Woolzies Dryer Balls Review and Giveaway

Hey CMM&S fans!  As I've stated before, laundry is one of my least favourite chores.  The washing and drying is fine, but when it comes to folding laundry, I am a menace.  Really, my folding looks like it was done by a two year old that decided to play with the clothes.  It seems like I'm all thumbs, especially when I'm trying to fold a t-shirt that is full of wrinkles and static.  I have tried fabric softeners like Snuggle, those dryer sheets that literally make my skin crawl when I touch them because the fabric just feels "wrong", but I have been trying to use more natural products and save energy in our home.

I was really excited to be given the opportunity to try out Woolzies Dryer Balls.  The company that sells Woolzies is Soft by Nature, Inc, a family owned company in Hudson Valley region of Southern New York State.  The product itself is made in Nepal, but you can find out more information about Woolzies on their webpage by clicking on the link above.  Woolzies has been doing Blogger reach-outs where they send the Blogger their product to test and review.  I received the dryer balls in the mail last week, and I've since used them for all of my laundry.

What are Woolzies Dryer Balls?

Woolzies are wool balls that are handmade from New Zealand wool.  They are free of chemicals and dyes and will not fall apart in your dryer.  The dryer balls are about the size of a tennis ball or perhaps bigger.  Since they are handmade, the dryer balls may vary in size, colour in texture.

You get six of these in the one box and according to the manufacturer, you can use the six dryer balls for either a small, medium or large load.  They recommend if you do extra large loads to use eight.  Once finished with the laundry, I just toss them back into the dryer and let them stay there, so that makes for easy storage and this way I'll never forget to add them to my load like I used to do with the dryer sheets.

They're soft, yet firm and very fuzzy.  I'm a tactile person, I feel the need to reach out and touch everything to see what it feels like.  As I mentioned with the dryer sheets, I can't stand how those feel so if possible I made my husband put the dryer sheet in.  As weird as you may think it is, I absolutely love the feel of these dryer balls on my hands, so that was a big plus in their favour.  I'm not sure that I'd like to wear clothes made out of these as it might be itchy, but at least my first reaction wasn't that they felt awful.  For those of you that may have an allergy to wool, Woolzies states that these are perfectly safe as they don't normally come into contact with your skin and don't shed.

Woolzies makes a few claims regarding to what their dryer balls do:

• Reduce drying time by an average of 25% and thereby reduce energy used
• Reduce static
• Reduce wrinkles
• Soften clothes
• Last 1,000 loads

Woolzies bounce around in your dryer, they naturally separate and create space between your laundry, thereby allowing the hot dryer air to circulate better and subsequently cutting down on drying time by about 25% in large loads and as much as 35-40% in small loads. This of course saves both time and money for you and energy for the environment.

Do Woolzies reduce drying time?

I decided my very first test for Woolzies was to find out if they really did help my laundry dry faster.  We have a huge comforter that we use on our bed that is literally a load in itself.  Sometimes if it gets wrapped around the centre column just the right way, the whole washing machine goes into spaz mode and tries to dance away from the wall.  Our dryer is a little larger inside, so not too many problems there, but it takes forever to dry as the comforter is huge.  I usually run the cycle for 60 minutes and then have to run it for another 30 minutes.  After 60 minutes it needed a little bit longer, so I put it in for another 15 minutes and it was done.  It reduced the drying time of my large comforter by 15 minutes.  My smaller loads of clothes were done about 10 minutes faster as well.

Do Woolzies reduce static and wrinkles and make your clothes softer?

I say yes to all three.  When doing my laundry, I did not add in Snuggle, and instead just let the dryer balls do their magic.  One of the loads was a fuzzy blanket that always comes out with at least a bit of static, and this time there was none.  My clothes were not wrinkled and everything felt soft.  I actually paired my Woolzies dryer balls with my Nellie's All-Natural Laundry soda and everything came out clean, soft and static free.   

Overall, I'm very pleased with the dryer balls.  I think they happen to live up to their claims and I especially like how they are natural and handmade.  They also didn't make a lot of noise in the dryer either like I originally thought they might.

A set of 6 Woolzies sell for $34.95 and shipping to Canada is $6.95 for a total of $41.95.  They do ship Worldwide though.  If they last for 1,000 loads, the cost of them works out to just over $0.04 per load.  I'd consider that a worthy investment considering they really do reduce the drying time of your laundry unlike regular fabric softeners which just work to reduce static and soften clothes.  With Woolzies you get more for your money, and while the initial investment may seem a lot, the long-term savings are worth it.  You can purchase them directly at the Woolzies website HERE. 

But, one of my lucky fans will also get their own set of Woolzies!  They have kindly sponsored a giveaway here at CMM&S that is open Worldwide!  All of my fans at CMM&S are eligible to enter.  The contest will be by Rafflecopter entry, and the winner will be randomly chosen at the end of the contest term.  Please be sure to read all of the contest terms and conditions below. 

This product was provided for review by the manufacturer.  All opinions on this blog are my own and were in no way influenced by the manufacturer.  For more on my disclosure policy, please check out my About Me page.

Instructions how to get your Facebook post link:

When on the page Woolzies Dryer Balls, post the comment in the Rafflecopter entry. Once it's posted, click "Posts by Others" and then under your comment it will show "1 minute ago" or whatever time, then right click on that post and choose "Copy Link Location". Then post that link in the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Contest Terms and Conditions:

Giveaway ends 4/15/2013.  Only the first three entries are mandatory, there will be other optional entries and you can earn more daily if you choose to do the optional entries daily.  This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Facebook or Twitter.  You are providing your information to CMM&S and not to Facebook or Twitter.  The winner's information will be shared with the contest sponsor for the purpose of shipping your prize. This contest is sponsored by Woolzies and the prize will be sent to the winner by them.  CMM&S is not responsible for lost or missing prizes.  All entries will be verified and CMM&S reserves the right to disqualify any entrants that provide invalid information or do not complete an entry requirement.  The winner will be contacted by email from moneymakersandsavers@hotmail.com after the close of the contest and must provide their shipping information within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn.  Entering this contest will be taken as your consent that CMM&S has the right to publish the winner's name on the CMM&S blog, Facebook page and Twitter.

 

Schick Intuition Pure Nourishment Razor Review

So recently I received the Schick Intuition Pure Nourishment Razor from a Feisty Frugal and Fabulous Contest.  I always wanted to try these razors, but previously never bought them because I could get other razors for much cheaper, especially with sales and coupons.  I haven't seen any coupons for the Schick Intuition, however that doesn't mean they're not available.

In the package I received the Intuition handle, two razors cartridges, a suction cup holder and a guard for the razor.

According to Walmart.ca, the various razors from the Intuition line are $10.12 each and the 3pk replacement cartridges are $11.46 and the 6pk cartridges are $20.98.  I believe they are also available at Costco, but I haven't come across them.

There are different colour handles and different scents.  The handles are interchangeable with the various Skin Conditioning Solids.  This allows you to try out different Skin Conditioning Solids to find the right one for you.  In the package that I received, the scent is called Coconut Milk and Almond Oil.  I can be rather sensitive to some scents, so I was very pleased that this one had a light scent.

Schick's website states "Intuition is the only razor that lathers and moisturizes during shaving. No need for shave gel, soap or body wash. Just add water."

I have tried and used a number of different razors.  I've used regular disposable razors and honestly I just can't stand them.  I find that even on the very first shave they're dull and they scrape, scratch and give me razor burn no matter how much shave gel I use.  After many attempts with many different brands, I moved on to the razors with cartridges.  My favourite razor for the longest time was actually the Gillette Mach3, then the Gillette Fusion ProGlide.  Yes, I am fully aware these are "male" razors, however they gave me the most comfortable, nick free shaves.  I also tried the "men's" Schick Hydro, and I didn't really care for it.  I have since tried the Schick  Hydro Silk razor for women and recently I've been using that as my favourite razor.

My first impression of the Schick Intuition, was that the handle is so large that it just had to be uncomfortable to hold and shave.  However, the razor as a whole is very light and surprisingly comfortable in my hands.  I always shave in the shower, so I did not have to change my routine.  I made sure to wet the solid around the razor and it softened nicely, but did not melt away easily.  I was a little worried at first using this on my underarms, however it glided smoothly and easily and got rid of the very short growth with no problems.  

After using it on my underarms, I made very quick work of my legs.  Not having to take that extra step of adding shaving cream certainly made shaving much quicker.  I had no problems with the razor causing bumps or nicks and I felt very comfortable while using it.  I don't have very thick body hair and just a quick shave was enough to make my legs smooth.

For you ladies that like to either keep your bikini area trimmed or smooth and might be curious, I actually did use it on my bikini area.  It had been a while since I'd trimmed that area and I was rather concerned that the solid would not moisturize enough, however it did work okay.  Obviously it's a rather large razor, so I was very careful.  I didn't shave completely bare with the first attempt because I'm prone to razor burn in that area, especially if I haven't trimmed in a while.  I did not have any bumps or razor burn, and the area did not feel dry or sensitive afterwards.

Overall, I feel that the razor on a whole works quite well.  My skin felt soft and smooth afterwards and I have no problems at all.  I have since used the razor a few times, and the solid is slowly disappearing.  I have used it at total of 5 times now, including using it on my bikini area, and there is still some solid left.  I do have to note that it does seem to be getting to the point where it is not as comfortable or smooth to shave as the previous shaves.  It appears that the front part of the solid wears out faster than the back, at least that was my experience.  Maybe I was putting too much pressure on the front and not distributing the pressure evenly enough, I might get one, maybe two more quick shaves out of this solid before I have to move on to the next.

I also have to say that while I liked the suction cup at first, I find it dings your solid on the sides and unless I'm mistaken there is no way to cover up the blade with the cover while it's in the holder.  I don't any small children that can cut themselves, but others might unless they put it far out of reach.  I also had an unwelcome surprise this morning with the whole thing falling off my shower wall randomly this morning.  I'm on a bus route, so maybe the vibrations of the buses and cars going by daily made it pop off, but either way it was not fun to wake up to a loud bang right of deep sleep.  It was kind of funny though, as the cartridge popped out of the handle and I had to do a hunt for it in between my product bottles and such.  A quick search for it was done before I went back to bed and I didn't find it.  I ended up finding it later when I was actually more awake, but I think I'll just put the cover on it next time.

So, if you're still with me, I would recommend this product for those that want a quick, easy and gentle shave if you don't mind spending the extra money.  I usually get my shaving cream for $2.00 or less and right now I have a small but comfortable stockpile of it.  One can also lasts a really, really long time.  I also have a bunch of Schick Hydro Silk razors I got on sale and used a coupon, so I am set for those for some time.  I also don't really count, but I'm sure I get more than 7 shaves out of one cartridge for the Hydro Silk.  Perhaps if they came out with some coupons, or if you could get them even cheaper in bulk at Costco I might be more inclined, but for me my frugal nature outweighs the maybe 2 or 3 minutes extra I'd spend in the shower using shaving cream.

Let me know what you think and if you've tried the Intuition razor before.  What's your favourite razor and why?



Canadian Money Makers and Savers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on work at http://moneymakersandsavers.blogspot.ca

Krisda Splash Review

Hey CMM&S fans!  Recently I was given the opportunity to review Krisda Splash thanks to the wonderful Dana at Coupon Nannie.  Krisda is a North American company that makes and distributes sweeteners made out of Stevia.  You can visit their Facebook Page to check them out or visit their Website for detailed information about their company and products.

A couple years ago I was really big into getting in shape and losing weight.  This went great for a while and I actually lost 45lbs.  It was tough, but I did it.  Unfortunately a couple years later, and I've gained pretty much all if it back.  This is frustrating and heartbreaking, but I have no one but myself to blame for not keeping up with my exercise and watching my calorie intake.

I love sugar, especially in my tea in the morning and nothing I've found tastes quite the same.  I've tried Splenda, SteviaSweet, Equal and others, but nothing has replaced real sugar for me.  Krisda has a regular tabletop sweetner I'd love to try, but for today I have their juice crystals to try out. 

When I was on my eating better and exercise kick, I bought tons of the Crystal Light juice crystals, because I wanted to drink more water, but I wanted to have something with flavour that was easy to take with me and I could put in my own water bottle and go and not worry about all the extra plastic I was using with bottled flavoured waters. 

One thing that really stands out for me with the Krisda Splash I received is the crystals in the Field Berry package I got are white granules like regular sugar. One of the problems I had with Crystal Light was that the crystals didn't completely dissolve even after much stirring or shaking.  Crystal Light is also coloured and I found that if I didn't clean my water bottle really well after using them, the little crystals would stick to the container, first of all discolouring it and then also making everything I put in the bottle taste like Crystal Light for days after.  All of the crystals from Krisda Splash dissolved completely and there is no residue settled on the bottom of my glass and the water is clear.  I haven't put it in a bottle yet, but I am thinking that because it dissolves so well, this wouldn't be an issue with Krisda Splash.

One Krisda Splash packet is enough to flavour 600ml of water.  You can choose to use more or less water depending on your tastes, but I filled a tall glass with about 600ml of water and the one package was definitely enough to flavour the water.  I was really happy with the taste of it.  It's fruity, flavourful, but isn't overpowering at all.  I can definitely taste the raspberry flavour.

One thing I have to note with all of the juice crystals I've tried is the aftertaste.  After drinking the water, I'm always left with a little bit of a bitter aftertaste, and I get the dry-mouth feeling.  So while I like the original flavour, I'm not too partial to it afterwards because it makes me feel like I need to drink more water to get that taste out of my mouth and to get rid of that dry feeling.  Krisda Splash was unfortunately no exception to this, but it was not so unpleasant that I wouldn't use it again.

Overall, I did enjoy the taste of Krisda Splash and I'd definitely be willing to purchase this as an alternative to Crystal Light as Krisda is made with Stevia and Crystal Light is made with Aspertame.  I am trying to cut out as many products as I can that are made with Aspertame.

Ingredients in the Krisda Splash I received are:

Medicinal Ingredients: Vitamin A 200 MCG RAE, Vitamin C 12 MG ,Vitamin E 2.7 MG AT. Non-Medicinal Ingredients: Inulin, Erythritol, Stevia leaf extract, Natural fruit extract and Natural flavour.

At this time there is no nutritional information on the website, however, Coupon Nannie states the following for the details regarding the product:

Every Delicious Krisda Splash flavor adds life to water naturally without calories and artificial ingredients

• All Natural
• Zero Calories
• Sugar Free
• No artificial sweeteners, flavours, colors or preservatives
• Made with real fruit extract
• Sweetened with premium Krisda stevia sweetener
• Enhanced with vitamins A, C, & E
• Kosher, Vegan, GMO Free

You can also visit their Website to see where you can purchase their products.  They are available at my local Walmart on Regent, so I will definitely have to check them out.

**Product provided for honest review.  All opinions are my own and are not influenced by the company**

Dr. Beckmann's Colour & Dirt Collector Review

Recently I was given the opportunity to test out Dr. Beckmann's Colour & Dirt Collector Sheet.  I am part of "Team KD", which is the team Kaley Davies put together to test these products to enter for a chance to win $600 in grocery gift cards or Dr. Beckmann's full-sized product kits.  I love trying things before I buy them and letting my fans know what I think about the products I use.

Now I'm the type of person that throws colours, darks and whites all in one load.  I have never felt the need to separate my laundry, but do notice that now and again colours bleed, but the most common of my problems is my whites getting dingy, especially socks!  They last for maybe about two washes and then just never really get very clean.

When I used the sheet in my laundry I was shocked at how much dirt it trapped.  When comparing it to the original sheet, the sheet I used looks positively nasty.  I already save time by combining my clothes, but by using these sheets perhaps I can prolong the brightness of my whites.

These sheets are easy to use, just toss them in your washing machine and then when finished check out the dirt and colours trapped in it.  You can see the results of my test below.  Click Here to check out the video of a test with a red sock and a white shirt!

Part of this contest is also a "vote" option.  If you'd like to vote for me and Team KD, you can vote once per the entirety of the contest.  We'd appreciate your vote!  Click Here to vote for us.

Essie Sleek Sticks Review

Hey CMM&S fans!  As I posted earlier, I received a sample of Essie Sleek Sticks nail stickers today.  I thought I would do a quick review on them.  This sample is no longer available, but Essie had a promotion available for 10,000 of these samples.

The sample consists of 4 of their new nail sticker designs, with two samples each.  So essentially this sample is to get a feel for their nail stickers and designs to see if you would like them, but you won't be able to get a whole manicure out of them.

The samples I received would only fit on my thumb and middle nails as they were too large for my other nails.  The first sample I tried was the top, dark "Zebra" style sample.  It would not photograph well, so I tried and took photos of the "Leopard" and the silvery "Snake Skin" type sample.

On the back of the sample were the very simple instructions.




Step 1 Prep:
"Select your favourite design.  Clean and shape nails."

Step 2 Apply:
"Select the correct size strip for your nail.  Peel sticker away from the protective film and press on to the nail"

Step 3 Perfect:
"Fold extra material down over nail edge.  Use a nail file to file off excess.  Voila! Runway-ready nails to go!"




My very first attempt was with the dark "Zebra" style sample.  I found that I ended up with a lot of little wrinkles with the sticker and filing it off just made all the wrinkles worse.  So first attempt was a fail, and it didn't photograph well, so I figured I'd try again because practice makes perfect.

My second attempt was the "Leopard" style sticker, which I put a wee bit too high on my cuticle area on one side, but this time went a lot smoother and I didn't have any wrinkles. With folding down the excess nail area on my first try, I just folded it down and filed at it with the corners bunched up.  I found that it was much easier to fold down one side of the nail along the corner of my nail, file that and then work on the next side.  It made it easier so there were less wrinkles and creasing.

I do want to note, I was already wearing a regular base coat on my nails, which they didn't mention anything about not having, but it might make the stickers slide off more easily, I'm not sure.

I found that they were really easy to file away.  Originally I used a metal nail file, but switched to my glass nail file and found that the edge when using the glass nail file was cleaner.  There were still some minor bumps on the edge, but after a bit of filing it ended up pretty smooth.

I did find with the stickers that if they didn't sit exactly right on your nail that the edges would catch on things, so you have to find the exact size for your nail, or a little bit smaller so that there is no overhang on the sides.  I didn't try cutting them down at all, because I figured I would mess it up, but I suppose you could cut them down as well. 

The texture of the Leopard nails is interesting, however I'm the type of person that "plays" with my nails, so any bumps, ridges or anything like that will make me want to pick at my nails or even worse start biting at them.  I have been really good lately with not biting, but I don't think anything textured like this is really for me.

Overall, I think that these stickers would be great for a night out, or a special occasion where you don't want to deal with waiting for layers of polish or a nail art design to dry.  They were easy to use, though I did need a bit of practice.  The sets also apparently retail for about $10.00, so it's a hefty price for a one-use thing.  I do have to mention, that they lasted a couple of days with only what seemed to be minor tip-wear.  I took mine off before it actually had to come off, so it might have lasted longer.

When taking them off, they did peel away my base coat, so I'm not sure how great they are for your nail bed, especially if you have fine, brittle nails and use them often, but if I wanted a quick, easy manicure, I might pick these up.

The picture below is the finished product with the "Snake Skin" like sticker.  I thought this one was the prettiest of them all.

Canadian Money Makers and Savers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://moneymakersandsavers.blogspot.ca

Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda Review

Hey CMM&S fans!  Recently I was chosen to be one of the lucky bloggers who received a full-sized sample of Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda to try out and review.

More than a few years ago I switched from powder laundry detergent to liquid as I constantly had the powder residue left on my clothes.  This was with Tide, Sunlight, and other no-name brands and all of them left a powdery substance on my clothes, even if I used the correct measurement.  Some of these powders also made me itchy and the scent was overpowering.

Over the last few years I have used Tide, Sunlight and most recently Purex liquid laundry detergent, so Nellie's Laundry Soda is the first powder I've tried in years.

I was super excited to try this product, as I'm the sort that is hesitant to switch from my usual brand unless there is a very good sale, coupon or a sample.  In fact, sales, coupons and samples have lead me to switch from my usual brand for many of the products we use in our household.  For example I was able to stack coupons for Finish Quantum (stacking no longer available) to get it free, and I was previously a Cascade powder user, but the Finish Quantum was way better, even though more expensive.  I will continue to purchase Finish Quantum now because it's simply a better product in my opinion.

From the website, the Laundry Soda description is as follows:

"The scent of clean laundry you're used to may be caused by nasty chemicals (what's the deal with that?!). So why not discover the true smell of naturally clean clothes with Nellie's Laundry Soda? It's hypoallergenic, and leaves your clothes soft, fresh, and residue free. It's also super-duper concentrated, so only one tablespoon per wash is needed, even in large loads.***Ingredients: Sodium Silicate, Coconut oil based surfactants***"

From their FAQ:

Q. How do I use the Laundry Soda? 
A. For best results use one tablespoon of Laundry Soda per LARGE wash load. Wash according to the specific instructions on your garments. Make sure to always test first on garments that may bleed or fade. Nellie's™ Laundry Soda dissolves quickly in cold or hot water.

To put the Laundry Soda's claim to the test, I did a couple loads of laundry.  One load included one of my nice comfy pyjama tops (100% cotton) with a chocolate stain on it that had sat a week.  It's an older top, so I didn't mind "sacrificing" it to the test.

Is Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda Residue Free?

Since I hadn't tried powder laundry detergent for quite some time, I was worried that this would leave the same residue that made me switch from power to liquid.  Thankfully, and happily after doing two loads of laundry, I could not find any residue on my clothes at all, which is a big plus.

How does Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda smell?

There is no overpowering scent at all.  All of my clothes had a different smell, but all of them smelled nice and clean.  There were no lingering "sweat" smells on my 12 year old's shirts and my towels did not smell musty or dirty.  This is way different than I'm used to, because all the other products I use have a very distinct smell where all of my clothes had that particular smell to them.  It was actually rather funny as I was doing a "sniff" test of all my clothes.  I can definitely say I didn't smell any particular bad odor.

Did Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda leave my clothes soft and fresh?

I didn't notice any difference between how my clothes felt after washing with Nellie's and washing with my other laundry detergents.  My clothes felt soft and were not stiff at all.

Can Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda be used in cold water?

Absolutely!  I didn't have any problems with the soda dissolving in cold water.  In our home we ALWAYS use cold water, regardless if the product says it's meant for cold water or not and didn't have any problems.   We do not have a front loader or HE machine, but a regular machine, but Nellie's does say it's safe and friendly for HE and front loading machines.

Did Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda get the chocolate stain out of my pyjama top? 

No, unfortunately not all the way.  It got most of the small spots out, but I had actually rubbed in the stain because I wanted to see how powerful Nellie's was.  It did get out the majority of the stain without pre-treating it with stain remover and after it sat on my pyjama top for a week.  I haven't since tried re-washing it, but I think I will try it again and see if multiple washes without pre-treating will get the rest of the stain out.  If it doesn't I will try a stain remover and try again.

My overall impression about the product?

I really like this product.  I think it did a great job cleaning my clothes and handling the stain test I gave it with one wash for how long the stain sat with no treatment and rubbing it in.  It did not leave residue on my clothes and I did not get any negative skin reactions from the soda.  My clothes felt soft, smelled clean and were not stiff.  Compared to other laundry products I've tried before it is better than other powders I've tried and it is comparable to liquid laundry products I've tried, but doesn't have the overwhelming smell you can get with other detergents.  I also believe in supporting Canadian companies and I think I would buy this product.  I'd love to see this in a WalMart or an RCSS to buy, but there are some options that I could check out in my city.

How much does Nellie's cost?

You can purchase it directly from their website for $9.99USD per 50 load bag, $18.99USD for 100 loads or $124.95USD for their 1101 load bucket.  Shipping is $7.95 for orders under $100.00 and $15.90 for orders over $100.00.  You can make your purchase directly via PayPal or by VISA or MasterCard.  They ship within Canada and the US.  You can also check to see if Nellie's is available where you live by checking out their retailer locator.

50 loads including shipping - $0.36 per load

100 loads including shipping - $0.27 per load

1101 loads including shipping - $0.13 per load

What other products does Nellie's carry?

Laundry Nuggets

Dryerballs - (I'd LOVE to try these)

Fragrance Sticks for some versions of the Dryerballs if you want scent

Oxygen Brightener

Dish Nuggets

You can view their website to check out all the details of their products.

This review is my personal opinion and was not influenced in any way by Nellie's All-Natural.  I received the product in question in return for my honest review. 

Canadian Money Makers and Savers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://moneymakersandsavers.blogspot.ca/

Keep Rewarding

Hey money-maker fans!  I was recently contacted by Chris, the Owner and Admin of KeepRewarding, a relatively new GPT site.  Keep Rewarding's style is along the lines of SuperPay.me and RewardingWays with CPC Offers, videos and surveys.  They are working towards getting even more offers available as well as Crowdflower. 

Chris reached out to me because he wanted to dispel the myth that his site is in any way affiliated with CantBeatFree.  While the layout, offer options, rewards system and even some of the rules are very similar, Chris has assured me that he is not J, and that KeepRewarding is completely separate from CantBeatFree.

In fact, one of the reasons I had not joined this site up until now was the similarity of the sites, and that it was an offer on CantBeatFree, but Chris has assured me that this was simply because it was CBF members he was targeting to join his site.

I've decided to check it out, and while I haven't put much time into it, I feel it may appeal to those that love doing surveys and offers.  There is a wide variety of offers, including easy CPC offers and unlike CantBeatFree you should only see offers that are available to you.  This was a huge problem on the CantBeatFree wall because most of the offers could not be completed by Canadians or UK members.  KeepRewarding has their site set up so their particular wall only shows offers available in your country.

KeepRewarding is open to USA, Canada and the UK. You can redeem at 600 points for $5 Amazon.com or $5 Paypal or if you save until 2500 points and redeem for a $25 prize you will then be an E-Member, which is their version of a VIP member.  $5 rewards are then only 450 points.  If Keep Rewarding has a number of Canadian members that are interested in Amazon.ca gift cards, then they will look into offering those as well.

Because I wanted a little more insight into Chris and his goals so that I could share with you, I asked him to provide a little about himself.  The following is in his own words.

Who is Chris from KeepRewarding?

"Basically I was a member of CBF and enjoyed it's sense of community, but I saw and felt it had more potential if more time was able to be invested in it. Obviously there was no chance of me partnering with CBF so I decided my next best opportunity was to start my own GPT Site and run it the way I would want to be treated as a member. As I have been a member of various GPT Sites, I feel I have a good understanding of what the members perspective is and what things they do and don't like about GPT sites. Now that I am someone who is on both sides of the coin I feel that I can deliver a service that will appeal to most members. It is also my hope that I could run the site in a full time capacity, I am currently unemployed which allowed me the opportunity to start the website and manage it full time. But I would love if it could become something permanent and sustainable. 

My initial goals are to establish the site and show that it can be trusted and paying. As the site grows I would hope to look into adding the ability to gain points for playing games, making searches, a video section and even further in the future shop and earn. Currently I believe these are only offered by the commercial established GPT Sites. I would also be seeking to add more rewards that users could choose from. 

So what makes me different? Basically I want to engage with my members. I feel that the mainstream GPT Sites like Swagbucks, Gifthulk etc don't have that personal relationship that makes the user feel connected, appreciated and needed on their site. I want to be seen as someone who is active on my site and who looks after the well being of my members, not just someone who wants to use them to line my pockets.

As you know I am from GB and yes I was and still am a member of CBF and a few other sites. Just another way for me to keep involved in the GPT world and not become disconnected."

If any of you are interested in checking it out, you can join with my referral link by clicking HERE.  Just for signing up you get 50points.  Though I have not cashed out yet as I just started, other members have.  If you have any questions, just post them in the ShoutBox and if Chris is available I'm sure he'll be happy to answer your questions if he can.

Please note, if you are directly to AdFly, this helps monetize the site, so once the time counter is complete, just click the X and you will be taken to the page you would like to go to.

This Blog Post was sponsored by KeepRewarding by offering me an E-Membership, but all observations and opinions are my own and were not influenced by KeepRewarding in any way.
Canadian Money Makers and Savers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://moneymakersandsavers.blogspot.ca

Swagbucks Shop & Earn Review

Hey Swagbucks fans!

Back in October, I was contacted by Swagbucks to test out their Canadian Shop & Earn program a little ahead of schedule so I could help Beta Test the system.  They asked me to check it out and provide them with feedback regarding my experience and they would track the order progress.  I was also offered a "shopping spree" of $50.00 per store and asked to post an honest review on my Blog.  Overall, while there were some bumps along the way with the process, I did enjoy testing Shop & Earn, and would use it again, but keep reading for more details on my Shop & Earn experience.  All opinions are my own, and were in no way influenced by Swagbucks.

Of course being a "money-maker and saver" at heart I jumped at the chance for a shopping spree so I could purchase a few things for the family and for myself of course and be reimbursed for it as well as earn Swag Bucks!

Since most of those in our family are the type to go out and buy something if they want it, Christmas shopping is tough.  Back in October I had no clue what types of things I should purchase for Christmas, so I decided to shop for something for some things for the family and something just for me.

I was asked to shop at Walmart.ca, YvesRocher.ca and Sears.ca through Shop & Earn.  Since I wasn't exactly sure how Shop & Earn would work if I sat and browsed the sites for a long time, I went directly to the sites and did a little research of things that I wanted before I started, and so I was familiar with how to use the site for my shopping trip.  Each of these sites ask you to register and provide your contact information.  I did this with each site before I ever went through Shop & Earn, however doing so through Shop & Earn does not disrupt the tracking process to make sure you get your Swag Bucks.

When you first visit Shop & Earn, it knows if you are Canadian, and it will only show you stores that are available to you.  This is great because originally when Shop & Earn first started, there was a "Canada" tab, but you could still drift away from it and find yourself at stores that were US only, which could cause some confusion.  If for some reason you want to view the stores that are for US or UK, you can do so by mousing over the little Canadian Flag and changing it to the US or UK flag so you can browse those stores if you so choose, but you will not earn Swag Bucks for shopping at these stores even if they ship to Canada.  Canadians can only earn Swag Bucks from stores available in the Canadian Shop & Earn.

The very first thing I did with Shop & Earn itself, was familiarise myself with the stores.  When you are viewing the list of stores you will see how many Swag Bucks you will earn per $1 spent at the store. From Shop & Earn you can click directly on "Shop Now" to be brought to that store's website, or if you click on the store name it will take you directly to the specific store's page on Shop & Earn.  Here you can find special restrictions as well as a list of coupon codes you can use to get more Swag for your Buck.  These special coupon codes are for discounts on your purchase or shipping costs, or even add-on free items. If you visit the Starbucks Canada page on Shop & Earn it states special terms that "The purchase of gift cards are not eligible for Swag Bucks".  It is important to note these restrictions as you will not earn Swag Bucks for restricted purchases.

Once you have chosen a store, clicking on the "Shop Now" button will take you directly to the store's website.  It should take you there immediately, but if it doesn't there is a button to click through to the website.

Some of these sites may ask you to sign up to complete your purchase, or you may check out as a guest, whichever you choose, but I prefer signing up with the site as sometimes there is a way to go back and check the status of your order and make changes or even cancel the order if necessary.

My first Shop & Earn adventure was at Walmart.ca on October 10, 2012. I found Walmart.ca quite easy to use, and their selection of movies, toys, games, appliances and more was pretty good.  I had been thinking of getting a new electric grill as ours was pretty old, and unfortunately some of the coating started coming off.  Once I found the item I wanted it was really easy to check out.  I was already logged in to the page, so I so I just clicked the "My Cart" button at the top of the page and proceeding to complete my order.  Once it was completed I received an email detailing my order and my order#.  One of the great things about Walmart.ca is once you sign up you have access to your past and present orders so you can check their status and review past orders.

Here is a photo of my new grill, which cost $77.28 including taxes.

Now at this time, Walmart.ca is not available on Shop & Earn.  One of the things about testing something new, is that sometimes things don't work out quite as you plan.  Shop & Earn Swag Bucks were to show up in pending within 2 to 30 days after the order was completed.  Unfortunately the Swag Bucks from Walmart.ca never did show up properly, but it was definitely a learning adventure for both Swagbucks and I what works and what doesn't.  I'm hoping that it returns soon, but there is obviously some more testing that needs to be done to make sure that it works correctly.  I was credited manually after sending in a ticket at the Shop & Earn rate of 1 Swag Buck per $1 and earned 69 Swag Bucks for my purchase.

My next shopping trip was to Yves Rocher.  This one was all about getting girly stuff just for me!  I spent a lot of time picking and choosing various items I would like, and ended up getting a lot of great stuff.  I got shower gel, bubble bath, foot care items, hand cream and more!  One of the neat things about Yves Rocher is they always include samples with each order, plus often they include other free products depending on your order.  Because I ordered $45 worth of products I received a free pair of super soft gloves, and a really warm and soft cape (which I actually love wearing to keep me warm as I'm blogging).  Yves Rocher asked me to create an account as well.  You can request tracking information here and update a list of your favourite beauty products and their current promotions and free gifts available. 

At the time of my order, there was an excellent coupon code available through Swagbucks for $7 off $40 and free shipping was available for orders over $35.00.  The free shipping did not require a coupon code, so I got both.  The coupon code was found directly on the Shop & Earn page for Yves Rocher, and was super handy as it allowed me to bring my total down to $51.35 for all of the great things you see below:

Best of all?  Yves Rocher is worth 10SB per $1 spent, so I earned an extra 451 Swag Bucks for my purchase.  Unfortunately again, there was an issue with this Shop & Earn shop crediting properly via Shop & Earn, and it was credited manually after I contacted Swagbucks Support.  Yves Rocher is still available on Shop & Earn and is working properly.

My last "stop" for the spree was Sears.ca.  I am personally not a huge fan of Sears.  I find that a lot of their items are over-priced there and it was actually difficult to find something I wanted.  Originally I wanted to purchase some cushions, however when I added them to my cart and tried to check out, it removed the items from my cart and would not let me check out.  Since my family collects Disney movies, I decided to check out their selection and found two movies that we were missing and they would fit within my $50 spending spree budget.  At the time, there were no coupon codes available for Sears and they didn't have any special shipping offers.  Regular shipping is $7.95, but can be higher for appliances, and other heavy items.  Since I didn't want to pay the shipping cost, I chose the $3.95 option to have my items delivered to the store.  My total for the two movies plus shipping came out to $52.57 with taxes.  Normally I could find these on Amazon or even Walmart for cheaper, however it was a shopping spree, so I paid only $2.57 out of pocket for both of these.

Since I picked them up at the store, I opened the packages immediately to make sure it was the correct items, and watched them right away to make sure there were no issues and so that we could exchange them if necessary.

Though I didn't really enjoy my online shopping experience with Sears.ca, they were the only company of the three I shopped at that properly credited me for my Shop & Earn experience!  They actually showed up as pending in my Shop & Earn ledger within 2 weeks and credited within the 30 days.  But earning only 1 Swag Buck per $1 spent is not enough of a bonus for me to shop there with their higher prices.

So what did I learn about Shop & Earn?

I learned that there are definitely a few things you can to do to make sure your Shop & Earn experience runs much more smoothly than mine.  At this point I'm not exactly certain what happened with my purchases that the Swagbucks weren't credited properly, however we did chat about what things their members could do to make sure they earn their Swag Bucks on their purchases.

• Make sure you're logged into Swagbucks.com. It's possible to visit the Shop & Earn page and click through to a store even if you aren't logged in. Please take a moment to check the top corner of the page for your name (or login button) before you proceed to the store site.
• To earn Swag Bucks, use the Shop & Earn portal to go to the store site. If you go to a store directly like Sears.ca instead of to Shop & Earn first, Swagbucks cannot award you for your purchase.
• Only use coupons provided by Shop & Earn. If external coupons are applied to a purchase, you will not be able to receive Swag Bucks. Click on the name of the store in Shop & Earn to view coupons & deals. 
• Be aware of any special terms.  By clicking on a store name in Shop & Earn, you will also view Special Terms as well as the timeline for when pending SB will post. Please be familiar with these details, as they may vary from store to store.  Remember, some items may not be eligible for Swag Bucks, like purchasing Gift Cards.
• Keep your receipts. If you do run into any issues, the Swagbucks Support team will be able to better assist you if you can provide your receipts.
• Don't use the back button if you navigate away from a Shop & Earn Store.  If you go to another page before completing your order, and attempt to use the back button to go back to your order, you may not receive your Swagbucks. 
• Didn't receive as many Swag Bucks as you thought you would?  You will only earn Swag Bucks on your subtotal.  Swag Bucks earnings do not apply towards taxes or shipping costs.  If your total purchase before taxes was $45.00 and your Shop & Earn was 1 Swag Buck per $1, you will earn 45 Swag Bucks.
• Remember that your Swag Bucks will show as pending in your Shop & Earn ledger, and not your regular ledger until your order has been completed.  Have you been checking your ledger every day to see if you've gotten your Swag Bucks yet, or to see if they're pending?  Well they won't show up in your ledger until they have credited.  You can view your pending Shop & Earn Swag Bucks by mousing over your name and choosing "My Shop & Earn" or by clicking on the "My Shop & Earn link to the left side if you're already on your ledger.

How do I contact Swagbucks if I have a problem?

If  it has been longer than 32 days you can reach Swagbucks by clicking the "Contact Us" link at the very bottom of many of the pages on Swagbucks, including the homepage. From there, you will be asked to provide the reason you're contacting them.  Choose "Shop & Earn" and fill out the information required.  It is always best to include a copy of your receipt.  You can do this by providing a PDF, or a JPEG of your order.

• Full Name
• Swag Name
• Store Name
• Date Of Order
• Time Of Order
• Order Number
• Subtotal (not including shipping/handling, taxes)

What do I like about Shop & Earn?

I love that it's so easy to find deals and coupons for stores, as well as earn extra Swag Bucks.  If I'm considering purchasing anything from a Shop & Earn store, I always check out the coupons on Shop & Earn to see if there is anything I can use.  They also seem to have bonus days every once in a while where you can earn 2 or even 3 times the amount of Swag Bucks you'd usually earn.

It's also easy to navigate and easy to find what I'm looking for.  I can sort alphabetically, by amount of Swag Bucks earned, or I can search coupons, popular stores or search the store by name. 

Another great feature is you can add a store to your favourites list by clicking on the white heart above the "Shop Now" button.  Once you have added a store to your favourites, you can actually get to the store page directly from the Swagbucks homepage by clicking on it's link from the homepage.  You'll find this on the left hand side underneath the quick links.

What do I not like about Shop & Earn?

Of course it's always hard to wait to see if you will be credited for your order!  The 30 day wait to even see your Swag Bucks show up as pending can be really difficult because you're eager to get that bonus.  However the reason it can take so long depends on the specific store and the policies and terms they have in place for when they will credit Swag Bucks for your order.  Many of these sites have a return policy and this wait is often because Swagbucks has to wait a certain time period before they can contact the store to get your Swag Bucks credit due to this return policy.   So while I may be impatient to see my order, I also understand the need for the waiting period.

How do I think Shop & Earn can be improved?

I do think that the Swag Bucks for Shop & Earn should show up as pending within a few days, and that if there are any problems it could be noted so in pending so you can contact Swagbucks.  This would be ideal, because then at least you know that your order went through.  I am not exactly sure how this would work, but this is a feature I think would make Shop & Earn better.

More stores available would be great.  Shop & Earn has already come a long way from October where there were 30 stores.  There are now 59 stores and hopefully there will be more to come in the near future.  I would like to see Walmart.ca return and I'd like to see FutureShop.ca, Bestbuy.ca, Well.ca and let us not forget Amazon.ca!

Would I use Shop & Earn again?

Definitely!  I know there were some glitches along the way, but sometimes bugs need to be worked when things are rolled out new.  I am pleased with my shopping experience as in total I earned 563SB for shopping online, and depending where you shop and how much you spend you can earn much more and there is no limit.  I know Swagbucks is working with their Shop & Earn partners to ensure that you get the Swag Bucks you deserve.  If you have made a purchase and it's been over 32 days, then I suggest contacting Swagbucks and provide all the information requested in the tips for contacting Swagbucks above.

I would also use Shop & Earn again, because unlike "cash back" sites, I don't have to have a minimum purchase or minimum balance before I can get my reward.  I also don't have to wait for a pay cycle to go through so I can get my payout and I'm already earning Swag Bucks, and this is just another way for me to get my rewards faster. 

Haven't joined Swagbucks yet?

I consistently make $25.00 in Amazon.ca plus anywhere from an extra $5 - $25.00 more per month on Swagbucks simply by watching videos, playing games, answering polls, searching and occasional surveys, offers or tasks.  Click the Swagbucks Logo below to join my Swagbucks team and start earning too.

Once you've signed up, check out my Swagbucks Tips page to get more details of how I earn my $25.00 in Amazon.ca rewards every month.



Canadian Money Makers and Savers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://moneymakersandsavers.blogspot.ca

Revlon Crazy Shine To Go Nail Buffer Review

Recently I received the Revlon Crazy Shine To Go Nail Buffer to review courtesy of the Chick Advisor Product Review Club. 

What the product claims to do: Revlon's new Crazy Shine To Go Nail Buffer is designed to give you up to 400% shinier nails than bare nails in seconds which lasts 3 days. The mini buffers are available in 2 fun shapes and even work to revive shine on polished nails - perfect for on-the-go use.

Directions: Use the plain green side to smooth and even out nail surfaces. Flip the buffer and use the patterned side to polish nail to an outrageous shine. For polished nails, use the patterned side to revive nail polish luster.

My first thought when I received the package in the mail was that the buffers themselves were small, cute and definitely portable. I am rather lazy when it comes to taking care of my nails, so I was really excited to try out the Crazy Shine buffer. Once in a while I get the urge to polish, but for the most part I go bare nail.

I started off with using the green side of the buffer to smooth out my nails. Now my nails are quite bumpy and have a lot of damage to them. On my middle finger on my right had I have a particularly troublesome spot with a circular dent in the nail from where I almost stapled myself...yes, I am a klutz and accident prone and apparently like to attack myself with staplers, but luckily it didn't go right through the nail.

When I first used the buffer, I only did a light buffing before using the patterned side to check out the shine. I buffed and shined only my left hand so I could compare it to the right and I wish now I had taken pictures. The buffer did it's magic and my nails on my left hand looked like I was wearing clear polish. I'm not sure about the 400% shinier claim, but it definitely made my nails shiny and I was really pleased with the result for very little effort.

I found the shine does last approximately 2 days, but it is not as bright as it starts off as with repeated hand-washing and lotion, but it did last longer than I expected because I figured after washing my hands a few times the shine would go away despite the claim. Though if you notice the shine has faded, it really only takes a couple seconds with the patterned side to touch up your nails.

While the shine may not last as long as they claim, the buffer certainly has helped smooth out my troublesome nails. The bumps and ridges aren't gone, but after using it a couple times it has certainly helped lessen the appearance of them. That definitely makes this product worth it for me, because I can stick it in my purse and take a few minutes while I'm on the bus and give my nails a good touch up. The only downside of the buffer I noticed was that after a few uses the patterned side squeaks when you use it.

I would certainly recommend this product for those people who aren't too fussed about nail polish, but would love to have a quick, easy way to give their nails a little TLC and a nice glossy look. I would purchase these in the future if they were around $4 maximum for the pair.

The views in this review are my own, and I was not compensated for my review other than receiving the product to try.

You can sign up for the Chick Advisor Product Review Club as well.  Click the link and sign up for Chick Advisor and get started reviewing products you have tried then fill out their survey to sign up.  When new product testing opportunities become available they will send out an email and you will need to fill out a survey to see if you're eligible for the product.  Then they will email you if you will be receiving it.
Canadian Money Makers and Savers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://moneymakersandsavers.blogspot.ca