Most household items I buy are governed not by the name on the label, but by what’s on sale. Yes, I buy store brands and generics, and I don’t care who knows it. A perfect example is dryer sheets. They’re all pretty much the same to me. All I ask is that they reduce static cling. Light bulbs, too. As long as they illuminate the house, I'm happy. But there are a few items for which I must buy a particular brand name.
1. Spot Shot Carpet Stain Remover. When we sold our first house, the buyer complimented me on the condition of the carpet. Aside from the minor wear and tear associated with seven-year old carpet, it looked pretty good. Thank you, Spot Shot.
2. Crest Whitening Expressions Cinnamon Rush toothpaste. It’s the only cinnamon-flavored toothpaste out there that I know of.
3. Pop Secret Homestyle microwave popcorn. I used to buy whatever popcorn was on sale. After all, popcorn is popcorn, right? Wrong. Q’s aunt served this up at her house once, and I was hooked.
4. Zout Laundry Stain Remover. Every household with children should have this stuff at the ready. I was once at a baby shower where someone had included a bottle of Zout with their gift.
5. Feline Pine Cat Litter. My sister once told me that this stuff is best at absorbing litter box odors. Since I have very little sense of smell, I’ve chosen to take her word for it.
6. Method All-Purpose Pink Grapefruit surface cleaner. It’s pink. Need I explain myself further?
7. Aura Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner. I love how the mint makes my scalp feel icy and tingly.
8. Pepsi. It’s a matter of personal preference. I’ll still buy Pepsi, even if Coke products are on sale (gasp!). But I will drink Coke if it’s the only thing available.
9. Glad ForceFlex garbage bags. According to the commercial, these stretchy trash bags can prevent a sanitation truck from going over a cliff. And they’ve proven able to handle my family’s banana peels, pizza boxes, and yard waste.
10. My Nana’s Tortilla Chips. I think these are only sold in Arizona. Heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds and they taste as good as the chips you’ll get at a Mexican restaurant. For weekend afternoons out by the pool, I’ll serve up a big bowl of these along with…
11. Arriba Fire Roasted Red Salsa (Medium). Again…tastes just like restaurant salsa. All of the Arriba salsas are good, but the family seems to like the fire roasted red salsa the best.
12. Lifestride shoes. What they lack in label cache, they make up for in comfort. I own four different pairs of the Mimosa sandals and I’m on my second pair of Durangos. Lifestrides are easy on the wallet, too.
13. Suave Naturals hairspray. Yes, I'm admitting it. I buy cheap hairspray from the grocery store. It just so happens that this stuff is the best for maintaining my hairstyle without making it stiff. I just wish they sold it in a travel size.
1. Spot Shot Carpet Stain Remover. When we sold our first house, the buyer complimented me on the condition of the carpet. Aside from the minor wear and tear associated with seven-year old carpet, it looked pretty good. Thank you, Spot Shot.
2. Crest Whitening Expressions Cinnamon Rush toothpaste. It’s the only cinnamon-flavored toothpaste out there that I know of.
3. Pop Secret Homestyle microwave popcorn. I used to buy whatever popcorn was on sale. After all, popcorn is popcorn, right? Wrong. Q’s aunt served this up at her house once, and I was hooked.
4. Zout Laundry Stain Remover. Every household with children should have this stuff at the ready. I was once at a baby shower where someone had included a bottle of Zout with their gift.
5. Feline Pine Cat Litter. My sister once told me that this stuff is best at absorbing litter box odors. Since I have very little sense of smell, I’ve chosen to take her word for it.
6. Method All-Purpose Pink Grapefruit surface cleaner. It’s pink. Need I explain myself further?
7. Aura Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner. I love how the mint makes my scalp feel icy and tingly.
8. Pepsi. It’s a matter of personal preference. I’ll still buy Pepsi, even if Coke products are on sale (gasp!). But I will drink Coke if it’s the only thing available.
9. Glad ForceFlex garbage bags. According to the commercial, these stretchy trash bags can prevent a sanitation truck from going over a cliff. And they’ve proven able to handle my family’s banana peels, pizza boxes, and yard waste.
10. My Nana’s Tortilla Chips. I think these are only sold in Arizona. Heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds and they taste as good as the chips you’ll get at a Mexican restaurant. For weekend afternoons out by the pool, I’ll serve up a big bowl of these along with…
11. Arriba Fire Roasted Red Salsa (Medium). Again…tastes just like restaurant salsa. All of the Arriba salsas are good, but the family seems to like the fire roasted red salsa the best.
12. Lifestride shoes. What they lack in label cache, they make up for in comfort. I own four different pairs of the Mimosa sandals and I’m on my second pair of Durangos. Lifestrides are easy on the wallet, too.
13. Suave Naturals hairspray. Yes, I'm admitting it. I buy cheap hairspray from the grocery store. It just so happens that this stuff is the best for maintaining my hairstyle without making it stiff. I just wish they sold it in a travel size.
6 comments:
I'm a Pepsi girl too! Diet, of course. :D
At last we find another way we're different, Val. Pepsi & Diet Pepsi taste like malted battery acid! Ugh! My first day of law school, I was frantically searching for a Coke machine when I was unceremoniously informed that we are a "Pepsi campus." That means they bought out the university to serve their crap products exclusively. There is a group of us Diet Cokeheads who buy in bulk and bring several shiny silver cans of diet goodness to school every day so we don't have to suffer the indignity of the Pepsi-Cola company.
By the way, Val, here is a new addiction of mine that I think your boys might like also. Create your own superhero!
http://www.marvelvc.com.br/Hero/
Menchie: Not me! I'm a full sugar girl. I never could acquire a taste for Diet.
Cokehead Christopher: I KNEW you were going to give me grief for choosing Pepsi. But even I'll admit that your campus doesn't have at least one Coke vending machine.
Your distate for the Pepsi company surprises me. Wasn't Joan Crawford associated with them after her husband died? Or was that just in the movie?
RE: the superhero site: forget the boys, Q will be hooked on this one. He enjoys all that comic book stuff.
In fact, Ms. Crawford's 4th husband, Al Steele, was the president of Pepsi, and she did promotional work for the company for many years. Still, what she carried around in those Pepsi coolers was vodka, not soft drinks (she was notorious for showing up at movie sets with Pepsi coolers as if she was actually drinking the stuff).
Now I remember! I saw Mommie Dearest years ago in its entirety. Since then, I've only seen bits and pieces of it on basic cable.
One more MD question (this one has been nagging at me for years): was that soap scene filmed on the Happy Days set? The first time I saw that part, said to myself: "that is Mrs. C's kitchen!"
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