I had the opportunity to try out Carry Green bags.*  Wow!  I am in awe!  I received the samples you see in the picture to the left, and below you can see how I use them.  Jute is burlap, and all the samples I received were made of jute- just different sizes.   These bags are Eco-friendly, and earth friendly.  I absolutely love them!  I have been using the JUTE NAVY (Seebug Urchin Bucket Tote) bag pictured here.  It has a beautiful design and strong large handles and a zipper on the top to keep all my stuff inside and safe from falling in the car.  I have been using it for a week now to carry my laptop and work projects, and it has worked out beautifully.  These bags are strong!  I put a laptop, cords, and all sorts of projects in it and it has managed to not fall apart, or tear.  Unlike some of the reusable grocery bags you get for free, these bags are very sturdy and strong.   I traveled last week and used the small burlap drawstring jute bag for my shoes.  There is a tie at the top so I could close it.  It worked out great, and everything stays in its place!

The wine bags are so cute, and if you give wine as a gift, these are great, and re-usable.  See mine pictured below.  This could possibly be my favorite, well, other than the Seebug Urchin Tote pictured to the right and above.  We took it to a friend’s house.  I actually wanted mine back though.  But, at carrygreen, you can buy in bulk, so you can have plenty on hand.  Imagine giving gifts in these bags instead of those not so sturdy paper bags you give gifts in routinely.  You can put kids’ presents in them as well.  I love getting reusable totes with presents.  The paper ones simply do not compare.

Also, you can put your groceries in them.  Here is a picture of the medium size jute burlap tote bags with groceries inside.  They are extremely sturdy and can hold a lot of groceries.  Then, the handles are very comfortable even on your shoulders.  They do not cut into your shoulder which is nice.

I also tried out the small Jute burlap wedding party gift bag.  Of course, you don’t have to use it for a wedding gift, but you can get it printed with a logo or symbol too!  You can gift these, or use them to transport things.  My mom loves using small bags for when she goes to the store (in place of a purse) or just for an outing.  Whatever you choose to use them for, they are great bags.  For example, you can put snacks in it and head to the park.  Perfect size!

For shopping, and groceries, or the beach or for fun, these bags are Eco-friendly, sturdy and quite nice to use.  Check out Carry Green today and let me know what you think.    You can order samples too, and then order in bulk.  Such a great find – I feel so lucky to get to try them out, and it’s something I believe in too – Eco, Earth-friendly reusable bags of all shapes, sizes, and purposes that look nice and last!  And bonus: All orders ship for free, and there is a sale going on right now so check out Carry Green.

 * Disclaimer:  I was offered free bags to review.  No other compensation was provided. All of the opinions expressed here are my own.

The Arvada location of Hand & Stone Massage/Facial Spa is now open!  And if you act now in April, and book your introductory $49.95 massage or facial or other service, you can get a $15 value for free!  Check out the Arvada location, and make sure you tell them you saw it there at Get Clued In Colorado.  The deal is below, so print it out and take it with you.

Here is how Hand & Stone works, so try them out today.  Go in for your introductory offer, then you can become a member or not.  But for one-time registration fee, you are a member, and then you get the member rate on massages, facials, and other services.  My mother in law gave me a special treat for my birthday this year, and I spent it all at Hand & Stone.  I did both the introductory massage and facial, and now, without a contract (I can cancel with just 30 days notice), I have a guaranteed service every month of my choice valued at $59.95.  All additional services are at the member rate.  It’s so much better than Massage Envy too because there is no obligation to continue for a year, and my packages (should I miss a month) carry over.  It’s like roll-over minutes- yeah!  If you have a flex spending account, and your doctor prescribes therapeutic massage, etc., you can maybe get reimbursed too!

UPDATE LADIES:  A special ladies’ spa night is coming up.  Check out the deets and RSVP today if you can make it.  I will be there, and hope to see you there!  I attended tonight and it was awesome.  Stay tuned for more fun nights like this one.  You will not want to miss it.  I was able to try out all four services and an added bonus of a peppermint scalp massage with a glass of wine.  What fun!

Give them a try, and take the special offer with you!  Enjoy!   For the next 3-4 days, there is a groupon available if you want to try out one or two of their services: http://www.groupon.com/deals/hand-stone-massage-and-facial-spa-208-denver

*Disclaimer: I did NOT receive anything of value for this post.  I am being offered a free $29.95 value Spa Night in exchange for promoting the event on Apr 22.  All the opinions expressed here are my own.

I had the opportunity* to try out Walmart’s new “To Go” Delivery Service.   It is great to NOT go to the store on a busy Saturday or Sunday.  I think ordering groceries on-line may also reduce impulse shopping.  We almost got run over several times this weekend trying to get in and out of the Costco and bought way more than we went in for!  So, it was a relief when I learned that I may not have to go grocery shopping this weekend.  But alas, hubby ended up going anyway.   This review is honest, but is not butterflies and rainbows.  I didn’t have a good experience with my first Walmart TO GO  service.  I also want to share some things to be aware of on the website.  The bottom line, which I discuss below is to maybe give them some time to fix the kinks, ire more people, get more trucks.  Then, try it out.  Anyway, here goes:

First, when you go on-line and try to order keep in mind that they will not have all your products so have that in the back of your mind.  This will probably not fulfill all your shopping needs.  If it does, yeah!  Second, you cannot order fruit or produce individually.  If you are like me and do not like to buy pounds of fruit and produce, then be aware that when you add 2 GALA apples to the cart, you are adding 2 lbs of apples to the cart.  So check your cart!  Third, and most annoying for me was that when I tried to schedule a date for delivery (2 hour window), they did not have anything available the same day.  The earliest was evening the next day, and then wait til you read the next part of my review of their service.  Finally, regarding their ordering process on-line, remember to click on the “okay to substitute” box if you like a particular brand or item, or they will substitute, and then you may be stuck with what you get.  For example, if you want Progresso Minestrone (vegetarian) make sure you un-check the box that says “Substitution okay” because you may end up with Progresso low sodium minestrone or Campbell’s.  We had two substituted items but we were okay with it.  Also, keep in mind that once you PLACE THE ORDER, you cannot really change the date/time of delivery except to call customer service (see number below).

So, aside from those tips for ordering, the biggest issue I had with this service was that they missed the 2-hour window by … a mile!  On a Sunday afternoon, they gave me a 2-hour delivery window and I got home in time, rushed on a gorgeous day, my birthday mind you, to get there.   Twenty minutes before my 2-hour window expired, I was told that it would be delayed.  I asked, “okay, what time will they reach me?” I asked.  She responds, “maybe an hour after your 2-hour window.”  Okay, “how about I give you my cell number and you call me when you are 30 minutes out and what is the point of the 2-hour window?”  Her reply, “are you going to be there or not?”  Lovely.

The truck finally did arrive, exactly one hour and 47 minutes after my 2-hour window ended, but to be fair they did call my cell phone as requested when they were 30 mins out.  So, for someone who is stuck at home and nowhere else to go, or nothing else to do, Walmart To Go Delivery at home is great! For the rest of us busy moms, dads, and normal people, it may be better to just hit the store, or not deal with home delivery.  And, as expected, once it arrived, two items were not in stock, soup and a Cheez-It mix.  But even more shocking was that my entire frozen order did not arrive.  The delivery guy was perplexed and said he would let his manager know tomorrow and cancel it.  Worst of all, it’s my birthday so to have this hassle made it even stinkier.  Poor hubby had to run out to King Sooper’s and get the remaining items.

Honestly, the people were really kind and felt overwhelmed- the delivery guy, the lady who called to say how late they would be, but Walmart should not have rolled this out without the requisite equipment and people.  The delivery guy was very apologetic, and said they have ordered more trucks and hired more people, but Walmart is truly not ready for an influx of customers or large delivery orders. I have not tried the Walmart pickup option (free) and that may be better, but honestly, I could not bear the thought of spending my gas and time to head out to Walmart (which is not close to us by the way), and the having the same issues there in person.  I think I would lose it.  I lost it enough sitting at home, waiting, and waiting, and then having issues with the order and missing items.  Now, I have to call customer service tomorrow, and get a refund, and time is money for me.  The delivery guy did give me a free gift for trying the service though – a reusable walmart bag with honey nut cheerios (my kiddos’ favorite), a roll of paper towels, and a sample size, TSA-approved toothpaste.

I had the opportunity to try this service for free, but if I were paying $7 or $5 in delivery fees, waiting forever, and paying for groceries, heads would roll.  Keep that in mind, and maybe give them time to iron out the kinks before giving it a try.  Free delivery is only good until March 31, and this is the voucher to use when trying it: S3-W5-R9-L6.  Right now, there are all sorts of coupon codes out there to get $10 off $50 and more on products.  Good luck, and here is the customer service number in case you have issues, but they are only there Monday through Sunday, at certain times so if you delivery gets delayed like mine, there is a good chance, no one will be there:  1-800-924-9206.  I did call them the next day and they refunded me for the items that were not delivered/missing.

2nd Try:  I am going to post a new post detailing my 2nd delivery experience.  It was as a near perfect as could be.  It was on a weeknight, so perhaps weekends are busier?  I am not sure, but it went off without a hitch.  All products arrived at exactly 30 minutes after my 2-hour window started.  No issues, and the delivery guys were super nice again.   Whew!  Glad things went better this time around.

*Disclaimer: 

As a participant in the Walmart to Go First program, I’ve received a personal invite and incentives for my time and efforts in creating this post.  My reviews and opinions stated herein are my own.