Puffin Pajama Party

Very early on we figured out that one of the girls sleeps better when being held. Obviously, this wasn't practical so I looked into options help her feel secure enough to sleep on her own. Enter the Nested Bean Zen Sack Classic, a lightly weighted sleep sack. It has a weighted spot on the chest, helping comfort babies who need to feel embraced. It is also reversible for babies who are tummy sleepers.

Night one, she became little miss independent. And she has slept in it nearly every night since. AND, it's a puffin print!

I grabbed ours on Amazon, but you can buy directly from Nested Bean for slightly less and often with a coupon code (the Puffin Party pattern was only available through Amazon when I purchased it).

It is also a good way to transition from swaddle blankets to pajamas.

The Amazon Baby Registry

We only registered with Amazon, and I have no regrets. Here are a handful of reasons you can keep your registry in one place.

• Gifted items will arrive directly to your home.

• Returns/exchanges are very easy complete.

• You will get a "Welcome Box" for signing up. Each box is different, but ours included an Amazing Baby swaddle blanket, a cute onesie, a Munchkin travel diaper pail, a Philips Avent 4 oz bottle, and more!

• You get a "Completion Discount", where you can purchase remaining items on your registry. The discount can be used on up to two orders of $2000 US Dollars combined value ($300.00 discount with Prime Membership) for up to 60 days after your expected arrival date.), just by registering for certain items.

  • If you are uncomfortable having certain items on your registry (say nipple cream) you can mark them as private, keeping them on your list, but out of the public eye. MEANING there is no reason not to get the Completion Discount.

• Get 20% off eligible diaper purchases in your baby's 1st year. It's open to all customers who reach $500+ in products purchased from their Amazon Baby Registry. We hit this with our car seats alone, again almost no reason not to get this discount.

• Plus other benefits we didn't even bother with, like discounted photo prints and other Prime related services.

• It makes keeping up with Thank You notes super easy!

This is definitely one of those situations where you can put all of your eggs in one basket.

Acorns, Grow Your Oak

When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately started taking my finances more seriously. I buckled down and took a hard look in the mirror. I listened to Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover on Audible several times over and grew up. I have a pretty healthy 401k set up, but I was definitely curious about investing more, though my focus was on paying off remaining debts.

In July I happened upon a PayPal update announcing you could connect your PayPal and Acorns accounts with ease. This prompted me to conduct a deep dive and see if Acorns was the investment tool for me. 

Two months in and I'm hooked. The found money feature alone is worth setting up an account. I've already earned $28 from shopping with affiliated brands (that I already use on a regular basis) though that money won't hit my invest account until 120 days after each respective transaction. Uber Eats is on the list and with 4% invested per transaction, it's a great deal.

I started out with just an invest account, but have now upgraded to later and spend accounts. The spend debit card offers real time roundups and comes with a super sturdy tungsten card with your signature engraved on the back (pro tip, if you can, use a stylus to sign). Plus, there are extra bonuses for swiping it at local small businesses. 

When you initiate the process of creating your account, you are asked to answer a handful of questions about your financial goals. Your answer choices help determine which portfolio type is right for your needs. You can revisit your settings later if you want to change your investment plan.

If you're interested in starting an account with Acorns, be sure to use my invite link and we'll both get a bonus $5 invested.