m working with and which opportunities.

100% Real Opinions – It’s up to me to pick the opportunities that I really want to write about. You’ll always get my opinion, not someone else’s that I’ve been told to copy and paste into my blog.

100% Search Engine Friendly – Each of the sponsored links that you’ll find in my posts carry the no-follow attribute which helps to protect this blog from being penalized for paid links.

Now, like I said before this was wonderfully easy to setup and one of the things I love the most? Unlike other paid blogging sites, the opportunities are so easy to find! If you find one that you’re interested in and it’s full, just put your name on the waiting list! No more checking a million times a day for an opportunity. If you haven’t checked out SocialSpark, let me encourage you to do it today!