Thank you for visiting my blog of the best products and services I find.
There’s no set topic, just an eclectic mix of random things. Not every bit of tat I buy, just the things that truly exceed my expectations.
Promoting the best digital and physical products and services
- Home & Garden (4)
- Investing (1)
- Save Money (4)
- Software & Apps (2)
- Technology & Gadgets (4)
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I’m hopeless at cooking, but occasionally I’m trusted with unskilled tasks, and mashing potatoes is one of them. I tried the standard mashers, and they were hard work because they’re badly designed with a vertical grip and usually flimsy as well. The OXO Good Grips one is a game changer. Sturdy stainless steel with a solid vertical grip, making it easy to mash. The RRP is £12.63, but it’s £9.60 on Amazon at the time of writing.
Features:
Stainless steel construction
Thick horizontal handle
Dishwasher safe
BPA free -
I hate umbrellas. A gust of wind and they’re inside out, with you looking like a clown as you fight to flip them back the right way. A few minutes later you’re doing it again, but some of the flimsy ribs have bent, so now it’s looking a little bedraggled. You look like you’ve fallen on hard times with your battered umbrella, so you dump it in the nearest bin.
My mum asked me to order her a specific umbrella from Amazon, and naturally I shared my opinion, but she assured me this one was different. I was sceptical, but it did have over 100,000 reviews, and 85% were 4-star and above. Fast forward a few months, and I was ready to say I told you so, so I asked her about it. She had used it dozens of times and hadn’t had any issues, so I ordered one to see for myself.
To my amazement, the Repel windproof travel umbrella actually works. I’ve been out in some pretty windy conditions, and it’s worked perfectly. I think it achieves this due to two main differences from any other umbrella I’ve ever had. 1) The canopy ribs are made from resin-reinforced fibreglass, not thin metal. 2) The canopy is made of two separate pieces so that wind can pass through it. It’s available in 12 colours, and the RRP is £29.99 on Amazon, but it’s often on offer for £19.99.
Features:
Canopy: 107cm (42″)
Closed length: 29cm (11.5″)
Weight: 450g (1lb)
Vented canopy to let air through
Resin-reinforced fibreglass ribs
Withstands winds up to 85mph
Auto open and close
Lifetime replacement warranty -
Zilch is my favourite money-saving hack. You get instant cashback every single time you pay using Zilch. You can use the cashback instantly against your next purchase using Zilch. It’s totally free, although there is a premium option that increases the cashback percentage.
What is Zilch?
Zilch is a virtual debit card that you link to the debit card of your bank account. You then use the Zilch card to pay, and the money comes from your bank account’s debit card.Cashback
Zilch has numerous partners, and you get up to 5% cashback from those partners. Most are 2% or 3% though, but this includes everyday spending, like Amazon, Asda, Boots, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. I spend a fortune at Tesco and Amazon, so 2% cashback every single time makes a big difference across the year. You also get 0.5% cashback with non-Zilch partners.Buy Now Pay Later
Zilch also offers a buy now, pay later option, where you pay for your purchase over 6 weeks or 3 months. You don’t get any cashback percentage, and it is only free for purchases from Zilch Partners. It is available on other purchases, but they charge a small fee for this.Availability
Zilch is available for both Apple iOS and Google Android. You can add the virtual card to Apple Pay and Google Pay, and you can order a physical card for £4.99.Zilch Plus
For £3.99 per month, you can upgrade to Zilch Plus. Zilch Plus gives you a free physical card and 1% higher cashback. You need to be spending £400 per month for Zilch Plus to pay for itself. £400 at 2% cashback = £8 and £400 at 3% cashback = £12, covering the monthly fee. With Zilch Plus, you also get free tastecard membership included.If you sign up for Zilch using my referral link, we both get £5.
https://zilch.onelink.me/x8EV/by2uy1ppSome Popular Zilch Partners
Amazon, Argos, Asda, B&Q, Boots, Cineworld, Costa, Currys, Decathlon, Deliveroo, Domino’s, Dunelm, easyJet Holidays, eBay, Greggs, Harvester, JD Sports, John Lewis, Just Eat, KFC, M&S, McDonald’s, Morrisons, Next, Pandora, Pizza Hut, Primark, Sainsbury’s, Savers, Screwfix, Superdrug, Tesco, The Range, TK Maxx, Toolstation, Very & Wickes, to name a few of over 5,000 partners.Zilch is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
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There are thousands of headphones on the market, and many of them are better than these. I’m promoting these because they are extremely good value for money for low-latency wireless headphones. For those that don’t know, low-latency means they eliminate any audio lag. There’s nothing worse than the audio not matching the visual or the action you are performing. If you’re gaming, video editing, live streaming, etc., low-latency is essential. I actually bought them for metal detecting, where low latency is a must. These headphones are well made, lightweight and packed with features. RRP is £35.99, and they are £31.99 on Amazon at the time of writing.
Features:
Rechargeable with up to 22 hours of battery life (USB-C)
Dual microphones for better voice quality
High-performance 32 mm neodymium drivers
Bluetooth 5.0 for better quality and increased range
Multipoint connectivity for two devices at the same time
aptX Low Latency to eliminate audio lag
aptX HD for better than CD audio quality
Qualcomm cVc 8.0 noise cancellation -
Cashback sites are a fantastic way to save money. They’re easy to use and offer significant savings, especially on things like subscriptions, insurance and travel. You sign up for free, and then all you need to do is visit the site before shopping online. Go to the cashback site, search for the retailer, and then click through to the retailer’s website and shop as normal. It’s worth having accounts with the three main players, because discounts and available retailers vary. I tend to check all three before making a major purchase. It can take a while for the cashback to be available, but once it is, you can withdraw it to your bank account.
If you sign up to Quidco using my referral link, you get £10 and I get £25.
If you sign up to Rakuten using my referral link, we both get £25.
If you sign up to TopCashback using my referral link, you get £10 and I get £25.
Sign up for all 3 and you’ll get £45! Once you’ve signed up, you’ll get your own referral links to share with your friends and family. -
This is a great little speaker that packs a punch with clear and rich sound. It’s perfect for the bathroom or any room of the house. It’s dustproof, waterproof and even floats, so it’s perfect for outdoor pursuits as well. Take it to the beach or hiking, because water, sand and mud aren’t a problem. The battery lasts up to 20 hours, so you don’t have to worry about it lasting all day. It comes in 6 different colours; RRP is £24.99, but the black one is £18.98 on Amazon at the time of writing.
Features:
Size 83mm high x 121mm wide x 48mm deep
IP67 dustproof and waterproof
Floats in water
Lightweight and portable
5W Maximum sound output
Bluetooth range 30 metres
Built in carrying loop -
Screenshot Gone are the days when a simple password will stop you getting hacked. We’re often encouraged to have at least one capital letter and a special character, so that’s a capital at the beginning and an exclamation mark at the end for most of us. That might stop your mum logging into your Facebook, but password-cracking software will get into your bank account fairly quickly.
If you want all of your accounts to be secure, you need a long, random and unique password for each account. The free version of NordPass lets you generate random passwords with numbers, letters and symbols up to 64 characters long, although 20 characters is enough for most people. These passwords are saved and synced across all your devices, so you don’t need to remember them. NordPass is available for Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone and works on most popular web browsers. The free version is totally adequate, the only real restriction being that you can only have it open on one device at a time. Premium adds access on multiple devices, password health, a data breach scanner, an authenticator and file attachments.
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There are hundreds of video doorbells on the market, but I think this is the best allrounder.
No subscription required
You don’t have the ongoing cost of a subscription because it can save recordings to a micro SD card. You do have the option of a cloud storage subscription, but it isn’t essential.Rechargeable battery or wired
It comes with a built-in rechargeable battery, or you can hardwire it.Alexa and Google Home
It will announce a doorbell press through your smart speaker as well as ring your mobile phone. It also comes with a separate plugin sounder unit.Ultra-wide View
It has a 180° view, so it covers head to toe and a very large area.Full-colour night vision
The built-in spotlight enables full-colour recording at night.AI detection alerts
It uses AI to distinguish between people, pets, vehicles and packages.Anti-theft alarm
If someone tries to remove the doorbell, it triggers a very loud alarm.I’ve had mine for 8 months now, and it ticks all the boxes for me, especially the ‘no subscription required’ one. At the time of writing it’s £89.99 at Amazon but the RRP is £119.99
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A great way to save money is by purchasing gift cards. You purchase an electronic gift card on your mobile and receive cashback instantly. There are certain places where I only ever pay with a gift card now, particularly restaurants. I often visit Harvester and Toby Carvery, and when the bill comes, I buy a gift card to pay and save somewhere between 10% and 14%. You can often find up to 5% at the major supermarkets as well. I often buy a £100 Tesco gift card with a 5% discount and add it to my Apple Wallet and use it to pay every time I shop there. A 5% discount on all of your grocery shopping over the year can be a huge saving.
There are numerous providers, but I’ve found that cheddar and everup tend to be the best overall, with higher cashback and more popular retailers. With everup, they also give you coins you can use to play games to win up to £750. I’ve never won more than 12p but it’s a bit of free fun.
If you sign up to cheddar using my referral link, we both get £3.
If you sign up to everup using my referral link, you’ll get 10 million coins, and I’ll get £5 and 5 million coins.
SavvySeanUK 