Never Enough

Did I ever tell you what a sample whore I am? Thanks to my frugal upbringing, I hate to buy any new product without having the chance to try it first.

Grocery store samples? Love 'em. When I was younger, there was a grocery that had samples cooking at the end of nearly every aisle on Saturdays. I was always there to try out the new foods, deciding what I liked and didn't like before ever having to spend a dollar on a new item. As a bonus, it was a good way to get lunch, too.

And when I was in college, I loved the first week of classes, just because I knew we'd have those little boxes of samples waiting for us at the campus bookstore. Many times they were labeled "For Him" and "For Her" with products specifically geared for each gender. It usually contained some cold medicines, pain relievers, gum, snack bars, deodorant, razors, etc. During that first week of class I'd try to visit the bookstore every day, even if it was just to buy a soda or candy bar, so that I could snag another box of samples. If they were out of the ones for girls (which those usually went fast), I'd still grab one of the boxes for guys and give the aftershave to one of my male friends.

My bathroom is currently stocked with samples of all sorts of products that I have gathered over time. When I feel in the mood, I look through my basket of samples, grab a new shampoo or moisturizer to try, and mentally note if it is something I'd ever use again.

Not to mention, I love being the first to try new things, and then tell my friends about them. I've always enjoyed giving advice, and if it's something I've tried, I can always give you my full review of the product. I've never been shy telling people exactly what I think, and you can be sure I'll shout it to the world if something is awesome or it sucks.

All of this is a long-winded way of saying that soon I'll be giving you even more of my opinions on products and services, thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network. I was invited to join this group to help review products that we parents might find of interest, and I can't wait to dig into the new offerings that come my way and share my findings with all of you.

Now if I can only find out how to get myself one of those free Nintendo DS Lite systems that Kristen managed to snag...