Veg Freebies

The Topic: Fantastic Freebies

The Dish: Finding a great deal is a daily pursuit of mine, but sometimes I want more. I want free. While my luck generally doesn't lead me to winning many contests, giveaways, or raffles, someone has to win. Why not me? Better yet, why not you? With the ever-growing presence of veganism online, there's always a site or blog willing to gift great prizes (including our weekly VegNews giveaway). My newest discovery is Ecobunga, a site which bills itself as "your guide to green deals and giveaways." While not exclusively vegan, many of the featured deals are veg-friendly, and marked as such. Right now, potential freebies include everything from kamut pasta to a fancy bicycle to vegan chocolates. Oh, and there's a $50 Whole Foods gift card I wouldn't mind winning.

As for other current giveaways, here's a few I've come across:

• Dreaming of owning your own fancy Matt & Nat handbag? Ecouterre is giving away one! If you don't care about cruelty-free fashion, feel free to win it and send it to me.
• Vegan Backpacker, a blog dedicated to traveling the world and exploring vegan food, is ready to gift some pretty cute Secret Society of Vegan tees.
• Vegan Etsy, the one-stop online source for handcrafted vegan goods, has compiled an awesome grab bag of Etsy goodies for one lucky winner.
• Here at VN, we have a huge hemp goodie basket ready to go, full of everything from the most delicious granola bars to comfy clothing.

The Final Word: Twitter is another great resource for keeping tabs on veg giveaways, as most bloggers and sites will publicize their promos in their tweets. Even if you have no interest in tweeting your own personal thoughts, it's worth it to keep up with what's happening in veganism—and for scoring free stuff.

Shopping for Sea Shepherd

The Topic: Money Well Spent

The Dish: When I'm in the mood for shopping and low on cash, you know I'm a fan of buying (or swapping) second-hand. Which means when I found out about SOS Thrift, I was pretty ecstatic. An online thrift store you can both buy from and "sell" to, SOS is ran by four Etsy members set on raising funds for the horrific Gulf oil spill. All profits go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who are planning to send one of their ships to the Gulf and assist in rescuing marine life, which is a huge, challenging, and expensive job.

As far as the online selection, it's a mix of gently used items donated by shoppers (who in turn receive 25 percent off their next purchase) and new items that run a bit more price-wise, like this adorable handmade "respect, protect" turtle necklace. If you have a dog in your family, there's currently It's A Vegan Dog's Life for sale, which is a great resource, whether or not your dog is completely veg—including lots of great, easy recipes. New items are always being added, but there's already some great finds available. Oh, and a great steal? This never-used, certified-vegan Arbonne face masque for only $2—it retails for $18.

The Final Word: If you don't feel like acquiring more stuff but still want to help, you can still make a donation to Sea Shepherd, if you're able. But if there's anything on SOS you've been looking for, it's a win-win for everyone.

Bonus: Heads up—Matt & Nat will be on discount site Rue La La tomorrow, which I'm hoping means deep discounts on fancy bags! If you've been looking to splurge but still want to save money, check it out.