If you've been following on Instagram and reading the blog this week you may have noticed these clever little drink boxes popping up.
Boardwalk Imports was kind enough to send me two Juice in the Box containers, two Ice on the Box cooler sleeves and one spare parts set for Juice in the Box to review. Read through to the end of this post for details of how you could win a single Juice in the Box starter pack for yourself!
I took a video of the unpacking, but my microphone wasn't working very well :-(
What do you think? Pretty nifty right?
We've been using them to take all sort of drinks to school and daycare. Some of the things we've packed so far include iced tea, juice, homemade smoothies, homemade lemon cordial and milk. I love that we get to choose what goes in to the box and how much!
Well, up to the 240mL fill line anyway. Mind you, I don't think we've actually filled it to capacity any day. Depending on what's being packed I don't mind skimping a bit on the serving. Something more than water is a welcome relief come lunchtime in Queensland, even in the middle of winter! (Where is still gets to 26 degrees o.O)
Now, doing some quick Mummy-math, bear with me here. . .
Juice poppers (250mLx8pk = 2L juice) usually go on special for $3, thereabouts, right?
And the 1L tetra usually goes on special for $1
So right there you're saving 50c/L (or 12.5c/popper)! Without even considering changing the volume served, that saving's going to start stacking up after 40 weeks of 5 days at school!
Now let's try with milk. . .
I like to send the longlife plain milk poppers generally speaking, and they're about $3.50 for a 6 pack of 200mL (1.2L total = $2.91/L)
At home we have the $1/L full cream milk - check out that saving! Almost a third of the price! So if I were to send 200mL of our regular house milk in place of the poppers it would only take about 43 serves to save the cost of a Juice in the Box (RRP $17.95) Considering there are 50 days in a school term that's pretty good going I think! Not to mention the environmental impact or the health impact either!
Want to see how the size of the Juice in the Box stacks up against the poppers in my pantry? Check out this little YouTube video I made to help illustrate.
As you can see the Juice in the Box is a bit taller than your regular popper. If you're using a cooler bag this probably won't impact you much at all. If, however you tend to pack your juice box *inside* your lunchbox then you may run into some difficulties. As you know I have quite the selection of lunch boxes so I tried quite a few combinations trying to find the perfect fit. While it does squeeze into some boxes, there was only one that was a comfortable fit - the Nude Food Movers Lunch Pack. And it just so happens that Miss M asked for that box *every day* for the last week of school. Here's what she took those days:
And how it all packs into the box
Want to see how the Juice in the Box fits into your lunchbox? I may have a version amongst the collection I tested.
But what about those days when you're not accessing a fridge like my girls? Well, Miss M has had holiday school this past week while I've been working and she was more than happy to test run the Ice on the Box for me! For her first day I actually froze the Juice in the Box as well as the Ice on the Box, and sent her lunch with a frozen yoghurt pouch as well in a cooler bag. The yoghurt and juice were still mostly frozen at lunch time! Oops! Since then I've sent the frozen Ice on the Box and frozen yoghurt pouch with refrigerate juice and other lunch contents in an insulated bag. This seems to be the perfect combination for her.
So, time for the nitty gritty of the review!
Loving:
- Easy clean (dishwasher safe, although I don't own one to test that - hint hint Santa!) A bottle brush works well
- Easy click open - even Honey (not quite 2) can open by herself
- Versatile when it comes to what and how much you choose to pack
- Leakproof (with the lid closed, although Honey did make off with her full JIB one day and I found it laying on it's side, lid open, half empty - and not leaking!)
- Translucent body so you can see what's left inside (including any nasties)
- Made from Tritan with a stainless steel hinge for extra sturdiness. Don't believe me? Check out this guy running it over with a bus!!
- BPA & Phthalate free
- Hard box means no more accidental squirting!
- Super handy fill line
Loving a little less, but liveable:
- Too tall for my most commonly used boxes. This isn't generally an issue when using cooler bags or lunch bags
- The price can feel a bit expensive at first, but in the long run it is certainly justifiable.
- Now everyone wants one!!
Overall:
I have always sent a drink along with water with my girls every day and it's something I intend to continue with. I can definitely see our Juice in the Box getting quite the work out! I would like to see a shorter version that will fit into my lunch boxes, but it won't be long and we will be out of the classrooms with fridge access so will be using cooler bags anyway. I love Love LOVE being able to choose what and how much to pack into these drink boxes. It means healthier choices and less waste, which means a happier Mummy!
Now for the fun part! You can win a Juice in the Box starter bundle for yourself! Boardwalk Imports is kindly giving away 4 - yes FOUR Juice in the Box starter kits, which include a Juice in the Box Ice on the Box, and a Replacement parts pack. Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below and make sure you complete all the mandatory criteria for your entry to be valid! The 'bonus' entries don't actually count as this is a game of skill, however I've included them as an easy option for following :-)
- As per Terms & Conditions you must complete all three mandatory entries to be eligible to win. It is highly recommended that you enter the giveaway with the same email address/ID you follow with, otherwise your entry can be difficult to verify.
- Open to Australian residents aged 18 & over
- Full Terms & Conditions can be found here
Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.
~J
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was provided nor offered. This post was written for Loving Lunches and Boardwalk Imports who generously supplied me with a sample to review and the prize/s for this giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.
