I'm sure most of us have bought a product and been thoroughly disappointed by it. What are some ones that were pleasantly surprising instead, though? For example, I have some super cheap headphones that ended up lasting me well over a year...and are still going strong! I've spent far more than that on name brand headsets that didn't last nearly as long.
I was pleasantly surprised that the Dollar Tree and 99 Cent Only stores laundry detergent LA Awesome cleans better than an expensive name brand detergent.
I bought a laundry ball from our local street market for 3 Euro (about $4), and I was very pleased with the results. I hardly ever use detergent - just for the white sheets and towels. I've been using the same ball for around a year now, and it's still getting the clothes clean. I must have saved myself ten times that amount in detergent costs.
Generic brand products have surprised me. Some of them are actually even better than the name brands. There are some generics that are garbage but I have been surprised by most of them. I have learned over time which ones are a waste of money and which ones are treasures.
The Dollar General brand diapers. I thought for sure they would leak like crazy the first time I bought them, but they have held up just as well as pampers do. And a pack of 56 is only $9! The small packs of 18 diapers are $3.50.
I once bought this camera to record some footage at a concert. I had every intention of returning it when the show was over. When I started fooling around with it, I couldn't believe the quality of the pictures and the recording was amazing. I even had complete strangers asking me about the camera as they were looking over my shoulder. I'm glad that I still made a good choice as far as price, because I ended up keeping it and I didn't even care that I just spent some money that I had no intention of spending.
Amazon.com and online shopping in general. I know thats not really a product, but I recently just got into online shopping and I was truly shocked at how fast you get the products. Its just like shopping in store. Its really cool.
I once bought a bag of twelve practice golf balls as a cheap toy for my cats. WOW!! One of my cats just went nuts for them. Still packs them around and plays with them and it only cost me about $3. My mother's vote would definitely be for the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. She loves those things and uses them every day.
Ooo, I'm jealous! I keep meaning to try out some of those little laundry balls, but I always seem them for more money than that. Do you know what brand you have at all? To last a year like that seems extraordinary, even if you're only using it a few loads of clothes here or there.
My last favorite is Pandora ! .. It is a free streaming web radio that you can tune to your interests (thru keywords, artists, songs ..) I did spend the extra few $ to avoid the advertisement and keep listening to it ... stopped buying music so much I like it. The only drawback to nearly free, great, streaming music can be the difficulty to tune it to the mood of the moment but it is just a matter of practice !
2 things really stand out. The first is my Bodum coffee press. I had another brand that broke within the first year of using it. The glass just couldn't stand up. And, yes, I know Bodum gets good reviews, but I don't trust anything so I've been pleasantly surprised at just how fabulous it is. I've use mine at least twice a day every single day for the past 6 years - taken it camping too - and it's still in perfect condition. The other thing sounds odd, but our family's favorite peanut butter brand is the generic Safeway brand. We think it tastes the best and I love that it's pretty much the cheapest pb available.
No, sorry - I threw away the packaging when I bought it, but I can remember it had one of those 'as seen on TV' flashes on it. The secret is to dry out the ball between washes, and about once a month put it out in the sun for a few hours to recharge it. That's what I was told when I bought it, and it's obviously good advice. A friend of mine adds a little detergent to the wash as well, but I never bother, although I do treat bad stains with Vanish spray first. Look out on the street markets for a low priced ball.
I am still waiting for that moment actually. I have bought many things in the past and they often disappoint, they never live up to the hype. The only thing I buy that I am (almost) always loving...are travel tickets to visit other places. So, experiences almost always land up being awesome....very rarely things. I know the moment will moment, when I find something awesome, just not happened yet!
I once bought a purse from a street vendor that ended up saving my life several times with its awesome ability to hold EVERYTHING while still looking classy. I could literally keep a change of clothes (including shoes!) in my purse... but it didn't appear so!
The last thing I bought that I was pleasantly surprised by was Neutrogena's Visibly Bright face wash. I swear it made me look 5 years younger. It just makes my complexion look amazing. It's only $7 a bottle and works better than any other $30+ face wash I have ever used.
Theres actually several things that I purchase not expecting to be great. For example, at the dollar tree it can sometimes be hit and miss. Sometimes I'll buy something just because I'm curious. I've bought several pairs of ear buds at the dollar tree for a dollar and they work great (for me). I usually have 2 on hand in case I misplace a pair. They have several to choose from and the only ones I didn't like were a yellow pair in which one side quit working after awhile. Other things that have impressed me at the dollar tree is their cold cream, nail polishes, and I even found one conditioner that comes in a green bottle that leaves my hair detangled and soft for only one dollar.
My Osterizer blender. I'm not sure how much was the original cost was, because this was my parents'. We've had it for 20 years now and it's still working great. I also have to say that I'm pretty with E.L.F. cosmetics because their products are very cheap but they work like/better than more expensive make ups in the market.
Oooo...this sounds promising. Could you elaborate on how you feel it's made you look 5 years younger? Did you notice a brightness to your face as the name of the product suggests, fewer wrinkles, dark spots lightened, etc...? My biggest surprise, as many or you have probably read several times in the lash enhancer posts, is Careprost. For having the same ingredients as Lastisse at a fraction of the cost, I was pleasantly surprised to see how long it made my lashes. I love it so much and brag to everyone who'll listen to me about it.
Neutrogena's Refreshing Foot Balm it is for me! I've tried out a few brands, including Body Shops' peppermint foot lotion, but most of the products left my feet feeling very sticky. Neutrogena's foot balm, on the other hand, slides easily onto the skin, and gets absorbed pretty fast. I'm able to get under the sheets immediately at night as it leaves no trace of stickiness. It has also made my soles super soft. And to top it all, I picked it up for just a pound at a pound store!
