If it is time to stock up on Vegenaise, vegan cheese or dairy-free salad dressing, then you definitely will want to print this vegan coupon!

Save $1.00 on Any Follow Your Heart Product

Have any of you tried the Sabra Veggie Fusions Guacamole? I LOVE their Roasted Pine Nut Hummus, but haven't tried the guac. So, if you have, let me know what you thought of it!

For those of use who haven't tried it yet, now is our chance with this printable online coupon:

Save $1.00 on Veggie Fusions Guacamole (coupon no longer available)

Have you seen this? I just found out about this super-cool summer getaway sweepstakes from Vega, and I had to make sure you were aware of it.

So, here's the deal: All you have to do is go to the Vega site, pick which of four summer adventures would be your fave, and submit the sweepstakes entry form (which includes signing up for Vega's email list).

If you just can't decide between the four adventures they have on the site, you can also take a short quiz to determine your summer getaway style (I was yoga retreat all the way).

The chance to win a free trip is awesome enough, but I am digging this Vega sweepstakes even more, because it's kind of a choose-your-own adventure! Rather than having to go on a specific, pre-planned trip to a particular destination, the winner will get a travel voucher, a visa card, a gift card for gear and Vega products to support the journey. 

How cool is that?

Click on the image at the top of this post to go directly to the sweepstakes entry page. Be sure to get your entry in by August 31!

It is time to stock up on vegan milks with these dairy free coupons!

Save $.75 on Any One Silk Half Gallon

You will need to either sign up or sign in to get these online coupons. Be sure to print it twice to save even more!

You don't have to be vegan to indulge in a little dairy-free frozen dessert every once in a while!

If you have never tried So Delicious Dairy Free frozen desserts or just like to save money on your splurges, now is your chance!

Print these online, dairy free coupons to save $1.00 on any one So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen Dessert or Novelty.

You will need to enter your name, email and zip code to access the coupon. You can print these vegan coupons twice (but you will need to go through the process again to print it a second time).

Head over to the Tofurky website soon to grab these two vegan coupons!

One printable coupon is for $1.00 off any one Tofurky Product.

The other Tofurky coupon is for $2.00 off any one Tofurky product  (you will need to enter your email to print this one).

I printed them, and the expiration date is April 20, 2018 -- so that is also awesome.

We can always find some cheap, vegan dollar store finds whenever we go to Dollar Tree or 99 Cents Only stores, but I think these are some of the best plant-based dollar store foods I have ever found!

Buying frozen food is a great way to save money on groceries, but when you can find those frozen foods at the dollar store, you can save even more. All of the vegan dollar store foods in this post can be found in the freezer section at Dollar Tree.

Pictured above are just the ones that I actually bought and brought home, but there were lots more than that (most of which are pictured below).

Let's start with the stuff that is pretty much always in stock, and then we will take a look at some of the veg dollar store goodness I have never seen before.

I have found that cheap, frozen fruit is always available at Dollar Tree and sometimes available at 99 Cents Only stores. This is great for smoothies and homemade, non-dairy ice cream, and I always have some of this fruit in my freezer. While I try to buy mostly organic, I just can't pass up $1.00 frozen fruit, particularly since we go through a lot of it for our vegan smoothies.

Frozen vegetables are also among the cheap vegan dollar store finds that you will find at either of the major dollar stores and some local ones. Frozen french fries are almost always in stock, and I didn't get a picture of those, but I did find two frozen sweet potato products that I was pretty excited to see.

Sweet potato fries and sweet potato curly fries for just $1.00 each! That is a great price for sweet potato products, and I'm totally bummed that I didn't pick some of these up. I got a little too excited about some of the cheap vegan food that I had never seen at the dollar store before -- and I knew I had limited room in my always-stocked freezer -- but I may have to go back for these!

My local Dollar Tree had a good selection of frozen vegetables this time, including okra, broccoli, mixed vegetables and asparagus. I definitely wish I had picked up some of that cheap asparagus and am probably going to go back to get some before they run out.

I do not remember seeing asparagus in the freezer section of my local dollar stores before, and asparagus can be pretty expensive, so this is an exciting find!

If you have not tried these rosemary and garlic fingerling potatoes, I recommend picking some up at your local Dollar Tree! I tried these the last time I saw them in stock and would definitely buy them again.

Okay, now we are getting to some of the more exciting vegan dollar store finds that I came across on my last visit. We all know that veggie burgers are usually not cheap, but these little two packs of 100% vegetarian veggie burgers are just $1.00 each!

I bought two packs of these, and I tried one last night. The first thing I noticed about them is that you can actually see the vegetables, which is a quality I like in my veggie patties. The recommended preparation method is the oven, but I was in a hurry and threw them in the microwave. They were a tad mushy, but veggie burgers often are when you cook them in the microwave. Other than that, I would say the taste and texture were on par with veggie burgers I have paid a lot more for.

These Jamaican Style Vegetable Patties are another cheap vegan food that I have never noticed at my local dollar stores. I picked up two of them and tried one of them yesterday. The filling reminds me of a samosa, and that is always a good thing. The outside crust is several flaky layers, most of which I easily removed to cut out some calories and gluten.

I think these might be a particularly good choice for college students going back to school and looking for a vegan, dorm-room alternative to Hot Pockets!

I have not had the chance to try these frozen, battered mushrooms yet, but I am a big fan of mushrooms in almost any form, so I can't wait! I see these as a super-cheap finger food for a party or an indulgent movie-night snack.

To surprise me even more, they had not one but TWO kinds of green bean fries. I bought one of each to give them both a try, but have not had a chance yet. I think I'm going to make these and the mushrooms the next time I binge watch Netflix!

Of course, I will bake them with no oil to make them not quite as sinful!

You can't go wrong with zucchini fries, so I bought two boxes of these. My wife is a huge fan of fried zucchini and is an omnivore, so I'm interested in seeing what she thinks of these vegan zucchini fries. I don't think she will notice a difference, and I'm sure she is going to love them! I just can't believe I found them at the Dollar Tree!

Of all of the cheap, vegan dollar store finds I found on this trip, these vegetable empanadas tempted me the most. You saw all of those products I did buy, and I just didn't think that my body could handle any more gluten any time soon. So if any of you do buy these at your local Dollar Tree, let me know how they taste! I'm super curious -- they look so good!

What are some of the best cheap, vegan foods you have found at dollar stores in your area?

It's time for the SoCal VegFest July Giveaway!
 
Prizes (which are valued at $100 per prize) include tasty Rhythm Superfoods snacks and quality OXO kitchenware!
 
Five winners are chosen randomly, and it is easy to enter!
 
To enter, all you need to do is sign up and choose tasks to complete. Each additional task will reward you with more entries in the contest! 
 
JOIN the fun! Share/Invite/Tag your friends and family on social media and tell them about the 2nd Annual SoCal VegFest happening Oct 29 & 30 at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa! FREE Admission & parking!
 
Enter by clicking here!
 
Side note -- I will be at SoCal VegFest in October, and I hope to meet some of you there!

Try these easy projects to create inexpensive, nature-inspired, DIY treasures for your home.
 
I have always loved driftwood and have long thought it to be a great addition to indoor and outdoor décor. Incorporating driftwood into your décor is a great way to bring nature into your home or landscaping and is an inexpensive DIY craft.

The first things to consider when selecting driftwood are cleanliness, its purpose in the ecosystem and the infestation factor. Before you drag that hunk of driftwood off the shore, be sure that it is not providing shelter for local wildlife. For example, on a beach it may be protecting a tide pool or providing a home to small shore animals, or in a lake or stream, it could be acting as a barrier to protect young fish or as shelter for crawdads. Driftwood could also be directing the flow of water, limiting erosion or providing shade for photosensitive flora, so as best you can, make sure you only remove driftwood that will have a minimal impact on the surrounding environment.
 
Once you have determined that the ecosystem will be safe upon removal of your driftwood, check the wood for cleanliness and possible infestation. This largely depends on how long it has been on the shore. Make sure you will be able to clean it up to suit your standards before you lug it to your car, truck or bike for transport.

Smaller pieces of driftwood can be cleaned by simply boiling them in a pot on the stove. Place the driftwood in the pot and cover with water, then boil and drain. This process can be repeated if the driftwood isn’t quite as clean as you would like it to be after the first boil. Larger pieces of driftwood (and smaller ones as well if you don’t feel like using one of your pots to boil them) can be cleaned with a hose or hot water and a scrub brush.

I prefer to use driftwood in its natural state; however, it is possible to stain and varnish the wood in the same manner that you would stain and varnish other unfinished wood projects. If you choose to stain and/or varnish your driftwood, you will need to take special care in making sure that the driftwood is clean and has dried completely before you begin.
 
Another way of changing the color of your driftwood is to use a bleach and water combination to scrub it. This will clean the wood and lighten the color in most cases. Keep in mind that bleach is a harsh substance and you should use care when bleaching your wood (such as gloves and proper ventilation) and make sure that you remove all of the bleach before you place the driftwood on surfaces that could be effected or in areas where there are children or animals.

Using small pieces of driftwood, and magnets and adhesive from your local craft store, create nature-inspired magnets for your refrigerator or filing cabinet. This is a very easy DIY project that simply involves gluing magnets to a relatively flat spot on the back side of the driftwood.
 
Slightly larger pieces of driftwood can be used to make candle holders that will hold either a single votive or tea light candle, or a row of them. For this project, you will need a piece of driftwood that will balance flat against a tabletop surface. Depending on the length of your wood, use a drill to make holes in the driftwood that are large enough to hold a glass votive candle holder then place the candle holders and candles into your finished project. As long as you can use a drill, this is another DIY project that won’t take you much time and is very easy to complete. I do not recommend placing candles directly into the hole, as this will increase the risk of fire. 
 
Very large pieces of driftwood can be used both inside and outside as benches or plant holders. If the piece is large enough, well balanced and relatively flat, it can be placed as is to provide extra seating or to display plants. If you have a great piece of driftwood that is large enough, but does not lend itself to balanced bench sitting, you can still use it as a bench by leveling it with natural stone supports (like legs), anchoring it in sand (depending on your landscaping), or adding wooden legs that will compensate for height and balance differences along the piece.
 
If you are particularly crafty, or know a woodcarver, driftwood can also be carved into sculptures and used as interior décor or in landscaping.

Have you crafted with driftwood? What tips can you share?

If you knit or crochet, you’ve likely experienced the dreaded task of stopping in the middle of your project to waste a couple of hours untangling your skein of yarn. It's a frustrating, painstaking process that halts progress on your knitting or crocheting project and can bore you to tears. But, here are some tips to make the process a bit more manageable, and to prevent it from happening in the first place. 

The first thing to consider when you have a tangled skein is whether or not it is even worth saving. Untangling yarn can take the better part of an afternoon and if you only paid $3.00 or $4.00 for the skein, your time is likely better spent scrapping it and moving on.  
 
This is particularly true if you knit or crochet as a business. If you are selling your wares, then it is not worth spending three hours untangling a skein of yarn that you can replace inexpensively. It will make your hourly income nosedive and will make a project that should take two hours end up taking five, and the purchase price of your item will not go up accordingly. Once you’ve done this once or twice, that adds up to several hours of labor for which you aren’t getting paid.
 
On the other hand, if you were planning to chat on the phone or watch a movie anyways, then mindlessly untangling yarn while you are participating in these activities is a way to keep your hands busy and save the money it would take to replace the skein.
 

There is no quick, easy way to untangle yarn. Once it becomes a tangled mess, you can be sure that you will spend quite a bit of time partaking in the untangling process. If your yarn has become tangled simply from your skein flopping around while you are knitting or crocheting, then you can comfort yourself knowing that the yarn can be untangled. It has essentially wrapped around itself, generally in loops, and there should be no actual knots that cannot be undone. So, that’s the bright side.
 
If this is the case, then the best way to untangle the yarn is to patiently loosen the tangles as much as possible with a needle or your fingers and undo each tangled loop, slowly progressing towards a tangle-free skein. It is often helpful to find an end and work that single end back through the tangles one at a time. As you untangle the yarn wrap the now tangle-free yarn around a toilet paper tube, paper towel tube, piece of cardboard or even the back of a chair to keep the skein from tangling again.
 
If your yarn has been tangled by a mischievous pet or child, then there might be actual knots and the process can be much more meticulous. If this is the case, then find an end and begin to wrap the tangle-free part as mentioned above. Loosen the tangles as much as possible and work the end through the knots as much as you can. When you reach a knot or tangle that cannot be manipulated, cut that section of the yarn out and tie the yarn together leaving a tail that is at least a couple of inches long. Continue to do this and to wrap the untangled yarn until you have a nice new ball to work with.
 

So, you are in the middle of a project and your skein has gotten all wrapped around itself in tangles. If you don’t feel like untangling it, you can continue your project by cutting the yarn you are using and starting a new skein. If you have another skein of the same yarn, this will work great for color and texture consistency.
 
To start a new skein, cut a tail on the skein you are using that is at least six inches long. Then, either tie the new skein onto that tail (again leaving a long tail on the new yarn) and continue, or leave a long tail on the new skein of yarn and begin knitting or crocheting for about two rows. Then take the tail from the old skein and the tail from the new one and tie them together. Snip the tails after securing the knot, or weave them into your project.
 
If you don’t have another skein of the same yarn, or you want to get a bit creative, this is also a great time to take the opportunity to introduce a new color into your project.

The best way to avoid spending hours untangling yarn is to prevent it from tangling in the first place. Sooner or later, you will likely still have to tackle some tangles, but you can limit this by trying one of the following methods.

1. Use a yarn winder to turn your skeins into pull balls before beginning your project. Yarn winders can be purchased at your local fabric or craft store.
2. Place your skein in a Ziploc bag with one of the bottom corners cut out to feed your yarn through. This will keep your yarn from flipping around on itself as much and also keeps it nice and tidy.
3. Use a product like the Snapware Yarn-Tainer to keep your yarn organized and tangle-free. The Yarn-Tainer is basically a plastic cylinder (think pasta container) with a hole in the lid to feed the yarn through.
   
4. Pull one end of your skein through an empty paper towel or toilet paper tube. Hold the tail down as you begin to wrap your yarn the tube at an angle. After a few rows, the forming ball will hold the tail down. Turn the tube periodically as you wind and you will see a ball begin to form. Once you have finished, pull the tail through the tube and take care to keep it from hiding in the middle of the ball as you take the finished ball of the tube.
5. Cut a dowel into one foot lengths, then place one of the lengths in a power drill (like a bit). Tape one end of your yarn to the tip of the dowel farthest from the drill. Then, let the drill do the work of rewinding your skein onto the dowel. One note on this one – you will end up with your yarn very tightly wound around the dowel, it works fine, but I prefer a looser ball to work with.
6. If you prefer to work with the skein as-is, it may help to use the end that comes from the center of the skein. When I use this method, I usually secure the outside tail to the skein with a paperclip or something of that nature so that it won't tangle up with the yarn as the skein flops around.

How do you keep your yarn from tangling during storage or while working on projects?