I won again?! Pangea Organics sweepstakes

I received notice only a few days after my last post about winning that I had won a hand & body lotion ($18 value) from Pangea Organic's Free Product Friday sweepstakes - for an unbelievable three wins in 2 weeks! Crazy streak of luck I'm having :) After providing my address, the product arrived at my doorstep only a few days later. I haven't used the lotion yet, but it smells fantastic - it's a delicious lemongrass fragrance.

Pangea Organic's products are all organic and fair trade, cruelty-free, and contain NO parabens, petrochemicals, artificial colors/fragrances or sulfates! A big thanks to them for providing awesome natural products and an awesome giveaway!

They have an ongoing sweepstakes on their Facebook page, where you can win a year's supply of their products or one of several smaller prizes. Check them out!

20% off plus free shipping at organic Aromafloria

Aromafloria is an excellent eco-friendly company that produces gentle, natural, fair-trade and organic skin care products. They have firm guidelines to make sure everything that goes into their products is good for you and the environment - and no animal-derived ingredients either.

Through Sunday they're having a special 20% off sale with the coupon code GIFTS2010. Shipping is free through December 31st as a special holiday promotion too! They're also including a free travel size of Healing Waters body lotion with all orders - a triple whammy of deals!

If you're looking for natural skin care products - now's your chance to try them at a discounted price. I have one of their body butters and it's my favorite!

Go green, Save the Earth, Save some money

I don't claim to be an expert in the movement to live greener. I've had an interest for a few years. After all, our children, grandchidren, etc, have to live on this planet after we're gone. My interest really peaked when I realized I could be saving some money AND living greener at the same time. I wanted to share some of my tips on how living greener can save you money.

I know some of these are seemingly obvious. Remember I'm a green newbie. If you have any other tips to share with me and my readers I'd love to hear them.

1. Recycling

We all know recycling reduces waste, reuses items to give them a second life. My town does not have a city wide recycling program. They have a few bins scattered in town where you can take minimal items like newspapers and clear glass. We save all of our aluminum cans. There is a local recycling company not far from my house. You can take your recyclables there and they pay you depending on the weight of all the items you bring. It's not enough to quit your day job over but we average $12 each trip. Hey $12 a pack of steak at walmart. If your town has a city wide recycling program it can cut down on the amount of garbage going out.  In my town you are allowed so many bags per week.  If you have more than the allotted amount they charge you extra.

2.  Organic Gardening

This is still something I'm learning more about. What I do know is, that instead of buying all those fertilizers, pesticides, special soils, etc you can make your own at home AND it's safer for the environment AND your kids and pets.  As I said I'm still new to this but little facts like planting marigolds around your garden will deter rabbits.  Or use a soapy water spritz as a safe pesticide (bugs don't like the soapy taste).  Composte bins are great.  Save your potato peels, rotting veggies, etc and use them in your garden.  Used coffee grounds are good for your acidic soil loving plants like Azaleas. 

3.  Energy Savers

We just recently put insulation in our house.  I could not believe the different in our heating oil bills from the year before.  I didn't really think it was going to make that much difference but it did.  The year before We had to fill up our tanks 3 times (I live in PA and it was a cold winter).  Last year only twice.  We also installed a digital thermastat.  We set it so the temp automatically goes 60 over night but kicks on in the morning around 7 just before we start getting up.  While there is an initial cost for these things the savings are long term.    I had also heard that installing solar panels will eliminate your electric bill and in some area electric companies will even pay you!  My husband and I are trying to gather all the facts on this in our area.  We're considering.  If anyone in PA has these I'd love to talk to you. I worry about how they work in the winter when the snow piles up.  Other smaller steps like changing to energy efficient light bulbs, turning unneeded lights off, washing clothes in cold water, and taking shorter showers, can all add up. Not only energy saving for the earth but also money saving steps for you on your electric and heating bills. 


4. Green living rewards programs like Recycle Bank

I've found a couple programs that reward you for living greener.  The best one I know of is Recycle Bank.  You earn points for green choices such as recycling in your community, sending in old electronics to recycle, signing up for their newsletter for green tips and more.  I recently became a Recycle Bank Insider.  I will have more green tips on my blog and Recycle Bank Reward codes.  You can use your Recycle Bank reward points to cash in for products, gift cards, coupons, sweepstakes, and more. 


Those are just a few tips for now.  Please share some of your tips with me.  I'd love to learn more.

Free Stuff, Fun Sites, Contests, and More

Review: Marie Veronique Organics--Kid Safe Sunscreen

In an effort to switch products over to more organic and earth friendly products I welcome trying out organic and green products.

I received a bottle of Marie Veronique Organics--Kid Safe Screen with SPF 25+.  Upon first receiving the Kid Safe Screen I looked over the bottle.  Bottle is recyclable and Contents are biodegradable.  In reading over the ingredients, I was refreshed to see items that were familiar like, green and white tea, for example.

We decided to go to the public pool.  I decided this would be the ultimate test of how the Marie Veronique Organics Kids Safe Screen would work.  I did like that it has a pump top.  I applied it to my kids.  One thing i did notice was it didn't seem to rub in.  The kids were left with, what appeared to me and them to be, white streaky skin.  I tried to take a picture of my one sons belly:

You can see the white patches that just wouldn't rub in on the left side of his belly button and a little above.  The kids were joking with each other and said they were ghosts.

The scent of the product was mild.  I think it was the combo scent of green and white tea along with the mango butter and ylang ylang. 

The bottle clearly states to "shake well." and "Reapply every two hours and after swimming, perspiring, and towel drying."  I made sure to follow the directions as stated.  It did prevent any sun burns.  I even applied it to my 14 month old son and he did fine with it.

The bottle states it is safe and gentle enough to even use around the eyes.  I did apply it to all of our faces.  Some sunscreens can sting when you sweat and it runs in your eyes.  This did not do that. 

I reapplied it several times since the kids were at the pool for almost 4 hours and they were swimming. I applied before we left the house and twice at the pool.  For the the size of the bottle and what the directions say I don't know that this Sun Screen is the best choice for a day at the pool.

Review Summary:

Pros:  Kids Safe, Organic, did protect from sun if followed directions, recyclable bottle and biodegradable contents

Cons:  Expensive for the size ($24 for a 2.7 oz bottle), left streaky residue, need to reapply frequently


Free Stuff, Fun Sites, Contests, and More

Review: Organic Fiji Coconut Oil

EWG safety rating: 0 (that’s excellent!)
 

Budget friendly? $12.99 for 13 oz ($1.00/oz) on Amazon.com

I’ve heard about the wonders of coconut oil from several people before trying it myself. This particular brand is 100% pure coconut oil, all organic and no additives. It has a fabulous natural scent, like a freshly cracked-open coconut. Coconut oil is unique that it’s solid at room temperature, and liquefies as it gets warmer. It’s a little hard to extract from the jar when it’s solid, but in the summer at least, it alternates between a slushy consistency and pure liquid - both of which are easy to apply. I’ve used it on my body and my lips, for which it’s very hydrating. When used as a body lotion, it locks the moisture in all day. It's also great for softening-up rough patches like knees and elbows.

Word of caution: a little goes a long way (when it hits your skin, it liquefies and spreads easily) and if you use too much or don’t rub it in enough, you get a little greasy. I end up with cat fur stuck to me in places it’s not absorbed all the way! But overall, it moisturizes very well, has a wonderful scent, and is all natural – no chemicals absorbed into your body! I definitely recommend it.

Pros:  100% organic, pure coconut oil (no additives), very hydrating, smells fantastic

Cons: Hard to scoop out when solidified, greasy if not rubbed in all the way

Overall: A