Living Frugal is Living Better.

Welcome to Day 9 of the 12 Days of Valentine’s Day, where I’m sharing some fun and affordable Valentine’s Day gifts, plus giving you a chance to win these products yourself! Be sure to check back each day for a new gift idea and giveaway.

As some of you know, my home state of Virginia got slammed with a winter storm this weekend.  And being the Southerns that we are, two feet of snow and the down power and internet capabilities caused life with all its bells and whistles to stop.

Even FedEx has come to a screeching halt. And apparently FedEx doesn’t quite understand the valuable cargo in their possession that needs to get to my front porch.

Chocolate.

Yes, I’ve been waiting on some chocolates.  And not just any chocolates, Peruvian organic chocolates.  Take my lights and phone connection away in a storm, but not my much anticipated chocolate!

You see, One World Projects has some fair trade, organic chocolates (Brazil nut and goldenberry!) en route so I could share a review with you.  But with Valentine’s Day fast approaching and still no chocolates in hand mouth, I decided to get the news about this chocolately gift idea to you in time to order, and then update you later with my taste test results.

I feel like I keep repeating myself throughout the 12 Days of Valentine’s Day, but once again, I’m back to considering fair trade and the role these products might have in my family’s budget.  Over the past several months, I have been learning more about the sub-par treatment of workers involved in the cocoa bean industry.  In many cocoa rich areas, farmers and workers are growing and harvesting cocoa beans only to get ripped off when they sell their crop.

Unfortunately, most major U.S. chocolate companies turn a blind eye to this practice as they try to keep chocolate prices down.  (So that explains the 3 for $1 chocolate bar sales, eh?)  Obviously, the developed world has a dilemma on its hands.  Do we continue to buy chocolates from these confectionery powerhouses, or do we bite the price bullet (or do without) and buy fair trade?  It’s certainly something to consider, especially at Valentine’s Day when chocolate is such a popular gift.

One World Projects offers solution to the problem by selling consciously made chocolates.  Sold in 2 oz boxes, you have your pick between covered Brazil nuts, goldenberries, and coffee beans.  All of the varieties are certified organic too.  And at $3.50 a bag, I think it’s a pretty reasonable price for a socially responsible gift.  Plus, if you want to gussy up the chocolate gift, you can wrap the treats in this Mayan cotton bag-

If you want to take advantage of the standard shipping charges, I suggest ordering today.  And before you check out the shipping times when you’re picking your shipping option.

To help celebrate Valentine’s Day and “consciously made with love” gifts, One World Projects also wants to give one Mrs. Moneysaver the chance to win some Brazil Nut chocolates.

The prize: One winner will get to select two boxes of 2 oz chocolates- covered Brazil nuts, covered dried goldenberries, or covered coffee beans.

You have three ways you can enter, and you can pick as many entries (up to three) as you would like.  Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. If you are reading this post from an email, you must click over to the Mrs. Moneysaver site to leave your comments.

1. Visit the One World Projects site, and let me know one product, other than the chocolates, that you like.

2. Subscribe to this blog, and leave me a comment letting me know you’ve done so. Click here to subscribe by email or feed reader or see the right sidebar to sign up. You must remain a subscriber for the duration of this giveaway. If you’re already a subscriber, leave a comment letting me know.

3.  Become a fan of Mrs. Moneysaver on Facebook and leave a comment on the Facebook page with a site suggestion or just to say hello!  Then come back here and let me know you did this.

Remember, please leave a separate comment for each entry, and enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.

You can enter anytime now through Sunday, February 14thst at 8PM EDT. One winner will be selected at random. I will contact the winner by email shortly after the giveaway ends, and the winner will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time frame, a new winner will be selected.

Thanks for entering!

The product reviewed above and the giveaway prize were provided by One World Projects.  The opinions shared within the review are mine and were not provided by the company.

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