Thursdays Product Review Discussion!
I’m enjoying reading the comments on my previous post about the free Velveeta Shells & Cheese cups at Walgreens and well, that got me thinkin’… why not have a little product review discussion. I love hearing feedback and reviews on different foods, personal care items and more. It’s especially nice to hear different opinions before going out and buying the product.
If you all are interested, I think I’m going to start a once a week discussion on Thursdays. Every week I will ask a new question that has to do with various products on the market! I think this will be really fun and I can’t wait to hear what everyone has to say.
Today’s question is:
What product have you tried recently because of a coupon or sale and really enjoyed?
I’ll go first, I absolutely LOVE the new Raisin Bran Crunch cereal. I snagged a really great deal at Target previously and stocked up! This cereal is so yummy! It’s crunchy, not too sweet and so good with a spoonful of milk. I eat this cereal a couple times a week and never get sick of it.
I also have made Raisin Bran Crunch Muffins using this recipe here and let me just say YUM! The best muffins I’ve ever tasted. I did substitute 1/2 whole wheat flour for the white. Other then that, though, I kept the recipe the same. They turned out super tasty and I owe it all to the wonderful box of Raisin Bran Crunch cereal!:)
Now your turn…
Good idea, i love hearing comments too! I know its not food, but last month for one of the rite aid rebate deals (lost my receipt though, didnt get the rebate), I tried the dove clinical deoderant. I had been having trouble with reg deoderants since i had my two children in the past two years and so i thought i would try it. First off it feels and smells greast (cucumber one) and secondly it works amazingly!! I am totally hooked. I usually never pay for deoderant but i would totally pay a couple bucks for this stuff! I have found it with great sales along with the 2.00 coupon!
Hey Collin,
I believe we have this cereal, but haven’t gotten to it yet…I try to use stuff in date order.
I recently tried Alexia Onion Strips because I had the $1.00 coupon…they were on sale for $2.00, so OOP was $1.00…I can’t believe that these are actually real Spanish onions. We also bought the waffle fries (ranch flavor)…these we found to be too salty.
I think this is a good idea for a new post…this way we can get honest opinions about a product before we try it.
Thanks.
I really like the premium Huggies wipes (not enough to pay full price though!). Also, the Huggies wipe boxes work really well!
Softsoap Scrub body wash (coconut and apricot). I bought these a few months ago when on sale at WAGs. Prior to this, I’d only used bar soap because I thought the body wash was too expensive. We’re also pretty much a scent-free home due to allergies. For some reason this soap doesn’t leave a noticeable scent on your skin. My husband loves the Softsoap body scrubs and asks for it exclusively (prefers coconut because it has more scrubbies in it) — we definitely would buy this even without a coupon.
I hosted the Dominoes pizza party from house party and now we use them all the time, the pizza is great but we always snubbed it before
Post trail mix cereal! I absolutely love it, but have to wait for a sale. 4.89 for a tiny box of cereal-uh no. the best part is the kiddos don’t like it so i don’t have to share!
I love this idea!
About a month ago I got a bottle of Oxi Clean Spray-a-way instant stain remover (the little purse size bottle) free after MIR. I love it! I am so clumsy and am always spilling on myself and it gets out everything. One day I got cherry stains on my khaki shorts – it got it out (it did take a few applications). Cherry Stains! On Sunday, I noticed my son had some green marker on his tie…I whipped out the bottle and one spray took care of it (they were washable markers). I seriously love this product. I’ve found it works better than Tide-to-go.
I LOVE this cereal. It is so much better than rasin bran regular. IT just tastes so much better.
I recently tried the true north nut clusters. I would never pay the full amount, but with a coupon I tried them. They were absolutley amazing. There are not a whole lot in the bags, but with coupons they are well worth it.
Love this idea! Was wondering about that spray Oxy-Clean. Have Tide pens EVERYWHERE—feel safe trying Oxy now. Thanks, Amber.
Well, it wasn’t that recent, I think it was last year sometime, we got JUST BUNCHES free after coupons. (made by POST!)
My family fell in LOVE with them! YUM! It was a special treat though b/c the calorie content was HIGH in my opinion. It is definitely my fave cereal now, but again, only as a special treat b/c I love it so much I end up eating 2 bowls!
I actually liked those Eggo Bakeshop muffin tops we got for the Kellog’s rebate moneymaker (chocolate chip flavor). I know some people said they hated them, but I found them to be much better than regular Eggos. I had a pack of those sitting in my freezer for literally years because no one wanted to eat them. But now I’m down to the last box of muffin tops; they go down pretty well with the free chocolate milk:)
I loved the Morningstar Farms garden veggie patties. I’m a vegetarian, so I’m always looking for good veggie products. They are much better than Gardenburger and original vegan Bocas I usually buy at Costco. I crumbled them up and used them with some Zatarain dirty rice mix – delicious!
I also really liked Smart Ones in pasta primavera, and Healthy Choice sweet Asian potstickers. I used to love the Ling Ling chicken and vegetable ones, so I switched to their veggie ones when I gave up meat. But they just didn’t do it for me. The Healthy Choice ones hit the spot, though.
I LOVE the new Alexia chips. I like the BBQ Flavor and the Onion Strips. I could eat a whole bag at one time!
A while back when Target had all the free Granola bites, I bought some (or Target bought them for me and I took them home:) and tried them and got addicted! I would have NEVER thought to buy those otherwise, but since they were free I thought I’d try them. Everyone in my house loved them but just can’t bring myself to pay full price for them now.
I also love the Kellogg’s fruit and yogurt cereal that I bought from a sale. I love the yogurt clusters and probably would have never tried this cereal had there not been a sale. That’s what I love about couponing now is I’m getting to try all sorts of new and name-brand things I wouldn’t have bought before (I used to buy the cheapest store-brand stuff because I thought I was saving money that way). The only problem with trying all sorts of new yummy on-sale foods is that I seem to be seeing the results on my hips a little bit more than before, but hey…it’s gonna be OK!
Anon, I loved the True North clusters too! I’m ashamed to admit it, but I chowed them down in a day. My husband hates nuts, so I didn’t have to share. I tried the almond clusters. Very sweet and crunchy; not for people with braces though!
I used to buy their pistachio crisps from Costco; those are pretty good too.
Ronzoni Bistro meals-had a coupon about a month ago, bought it for less than a dollar at Walmart, and all I have to say is YUCK!! HATED it!! I’m not a picky eater, but this tasted like honest to goodness dogfood (got the chicken with broccoli alfredo). I wouldn’t eat this again if someone was GIVING them away.
I really liked my sample of Sunbutter. It is so easy to spread, it does not tear your bread like peanutbutter. It does not have as strong of a flavor as peanut butter and does not stick to the roof of your mouth. Only problem – not sold in my area 🙁
I enjoyd the Alexia Onion Strips too. I used them on top of my roast in slow cooker and then strained the liquid for gravy.
Delicious
I tried the smartfood popcorn from Target (I think I tried all the flavors. Even flavors I didn’t think I would like were sooooo yummy.) We couldn’t stop eating them. This is the best thing about couponing – is trying new stuff. However, I would never pay full price for them now 🙁
I LOVE LOVE LOVE zero calorie SoBe Lifewater. I think it might even be worth paying for!
The Vinegar and Sea Salt Pop Chips I got on sale at Target were awesome! They pack a HUGE punch of flavor in such a small chip.
I did not care for the Alexia chips (too hard), but I got the Waffle fry chips not the onion strips.
Blue Bunny Aspen Frozen Yogurt Bars-Raspberry Vanilla. I got a $2 checkout coupon plus $1 in uPromise savings. They’re a nice treat that tastes truly fruity with a tiny hint of cinnamon in the granola topping.
More coupons print out whenever I buy a box of bars, so I plan to buy a box every month to score more uPromise savings.
I agree about the Ronzoni Bistro meals, the ones I got were not good at all! Glad they were close to free when I got them.
I like the Alexia Onion Strips, but all of the waffle fries I found to be too hard and not flavorful enough for me.
I really like the Dry Idea unscented roll on deodorant (which is good because I got about 10 for free)! Hardly any deodorant works for me (at least after the first few days of trying it, my body gets used to it and it stops working or something), but I usually put this on and then put a little of a scented deodorant on over it so I get a good smell 🙂 I have found that the Suave Shower fresh scent works pretty well for me.
I tried the skintimate Cream Shave and found that if I did not use enough water with it, it didn’t work very well or it would get stuck in my razors. Once I put it on my legs, I splash a little water over it and rub it in and it works pretty well.
~Jen
This is a really good idea! I always love to hear what others have to say before I buy something! I recently tried the Post cereal Trail Mix with cranberries and almonds. There was a coupon for 2.50 off I believe last month and I ended up getting it for .50 at Giant food stores. We stocked up on these and it is my new favorite! I actually like it better than the Kashi cereals I usually buy. I hope another coupon comes out soon!
I tried both the Smart Ones and the Marie Callenders Pasta Al Dente because they were so cheap with coupons ($1.00 or less each!) I usually hate box meals, but these are both really good – especially the Smart Ones lasagna and the Marie’s italian sausage or tortelloni. Very easy to grab to take to lunch and very flavorful. I don’t end up still feeling hungry after eating them.
Im loving all these comments!
I forgot about the Alexia waffle chips. I LOVED them. (ate 1/2 a bag at one sitting…bad!!) LOL!
My kids liked the Cakesters, but I didn’t care for them at all.
I often wonder how anyone could pay $3.50 or more for a box of Cakesters though, lol. I got them b/c they were FREE!
I also love the Post Trail Mix Cereal – I stocked up on it when CVS had a great sale with ECB and Post had awesome coupons. My other new favorite thing is the Quaker Fiber and Omega 3 chewy granola bars. They are SOOOOOO good – and have 9 grams of fiber. They don’t taste at all like some other “fiber” foods. I will buy them even without a coupon at this point.
THIS WILL NOT WORK…THE WALGREENS B2S COUPONS ARE MFG COUPONS REDEEMABLE ONLY AT WALGREENS, SO YOU CAN USE 2 BOGO BUT NOT THE 1/4 COUPON. STILL .25 EACH IS NOT BAD!
I tried the Hormel complete meals, my family loved them. Got them for $.50 each a while back with Kmart doublers. Never would have thought a dry box chicken dinner would have tasted just like homecooked. Kids love them, they can microwave them before practice and I feel like they are getting a good meal on the go. I would not have bought them without a coupon, but now that I have tried them I will keep my eyes open for a sale and get more to have on hand.
I agree about the Ronzoni Bistro. I also tried the chicken broccoli alfredo. The coloring of the alfredo looked so not natural, like paint or something and it tasted even worse than it looked.
I’m addicted to AMP since getting the good Kroger deal on it for 29 cents a can. I’ve also fallen in love with the Soft Pretzel Pretzelfuls that are filled with spicy cheese. I’m not usually one for cheese filled stuff. It’s usually gross. But I got the pretzels for 40 cents a box, and they are delicious. I can’t wait for another sale!
I never would have bought the Kashi TLC granola or cereal bars had I not gotten coupons for them, simply because they’re so much more expensive than other granola bars.
But after trying them, I’ve been buying them consistently- whenever I can get a least a little bit of a deal on them- whether with coupons, sales, or both. They are SO GOOD, they are my husband’s favorite kind of granola bar now, and I love the cereal bars for my daughter’s breakfast- she used to eat Nutri-Grain bars, but I like that the TLC bars are so much healthier, I don’t feel bad giving her one in the morning. I also really liked the new smartfood cluster things- YUM!
Jen- I totally agree with the Skintimate Cream Shave Gel! I hated it! I used it once, and it got my razor clogged, made my skin feel slimy, and didn’t foam up the way most shaving creams/ gels do. It’s still sitting in my shower because I can’t donate it, since I used it, and I won’t use it again. *sigh*
Thanks again for all you do Collin! I love your site 🙂
I’m new to couponing. My hubby has been addicted to the Fiber One bars ever since the recent coupons. I have also switched some new brands for products I’ve used for years … I just never thought to try something different. (Dove deodorant, Ragu sauce, and Kashi.)
I tried the Nature Valley Nut Clusters because of a coupon. I would have never bought them because the bag seems so small and the price too high.
I really liked the almond one. They are especially good for traveling since they aren’t messy.
Albertsons had them on sale a week or so ago when they had a double coupon offer. I was able to get two bags for 50 cents each. I printed more coupons, but the sale is off so I’m waiting to stock up.
I had a similar reaction to the Cakesters. The ‘Nilla ones actually tasted sweeter than pure sugar (to me)! But, kinda off in flavor…tastes nothing like a ‘nilla wafer, or anything remotely vanilla. The Oreo ones weren’t as sweet but didn’t really taste like chocolate. My husband and two teen boys loved them — to the tune of 2 boxes in 3 days.
Ditto on the ronzini shelf-stable pasta mess. It is definitely on the list of “food” that we won’t eat even if free. I don’t remember the flavor we ate…just that it was gray in color. I can’t think of any natural foods that are gray….
I totally agree with almost everything already said! I LOVE the Alexia chips, hated the Ronzoni Bistro, LOVED the Marie Calendars Pasta Al Dente meals (especially the tortellini), and I’m a big fan of Kashi cereal and cereal bars now. I never really tried Kashi before, just because it was so expensive, but they are SO healthy and yummy! I totally feel fine giving my kids cereal bars in the morning. Thanks for this post!
I, too love this idea of commenting! Some of my fave discoveries were the Kashi Go Lean Crunch! cereal and the TLC cherry granola bars. Also love the Fiber one chocolate mocha bars. I don’t keep a lot of snacks, but it has been nice to have healthier things like this along with yogurt to get me through the day and I can eat less at mealtime. Other faves — Skintimate( I didn’t like the cream one as well, either), EZ Mac, Alexia onion strips/waffle fries, 100 calorie Nabisco packs, Chex Mix, Yo-Plus, Activia and Fiber One yogurts, Quaker true delights bars and granola bites, Sunny D Smoothies and so much more. I would have never bought them full price for sure. Oh, and since we had our House Party, we have used Dominos as well. Love the American Legends pizzas!
I LOVED the new Marie Callendar’s frozen dinners. I got them for .50 at Albertsons and was pleasantly surprised. It was a great lunch to take to work. As far as the Raisin Bran Extra goes, I liked it ok. I’m not big on yogurt clusters though, so I pick them out before I pour my milk. Haha.
I love the Cinabon Bars from Kelloggs. Got them free and used them for Fuel for School Rebate. They are not healthy, but only a small indulgence at about 4 grams fo fat and 140 cals. They fix my sweet tooth, but I don’t let the kids have them!
Riceworks salsa fresca chips are awesome! They are made of toasted brown rice, and you can actually taste the chip underneath the seasoning. And it’s gluten free.
SmartOnes Santa Fe Rice and Beans are fantastic, too. My husband isn’t a huge fan of diet dinners other than Lean Cuisine, but we both love this one.
One other thing to comment on that I have just tried and LOVE, is the Lumene line of skin care products at CVS. I have always been a snob when it comes to eye creams as I am obsessed with the new lines I am finding around my eyes. I always figured an expensive cream must be what works. Well I recently purchased the Lumene Time Freeze Instant Lift eye cream and am in love! I had a bunch of ECB’s and coupons so I figured I would try it and it really works. The Lumene Time Freeze line does say it is suggested for age 40+ (I am 36) and I have faint lines. This cream makes a HUGE difference.
Cheerios MultiGrain Cereal is really good. I would never have bought it without coupons.
Total Whole Grain is also good.
I never bought either one of these before because I thought you would need to add sugar to it to make it taste good. I was pleasantly surprised.
I do keep reading people saying they can’t bring themselves to pay full price for the items they liked though. But really how many of us do now that we know about coupons!!! I will pick these cereals up again when good coupons and sales come along.
We tried the Tyson grilled creations (Steak fajitas) simply b/c of the rebate and 1/1 q.
Hooked…addicted…jumping for joy…
It’s gonna be a staple now.
I tried the Electrosol dishwasher tablets bc they were free with a coupon. NEVER going back to Cascade again! This product worked beyond my expectations and got tough dried on food off! I’m hooked.
Gotta add one more:
Love, LOVE the Fiber One chocolate bars that I got for free. I was afraid they would taste like cardboard but they’re not dry at all and have a great chocolate taste.
Oh, and on the Alexia chips. We tried two flavors, I think cheddar and the other was ranch? Very good but I’m amazed that they would think someone would pay $2.50 for a bag of chips that is the same amount of chips as what you would get out of a vending machine!
By using coupons, I found out that Colgate Total toothpaste rocks. I never thought that I would become so fond of a toothpaste, but it makes my teeth feel clean all day long.
I really like the Bertolli Skillet meals. They taste like I made them fresh. I especially like the spinach chicken bow ties(forgot the actual name).
Also, Wags had a deal on Kerasal foot lotion/ointment a couple months back. I have very rough feet (because I rarely wear shoes) and this works great.
We didn’t like Velveeta Mac’n’Cheese in the box or cups. Found out Pecan Sandies are subtle but good and Keebler’s Fudge Stripe cookies are not what they used to be.
Melanie
I recently got boxes of Fiber One Toaster Pastries because they were only like .10 each or so. I am so addicted to these now!
I bought the FiberOne cereal bars during the Albertson’s deals (wouldn’t have bought them otherwise), and my hubby and I love them!
With a drugstore deal and coupons, I snagged the Raisin Bran Crunch cereal as well for real cheap. I too was pleasantly surprised by the new yummy flavor. It’s not a taste that I will quickly get tired of before the bottom of the box.
Who knew my hobby would ever be couponing!?!? I’m amazed every week by what I can now fill my cabinets with while still on a minimal budget!
Nieva Orange Bloosom Body Wash that was a WAGS deal a few months ago. I wish I’d gone over board on that deal because I love the scent! Makes me smile in shower no matter what mood I’m in.