About Affiliates, Partners and Gratitude

Affiliate Disclosure & Thanks

Hey, I just want to say thanks for making a difference. The commissions I earn from your purchases help me to provide lots of free support to hurting moms. So thanks in advance for your support!

What follows is a detailed explanation of affiliate links, how they work, why they are a blessing, how I choose which ones to use, and why I use them on this site.

Legalese: Material Connection Disclosure

In compliance with the FTC guidelines, please assume the following about links and posts on this site:

This site is a project of Complete Essentials LLC and represents a good faith effort to improve the lives of our readers. Every link on this site is an affiliate link from which I receive a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same for you. If it is not a paid link, it is due to my dereliction of duty in that area, and it will become a paid link soon. Since affiliate links provide products at the same cost to customers, I consider it my moral duty to use them whenever they are relevant.

We may also support this project by allowing strictly limited ads and occasionally including approved links to other partners.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials.”

My Affiliate-Friendly Worldview

When I learned about affiliate marketing, I was thrilled to discover that I could be paid to continue doing what I had already been doing for free for many years: recommending products and services to my friends and family that have helped me solve problems.

Affiliate links act like referral fees in business or real estate. This means you pay the same whether you use my affiliate link or not (unless I’ve negotiated a discount for you). If you use my affiliate link, the company pays me a small commission out of their profits to thank me for sending you their way.

This is called a win-win-win relationship:

You win because I research many possible solutions and help you find the best ones.
Business owners win because they get more customers.
I win because the companies I recommend compensate me for my work when it connects them with customers.

How I Choose Affiliates

Every product I write about on this blog, I’ve spent my own money on and love! Many of the books I recommend are those I give repeatedly as gifts to friends and family. Every review or endorsement is my own honest opinion.

My first priority is providing resources to help you create positive changes in your life and I will only ever link to products or resources (affiliate or otherwise) that fit within this purpose.

Limited Endorsement Disclaimer

Please note that my endorsement of a specific product or service is not a blanket endorsement of every product produced by that company, nor of the people running it. I probably don’t know who they voted for in the last election, where they attend worship services, which Bible version they use, how they treat their dog, or whether they eat shellfish. Thankfully, God did not task me with straightening everyone in the world out. It’s been a full-time job dealing with my own issues.

That said, it’s likely that most of the products and services I recommend are provided by people/companies who share my core values of integrity, respect, compassion, and freedom of conscience. If they claim to be Christians, they act like it. If they don’t claim to be Christians, they don’t attack those of us who do.

I trust my readers to have the discernment and maturity to do their own due diligence when considering my recommendations, and to weigh them against their own unique circumstances and worldview.

Our Partners

I’m a grateful member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to allow participants to earn commissions by linking to Amazon. In simpler terms, this means that whenever you purchase anything on Amazon from a link here, I get a small percentage of its price (at no additional cost to you).

Here’s the legal mumbo-jumbo Amazon prefers that I use:

Complete Essentials LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com or endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com. Pages on this site may include affiliate links to Amazon and its affiliate sites on which the owner of this website will make a referral commission.

Resources and Quick Links

If you are going to purchase a product and would like to help support Smarter Joy’s mission to help moms heal and enjoy abundant life, links to many of the products I use and recommend can be found on the Resources page.

As I explained above, if you go through my Amazon affiliate link for any product, I will receive a small commission from anything you buy there within 24 hours. Again, there is no additional cost to you. If you feel that my little labor of love on the web has benefited you and your family, you can help support my efforts by using any of the links for products. Thanks!

The following are companies I have or plan to have an affiliate relationship with:

Amazon.com – Most recommended products are:

Mountain Rose Herbs– Most clicked links are

Peaceful Planet – Where I order Fermented Cod Liver Oil,

GetBerkey – Our choice for our own water filter (that also filters fluoride). They sell the Berkey, the best water filter option I’ve found.

Athletic Greens – Best real-food greens powder I’ve found.

For a complete list of my current endorsements please see Third-Party Providers (link).

How Affiliate Links Make Life Better

Even in an online business, there are unavoidable costs associated with running and maintaining it, and affiliate links are a way we help offset these costs.

I am a happy capitalist. In his book, “Thou Shall Prosper,” Rabbi Lapin calls every dollar earned in business a “certificate of appreciation” from your customers. I figure, if I can help enough moms be happier and discover the joy of living on purpose, the money will take care of itself.

Thank You for Your Support

Thanks so much for reading SmarterJoy.com.

The commissions I earn from your purchases chosen through our site directly support the free resources we provide to discouraged moms and non-techie business owners. (“We” = Morgan Reece and the family that gets dinner on the table while mom is blogging). This helps strengthen families, boost mental health, and support creative freedom. So thanks in advance for your support!

When you choose resources through any of our partners or associated affiliate programs you are voting with your wallet to keep this website going. (And remember, this happens at no additional cost to you! Sweet!)

Thanks for each and every resource you choose from our recommendations that makes this ongoing project and many others possible.

Affiliates, partners, and ads help offset the costs of running this site, and I’m grateful for every penny!

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