Giveaway: Plastic Place HarmonyX Drawstring Trash Can Bags Review

May 17, 2013 By 2 Comments

Plastic Place HarmonyX Drawstring Trash Can Bags Review

What Is It
Plastic Place is a website that sells wholesale trash bags. They also sell paper products such as toilet tissue, facial tissues, foam cups, and paper towels. When you want to buy in bulk to help you save money on your household supplies, purchasing from Plastic Place will help you keep down your costs.

For review, Plastic Place sent me some of their HarmonyX Drawstring Bags. These drawstring bags come in standard household sizes such as 13 gallon bags, 33 gallon bags, and 39 gallon bags. These bags are 3-ply, and they are black on the outside and colored white on the inside. Along with that, the HarmonyX Drawstring Bags come in a self-dispensing tube that make it easier to access your garbage bags.

Plus, for people like myself who like to be concerned about the environment, the HarmonyX Drawstring Bags are made out of 50% recycled material. That’s definitely a nice way to not have to feel so bad about using garbage bags. Plus, for those who are worried about odors, HarmonyX trash bags also contain Microban which helps prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria.

Plastic Place HarmonyX Drawstring Trash Can Bags Review

My Opinion
The HarmonyX Trash Bags have been fantastic for garbage. They fit the garbage really well into it, and when I pick it up, I’ve had no issues with the garbage bag tearing (which is something I’m always worried about). Along with that, I’ve had absolutely no issue with the drawstring straps tearing or falling off. They always have held strong and put the opening of the bag shut tight so I can easily take out the garbage. Plus, I love the fact that the inside of the trashbag is white. It’s a minor thing, but it really makes the garbage can look much more respectable and much less like “Oh. Here’s the garbage”. So I love that aspect too. Plus, the bag looks dark and black on the outside which gives it more of the appearance of the heavy-duty trash bags that I’m used to.

I like the packaging that the HarmonyX Trash Bags come in, too. The tube it comes in won’t stack too well in your cupboard, but instead, it has a unique self-dispensing aspect to it. Much like what I’d expect from a tissue box when I grab a tissue, the tube of garbage bags always makes it easy to grab a garbage bag, and it starts to pull the next bag free after I pull the one bag, so it’s usually very simple to get out a garbage bag. My only complaint about the packaging is that it’s hard to get open at first, and it’s hard to pull out the first bag. The perforated cardboard doesn’t give way nearly as easily as it should, and the first bag isn’t “primed” up to be easily pulled out. It does take some patience to get the first bag out of there.

I can’t say I noticed too much of a difference in the scent of my garbage. To be fair, though, I don’t really have anything that smells that bad in the first place, so garbage smells were never really a huge problem. So despite using these, I really can’t comment too much about whether they help inhibit odors.

Pros
The HarmonyX Garbage bags did a good job of holding my garbage. They look much nicer than my previous garbage bags, and the drawstring ends up holding the bag together really well. Plus, the container that dispenses them ends up dispensing them really nicely.

Cons
The containers can be very, very difficult to open and get the first bag out. Once you get that part done, though, the bags come out really smoothly.

Recommended
If you want strong, well-holding trash bags that also are two-tone in color to give your garbage can a more respectable appearance, the HarmonyX Drawstring trash bags are definitely ones that you can depend on.

Buy It
Plastic Place has a variety of trash bags and other plastics bags that you can use in your household. This includes Mattress Bags, Zip Bags, Medical Waste bags, and more, so if you need plastic items for your household, feel free to look them up to meet your needs.

WIN IT:

Plastic Place has generously offered to send a tube of HarmonyX Drawstring trash can bags to one lucky winner! To enter, simply complete the form below (one entry per person, per method). Info collected will only be used to verify the winning entry and contact the winner. This giveaway will close on June 5th at 11:59pm EST. The contest is open to readers in the US only.

One winner will be picked randomly through Rafflecopter and I will contact them via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with mailing address or another winner will be chosen.

Click on the “Read More” tag below to enter the giveaway if you are viewing from the home page.

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Filed Under: giveaway, review

No-Shampoo Hair Update!

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

One Week of No Shampoo

So, I’m sure you guys are definitely curious how my “No Shampoo Journey” is going. I meant to update you guys around one week, but I’ve been busy with various posts and topics (such as Richard Mille RM011 Watches for Sale). It’s been about two weeks now , so I’ve definitely had some time to figure out how some of the changes are going to go. So, definitely some thoughts about this:

1) The “transition period” between shampoo and not using shampoo is not nearly as bad as most people make it sound. Yes, your hair is going to get greasy faster, but using your baking soda shampoo mixture will clean it up pretty well. Really, my hair looks just as great as it does with a shampoo as it does with a baking soda mixture. I really can’t even tell the difference, and I sometimes admire myself in the mirror because it’s just SO weird that I’m not using shampoo yet my hair still looks light and fluffy. It takes some time to learn how to get all of the baking soda into the right places and how to rinse it out well too, though, so expect a bit of a transition there too.

2) I’m still part-way in the transition period. You think about your hair getting more oil as you cut out shampoo, but I’m surprised to find that my face feels more oily as well. I’ve been taking care to spend extra time washing my face to avoid any intense break-outs, but my skin hasn’t felt this oily while using shampoo before. I think the “correction” my body is trying to do with the overproduction of oil on my scalp is also changing the production of oil on my face. That wouldn’t surprise me at all. I expect this to go away within a month or so.

3) I’m not sure if it’s because I’m still in “transition” or not, but using the Apple Cidar Vinegar conditioner actually makes my hair feel really oily and greasy, and I’m careful about only using a bit on the ends. I’ve just been avoiding using any conditioner on my hair thus far, and it feels a whole lot better than it was feeling. I actually had some friends touch my hair when it had the vinegar in it, and they said that it “looked clean, but felt really oily when they touched it”, so that was all I needed to discontinue using the Apple Cidar Vinegar for the moment.

4) My hair still isn’t 100% transitioned, but I do notice small improvements. Where I used to only be able to go about a day between washes (more like 18 hours), I now can go pretty well with about 36 hours before it starts to look more greasy. It’s not a huge improvement yet (though I suppose doubling my previous capability should probably be considered an improvement), but it’s definitely a lot better. I’ve read about people who can go about 4-5 days without their hair looking greasy, and I look forward to those days!

5) It’s WEIRD to wash your hair without the latering sudsy-ness of shampoo. That’s the weirdest part. It can feel a bit rough on your hands at the time, especially compared to lathering, but you’ll get used to it pretty quickly. The lathering makes your hands glide over the strands of hair, but without the lather, you really get to “know” the natural texture of your hair while you’re applying the baking soda shampoo mixture. It’s pretty neat. For those wondering how to know when you’ve put on enough baking soda mixture on your hair, there’s a “noticable” change in how your hair feels. The hair starts to feel slightly more slick when you have enough baking soda applied. Once you get used to the lather-less washing and when you pay attention, it’s pretty easy to notice the change in sensation once it’s coated in baking soda.

6) My hair feels a lot thicker than it used to feel. It definitely feels thicker in a ponytail as well. This is odd considering that it used to feel thinner. But it feels especially thicker in the morning before I brush it out. If you’re someone that always wants more volume/body in your hair, this could be awesome. I really could “take it or leave it”, but I’m glad I can see some different changes in my hair.

7) My hair has more tangles straight out of the shower, BUT it dries a whole lot faster than it used to. The tangles are partially because I’m being a lot more conscious about scrubbing my scalp and getting the baking soda directly into the scalp skin. The tangles aren’t too hard to brush out though, and I’ve noticed that my hair feels much “lighter” too. It doesn’t feel like it’s heavy and weighing down with the water like it used to.

8) Dandruff. I was dealing with dandruff before I started the “nopoo” routine, and after about a week of the baking soda, I’m happy to report that it’s almost ALL gone. Before I’d use dandruff shampoo, but after a couple days of not using that, the dandruff would be right back. WIth the baking soda, it seems to be pretty much all gone. I still notice a couple specks once in awhile, but a scalp is a scalp, and it makes sense that I’d lose a bit of skin sometimes. (Or it’s baking soda I accidentally didn’t rinse off. That too)

One Week of No Shampoo

So, definitely making some progress! Just thought I’d keep you guys update on the progress with my “No Shampoo” transition. It’s taking time, but it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it’d be. In fact, the most annoying part, really, is having to mix the shampoo mixture ahead of time. Aside from that ( I need a larger baking soda bottle and a different delivery system, but I’m still working out the kinks), though, it’s really not nearly as much of a pain as I thought it’d be. I thought I’d be making a “sacrifice” to go natural, but honeslty, aside from a slight bit more time that it takes, I have absolutely no complaints.

Filed Under: Clean Living, personal

Giveaway: $100 Paypal Cash!

May 14, 2013 By 5 Comments

Welcome to the CashCrate Cash $100 Paypal giveaway, hosted by Stay a Stay at Home Mom with co-hosts Ultimate Coupon Club and My Sweet Savings. One lucky winner will win $100 in cold-hard cash to be used on anything your heart desires. I know exactly what I’d use $100 on! I’d definitely want to pick up some new rollerblades! Summer is coming up, and I want to have the fun skates to be able and go out in nature.

But even if you don’t win the $100 Paypal, you still walk away from this giveaway a winner. How? Well, you have the opportunity to join Cashcrate FOR FREE. CashCrate is one of the best survey/offer sites on the planet.

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All done? Great, now enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win $100 Paypal cash!

Here’s that CashCrate sign up link again in case you missed it:
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Filed Under: giveaway

“The First Sentence is the Hardest” Blogger e-Book Review

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

What Is It
“The First Sentence Is the Hardest” is an e-book published by Jerri Ann Reason from Four Reasons Media. Available in a .pdf copy at 39 pages long, this e-book includes pictures, but it is mostly made up of text. It reads just fine on a computer screen, but I’m not sure how well it would work on any e-Reader, so that’s something to keep in mind.

The Table of Contents includes:
How to Be Relevant and Still Get Noticed
How Much is My Writing Worth?
Where Will You Publish Your Content?
FTC Language
What Role Do Images Play?
Appendix

My Opinion
“The First Sentence is the Hardest” has a lot of good information for bloggers – especially bloggers who have never ventured into paid content before but are familiar with the blogosphere and things that go on in the blogosphere. Jerri Ann writes in a conversational way, and unlike some mentors, she does mention specific numbers. In the Appendix, Jerri also offers an example of a paid post (including her thought process on how to do a paid post. This appendix topic EASILY stood out as one of the most helpful aspects of the e-book). The Appendix also includes examples and information fora review post, information for a review and giveaway post, as well as an okay glossary.

One thing I definitely recommend: I DEFINITELY recommend you be a blogger who’s been around the reviewing community or mommy blogging community for awhile in order to read this book. The author does a good job of explaining and telling about HOW to do review posts and sponsored posts, but the author doesn’t really do any job of explaining WHAT those things are as well as WHY someone would want to do them. For example, on page 30, doing a “Giveaway post” is mentioned. It doesn’t particularly talk about what a giveaway post looks like or what it is. It doesn’t really mention much about why a client would want you to run a giveaway post. If you’re familiar with certain blogging communities, you’ll instantly know about giveaway posts, but if you aren’t, this could be extremely confusing.

I do have some gripes with the e-book, though – it’s just kinda hard to follow. Each one of the chapters goes over a different aspect of writing reviews, writing paid posts, and other things. However, it just gets a bit confusing after awhile since each chapter includes the same type of information, and there’s a lot of overlap in information. For example, in all of the chapters (“How to Be Relevant and Still Get Noticed”, etc.), there are all sub-sections entitled “Writing Reviews” and “Writing Paid Posts”. At many points, the author says “Like I said before…” because of the overlap in content.I would have liked to see just a chapter about paid posts. Then just a chapter about writing reviews. As many people may be interested in only one or the other, having all the information in one spot, without having to overlap information, would have been awesome.

I also have to wonder about some of the information included in the book. Granted, since this e-book was published, new Google regulations have come out that have changed SEO for companies. However, the author mentions things like writing 50 words for a sponsored post. I’ve never seen a client request less than 250 words for a sponsored link (because posts with a link that’s over 250 words tend to “shine” better in Google versus the extremely short ones). So I do have to wonder a bit about that. But the author’s well-made points about how much to charge for a post as well as her idea about sponsored posts is definitely nice. Along with this, the FTC guidelines have changed since this e-book was published, and now the FTC guidelines are more stringent than the author

Another small gripe is that the language and writing is sometimes hard to follow. There are some run-on sentences as well as some writing that seems a rambly at points. Granted, it’s nice to see the Jerri Ann is being totally honest in her writing style, and whether or not this writing style will bother you depends on your preferences. I personally prefer more business-type writing styles. Jerri Ann’s style comes across more of what you’d expect as a reply if you asked your best friend about these topics – very casual and not always straight to the point.

Pros
The author, Jerri Ann, is very open about her experiences in blogging. She talks, bluntly, about writing posts and how to start to make money from your content.

Cons
Some of the writing style really is disjointed and difficult to read. I’m not sure about the accuracy of some of the statements made in the guide. There are numerous editing errors. If you’re familiar with how sponsored content and paid posts normally work, you’ll be fine, but if you aren’t familiar, this book could get confusing quickly.

Recommended
If you’re looking for a bit more direction on how to write your reviews and your sponsored posts or have been curious about delving into sponsored posts and reviews more, you can check out this e-book. I can’t say that I’d recommend it to most people though.

Buy It
You can pick up “The First Sentence is the Hardest” from the Four Reasons Media website.

I want to thank Jerri Ann for giving me the chance to review her new eBook.

Filed Under: review
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