Love Coffee? So do the Swedes. In fact, they drink more coffee than almost anyone, anywhere. And for over 150 years, Gevalia has been their favorite cup.

Since 1853, Gevalia has upheld the uncompromising standards put forth by our founder, Victor Theodor Engwall. Opening his business in the small seaside town of Gävle, Sweden, Engwall aspired to import nothing less than the world’s finest beans. Coffee aficionados soon learned that if you wanted good coffee, you bought it from Victor. Business grew quickly, and Gevalia became the official coffee purveyor to the Royal Court of Sweden. –Gevalia Kaffe

Verdict: Who knew the Swedes were such fine… coffee purveyors! French Roast, or any bolder coffee, is typically our coffee of choice. So the Gevalia Kaffe French Roast was, of course, our favorite. However, we always buy whole bean and grind at home so that part of our morning routine we missed. Thankfully, they will be selling a few whole bean options as these hit Safeway stores though, so whole bean aficionados, don’t worry.

And now for the fun part! Kraft Foods through MyBlogSpark has offered up one 12oz bag of French Roast, one 12oz bag of House Blend, and a Gevalia Kaffe mug. [I know, I know, you're just in it for the coffee mug. Us too. ;)] for a Frugal Bon Vivant reader.

How to Enter the Giveaway: Answer the question – Coffee or Tea? (+12 more bonus points):


a Rafflecopter giveaway

PRIZE: 1.5 pounds of Gevalia Kaffee coffee

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, February 13, 2012 at 11PM PST

ELIGIBILITY, DISCLAIMER ETC: One winner. Ships anywhere in the US. One entry per e-mail address. Winner will be randomly selected. Coffee prize pack provided by Kraft Foods through MyBlogSpark and do not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog.

Susan C from Portland, Oregon!

Susan was randomly selected to win the $100 Olume credit in the  $100 Olume Credit Giveaway. Susan, please check your email :) And the rest of you lovelies: check back soon for another giveaway!

Olume

More good news? In celebration of their launch this week, Olume is offering up a $100 credit to one Frugal Bon Vivant reader! Jump below for the details on how to enter.

Olume Info

Best for: Designer home furnishings, decor, furniture, indoor/outdoor lighting, gifts.
Membership: Free. (And the first 3,000 members receive $15 credit towards their first purchase on Olume. Offer expires 10/1/11.)
Type: No invitation required to sign up. Members are approved through an approval process, here’s an invite from Frugal
Shipping: $7.95. Additional fees may apply (furniture etc)
Referrals: $15 credit after a friend’s first purchase, credits expire after 180 days.
Countries: continental US only. Orders are not accepted from Alaska, Hawaii or International.
Returns: within 30 days of receipt, but check their return policy.
Time/Duration of Sale: 3-7 days, depending on the sale, starting at 7:45 AM PST.
Product Categories: Home Furnishings including Tables, Chairs, Area Rugs and Cabinets. Indoor and Outdoor Lighting including, Lamps, Ceiling Lights, Chandeliers, Wall Lights, Bathroom Lighting, Home Décor including, Mirrors, Pillows, Candle Holders, Decorative Accessories etc.
Previously Featured Brands: Southern Enterprises, Adesso, Koko Company, Momeni , Trans Globe Lighting and more.

$100 Olume Credit Giveaway

How to Enter the Giveaway: Check out Olume, and then come back and leave a comment on this post, of the next home good item you want.

Totally optional bonus points: Get 1 extra entry for each of the following (& don’t forget to leave an extra comment with your bonus points!)

1. BONUS POINT: Follow the Frugal Bon Vivant on Twitter:Follow @frugalbonvivant
   
2. BONUS POINT: ReTweet the giveaway on Twitter (make sure to include @FrugalBonVivant in your tweet so it’s counted!)
3. BONUS POINT: Like the Frugal Bon Vivant on Facebook:
   

1. BONUS POINT: Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post.
2. BONUS POINT: Subscribe via RSS

PRIZE: $100 credit to Olume.com

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, August 15, 2011 at 11PM PST

ELIGIBILITY, DISCLAIMER ETC: One winner. Winner will be notified by email. Continental US only. One entry per e-mail address. Winner will be randomly selected. $100 credit provided by Olume & Bellacor and do not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog.

Verdict: The cereal was tasty, but I’m more concerned with the list of ingredients…. of which I would have to file this cereal under the treat category, and not a daily breakfast item… yep it’s a corn syrup issue. So I would snag a box of this again if it was on sale, but you won’t find me eating this every morning. As for the bars… hello, tasty treat! I like a little sugar when I’m hiking, so bring on the peanut butter and chocolate-y goodness.

And now for the fun part! Fiber One through MyBlogSpark has offered up a $25 Safeway gift card (works at: Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi’s too) for a Frugal Bon Vivant reader.

How to Enter the Giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, with the words “I’m so granola”

Totally optional bonus points: Get 1 extra entry for each of the following (& don’t forget to leave an extra comment with your bonus points!)

1. BONUS POINT: Follow the Frugal Bon Vivant on Twitter.
2. BONUS POINT: ReTweet the giveaway on Twitter (make sure to include @FrugalBonVivant in your tweet so it’s counted!)
3. BONUS POINT: Like the Frugal Bon Vivant on Facebook:
4. BONUS POINT: Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post.
5. BONUS POINT: Subscribe via RSS

PRIZE: $25 giftcard to Safeway

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, January 10, 2011 at 11PM PST

ELIGIBILITY, DISCLAIMER ETC: One winner. Ships anywhere in the US. One entry per e-mail address. Winner will be randomly selected. $25 gift card provided by Fiber One through MyBlogSpark and do not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog.

I don’t usually post grocery shopping deals, but when MyBlogSpark contacted me with a deal that didn’t involve searching for and printing coupons, I was game. Good news: all you have to do is count to 8 and identify the above mentioned brands. Phew.

They’re also doing their annual Bonus Box Tops promo for RewardYourSchool.com if you donate/participate in that.

Now the fun part! Kroger/General Mills/Kimberly Clark through MyBlogSpark has offered up a $25 Kroger gift card (works at: Kroger, Ralph’s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy) for a Frugal Bon Vivant  reader.

How to Enter the Giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, with the words “coupon”

Totally optional bonus points: Get 1 extra entry for each of the following (& don’t forget to leave an extra comment with your bonus points!)

1. BONUS POINT: Follow the Frugal Bon Vivant on Twitter.
2. BONUS POINT: ReTweet the giveaway on Twitter (make sure to include @FrugalBonVivant in your tweet so it’s counted!)
3. BONUS POINT: Like the Frugal Bon Vivant on Facebook:
4. BONUS POINT: Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post.
5. BONUS POINT: Subscribe via RSS

PRIZE: $25 giftcard to Kroger

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, August 23, 2010 at 11PM PST

ELIGIBILITY, DISCLAIMER ETC: One winner. Ships anywhere in the US. One entry per e-mail address. Winner will be randomly selected. $25 gift card provided by Kroger/General Mills/Kimberly Clark through MyBlogSpark and do not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog. photo by: atomic taco

I first used Safeway.com a few years ago just after I had moved into a 6th floor condo building. Translation: I didn’t want to schlep staples (flour, sugar, cans, toilet paper) through the rain and up the stairs/elevator. It was pretty efficient, so I’ve used them on (when I have a coupon code for free delivery) and off since then.

What I like about home grocery delivery:

• Good for: staples like baking supplies… bring on the 10 pounders! Alcohol… I’m sure my delivery guy thought I was a total lush. Paper goods/pet supplies… 24 pack of toilet paper, paper towels, cat litter/cat food — so much better having delivered.
• Sorting by price: maybe it’s my e-commerce background, but I’ve thought “why can’t I sort this shelf by price” sooo many times while shopping in-store.
• Delivery!: I’m carless, so this beats reserving a Zipcar and rushing around the store.
• Sales: “Just tell me what’s on sale on this aisle!” You can also sort by what’s on sale in each department.

Why grocery stores will never go out of business:

• Produce: I’m one of those people that buys primarily “ingredients” (yes, I have all of 1 canned item in my cupboards at the moment). Grocery delivery’s weakness? Produce. I want to pick out my own bananas, and I want to choose an avocado that will be ready to eat in X days. While you can leave “notes” on your order, I found it time consuming, and I was still crabby that I didn’t get to pick out my produce. Kind of a non-issue in the summer since it’s farmers’ market season.
• Time: Your first few orders take longer than going to the store, but it saves your purchase history so you can reorder and usually find your favorite items really easy. You also have to be home for a 2 minimum window for the delivery, which can sometimes be tough to nail down an exact 2hr time slot.
• Navigation/department structure: Safeway’s on-site search could use a little love, as could a few of their department structures — I have fairly high expectations for usability. :)

Bottom line, I will continue to use Safeway.com. They’re great for big orders every few months. Tip: save yourself some time and just select the “no substitutions” box so you don’t have to spend any time reviewing your receipt!

Now the fun part! Safeway has offered up a coupon code for Frugal Bon Vivant readers! Use coupon code: FRGLBNVNT for $7 off your first order and free delivery (Safeway.com has a minimum order of $50).

How to Enter the Giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, with the words “lost in the supermarket”

Totally optional bonus points: Get 1 extra entry for each of the following (& don’t forget to leave an extra comment with your bonus points!)

1. BONUS POINT: Follow the Frugal Bon Vivant on Twitter.
2. BONUS POINT: ReTweet the giveaway on Twitter (make sure to include @FrugalBonVivant in your tweet so it’s counted!)
3. BONUS POINT: Like the Frugal Bon Vivant on Facebook:
4. BONUS POINT: Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post.
5. BONUS POINT: Subscribe via RSS

PRIZE: $50 giftcard to Safeway

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, August 16, 2010 at 11PM PST

ELIGIBILITY, DISCLAIMER ETC: One winner. Ships anywhere in the US. One entry per e-mail address. Winner will be randomly selected. This product review was based on using complimentary Safeway gift cards. Safeway.com does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog. photo by: atomic taco

Alaina R!

Alaina was randomly selected to win the $25 Walmart Gift Card in the Cover Girl Smoky Eyes Giveaway. Check back soon for another giveaway!

So when I first opened the box of Cover Girl goodies, I was a little confused because there were three more boxes to open, all proclaiming to be the “Smoky Eyes” kit, and then I noticed in the corner of each box that there were slight differences — bold, glamorous, and natural (obviously my first choice). So the Smoky Eye line is: CoverGirl SmokyShadowBlast, LineExact Liquid Liner, and LashBlast Volume-Blasting Mascara.

Step 1: CoverGirl SmokyShadowBlast. I’m not much of an eyeshadow person… too much time and I rarely get it even. However, I’ve always been a big noticer of eyelids. Slightly odd perhaps, but when I wear eyeshadow, it’s fairly noticeable, you can see my entire eyelids even when my eyes are open, and I have big eyes — chock it up to gigantic eye sockets? Anyway, I really liked the roll-on eyeshadow (double-ended). Super quick and easy, I would actually purchase this product.

Step 2: LineExact Liquid Line. I seriously don’t “get” liquid liner! Not a fan. Is it my nature girl roots? I tried the liquid liner, and did a bit of smearing, but it felt like I had liquid liner on my eyes, kind of heavy. I’ll stick to my brown “crayon” pencil eyeliner.

Step 3: LashBlast Volume-Blasting Mascara. I’m a strictly a brown lash mascara girl since I have lighter hair, so it was nice to see brown mascara included!  I’m a Maybelline Great Lash (pink/green) user by default, but I really liked this one. I could probably be convinced to use any mascara, provided it didn’t make my eyes water, came in lighter shades, and wasn’t prohibitively expensive; so I’ll be adding this one to my “mascaras that work for me” mental list.

MyBlogSpark & Cover Girl have offered up a $20 gift card to Walmart to one of you — so let’s get this show on the road!

How to Enter the Giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, with the words “HIGH MAINTENANCE!”

Totally optional bonus points: Get 1 extra entry for each of the following (& don’t forget to leave an extra comment with your bonus points!)

1. BONUS POINT: Follow the Frugal Bon Vivant on Twitter.
2. BONUS POINT: ReTweet the giveaway on Twitter (make sure to include @FrugalBonVivant in your tweet so it’s counted!)
3. BONUS POINT: Like the Frugal Bon Vivant on Facebook:
4. BONUS POINT: Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post.
5. BONUS POINT: Subscribe via RSS

PRIZE: $20 giftcard to Walmart provided by P&G.

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, July 26, 2010 at 11PM PST

ELIGIBILITY, DISCLAIMER ETC: One winner. Ships anywhere in the US. One entry per e-mail address. Winner will be randomly selected. This product review was based on using complimentary Cover Girl product provided by MyBlogSpark. Bloggers also received a Walmart gift card to share with their readers. Cover Girl does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog.

Betty C!

Betty was randomly selected to win the $25 Walmart Gift Card in the Cascade Complete Giveaway. Check back soon for another giveaway!

The challenge involves baking a blueberry cobbler, leaving the empty baking dish out for 24 hours and then putting it in the dishwasher with Cascade Complete. However, I’m in the middle of a move, so by the time I got the info to review, baking in a half-packed kitchen was a little less than desirable. So instead I put it to the test of getting dried Kashi apple cinnamon instant oatmeal off my cereal bowl (If I don’t leave it in the sink to soak before putting in the dishwasher the cinnamon “bakes” to the bowl in the dishwasher and I end up hand washing after).

The results: The oatmeal bowl ended up spotless, so that was good news. Now the deal with Cascade Complete is that it’s an all in one dishwasher tab. I don’t currently use any of the “jet dry” rinse agent (the blue liquid) type products in my dishwasher, so while I was excited that it worked, I can’t vouch for it in comparison to a regular dishwasher detergent/rinse agent combo. But does their 24-hour claim hold true? Yes, I was surprised that it was better than my current one. If the price is reasonable, I would recommend it, but I’d have to do some price comparisons first. :)

Now the folks at MyBlogSpark & P&G have offered up a $25 gift card to Walmart to one of you — so let’s get this show on the road!

How to Enter the Giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, with the words “OATMEAL!”

Totally optional bonus points: Get 1 extra entry for each of the following (& don’t forget to leave an extra comment with your bonus points!)

1. BONUS POINT: Follow the Frugal Bon Vivant on Twitter.
2. BONUS POINT: ReTweet the giveaway on Twitter (make sure to include @FrugalBonVivant in your tweet so it’s counted!)
3. BONUS POINT: Like the Frugal Bon Vivant on Facebook:
4. BONUS POINT: Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post.
5. BONUS POINT: Subscribe via RSS

PRIZE: $25 giftcard to Walmart provided by P&G.

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, May 24, 2010 at 11PM PST

ELIGIBILITY, DISCLAIMER ETC: One winner. Ships anywhere in the US. One entry per e-mail address. Winner will be randomly selected. This product review was based on using complimentary Cascade product provided by P&G. Bloggers also received a Walmart gift card to share with their readers. P&G does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog.