Just the Basics

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I've become a serious (but not extreme) coupon user. I don't purchase anything without having a coupon to present at the register, and if I do purchase something without a coupon I feel extreeeeemely guilty. Today, for instance, I purchased sausage at my HEB and didn't have a coupon. It was on sale, but I know I wasn't getting it for the rock bottom price I probably could have since there was no coupon present.

Why would I bother going on a coupon soap box you might ask? Some things in life I'm perfectly fine paying "full price" for, especially when full price is $1 at my CVS. Have you tried any Just the Basics products? They ROCK! Last week I was at CVS and made my usual first purchase which was the one that had an OOP expense in order to earn my ECB to pay for everything that didn't have a coupon. Needless to say, I'd been craving Raisin Bran for the longest time and I have a sweet tooth, so I saw cookies for a buck and thought, "What the hey." They were ONE whole dollar...how much would I really be at a loss, especially since they were in a normally sized package.

We got home from our shopping trip with a truck's worth of grocery and beauty products (and $14 ECB) and I sat down to relax. I had four new products to sample, and now that it's been a week, I've had a chance to sample the following products:

Just the Basics Kettle Corn (4 oz.)


First of all, you can't beat popcorn that's already popped for only $1. It wasn't that artificial yellow color that most solicited popcorn is in the regular stores so it instantly looked healthier. Furthermore, It was a good-sized bag and in an attractive package. I tried it while working on some stuff for work that I had to do on my computer and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't super sweet nor was it super salty. Sweet and Salty were in perfect harmony in this kettle corn. I'm sold!

Just the Basics Bite-Size Vanilla Wafers (8 oz.)


These, too, were only $1, so I figured I didn't have much to lose if I didn't like them anyway. I've had HEB's Vanilla Wafers, and they're somewhat like Nabisco's, but still leave me wanting a coupon for the REAL thing. When I saw that Just the Basics had Vanilla Wafers, I immediately picked them up since whenever I have a craving for something sweet, no matter how bad my craving is, Va(Nilla) Wafers always fix my craving. Just the Basics had not only Vanilla Wafers, but they were MINIATURE size!! I love little things!! They are delicious! For only $1 and for the amount I get, I can't complain about anything with this purchase. I can definitely taste the vanilla and am so glad that they're moist and not dry like the HCF brand wafers from HEB. Sorry, but they are. That's one Texas Showdown HEB doesn't win.

Just the Basics Bite-Size Teddy Bear Cookies (8 oz.)


Think Teddy Grahams with a slightly sweeter flavor than animal crackers and a slightly thinner cookie than an animal cracker, too. They're sweeter than a shortbread cookie but more along that line of taste than anything else. They are also perfect for dunking because unlike Teddy Grahams that have only one chubby teddy bear to hold on to, there are TWO teddy bears attached to one another, so if you're a dunker like I am, you'll appreciate the genius that thought to put these bears together.

Just the Basics Raisin Bran Cereal (6 oz.)


I've had a Raisin Bran coupon for quite some time but never found a good sale price to purchase Raisin Bran (until this past weekend). Well, needless to say, I caved and again figured spending one more dollar on a nice perfectly-square box with a nice clean feel to it wouldn't hurt. The Just the Basics Raisin Bran Cereal tasted like good ol' Kellogg's. The first raisin, I'll admit, wasn't as soft as a raisin should be, but once I'd had my cereal in milk for a minute more each one thereafter was perfectly pleasing to my taste buds. I didn't eat much of the cereal because it's BRAN and BRAN is FILLING. I purchased two boxes of it and still have one more left that I plan to go through within the next week or two.

I wish I could tell you that I paid a fortune to try such delicious products, but thanks to my ECB I didn't pay anything for these "basics." So far I have no complaints about what I've tried so far. I understand and have seen that they have household products to test as well but am yet to try those. One thing that really attracts me to the product line is that everything has been such a reasonable price ($1), but I haven't had to sacrifice on package size or quality. Also, with my OCD, I love having a perfectly-aligned boxes in my pantry with everything matching up in a row. After all, if I can switch to everything being Just the Basics, imagine how cute and organized my pantry would be.

My verdict on Just the Basics: Try it! You'll like it! It may be just the basics, but it's just the best, too!