Are Stanley Tumblers Worth It? My Honest Opinion

I finally did it… I jumped on the Stanley Tumbler bandwagon. The 40oz Stanley Tumbler cups are the “it” accessory at the moment and seen everywhere. But the big question is, are they worth it? In my opinion, yes… and no. Let me explain. | This post is not sponsored but contains affiliate links and an honest opinion of products |

| 40oz Stanley Tumbler in "Flint" |

First, I’ll share the reasons why I think you should *not* get one:

• You already have a straw tumbler. So many of us already have another brand tumbler and we really don’t need another one just because this style is popular at the moment. If your current tumbler is doing it’s job just fine then don’t bother jumping on this bandwagon and save your money.

• It’s HEAVY. Really heavy. At 40oz when this tumbler is full it is super heavy - it’s really not practical to carry around all day like you see those influencers on Instagram doing.

Now why I think you *should* get one:

• You're in need of a straw tumbler. I actually was in need to upgrade my old tumbler. My old straw tumbler was 10(!) years old and not insulated... I was tired of it leaving condensation marks on our coffee table and it never kept my water cold for long.
• You like your beverages cold (or hot). While I haven't tried my new Stanley Tumbler with hot beverages yet, I'm very impressed how it keeps things cold super long. I'll take a sip of water the next morning and it's still nice and cold from the day before!
• You keep your beverage at your desk or in your car. The large size isn't an issue if you tend to leave your cup in the same place for long periods of time. I typically leave my tumbler on the kitchen counter or on the coffee table and constantly sip it throughout the day so the large size wasn't a problem for me. This cup also fits nicely in our car's cupholders.
• You're trying to increase your water consumption. If you're looking drink more water, this large cup definitely helps get it done.

Overall - I am happy I jumped on the Stanley Tumbler bandwagon. I don't condone buying the "it" thing everytime if you don't need it, but if you are actually in need of a straw tumbler I have been very happy with my Stanley one.

Beginning Backyard Composting

This year we finally jumped on the backyard composting bandwagon. We’ve been wanting to make more eco-friendly choices around our home and decided a big step we could make would be trying to eliminate as much food waste going into our household trash as possible. | This post contains affiliate links |

Composting has a lot of benefits. Some of which include reducing the amount of decomposing matter filling our landfills as well as producing nutrient-rich garden soil to benefit your own yard and garden.

Getting Set Up

When it comes to composting, you could just make a pile in the corner of your yard or make your own bin with some scrap wood or fence. However, we decided to opt for a tumbler-style bin since we were looking for something compact, self-contained, and efficient.

Once you decide on your compost set-up it's important to add some good microbes to "get the party started" and create a good environment for breaking down your food and yard waste. To do this you can add a shovel-full of garden dirt from your own garden to introduce some microbes, or you can buy some specialty compost starter to add to your composter (just follow the package directions).

Composting

Once you have it set up, just keep on adding food/yard waste and periodically turn your compost over (by hand if yours is a pile or by spinning the drum if it’s a tumbler-style). The trickiest part for me is keeping the ratios right - ideally your compost pile should be about 1 part “greens” (these would be fruit/veggie scraps, coffee grounds, etc… I like to think of them as wet items) and 2 parts “browns” (leaves, newspaper, brown paper bags, etc… I like to think of them as dry items). We personally tend to teeter from too dry to too wet in our compost bin but it seems to average out eventually.

I typically toss our kitchen scraps in a bowl on the counter as I'm cooking and promptly empty it into the compost bin outside. This has worked well for us so far since the weather has been mild. Once it turns winter here I will probably invest in a kitchen countertop compost container so I don't need to walk outside across the icy/snowy yard several times a day, and instead can just empty the kitchen container into the outside compost bin periodically as it fills up.

What to Compost

Slimy spinach in your fridge? Toss it in the composter and then recycle the container!

Here’s a short list of things you can potentially compost:

• fruit

• vegetables

• inedible portions of fruit/veggies (i.e. - rinds/cores)

• coffee grounds

• egg shells

• disease-free, non-invasive plants

• shredded newspaper

• shredded brown paper bags

• shredded paper (non-glossy)

• untreated sawdust (I make a lot of ornaments for my Etsy shop and compost the sawdust)

• toilet paper rolls

• leaves, grass clippings

• small sticks

The smaller you make the items in your compost bin (cut them up or shred them), the quicker they should decompose and compost.

What NOT to Compost

Do NOT Compost:

x plastic or household trash
x meat
x dairy
x cooked food
x glass or metal
x animal waste or used animal bedding/shavings
x invasive or diseased plant materials
- compost very strong smelling fruit/veggies with caution (i.e. citrus/bananas) if you live in an area with bears or raccoons that are an issue

Good luck in your composting adventure! I hope you enjoy the process and be proud in your efforts to be a little more eco-friendly in your home.

Disclaimer: I am sharing my experiences with what we’ve learned in the composting process so far. If you’d like expert or more detailed and specific information, I’d recommend contacting your local garden center or university cooperative for more information. Your local town or city may have composting programs to join or guidelines to follow too.