Category / alarm

by Kelly Mattei

Holiday Shopping Ideas: My Favorite Amazon Purchases of the Past Year

Holiday shopping ideas: my favorite Amazon purchases of the past year. ***All prices listed are subject to change. Any price shown was the price at time of publication.***

  • Sightline Multifocus Progressive Reading Glasses. One of my greatest purchases of all time. No joke. I love the Sightline Multifocus Reading Glasses. Ask my husband; I have several pairs in different styles. See their offerings here.

  • Anrabess Tunic Sweater. I purchased this in black and in forest green…several of each. I love them. Comfortable, soft, and they look more expensive than they are. Get them here.

  • Musicozy Sleep Mask with bluetooth ear buds. Love it! Great for airplanes. Great for tuning out someone’s snoring. Just all around great. Get them here.

  • Amazon Essentials Brushed Tech Stretch Joggers. So comfortable and lightweight! I’m wearing them right now! In fact, I wear them every opportunity, and they wash up well too! Get them for just $26.80 here.

  • Velvet Hangers. These have been awesome! I love that my clothes don’t slip off the hangers, and they take up less room in my closet! Get them here.

  • Rabbit Plastic Flask. Greatest flask ever. Get it here.

  • Bifocal Reading Sunglasses. I have had lots of bifocal readers over the years, but these are my new favorites. Get a two-pack for $21.98. They’re well-made and get the job done! Even my college-age daughter approved! Get them here.

  • Apple 2nd Gen Airpods. No, they’re not the latest model, but they’re great for me and a great price! I paid $99. I’ve used them on airplanes several times. Get them here.

  • Dippity Do Light Hold Gelee. If you’re my age, you grew up with Dippity Do. This claims to be the original formula, and it holds hair well. I like it. Get it here.

  • Lifestraw Filter Bottle. I love Lifestraw products. They filter 99.9 % of impurities from water. It’s cool to have a filtering bottle. I’ve used mine a lot. Get it here.

  • Anti-theft Backpack. I purchased one of these for a recent trip to Panamá. I carried it every day, and even took it on a boat trip through the Panamá Canal. I’m still carrying it. In fact, I’m considering another one. It’s inexpensive but sturdy and deters theft, because it opens on the side that’s against your back. Get it here.

  • Luggage Cable Locks. I purchased these for the same trip. These small locks are easy to use, and they are TSA approved. Get them for $22.99 for a set of four here.

  • RFID blocker credit card holder. Another purchase for the trip, this is still useful to me every single day. At $16.99, it’s a deal; it blocks scanners from stealing your credit card info. Get it here.

  • OOFOS recovery flip flops. I purchased these because a neighbor told me they would help my sciatica. Sciatica is better, and I’m still wearing them. They’re about $75. Get them here.

  • Ceramic Face Vases. I use these for makeup brushes on my vanity. They’re $25.99 for two. Get them here.

  • Stylus Pens. I love the way these pens write! They’re inexpensive, but they’re smooth. Get them here.

  • Makeup Erasers. I have talked about these until my friends are probably tired of hearing about them. They remove makeup with just water! My daughter and I are both amazed by them! Great stocking stuffer. Get them here.

  • O2 Cool Portable Fan. I take this on every trip I take. It gives off a lot more than you think it will. Place it on the nightstand…directly on my face. I stay cool. It’s lightweight and fits right into my carry-on. At only $11.99 right now, it’s a deal. Get it here.

  • Under Sink Organizer. I ordered this in August, and I’m amazed at how much more space I have under my bathroom vanity! Just $22.99 for two organizers! Get them here.

  • Tie Front top. I like this so much that I ordered two more. I wear them all the time. They’re comfortable and slimming. Get it here.

  • Statement Earrings. Cute earrings for $10.99? Yes, please! I think I got these in six colors. They’re lightweight and add some color around the face. They’re offered in lots of colors! Get them here.

  • Moving Bags. Great for moving college students to and from their dorms and apartments, and they’re super sturdy! They’re about $37 for an 8-pack. Get them here.

  • Folding Step Stool. I liked the first one so much that I bought an extra. This 13″ folding stepstool is useful all over the house and is easy to store. Get it for $14.99 here.

  • Plantar Fasciitis Socks. After struggling with plantar fasciitis, I purchased these, and they seem to help! Get them here.

  • Wi Touch Bluetooth TENS Machine. Sciatica caused me lots of pain this summer, but this TENS machine, that sticks to my back, delivered some relief. If you or someone you know suffers from back pain, it might help. It’s $69.95, but it’s worth it. ***Consult your doctor before using this product.*** Get it here.

  • Hulken Bags. One of my favorite purchases ever. No joke. Every household needs at least one. Bags on wheels…need I say more? Check the Hulken offerings on Amazon here.

  • Fly Fans. A little out of season now, but in the summer in the south, we definitely need something to keep flies away when we dine outdoors. These battery operated “fly fans” do the trick. For under $30, you can get four here.

  • Sunset Projection Lamp. My daughter got one of these when she lived in the dorm last year. She loved it. Great gift at $13.99 for a high school or college student. Get it here.

  • Verilux Happy Light. If someone on your list suffers with Seasonal Affective Disorder, this could be the answer. Give them happiness! Get it for $39.99 here.

  • Conair 1 1/4″ barrel curling iron. This is great for curling or smoothing hair. It’s the one I have used for years. Get it for $18.99 here.
  • Dyson Air Wrap System. It’s expensive at $599, but my daughter loves hers, and all her friends love the Dyson Air Wrap System for styling their hair too. They tell me they don’t know what they did before it. Get it here.

  • Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo. I used this every third shampoo and follow it up with a good conditioner. I love this shampoo for cleansing any buildup out of my hair. I buy the 33 oz size for $30.50, and it lasts a long time. Get it here.

  • Favorite Daughter Sweatshirt. I have one daughter, so it’s no surprise that she’s my favorite. She has a friend who has this shirt, so I got her one too. She loves it. Get it here for your favorite daughter.

  • She’s Birdie Personal Alarm. This is a great gift or stocking stuffer for any girl/woman…especially college students. Get it here.

  • Phone Charging Alarm Clock. I got this for my husband, and he loves it…uses it every day and night all the time. Get it here.

Those are my 35 favorite Amazon purchases from the past year! I hope you see something that can be useful as a Christmas gift for someone on your list!

Happy Holiday Shopping!

by Kelly Mattei

Summer Travel Necessities

Summer travel necessities.

Our little family got home last night from a sunny vacation. Based on experience, I knew exactly what I needed to make my life easier while traveling, so I’m going to share some ideas. Lots of these items also make great graduation gifts, in case you’re still searching for the perfect gift. Also, some of them make good Father’s Day gifts…that’s coming up…don’t forget!

No matter what, there are some things I like to have when I’m away from home. Here are some suggestions for making your life easier:

  • LeakLocks Toiletry Skins. I found these at Amazon a year or two ago, and now, they are absolute essentials when I travel. They are rubber “skins” that you pull over the top of bottles to keep them from leaking in your luggage. I used them on my shampoo, my self-tanner, and my sunscreens, and I still put them in Ziploc bags for extra protection. There’s nothing worse than arriving at my destination to find my self-tanner has leaked all over the plastic bag it’s in. Secretly, I will tell you I’ve even used this over the top of a plastic flask I was sneaking into a college football game. I didn’t need vodka leaking all over my clothes. LeakLocks are an inexpensive way to save all your stuff, and they stretch to fit different types of bottles. To purchase LeakLocks, click here. And if you’d like to look into a plastic flask before football season starts, you can get one at Amazon. Plastic flasks are great, because metal detectors don’t pick them up. To purchase a Rabbit plastic flask for under $8, click here. *The Rabbit flask says it is leak-proof, but I recommend using the LeakLock with it.*
  • Packing Cubes. Don’t groan. I always thought packing cubes were a waste of time and money until recently, when I tried them at the suggestion of a friend. What did they do for me? They made packing and unpacking a lot easier when I arrived at my destination and again when I returned home. For under $25, you get a set of eight packing accessories, and they come in lots of different colors! Get them at Amazon here. Or check out some others from Olarhike for about $20 here.
  • Travel Adapter. If you’re traveling internationally, it’s possible (likely) you’ll need a travel adapter. Otherwise, you’ll burn up any electrical appliances like hairdryers, curling irons, and straighteners when you plug them into the hotel outlet. Back when I was a flight attendant, I burned up a hairdryer this way, and one of my coworkers burned off her bangs when she used her curling iron in a hotel in another country. Seriously, she burned off her bangs. Even she thought it was funny! Purchase for about $18 here.
  • Laundry bags. It’s a lot easier for me to start laundry when we get home if I have all the dirty laundry in one (or two) bags. I can put one bag in my luggage, and my husband can put one in his, if we have that many dirty items. When we get home, I just grab those two bags out of the suitcases and take them straight to the laundry room…no sorting through the clothes to figure it out. Anything that wasn’t worn can be steamed and put away quickly. To see the laundry bags I use, click here. Or you can get a different type from Miamica on Amazon here.
  • Portable Bluetooth Speaker. If you’re going to be on a beach or in a boat, it’s nice to have a quality portable bluetooth speaker. We love the JBL Clip 3 when we travel. It puts out quality sound and is easy to operate. It’s small and lightweight, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space in your carry-on or checked baggage. It also comes in a variety of colors. To purchase for under $60 from Amazon, click here. ***This also makes a great graduation gift!!!***
  • Lifestraw products. If you’re traveling somewhere that might not have a clean water supply, you need some Lifestraw products. If you’ve ever had Montezuma’s Revenge in Mexico, you know you need something to purify the water. Lifestraw makes lots of travel products…personal straws and collapsible cups/pitchers. This is a product I highly recommend! Also, they’re great for camping trips and hiking trips, and they make great gifts for someone who might be traveling to a developing country. I gave one to a friend’s daughter as part of her graduation gift when I knew she would be traveling on a mission trip to Cuba. I am traveling to Panama in October, and I will be taking some Lifestraw products with me. See the Lifestraw straws here. And see their whole line of products here. These are products I highly recommend!

  • Travel Door Alarm. If you have ever been awakened in a hotel room by someone coming into your room, you know how important a travel door alarm can be. I had someone walk into my room one time, because a hotel accidentally checked him into my room after I had already been checked in. When I screamed, he left immediately. I called the front desk, and they apologized profusely for the error. There are different types of travel door alarms. One is in a door stopper, and the other is not. If you’re concerned someone wouldn’t be able to get to you in an emergency, don’t get the door stopper one. You can see the door stopper one here. It keeps people from entering the room and emits a siren. For a travel alarm that doesn’t block the door but emits a loud sound, there’s the Lewis and Clark Travel Alarm. You can purchase here.
  • Travel Fan. I love my O2 Cool Travel Fan. It’s small and lightweight, and it doesn’t take up much room in my suitcase. It also puts off way more air than you think it will. I usually plug it in (it’s can be battery-operated or plugged in, which I prefer) on the nightstand right next to my head in any hotel. I turn it on, and I don’t get hot during the night. It’s an inexpensive way to improve your sleep in hotels. Get it at Amazon here. This is another product I highly recommend!
  • Road Trip Games. Interstate driving travel can be boring. If you have a road trip planned, you might benefit from having some road trip games in the car. It can improve the ride and helps keep kids from staring at phones the whole time. I love road trip games. See a selection of them at Amazon here.

There you have some suggestions. Feel free to message me with more ideas for travel necessities, and I will share those too!