Operation Smile & RentBack Team Up!

Today, I am excited to tell my readers about Operation Smile. It’s an amazing international medical charity that has been providing medical assistance throughout the world since 1982. I am featuring Operation Smile today because the work they do is remarkable and has provided over 200,000 FREE surgeries for children in over 60 countries with facial deformities. Incredible! I had no idea until recently, but every three minutes a child is born with a cleft. One in 10 of those children will die before their first birthday.

I’d love for you to take a moment and read more about Operation Smile here. 

And if you are a college student, did you realize you can contribute to this awesome charity by simply taking advantage of the services provided by CampusBookRentals.com?

Their new program, RentBack (www.RentBack.com), is a fantastic resource for students to rent their textbooks to other students. This allows you to make more money instead of just selling your textboks at the end of the semester for a low amount.

Some other perks for using RentBack:

• save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
• free shipping both ways
• students can highlight in the textbooks
• flexible renting periods
• they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

Blog Spotlight: CampusBookRentals.com

Many of my friends are college-goers and often talk about the steep prices of textbooks. A lot of these students are carrying a full-time course load, which means the price of textbooks alone is draining what little money they have. 

I was excited to find out about CampusBookRentals.com! Awhile back I posted about them, but now that school is back in session, I wanted to remind folks to check them out as an alternative to purchasing books.

Some obvious perks about renting books through them are:

• save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
• free shipping both ways
• can highlight in the textbooks
• flexible renting periods
• they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

Are you wondering how it works? Check out this video!

Below is some info about Operation Smile that's available on their website.

"Operation Smile is an international children's medical charity that heals children's smiles, forever changing their lives.

As an international charity for children, we measure ourselves by the joy we see on all of the faces we help. At Operation Smile, we're more than a charity. More than an NGO. We're a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery and related medical care for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate."

Read the details and how book rentals help here: Operation Smile

Finally, CampusBookRentals.com has a new program, RentBack (www.RentBack.com)

RentBack is a new initiative that allows students to rent the textbooks they own - to other students ... which is awesome because it makes you 2-4 times more money compared to what you'd make through buyback options! (selling your books back at the end of the semester) Isn't that fabulous?! What are you waiting for? http://www.campusbookrentals.com/

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Campus Book Rentals - save money on textbooks!

Buying textbooks can definitely put a dent in your wallet. It's always a relief to find a way to reduce the amount of money needed for this necessary expenditure. I have great news for college students - you can rent your textbooks - it is a perfect alternative! 

Let me introduce you to Campus Book Rentals & some of their perks:

• Save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
• Free shipping both ways
• Can highlight in the textbooks
• Flexible renting periods
• Live customer support
• Largest selection in the nation
• 30-day risk-free returns
• They donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented
• Learn more at http://www.campusbookrentals.com/

How does it work?

Campus Book Rentals also has a new program called RentBack. It's a new initiative that allows students to rent the textbooks they own - to other students - which is awesome because it makes students 2-4x more money compared to what they'd make through buyback options! (selling books back at the end of the semester) 

Isn't that awesome?!

Ready to save money? Visit http://www.rentback.com to check out this easy process.

Product Review: Firmoo.com

I recently received a pair of eyeglasses from Firmoo.com. The shopping process online was incredibly easy because you can search for your desired eyeware according to shape, material, size, and frame. I was pleased to see that they had a nice selection of large glasses. I adore big frames because they are fun, interesting, and I think they fit my personality.

Firmoo.com has over 300 classic and fashion frames to choose from. They are very affordable which allows customers to purchase multiple pair of glasses for what you would spend on one pair at a brick-and-mortar eyewear center. 

One of my favorite things about shopping online at Firmoo.com is their Virtual Try-On. You simply upload a forward-facing image of yourself and you are able to click on various glasses to "try them on." You can shop with confidence knowing which frames are best suited for you!

As though all the above wasn't enough awesomeness to get excited about Firmoo.com, they also offer a new buyer's program that focuses on providing free eyewear to first-time customers. That is to say, if a person who has not placed any order with Firmoo.com before, he/she can choose any eyewear at Firmoo.com and get them free. However, he/she need to pay shipping.

Disclaimer: I did not receive financial compensation from Firmoo.com for this post. I received one pair of eyeglasses in exchange for an honest review.

"Mama Doesn't Waste Vegetables" Soup

It is a cool and rainy day here in Olympia so I thought some veggie soup for dinner sounded delightful. I also have a bunch of vegetables that are on their last leg in my refrigerator.

I am the queen of sales, BOGO (buy one get one free), coupons ... I'm an all around frugal gal. While being thrifty is not a bad thing, especially with a family to take care of, I can go overboard with veggies when they are on sale because let's face it, buying fresh produce is not cheap.

That's when I make "Mama Doesn't Waste Vegetables" soup. I literally pile up all of the vegetables on my counter and prepare them for soup. The fun part is that the soup is different every time I make it because you never know what veggies are in the fridge.

This is what I have today.

I wash the veggies, cut them up, and then saute them in olive oil for a few minutes.

I normally make my soup with homemade broth but today I am using a store bought broth because guess what? I had a great coupon for them & I have 3 boxes in my pantry. Let's do this.

The only helpful thing Heath does in the kitchen is help himself to the food. I don't complain because I have a 2-year-old chomping & enjoying raw veggies, yay!

Finally, I add the delicious smellin' veggies into the slow cooker, along with the broth, pepper, and some parsley to taste. I let the soup cook for 6-8 hours on the low setting. Usually on the last hour I will add more broth if need be. We like our soup chunky though.

If I still have vegetables left over then I use them for homemade vegetable broth. It is a simple process! While my stock pot is heating up with a little olive oil,  I wash and chop the veggies I am going to use. I toss them into the stock pot to saute and if I have some cloves of garlic on hand, I add a few, too. Basil, pepper, rosemary, and thyme are great to include in the broth mixture. After a few minutes, I add 8-9 cups of water, bring everything to a boil, and then let it simmer for an hour.

I strain the broth into plastic containers to keep in my fridge for the next week and I also add some of the homemade broth into ice cube trays to freeze. These come in handy and will stay good in the freezer for around 2 months.