Giveaway and Review: Novica, in Association with National Geographic

Note: I was just contacted by a Novica Representative who informed me that the only reason my shipping cost as much as it did is because I live in Canada.  For US destinations, the average shipping cost is $6, and is duty/tariff/import tax free.  As well, there will be an adjustment of price for the items themselves.  So my comments regarding the shipping costs are really only applicable for us Canucks. 

It is with great pleasure and anticipation that I announce my first blog giveaway!

In August, I was contacted by the folks at Novica, an online shopping company that sells the wares of fair trade artists and artisans from around the world in association with National Geographic.  Being a huge fan of N.G., I told them I’d be thrilled to do it, then promptly got around to NOT doing it until now.  To Novica, my sincere apologies.

However, yesterday I finally got around to giving the site a good go-over, and made my selection of this gorgeous necklace.

But making a decision on this site wasn’t easy.  In fact, the lucky person who wins the $50 Gift Certificate to Novica will have their hands full trying to decide which beautiful piece to import from abroad.

A rundown of the site: it’s pretty straightforward, with an Earthy colour scheme and easily-navigated menu.  Since I was also shopping with a $50 gift certificate, I was able to select my budget from a bar on the left, so I only had to look at pieces within my price range. In addition to the menu on the left, there is a “Great Gifts Under” scrolldown along the top menu, making it even easier to stay in your comfort zone. I actually found that the easiest, since I had no clue what kind of treasure I wanted to buy.

Each piece is completely unique, and comes with a story about the artisan.  For the shopper’s ease, if you liked a piece by a particular artist, you can follow the link to find that artist’s page, which features all of their works, regardless of category.

In terms of the prices, the site is surprisingly inexpensive.  Those who know me well know that I am a little obsessed with teapots (I don’t know why, but a cute teapot will have me squealing louder than teenie boppers who run into the Biebs). Fear not, this site is teeming with teapots. Not only that, but gorgeous, handpainted or sculpted teapots.  Take a look at this gorgeous coffee pot, which honestly costs a fraction more than what you’d pay at Sears.

The one downer about this site:  the dreaded Shipping and Handling. For my $27.99 necklace, it cost me an additional $27 to ship from Thailand. So even with my gift certificate, I still owed another $5 for shipping. In addition to this, because I am shipping it from Thailand, customs may decide to slap me with additional import duties and tariffs. Unfortunately, Novica can’t tell you how much that’s going to cost, since each country varies, and duties are hit and miss.  I’m hoping that if the government does decide to tax my necklace, it isn’t any more than $10, but you never know.

My boyfriend found the same thing.  He wanted to give the site a whirl after I described my experience, and found a stunning Alpaca men’s sweater for $100, which he deemed to be a reasonable price.  He decided to buy it, but just as he was checking out, discovered that it was going to cost another $30 to ship, plus potential duties and tariffs.  As much as he liked the sweater, he couldn’t justify spending closer to $150 on it.

Verdict: Novica gives you the exciting opportunity to literally shop the globe from the comfort of your home. It has an unparalleled selection of stunning unique pieces, user-friendly features, and fascinating stories about the people behind the products.  Novica has put some effort into suggesting some corporate friendly gifts, which would be a really special way of honouring treasured clients or employees.  The shipping costs and unknown tariffs are a huge pain in the butt, but depending on the size of your order, could be worth it if it means avoiding the Mall to buy a gift (blegh! I hate malls!)  Besides, it truly makes you feel like a one-person relic importer, which, in a way, you are.

So how do you win this $50 gift certificate, just in time to do a little Christmas shopping?

FIVE EASY WAYS TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY (Feel free to do as many as you like!):

1. Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)

2. Tweet about the contest, please include @themoneyrabbit (1 entry)

3. Leave a comment on my new fitness/health/travel blog, Rabbit on the Run (1 entry)

4. Follow my new twitter profile @RabbitRunnerTO, then TWEET at me to let me know (1 entry)

5. Leave a comment on my vlog on Youtube (1 entry)

The contest will be open until Wednesday, October 26th at Midnight. Winner will be selected at random.

Featured Novica items:  Men’s & Accessories

Another Update I just went onto my Novica account, and it is insanely easy to track my package.  Novica automatically links you to Fed/Ex, so I could see how much my package weighs, and it shows the dates and times of the shipping.  This gave me huge peace of mind.  So even though I was cranky about the shipping costs, this site is a well-oiled engine in terms of delivery, user friendliness and ease.  WAY TO GO, NOVICA!

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October 20, 2011 | Money Rabbit | 22 Comments »

Review: Fit Factory Fitness

Upfront disclosure:  I am NOT being paid or compensated in any form by Fit Factory Fitness.  I bought a WagJag deal for 30 days of class with them for $30, and figured I’d work in a review.

Here’s how my past two weeks have been, in my head. Cue epic music.

Ah, vanity.

Over the past month, I’ve gotten cocky.  I’m a triathlete. I can run faster and farther that I’ve ever been able to before. My muscles have started to become more defined.  Clearly this can only mean one thing; that I am a superhero.  I must only be a class or two away from being a modern day Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Obviously, my physical prowess can be surpassed by few. Maybe CSIS will send me an invite to be their new Canadian superspy.  So when I signed up with the WagJag deal to get 30 days of unlimited bootcamp with Fit Factory Fitness for $30, I anticipated that it would be difficult, but I figured I could take it in stride.

After I stumbled home, my protein shake had the bitter tang of humility.

Stop music. Rewind.

When I arrived at my class this evening, I was greeted by the energetic and charismatic Tony A, who gave me a huge high five and welcomed me to the class.  His T-Shirt read, “Your Workout is My Warm-up.”  We wouldn’t be stopping, he warned me, I’d be pushed to my hardest level.  Ha ha, think I, I’ve already done a triathlon.  Surely this will be a walk in a park.

Within ten minutes I was dying. Windmilling my arms, I didn’t know my body could ache like that.  Tony didn’t relent.  “Get ‘em up! Get ‘em up!  Push! Push!”

Unfortunately, this is when Tony learned my name.

“Marianne!!!  Mar! Ee! Anne!  Lift your arms higher!”

Ouch.  Ow ow ow.

What happened next can only be described as pure hell.  Running. Lunging. Arm raises. Jumping.  Burpees. Kettle bell raises. Non-stop.  When we didn’t run from one station to the next, Tony made us go back to our original exercises, and we repeated. By the time we finished, I was ready to collapse in a pool of pure exhaustion.  Then we got to the “stretching.”  I joined hands with another bootcamper, and we took turns digging into a squat and dragging each other across the floor.

“Mar! Ee! Anne!  This is the stretch!!!  Get your butt down!!”

I got my butt down, my muscles promptly seized up, and I fell smack on my ass.  Classic.

I was completely wiped when we finished, but I’ll be back.  In fact, I highly recommend Fit Factory Fitness for anyone looking to take their workout up to the next level, whatever that may be.  And don’t just take my word for it; check it out for yourself.  The first class is free. The classes run super early in the morning, or in the evenings.  There’s an outdoor class on Saturday mornings at Ashbridge’s Bay, which I definitely am hoping to attend, since I love to exercise outside.

Tony A is a former U.S. Marines Corps Drill Sargeant, and I can genuinely believe that he wants to push his students to reach the same level of fitness as the U.S. Armed Forces. You can tell he is extremely passionate about his work; he took safety very seriously, and repeated all his instructions over again if even just one member of the class was chatting. It felt like I was getting the full-out U.S. Army experience, and let me tell you, those soldiers would be lucky if they had Tony as their drill master.  He is skilled, focused, driven, and forces you out of your comfort zone.  Boy, did he ever.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie or a seasoned fitness veteran, or if you fall towards the n00b end of the spectrum like I do. If you’re a beginner, expect to be pushed, but don’t worry about being judged, everyone there is focused on their own progression. The ones who have been there longer didn’t stop the entire time, and did each movement with an added vigour. The encouragement was palpable, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Verdict:  I highly recommend Fit Factory Fitness.  You will burn calories. You will hurt. Your workout will be vastly more challenging than anything you could put yourself through at the gym. Tony A is made of pure muscle and energy.  He is sensitive to your authentic levels of exertion, but if he thinks you could go even just an ounce further, then gosh darn it he is going to get you there.  If you were to attend regularly, you could pretty much be guaranteed to lose weight, gain muscle, and hit new fitness highs. Fit Factory Fitness gave me the dose of reality that I so desperately needed…that I still have a very long ways to go, but that with some sweating, swearing, and unpleasant grunting, I can get there.

Also: if you’re not in Toronto, I would also highly recommend checking out local bootcamps.  Many will offer the first class for free, so sample a few of them and see if it’s something you can commit to. They’re hard, sweaty, and painful, but you WILL reap the rewards. It’s cause and effect.

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September 14, 2011 | Money Rabbit | No Comments »

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