First Friday Faves March 2020

This month’s faves are:

1. BIC Gel-ocity® Pens
2. Funky Chunky Snacks
3. 20 Mule Team Borax

My first March fave is one I found by accident, the BIC® Gel-ocity® Gel Pen . I’ve already written about my other favorite pens on here but they now have competition. A couple of weeks ago I found a pen lying on our coffee table so I started using it. It wrote very similar to my other favorite, the Pentel Energel Pen. I continued using it noticing no real difference between the two.  At this point I didn’t realize that the pen I was using was one I had bought my daughter for Christmas.

Soon after finding this pen I went to a meeting where the woman was using a pen that wrote as smooth as silk. I sat there practically drooling over it. Her pen was a BIC Gel-ocity pen! And it was blue which is my favorite ink color. I knew I needed to get some of these Gel-ocity pens for myself.

The pen itself writes beautifully. I never have a problem with smears or smudges because the gel ink dries very quickly. I started with only black ink but it wrote so smoothly I didn’t care that it wasn’t blue. Now that I have my beloved blue ink I’m in Heaven.

What I like about these pens is their smoothness and how they really glide across the page. They’re retractable so you don’t have to worry about misplaced lids or twisting them to start writing. They come in a 0.7mm medium point which is perfect for every use. Another thing I like is the fact that you can purchase refills for the Gel-ocity pen! This way when you run out of ink you can purchase the guts to use in the shell you already have. Make sure you keep the spring though because as of now the refills don’t include it.

The only con I can think of is that the BIC Gel-ocity pen is not quite as comfortable in my hand as the Pentel EnerGel but it’s not bad. Overall I don’t know if I’d give up my EnerGel for this pen but it makes for a great fill-in when I don’t have one on hand.

My second march fave…

My second March fave is one that is not part of my Weight Watcher’s plan so I can only eat it in moderation. It’s so good that I’m okay with that. It’s called Funky Chunky and they specialize in gourmet popcorn. There are a couple of different varieties that they make such as Sea Salt Caramel Popcorn, Caramel Latte Popcorn, Chip Zel Pop Popcorn and my personal favorite – Chocolate Pretzel.

I find Funky Chunky at my local TJ Maxx or Home Goods so I’m not sure what other stores carry it. I’d check your favorite grocer or specialty grocer. Sometimes over the holiday season, they carry spiffy tubes of snacks that look nice for gifting. A 5oz bag from TJ Maxx costs $4 which I don’t think is too bad.

I have not found a variety of Funky Chunky that I don’t like although my least favorite is Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn. And still, it’s not even bad. Each bag should come with a warning, though because it can become addictive! Once you start eating it it’s easy to want to finish the entire bag. So proceed with caution but definitely check it out.

My final march fave…

My last fave for March is the very basic, good old fashioned 20 Mule Team Borax. It’s crazy but I have really grown to love this stuff. I can’t remember why I ever bought a box to begin with but I think it involved a slime recipe my kids had read about. Regardless, I’ve started using it for more and more lately.

It’s actually considered a laundry detergent booster/multi-purpose cleaner. The active ingredient is Sodium Borate which helps soften water and gets rid of odors. My favorite use is washing my towels and blankets in it. I use Borax, baking soda and a sanitizing rinse for them and they feel and smell so much fresher than washing with regular detergent. I add fabric softener when I wash blankets and throws and they also come out fresh and clean.

One of my more interesting uses for Borax is sprinkling it outside around my house where I see ants. I only sprinkle a little bit and it gets rid of them within a day or so. I try to use it in places my dog doesn’t frequent and I’ve never experienced a problem. There are plenty more uses for it like adding it to your dishwasher each load, mixing it with water and spraying in musty areas to help fight odors and using it to spot clean carpets, rugs, drapes, shoes and more.

I love how it helps brighten my whites and is much cheaper than other washing machine additives. Next time you’re at the store pick up a box and try it out. Let me know how you like it or what you use it for. Be sure to check out some of my other Faves here!