Saturday, June 9, 2012

Fighting back gently.

Our sponsor, BlogHer (which you may or may not see over here ---> ), has been pretty good to us. It pays us a very few dollars every month to put its own sponsored ads on the page. It's run by real women who answer real emails about real questions. Their policies let me opt out of topics I don't want to advertise and places I don't want to go (e.g. politics, diet aids, junk food, animal products, etc.).

In fact, BlogHer is too good to us, and here's the dilemma. Sort of. It's not a huge dilemma. It's a dilemmette. For example, a few days ago they offered me $150 to write one review about an alcoholic beverage that I would probably love hard. I would slurp it up like a cat slurps milk (don't give a cat milk). Plus, they'd buy me my booze. 

To a couple of gals without jobs, $150 and a six-pack is a sweet deal. But, we opt-out of alcohol ads on purpose. If you drink alcohol, you already know it's available. It's not like I'd be advertising the end of Prohibition, which I would do in BOLD PRINT for free as a public service. If you don't drink, there's a good reason, and you don't need me to tell you about some awesome new kind of alcohol that you also won't drink. We turned that offer down.

Today, there's an offer for  generous commissions on sales of a huge, mainstream health-and-beauty corporation. You probably already buy their products every week. I only have to tell you which of their products I use and love, love, LOVE!  [None of them.] We turned that offer down.

So, I'm going to tell you what I actually love and feel good about promoting. It's the only way I can think of to push back against corporate deep-pocketed advertising, and products that aren't really in our best interests. Irony alert: these links go to Amazon pages, because they also treat us well.

  • Method laundry detergent. We don't do much laundry, but we do it all with Method. It comes super-concentrated, so it's not weighed down with water and then shipped, heavy and bloated, to its destination. It is cruelty-free: no animal testing, no animal products. It's made in the US. It's perfectly sized for RVs. It smells good.
  • Dr. Bronner's castile soaps. We don't wash ourselves much...wait, that's not what I meant to say. It's super-duper-concentrated (don't try to wash with it straight! It's powerful!). Cruelty-free (no animal testing, no animal products, vegetable oil based). Organic. Smells awesome, whichever scent you choose. We bought a big bottle last Thanksgiving in Florida, and we're still using it (I'm tired of peppermint now, by the way, and can't wait to crack open the lavender we just bought). Bonus feature: Dr. Bronner wrote lots of crazy stuff on his products, and they're still there. Fun to read in the shower with your glasses on.
  • Nature's Miracle. Animal lovers, don't travel without this. In my time with Annie, we have sheltered ten cats, and this is our must-have. Always. No kidding. This becomes even more crucial as animals age. Now I'm really not kidding.


There's my promo. If you don't buy these things on my say-so, I won't feel bad. More importantly, if you do buy them, I won't feel bad.

27 comments:

Evelyn Margaret said...

This kind of advertising I like! And that's a great link for homemade cleansers etc.

The Good Luck Duck said...

Cool! And, yes, she has some good recipes.

Teri said...

I like the products you described here. I will have to try the moisturizer recipe, its really dry here. As for BlogHer, if you told them you don't want alcohol ads, why would they offer an alcoholic product for you to test. Ya, the money sounds good, but why do it just for the money.

Sherry said...

Definitely my tribe. A gal with top notch moral standards (at least where advertising is concerned)LOL. So I'm going to cheer you on with this blog on products you like and use and can in good conscience recommend. Hear the clapping????? Tanks a bunch!

I'm looking all of these over and at a bare minimum you've convinced me I should make my own moisturizer as soon as it stops raining here so that I might need it again.

It's true that whatever you rub into your skin or wash with goes right into your little pores and then all those chemicals are working their work on you. Scary thought. OK, I'm going off to order some of this safe stuff now.

The Good Luck Duck said...

There are lots of things I've done "just for the money," but I'm outta that racket now.

I don't think they check the settings before they make these offers, since it's a different sort of network for each. It would be great to be offered money to promote a product I feel good about, but the things I like ususally don't come with big advertising budgets.

The Good Luck Duck said...

Sherry, I don't think I used a drop of moisturizer the whole time I was in Florida. Who needs it? Thanks for the applause! I was also glad to find I had an ethic remaining.

Jeannie and Eldy said...

Loved the post...and the choice of GREEN print..heh, heh, heh. I need to get more environmentally friendly with all cleaning stuff whether it's for me or for our home. Thanks for the kick to get started by posting this!

The Good Luck Duck said...

My pleasure! I'm sure there's a healthy palmetto bug deterrent somewhere!

Kimbopolo said...

I have a great appreciation for your integrity. However, I need suggestions for inebriates!

Please, can't you help me?

The Good Luck Duck said...

Haha Kim! Email me and I'll have several dozen suggestions.

Brenda A. said...

I make most of my own beauty care stuff and cleaners. I don't even want to spend my money on big business let alone do their advertising for them!

You rock!!! :)

¡Vizcacha! said...

I know what you mean. And, thanks! :D

ain't for city gals said...

The best thing is you don't other people down for doing something you don't want to...I try to live my motto "Live with integrity"...ha! don't even know if that is how you spell it now!!...but anyway...good post..

¡Vizcacha! said...

Thanks, AFCG. You know, I hadn't considered that that might sound judgmental of someone who chose to do the promos, and you're right - it's gonna feel right for someone else, and that's cool.

cathie said...

If I order something from your post above, how is it credited to you?

The Good Luck Duck said...

Thanks for asking, Cathie. Those links have my Amazon affiliate code embedded in them, so if you decide to buy, it's automatically credited to my account. If you continue to browse from that original click, anything else you buy will also be credited to me.

I can't see who buys what, so your privacy is protected.

Lynne (WinnieViews) said...

Wow, these look like some really interesting products. I'm going to buy some with your links! I just recently went "poo free" and am trying to rid myself of other personal care/beauty products with chemicals in them. Any suggestions on deodorant alternatives? I tried one from Trader Joe's a couple years ago and it was aweful, so I had to go back to the mainstream "aluminum-based" stuff. Looking forward to trying that moisturizer...thanks for the links!

Unknown said...

What a great post. Nice to hear some ethical advertising. Things you really use, what a novel idea!

Contessa said...

I had forgotten all about castile soap, the good ole days. Use Nature's Miracle all the time, it is a great non toxic general carpet cleaner, good for the odd spots.

i admire your diligence on what you will advertise but hmmm that $150.00 sure could have gone a very long way.....well you know what I'm saying.

The Good Luck Duck said...

Cool, Lynne - thanks! How do you like no-poo so far? We love it. And, it's perfect for a mobile, frugal, and conservative RV life.

I was going to email you to spare anyone else the TMI, but what the heck. I use vinegar as a deodorant; I keep it in a spray bottle. Once it dries/evaporates, it doesn't smell like anything. It's very easy on my skin. I happen to have apple cider vinegar, so that's what I use, but other people use plain white vinegar.

Once it's dry, I like to put on some corn starch.

If you like your products to have a scent, you can add a couple of drops of essential oil to the vinegar and/or the corn starch. My current choice was clove, but Annie says that smells like pickles going on, and she's not a fan. Tea tree oil adds a little anti-microbial boost, if you don't mind the scent. So does lavender, now that I think about it, and who minds that?

Thank you, Janie! I appreciate that.

The Good Luck Duck said...

LOL, Contessa, I think I do know what you're saying. And, thanks for all the information. I waded into it, then turned it over to Annie when i stopped understanding. :D She's my comprehension guru.

Angie Mizzell said...

There's a lot of booze I love hard, but I probably wouldn't fly the Miller Lite flag on my blog. I've gotten asked to do a lot of product reviews and I've turned them down. The only one I agreed to do was for Fresh Produce clothes. The line seemed to fit where I was at the moment. Redefining success has been a big "life theme" for me... so evaluating my motives and making more authentic choices has been an ongoing learning process.

The Good Luck Duck said...

Angie, "authentic" is a good way to describe that. I don't have a list of things I will or won't promote; it just seems right or it doesn't. I'm going to review a product and do a giveaway that seems right in line with my blog and my life. Naturally, I don't get any money for that one. Sigh.

Pam said...

I use the aluminum free mineral salt deodorant stick but it doesn't really work under any kind of exertion. The salt is to prohibit bacterial growth, which is what I assume the vinegar does as well. I'll have to give the vinegar a try.

The Good Luck Duck said...

Yeah, that makes sense, although to be honest I've never researched why vinegar works. I tried a fancier recipe for deodorant, but it didn't work as well, so I reverted.

Of course, the commercial, aluminum-laden things pretty much stop everything, but at what cost? I don't know! That's why I quit using them.

Marianne said...

Very interesting stuff! Thanks for the recipe site. The vinegar thing works for you EVEN in AZ.? Wow!

The Good Luck Duck said...

Remarkable, eh? Of course, it's much less humid here.