LK Baby’s “Heavy Duty Collapsible Trunk Organizer

If you’re like me you need to make more than a few stops to get groceries. Like, sometime 5 or 6 stops. All in different cities. And the one thing that gets Hubby’s goat more than anything are the “nickle-and-dime tactics” of markets that want you to pay for a bag. So thankfully, LK Baby offered us another car trunk organizer that has made our shopping trips a lot less frustrating.

See, we both get when a city has decided to ban plastic grocery bags. The reasoning is specious at best and the results are marginal, but hey, it’s pure profit for everyone involved (except the consumer). And charging for paper bags? When they’re made from the cardboard boxes they get their products delivered in? Give me a break! So I’m sure I’m not the only person who had things rolling around in the trunk or back seat because you’ve gotten tired of everyone having their hand in your pocket. And Starling’s is a lifesaver, because their organizer is big, spacious, sturdy and oh-so-helpful getting stuff from the truck to the house. It’s well-built and strong enough that we stuffed all our Costco purchases in it, and could easily carry everything in with no fear of dropping anything or the organizer being strained. It’s covered in water resistant nylon fabric, which means cold things sweating, or light spills, are not a problem. The bottom is unfortunately not rubberized, unlike the Starling’s version I previously tested, and the carry handles on the sides are strong and sturdy. You can customize the divider inside, or only open up half to minimize the space it takes up. I’m in love. And the dividers have done a fantastic job of keeping cold, warm, and non-food items all away from one another. There’s room in the pockets for more stuff, on all sides, and should one feel the need, you could store everything you’d need for any roadside emergency in Starling’s organizer, with room to spare. and when you’re done with it, it folds right back up, nice and flat and takes up practically no space at all.

We’ve bought cheap-o organizers for the car and truck before. They always fell apart, broke down, or weren’t made to last and got tossed. But for only $19.99, you get a rock-solid trunk organizer that holds way more than you’d think, and does more than you can imagine.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from LK Baby. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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Starling’s Heavy-Duty Trunk Organizer (With Bonus Sun Shade!)

 

If you’re like me you need to make more than a few stops to get groceries. Like, sometime 5 or 6 stops. All in different cities. And the one thing that gets Hubby’s goat more than anything are the “nickle-and-dime tactics” of markets that want you to pay for a bag. So thankfully, Starling’s offered us a car trunk organizer that has made our shopping trips a little less frustrating.

 

See, we both get when a city has decided to ban plastic grocery bags. The reasoning is specious at best and the results are marginal, but hey, it’s pure profit for everyone involved (except the consumer). And charging for paper bags? When they’re made from the cardboard boxes they get their products delivered in? Give me a break! So I’m sure I’m not the only person who had things rolling around in the trunk or back seat because you’ve gotten tired of everyone having their hand in your pocket. And Starling’s is a lifesaver, because their organizer is big, spacious, sturdy and oh-so-helpful getting stuff from the truck to the house. It’s well-built and strong enough that we stuffed all our Costco purchases in it, and could easily carry everything in with no fear of dropping anything or the organizer being strained. It’s covered in water resistant nylon fabric, which means cold things sweating, or light spills, are not a problem.The bottom is rubberized to minimize sliding around, and the carry handles on the sides are strong and sturdy. You can customize the divider inside, or only open up half to minimize the space it takes up. I’m in love. And the dividers have done a fantastic job of keeping cold, warm, and non-food items all away from one another. There’s room in the pockets for more stuff, on all sides, and should one feel the need, you could store everything you’d need for any roadside emergency in Starling’s organizer, with room to spare. and when you’re done with it, it folds right back up, nice and flat and takes up practically no space at all. Starling’s even included a sun visor for the front windshield at no extra charge.

We’ve bought cheap-o organizers for the car and truck before. They always fell apart, broke down, or weren’t made to last and got tossed. But for only $27.99, you get a rock-solid trunk organizer that holds way more than you’d think, and does more than you can imagine, and a 100% lifetime warranty? Uh, yes please! This product is a steal and when we get our new car, I know what the very first accessory we’re buying for it is: A Starling’s Trunk Organizer!

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Starling’s. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

First Secure Roadside Emergency Preparedness Kit

It’s always in the back of your mind: I hope nothing happens to me on the road today. Especially in Southern California, with it’s cornucopia of, let’s call them “challenged” drivers, you feel like you’re taking your life in your hands every time you hit the road. And while we haven’t had a major incident in over 30 years, it doesn’t mean one couldn’t happen to us. But if it does, we feel a little more secure with First Secure’s Premium Roadside Emergency Kit.

Packed to the gills with almost every conceivable thing one would need in a minor (or maybe moderate) roadside emergency, it’s 90 pieces of peace of mind all in a zip-up travel case. And while the piece count is made up of many multiples like multiple zip ties and a 48-item First Aid kit, it still has plenty of stuff you always hope you never need but feel better knowing you have them. A couple of the items are things you should immediately replace with better, stronger items, such as the gloves, headlamp and multi-tool, and the compressor is nice in a pinch but could take some serious time to fully inflate tires on anything but a mid-size vehicle. But it’s still nice to know those things are there in a pinch. And some items are absolutely indispensable and I’m ashamed I didn’t have them in the truck before I got this kit, like the roadside triangle, the tow strap, first aid kit and the bungee cords. The only item I have a major problem with is the jumper cables. While the heavy, 6-gauge braided copper wiring seem more than adequate, the flimsy plastic handles/covers tend to slide off or just plain break apart, leaving your bare hand grabbing a live wire. It’s dangerous and should be redesigned immediately. I replaced them with some other jumper cables with more secure handles on the leads. Aside from that the kit includes:

• (1) 6 Gauge 300 Amp 10 Foot Jumper Cable
• 250 PSI DC (Cigarette Lighter) Portable Air Compressor
• 11 Ft. 10,000 Pound Capacity Tow Rope
• 1 Reflective Warning Triangle
• Multi-Tool Unit with 9 Tools, including Knife and Screwdrivers
• 1 Roll Black Electrical Tape
• 2 Bungie Cords
• 20 Cable Ties
• 1 Pair of Work Gloves
• Headlamp with Batteries
• 8 Piece Tire Repair Kit

48 Piece First Aid Kit includes:

6 Povidone-Iodine Prep Pads, 6 Alcohol Pads, 2 Antiseptic Cleansing Wipes, 10 Regular Size Adhesive Bandages, 3 Cotton Sponges, 1 Bandage Triangular, 2 Rolls PBT Bandage, 1 Roll Medical Tape, 10 Cotton Swabs, 1 Pair Gloves, 1 Pair Scissors, 5 Safety Pins,plus 1 Storage Case

 

At $59.95, it’s a touch over priced, especially considering that almost half of the item count of the entire kit are in the first aid kit. I would also like to see a basic flashlight and some road flares, but as it stands it’s a pretty decent kit. There’s also something to be said about the peace of mind one gets knowing that you’re covered in a great many different types of roadside emergencies. Hard to put a price on that.

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• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from First Secure. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Gurin’s DHMD-210 Electric Compact Dehumidifier

While I’m always thankful we have our home, there are times I want to strangle the builder for the dumb, lazy ways things were done or built. Like our master bath. Code for our area is such that if there is an exterior window, there’s no need for an exhaust fan. What that means is several times a year I’m forced to wipe the walls down with bleach, and repaint a lot more often that I should. That is, until Gurin offered me their DHMD-210 Compact Dehumidifier to take for a test drive. Bless their hearts!

Using Peltier Technology (which is a fancy way of saying thermoelectric cooling, whereby heat flux is created where two different metals meet), in place of a compressor, this machine manages to be both quiet and suprememly efficient at the same time. And it is indeed whisper quiet, so much so that at times I’ve forgotten it was running. I run it during and after our showers, and in that short time, it manages to collect almost a third of it’s 16 oz. liquid capacity. Draining it is a breeze, too, by just pulling out the reservoir and draining it into the nearest houseplant (this is California, after all. Every drop of water is treated like the One Ring…precious). You could also use this Gurin Dehumidifier in laundry rooms, kitchens, and smaller rooms, too, but for a large bathroom or large room, I’d definitely move up to their Gurin DHMD-310 mid-size unit at least. The fit and finish of the unit is flawless, it’s packaged well with clear, concise instructions, and is a much more energy efficient unit than any ceiling vent would have been. This unit not only reduces mold and mildew, but circulates the air, getting rid of that damp, musty smell some rooms can get. And did I mention it’s just plain cute? Kind of looks like a Star Wars robot sitting on the shelf there.

This unit works well, looks neat, and is so useful I can’t believe I didn’t get one before now. Think of all the time and money (not to mention brain cells) I’d have saved from not having to use so much paint and bleach! Gurin did us a real solid offering us this DHMD-210, and it’s my extreme pleasure to recommend it to everyone very highly. At $44.95, it’s money well spent, and will pay for itself, at least in this house, within 6 months time. Get yours today!

Connect with Gurin Products:

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• See Gurin’s family of products here!
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• Get your own here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Gurin Products.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

AlphaShades Car Windshield Sunshade Review

 

Summer can be awesome. Fun in the sun, the pool, trips to exotic locales. But one thing that has always sucked about the summer (or. really, any time in California) is a hot, stifling car with nuclear-hot seats thanks to the sun. Everything gets hot, bleached out, and brittle. Thank heavens for AlphaShades and their car windshield sunshade. No more burned backsides, or scalding steering wheels for me!

See, the heat is pretty bad. We all know how ridiculously hot a vehicle’s cabin gets in the sun. It’s now quite easily 20 degrees cooler now with my AlphaShades Sunshade. That translates into more gas savings, as I don’t have to start the truck and then crank the A/C while it idles and make the cabin suitable for humans. It means less wear and tear on the vehicle too. But that’s just a fraction of the savings.

See, UV light destroys almost everything, eventually. Intense all day exposure makes cloth seats bleach out and prone to tears, drys and cracks natural leather, and will cause vinyl to almost fall apart. Not to mention what it does to steering wheels (Hot! Hot! Hot!), gear shift knobs, door panels…You get the idea. With AlphaShades you’re golden. And I’m not talking about the color your palms turn having to make a left out of the parking lot without a sunshade.

“But I don’t have the room in my car for this huge shade!” says you. “But it folds down to 1/10 it’s size with a couple of twists!” says I. It even comes with a little sleeve to keep it safely tucked away behind the seat, under the seat, or on the floor, and an elastic strap so it doesn’t pop open mid-drive and wreak havoc. The best part? it’s 100% satisfaction guaranteed. I’ll quote their Amazon listing here, because I couldn’t say it better: “No Questions Asked, 100% Money Back, Lifetime Guarantee”. Boom. No worries about it falling apart, tearing, or popping a seam. You’re covered. Literally and figuratively. One issue I do have is that this shade is nearly twice as expensive as competitors on Amazon, and they’re all made of the same nylon/polyester material, and of similar (if not the same) size, 59″ x 31″(approx.). So I’ll let my readers decide if the “Lifetime Guarantee” is worth the extra coin.

Connect with AlphaShades:

• Online
• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from AlphaShades.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.