lucky bandit | RVA based lifestyle blog

Wednesday, March 02, 2022

how I find free & inexpensive books

I've always been an avid reader. When I was a child my grandfather took me to thrift shops to pick out books. I've continued the practice, but I've been really cutting back on spending lately, so I don't snatch up books like I used to. Here are some ways that I still consume books without breaking the bank.
All of these titles I painstakingly sourced for under $5 a piece (many under $3) over the course of a few months. That's not including the many free ebooks I downloaded to my Kindle app and library apps. Here are some ways I save money on books:

Utilize your local library. Of course this tops the list! I'm a cardholder at my home county's library for physical and digital book check out and I'm a digital cardholder at a neighboring city's library. I lucked out and grabbed a digital copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins for free instead of Amazon's $17.99 Kindle price tag. To be honest, I don't check out many physical books because I'm so awful at returning them on time, so the digital option is great for me.

Sign up for book deal emails. I receive daily emails from Bookbub with that day's book deals. I get a lot of books for free that way and occasionally I'll spot something on my TBR list that's been marked down. Riffle is another option, but they don't send emails out as frequently.

Check Facebook Marketplace. Recently I got an almost complete Karin Slaughter collection for free from someone locally who was giving them away. I've picked up mixed boxes of books for free and gotten some good reads out of them!

Keep an Amazon wish list. This one might seem odd, but I keep books I want on a separate wish list. Occasionally I'll scroll through and sort by price. Every now and then I can score one I've been wanting for free or at a big discount. 

Utilize thrift stores and secondhand book stores. I sometimes have to stay away from the book section of thrift stores because I'll bring home a half dozen of super low priced books, and I deliberately stay away from 2nd & Charles for the same reason. We have some great used book stores here locally, too! I treated myself to a book store trip when I interviewed for my current job and told myself "one book for a good interview" and came out with seven. My favorite online bookstore is definitely ThriftBooks*. If you use that link, sign up, and spend $30, we both get a free book!

It's easier than ever now to find books! There's absolutely no reason to drop retail price on a book!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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Saturday, February 26, 2022

link love


Chicobag has a Pay It Forward program where you can send them your old reusable bags.

Check out this article about the impact of the potato and tomato on European demographics and culture. It's a good read!

Everyone knows I'm obsessed with baseball. I umpire and play in two leagues, and in my local sandlot league I will occasionally come in as relief catcher, so this article about the evolution of catcher's equipment was interesting.

I love the promising idea of Eco Lips Plant Pod

I like hearing the origin stories of things and this article about the white sauce you get at Mexican restaurants didn't disappoint.

Since I don't have a sense of smell, my taste is slightly diminished. I just found the Hot Sauce Mall and I'm too excited to order some different types, like this garlic hot sauce.


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*


Photo by Steve Johnson.

Saturday, February 19, 2022

easy vegan ratatouille

I started making this when I started eating vegan/vegetarian. This is super easy to make, is great for using up vegetables that have been hanging out in the fridge, and doesn't take long to cook!

I've made this with zucchini, kale, yellow squash, broccoli, bok choy, spinach, and more. You can definitely add any vegetable you fancy. Eggplant, bell peppers, etc. This is just the gist of how I make it! Like usual, I never really follow recipes and cook to taste.

Start with onions, carrots, and celery. I loathe the textures of these but they're vital for flavor, so I puree them, then brown them with olive oil in a sauce pan. Add minced garlic, then the vegetable that needs the most cook time - zucchini is my go to. I like my zucchini still slightly crunchy, but cook to your own preference.Once they're cooked, I add any other veggies that need to be cooked, though not the greens yet. After, I add a can of crushed tomatoes (or pureed diced tomatoes if that's what I have on hand) and get those almost to a simmer, then add in a can of rinsed cannellini beans and whatever greens I've chosen, which is typically kale. I season with every step - usually black pepper, nutritional yeast, basil, oregano, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, among others. You could easily give this a Mexican vibe and go with cumin, coriander, and cilantro.

Other options for it can be pureeing the stems of broccoli with the onions to use them up, swapping the cannellini beans for black beans, or if you wanted to add meat (Wegmans have a great meatless beef crumble option). 

I usually serve this over rice, but you could add a little water or vegetable broth and thin it out for a pasta sauce or pizza topping. It's really versatile and super filling.

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

empties #23

I finally filled up the little bin I use to collect my empties. Beyond basic skin care, I haven't been using a ton of products as I only really wear powder and mascara now on a daily basis. As usual, I try to label the non-cruelty free items, but I'm only human so always check!
Aura Cacia Organic Motivating Yoga Mist // I got this from a friend who no longer used it, and I didn't use it much either so I decluttered it. 

e.l.f. Gentle Peeling Exfoliant* // I love this product. It's affordable and it works really well. I stopped using scrubs once I found chemical exfoliants!

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream // not cruelty free // I got this as a free birthday gift from Sephora. I liked it, but I wouldn't purchase it because they're not CF.

Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment* // This came in an Ipsy bag. It was a pretty good scrub that worked. Like I said earlier, I prefer chemical exfoliants, but I'd buy this.

Skinfood Lettuce & Cucumber Watery Cream // not cruelty free // I picked this up at Marshall's thinking it was a different brand, and Skinfood isn't cruelty free. It was a decent moisturizer, though.

The Naked Bee Hand & Body Lotion* in Orange Blossom Honey // This brand is made not far from where my mom lives in Tennessee and they have great products! The lotion is moisturizing but not greasy. I'd definitely get this again.

Simply Shea Hand & Body Lotion in Warm Vanilla Sugar // I got a few samples of Simply Soothing's new lines, and their lotion is really nice. It's thick but absorbs quickly. Get 15% off with my code KATELYNCARTER! (Their bug spray is 1000% worth it.)

Mary Kay Satin Body Silkening Shea Lotion // not cruelty free // This was a Christmas gift. I liked the scent of this lotion and it had a nice texture.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask // not cruelty free // This was part of the Sephora birthday gift, too. I liked the consistency of it, but wouldn't get it again because it's not CF.

Sun Bum SPF 50 Sunscreen* // Sun Bum is my absolute favorite sunscreen, and it smells like bananas. This can was over half full, but expired, so I tossed it. Always check the dates on your sunscreen!

e.l.f. Concealer Stick // This is old. They don't even make this style packaging anymore. It was a little too light for me so I decluttered it.

Sweet and Shimmer Peppermint Hand Lotion // cruelty free status unknown // I can't seem to find any info on this brand, so I don't know if it's cruelty free or not. I got it as an office gift and kept it on my desk. It was a decent little hand lotion.
Trader Joe's Vanilla Pumpkin Candle // I love picking up Trader Joe's candles. They're cheap and smell nice. I'll continue picking them up.

111Skin Y Theorem Repair Serum // Another Ipsy sample. I liked it, but there's no way I'm spending $350 on a skin care product.

Pacifica Hairvana Leave-On Detangling Conditioner // Pacifica is easily my favorite brand. I liked this conditioner! It didn't weigh my hair down and it did help with tangles.

e.l.f. Prime & Stay Finishing Powder // I like these little powders but their packaging is terrible. I've never had one not snap at the hinge! However, for $3, I'll keep getting them. They have decent coverage and it's usually what I wear on an average day.

Pacifica Aromapower in Hardcore Happy // I liked this, but I'd like to try a different scent from Pacifica.

Ulta Youthful Glow Foundation Serum Drops // I cannot match foundation to save my life. My skin tone range is wildly different from winter to summer because of baseball, so it's a wild ride finding foundation. I didn't really like the way this applied, so I don't think I'd try it again. I'll stick with creams.

Ulta Double Duty Primer & Foundation in Classic Ivory // I got this on clearance, so it may have been nearing its shelf life. It was a thicker consistency and I found it setlled in my pores, so I wouldn't try it again.

Ulta Ultamate Lashes Mascara // I liked the brush and formula for this. It was buildable but not clumpy and I'd definitely pick it up again.

Calvin Klein Euphoria // not cruelty free // I got this for Christmas when I was like...16. Yeah, I don't use a lot of perfume, but finally finished it up. It's not cruelty free, so I replaced it with a brand that is.
ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths // I didn't use these often because I thought they might damage the bristles on my brushes and then they dried out on me. I'll stick with my brush shampoo and brush cleaner*.

Ulta Age Defying Matcha Green Tea Mask // I've really gotten into skincare lately and I've started using up the plethora of masks I've been given or picked up. This one was soothing and I liked it. 

Neutrogena Collagen Kiss Lip Mask // not cruelty free // This was from an Ipsy box, I think? I have chronic dry lips, so I thought this might help. It didn't, and it was kind of a pain to use because my lips were a little too big for it and it wouldn't fit right. Plus it's not cruelty free.

Bath & Body Works Lump of Coal Sheet Mask // not cruelty free // I don't really like sheet masks but will use them if they're given to me. This one was alright, but not CF.

Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes // It's not often that I get wipes, but these were good. Not too wet and didn't leave a residue. I take my makeup off with them before using a cleanser. I'd get these again!

Charcoal & Black Sugar Mask // cruelty free status unknown // I have no idea what brand this is or where I got it, but I liked it a lot. If I could find it again and verify if it was CF, I'd get it again. It was a little hard to apply evenly because of the sugar, but it exfoliated well.

Masque Bar Charcoal Hydro Eye Masks // My under eye bags are insane, but I could actually see a difference after using these. They slid around a bit, but were cooling and I liked them.

Ulta Pollution Defense Pomegranate Mask // An average mask, I'd get it again if it was on sale.

Que Bella Purifying Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Mud Mask // Y'all. I hated this mask. It was like putting paste on my face and I couldn't get it off. I had to pull out a face scrubbie to get it all off, and I missed a small spot in the shower the next morning and it was on my face all day. I've used other masks from them and they were fine, so maybe I just got a bad one.
e.l.f. Sheer Lip Balm // I just don't use this, so I decluttered it. It was a fine sheer lip balm for a little color.

Shea Moisture Vegan Lip Balm // I've tried three of these and I just can't get the things to work. I want to love this balm, but I can never get it out of the tube!

Paula Deen Lip Balm in Peach Cobbler // cruelty free status unknown // I picked this up on a whim a few years ago when we went to the Paula Deen store in Tennessee. It was more a novelty, so I decluttered it.

Blistex Medicated Lip Balm // not cruelty free // In my search for something, anything to help my chronic dry lips, I picked this up. It didn't work so I tossed it. 

Mary Kay Satin Lips Balm // not cruelty free // This is the ONLY thing that works for my terribly dry lips. Yes, it's not cruelty free, but my lips can get so bad they bleed, so I consider this more of a health issue and will continue to get this. It's soothing and moisturizing and not sticky. 
100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream // I got this sample a while ago and I think it really made a difference in my undereyes. I have a few more eye creams to use up, but I'd get the full size of this!

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Foundation Sample // I was trying out some samples and found a set of these and loved the way it blended and settled on my face. I actually ordered a full size of this!

Eco Lips Ecolixir Daily Facial Oil Kakadu Plum Seed Oil // I just don't like facial oils. They're just not for me.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Face Cream // not cruelty free  // It's hard to judge a product like a recovery cream from one sample, but the texture was nice. Too bad they're not CF.

Vichy Mineral 89 Booster // not cruelty free // This was light and I liked it, but Vichy isn't cruelty free. 

There's another month of my trash. 😂 I've been trying to use up a lot of half empty products and declutter things I just don't use anymore. 


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

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