GIVEAWAY - Luci Lights - Rock On Solar Power!

This post received no compensation, all opinions are mine and mine alone.

This giveaway is sponsored by MPowered and Hosted by It's Peachy Keen.

 I don't typically promote other giveaways, but I couldn't pass up helping to get the word out about LUCI Lights once I read about them. I love the cause they support, and I can just imagine how beautiful they would look in our new garden and patio next summer, not to mention our camping trips. I'm a little more relaxed just thinking about it.

Enlightened Functionality

Unlike other solar lamps, Luci offers the benefits of a task light, flashlight and diffused lantern in one attractive design. Never reliant on the power grid, she shines brightest where light is inaccessible or not affordable. To light up life with clean energy, Luci is your girl.

Featherweight & Dependable

Luci weighs only 4 ounces and collapses to one inch thin. Add a solar charged lithium ion battery and an 80 lumen light to the mix and you’ve got one impressive lady. Whether it’s for travel, disaster relief or anything in between, Luci always shines bright.

CLICK HERE To buy one or check them out.

Luci Lights are amazing. You have the option to buy one for yourself or buy one to give to someone in need. Can you imagine going about your normal day after the sun goes down? You would be left in the dark literally. In other countries these little blow up lights are their light switches, their way to creating a better tomorrow for themselves. Help MPowered in lighting the way by buying one for you or to give or even both!

My children and I fell in love with Luci. I love them for the bright light it provides. I can easily turn off my house lights and have a whole entire room lite up with a Luci Light. I have one in my car as well just in case. They do have awesome settings built in on top of it just being solar powered and not needing anything but a little sun. They can be bright, brighter, and then they also blink. So this little light is perfect for disaster relief, survivor kits, camping, and more. You could even be gearing up for a zombie kit. Luci Lights are just great for everyday use or when you really need her to be there. Luci Lights are also water proof!! So cool right!

My daughters keep the lights in their tent and we have been using them to light the way on a night time walk. An awesome light in themselves just because of how simple they are and versatile they can be.

GIVEAWAY TIME

It is open to US only. 18+ and winner will be chosen January 12 at Midnight EST. Winner will have 48 to respond when I send out the email. Winner will be chosen and posted on It's Peachy Keen. So be sure to check back.

This blog is not responsible for prize fulfilment or any shipping charges.

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Saving, Earning, Re-using, & Giving With Campusbookrentals.com

When my husband and I were in graduate school getting our teaching certificates, we were on a budget and searched for the most cost effective way to get the textbooks that were required for our classes. We researched and compared every book we needed across a handful of websites. Then, we came across CampusBookRentals.com and compared their rental prices with other popular textbook retailers & renters. The vast majority of the time, it was much cheaper to rent through CampusBookRentals.com than it was to purchase the book compared to what it may be sold for later (those darn revisions...grr).

Image created by April Duda w/permission

  I was in a cohort taking 8-16 week classes and was able to adjust how long I needed the book, which made it even cheaper since I didn't need it an entire semester. While they offer paid shipping options, say if you need your book tomorrow, they offer FREE standard shipping, both ways. They send you a postage-paid and addressed envelope so you can conveniently return your book at no extra cost to you. Since we have used them, they have made some fantastic developments!

Source

For one, they make a donation to Operation Smile for every book rented. So not only are you saving money and helping out the planet by reusing books, you are helping out children in need of life-saving surgery. Operation Smile is "a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery and related medical care for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate." To find out more about this amazing organization, please click the links above, or go to www.operationsmile.org.

Another development CampusBookRentals.com has made is a program called RentBack. Rather than selling your books back at the end of your class, and getting depressed when you take that big hit, you can use RentBack.com to rent your books out to other students. You stand a chance to make 2-4 times more dough than you would by selling it! You can check out their site and see if your book is a hot renter or not to help you decide if you'd be better off renting or selling...or propping up that crooked table. Unfortunately, my Art History books from 2006 are not considered hot renters. Shucks. To find out what Rentback.com is all about, check out their video here, or take a gander at the infographic below (Click to enlarge):

Source

You may be asking why I'd choose to blog about a textbook rental service. There are a few reasons actually. One, I've used their service and had a great experience with it. When I began this blog, my goal was to help make my readers' lives more simple by sharing what has helped me, and CampusBookRentals.com helped my family save money when we were living in a 220sq ft apartment and racking up student loan debt. Another goal of mine, is to share tips for green living and its importance with my readers, and I feel that this service promotes that lifestyle by reusing textbooks. I also believe in being kind to one another and supporting organizations and initiatives that make a positive impact on the world, like Operation Smile. I would have rented my books from them anyway based on cost alone, but to know that they turn around and make a donation for every rental is the icing on the cake. 

To sum up all of the awesome things CampusBookRentals.com has to offer:

• Save 40-90% off of bookstore prices

• Free shipping both ways

• Can highlight in the textbooks

• Flexible renting periods

• Donation to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

• If you change your mind and/or drop your class, you have 21 days to return your rental for a full refund

• If you decide to keep your book, you just pay them the difference and it's yours
• Fantastic customer service (in my experience!)
• 15 Day grace period for returns
• Their envelops are bright colored, so they're not as easy to lose!
• Sale! Use code FallSale70 for $8 off any order over $70 (limited time)
• Went and bought that expensive Art History text? Check out RentBack.com

I was compensated by Campusbookrentals.com for this post. Please view my disclaimer for more information on how this does not effect my personal opinion.

 

Woolzies Dryer Balls - Review & Giveaway - Sweet Summer Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the

Sweet Summer Giveaway Hop

hosted by

Planet Weidknecht

and

Passport to Frugal

From August 17-31, you can visit all the participating blogs listed below and enter to win their wonderful prizes to top off your summer in a sweet way. Each blog is offering a giveaway prize of at least $25.00 and you might be lucky enough to win them all!

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"This set of six handmade pure wool dryer balls are special in several ways. They deliver the same benefits for laundry as conventional fabric softeners WITHOUT all the nasty chemicals. They save everyone a lot of money by eliminating the need to continuously spend on fabric softener liquid and sheets. They cut down on the time it takes to dry a typical load by at least 25% thereby saving everyone even more money and cutting down on fossil fuel usage. Finally, being as that they are handmade in the democratic republic of Nepal, they provide a steady source of income to the desperately needy women of that developing nation."

After learning what dryer sheets actually contain (All D's & F's according to the EWG) and what they do to your clothing (animal fat anyone?), I stopped using them and looked to alternatives. I also stopped using fabric softener and replaced it with distilled white vinegar. Our clothes and towels were still soft and felt even cleaner! Perhaps it was in my head, but I loved knowing they weren't coated with toxins and gunk. I was noticing some static cling issues and would occasionally throw in a dryer sheet with the towels...while making an "eww" face. 

First, I read that you can roll up a ball of tin foil and throw it in the dryer as a replacement for dryer sheets. And although the Woolzies product insert actually recommends doing that along with their dryer balls, I feel I need to do a bit more research first to see if anything comes off on the clothes at high heat. I'm sure it doesn't, but since the ball does wear down over time, I'm just not sold on it. In my mind Aluminum=bad (I'm a new mom researching vaccines...and deoderant). Then I started seeing ads for wool dryer balls.

My first thought? "Psh...I could make those and save a ton of money! I'm a super-wife!" But then I saw that a skein of pure wool yarn costs about $8, and you'd probably use almost a full skein per ball. Even if you only needed 4 skeins, that's still $32ish. Then you have to roll them and felt them which required a few runs in the washer and dryer. Woolzies will only cost you $35 and they're already made for you. Yay! So this is a case where I'd prefer to purchase over DIY (which is rare for me!). Since I'm newly a work-at-home momma, I'm also always looking for ways to save while reducing toxins and waste. These were a fantastic solution for us!

Woolzies sent me a box of their dryer balls (6) to try out and review (they were also awesome enough to sponsor this giveaway!). I started using them right away and took some notes on drying time since they claim to reduce it by at least 25%. I didn't do the math, but it did significantly reduce the drying time, even for towels. I was able to use the "less dry" setting on every load of laundry from clothing to towels to our comforter, and they came out dry, soft, and fluffy. I use low heat on clothing (which is better for them, too!) and they still come out dry on the "less dry" time setting. I'd occasionally find a thick collar or wasteband still damp, but would rather let those air dry than wear out the rest of our clothes.  

Now let's think about this...if you have 6 balls rolling around in your dryer, they are going to break up the load. This allows more air to flow between your laundry. Hence the recommendation to throw in a few tennis balls with a large comforter. Guess what? Tennis balls stink. Bad. (Are they loud? Our laundry room is in the basement and our living room is right above it. We can watch TV without hearing them. When the house is quiet, yet we do hear them. But unless you sleep next to your laundry room, I wouldn't worry about the noise. It also depends on how large of a load is in the dryer). Woolzies dryer balls work very well for large bath towels, are awesome at breaking up large loads of little baby clothes, and are a HUGE help when I can't hang dry my cloth diapers and need dry inserts and flats STAT.

A couple of examples to give you an idea of the size. The hubby pointed out that not everyone would know what an Oball is. Though if you have a baby, you should. We love this thing.

So do I recommend Woolzies dryer balls? Hellz yeah I do. 

• Reduced drying time?  Yes
• Left clothes/towels all snuggly soft?  Yes
• Reduced static? Yes
• Save $$$? Yes (A box of 160 sheets will cost you around $11 for 240. Dryer balls last at least 1000 loads. So dryer sheets = $.05/load. Dryer balls = $.03/load. Woolzies Dryer Balls will save you $15 over those 1k loads. That adds up!
• Left animal fat and, let's just say crap, all over my laundry?  No, no they did not. (If you do want a scent to your laundry, you can use some pure essential oil to put a drop on a ball or two). 

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a set of 6 dryer balls from Woolzies! Giveaway runs through the 31st!
(Woolzies sent me this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion and review. A positive review was not required.)

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Summer Baby Loving Blog Hop Giveaway!

Welcome to my first giveaway post! I'm pretty excited...and even more excited that I have the opportunity to participate in this Blog Hop to celebrate summer! This giveaway is for a set of four stainless steel drinking straws to help you reduce plastic waste and enjoy those refreshing cold summer drinks even more :) 

After reading and entering my giveaway, make sure you check out our hosts: Cloth Diapering Again, The Inquisitive Mom, and Our Piece of Earth and the grand prize giveaway! Not to mention all of the other bloggers who are participating (linky at the bottom of this post). Good luck!

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 Stainless Steel Drinking Straws

(Image from Amazon.com - This photog's camera is getting some TLC)

When I found out I was pregnant, I kicked my coffee habit (only a mug or two a day) right away. Even though I read that 200mg of caffeine a day was perfectly safe, I also read a comment that said "better a headache than heartache" and it really stuck with me. I would have a sip now and then, or a tiny bit in my almond or soy milk just to get that coffee taste when I was missing it. 

Then, after our little E arrived and I recovered from the birth (about 2 or 3 weeks), I really started wanting my coffee back but wasn't sure about drinking it while breastfeeding. I was still being very cautious, but the hot weather was making me miss my iced coffee. So I started making coffee cubes (I used silicone trays I found at Target so I could pour the coffee in hot). The cubes are each around an ounce. I didn't feel too worried about slowly drinking 2oz of coffee as it melted in almond milk (with a little bit of organic sugar). What I did start to feel guilty about was using a plastic, disposable straw everyday. So then I began looking into alternatives. 

The options I found were hard plastic, glass, paper, and stainless steel. The paper straws are adorable and would be super fun for a party but do get soggy if they sit in the drink for a little while. Ew. I'm just not a big fan of plastic and try to avoid it. Now, I love glass, but they were a bit more expensive and even though some say they are unbreakable, I just wasn't sure. What I do like about these is that they are clear so you can truly see if they are clean, but that isn't something I have worried about with the stainless steel straws. In the end, I decided to go with stainless steel based on their price, shape, and material.

What I love about these straws:

• Eco-Friendly!
• No BPA (which is in your basic plastic straw from what I understand)
• They're fun & make me feel nostalgic 
• They get cold with your drink which is awesome on those really hot days
• You can use them to sip hot drinks, which you should not do with plastic (I have used the SS ones once for hot tea and the straw got warm but not burning hot - Although I can not be held responsible if you burn yourself, your drink my be hotter than mine and I wouldn't recommend giving it to a child until you know the drink is cool enough).
• I find them very easy to clean with the included pipe cleaner

Cons (Honestly, I couldn't find any. These are what I have read in other reviews):

•  You have to clean them (well, duh. But it is easy with a pipe or brush cleaner and hot soapy water. Try to rinse after use or soak in hot soapy water)
• You can't bite them...duh again. I was a straw biter, too. But that really is a bad habit and these can help you kick it!
• They don't bend. No, they don't bend more than they already are. I've never found this to be a problem and think they are bent at just the right angle. 
• They're expensive! Sure, they are more than a pack of plastic straws. But they will pay for themselves, prevent you from sipping BPA, and help the environment. They are less than glass straws and I think very reasonable.  

 Where can I get a set? (This is a self sponsored post so I may recommend a few different vendors)

• Here is a set of 10 for $18 on Amazon with free shipping if you have Prime
• Here is a set of 4 for $9, also free shipping with Prime
• If you don't want a bend and prefer a straight straw (good for those reusable to-go cups!) you can find those here.
• Enter the giveaway below to win a set of four! (Open us US only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Welcome to the Summer Baby Loving Blog Hop Giveaway, hosted by Cloth Diapering Again, The Inquisitive Mom, and Our Piece of Earth, in celebration of babies and mamas! There are two grand prizes up for grabs, one open to US and Canada, and one open just to the US.

Don't forget to enter the grand prizes!

 

Go here to enter to win a grand prize!

Each blogger has a prize worth at least $25 on their blog, so hop around on the linky and enter to win some summer baby loving.

Cloth Diapering Again, The Inquisitive Mom, Our Piece of Earth, and Summer Baby Loving Blog Hop Giveaway participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfilment.
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