Five ways to keep warm this cold, cold winter!

Global warming? Riiiiight! Don't know about your neck of the woods, but it's colder this winter in my hometown than it has been in years. So I've been on the lookout for some ways to blast away the chills. Here are five of the best products I've found so far!

1. Cuddle blanket

It seems like every time I turn on the TV, I see a commercial for products just like this. So I wondered, "Why all the hype?" But when I wrapped up in this blanket while I watched an old movie, I instantly knew why everyone was raving. It's super cozy, just like a blanket. But it also has arms like a bathrobe so you can move about freely. Came in really handy when I sipped a cup of hot tea and used the remote control to raise the volume of the TV. And when I accidentally spilled tea on it, I just dropped it in the washing machine and it came out as good as new!

2. Vornado Footrest Heater

Most of the year, I don't mind my office at all. But when the temperature drops, it gets so cold, I feel like an ice cube! So I plugged in this Vornado heater and boy did it thaw me out quick! And the best part, is that it's ergonomically designed and has loads of nodules so as I work, I can put my feet up on it and enjoy a passive foot massage while I work. I also love the fact that it has two heat settings. My office is never too hod, never too cold!

3. Optimus Oscillating Heater

If there's one thing I hate about space heaters it's that they don't distribute heat evenly. On one side off the room it's too hot, while the other side is still cold. That's why my family loves this Optimus heater. Not only does it pump out plenty of heat, it oscillates too, so it warms up the entire room. And here's the best part. Because I don't have to crank up my furnace and heat up the entire house just so the room I want to be in stays warm, I save big on energy bills too. I hadn't thought of this before, but this heater is actually paying for itself!

4. Sunbeam Electric Blanket

During the summer, I love the getting into bed when the sheets are cold. But during winter? That's a whole different story. I hate climbing into bed and shivering until my body heat finally warms up the sheets. That's why I'm glad I picked up this Sunbeam electric blanket. I just turn it on before I hit the hay and while I'm brushing my teeth and putting on my PJs, it's warming up the bed to the perfect temperature. You'll love it too!

5. Plymouth Mocs

Ever notice how cold feet make you feel cold all over? I sure have. And I decided to do something about it. I picked up a pair of these Plymouth Mocs. They look great on me, if I do say so myself, and they keep my feet toasty warm whether I'm sitting around reading the latest book from my favorite author or running an errand or two. Heartland America has an impressive line of Plymouth Mocs, so you're sure to find a pair that you love as much as I love mine!

Four products that pay for themselves

Saving money in this enonomy is a must, and can be challenging. Investing your money wisely and turning a profit is even harder. Well, today you are in luck because I'm going to tell you about five products you can buy that are not only great deals, but solid investments that pay themselves over and over again.

1.) 13 Watt CFL Light Bulbs

The Average incandescent 60W lightbulb will last 1000 hours, thats about 3 hours a day for a year. You would have to replace this standard light bulb 10 times before a CFL lightbulb would need to be replaced. Not only will that save you money on lightbulbs, but CFL lightbulbs use far less electricty and the average family would save $100 a year on their electric bill. Of course you can't forget how much you'll be doing for the planet. To learn more about the cost saving and environmental benefits of CFL light bulbs visit OneBillionBulbs.com.

2.) Oxygenic X-Stream Showerhead

According the an article at bpa.gov, you can reduce your water and heating costs by as much as 50% by switching to a lo-flow showerhead designed to deliver fewer gallons of water with the same pressure as a traditional showerhead. A family of three can easily take over 1000 showers a year, thats a little less than one shower a day for each person. Assuming each person only took a ten minute shower using a traditional 4 gallon per minute showhead, that family would use almost 40,000 gallons of water a year on showers alone. If you switched to a 1.4 Gallon a minute low-flow design showerhead, you would be cutting your hot water usage by a staggerng 65%. Not only are you conserving a valuable resource, but if this water was heated with a standard efficiency electric water heater, your annual savings would be almost $200.

3.)Savoureux ProLine™ Meat Slicer

Do you buy packages of sliced lunch meat? If you do, you would be suprised what you are really paying for. Next time you are at the grocery store take a look at the price per pound on a small cooked ham and then look at the price per pound on a package of sliced ham. More often than not you would pay at least twice as much per pound on the sliced, packaged ham. So your paying a 100% markup for someone else to slice your meat and put it in a nice little package. Not only can you save money slicing your own meat, but it's more healthy because packaged meat is loaded with chemicals and can sit on store shelves for weeks. All around you can't go wrong slicing your own meat, and once you start I dont think you'll look back.

4.) Sham Wow Towels

Yes these are the same Sham Wow Towels we have all seen the infomercial for. The bottom line is these towels really do deserve all of the hype and attention they are getting. This one is a no-brainer, save our forests and your money by switching from paper towels to the Sham Wow Towels which will last you a lifetime.