Cost Plus World Market Explorer Rewards $10 Birthday Freebies

I finally got to use my Cost Plus World Market Explorer Rewards Birthday money, a $10 gift certificate off a $10 purchase...so that means if you find something at Cost Plus for $10, it's FREE! I love Cost Plus World Market! How generous of Cost Plus World Market to give me a mini shopping spree for my birthday! There's only one problem: there are SO many great things at Cost Plus to choose from!!!!

I eventually found a reusable water bottle, shaped like a flat flask for $7.99, on sale 50% off for $3.99. Then I found a Wrap-N-Mat reusable sandwich and snack wrapper for $5.99. That seems rather expensive for ONE sandwich wrapper, but it's reusable, so it will cut down on plastic baggies, which is a huge plus! Who knew my birthday freebies were going to be so environmentally friendly? Cool! 

The only stipulation on the Cost Plus $10 gift certificate, which was emailed to me, is that the items must equal $10 before tax. So, I had to look for something small to put my total over $10.  On my way out, I spotted a Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix for $3.49, which isn't too bad considering it is a cool treat to try out! It immediately reminded me of when I went to New Orleans to visit my dear friend and her family a few years ago. We sat at Cafe Du Monde and had coffee and the best beignets in the world! Each order comes with 3 lovely pillows of heaven sprinkled generously with powdered sugar. I just remember getting so much powdered sugar on me that I had to stand up and shake it off! It was so worth it, though, for fresh beignets! So, when I saw the Cafe Du Monde beignet box mix, I had to try it! Who doesn't love French doughnuts???

Anyway, THANK YOU Cost Plus World Market for these lovely birthday treats! I am a loyal Cost Plus World Market fan!

I even asked a sales associate about their return policy and she said you can always return something, even if you've opened it. She said you don't even need a receipt! I asked her if I could return the water bottle if it imparted a bad taste to water and she said yes! Now that is risk free shopping! Love it! I can't wait to try the Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix! 

Sign up FREE for Cost Plus World Market Explorer Rewards Program

Apple iPod Nano Gen 6 with Tunewear Watch Case vs. Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap

While I was running errands today, someone complimented me on my orange watch and asked what kind of watch it was. I told her it was actually an Apple iPod Nano in a watch case! She was shocked! She was so excited and said her world just might have to change because she wanted one.

My hubby got me this cute Apple iPod Nano for my birthday this year, so I've been wearing it as a watch so my music is always with me. I love the battery life on this Nano--it lasts all day! I decided to do a review comparing two iPod Nano Gen 6 watch cases: Tunewear watch case vs. Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap. The orange watch case that I was wearing today was made by Tunewear. It's made out of somewhat flimsy, soft silicon and comes in a variety of colors: pink, blue, black, clear, orange, yellow, purple, red and green. I also have a pink watch case for the iPod Nano and it is made by Switcheasy. It's called the Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap and it is made out of a highly durable Elastomer material with stainless steel strap pin and polycarbonate push buttons (I couldn't remember the name in my video review, so please forgive my mistake!). The Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap comes in a lot of colors too: pink, black, white, red, blue, gray and orange. I don't mind bright colors, so I chose pink and orange (my top favorite colors). But, if you want your iPod Nano watch to blend in and look more like a regular watch, you could buy the black or white cases.

So far, I like the pink Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap better since it is waterproof and keeps the iPod away from my skin. The only negative thing I have to say about the Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap is that it is a bit of a pain to constantly take the iPod in and out to charge it every day. That's why I bought the Tunewear orange watch case: it had a cut-out for the 30 pin charger, so you don't have to take the iPod in and out to charge it. The Tunewear watch case is more flimsy and doesn't seem like it's as sturdy as the Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap, though. But if you don't mind the iPod touching your skin, then the Tunewear Watch Case might be more convenient, since you can keep the iPod in there while you charge it. Overall, I like the Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap better since it houses the entire body of the iPod snuggly and the stainless steel strap pin seems sturdier than the silicon notches on the Tunewear watch case. As you can see from the picture above, you cannot lay the Switcheasy Ticker Wrist Strap flat on a table if you want your iPod Nano to sit flush with a surface like you can with the Tunewear watch strap (if it's important to you to be able to lay the nano watch down flat, then the Switcheasy Ticker Watch Strap might not work for you).

Here's my video review of the iPod Nano Gen 6 with Tunewear Watch Case vs. Switcheasy Ticker Wrist strap. (Please forgive my mistakes. I didn't have time for a second take, so this video is "as is.")