Thirty One Review

I don't know if you have heard of this "new" product line called Thirty One Gifts or not.
It is likely that if you have a Facebook account one of your many friends (or one of their friends) has had an online party or is a consultant for the company.

I don't have anything against people trying to make a little money selling stuff on their own time and I have occasionally purchased products from such people. My Mom was big into Mary Kay, I have several sets of nail sheets from Jamberry Nails and I figured I'd scratch Thirty One Gifts off my list as well.

What is Thirty One anyways? Here is a link to their website where you will find items that are meant to help with organizing your life. Whether it's totes for those Mom's who make frequent trips to sports practices and games or the family that likes to picnic together there are items meant to keep your stuff in one place neatly. There are even thermal totes to keep your food warm or cool.

They also sell purses and jewelry that claim to be as functional as they are attractive.

My first encounter with the product line came when I was invited to a girls night where I was promised dessert, wine, and cute little organization products. Full disclosure: I needed a couple hours out of the house. There is just something about being in a house full of 5 kids for 5 days straight with no breaks that makes a Mom need a break. That being said, my husband is also really big on cleaning and organization and me...well, I am not so great at it. So I thought, what the hell? Something that might help close that gap would be nice.

Now, the products themselves are cute. there are many patterns to choose from. There are bright, colorful patterns as well as more subdued hues an minimalist prints. The fabric is definitely higher quality than those fabric bins and grocery store totes but I admit to feeling really shocked when I saw the price tags for many of the items. Take for example this simple storage cube Cute right? It has a wire frame to hold shape but $45? I'm sorry, that is just a huge cost to me especially when I can get similar things for way, way less at stores like Target.
I left the party without making a purchase.
Fast forward to Christmas time and I received a beautiful large utility tote that sells for $35. My mother in law stuffed it full of Christmas goodies for the family and I was excited to have the opportunity to try a Thirty One product myself.

The thing about this tote...while its super cute and a good size for grocery shopping trips ( I have used it several times now instead of the fabric bags and I am happy with how much it holds...although it tends to get VERY heavy) it does not come with an insert. Lucky for me, my MIL purchased the separate insert and set it in that tote for me. Without the Stand Tall Insert the tote has its wire frame but not much support for those heavier groceries. So far I have not been able to locate this item on their website or the paper catalog linked to at the website. I can tell you right now that if they aren't selling it anymore I don't think I would recommend buying a utility tote since you really run the risk of bending the wire frame if you but heavier items in the tote.

I got invited to an online Facebook party, and since I was on an organization kick (specifically my kids school area) I decided to join in, play some games and order a few smaller items. I ended up buying 3 of the Oh-Snap pockets with the intention of using one of each for my kids worksheets and workbooks relevant to the school week. At $15 a piece I was somewhat comfortable with the purchase. I opted for the chalk version so I could write the kids names (personalization is an option but it costs $7-$10 depending on what options you chose. Since I wanted to keep my cost down I decided to go with the $5 chalk they sell. Because I hit the $50 threshold, I had the option to purchase a Your Way Rectangle for $10 instead of $25. I went for it figuring that I would use it to store away loose small reader books, microphones or headphones that my kids use during the school day. I also received a free gift from the party, which to my surprise was a Littles Carry All Caddy and at $12 retail, I thought that was a nice touch on the consultants part. Usually free gifts for winning a game or being the next one to make a purchase, are small items that are under $10. I am currently using that item to hold my make up on my dresser and I am pleased at how neat that has made my dresser look. It is made of the trademark sturdy fabric but is easily collapsible and does not have a stiff bottom insert.

Now, I haven't set up my hanging pockets yet but I have opened up my storage rectangle. Is it something amazing? No. It is collapsible which means its only semi-rigid. the sides are pretty firm and the bottom fabric pretty thick (and feel water resistant) and the bottom has a stiff piece that folds out to run the length of the bin. My qualm with it is that it has no lid. That's right, you would normally pay $25 for a bin that has no lid. If you want a lid you have to cough up an extra $10. Now, that may be a small thing, but to me it makes a big difference. I have dozens of lidless fabric bins that I have picked up for $5-7 at target and they work for toys and maybe those unmatched socks that tumble out of the dryer on a regular basis...but if I am going to shell out $25 for an organizer cube/rectangle, it should come with a damn lid (unless it's a large basket but I don't think anyone expects a basket to have a lid). I am grateful that I only paid the $10 for it, but honestly, if I had paid attention and seen that it didn't come with a lid I probably would have passed on it.

The bottom line: I love the idea of organizing my home and having nice things to do that with, but I am also big on not shelling out a fortune to do it. I bought some of these wire Mesh wall folders for my husbands office and they may require more work to hang (the Oh-snap pockets can use Command hooks rated for the proper weight if you are wanting to avoid using screws or nails.) but they are cheaper than the pockets, more sturdy I don't find their appearance to be a problem. Not to mention the fact that if you have Amazon Prime you can get it shipped for free unlike the items from Thirty One. When I added 3 items to my cart and checked the shipping today I saw a charge for $7.60. So in getting three of those hanging pockets, plus shipping, my total would be 52.60. If I purchased three of the mesh wall file holders from Amazon I would pay only $33.57, and a $19 difference is nothing to scoff at.
So, if you really want to avoid having to use screws then maybe the Thirty One stuff is for you (although you could probably find other things that don't require screws elsewhere) but ultimately I don't feel that they are worth the cost. As far as the totes go, sure the fabric is sturdier than your average cheaper bag, but is it worth the extra money? Nah, I'd rather use a cheaper bag and take myself out for coffee a half a dozen times.