bzzsgent review: NERF® Demolisher Blaster

Through bzzagent.com. I was provided with a free NERF Demolisher Blaster as well as several $10 off coupons to share. This item is brand-new by NERF and sells for about $40 at stores, including Walmart, nationwide. We tried it out in the backyard and based on the images below, it is definitely kid friendly. With minimal instructions, the toy is easy enough to handle and shoots the arrows very far. The toy, as you would expect from NERF and despite a name like Demolisher, is safe and with a sturdy plastic construction will last even with the roughest play a good long time.

The NERF Demolisher 2 in 1 can be used to shoot darts and missiles and for up to 90 feet - pretty impressive compared to the usual kids toys. It comes with a detachable banana clip and has real pump action for blasting missiles.

The toy is recommended for kids starting at 8 years of age and I can see teenagers enjoying this one as well. I like the safe construction and handling of the toy, still would recommend that adult supervision be present, especially for kids in the younger age range. So not surprising with toy, NERF has another winner on their hand.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free toy through bzzagent.com in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and have not been influenced by bzzagent.com or any third party.

Crowdtap sampling review: Listerine Naturals Mouthwash

Through Crowdtap.com I received a full size bottle of Listerine Naturals Mouthwasy, which is free of artificial flavors and dyes. I love the fact that Listerine now has come out with a natural mouthwash that helps limit the chemicals in my household. As you can tell from the image below, the product is truly free of artificial flavors and dyes! I am very much in favor of limiting chemicals that are being used in the household and have now switched to more natural cleaning supplies as well as using my own garden to grow truly organic vegetables. So an all natural mouthwash only makes sense.

copyright Durhamonthecheap -love the natural ingredient in this new mouthwash

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Listerine Naturals is nice and clear, no dyes, but still works well!

I like the mint flavor of the traditional mouthwash, but in a better for you and the environment form.I have included a short video below that summarizes how happy I am that a mouthwash has now come out with artificial flavors or dyes. Keep an eye out in the store for Listerine Naturals and give it a try yourself.

Disclaimer: I received a free sample through crowdtap.com in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in the post are solely my own and have not been influenced by Listerine, Crowdtap or any third party.

Product Review: Vintage Jersey Lounge Pant from apparelnbags.com

I was provided with an opportunity to review a product of my choice through apparelnbags.com. When searching the website I was pleasantly surprised by the large selections of clothing and accessories. The company carries clothing for men, women and children as well as workwear and then also accessories, such as bags.

I found the website to be fairly easy to navigate, even if some of the pages seem really busy. In part the websites are more busy than for other online retailers because apparelnbags offers discounts for ordering multiple items of the same kind. Customers get a discount starting at 7 items and the price is further reduced once 18 or more items are ordered. I found the discount to be very reasonable for the products I looked at. For example the lounge pants I ordered had a regular price of $19,21, but then were reduced down to $16.95 when you ordered 18 or more items. I find this site to be ideal for parents whose kids are involved in team sports because you can get coordinated outfits for the team as well as the parents at very reasonable prices.

the pants are really soft and feel incredibly comfortable when worn. They are perfect for lounging in warmer weather

After researching the site for a while, I decided upon a nice traditionally cut lounge pants in black. The item was listed as Bella 818 Ladies 3.8 oz. Hannah Vintage Jersey Lounge Pant and was around $18 if ordered individually. I selected these pants because when working at home or even doing chores around the house I like to be comfortable and these pants with their loose cut and the drawstring seem perfect for this purpose. The pants were described as being made out of 55% combed and ring spun cotton 45% polyester, 36 single 3.8oz and were available in sizes S through 2XL.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - love my new lounge pants, comfortable and lightweight!

Here is me now wearing these ultra comfortable, light and nicely cut lounge pants. I find them to be incredibly comfortable and they have perfect fit! I even wear them when going shopping or running errands around town.

I cannot leave out the fact that apprelnbags also has some really cute baby clothes. Who could resist the nice, comfortable outfits shown below? No wonder the little ones are smiling! So if you are looking for an affordable source of comfortable active-wear, lounge-wear and team outfits, head on over to apparelnbags and start browsing the site.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free product in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and have not been influenced by apparelnbags.com or any other third party.

blogging and product samples - what have I gotten myself into?

I started blogging a few years ago to serve as a creative outlet for my writing and to get a break from just focusing on work and family. Over the years, I have gotten better at connecting with companies directly or through middlemen, mostly social networking groups that collect interested companies and connect them to a number of bloggers for product reviews and word of mouth marketing.
I had never expected for blogging to become a full-time job and I still do not plan to give up my real job, which is IT consulting, because I love what I am doing.

But even I have to admit that blogging has become quite lucrative for me and with my blog getting more and more readers, offers for product reviews are becoming more frequent. Among my friends and colleagues I am already known as the crazy sample lady that brings odd collections of samples and coupons to share. Much appreciated by them, but still, they do wonder where on earth I pick all the stuff up.

My blog is a little bit unique in some respects. I cover a lot of different areas. If I find a product interesting, I will review it. If I find a topic in the news interesting, I will write a blogpost about it. I have spend significant time in recent weeks pushing my branded Facebook page (you can check it out at https://www.facebook.com/SparsameLady). It is a collection of interesting news stories, some link backs to my blog, posts on special offers and I try to end each day with a peaceful picture of an animal napping or sleeping. I find that each day should end on a good note, no matter what the day has brought. And the news recently has not been all that great. We see Americans beheaded on video, yet again, and again it is a journalist - a member of a profession that enjoys much more freedom in the USA than in other countries and with the US Constitution holding freedom of speech in such high regard, I feel that killing members of that profession is attacking one of the core values of the USA.

So while putting a peaceful picture of an animal sleeping cannot make all the troubles go away, at least the end of the days shows that tomorrow is another day and hopefully a better one.

That being said, back to my blogging adventures and what I can only describe as a banner year for my blog. I get new product reviews almost every week now. In addition, I have now solid connections to a few companies that actually pay me to review and so I have started actually rejecting product review opportunities because I can now afford to be selective. That in itself is a nice feeling and an accomplishment.

So rather than [put a post on my blog that only contains writing, here is a picture with a collection of freebies that I received and some of which I am sharing with others.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - samples included for Nerf, Dial, Purina One and Healthy Choice! Missing HouseParty kit for Houdini TV show starting on Labor Day.

smiley360: Healthy Coice Greek Frozen Yogurt

Through smiley360.com I was provided with coupons for a Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt, which is available at most grocery stores. I bought my samples at Kroger and Harris Teeter and they retail for around $3 for a box of three good-sized cup. Flavors available include Chocolate, caramel, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry. Each cup has only 100 calories, but you could never tell from the taste. The cups are creamy, rich in texture and full of flavor. I selected for my sampling at work the flavors of raspberry, blueberry and strawberry. Right flavors for hot summer days in North Carolina.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - table full of samples at work for raffles, coupons and giveaways!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the great sample pack from smiley360.com and Healthy choice, T-shirt included!

copyright Durhamonthecheap -good size cups and only 100 calories, but packed with flavor and very creamy texture

Disclaimer: I received a sampling package to share and provide honest feedback. The package included, coupons to purchase the product, coupons for sharing and a t-shirt. The opinions expressed in this post are solely my own and have not been influenced by any third party.

Influenster made ma a great present - I get to try out the new Keurig 2.0! (before it hits the stores)

After a week at work, I came home on Friday and wanted to relax. As always I checked my email and got a wonderful, absolutely unexpected surprise - my affiliated with Influenster has gotten me into a program to try the new Keurig 2.0 for free. That's right, I will be getting a new, fancy Keurig coffeemaker after years of trying. I will spare you a description of the scene that the person I was chatting on the phone had to listen to, let's just say - decorum went out the window and if I had not been sitting with a computer on my lap, I would have probably jumped out of the chair and done a happy dance. This gift rivals the occasion of my getting a Kitchenaid mixer years ago; a transactions that involved survey points to Ipod nanos to Ebay transactions to Paypal money to mixers on clearance.

 Now my buttercup yellow Kitchenaid mixer will have to share the spotlight with the Keurig 2.0. The box is allegedly already in transit and so it should get here very, very soon!

So what is so special about Keurig 2.0? It combines the best of all Keurigs so far and then some. It can use the vue capsules to make cappuccino. In addition, it still makes the regular single serve cups of coffee. But the new thing about 2.0 - it can make a carafe of coffee, 4 coups in one brewing cycle. So when you have guests, no more standing around and waiting for each cup to brew. Now you host your guests with a carafe, make the cappuccino for some of your guests and brew a single cup of flavored coffee for you to toast yourself after a party well hosted!

 Prices for the Keurig 2.0 are in line with other Keurig brewers and range from $140 to $200. Very reasonable indeed, when considering that to handle all capsules in all sizes, the Keurig engineers actually resorted to Lego models according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

 The four carafe K-cup is larger than the usual K-cup and when one considers that the vue capsules are also being handled in the new Keurig 2.0, the engineering team did have their work cut out indeed. I of course cannot wait to get my Keurig 2.0 in the house and start brewing. We have a Keurig at work and my personal favorites are the Vanilla Caramel coffee, the more traditional Nantucket blend and the cold-brew iced coffee with my little Keurig tumbler. Here is me sipping coffee from my old freebie Gevalia maker, counting the days!

Free Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit w/ purchase at South Square location Durham, NC on 8-19-2014

 They are turning 21 for their drive through and now you can celebrate with them!

Free Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit with purchase for wishing them happy birthday at South Square location only!

Come by on Tuesday and tell us "Happy Birthday" from 6:00-10:30am and get a FREE Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit with a purchase of hash browns and a drink (excludes a cup of water). Tell us "Happy Birthday" between 10:30am-10:00pm and get a FREE Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich with the purchase of a medium waffle potato fry and medium drink (excluding cup of water).

So hop on over tomorrow morning to Chick-fil-A South Square Durham NC and grab some cheap, but good eats!

Purex Cartwheel Promotion - save big on the quality detergent at Target!

For great back to school savings, click http://go.purex.com/Zb3x and save money on Purex detergent.

Through August, using this coupon will save you 10% at Target stores when you buy Purex detergent. Best of all, the coupon is stackable - so

• clipping a Purex coupon in your newspaper
• adding in a clipped store coupon from Target and 
• adding in the 10% savings from the #Cartwheel promotion 
• will result in huge savings on quality detergents!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored through Purex Insider. All opinions expressed in this blogpost are solely my own and have not been influenced by Purex or any other third party.