Julep Maven October 2015 Review

Julep is best known for being a monthly nail polish subscription box but they've also expanded into offering other beauty products.  Their polishes are 5-free and vegan-friendly which I love! For $24.99 per month (or $19.99 per month if you sign up for 3 months up front), you will receive your choice of 2-3 nail polish / beauty items each month according to your profile.  "Classic With a Twist", "Bombshell" and "Boho Glam" profiles receive 2 polishes and 1 beauty item; "It Girls" receive 3 polishes and "Modern Beauties" receive 2 beauty items.  But now, no matter what profile you are, you can totally customize your box or even switch to a totally different box! And you can skip any month after your first month as a Maven (Welcome Boxes don't count).  Sounds perfect to me!  

If you're interested in trying out the subscription, my links will take you to a FREE Welcome Box, just pay the cost of shipping - this will sign you up for the subscription so be forewarned about that (if you scroll down though, you can get in for the 3 month rate of $19.99 per month).  Check out the Welcome Box I received here.  This is an American sub so do factor in the cost of exchange although, aside from Welcome Boxes, shipping is free for Mavens - even Canadian ones from what I can tell! :)

This was my first month as a Maven and. . . I got a lot of stuff.  October's collection is the "New York Never Sleeps" collection and it was so gorgeous, it was really hard for me to narrow things down.  So what did I get?

Frugal Fridays: How to Comparison Shop Like a Pro

This is the second post in my Frugal Fridays series.  The first one's here if you missed it :)

We all know (or should know) that comparison shopping is the key to smarter spending.  How many times have you said "why would I spend that much on bananas when I can spend this much?" Or "wow! organic bananas are so much more expensive! I'll stick to my regular ones"?  Or maybe you don't care so much about the price of your bananas.  Or you don't like bananas.  Whatever.  It's an example.  Use tomatoes or toilet paper or shoes or whatever makes you happy.  Same deal.  But sometimes we just don't do it.  Here's how to (relatively painlessly) comparison shop:

Tea Sparrow September 2015 Review

Well, for better or for worse, the weather is turning decidedly autumnal.  A great time to sleep with windows open (as long as you have a warm duvet) and to hit the pumpkin patch on a school trip (we go tomorrow!), autumn is also tea-drinking weather :) Actually, I drink tea all year round but there's something extra cosy about a blanket, book and mug of great tea.  So it's the perfect time for Tea Sparrow!

What is Tea Sparrow?  A fave sub in my house!  For $20 CAD per month (including shipping), Tea Sparrow sends 4 different types of loose leaf tea (so yes, you need some way to brew loose leaf  - tea balls are an inexpensive option) - usually a green, a black, a rooibos and an herbal but sometimes they mix it up.  The teas are separately packaged and are each approximately 0.6oz for a total of about 35 cups of tea per month (less if you use a lot of tea in brewing, maybe more if you're willing to brew twice using the same tea). 

If you want to try Tea Sparrow, check out this 60% off offer and get your first month for only $8! When you click the above link, you will be taken to a password-protected page.  Enter "teas" as your password and you will be offered the promotional discount.  Please be aware that this will start a recurring monthly subscription but Tea Sparrow allows you to skip any month through their website (although why would you want to?) and you can cancel at any time.  Enjoy!

Let's check out this month's teas, shall we?

Frugal Fridays: Ebates Canada!

I know I spend a lot of time on this blog justifying my spending and encouraging you to spend money too.  But obviously, being able to spend (or save, if you are more frugal than I) is heavily reliant on actually having money.  So, especially with my being off work on mat leave at the moment, I've had to get creative with our finances and find some great ways to save. . . at least save enough so that we can continue to live in the style to which we have become accustomed (that's code for "I still need my boxes" and "I can't just quit online shopping cold-turkey").  I thought maybe some of you might have use for some tips and tricks from an admitted online shopping junkie.

And so. . . introducing. . . Frugal Fridays! For the next few months (I think that's how many post ideas I have so far), I'll be posting every Friday (because alliteration!) about a money-saving idea, tip or trick.  Sound good? Alright, let's begin.  (Well, I plan to post every Friday but sometimes planning and doing aren't the same thing when you have a baby and a toddler. . . so, you know!)

First Julep Haul and Product Reviews

Julep is best known for being a monthly nail polish subscription box.  I recently re-joined after they made some changes for the better in my opinion:  for $24.99 per month (or $19.99 per month if you sign up for 3 months up front), you will receive your choice of 2-3 nail polish / beauty items each month according to your profile.  "Classic With a Twist", "Bombshell" and "Boho Glam" profiles receive 2 polishes and 1 beauty item; "It Girls" receive 3 polishes and "Modern Beauties" receive 2 beauty items.  But now, no matter what profile you are, you can totally customize your box or even switch to a totally different box! And you can skip any month after your first month as a Maven (Welcome Boxes don't count).  Sounds perfect to me!  If you're interested in trying out the subscription, my links will take you to a FREE Welcome Box, just pay the cost of shipping - this will sign you up for the subscription so be forewarned about that (if you scroll down though, you can get in for the 3 month rate of $19.99 per month).  Check out the Welcome Box I received here.  This is an American sub so do factor in the cost of exchange although, aside from Welcome Boxes, shipping is free for Mavens - even Canadian ones from what I can tell! :)

Julep also sells their products in their online store and Mavens get discounts and free shipping on everything.  I had a 50% off code arrive in my Welcome Box so. . . I splurged and bought some more beauty items.  While I love nail polish, I was really impressed by the lipstick that came in my Welcome Box and wanted to try a few more things.  Here's what I picked up: