I have another fantastic giveaway for you today! A giveaway that is perfect for the kiddos in your life. The prize is away 2 Laptop Lunches Bento-ware lunchboxes – which means there will be two winners!
Laptop Lunches Bento-ware lunchboxes are mix and match with three lidded water-tight containers and two unlidded containers. These are fun lunchboxes that are BPA free and perfect for those school lunches! Eben used his Laptop Lunches Bento-ware boxes all through elementary school. We were a big fan of them because they were very easy for him to pack and open himself.
Laptop Lunches offers a lot of fun menu ideas and recipes on their website too – which just making packing lunch even more fun!
To enter leave a comment telling me who you will give your laptop lunches bento-ware lunchbox! The winner will be announced on December 10th!
NOTE: This post wasn’t written by me – thank you for supporting the companies that help keep Sweet Greens in business.
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Ironing is a chore, but there are ways you can easily improve the efficiency of this job to make it less of a hassle and to have less of an impact on the environment. A steam iron can be a great investment because it can significantly improve the appearance of clothing and at the same time prolong their longevity. And the longer that we can use our clothing, the less often we have to buy more – making it a better choice for the environment too. For similar useful tips that will make ironing more efficient, including during the washing and drying process, check out the advice below.
Iron Temperature
Once your clothes are washed and dried, it’s important to use the correct iron temperature to efficiently get rid of those creases. The iron temperature you use will depend on the clothing material, for which there are basic temperature guidelines found on the label. Nylon and silk, for example, should be ironed out on a low heat. Medium to high temperatures are reserved for wool, cashmere, mohair, cotton, ramie and linen – the same for polyester, but preferably using a steam iron. Once you know the appropriate temperatures, “organize the garments so that you start with the coolest setting first” to make for a more efficient ironing routine.
Reducing Wrinkles
Before you even start to iron your clothes, there are some steps you can take during the wash and dry stage to minimize wrinkles and, ultimately, improve your ironing efficiency. The first thing to take note of is the guidelines on a garment’s label, which will tell you the best temperature for washing. With synthetic materials, the permanent press feature of your washing machine should be turned on, and the water needs to be warm to hot. Fabrics that only require a light wash can be spun in cold water.
Other Energy Efficient Ironing Tips
•         The preferred type of water to put in your iron for prolonging its life is soft water; hard water contains minerals that will precipitate and, over time, block your iron, making it less efficient.
•         Hang your clothing straight after ironing to prevent new creases from forming.
•         You shouldn’t iron soiled clothing as the stains will be harder to wash out.
See For Yourself
Hopefully these tips will help you improve the efficiency of your ironing and make it less laborious. Tips like using the correct iron temperature to remove creases will certainly make for a more efficient task. As will washing and drying correctly. Give the tips a try and find out for yourself.
This year, the mister and I really started to focus on buckling down and saving money. We started by establishing and sticking to a reasonable and responsible budget, made financial goals and plan to continue our strategy for 2015, in hopes that we can reach all of our financial goals in the coming years. To set yourself up for financial success in 2015, I have put together some of the tips that we are using for inspiration. I hope they help you save more money!
Get Set Up
Set up a Capital One 360 Checking and 360 Savings account, both are fee-free and earn interest. We use Capital One 360 because their mobile app makes it super easy for me to deposit all of my monthly earrings, and makes it simple to see how much we have in checking/savings at anytime, how much interest we are earning and I can make quick transfers from either accounts when necessary. Plus, if you ever need to call customer service, they are super friendly and helpful!
Set Your Goals
I highly recommend sitting down with a pencil and paper and writing down your financial goals and establishing a reasonable budget for 2015. For your financial goals, write down what each item is (whether your goal is to buy a house, go on vacation or save for college). Then, next to each item, write down how much that item is going to cost you – include the approximate date you want to purchase that object and what you can do to make that happen (work extra hours, sell items on eBay, pick up a new client). Then, take that dollar amount and divide it by the weeks until your approximate purchase date – that is how much you need to save each week to reach that goal.
Monitor Your Goals
I recommend monitoring your goals weekly – take a few minutes mid-week to see where you are at reaching your goal. This will give you a good idea of how close you are to reaching your goal, then take some extra time throughout the week to do something extra that will generate the revenue you need to hit the goal.
Enjoy the Rewards
So far, this year we have been able to save a lot of money and take all of the family vacations that we had planned all because we stuck to your financial plan. You can do this too! Just stay focused on your goals!
Now that the Thanksgiving celebrations are done, be sure to add Capital One 360’s Black Friday Sale to your shopping list. Visit Capital One 360 to give yourself the lasting gift of financial peace of mind by taking advantage of Capital One 360’s deals on banking, brokerage and mortgage products.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Let’s kick off the holiday season with a fabulous giveaway! I know you’ll love it. The sponser is rareEarth Naturals, and the prize is a generous $75 gift card!
rareEarth is committed to creating 100% all-natural artisan made in the USA products that are safe, synthetic free, responsibly sourced and beautiful. With all the challenges in the world today, it’s important to remember to give to ourselves—to find simple pleasures that nurture the spirit and allow us to breathe deep and be well.
I know many of you are starting your gift lists and holiday shopping this week, and rareEarth is a shop that should definitely be on your radar. Their perfumes, candles, diffusers, room mists, and spa collections would all make beautiful, yummy gifts.
Seriously, any gal on your holiday shopping list will fall in love with any item that you surprise her with this holiday season!
Visit rareEarth and leave a comment to enter – I’d love to hear what items you will pick out if you are the winner. You can earn extra entries for follow rareEarth on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest – just leave a separate comment for each. The winner will be announced on December 17th. Good luck!
Full Disclosure: This giveaway is brought to you by a partnership with rareEarth Naturals.
Today’s giveaway is a good one! I think that you will find a dozen people on your holiday gift list who would love to receive it. It’s a super eco-friendly product that has a beautiful design too –Â a Velvetwire Powerslayer USB Charger Set!
Technology advancements in the mobile device battery arena have certainly turned from skips into long jumps. Lithium-ion has come to replace the nickel based batteries of yesterday. And while these new lithium-ion batteries are much more efficient and durable, keeping your gadgets and mobile device plugged into a power source for prolonged periods of time can still lead to overheating, which can cause problems that run the gamut from a simple dead battery, to a battery explosion.
Velvetwire has come out with a product that supplies consumers with the solution to this issue. It’s called the Powerslayer USB Charger. It’s a smart charger enhanced with built in software that automatically detects when the battery you are charging is full, and then stops the flow of electricity. No surplus electrical flow means no heat; and no excess heat means that no batteries go kaboom, which means your electronics will last longer. Hooray!
Furthermore, the Powerslayer USB Charger standby mode operates at just one-tenth of the standby power of other chargers, surpassing the bar for Energy Star Level V. And because the Powerslayer is compatible with USB rechargeable devices, it will work with smartphones and tablets across the board. In addition, international compatibility, as well as the foldable plug, make the Powerslayer perfect for travel.
With its aesthetically appealing textured polycarbonate housing and nickel plated brass plug, the Powerslayer is the smart charger that smart design and environmental conscious consumers are looking for. When I received mine, I was immeditely smitten with it’s fantastic looking design complete with my three favorite colors: turquoise, orange and gray! The USB cord which is also turquoise, orange and gray mimicks the bungee cords we use for all of our outdoor activities.
So whether you have a hipster, an adventurer, a design geek, tech junkie, or a modern mom or dad on your holiday gift list – they will all want a Velvetwire Powerslayer Charger Kit! I guarantee it!
Sweet Greens readers can get 20% through Monday, December 1st with the coupon code TURKEY20.
