I'm going to Japan for a month this summer. I know two things for certain: it will be mushi atsui (muggy hot) and I will get bitten by ka (mosquitoes). My favorite way to relive the itch of a mosquito bite is with this little device, which delivers a tiny spark of static electricity when you press the trigger. About 10 presses of the trigger will stop the itching for hours. Everyone in my family uses it. Thay cost about $10 on Amazon. It doesn't need batteries. It has a piezoelectric crystal in it. I've had one for years and it still works. Read the rest

AmazonBasics makes a good Nintendo Switch carrying case, with a pocket to store cables and a place to hold up to 10 game cartridges. I bought one a couple of months ago for $12, but right now Amazon is selling it for just $4 with free same day shipping for Prime customers.

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I like my lightbulbs to be very warm. Early LED bulbs had a harsh whitish blue color that made every room look like a 7-Eleven at 3am. These amber glow Emotionlite LED dimmable bulbs (6-pack for $20) are the opposite of LED bulbs of yore. I got them for our dining room chandelier and everyone in the household agrees they are splendid. And they work perfectly with the existing old dimmer switch - no annoying buzz. Read the rest

I keep a tin of binder clips in the kitchen, on my desk and in my tool bag. They come in all kinds of handy!

I didn't think I'd be writing a love song to binder clips today, but they just come in so amazingly useful. I clip ziplock bags to the side of my sous vide vessel. I clip bags of chips shut. I can use large size clips to hold shoes together as I'm gluing them -- and small ones on more delicate projects.

Binder clips have been used to hold trim and moulding in place as I glue or hammer it back up, after my dogs ripped it off the walls. Binder clips have held my scuba mask's strap, and acted to guide hoses and hold them in place all over my BCD.

There are 100s if not 1000s of uses, like clipping papers together.

Binder clips.

Staples Binder Clips, Assorted Sizes, Black, 60-Pack via Amazon Read the rest

I can confirm that the little Bluetooth speaker that was on sale for $7 last week sounds great. Despite its diminutive size, the sound is very solid and can be turned up a lot louder than I would have thought. The Amazon promo code Y98TGMLD still seems to work, but even if it doesn't $15 is a good price. I'm going to take this with me on trips so I can listen to music and podcasts in my hotel. Read the rest

I have an Amazon subscribe and save subscription to Mrs. Meyer's dish soap. I like the smell of it and a little goes a long way. Right now Amazon has a very good deal on a 3-pack of 16 oz. bottle for $6.75 including shipping. Read the rest

I've been using a Brother wireless laser printer for years. I paid close to $200 for it. Now you can get one for $60. I hate using an inkjet because they are slow and the always seem to have streaking issues. Laser printers are much faster and you can buy 3rd party toner cartridges for cheap (like this 3-pack for $26). Read the rest

This wallet doesn't last forever. It eventually got a small tear on the side that holds credit cards. I fixed it with a small piece of duct tape and it's been good for months. Everything else about it is perfect. I put my driver's license in the clear window, fiat currency goes in the middle, and cards go in the outside pockets. It's very thin and everything is easy to get to. It's usually $7 or $8, but it's on sale today on Amazon for $5. Read the rest

I've owned the earlier model of Panasonic's nose hair and ear hair trimmer for over ten years, and it still works perfectly. I've never had the sharpen the blades. (Can they even be sharpened?) It's easy to clean - just turn it on and run it under water -- the "'Vortex Cleaning System' draws in water from all sides and spins through the trimmer for easy nasal hair trimmer cleaning in seconds." It uses a single AA battery, which lasts months, even for a astonishingly hirsute personage such as myself.

It's regularly $15, but is on sale for $10 on Amazon right now. Read the rest

Excellent deal on Amazon right now on this 13-piece Tekton metric hex key wrench set for $7.62. The ball end means you can fit the key into a bolt at an angle. When there's an obstruction between you and the bolt, these come in handy. Read the rest

These are spongey blocks covered with abrasive grit. They are ideally suited for smoothing irregular and rough surfaces. I use them to smooth a wall after repairing cracks and nails holes with spackling paste. I've also used them to sand the necks of cigar box guitars and other musical instruments. Get the 3M ones labeled 3X or 5X, because they last longer than the ordinary ones. Read the rest