**REVIEW** Mesh Laundry Bags Set of 6

I just got this set of mesh  laundry bags by Poliyu to review and I already like them quite a bit

The zippers are made to stay closed and to last

The mesh is stronger and not as prone to ripping or wearing down as a lot of laundry bags.

Now, I've used laundry bags before to separate and protect certain items when I wash. Mostly, I like not having the hooks on my bras tear into or snag other clothes. Also, it's really nice to be able to keep all my socks together since I otherwise lose about 3 socks per a load of wash... But I've found other uses for my laundry bags:

• Separating items when packing luggage,
• Tucking dirty items away from clean ones when traveling or packing, and
• Sorting and separating clothing items in bedroom drawers.

This may sound odd, but I actually separate my laundry items when putting them in the hamper. That way I'm good to go when I don't want to do all my laundry but need to do bras and socks or bedding items. I think what I like most about this set is that there are various shapes and sizes. You can get creative with which items you put into which bags. I'll use the bra one sometimes for socks and tights:

This one is going to be good for when I do bed linens. I can separate my pillowcases and shams from the large sheets and duvet covers. Nice.

Keep in mind that you can use these in both the washer and the dryer.

The price is dang good. I've seen similar or higher prices for fewer bags in sets. Here is what you get in this set for a price that is currently less than $12:

• 19.5" x 23.5" - will fit a jacket/coat or sheets
• 15.7" x 19.5" - for sweater, blouse, pants
• 11.8" x 16.7" - t-shirts, lingerie, scarves
• 11.8" x 16.7" - delicates/silks (same size as above, but different mesh style)
• 6" x 7" - can fit 2 bras (I fit 4 non-padded bras)
• 8" x 8" - undies and socks

So if you haven't tried using laundry bags or are looking for quality ones at a good price, this is the

set. Once again, this is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077MDPHQH

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the goods in this post in exchange for giving my fair and honest opinion.

**REVIEW** Dot & Dot Packing Cubes

In all the moving I've been doing lately, I find myself living more out of my suitcases than I like. I'm an organizer by nature, so I've been struggling to keep things in order until I have lot of storage space to work with. (Of course, the more storage space I have, the more stuff I buy to store. #AmItheOnlyOne)

Since I have been traveling as if I actually have lots of money (but don't), when I saw these Dot and Dot Slim Tube Packing Cubes on Tomoson, I literally jumped at the chance to review them. Jumped because I have storage problems and because I'm forced to live so frugally that I first judge things based on use and affordability. (Well, okay - looks also matter. No use having something you can use and afford if you don't want it seen by nosy people.)

thought they were stackable

not stackable but cute

These run in the neighborhood of about $7.50 each, I jumped so fast at my keyboard that I almost spilled hot coffee on my laptop. Thankfully, my laptop is safe, so here is my review:

The first thing I noticed when I looked at the online photos was that the cubes looked stack-able. I thought that, even though they arrived separated as 4 individual bags, that they might interlock in some way. They don't. They are separate bags (or "cubes") with sturdy zippers and nice little fabric tote handles.

Here they are, empty and right out of the package,

empty & roomier than it looks

view from the top

the handle is stitched on tight

nice mesh to see what's inside

I like that the cubes are made of fabric (and pretty good fabric at that) because plastic would not have been as flexible when I want to squeeze in just one more thing. The cube that I stuffed, just to see if the fabric or seams would give way, held up to the challenge. Nice.

Part of the cube is netted so it's easy to tell what's stored without having to dump out the contents. Unlike another storage bag I've used, these have really good zipper pulls (and are attached with thin cords) that don't threaten to slip off. Just because some of the things I store in my luggage can leak (makeup, lotions, etc.), I often use plastic baggies. The problem with that is that the baggies eventually break down from  - usually at the closure. The only thing I would like more about these cubes is if they were waterproof. In the meantime, I am still loving them. I keep my baggied items inside these just because its nice to have something so uniform and attractive.

and the zipper pulls that won't pull off

There are really no "Cons" I can point out about these storage bags. I wish I had gotten to try the waterproof storage too. For now, I use the ones I have to organize what's in my luggage. When I'm more settled, I know that I will like using them to organize things in my bathroom pantry and drawers.

Once I used up this first set of packing cubes, other uses for them occurred to me:

• To use as what frequent travelers call "go bags" to keep makeup, undies and other personals at the ready for short trips away from home. ("Go bags". Doesn't that sound all "Criminal Minds" of me?)
• As storage for the various things we keep in our cars. Even when I am in a place of my own, I tend to use my car as a second residence, keeping spare everything in the back seat. This is Alaska. It's always good to be prepared. 
• For storing documents (such as passports, bankbooks, etc.)  that you don't want to leave in obvious and open places. These bags can be hung from a hanger in the closet between clothes.
• For traveling with kids. You can get everyone their own color to identify their items when packed in one suitcase or while staying away from home. Matter of fact, you can use this strategy to identify family member items around the house for toys, bath items, etc.

The storage options come in different sizes of cubes, folders and other organizers.

my tag shows the sizes and the waterproof bags I want

The particular cube set I have comes in 10 different colors. I think I want to go for the red and the black sets. You can get more information and purchase the bags here. Check out Dot & Dot Travel here for their other organizing solutions. I think parents will be interested in the stroller items that I thought would even be handy for bikers and such. Just an idea.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

When Life Hacks Get it Twisted

I love those "Life Hacks," but, sometimes, the best thing I get from them is a good laugh. Some things (in my life anyway) are just un-hackable. Maybe certain areas of my life are just not to be tamed. Here are a few hacks that I've run across that don't work so well for me:

Hack: Beating your phone addiction. My Life: Too late. I need a serious intervention.

I'm advised that instead of checking my phone first thing in the morning, I should spend my time "organizing my thoughts." Yeah. Okay. That would be great - if I didn't need my phone to wake up in the first place. I not only use my phone as a morning alarm, I sometimes use it as a noise machine for getting to sleep in the first place. (I love my phone so much that, if it had warm toes, I'd snuggle with it.) Once I do get up and think I might be able to function, I need my phone to outline my day. I even use this app (sometimes) so that I have something talking to me. (My phone is the only thing that wants to have a conversation with me before I've had coffee.) A few more years of becoming any more dependent on our phones, I imagine some of us will forget to breathe without Siri or her boyfriend reminding us. (By the way, is it sad that I've been thinking of naming my phone? Some days, I think of her as "Lou." Some days, I just call her "unresponsive bitch.")

Hack: Having "organizing stations" around our home. My Life: If I was that organized, I wouldn't need this.

This hack made me actually stop reading to roll my eyes. First off, there are 11 of these suggested stations. Eleven! Come on now. With my illness, I have the attention span of a toddler. I read the first one and started skimming the rest. Here are the listed stations: Mail/Correspondence, Wardrobe, Fix-it, Cleaning House, Gift Wrap, Charging, Bag Drop, Child's School, Recycling, Car Travel, Health/Wellness.

Well, damn. I had to rest after just going through the list. Talk about needing a Health/Wellness station... Actually, I have every one of those so-called "stations." They just aren't exactly organized. I even have a Child's School station (and no kids). That's for all the coloring books and pieces of crafts I collected when I was recuperating and learning to talk again in complete sentences. Some of the stations are just crazy. (A sister-in-law of mine did once have a Gift Wrap room, but she had a 20,000 square foot house. I guess she needed to do something with a good hunk of it to keep me from moving in.) I didn't even check to see what a Bag Drop station is. Unless it's where I keep my big Bed, Bath & Beyond bag of Walmart and Target bags... ~shrug~ What the hell ever.

Hack: Motivation to show up at work. My Life: I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.

Right now, there are days I dream of getting back to work. This whole idle lifestyle is the pits when you are too broke to turn idle time into fun. When I was working, I had all the motivation I needed: house note, car payment, $200 a month shopping habit and, oh yeah - mouths to feed. When I first saw this hack, I instantly remembered my mother and what she would say when I'd complain about my job: "You better get your happy ass up and get to that office. Hungry trumps tired any day." (I laughed so hard, I got a cramp. I really miss my mother!)

By the way, I actually did get a great tip from this hack. I will now be using the "Hemingway Technique" when it comes to writing.

Since I get a daily email feed of hacks, I could go on and on, but you get my point. You can hack some things, but life is, after all, life. Part of the adventure is to live it raw. Of course, I will take help where it helps.

Peace
--Free