Thursday, 30 September 2021
Coloured Worlds - Our Ordinary Moments
It's been a while now since I shared one the Our Ordinary Moments posts. I'd always intended to share this post weekly but sometimes like just kind of gets in the way. Recently we've been ill, Scarlet picked it up from school and since it's made its way round the house. So we've not actually done anything or been anywhere in over a week now!
We did however head out just before everyone got ill and we had gone to visit somewhere new. It was a request after they'd been learning and talking about cities in school. We'd been asked to go visit somewhere new and if you know us or even just read the blog regularly then you know we've been most places that are child friendly here. Instead we decided to go see something cool! We are really lucky that Belfast has a huge array of architecture and art built into the buildings around the city.
One of those amazing pieces of architecture is The Computer Sciences Building for Queens University, the whole buildings front section is covered in these long thin coloured glass panels and I think you will agree, the effect is stunning!
We had intended to come and get a good close up view of the panels and walk around exploring a little. I knew I wanted to take a photo of the children with the building as the backdrop because seriously it looks so cool.
Within minutes the exploring around had turned into a game of coloured worlds, each glass panel was a portal into another world and standing behind it took you there! Never would I have imagined up the fun my three children created simply using the glass panels attached to a building.
The glass panels also created a beautiful effect when we took photos, so when they played the coloured worlds game I took some photos of them behind the glass panels. Which I absolutely love, they are very unique and we'd never have found all the colours of glass to create this effect elsewhere.
I have no doubt they will request to visit the coloured glass building again. It's also opened up a whole new perspective on what we can do to make our exploring more exciting. I've realised that we don't need to only go to places that are for children. We can explore and visit the various unique buildings and places of our city too. Which opens up a literal (and imaginary) new world to discover.
Have you got a really unique building or place in your town or city that you love to visit?
Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Get rewarded for shopping more Eco-friendly with SaveMoneyCutCarbon's PlanetPoints {with Giveaway}
* AD - The items featured have been gifted to me. *
*All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own. *
What is a loyalty scheme?
I've said the words loyalty scheme quite a lot already in this post, so I'm starting with explaining the basics behind a loyalty or reward scheme for anyone who doesn't know. When you shop with a retailer they will often have a scheme to reward their loyal customers, sometimes this is heavily promoted and even mentioned at the till upon checkout, other times it's not. Signing up to the scheme is usually easy and just requires your email address, name and a few details like your date of birth, or you may need an online account on their site. Once signed up you will get a reward card, use your email to input a code from your receipt online or sign in to your account to get the benefits while you shop.
Each retailer usually has their own system of points or they offer certain benefits like savings when you shop, free delivery etc. The most common that we have found and use regularly while shopping is points systems. A point system will give you a certain amount of points for every pound you spend with the retailer. The points are exchanged and will be able to be used to give you money off products you buy in the future. There are of course differences between retailers and there will be rules around purchases using points unique to each.
However loyalty reward schemes always have a benefit for the customer, which usually centres around saving you some money while you shop.
What is SaveMoneyCutCarbon's Planet Points?
Planet Points are brand new to SaveMoneyCutCarbon and they are a benefit that all their customers can benefit from. The Planet Points are of course a Points based loyalty rewards Scheme that has been introduced this September to give customers an added benefit to shopping more eco-friendly with SaveMoneyCutCarbon.
To start benefiting from Planet Points while you shop you need to sign up for a SaveMoneyCutCarbon account on their site. The sign up process is really quick and easy. Once signed up you can use your email and password to sign in before you check out and you will automatically get planet points.
How many Planet Points do you earn?
When you shop on SaveMoneyCutCarbon you will now earn Planet Points, normal customers will earn one point for every pound you spend. While HomeClub members will earn two points for every pound you spend on the site.
Your Planet Points all add up, each one is equal to 1p. Which doesn't sound like much but when your purchasing regularly to get the eco-friendly products you love, it will start equalling larger amounts before you know it. The Planet Points you earn will stay in your account until your ready to use them.
You will also have the opportunity to earn more Planet Points every once in a while if you are signed up to (and read) SaveMoneyCutCrabon's email newsletter or you keep an eye on their social media. So you'll get benefits even when you're not ordering!
I'm ready to spend my Planet Points, how do I do it?
Once you've saved up your Planet Points you can choose any product on the SaveMoneyCutCarbon site to purchase. To use your points you just add your item (or items) to your basket and press the button to apply points. You can see the button above in the images from my order purchase which was done entirely with the new Planet Points system. It really is that simple and the button will be there for you as long as you have Planet Points to spend.
You are able to spend smaller amounts of points on any order to give you some savings or save them up and get a product(s) covered completely by Planet Points, the perfect reason to try a new eco swap you've had on your list that is just out of your budget or something you've just discovered.
If your wanting to make a big order but only use your points on some of the order, you can. Add the items you want to use your Planet Points with (if you have more points than the item costs) and apply your points in checkout then continue shopping and your items will add on to your cart without using any more of your Planet Points. I personally love this benefit as I often save up points on our loyalty reward schemes for particular times of year like Christmas and will purchase extra things around that time with normal orders using the points when we need them.
As you can see the Planet Points from SaveMoneyCutCarbon offer you full control of your own loyalty points use and give you a reward for being more eco-friendly and shopping responsibly to help the planet. I think that is a win all round.
What would my Planet Points look like if I just purchased my normal products?
As I mentioned I got to purchase my own products for this month Planet Positive box. It mainly focused on products I've loved so far from SaveMoneyCutCarbon but also had 2-3 new products which I wanted to try. So I thought it would be good to show you how many points I would have got for the products (if I hadn't used Planet Points to make the order). Below you will see the products numbered in the photo, these numbers are listed underneath with the names, links, costs and Points information.
Do take note that I am a HomeClub member so I have shown this for both HomeClub and non HomeClub members separately. Also since planet points are added up at check out your whole order total will be used to determine your points total. I have added this information underneath for my order too. This will only be your total if you purchased the same order as mine.
For Non Home Club Members:
- Waste Not Compostable Waste Sack 10 pack (x2) - £2.85 each - 2 Planet Points each
- Stasher Bag Sandwich Bag in Rose - £12.00 - 12 Planet Points
- Soda Stream My Only Bottle in Pink Blush - £11.95 - 11 Planet Points
- The Cheeky Panda Biodegradable Bamboo Handy Wipes 6 pack - £8.95 - 8 Planet Points
- ecoLiving Wooden Dish Head - £2.25 - 2 Planet Points
- Patch Biodegradable Bamboo Plasters - £6.95 - 6 Planet Points
- Soda Stream Syrup Classics Cola Drink Mix - £4.95 - 4 Planet Points
- Rainbow Compostable Sponge Cloths 4 pack - £4.00 - 4 Planet Points
Total: £ 56.55 - 56 Planet Points
For Home Club Members
Includes reduced prices exclusive to HomeClub Members.
- Waste Not Compostable Waste Sack 10 pack (x2) - £2.45 each - 4 Planet Points each
- Stasher Bag Sandwich Bag in Rose - £7.92 - 14 Planet Points
- Soda Stream My Only Bottle in Pink Blush - £9.10 - 18 Planet Points
- The Cheeky Panda Biodegradable Bamboo Handy Wipes 6 pack - £6.95 - 12 Planet Points
- ecoLiving Wooden Dish Head - £2.01 - 4 Planet Points
- Patch Biodegradable Bamboo Plasters - £6.08 - 12 Planet Points
- Soda Stream Syrup Classics Cola Drink Mix - £3.71 - 6 Planet Points
- Rainbow Compostable Sponge Cloths 4 pack - £3.60 - 6 Planet Points
Total: 44.27 - 88 Planet Points
What I think about SaveMoneyCutCarbon's Planet Points
I have already made it clear that I am a fan and regular user of loyalty reward schemes in general, they are great if you do regularly shop at that retailer. So of course I love that SaveMoneyCutCarbon have started Planet Points, the scheme offers a benefit that will reward customers. I particularly love the Planet Points more than some of the reward schemes other shops offer as it benefits you and the planet too. SaveMoneyCutCarbon have said they hope the scheme will encourage people to use the points to make even more positive changes in their habits. Which of course is a great idea, being able to use a new product without the whole cost of the initial outlay is a huge benefit. The bigger outlay is always a negative that comes up when we talk about eco alternatives and this can help combat that.
I also really like that the Planet Points from SaveMoneyCutCarbon puts you in control of how you use your points. You not only have the option of saving up your points and using them to purchase products but you can also use them as money off your order. This is a benefit we don't really see in reward schemes so it's really great SaveMoneyCutCarbon have made that possible, sometimes the difference between something fitting in your budget or not can be a few pounds so Planet Points could save the day.
One of my favourite perks is that Planet Points means I am being rewarded for making eco-friendly choices. In my order I got a second Sandwich bag size of Stasher Bag which I got in the rose colour, we needed a second one so both my children can take packed lunches now that school is back on. It made me realise how much we will regularly buy the products we love again and now we will save even more on the purchases.
What do you think of Planet Points from SaveMoneyCutCarbon?
Let me know in the comments below.
The Giveaway
When I was placing the order for this months Planet Positive Box I wanted to add something into the order that I could offer to you as a giveaway. I love a giveaway and we have previously discovered some of our favourite products from something I have won, like my Soda Stream machine which I got a few things for this month from SaveMoneyCutCarbon.
So I decided that was what I wanted to offer one of our readers, choosing a product we loved and that would be a great eco-swap for almost anyone was actually really easy. I knew immediately I wanted to giveaway a pack of Patch Biodegradable Bamboo Plasters. We got these in our August Planet Positive box and I love them! They are honestly amazing and a must have for every household.
When I placed the order I also noticed that The Cheeky Panda Biodegradable Bamboo Handy Wipes are only available from a 6 pack or more, I really only needed one or two packs as that would last us through the end of the year. I did consider not ordering them as they would most likely dry out before we used all 6, instead I thought it would be good to add the extra 4 packs on to the giveaway prize as we have found them really handy to have in our Grab and Go bag over the summer.
So you will be able to enter to win one pack of Patch Biodegradable Bamboo Plasters and four packs of The Cheeky Panda Biodegradable Bamboo Handy Wipes using the Gleam widget below. Good Luck!
Please read the terms and conditions below:
Terms and Conditions:
- Entrants must be aged 18 years or over.
- Competition is open to UK residents only.
- The giveaway is open from 28/09/2021 and will run to 27/09/2021 at 11.59pm GMT.
- Entry into this competition confirms your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
- The winners will be selected at random from all the correct entries received before the closing date and time.
- All prizes must be accepted as offered. There can be no alternative awards, cash or otherwise.
- There will be one winner.
- The winner will have 30 days to respond to claim the prize. Failure to claim will result in a redraw.
Thursday, 2 September 2021
7 Eco Swaps You Never Knew your Bathroom Needed from SaveMoneyCutCarbon (AD)
(AD - This post features gifted items. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
Of all the places where you can make eco conscious changes I think the bathroom is one of the hardest, most things in the bathroom involve our skin. Which if your like me involves sensitive skin and a whole host of worries about reactions. However, many people don't realise just how many other bathroom products can be made more eco-friendly.
Which is part of the reason why I have been so excited for August's Planet Positive box. (I am a little late posting this one) We're now way past half way through the year and I can honestly say that our SaveMoneyCutCarbon boxes always inspire and surprise me with their contents. This box was certainly no different and made me aware of products I didn't know would help make an environmental impact, along with some switches we regularly use too. So I am going to be sharing 7 swaps you and your bathroom will love.
Serious Tissues Toilet Paper
One of the most use pieces in any bathroom is toilet paper, it's probably one of the areas where your ditching a lot of plastic packaging too! Which is why swapping over to serious Tissues Toilet Paper will help you leave the plastic behind.
This toilet paper is made from 100% recycled paper, you know all that paper you put in your recycling box? Well Serious Tissues have recycled some of our waste into a new product that benefits the environment by being biodegradable and completely plastic free. In fact they've even left our all the perfumes, chemicals and dyes too. Giving you a product you can trust
Each roll of Serious Tissues Toilet Paper contains 280 sheets and comes in a cardboard box pack of 36! This means your leaving the plastic behind and you don't have to remember to grab Toilet Paper every time you shop. Plus this is a product that benefits from SaveMoneyCutCarbon's regular, reliable deliveries, get them delivered as often as you need without having to remember to place your order again.
A 36 pack of Serious Tissues Toilet Paper is £30 from SaveMoneyCutCarbon and has extra Savings of £5 for all Home Club Members!
Non Plastic Beach Bamboo Toothbrushes
I've talked about ditching plastic toothbrushes before but there are shocking statistics surrounding the use of plastic toothbrushes. Which is why it's honestly one of the best swaps we made, it was also one of the first. Now with a few years experience I thought I wouldn't be surprised by the Bamboo toothbrushes by Non Plastic beach, I of course was wrong!
The bamboo brushes from Non Plastic Beach is made of Bamboo and BPA free Nylon bristle, which match it's coloured bottom, yes it contains plastic. There is a reason for that, this brush is vegan friendly, so everyone can use it and the bristles are really soft. The bamboo and bristle are recycled separately when your replacing your brush. They can go in your green compost waste or your wood recycling.
However the biggest plus for me and my family with the Non Plastic Beach Bamboo Toothbrushes is the shape! As I said we've been using bamboo brushes for a good few years now and this handle shape is my favourite. I love it! The rounded shape feels more natural and comfortable in the hand, it also offers a better grip for smaller children. The shape plus the coloured bottom section is cute but also functional in protecting the end of the brush if you use a brush holder in a pot style. This means the bamboo itself stays dry and doesn't change colour or expand on the end which is a problem we've had before.
The final perks of the Non Plastic Beach Bamboo Brushes is that they are available in adult and child sizes, which is another game changer with small children. I especially love that they come in a family pack of 2 adult sizes and 2 child sizes.
The family pack of Non Plastic Beach Bamboo Brushes is £12.52 and the single brushes are £3.50 plus they are also eligible for SaveMoneyCutCarbon's Regular, Reliable Deliveries so every 3 months you will have new brushes without having to remember.
Metal Tube Squeezer by SaveMoneyCutCarbon
I have had a Metal Tube Squeezer by SaveMoneyCutCarbon on my must buy list for much longer than I care to admit. It is a must have for every household, We've had one before but I don't know what happened to it. However they are genius.
To use a Metal Tube Squeezer you place the end of a tube between the two prongs and roll the tube around them. This creates a perfect holding place for getting everything you can out of your tube, which saves you money, makes your products last longer and helps the environment since your not using as many plastic tubes.
What I really love about this is how versatile it is, you only need one as it can easily be swapped to other tubes. We mostly use it for our toothpaste but I have used it to get out everything from the last of my moisturiser to helping me use the end of the tomato paste for homemade pizza!
You can get your own Metal Tube Squeezer from SaveMoneyCutCarbon for £2.49
DryPlanet Save a Flush Water displacement bag
Have you ever heard of DryPlanet Save A Flush Water Displacement Bags? I hadn't and I was astonished to know that this little product could help us reduce our water usage when flushing the toilet. It will actually help you save thousands of litres of water every year, thousands! This is because the Water Displacement Bag will reduce your flush by one whole litre every time, which will help you to save around 13 litres every day.
It is made possible by it's design, A save a flush bag contains an environmentally safe and non toxic polymer which is called Potassium Polyacrylamid. This polymer is really absorbent and it will expand to create an area in your cistern which will reduce the volume of water needed to flush your toilet. The polymer will naturally biodegrade to nothing over it's several years of use so you will need to replace it eventually.
Now you may think this would reduce your toilets flushing power but it's made for toilets with over 7 litres cistern capacity so really your flush won't be affected, ours certainly wasn't. This swap is one which will be really easy to do because you simply forget about it and the environment still benefits.
It's a win, win for everyone and it costs just £2.95 to buy your own DryPlanet Save a Flush bag
Bambaw Reusable Make-up Remover Pads
The most under rated swap is Make-up remover pads, using flimsy, scratchy, disposable cotton pads to remove your make-up is not only uncomfortable but it also takes forever. Which if you do it every single day will quickly add up. Making the switch to a reusable option will always have benefits.
I will admit that Bambaw has been another personal favourite, I already switched to reusable pads this year (that post is coming up soon) but I use them for much more than just make up removal. I love the Bambaw Reusable Make-up Remover pads because they are both absorbent and soft on the skin. Plus these pads allow you to easily push the liquid back out, which makes them perfect for your skincare routine. I love how well my toner, eye creams etc all sit on these pads, they are very relaxing for eye cooling gels in particular as they can simply be placed on the eye and folded in half afterward to remove the gels or product used. I'm sure you could even use these to help remove things like nail polish although I would recommend keeping those pads separately from ones used on your face.
A must have for all make-up and skincare users. Inside the pack from SaveMoneyCutCarbon you get 12 soft pads which are perfect for the sensitive areas of the face, 4 terry cloth pads that are ideal for exfoliating or more stubborn scrubbing. You also get a net wash bag to keep them safe in the washing machine. The pads themselves are made with both bamboo and cotton. The great news is they are really easy to clean, simply put them in their wash bag after use and wash when ready. I do mine once a week.
You can get your own Bambaw Reusable Make-up Remover Pads for £11.30 from SaveMoneyCutCarbon.
Non Plastic Beach Bamboo Cotton Buds
So we have all seen the viral photo taken of a little baby seahorse carrying a plastic cotton bud along in the ocean by Justin Hofman. It's a shocking and sad reminder of how our use of a product continues to affect the creates of our world for much longer. Which is why I think if you only decide to make one change that you have seen from this post for your bathroom, choose this one.
Non Plastic Beach Bamboo cotton buds are made with bamboo sticks which means they are completely recyclable or compostable. They will return to the earth and not cause harm to any creatures when they do so. Plus they are strong, you won't need to worry about bent tubes of plastic in cheap cotton buds. In fact they even come in a lovely card box which is practical and looks lovely on your bathroom shelves at the same time.
We actually don't use cotton buds as a beauty or health care product, we mostly use them for cleaning so knowing we can ditch the plastic while still cleaning our the seals in products. They are also super handy for cleaning keyboards, as you see above that's a regular use for us.
They even come at the perfect price of £3 for a box of 200 Non Plastic Beach Bamboo Cotton Buds.
Patch Bamboo Plasters
Another product we traditionally just use without thought is plasters. Something you may not know about plasters is that about 25% of people are sensitive to the chemicals and materials used inside them. There are even those who are allergic and rendered unable to use them at all. However Patch Bamboo Plaster will solve all those problems!
Patch Bamboo Plasters are a bamboo based plaster that is hypoallergenic, that means these plasters are natural, allergy free and they are sustainable too. You can leave behind all the nasties with this product too because Patch Bamboo Plasters are free from parabens, sulphates, latex, plastic and even merthiolate.
You will be surprised to know that unlike traditional plasters these bamboo plasters from Patch are certified as a class one Sterile Medical Device and they help to treat injuries and ailments to promote healing. So they even succeed the ability of the traditional plaster while helping save the planet.
I particularly love how soft they feel when on your skin, we've used these several times during August and am still surprised every single time. They also come in a lovely round tube that has a removable lid, it means they are perfect for popping into a bag without them spilling everywhere!
You can pick up a pack of Patch Bamboo Plasters for £6.75
Let's talk favourites and why!
Now that we've reached the end of the 7 bathroom swaps you need to add to your bathroom I wanted to talk about my personal favourites. It's a hard choice because this month I have not found even one product we don't get along with or enjoy, even ones we don't use often are wonderful. However I do have two favourites which are right up near the top of my favourite swaps for the whole year!
The first of which is the Bambaw Reusable Make-up Pads, they are so versatile and it feels much more enjoyable to do my skincare routine using these compared to the disposable ones I've now ditched. I think it helps to make the whole experience feel more luxurious and less like a chore I must remember to do every night.
The other favourite from this months SaveMoneyCutCarbon Planet Positive box is the Patch Bamboo Plasters, I will be honest with you, this is a swap I had on my list, they have actually been in my online basket for 2 months before this box. I just couldn't decide if they would be worth the cost because our usual plasters cost half this and they aren't a reusable product.
However I am completely converted now! They may cost twice as much but even when my children have running around on beaches, in the sea and doing everyday summer things with these plasters on, they have lasted! We only had to change one of the plasters before it was time to remove it altogether and that was after an entire day in our pool.
The feel and look of the Patch Bamboo Plasters is really good, they blend into the skins appearance (a perk for us adults) while being soft and flexible (a bigger perk for little ones) so there is comfort all around. After a whole summer month we have use 5 plasters and normally we'd have used at least 4-6 times that with any other plasters from falling off daily. These will now be our go to brand.
Reminder: If you are a SaveMoneyCutCarbon Home Club member you can get all the products featured in this post at an even better price thanks to their home club discounts!
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What I read in May 2021 {Monthly Reading Round Up}
(This post contains a book that was gifted to me it has been marked with a * Inclusion and reviews are entirely my decision and any thoughts...
