Luv Saving Money

I LOVE coffee. Can’t make it through a day without coffee. I usually have to have a hot cup of coffee as soon as I make it to my kitchen. I also enjoy trying coffee in different ways: hot, cold, latte, different ways to brew, coffee recipes, etc.

Vietnamese Egg Coffee

I enjoy watching short recipe video when done right. A few years ago I came across a video for Vietnamese egg coffee. I did a quick search for a recipe and gave it a try. It wa pretty good. I had to tweak and make my own recipe because I didn’t have all the ingredients. So check out my throwback post to when I made Vietnamese egg coffee and the recipe I tried.

Javy coffee concentrate

If you’re a coffee lover, you’ve probably seen the ads for Javy. Javy is a coffee concentrate that comes in several different flavors. They offer recipes to make hot, cold, latte, and other coffee treats with their product.

I signed up because it was summer and the iced coffee recipes sounded really good. Also because they gave me a great deal for new sign ups. I got a bunch of flavors to try.

They tasted good. They mixed well. Definitely good for a variety of coffee recipes. My issues is, after the introductory price I felt it was a bit high for the amount that I received. I was also supposed to get the Oleato style coffee flavor when I got the deal with additional flavors. I never received it and it was replaced with a double of another flavor I received. There was no explanation as to why I didn’t receive it. While the flavors I received were good I would have have like to get an email saying “sorry we’re out of the oleato style but we sent you a double instead” There was also a shipping delay in one of my orders but it didn’t really matter because I still had a bunch of the other order left.

Why did I stop my subscription? I just couldn’t justify the price after my 2nd shipment. I still had tons left after each order because I’d only drink it a couple times a week. And ultimately in the 2 order I received there was some issue with my order each time.

I’m also not a fan of subscriptions in general. If you want to try Javy without the subscription you can find Javy coffee concentrate on Amazon.

Mushroom Coffee

This one I was really leary about. See, the thing is, I don’t like mushrooms. Like at all. I don’t like the taste, I don’t like the texture, I don’t like the smell. The only thing I like is the nutritional and health benefits being touted right now with certain mushroom like Lion’s mane and Chaga.

I kept looking at different brand of mushroom coffee. It seemed kind of expensive. I was hesitant to try it because I didn’t want to end up with a bag of mushroom coffee I was never gonna drink.

Reading the reviews were confusing too. Some people swore it didn’t taste like mushrooms while other said it does a little bit. After checking out different brands I finally settled on one to try.

I bit the bullet and tried Everyday Dose mushroom coffee. It contains both Lion’s Mane and Chaga mushrooms. It also includes a coffee extract which I hoped would help with the mushroom flavor for me. Bonus for me is that it also includes collagen proteins which I typically add to my coffee anyway. It also contains amino acids which will be great for my workouts.

I got a nice little introduction package that included my coffee but also a measuring spoon, frother, recipe ideas, and a free 6 month subscription to the breathwork app Othership. Honestly I haven’t tried it yet but I think it will be a great addition to my meditation practice.

They also send helpful video for how to make your coffee. The youtube video they shared to make iced coffee was so helpful and actually worked. I got such a frothy creamy cup of coffee. I’m so happy.

So I’m sure you want to know, did I like it being a mushroom hater. The answer is yes, yes I really do. I honestly think it tastes a lot like regular coffee. I think choosing the one with coffee extract was a good choice for me. I found out that my next box includes free gifts of a mushroom glass, matcha mushroom sample, and a poster. I love the little perks. I feel like I’m getting more bang for my buck.

Again if you don’t want to deal with subscriptions you can find Everyday Dose mushroom coffee on Amazon sans the bonus items.

If you don’t want to have to worry about subscription plans you can also check out Grateful Earth coffee. It still contains Lion’s Mane and Chaga but also includes turmeric, cinnamon, and coconut creamer in their Super Brain Coffee.

You can save 10% off at Grateful Earth Coffee with code AUTUMN10 until 10/31/23

Small Coffee Companies

I like to try new coffees. Especially when it’s a small business based in the US. Last year I was lucky enough to win a free bag of coffee from Nectar of Life on instagram. I chose their French Roast coffee and it was really good.

They’re a small coffee company based out of Oregon. Check them out or at least give them a follow on instagram if you have a chance.

Have you tried any of these coffee options? How do you like to drink your coffee?

Do you make sure you get your coffee on International Coffee Day? Have you tried your coffee a different way? What did you think?

**This post does contain affiliate links. I will earn a small commission from sales made through my links. Any opinions expressed are my own. I have personally tried all these options**

I’m a 40 something woman and for the past 3-4 years I’ve noticed my eye site just wasn’t what it was. I had amazing eye site. I was told better than 20/20 in my younger years. My parents started needing glasses in their 40s so I guess it shouldn’t surprise me. About 3 years ago I had my first eye doctor appointment I’ve had in a long time. Motivated by the fact that I found myself having more trouble reading my books or kindle at night and doing that “moving it closer to my face then away from my face” more frequently.

After that first visit in a long time I got a pair of reading glasses with a mild prescription. I typically only used them at night to read. I also got the blue light blocker so I started using it more when working on my blog, entering sweepstakes, or scrolling on my phone.

This past year my eyes seemed worse. I found myself needing my reading glasses more and not being able to see signs far down the road like I used to. So I went back last week for my appointment. Ironically I had my appointment on September 22 and found our National Eye Health Week was September 18 – 24, 2023. I did get a slightly stronger reading glasses prescription. My insurance covered most of it. I think my glasses at the eye doctor were $400+ before insurance. After insurance I paid around $63.

Just prior to my appointment however I interacted with EyeBuyDirect on X (formerly Twitter) They sent me a code to get free frames, lenses, and free shipping to try them out. I was happy since my prescription changed and I wanted a 2nd pair for travel, this was perfect. With my new prescription in hand I browsed the EyeBuyDirect site for what seemed like an hour. There were so many styles and colors to choose from!

I especially loved the virtual try on feature. It helped me a lot with figuring out which frames would look right on my face and which colors. Even with the frames, lenses, and bluelight blocker added BEFORE my coupon, my glasses only came ot $78.45. Of course after my coupon they were completely free. But it made me realize I had options for glasses. If I needed another pair before my insurance was ready to pay again it would affordable to just buy them outright from EyeBuyDirect.

EyeBuyDirect also has a referral program. When I refer someone to the site they get $10 credit to use towards their glasses. Honestly that’s a good deal considering how reasonable their prices are!

Try out EyeBuyDirect now

They also have updates on your order. I ordered mine September 22 and it says they should be ready by September 27. My local doctor’s office is saying 2 weeks!

Let me know if you want an update when my glasses come in.

**This post does contain referral links. I won the coupon from EyeBuyDirect. I was NOT asked to do this post by the company. I created this post on my own for others that may wonder about ordering glasses online or what it’s like to order from this specific site**

I’ve bought this deal several times. It has always arrived. These little Igloo reusable ice block or reusable freezer packs as some like to call them come in handy.

These just slightly taller than your average soda can. They’re also pretty flat. They’re easy to wipe off so if you have a leak in your lunch bag or cooler, no worries. Just throw these little guys in your freezer and they’re ready when you need them.

I take them in my insulated lunch pack all the time. I use them for the kids lunches too. Here I have one in my son’s Fortnight insulated lunch bag. You can see there is still plenty of room to pack a drink and food.

I believe I have about 4 of these now. One for each of our lunch bags. I also like to use these in our larger picnic basket we have. It works well for day trips to local parks or keeping drinks cool on road trips.

I used to try to keep and reuse those ice packs that come with frozen food orders but I found that they leak and aren’t really meant to be reused multiple times. I ended up throwing out the ones I had and replacing them with these small Igloo ice blocks.

frugal tip

Having a party and need to keep things cold? No need for the expensive gadgets. Simply place one or more of these little Igloo cooler packs in a large container then place a small container on top. You’ll be able to keep veggie, fruits, dips, and chilled treats cold without worry of running out of ice or ice melting and splashing around on your food table.

You can also do this with other food storage containers depending on how much room you need and if you need a lid.

Gift guide idea

Here’s some ideas to incorporate the small Igloo ice block into gift ideas.

1. gift a small insulated lunch bag with one of these Igloo ice block inside. If you want to add more consider a small thermos or a small pack of snacks with the gift package too
2. Gift a small cooler with a few of these small Igloo ice blocks inside. Include a few of your recipients fave drinks such as a 6 pack of their favorite soda, sparkling water, or a few bottles of bottled water.
3. Gift an insulated picnic basket. Include a few of the small Igloo ice blocks and things that may come in handy on a picnic like hand wipes, eco-friendly disposable utensils, or a few snacks

Here’s the deal

Amazon currently has these small Igloo ice blocks on sale for 98 cents each. Free shipping if you’re a prime member.

Walmart also has this compact sized 9 qt Igloo cooler for $12.98 at the time of this post, that would be perfect for one of the gift ideas I posted above.

This post does contain affiliate links. I will earn a small commission from sales made through my links. This is NOT a sponsored post.