Make Plans For Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, and it’s not far away. Are you making a weekend out of it? More importantly, what are you getting your loved one?

Romantic types will like the Kama Sutra® Weekender Kits. Each kit comes in a hinged box, and contains 6 travel size products (Love Oil, Pleasure Balm, Honey Dust, Sweet Almond Massage Oil, Love Liquid Sensual Lubricant, Love Feather). Their small size makes them ideal for stowing in carryon luggage for that quick weekend away, or tucking in a bedside table at home. They come in either original flavor or Strawberry Dream flavor.

For anyone who loves a bit of pampering, our Spa Treatment On The Go Kit fits the bill. The kits come with 26 travel size products (total of 28 items) perfect to indulge in a little bit of down time and luxury. Even the package is designed to travel: a foldout toiletry bag with handles. Choose from black, brown, or baby blue toiletry bags.

If your getaway means traveling by car, don’t forget to pack the essentials you need to make the trip a little more enjoyable (and maybe a bit safer). The Car Travel Essentials Kit has everything from first aid and emergency supplies to toilet seat covers and bathroom tissue for those road side pit stops where the restroom’s cleanliness is questionable.

If you’re traveling with kids don’t forget to keep them occupied with one of our popular travel games. We have everything for every age, from the preschooler’s favorite Travel CandyLand® (no reading required) to Hungry Hungry Hippos® (two players) to the teen and adult favorite Electronic Sudoku.

Don’t forget to order soon for delivery before Valentine’s Day, and as always, orders over $20 receive free ground shipping in the continental US.

Travel Sizes and 2009

Happy 2009 to All!

As Co-Founder of Minimus.biz, I thought I'd take a moment to post on the blog and thank our customers for helping to make 2008 our best year so far. We have always stated that one of our goals was to listen to our customers' comments and ideas, and many of our plans for 2009 are the direct result of customer requests. We will be continuing to add hundreds of new items to our product lines throughout the year, many of which are already in the lineup and will be launching soon. Additionally, we will be adding two new major shopping aisles to our online store. We will continue to update you through our blog and newsletters with our new products, sales, coupons, stories from customers, and information from the world of travel sizes. Please continue to send in your comments and ideas, and stay tuned throughout the year as we anticipate some really great additions to the Minimus family.

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #18

In the final edition of the Minimus Holiday Gift Ideas, let’s think about the next holiday on our list: New Year’s Eve!

(Ok, technically the holiday is New Year’s Day, but who’s counting?)

If you’re planning on celebrating the New Year, you need the Partier’s Survival Kit.

Not for the casual partier, the Partier’s Survival Kit is designed for those who are serious about their night on the town.

The Partier’s Survival Kit comes packed inside of a cool plastic cocktail glass that flashes and lights up the night. Inside the glass are several items designed to help you recover and get you through the first few hours after the party such as packets of Chaser® Freedom from Hangovers®, Alka Seltzer®, Advil®, Tang Sport Fitness Drink Mix - Fruit Punch, and a LA Fresh Dental Finger Mitt.

Hosting a party? Going out with a bunch of friends? Give this as party favors, and they’ll thank you the day after the party too!

Don’t forget, you get free ground shipping on domestic orders over $20.00.

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #17

Are you shopping for a Dad-to-be this year? We didn’t forget about him! He doesn’t have time to pack when Mom says, “It’s time to go!” so we did the packing for him.

The Daddy’s Hospital Overnight Bag Deluxe has everything Dad needs to be prepared at the hospital while Mom is in labor.

This zippered toiletry bag has two compartments, and comes pre-packed with essentials like toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, deodorant, and hand sanitizer, plus comforts like snacks and breath freshener, and even a small game and multivitamins to keep the energy up during what could be a long day!

Get the Mommy’s Hospital Overnight Bag, and give them as a set to the proud parents-to-be.

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #15

Expecting Moms have a lot on their minds. Give them one less thing to worry about with the Mommy’s Hospital Overnight Bag.

This kit comes pre-packed in a stylish black quilted foldout cosmetic travel organizer, and contains all the personal care items Mom might need during her hospital stay. From moisturizers to a disposable razor, shampoo, conditioner, brush, even hair elastics, this bag is ready to grab in the rush to get to the hospital

We'll see you Monday with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #14

For the Coach in your life, on and off the field. The Sports Aid Coach's Field Kit is a convenient mini duffel bag, and carries everything the coach needs to fix the various injuries of kids and parents alike.

From splinters to blisters, sunscreen to heat packs, this kit features 18 products (32 total products) coaches don’t want to be without.

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #13

Shopping for a mom-to-be who’s concerned about the environment? We have you covered with the Au Naturale Mom-to-be Kit.

This kit comes in a reusable zippered pouch, and contains 17 all natural and therapeutic personal care items any environmentally-minded woman will love. This kit is good for the well-being of the body, mind, and soul.

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #12

Know someone planning a road trip soon? The Bachelor Guy Ultimate Road Trip Kit is perfect. Your road-tripper will love it because it comes with goodies. You’ll love it because it comes with everything they need to be safe on the road.

It’s stylish and durable, yet easy to take along because it’s smaller than your typical backpack (9.5" x 13" x 6"). From toiletries, to snacks, to a first aid kit, this backpack has it all. Backpack features internal pocket for CD/MP3 with external access.

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #11

Welcome back to the Minimus Holiday Gift Ideas!

New moms can sometimes be overwhelmed by baby’s needs, and moms need pampering too. There’s no time like the holidays to show how much you care and provide her a little bit of down time.

Treat her to The New Pampered Mommy kit, and she’ll have fun indulging in some “Mommy Time.” Packed with 22 great products like bath gels, moisturizers, aromatherapy body patches, sleep mask, and nail care items, Mom will feel like a queen.

Plus, if you throw in an hour or two of babysitting so she can try all the products in peace, Mom will be your best friend forever!

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #10

Are you searching for the perfect gift for a bride-to-be? We have you covered with the Pink Bag Wedding Day Survival Gear.

Everything a woman might need on the big day - from bride and bridesmaids, to flower girls and Moms of the bride and groom.

The Pink Bag contains beauty essentials like hairspray and hairbrush, emergency beauty needs like anti-perspirant & deodorant, eye drops, and sunblock, clothing care needs like sewing repair supplies, wrinkle relaxer, lint roller, and stain removers, even pharmacy items like pain relievers and bandages.

Give your bride the gift of peace of mind, and she will appreciate your help making the big day run smoothly.

We'll see you Monday with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #9

There’s still time to enroll your college student in our College Student Package of the Month Club, and their Holiday gift will continue until the end of the school year!

Every month Minimus will deliver a care package directly to your student’s dorm.

January: Dorm Laundry Kit. Detergents, fabric softeners, color-safe bleach, stain removers, even static remover and a sewing kit!

February: Dorm Snacks. Your student will be the hit of the dorm with snacks to share.

March: College Spring Fever. Games, snacks, and sunblock for the beautiful spring weather.

April: College Finals Brain Food. Snacks and multivitamins to help your student succeed.

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #8

Is there a spa lover in your life? In today’s tight economy you probably can’t send them away for a relaxing spa weekend. Don’t worry; you can still treat them to a spa in the privacy of their own home!

The new Spa Treatment On The Go kit will be a hit with everyone on your list, with 26 products to relax and restore the body and soul.

Including products like:
- organic aromatherapy shampoo, conditioner & shower gel
- natural revitalizing lotion
- organic hand cream
- invigorating apricot scrub
- pumice scrub
- foot softening balm
- organic bubble bath
- organic lip balm
- aromatherapy body patches & scent inhaler
- all natural body spray
- natural mineral water moisturizing spray freshener
- …and more

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #7

The new kit introduced this month, the Office Survival Kit, was an idea submitted by one of our customers for the contest last July. She told us about how she had become the go-to person at her company for travel-sized items like bandages and sewing kits. She suggested that we create a survival kit to place in a desk drawer at the office containing these items along with several other products.

The new Office Survival Kit was launched just in time for the holidays. In fact, we’re predicting this kit will be the best gift at this year’s office holiday party. It is perfect for the boss … or as a gift from the boss. Our Price: $37.51. (don’t forget: Minimus offers free ground shipping on domestic orders over $20.00!)

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #6

Welcome back to Holiday Gift Ideas from Minimus. Here’s hoping your weekend was fun and full of excitement.

A gift isn’t ready to give until it’s wrapped. Purchase one of these bags along with your favorite Minimus products to create your own wonderful gift basket that will be remembered for years to come.

Santa’s U-Fill it Bag (Retail Price: $9.70)
Santa’s U-Fill-It Bag includes a red nylon drawstring backpack (18" x 13") a fun pen with ten ink colors, a pre-stamped postcard and a Traveling Buddy Plush 7" Reindeer.

Holiday Gift Wrap (Retail Price: $3.90)
Holiday Gift Wrap includes a blue and white snowflake cloth drawstring bag with white tissue paper, a fun pen with ten ink colors, and a pre-stamped postcard.

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Minimus Holiday Gift Idea #4

Gifts of food are popular during the holiday season. Instead of slaving in the kitchen, create a gift basket of gourmet foods!

Minimus has everything you need, from caviar to pate of all flavors to fig bouquet vinegar, from cheese spread with wine flavoring to gourmet jellies, and all the gourmet crackers to go with it.

Have a tea lover? We have name brand teas to suit everyone, plus gourmet honey to pair with it.

Is there a dessert lover in your life? Treat them to a gift package of cookies, fudge sauce, chocolate topping, or fruit dip.

Shopping for a concerned dieter? One of our customers’ favorite kits is the Fat Free Salad Dressing Sampler Deluxe. They will love the ease and convenience of maintaining their healthy diet on the go with the 26 individual packets of 13 flavors of fat free salad dressings, packed into an insulated and reusable lunch bag.

We'll see you tomorrow with another holiday gift idea!

Travel Lightly With Travel Sizes

Recently, a customer related to us an experience they had scrambling at the check-in counter at the airport to shift weight around in their luggage in order to avoid the overweight bag fees imposed by the airlines. They went on to mention how they used travel size toiletries to prevent it from happening a second time.

So we decided to study this phenomenon further.

After determining the most commonly used types of personal care items to be shaving cream, hair styling gel, body soap, mouthwash, toothpaste, body and hand lotion, anti-perspirant/deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner, we selected one product in each category from our inventory, made a quick run to the local store to purchase the same nine products in their full size containers, and placed each set on the scale.

Our findings? Total weight of the full-size items: 7.15 lbs. Total weight of the travel size items: 1.15 lbs. That’s a difference of six pounds!

How much money can 6 pounds of liquid toiletries save you? Fees vary by airline, but since bags up to 50 lbs. are not subject to the additional weight fees, we looked at airline fees for the 51-70 lb. level, and concluded that for travelers loading their luggage to the brim, using travel sizes could save them between $50 and $125 in airline overweight surcharges.

Will small size containers work for you? Susan Foster, packing expert and author of Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler, recommends, “Most women use about 1 oz. of shampoo for two weeks of daily use, so taking only this amount leaves more room for the important things – such as shoes! Downsizing cosmetics and toiletries to travel-sized items from Minimus.biz makes sense for every trip.”

To find even more ways to save weight, visit our home page and take a look around at some of our other items such as hairspray, clothing starch, aftershave, lint rollers, sunscreens, and sanitizers.



Products used in this weight study:
Barbasol® Beard Buster® Thick & Rich Shaving Cream
Dep Sport Styling Gel
Dove® Beauty Bar
Act® Restoring ™ Anticavity Mouthwash
Colgate® Cavity Protection Flouride Toothpaste
Lubriderm® Daily Moisture Lotion
Mitchum® Clear Gel Anti-perspirant and Deodorant
Pantene® Pro-V® Volume Shampoo
Pantene® Pro-V® Volume Conditioner

Donna's Diet Diary

Looking forward to swim suit season? Me neither! So when I received an email regarding a Minimus customer losing 40 pounds and 4 dress sizes, I had to know her secret! It inspired me and I hope it inspires you too! Here's her story:

“My husband and I planned a winter cruise. I was about 50 pounds or so heavier than I wanted to be and my husband was about 100 pounds over. Dared each other to lose 25 pounds before the cruise....

We talked with a physician. He advised us to make this a life change, not a diet. Diets never stick.... The physician said to work toward less than 30 grams of fat combined with less than 45 grams of sugar per day. Sounded pretty good to me. Start Date: November 1, 2006.

So we tried. It took hours to grocery shop, just for 2!! Then we realized, we eat out practically every day. And, I travel quite a bit with my work. What to do then? I jumped on the internet and found Minimus.biz.

All the individual servings are wonderful !!!! I discovered that it is much easier to just go ahead and eat out (and we all know that is a great feeling when trying to lose weight.) Ordering shis-ka-bobs, salad with grilled chicken, steamed veggies, just about anything we wanted. The magic was the packets I have been purchasing from you. They have allowed us to enjoy the flavor of anything.

I ALWAYS carry Kraft® Fat Free Ranch Dressing , Kraft® Fat Free Mayonnaise , A1® Steak Sauce ..... All "free" on the life change program. This is what has totally saved us. Yes, Minimus.biz is a lifesaver. We can eat almost what we want. Carrying your products with us allows that. Anything can be made good. Even steamed veggies...add a little Kraft Free Ranch, and good to go.

I have learned that, even when dining professionally or with friends, people really respect the fact that we are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. Instead of laughing or scoffing, they want to know where we bought the individual packets! It is great!

Long story short, since 11-1-06, I have gone from size 14 to a 6 (size 4 in some jeans), down 40 pounds, and my husband has gone from size 44 to 38, down 50 pounds and almost off the high blood pressure medication. Thanks to you and your products, it has worked and it is really easy.

Try a baked potato with the ranch, steamed veggies with ranch, A-1 on chicken, salad with Kraft Free of your choice, add a grilled chicken breast, good to go! It works and is easy! (Even pretzels dipped in dressing for a snack is good.)

Just waiting for Kraft to put fat free tartar sauce in an individual packet!

Oh, the Kraft® Free Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing is really good! Being able to order small numbers of items is great. It will let you try different things.

It worked for me, and is a life change, not really a diet. I love weighing 137 (at 5'7" tall...)

Thanks to all of you at Minimus.biz!”

Have a sucess story you want to share? Email me at Whitney@minimus.biz - I'd love to hear from you!

NASA Orders Condiments To Go Up On The Space Shuttle...AGAIN!

NASA returned to Minimus.biz to obtain items to go up on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, for use by the astronauts on the upcoming mission, currently delayed due to hail damage (see NASA article: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html). Stay tuned for an official press release with a list of the items!

CUSTOMER STORIES: Iowa State Cyclones

We recently had the Iowa State Cyclones basketball program order several yellow ponchos from us, and they sent us a nice letter and photos from the game. We look forward to more interesting stories from our customers. It is always exciting for our staff to see where our work ends up:

"I wanted to thank you for working with us with the ponchos that we wore for the Nebraska vs Iowa State game. They were a big hit and almost the whole student section loved them. They were a totally off the wall prop for our student section and was very well received. I'm sending you a couple pictures from the student section during the game. Thanks a lot again and we will look forward to working with you again next year." -- Thanks, Pat M., Ames, IA

Fan Mail

We get a lot of email from our customers excited to have found us, and excited with receiving their order. While we don't do it that often, I thought it would be a good time to take a moment and feature a little thank you note we received last week. If we were to write a commercial, I don't know if we could have done it better:

"My daughter has grown up and moved off to Hollywood as a struggling model/actress. She lives in a wee, tiny little apartment and Minimus.biz sizes and variety are perfect for her. She loved getting her assortment of over 200 pieces I hand selected for her off the internet; I may be far away in Texas, but Minimus.biz lets me mother from afar! I have been able to outfit her for this upcoming winter cold and flu season with meds and even a few thermometers. It pays to be prepared. Hot chocolate, hand warmers (awesome product!!!), easy-to-prepare soups--all of it--says "I love you honey and I care so much!" She loved all the snacks, treats and toiletries so much! I'm getting ready to fly out to California to see her, and now I'm getting ready by placing my order with Minimus.biz for all the little and efficient jars of goodies for my hotel fridge! And why should I worry about packing toiletries when Minimu.biz can do it for me!

-- Gina B., San Antonio, TX

P.S. MINIMUS.BIZ ROCKS! MINIMUS.BIZ is revolutionary and visionary!Brilliant!"