Quick Product Reviews

It's been a while since I posted some quick product reviews, but I've recently tried some new products. You can see previous quick product reviews here.

Rosarita Salsa - Ever since Ralphs introduced Ralphs Rewards to replace the old Ralphs Club Card, they've regularly sent paper coupons to my house, as well as sent me electronic coupons via email. A recent mailer had a coupon for free Rosarita salsa, probably because it's a new product. Alex had just tried jarred salsa for the first time at a friend's Fourth of July party and liked it, so he was happy that we were buying salsa. I picked the mild, since he hates anything spicy. So imagine my surprise when I tried the salsa myself before giving it to him and discovered that it's quite spicy. Too spicy to give my children - nothing mild about it, actually. I mixed the salsa with some sour cream and ate that mixture with tortilla chips - it was quite delicious. But I definitely don't recommend this product if you're avoiding spicy foods.

Kraft Garlic & Herb Sandwich Shop Mayo - I'm not a huge mayo eater, but I do like a little bit on my sandwiches. I thought this product had a pleasant flavor and made for a nice change from plain mayo, but I'd just as soon stick with plain mayo rather than keep multiple jars around.

Method detergent - This is definitely a more expensive laundry detergent than I normally buy, and I only got it because CVS had a sale a month ago that made it $1.99 after coupon. At that price, I wanted to try it, which I did last month. I was shocked at how concentrated it is. I usually buy concentrated detergent anyway, but the directions called for 4 pumps, which yielded very little detergent. But my clothes were clean. Once I'd used about half of the bottle, the pump started to give me grief when I tilted the bottle, which I needed to do because of how my HE front loader is set up. Eventually, I discovered that it was very easy to unscrew the pump so I could pour the detergent out. I'd buy this again if I could get the same low price.

Snuggle Almond Creme fabric softener - I bought this because we love the scent of almond extract, and the scent of the fabric softener was actually reminiscent of it. But once the clothes were dry, there was no lingering scent at all, which I find to be true of Snuggle in general. I'm actually okay with that - my clothes smell clean, but not really scented, if that makes sense. I liked this product, but I wouldn't spend extra money on it.

Quick Product Reviews: Fast Food Edition

McDonald's Angus Burger - I haven't tried this personally, but Marc hated it when he tried it several months ago. I got confirmation of his opinion when a friend of ours said he actually took one bite and threw the rest of the burger away because it was so bad.

Carl's Jr. "Big Carl" Burger - This is the Carl's version of a Big Mac, except better. It's so huge, I can't come close to finishing it. I like the flame-grilled taste on the meat, which makes it tangibly better than a Big Mac. There's also full lettuce leaves rather than shredded. Right now, it's just $1.99, which is an incredible price for such a large burger. Plus, we've been getting Carl's coupons in the mail and newspaper that have a coupon for a free medium drink when you buy a Big Carl.

Taco Bell Volcano Burrito & Taco - Should I be embarrassed that I really like Taco Bell? I used to get cravings for it when I was pregnant - back then, I would get the Crunch Wrap Supreme. These days, I get a Volcano Taco (or two), or if I'm really hungry, a Volcano Burrito. They're spicy in that Taco Bell kind of way - I think of it as a fake heat, since it's not like there's real chile peppers in there. The important thing is, it always hits the spot.

Quiznos Classic Cobb Flatbread Salad - I have this salad infrequently and I'm always surprised by how good it is. Maybe it's because I have low expectations of a fast food salad, but I always finish it - and the flatbread is yummy.

Quick Product Reviews: Humidifiers & Video Games

Vicks Cool Mist Humidifier– The one I got at Target looked a little different than this one, but based on the reviews at Amazon, I’m guessing it’s the same model. As the reviews say, this humidifier is absurdly loud, and I would never recommend it in a million years. There are other Vicks Cool Mist Humidifiers and they get better reviews, so just try to avoid the one that's kind of insubstantial - the box this came in was quite light.

Crane Cool Mist Humidifier– You’ve probably seen these, as they’re quite recognizable thanks to their animal shapes. I picked up the frog, although Alex now keeps asking me for the elephant. I like this humidifier because it’s nice and quiet. We’ve had it for approximately six months now and use it every night. I occasionally rinse the tank with bleach, and I regularly dry it out during the day. There are very few hard water stains, so considering how much we use it, I’m quite pleased with how easy it’s been to maintain.

EA Sports Activefor the Wii – As I mentioned previously, Marc and I both like this program a lot. The upper body workouts with the resistance band are pretty useless, at least to us, but we get good cardio and lower body workouts. I love that there are numerous pre-programmed workouts, and that you can customize your own. There are other features to encourage you to get healthy, such as a “journal,” but I haven’t been interested in them at all. Overall, I give this a big thumbs up for ease of use and effectiveness. (Just do pushups to build up your upper body strength!)

Wii Fit– I actually got this several months before I got EA Active and at first I really liked it. I thought the activities were fun to do, but they didn’t make for a great workout. Some of the activities were too difficult to be fun. And they all got boring after a while. But worst of all, I found that it was making my back ache horribly and I had to stop using it. If you want something to do that’s not overly challenging, then the Wii Fit might be a good fit for you. But if you can, try to borrow it from someone so you can decide if you like it before you spend the money.

Quick Product Reviews: Some new products

Here's my latest round of quick product reviews:

Nabisco Toasted Toasted Chips - These are a bit healthier than Wheat Thins and Trader Joe's cheese sandwich crackers, and they're quite tasty. I give them a big thumbs up.

Nabisco 100 Calorie Pack Oreo Chewy Granola Bar - I didn't like the texture or taste of these at all. Plus, to get it down to 100 calories, they had to make it quite small, so it's altogether not very satisfying.

Edge Hydrate shaving gel - This had a strong medicine-y smell that took some getting used to. But it's not a bad smell, and it didn't linger. So I'll continue to buy it and Marc will continue to use it as long as it's free.

Knorr Pasta Sides Alfredo - I got a free packet to review from All You magazine, as part of their Reality Checkers program. I wasn't crazy about this instant side dish, because it was soupy and didn't have much taste, although the pasta did come out a nice texture. I added peas, shrimp and grated Parmesan to make a complete entree, which made the dish okay. It certainly was a quick and easy meal for a weeknight, but not one that I'll be repeating.

Yoplait FiberOne Yogurt (Vanilla) - This tasted very chemical-ly, to the point where I only ate one of the four cups. The cups are also small, to keep the calorie content to 50. That itself didn't bother, but I really didn't care for the taste. However, if the chemical taste doesn't bother you, then this is certainly an easy way to get 5 grams of fiber very quickly.

Previously: More quick product reviews

Quick Product Reviews: Trader Joe's Edition

I love Trader Joe's. It became my primary grocery store during the 2003 grocery store strike, when I was reluctant to cross the picket lines at the mainstream markets. They don't have sales, and most of the items in the store are their own brand (though they do carry some name brands, like Laughing Cow, and they will take manufacturer's coupons on those). One of the things TJ's is known for is their exceptional prices on wine, but what I love most is their low every day price and wide availability of organic produce, and organic/hormone and antibiotic-free dairy and meat. They frequently have a better selection of organic produce than Whole Foods (although WF always has a better selection of meat). Here are some of the Trader Joe's products I buy regularly:

Lobster Ravioli - You'll find these in the refrigerated pasta section and they're our family's favorite of the prepared pastas there. I serve these with a quick pink sauce.

Beef hot dogs - These are high in fat but they're nitrate-free, so these are my first-choice franks. (I tried serving the nitrate-free turkey hot dogs but Alex, who loves the beef dogs, rejected them.)

Organic, sulfite-free Thompson raisins - Since foreign grapes are on the list of produce that retains a high amount of pesticides, I figure it's best to go with organic raisins. I particularly like these because they don't contain any sulfites (I have a hard time breathing when I consume some).

Party-size frozen meatballs - These little meatballs are about one inch in diameter, making them perfect for little hands. They're a little on the greasy side, but that gives them a lot of flavor and Tyler loves them with ketchup.

Parmesan reggiano cheese - TJ's sells these in vacuum packed wedges. This cheese is of such high quality that I'm not allowed to serve the pre-grated Parmesan cheese anymore. It really doesn't take long to grate the cheese on a microplane, and the fluffy snowflake-like bits are well worth it.

Handmade whole wheat tortillas - These are a little thicker than Mission brand tortillas, but I prefer them because they have fewer ingredients. They do have a fairly short expiration date, so poke around on the shelf to find the freshest packages. (They freeze pretty well.)

Organic cheese sandwich crackers - Surprisingly, these are pretty comparable, nutritionally, to Wheat Thins. The boys love them.

Cereal bars - The boys like strawberry, blueberry and apple. They eat about half of the fig bars before handing them back to me. I like these bars because Tyler doesn't react to them. (He gets a bit of a rash from Kashi cereal bars.)

Chocolate Decadence cereal - The name sounds absurd but it's pretty accurate. I love this cereal, but I didn't see it on the shelf this past weekend. Hopefully they haven't stopped selling it. (TJ's is known to stop production on some products rather quickly – I hope that's not what happened here!)

Ultimate Vanilla Wafers - One of these cookies serves as an occasional "dessert" for the boys, and they're very tasty. I particularly like that they don't contain hydrogenated oil (unlike Nilla brand cookies, last time I checked).

Note: If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, you have my condolences. I would suggest contacting them and urging them to open a store in your neighborhood – your neighbors will thank you!

Kitchen essential: I love my microplane grater.

Previously: More quick product reviews

Quick Product Reviews - Food Edition

Here are some food and food-related products we've tried recently:

Healthy Choice - Sweet Asian Potstickers - The potstickers were okay enough to eat, but the rest of this entree was inedible. I would only buy this if it were a moneymaker.

Healthy Choice - Mediterranean Pasta - I think this entree is poorly named, because I don't think cranberries and fontina and cinnamon when I think Mediterranean. And the combination here didn't work for me. I'd buy this if it were a moneymaker, but I wouldn't eat it.

Healthy Choice - Pumpkin Squash Ravioli - This one was the worst of all, because it was trying too hard to be savory and sweet at the same time. I'm not crazy about cinnamon, especially in savory dishes, and there was way too much in this. I tossed the whole thing after a couple of bites. I wouldn't eat this again.

Special K Crackers - These are a new product I got cheap thanks to a promotion at Target. They're more like Kashi 7 Grain Crackers than Wheat Thins and quite tasty. I like that there aren't any hydrogenated oils in them.

Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers- I've found that these containers really do extend the life of my produce, especially the pieces that are at the bottom, and especially fruit that tends to exude juice over time - things like watermelon, for example. It's still important to dry the produce well before putting it in the container, but I'd say the containers add a day or two to the life of my produce.

Previously: More quick product reviews

More Quick Product Reviews

Here are a few more products we've tried recently:

30 Day Shred- This is the latest workout DVD from The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels. She's not too annoying and I liked the workouts, which felt effective. But I don't understand why manufacturers create DVDs so that you can't skip the minutes-long opening. I don't have five minutes to listen to Jillian's spiel every time I work out. So I sold the DVD on Amazon. I guess that's the barometer - I liked the workouts, but not enough to endure the intro every time I exercised.

Bic Soleil razor - I hated this razor even more than I hated the Schick Intuition. With the Intuition, I felt like I was getting a good shave, but was afraid that I would cut myself because of the way it was shaped. With the Soleil, I felt like I was scraping sandpaper up my legs. Needless to say, I tossed the razor immediately.

Oreo Cakesters - Marc described these as "stale Oreos," which I found to be quite accurate. They're not unpleasant, but we both prefer regular Oreos to these.

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Cajun Style Chicken & Shrimp - I don't like frozen entrees very much, but keep a few around for quick meals. They pretty much get divided into two categories: I'd buy them again or I wouldn't buy them even if they were free. This particular entree falls into the first category - I was pleasantly surprised.

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Sweet Spicy Orange Zest Chicken - Although this dish doesn't have the crunch of traditional orange chicken, it was perfectly edible and I'd buy it again.

Previously: Tips for Selling on Amazon and Earlier Quick Product Reviews

A few Quick Product Reviews

Fling Milk Chocolate bars - I had a coupon for a free package, so of course I picked one up. Marc said they were really good. Plus, they have an awesome slogan: "Naughty, but not that naughty."

AngelSoft toilet paper - I've gotten quite a few 4-packs for free after coupon at Ralphs, which is the only reason I even tried this brand. I don't like it as much as our preferred brands, which are Charmin Ultra and Quilted Northern Ultra. I'll also buy Cottonelle, if it's the cheapest, although I don't like it quite as much as Charmin or Quilted Northern. The AngelSoft is at the bottom of my list, so I've decided that I won't pay for it, but I'll definitely get it (and use it) when it's free.

Kids' Crest Cavity Protection Sparkle Fun - Alex says this toothpaste is too "spicy" and hates it. He's had to use it for a week or so, and he still hates it.

Skintimate Cream Shave - These were free at drugstores a few weeks ago, and I just finished up my first tube. It's a little weird, because the texture is so different from traditional shaving creams and gels. But I did find my legs were smoother and more moisturized with this "cream shave" versus traditional products. On the flip side, though, it was harder to wash out of the razor. Still, I'm perfectly happy to keep using this. I won't pay a premium for it when I run out of my free tubes, but I'll certainly buy it if it's below my target price for shaving cream of $1 per can/tube.

Previously: More quick product reviews

Quick Product Reviews Part 4

If you like these reviews, don't forget to read my previous quick product reviews: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. Most of these items were free or almost free thanks to coupons and sales.

Garnier Fructis Fortifying Deep Conditioner - I got this conditioner free in a bonus pack last fall as part of a money-making deal at Walgreens. (Thanks again, Mercedes!) I liked the product a lot, but wouldn't pay money for it when I'm getting all of my hair-care products for free in The Drugstore Game.

Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser - I used up my last bottle of ProActiv cleanser and really didn't want to pay the high price for a new one. Since the active ingredient is benzoyl peroxide, I looked for a drugstore cleanser with it as the main ingredient and found this product. It's a lot harsher than ProActiv, so it's dried my skin out a little bit, which the ProActiv never did. It also did nothing to prevent PMS-induced breakouts, which was a little worse than with ProActiv but only lasted about three days. The end verdict is that I'm sticking with this product for the price, which is less than one-third the price of ProActiv.

Head & Shoulders Intensive Solutions zinc pyrithione shampoo- I don't know if Head & Shoulders even makes this anymore since I can't find it on their web site (link goes to Amazon for the picture; they're out of stock). I don't like this shampoo as much as the Herbal Essences version, so as long as that's available, I won't be buying more of this even if I can find it.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Decadence cereal - This is basically a chocolate granola, and it's divine with milk or yogurt. It used to be $3.29 per box, but now it's $1.99 per box - still expensive for cereal, considering I've been buying some for less than 20 cents per box, but worth it.

Quaker Simple Harvest Chewy Multigrain Granola Bars - These are on the dry side, and not very tasty. For free, they're a fine snack, but I wouldn't pay for them.

Keebler Sandies Shortbread Cookies - When I find these on steep sale, I pick up a few packages to take to the boys' preschool. The teachers love them.

Always Infinity pads - As pads go, these are super thin with great absorption. I won't pay for them, since I can get pads for free through The Drugstore Game, but these are worth making extra trips for when they're available for free. (Click through to sign up for a free sample.)

Harry Potter: Books 6 and 7 - Having finally let go of the Twilight books, I've been rereading the sixth and seventh books in the Harry Potter series. They are even better than I remembered.

Quick Product Reviews Part 3

As with my previous quick product reviews, these are products that are new to me, and not necessarily new products. I acquired most of the products through the judicious use of coupons; some were free samples. :)

• Quilted Northern Ultra Plush - I liked this very much and have added it to my very short list of acceptable toilet papers.
• Schick Quattro for Women - As I mentioned in round one, I hated the Schick Intuition razor. The Quattro is okay, though. The Venus Embrace has a wider blade, so each stroke covers more area, which is my preference. But I've been using the Quattro for a couple of months and it's been fine.
• L'Oreal Advanced Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate - The Revitalift products were free at drugstores in the late fall, and I've been using this one on my neck for a few months. (I'm afraid to use it on my very sensitive face.) Honestly, I haven't noticed a scintilla of difference. I'll probably keep using the products since they're free and as long as they're not irritating my skin, they can't hurt. But I would never recommend spending money on them.
• Pentel Handy-Line permanent marker - I think these are supposed to be comparable to Sharpies, but I had a retractable one that dried out much faster than my retractable Sharpie. I'm sticking with Sharpies.
• Chex Mix cereal bars - We've tried the Turtle and Chocolate Chunk varieties and both are good. They're kind of chewy and hard on the teeth, though - maybe they'll be easier to eat in the summer because they'll be a little softer.
• Kashi cereal bars - The boys have been eating Trader Joe's cereal bars as an on-the-go snack for months, and Alex likes the Kashi version but Tyler doesn't. I don't care too much for cereal bars in general (they're basically Nutri-grain bars, but these are a little more natural), but I'm sure there's a subtle difference that Tyler is picking up on.
• Kellogg's Fiber Plus bars - These are more cardboard-like than the Chex bars, but they have a lot more fiber because of that. They're okay, but they're not my first choice for a quick snack.
• Quaker High Fiber instant oatmeal - The extra fiber seems to be the result of serious chemicals, the flavor of which really comes through. I'm eating what we've opened, but I won't buy more.
• Cascade Action Gel Packs (Apple Cinnamon) - The apple cinnamon variety was on clearance at Target a couple of months ago (maybe because they don't make them anymore?) so I snagged two 25-count bags for just 25 cents a piece. Fortunately, the scent doesn't linger - which is a very good thing, because it's not a good smell. The dishes still get clean, though, and that's what really matters.

More Quick Product Reviews

My first post on quick product reviews was well-received, so here are a few more reviews. I've included items that were new to me, but not necessarily new on the market. I acquired these items through The Drugstore Game and free sample sites.

1. Bounty Basic paper towels - These are bigger and stronger than CVS brand towels, but not nearly as strong or thick as regular Bounty, which is our usual paper towel. I'll buy these again at a good price, but not as my first choice.
2. Electrasol Powerball Tabs - I got these when they were a moneymaker at Rite Aid, but didn't like them because sometimes they didn't dissolve completely. This may be because I use the "short wash" cycle on my dishwasher, and/or because my dishwasher is quite old. I will probably still buy them if they are free, but they're not my first choice (which remains Cascade gel).
3. Electrasol Gelpacks - These were also a moneymaker at Rite Aid, and I got them because I didn't like the tabs. I again found that sometimes there was a residue left in the dishwasher, which could be due to the reasons already mentioned. There was less residue if I filled the rinse cup with vinegar (which is a fabulous frugal alternative to commercial rinsing agents). Again, I'd buy these if they were free, but not as my first choice
4. Kotex Ultra Thin Pads - The last time I used Kotex before I tried it recently was 20 years ago. I remembered them as unwieldy thick pads, and completely inferior to Always. But a free sample from Wal-Mart showed me that Kotex had caught up with the times, and that I was wasting money by being brand loyal to Always. I've since bought quite a few Kotex pads, since there are often good coupons and sales.
5. Walgreens brand pads - These seem to work as well as name brand pads.
6. CVS brand pads - Ditto. I'm definitely not brand loyal to any feminine pad anymore.
7. Scott Extra Soft toilet paper - A month of two ago, Wal-Mart offered a full size roll of this toilet paper as a free sample. And it turned out to be a perfectly acceptable toilet paper, if you're okay with public restroom quality toilet paper at home. But since our preferred brand is Charmin Ultra, this Scott TP is just too thin for us and we won't be buying it unless it's totally free.
8. Cottonelle toilet paper - Although we don't like Cottonelle as much as Charmin, it's an acceptable substitute at the right price. And the CVS deal a couple of weeks ago was definitely the right price - we actually have more Cottonelle than Charmin in our stockpile now.