Monday August 19th, 2019...Morning Thoughts

My Klean Kanteen water bottle. "More Ocean Less Plastic. The 5 Gyres Institute".

Things I’m thinking this morning in no special order....

I purchased this cute little frame 🖼️ in Ohio at Goodwill when I was out there visiting my husband's family. It is gold with small carved flowers. When I got home I realized that one of the pieces of art that I was looking for a frame for fit this perfectly and so I unstapled the back and placed the art in it. Then I used painters masking tape to hold the back to the frame. I did not want to staple the back to the art because that might have ruined it. I hung it up in my bedroom, but it fell apart off the wall yesterday. I am really glad it didn't break because it has a glass front. The back piece unfortunately only has a small sawtooth picture hanger on the back, but it didn't want to hold the weight of the whole frame. I think I need to find something that is more secure and maybe attached to the frame itself instead of the back. What do you use that works well and is secure for hanging your frames?

Yesterday I was very proud of myself. I finally remembered to use my reusable bottle at Dutch Bros for my Iced Apple Juice Chai I usually get. I wasn't sure they would fill it because it isn't one of their cups with a Dutch Bros logo on it, but they did. Unfortunately the drink I get is a 32 ounce usually and my reusable cup is a 27 ounce...so I was missing a little bit, but at least I am helping save the environment...maybe...you see, I watched them mix the drink and they used a plastic cup to do so, ugh! I might have to forgo going to Dutch Bros altogether. I could get the Oregon Chai and Apple juice at the store and mix it at home myself. I would miss the fun people working at Dutch Bros though and my husband loves going there. He probably won't ever stop getting his drink (a peppermint sprinkle freeze with whip) from Dutch Bros in a plastic cup with a plastic straw 🥤...unless Dutch Bros decides to change for the better. I wish corporations would be more environmentally conscience.

I also got some groceries yesterday at Winco and didn't use any bags 🛍️ because I had forgot the reusable ones out of the back of my car again. I was loading my groceries into my cart and the cashier asked me why I wasn't using any bags. I said I wanted to be eco-friendly, but forgot my reusable totes and I was just going to load the groceries into a foldable, collapsible crate I have in the trunk anyway. We, however; forgot a few groceries and so we came back and this time I was prepared. I brought the totes into the store with me. I am becoming more consciously aware of all the plastic and Styrofoam packaging around me. I had to buy toilet tissue 🧻 and the affordable stuff is all wrapped in plastic...wish it wasn't. I really don't know why it has to be.

Happy Monday beautiful people! I hope your Monday is wonderful!

Zaycon Fresh Is Looking For Influencers! Also A Chance To Save!

I am working as an influencer for Zaycon Fresh! They have a brand new affiliate program! If you are interested in working with them, please use my referral link they gave me to pass on to other influencers! I love their fresh, all natural meat!!!!

Link for New Influencers/Bloggers:
https://www.zayconfresh.com/influencer/finamoon

If you are not a blogger/influencer and you want to get in on a great deal on meat I have something for you too! New customers use code: BL20 code (offer only valid from 1/2/2017 - 3/31/2017) for 20% off the first order for new customers.

Link for New Customers:
https://www.zayconfresh.com/refer/finamoon



They are having a big ground beef sale right now!

Sales Going On Now:

• From 2/21/2017 - 2/25/2017 you can use code: GBDEAL and receive 22% off your order of Fresh 93/7 Super Lean Ground Beef and/or Fresh 80/20 Ground Beef.
• From 2/21/2017 - 2/23/2017 you can use code: DOGDEAL and receive 12% off your order of All-Beef Hot Dogs!

About Zaycon Fresh:


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this post to let my readers know about this great opportunity and deal. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Fluffy Layers Farm Queen Tote Review

Fluffy Layers is a wonderful company that was developed by Tara Grier. She and her team at Fluffy Layers are the creators of The Egg Collecting Apron®, The Egg Gathering Apron® & The Harvest Apron®. They also have some other cute, fashionable products for the farm lover in us all.

Fluffy Layers Farm Queen Tote.

I received The Farm Queen Tote from Fluffy Layers. It is a canvas type bag with handles that is great for holding groceries, farmers market goodies, or just about anything worth toting around. I love that this tote is eco-friendly and reusable. It has a fabulous design on the front of a rooster, a crown, and a partial circlet of flowers with the words "Fluffy Layers Farm Queen". I will love using this around the farm to hold my harvest from my garden to my home.

BUY IT
You can purchase Fluffy Layers Farm Queen Tote in their Fluffy Layers' online shop.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received these products for free to facilitate this review. As a Fluffy Layers Brand Ambassador I get occasional products to share with my readers for free. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Zero Waste or Waste Free Living: My Challenge to You

Unfortunately humans contribute too much waste to landfills every day. If it is out of site it is out of mind. But really this shouldn't be how we think. Just take a look at your trash can and how much waste you throw away daily in your household and at your work place. It shouldn't be a lot, but I am fairly certain that if you haven't adopted a waste free or zero waste way of living you still have a fair amount of trash per day. Society has thrown us into the idea that if it is convenient it must be better. This is usually not the case. We need to remember the first R in the old adage Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Rarely do we think about reducing our waste because it is so easy to just throw the rubbish away. I am going to be doing different posts throughout the year of how I am trying to change my family's lifestyle to a more sustainable one and tips and tricks to help you do the same. I also have questions in this post for those of you that have already made these changes for the better.

I have been trying to find solutions to my family's huge amount of trash that we throw away every day. We recycle/reuse/repurpose what we can but I still find that we throw away an excessive amount of waste and I find that the majority of it is plastics and other things that cannot be recycled and packaging materials that are evil, i.m.o...like Styrofoam.

As a review blogger I get packages from all over the world. Some are packaged better than others. It is hard when you get packages with things packed in plastic, zip ties, Styrofoam, bubble wrap, and packing peanuts that are not biodegradable. I love seeing things wrapped in brown paper, cardboard, compostable containers, twine, reusable twist ties, fabric, yarn, and biodegradable packing peanuts, etc. I wonder if asking the people sending the items to send them more eco-friendly would help? Have you ever done this?

Going out to eat can not just be hard on the wallet (and sometimes stomach), but on the environment as well. Fast food and take out produces the worst amount of waste when it comes to restaurants. Plastic containers, lids and straws are a prevalent take away from these, as is Styrofoam. To eliminate this waste we need to bring our own containers with us to pack the food and drink into or make our food and beverages at home. I know many who bring a reusable cup with them for their coffee they get on the road. I wonder if it can be done for other things as well...like when you bring home leftovers from a restaurant or get take-out? Have you ever tried this?

Some of the lovelies in my pantry. A start to a waste-free life.

I know we have a choice for paper or plastic sacks or bags while checking out at the grocery. Choosing paper is a better choice than plastic and you can even bring your own reusable bags from home to use. Places around the country are also banning plastic bags from being used in grocery stores or offer a recycling option. But have you ever thought about the packaging on food and drink that you are bringing home? I know I used to not give it much thought, but now that I am also giving more thought to eating healthier with a nod to organic, non GMO, and raw foods I find myself being even more aware of other things I am bringing into my home too. There are ways to get around the packaging at the grocery store.

• Refuse: Say no to products packaged in plastic or Styrofoam.
• Make your own at home. We are already growing an organic garden and orchard and have chickens who lay eggs. We are also planning on doing aquaponics: growing fish and a garden that in turn give each other nutrients to live and grow. Our neighbor also hunts and fishes and shares some of this with us. We are also going to be slowly transitioning to making our own cleaning supplies, personal care products, etc. too so we don't have to deal with that packaging as well.
• Buy local. Buy from local farms, farmer's markets and co-ops.
• Bring reusable bags and containers to the store with you for filling with the below items.
• Buy from the bulk section (the section of the store with bins filled with dry goods).
• Go to the Deli, Seafood, Dairy, and Bakery Counter more for your meats, cheeses, and baked goods and have them package them in paper or other recyclable material. 
• Purchase unpackaged produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables are wonderful and healthy. Buy organic to make sure you don't get toxic stuff with your food and watch the packaging.

There is even a packaging-free, zero-waste grocery store, called in.gredients in Austin, Texas. It is revolutionary and the first of its kind in the US. Hopefully we can get more grocery stores like this one to spring up all across the States.

The folks at these blogs are helping my family and I along our journey to live better and make the better choice of living waste/trash free. They know the ins and outs of living waste free and they want to helps us all to become waste free with them.

• Zero Waste Home
• My Zero Waste
• Trash Free Living
• My Plastic-Free Life
• Zero-Waste Chef
• Trash is for Tossers

I am going to challenge myself  and my family to get towards my goal of a waste free life and I am challenging you to do the same! What are you doing or are going to do to move towards this challenge? Have you thought about this topic much?

Zaycon Foods Chicken Breast Review

I had heard very good things about Zaycon Foods, but had never tried them out before. They have fresh: meats, produce, and sometimes even milk in bulk at rock bottom prices because they cut out the middle men. These are all natural, fresh, and better for you than the usual store bought.

USFamilyGuide gave me the opportunity to experience them for my first time and get 40 pounds of chicken for free. These were their 100% natural, additive-free, hormone-free, minimally processed, USDA inspected, boneless, skinless chicken breast for about $1.84/lb. These go straight from the farm to the refrigerated truck and then to you. They do not take the long journey that regular store bought chicken does.

I ordered the chicken early on July 29th just to be sure that I would get my order in. These events sell out fast! The ordering process was easy on their website and they sent us reminder emails about the event a few days before so that we wouldn't miss it.

Zaycon Foods refrigerated truck.

On the morning of October 11th my husband and I headed over to the Elks Lodge in Kelso Washington to pick up the chicken. We pulled into the parking lot and followed the signs to the refrigerated truck. We drove up and volunteers checked our information and loaded the box of chicken into our van. We didn't even have to get out or load the chicken ourselves. They even laid some plastic down before putting the box in just in case there was leakage.

The box of chicken in our van.

Zaycon Foods chicken being separated out into freezer bags.

When we got home we unloaded the box and pulled out huge bags of chicken breasts. These were giant boneless skinless chicken butterfly breast with rib meat and came from Wayne Farms. We were very happy with the size of them. We unpacked them and repacked them in freezer bags with about 3-4 of them separated out per bag. It was a cold slimy process, but well worth it because it was a lot of chicken. You could go in first and trim off the fat and separate the chicken breasts further if needed, but I was kind of feeling lazy.

We now have a freezer full of chicken and they are so yummy cooked up in all kinds of recipes!


To Get Started Click on this link https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf141740

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received 40 lbs FREE Chicken from Zaycon Foods through USFamilyGuide to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this review. There is also affiliate links in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog.

Zaycon Foods

All information is provided by USFamilyGuide.com and Zaycon Foods. I will receive 40 lbs FREE Chicken for posting. There is also affiliate links in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog.

How does Zaycon Foods manage to provide such high quality super fresh meat and produce to its customers at such low prices? The answer is strength in numbers. And not our numbers, yours!

Zaycon Foods can sell its products at bulk rate prices to individual consumers and families because our unique sales event business model brings lots of people together, adding all their purchasing power into a combined bulk food purchase. And when you buy as part of a group that’s committing to such a large purchase, the power is in the hands of the purchaser! It’s the ultimate group buy in terms of both price and consumer empowerment.

You can pre-select exactly what you want to order from a given Zaycon sales event – sometimes you may want to stock up on our amazing meaty back ribs and sometimes it might be all about the Zaycon bacon – and then, on the day of the sales event, you and a whole big bunch of your neighbors will find yourselves in a nearby parking lot watching as an entire tractor trailer’s worth of high quality natural food is unloaded into all of your cars! You will be amazed at how quickly one of our refrigerated trucks goes from being filled with natural, fresh chicken or hundreds of gallons of grade A non-homogenized milk to being empty and back on its way to the farm!

A Zaycon Foods truck sales event often lasts less time than you would spend on a trip to the grocery store, yet you will leave with a whole lot more food than you’d get at the market, and for much better prices, too!

When you use the Zaycon Foods sales event as your preferred place to purchase meats, milk, and any of our other fine products, you get advantages even beyond the bulk pricing that comes with our special sales model. You also have the peace of mind of knowing exactly what you’re going to get! A trip to the grocery store can involve wasted time wandering around looking for various foods spread out across the store; at a Zaycon Foods parking lot meat truck delivery (or milk or berries or fish delivery, too!) you have pre-ordered your foods, so all you have to do is show up and wait for our friendly staffers and volunteers to load up your car.

Also, unlike in the grocery store, the prices you will pay for a Zaycon Foods product are locked in on our website, so you will know how much you are going to spend before you have committed to a purchase.

At a supermarket, you might pay one price for chicken on one day, and then a higher price on another day. With Zaycon, you decide that you want to order a case of our fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts, you check the price and then you commit to it, knowing that from that moment on, we are committed to getting you your fresh, natural food!

Watch this video to find out more:



To Get Started Click on this link https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf141740

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: All information is provided by USFamilyGuide.com and Zaycon Foods. I will receive 40 lbs FREE Chicken for posting. There is also affiliate links in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog.

eMeals Meal Plans 15% Off Offer For the New Year

eMeals, the online leader in meal planning, offers weekly meal plans that offer families a way to save money on their grocery bill. eMeals can help you get organized in the New Year.

eMeals offers over 50 delicious meal plans and corresponding grocery lists every week based on food style preferences, family size and the current sales at selected grocery stores. Dinner menu plans include classic family meals, low-fat, portion control, low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, clean eating, paleo, and the natural and organic plan. For more information, please visit www.emeals.com.

Join us in our effort to promote a healthy lifestyle in 2013. We have created some content that is available for you to repurpose on your blog as you extend our tips for eating healthy, saving money, losing weight, and getting organized in the New Year.

Get 15% off the leading meal planning system @eMeals with coupon code "2013"

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about www.emeals.com I am getting a FREE three month online trial subscription to eMeals AND I will be entered to win an iPad. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.

Food on the Table - Easy Meal Planning - FREE

Food on the Table is an awesome Meal Planning Service that is based on sales of well known grocery store chains to help you make your grocery lists, save money and come up with meals from their recipes. They have Safeway, Fred Myer, Albertsons, QFC, Save-A-Lot, and Whole Foods on their list of stores they work with.

Since I am shopping more frequently at Safeway now because of Safeway's Just For U savings program I am excited to use this also!

Use promo code: SPRINGFREE and you will get this Free For Life!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post because I thought you might be interested in knowing this information and taking part of this deal because I also have signed up for it. I thought I would share the savings. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

Coupon Mom Show

Because I am a budget savvy blogger and I know these are rough economic times, I wanted to let you know about a new show on YouTube that might be of interest to you and your family.

The Coupon Mom Show is a new money-saving series from nationally known author, mom and coupon clipper Stephanie Nelson (aka Coupon Mom). In her new series, Nelson teaches real families how to save BIG by sharing her infamous tips and tricks on how to get the biggest bang for your buck without sacrificing quality.

Beyond coupon clipping and grocery store savings, future episodes of the Coupon Mom Show will feature tips on savvy shopping at drug stores, eating out inexpensively, and entertaining on a tight budget.

Coupon Mom will be sharing her savings secrets every week in a new episode of the Coupon Mom Show through April. There has already been 5 webisodes posted on YouTube, with new ones premiering every Thursday!

You can also download her ebook, Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half With The Coupon Mom System!, for a limited time only HERE.

Join the CouponMom.com group on Facebook.

Follow her on Twitter.

Happy Shopping!

Thanks to American Pop - Social Media Marketing for this information to share with my viewers. I did not get compensated with anything for this posting.

LTDchix Reusable Tote Bag Review and Giveaway

Are you still living the dream of motherhood? I am!! A while back I did a review for a company called LTDchix (LTD stands for Living the Dream). They now not only make very cute t-shirts, but also tote bags. I received a tan one with Yoga Mom on it from them to review. These tote bags are in full color, great for taking with you grocery shopping or anywhere where you need an extra hand holding things, and are very well constructed. I feel like I need 20 extra hands at times! They are re-usable and very eco-friendly and a good size for putting a lot of things in. My friends keep asking me where I got it...I feel very admired :)

BUY IT:
You can also feel admired! These totes are only $5!! What a deal! They have 4 styles to choose from: Yoga Mom Tote Bag in Lime, Yoga Mom Tote Bag in Tan, Shopping Mom Grocery Bag in Royal Blue, and Shopping Mom Grocery Bag in White. Also, if you purchase any 2 shirts, you may receive a FREE Eco-friendly LTDchix Shopping Bag!! What a bargain.

For a limited time you can also buy the Halloween Mom or Christmas Mom t-shirt. They have designed these in color! You can wear it at those neighborhood Halloween/Christmas parties or while your little ones are Trick-Or-Treating or caroling. Don’t wait or you'll miss out! When buying please use my LTDchix Referral Code when you shop at LTDchix.com: LTDchix15. Just type it into the comments section NOT the coupon code when you check out.


WIN IT:
Nina at LTDchix is generously giving away a reusable tote bag to one of my readers.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the LTDchix website and tell me which reusable bag you want.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by email and let me know. (2 extra entries)

2. Become my fan on facebook. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and LTDchix in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra)

7. Add me on twitter and retweet this: @finamoon: @LTDchix1 WIN: LTDchix Reusable Tote Bag http://bit.ly/2gS4Hg
(Daily Extras are Available)

8. Add the LTDchix blog to your blogroll or link to your website and let me know your url and where it is located. (1 extra entry)

8. Become a fan of Living The Dream - LTDchix.com on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

9. Follow LTDchix on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

10. Buy something at LTDchix and use my Referral Code: LTDchix15. Just type it into the comments section NOT the coupon code when you check out. (3 extra)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. This contest ends on Friday October 23, 2009 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open Worldwide!!