I just glammed up my eight year-old and gave her a real beauty-pageant-style makeover complete with all the trimmings; rose blusher, mascara and candy red lips. While I thought she looked charming, my husband took one look at her and suddenly his face got all distorted and for a split second I honestly thought he might be having a stroke...Thankfully he wasn’t in any actual physical pain- rather- his was a look of utter disgust and he accused me-under his breath- of trying to encourage our daughter to become a woman of the night. But being that he's the kind of guy- who abhors any kind of artificial enhancement to a woman’s body—he’s not even a fan of a little lip gloss- I wasn't all that surprised by his reaction. But lest you think I'm trying to pimp my daughter out, let me give you a little context...
Her makeover was in honor of her dance recital pictures. Every year her dance teacher encourages us parents to doll up the girls and really give them that extra sizzle for their pictures. And as a wanna-be-make up artist trapped in a writer's body I was more than happy to oblige and excited to give my girl’s normally alabaster skin a pinch of color. Sure I might have gone a little overboard, but c'mon she does look cute!
In any event, my husband has this sweet annual ritual of snapping some shots—before she takes the professional pictures- to prove to me- and anyone who will listen- that there’s no reason to pay good money for these professional photos when he can get the same quality photos and print them up too.
Well we just got the new All-in-one Kodak ESP-7 Inkjet printer and I finally must admit- although never to him- that he was right. The pictures we printed up are pitch perfect- as clear, if not clearer, than the expensive professional ones we paid for.
And if gorgeous pictures weren’t enough- this Kodak
Inkjet printer- actually uses a helluva a lot less ink than the other one I’ve since chucked into a far corner of the attic. If you don’t believe me- you can calculate just how much you may have been overspending on printing ink at Kodak’s "Print and Prosper" site. Kodak is essentially on a one-company campaign to get the word out about the fact that last year alone, US consumers overspent $5.0 Billion on Inkjet Printing. I found out that I overspent $174 last year on ink- EEK! Never again...
With Kodak's new line of all-in-one printers, the average American (yes- you!) can save around $110 a year. And if you’re looking to save a few shekels not only in the ink department, but in other areas as well, it might not hurt to have a gander at Yahoo finance expert and author of Money &Happiness, Laura Rowley's fabulous ways to cut- some of your at-home costs too.
Rowley suggests that us real moms can actually MAKE A LIVING FROM YOUR LIVING ROOM and use your family room to unplug, literally. Vampire drain of electricity in “standby mode” –turned off but still plugged into the wall – drains our wallets $3 billion per year. Plug items into fuse-protected power strips that don’t suck energy from the wall when turned off. Check out the rest of her cost-saving tips here.
But why, you ask, am I sharing this bit of news with you, because one lucky commenter is going to get the opportunity to win their very own Kodak Inkjet printer and… drum roll please, a chance to win a full scholarship and travel costs to attend the BlogHer conference in Chicago this summer.
I know it may be hard to contain your excitement but keep reading for all the glorious details...
Just a few of the features you'll get from a KODAK ESP 7 All-in-One Printer
Print, copy, and scan photos and documents for less.
Save up to 50% on everything you print compared to similar consumer inkjet printers. | |
Built-in, secure, Wi-Fi printing and Ethernet connectivity | |
| Dedicated photo paper tray |
Print up to 32 pages per minute in black and 30 pages per minute in color | |
The most intelligent paper tray system in the consumer inkjet printing industry | |
Built-in duplexer |
And don't forget- the winner of this printer will also have an opportunity to win a full scholarship and travel costs to attend the BlogHer conference in Chicago this summer! Whoo HOO!
To enter this giveaway all you’ve got to do is check out Kodak’s print and prosper campaign, use the Ink Savings Calculator and leave a comment about how much money you could save in a year by switching to a Kodak printer. Of course if you'd like to share just how you would use a new Kodak ink jet printer to stimulate your family economy...we're all ears!
Also you can get a bonus entry tweeting about this contest too; just enter your tweet as a comment!Giveaway only open to those with U.S. addresses. Giveaway ends on Thursday May 8th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Friday May 9th Random.org will select one winner, and I’ll email them and announce it immediately.
Good Luck!
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I like itWell... technically I could save about $110 if I kept my printing the same. I would probably print more photos if I had a better printer though. So I might actually not save any money but the VALUE would go up because I'd have all these lovely printed pictures to enjoy!
I would save zero by using this Kodak printer...but let me hasten to explain: My printer is totally broken and I have not printed anything for at least a year. So even if I printed one, single paper, that would be more than I spent in the last year by not printing anything at all. That's okay, though, I would like the inexpensive cost of printing as opposed to the zero cost of printing nothing.
Tweeted the giveaway: http://twitter.com/guettel78/status/1734377023
We calculated a potential savings of over $195 from our current usage - basically the retail cost of a Kodak ESP-7 All-In-One-Printer. And that doesn't include the forthcoming additional expenses of printing resume copies! So savings for the environment and savings for our budget sounds like an ideal win-win combination. 
I would save almost $200 a year!! Thanks for the chance. \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
hat was a fun exercise! I found out I will save $155.61 a year! That’s pretty substantial and I am sure in actuality I will save more because I am sure I print more than I realize! To stimulate our family's economy I want to start a small home based business. A printer is what is missing in my home to get me started with it. Right now we are without a printer in our household. I have been going to Kinkos a few times a week to get my printing done there. So right away having this incredible printer from Kodak would save me from having to pay Kinkos big $$$ to print up my artwork. I would also save a lot of gas money not having to drive to Kinkos which is about 15 miles from where we live. But down to the nitty gritty! I have been wanting to start a small home based business selling my digital artwork to small boutiques and gift shops. I have had a few showings at Barnes and Noble and the response to my work has been enthusiastic and positive and I think I may have a shot at making my ideas and dreams come to life. Financially we are strapped, I want to start this business, but with 3 young children all under the age of 10 any extra money we have goes to their needs and so purchasing equipment like this printer for me to start my business just has to be put on the back burner. I do believe if I had this Kodak printer I would be able to immediately start printing out all of my digital images to use for my portfolio, which is all I really need to get the ball rolling! I create digital art from my original photography. I use Fractals to create very beautiful and unique images and it is something I have been doing off and on for 6 years now and have acquired quite a collection of work! I usually sell my artwork to friends of friends, and it is sporadic and I want to take it to the next level. This Kodak printer really is the most useful tool that is missing from getting me moving on that journey! Thank you for letting me share a little of my dream with you all and for the opportunity to enter.
We have a family of five and we homeschool, and we are paying way too much for our printing needs. We are trying to pinch pennies where we can, and if we win the new printer, it would surely help us cut costs!
Alicia Webster
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$135.91 per year! I could put that towards my kid's school clothes, or make an extra payment on a bill! I NEVER really thought about PRINTERS costing that much in a years time!! Our current printer is uhhh..kinda old and it actually has been having "Paper jams"! LOL It would be WONDERFUL to have a new one that works great and saves $$$!!!
Thanks so much!!
~Sher
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I don't know how I feel about that number, plus it is probably higher seeings how I couldn't find my exact Canon printer on the list and I pay a pretty penny for ink. If the prints were that good of quality I think I would print more at home for my photography business & save money & gas that way. Plus with the $$ I am saving on the ink I could put that towards the lens I really want.
I own a Dell laser printer and I would save a fortune by getting the Kodak printer. We used to do a lot of printing brochures for our clients and the laser printer was awesome. However, business is no almost non existent due to the economy and I'm stuck with a printer that costs me $550 each time I refill the ink. I just can't afford it. I am in desperate need of a new printer that has cheaper ink. The Kodak looks like exactly what I need.
Thanks for the great contest.
Not sure if my first comment went through....I would save $103 a year. Just tweeted also from @jenncallinghome. Thanks for the opportunity!
Another chance to win that Kodak printer and a Blogher pass at http://realmomsguide.shekno...
Aww your daughter is gorgeous! Love that beautiful hair. I bet she loved the makeover
Oh, and I would save around $100 in ink! Thats awesome. My printer is old and junky, so I'd love this new Kodak one. It wuld be great for the new at home business I am starting up! Thank you!!
With the printer I own now I would save about $50.94 a year. That is with the printing of 20 B&W Pages, 14 Color Documents, and 4 Photos. But I do have to say that I am curious to what the cost savings would be without the Color Documents since I print maybe about 2 per month vs. the 14 that the calculator estimates for. : )
We are so in need of a new printer and this is seriously a dream printer- wifi, affordable ink, and a scanner too boot!
Plus, a chance to win a scholarship to BlogHer- can I cry? I want to go to BlogHer so badly and to be able to print the pictures I take while I'm there and scan the business cards that I pick up--- ahh heat is beating just a little faster thinking about that!
Enter to win a kodak ink jet printer over at the Real Moms Guide! http://twurl.nl/bbwua2 #printprosper
Our printer just broke! So we use a fax machine as a printer at the moment. It wasn't listed in the calculator, so I just had to use the industry standard...
I'm not so thrilled about the printer as I am the chance to go to BlogHer in Chicagoland... I've got some great bloggy pals up there that I'd love to meet!
I have compared how much money I could save with a Kodak printer instead of what I have been doing for years--bying new cartridges and after one or two refills, having to buy other new ones.
And I'm looking forward to seeing prints with the famous Kodak logo and see how it compares to the printers I'm used to using.
I have checked on how much money I could save with the Kodak printer instead of constantly buying new cartridges and after one or two refills, having to buy new ones again.
And I'm looking forward to comparing the Kodak product with the quality of the printers that I'm now using.