As many of us know, the world economy has been struggling for a good number of years. For us in the US, it’s been a scary reality. In such a bad economy, we do not have the luxury of buying just anything and simply “trying it out” to see if it “works” with our family or child. I know a lot of families around me, do not want to waste their time or money on products that do not meet their expectations. Of course, it’s also subject to opinion.
I started my blog earlier this year because I had a lot of parents coming up to me in the parks, malls, gatherings, and asking me where I had purchased a product and how innovative the products were. They were able to see it first hand (I call it my free public demos). After being constantly approached, I realized that maybe I had an “eye” for good products that were functional, fashionable, and fully irresistable.
Tough times means tough decisions. As buyers, we have to be conscious more than ever. The price points of products are important, but there are other factors to take into consideration for the long haul. Are the products chemical free, preservative free, eco-friendly, child/parent friendly? Are we getting the most bang for our buck? Does a higher price tag mean that the product will last longer than its competition? I mean the list goes on and on. With a never-ending shopping list and endless information to process, it becomes overwhelming and sometimes too much work. We want to be able to rely on one good source that we could constantly refer back too and trust. I like to consider myself as one of those reliable sources, which brings me to the PTPA Panel of Moms.
PTPA Panel of Moms is an offspring of PTPA Media, which stands for Parent Tested Parent Approved. Being a part of the Panel of Moms has been very important to me because I have another opportunity, outside of my own blog, to get down and dirty with a product. I get to rate the products, write my honest feedback, and even if I said the product was completely horrid, since I am just an evaluator number, none of the companies would know I said that. I think what sets PTPA Media apart from all the other ratings, awards, stamp of approval companies/sites, is that real parents are giving their honest feedbacks (nothing sugar-coated) and giving their stamp of approval. I don’t know about you, but I value other parents’ opinions over any well written press release that over-glorifies a product because they were paid too.
Even before I was on the PTPA Panel of Moms or even an evaluator, I use to come to PTPA Media, to find out more information about the winners and refer to the site for products that I could purchase. It has been an invaluable resource for my family, and a site that I could trust. During this down economy, a lot of companies are fighting to get our business, and they are coming out with gadgets, add-ons, upgrades, just so they can top their competition. With this economy, we also face a lot of mis-information, and a lot of pretty television ads that lure our children into thinking they want it (whatever that may be). With every commercial, I get “Mommy I want that!” So with these tough times and the holidays looming over us, we have to be very conscious in our buying power and have that one source that we could refer back too and trust.
(Disclosure: I have not been paid nor bribed to write this article. These are my honest opinions and my experiences.)
