Try them out, then come back here and leave your impressions in a comment. Curious what you girls think!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

This offer also applies to Macys.com, where you can have your ($99+) order shipped for free. Enjoy, and remember me while you’re writing out your list of who to buy for!

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– Jeremy Hobbs

Now, you can create these experiences in your own home! For a few years now, I’ve had the fantasy of owning my very own soda fountain. That idea is completely impractical; the initial cost would be enormous, and it would take years to recoup your investment. Not to mention space constraints, upkeep costs, and the learning curve involved with a piece of machinery like that. Sodastream drink maker eliminates all of those problems, and offers a line of ‘mini fountains’ at affordable prices.

No larger than a large coffee maker, the Sodastream will make sparkling beverages for you one liter at a time. The kit arrives with the ‘chassis’ that holds everything together, two one-liter extra-strength reusable PET plastic bottles, a gas canister, and some syrup (amount/type depends on what you order). Set up was fairly easy, but I do recommend browsing the instructions before trying to put things together.

After everything is assembled, the Sodastream operates at the push of a button; just screw on the bottle of (cold!) water, and you’re good to go. The instructions say to give the button 3 presses for ‘average’ fizz, but I wasn’t satisfied with anything less than 4 ‘shots.’ Add the syrup slowly, cap it, and give the bottle a very gentle shake, and then you can start sipping!

The syrup I’ve sampled thus far I’ve enjoyed. Calorie wise, even the ‘regular’ versions have around half the sugar as the major brands, and the flavor doesn’t suffer for it. Too much. The ‘cola’ had a bit of a ‘store brand’ thing going on, but it was still more than drinkable. There is a large variety of flavors, sweetened and diet, as well as an energy drink blend, and a line of extracts that help you create flavored sparkling-water.

One idea that the folks at Sodastream seem to be pushing is Earth friendliness. The idea is sound; by using this machine along with the reusable bottles, you’re going to help eliminate excess waste, thus helping the environment. Noble, noble indeed!

Packages start at $79.99, and I think it’s useful enough that you’ll at least get your money back out of it. The Sodastream is a bit of a novelty, and I’m certainly not going to give up the name brands for good, but I love having it around. Recommended if you’re a soda enthusiast such as myself!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

The site offers a wide range of baby products, mostly for little girls, but there are a few boy’s products sprinkled in too. Amazing designs as well; very cool looking stuff. Something to fit almost any style! For my more picky readers, they handle custom orders, so your items can be personalized to your needs and specifications.

The prices really shocked me; you’ll be getting great deals on nearly everything you purchase. Right now, MarieLynn Boutique is having a sale on diaper bags, and they were already affordable. Plus, as a reader of The Consumer’s Corner, you’re entitled to an extra 10% discount (for the whole store); just use the code PWS*10 when prompted! How cool is that?

I’ll go out on a limb and say that the products are top notch; the site has a return policy (that is quite fair), but boasts that noone has ever returned a product. So if you’re interested in making your youngin’ the most fashionable kid for miles around, give MarieLynn Boutique a look. Remember, the trick to making a better world for your kids is to make better kids for your world!

Diaper Bags

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–Jeremy Hobbs

Niki’s Sensations is a store that predominantly features affordable jewelry. That’s what I was looking for when I found it, anyway. Niki’s carries a wide selection of rings, pendants, watches, body jewelry, etc, all for what I consider very reasonable prices, including shipping. There are even a few things that don’t seem like they’d belong in a ‘jewelry’ store; knives, designer lunch boxes, and purses. Sales & clearance section is available for those of us really trying to penny pinch.

Communication with the store operators was top notch, I had to have several questions answered before I felt safe placing my order, and Niki (at least I assume it was Niki) was eager to help me, and very friendly. Niki’s Sensations offers multiple item invoices, so if you order more than one item at a time, you wont get hammered by shipping costs. That process was painless, just sit back and wait for the email!

8,709 feedback opinions have been left as of this writing, with a staggering 99.9% of them being positive. Upon seeing those figures, I felt comfortable buying from the store, and after doing business with Niki’s Sensations, I feel equally comfortable recommending them to you! Shop around! (I like the stainless steel rings the most )

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–Jeremy Hobbs

I apparently have some irregular shaped ears that make ‘iPod’ style ear buds ridiculously uncomfortable. It usually only takes about ten minutes (give or take), and my ears are screaming for some relief. As a matter of fact, I had to buy a set of buds just to review the Lobies. Every other set I have ever owned have either been given away or are R.I.P.ing it up in my county dump.

Lobies have changed that for me, and God bless them for it. They did not degrade the sound quality at all, they kept that hard plastic off my (overly?) sensitive ears, and the material they’re made out of is just ‘grippy’ enough that I’m not constantly having to adjust them. Lobies are pillow soft as well, I simply cannot overstate how comfortable they are. Lobies also (purposely) allow sound from your immediate surroundings to be heard, making these safer for outdoor use. I have nearly ran out in front of cars due to wearing noise isolating canal phones, so I can personally attest that this is an incredibly important feature. Though a bit less important, but no less convenient feature, they make excellent cord wraps as well so your wires don’t get all tangled up. ‘Yay!’ for that.

You can buy your Lobies in multible color choices (no black? huh?), including a cool multi-pack. Price will run you around $12 per set, and I’ll testify that they are well worth it. If you remember, I gave a positive review to AirDrives, and I hold Lobies in just as high of regard. Lower tech? Yeah. But also a much lower price, with no noticeable drop in performance (depending on your ear buds, or course). Excellent value for consumers; thumbs way up!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

lobies, ipod, ear phone, ear buds, ear safety

(Update: My bad, there is a black set.)

One thing I’ll do from time to time is review eBay retailers if they specialize is a particular niche. I have found lots of great stores, but only stumbled up on them by chance. A lot of these stores are really great, offer great products, and I think it’s only fair they get a bit of exposure. I don’t get anything out of the deal, but that’s not the point; this blog will be a place that you can rely on to get the best bang for your buck. eBay can be one of the best sources available to you if you’re looking to save some coin.

Incense have forever been a favorite of mine. I have childhood memories of riding out to flea markets on Saturday mornings, and smelling them burning all over the place. It was almost intoxicating. You readers that were a part of the 70′s/hippie generation probably remember them even more fondly as a memento of your youth.

Until recently I was not aware that there could be a really big difference in quality between products; it was my  ignorant thinking that incense was incense, and the cheaper you could buy it for, the better off you were. Not true. Differences in storage, materials, and especially freshness make a huge difference. So how can you tell the good stuff from the bad?

First, take a look at the color. Incense should be plain ol’ brown, and made from as many all natural materials as possible. If you’ve been buying rainbow colored sticks or cones somewhere, I’d start looking for another supplier immediately. Even if the colors do not affect the scent adversely, do you really want to be breathing in chemical dyes?

A truly fresh pack of incense will almost be damp from the oil used to scent the ‘punk’ (the technical name for the stick). Incense will still burn after they’ve dried up, but you’ll most likely just be smelling burning wood. A good way to check the freshness of a given stick is if the ‘powdery’ part of the stick easily flakes off; if it does you’re holding a stale, worthless product.

Around 3 years ago, I turned away from the flea markets for my incent supply, and started shopping online. Flea markets (and a lot of brick and mortar stores) are just the middle man in most cases. One of the best ‘stores’ I’ve found on the net, and the one I currently use, is an eBay user ThatSmellsSoGood. The product they offer is of the best quality I’ve ever had the pleasure of using, and I’d like to give other incense fans the chance to try them. The scent options are really breath taking (I didn’t bother counting, but it appears to be around 600), service is great, and shipping is more than reasonable.

I recommend them if you’re a fan and go through a lot of sticks (it’s mostly a wholesale store), or you’re looking for an easy business to get into. You could break down the 100 packs into 50′s or 10′s and make a little extra cash. Incense and a cool burner will make a unique gift option as well. Regardless, ThatSmellsSoGood is the best provider I’ve found; in both quality and value. Enjoy!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

incent, incense, ebay, home, fragrance

Dee at Blogozine had a nice, clean, Web 2.0ish header on her blog, and I asked her where she had gotten it from. Turns out, it was her own computer. She made it herself, and does amazing work. She was kind enough to help me out (for free), and then we just started chatting about it. We decided that for small, just-starting-out bloggers (or websites in general), there has to be a sizable market for simple, uncomplicated, but great looking headers. Better yet, headers that someone on a very limited budget would actually be able to afford.

She settled on five bucks as a starting off price point, which is way more than fair. Had she not given me mine for free, I’d have gladly handed over a five spot for mine, and thought I had stolen it. Should you have a site or theme that needs a more complicated piece that requires more time and work, the price may go up a bit for you a bit, but I know Dee and she is not the type that is going to rip anyone off.

On the website, she’s laid out a some examples of of her work, but everything she offers is customizable. Dee’s friendly and very easy to talk to, very willing to work with you, up to her technical limitations; it’s a trade that she is still learning. I know she was able to give me exactly what I was wanting, and I’m sure she’ll be able to help you out as well.

Payments are accepted through PayPal, and you will not be required to pay one penny until you are completely satisfied with your project. Check out the site if your blog/website needs a graphical upgrade, and you don’t have an arm and a leg to pay for it. You’ll be happy, I’m sure! The next time this blog gets upgraded, it will be her design at the top.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

blogs, headers, graphics, graphic design