Maranda’s Favorite Things- Brand Edition

January 24, 2012

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My family’s frugal lifestyle often leads us to buy whatever brand is on sale that week for products we need. For the most part this process has worked fine for us. I know that all families are different, and sometimes buying a specific brand is necessary due to allergy issues or maybe just because of personal preference. Our family is no different.

There are brands out there that are simply better than others. Whether it be due to quality, quantity or price. We have our favorites and I wanted to share five of those with you today.

1. AmLactin: My 4 month old niece developed a dry skin issue a little over a month ago. The colder weather has only worsened the condition causing it to crack, and itch. This problem affected all of her limbs, back, neck and most of her scalp. We tried numerous products that were supposed to help with the dry skin in infants, as well as a few other lotions
that moisturize adult skin. Nothing seemed to help. We received a sample packet of AmLactin in the mail along with a $3.50 off coupon, read some information about it, and tested a small area of my niece’s leg. Immediately, the skin began to feel much smoother and moisturized!

The next day, that area was still pretty smooth and there were no adverse reactions to the use of the lotion. We used the rest of the sample packet on the other areas of her body and her skin is looking and feeling so much better! Even if you don’t have an issue of dry skin, I have found this to work wonders if you use it before washing dishes. Your hands will remain smooth even after you are done! Researching the price of a bottle, it was on the pricey side at $12 – $15 for a 7oz bottle! The coupon they had mailed with the sample helped, however even without a coupon we will still continue to purchase this product.

If interested in this product, shop drugstore.com for great deals & prices!

2. Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner: Tangled hair comes with the territory when you have a house full of kids! We love to use Dove Intensive Repair conditioner! It keeps all of our hair looking healthy and makes combing easy. My daughter has naturally curly hair, and it gets to be a tangled mess in the morning. She loves to have it flat ironed, but that can be bad for her hair causing it to appear frizzy and damaged. Dove Intensive Care is the only conditioner I have found that really helps detangle her hair after bath time and keeps her hair looking healthy! The regular price of this conditioner runs between $4 to $5, but luckily goes on sale often and coupons are also released that I can put with the sale!

3. Downy Unstopables: My sister-in-law, Megan, loves all things laundry! Generally this is an area of our household that we buy whatever brand detergent, fabric softener, or dryer sheets are at the best deal. Megan is in charge of laundry duty, and is happy to always have a load that needs to be done! Recently, various brands have released in-wash scent enhancers or boosters. She was more than thrilled to give them all a try! She discovered that though this product isn’t really a neccessary step in a laundry cycle, these scent enhancers are really great to use and she absolutely loves and prefers Downy Unstopables over all the others. The scent is more pleasant, not overpowering yet strong enough to last a while, even after clothing has been put away for days. We all love to have clean smelling clothes, and Downy Unstopables really does its job! Another great use we have found is to throw Downy Unstopables in when we wash all our curtains! The clean curtains bring out a lingering fresh scent through the house, especially when the sun shines through!
Shop Drugstores.com and you can get a $1 off Downy Unstopables coupon (offer expires 1/28/12)

4. Febreze Noticeables Scented Oil Plug-Ins: Speaking of freshness throughout the house, this next product is amazing at just that! From the time I began couponing, air fresheners have been one of those items I have always been able to score a great deal on. You can find coupons for just about every air freshener brand you can think of, and the manufacturers put those coupons out frequently. With that said, I have literally tried them all! The product that stands out the most is the Febreze Noticeables Scented Oil Plug-Ins. I really love this brand because the scent seems to last longer, and actually be “noticeable”! We are especially fond of the Gain line of Febreze Fragrances. It delivers a strong, clean and fresh scent. Another plus, is that Febreze is a P&G Brand, which means high dollar coupons come around on these products as well as some great promotions and sales.

5. Purina Pro Plan Dog Food: One of the members of our family is a wonderful 2 year old Doberman named Trojan. His favorite activity? Eating! Unfortunately, Trojan has a sensitive stomach, and many pet foods make him sick. We used to have him on a diet of special foods that had to be purchased at Pet stores or Feed Stores. This was a huge chunk of our household budget each month, especially since coupons for this type of food is rare. In an effort to reduce the bill, we studied various brands, and found Purina Pro Plan Sensitve Skin and Stomach Formula. Trojan did very well with this brand! We love that it costs less than the other pet diet we were feeding him, and that Purina releases some
high dollar coupons. Recently, there was a $5 off coupon for the Pro Plan food!

If you may be interested in trying out this pet food, check out the PetSmart coupon I just came across for $3 off your purchase of $10 or more when using coupon code BDAY1CAT12. Offer expires 1/29/12.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that you find these products to be of great use to your family as well! Sometimes switching to other products can not only help you find a product you love, it may also help you save money!

(Please note: If you’re currently using a specific brand due to allergy issues, you may want to consult with your physician or vet before trying a new product.)