Shep’s Mom’s Favorite Kinja Deals of 2018

I started off the year with high expectations and super cold temperatures. I couldn’t go outside so I bought the Stamina ATX Rower. It was great. For a few weeks. It is still great but more of a device to step over than sit on. The rower works great, gave a nice workout, but as resolutions often go come February…..

This might not work for everyone, but I have a basement. Kinja got me started buying online in bulk. I ordered a dozen rolls of paper towels and was in heaven having them dropped on my porch. What a way to avoid driving the mile to the store! I do feel some guilt toward my my very sweet mail carrier, but nevertheless I persisted. First the towels, then toilet paper, then pretty much anything Kinja offers links to in multi packs. Tide Pods, K-cups, pots and pans, and finally some AmazonBasics batteries. Love these.

We added an Instant Pot to the McAllister home this year. Shep needs to give us some lessons because we are not using it very much, but it really did make pulled pork in no time flat. Note to Shep…..come visit us so you can give me Instant Pot lessons.

A huge hit for the year was the Nebula Capsule, a birthday present for Shep’s little brother.Very, very cool. If you have a blank wall, or want to impress your friends and relatives, go get yourself one from Shep. Super cool, to be sure.

Do you have a Traeger Smoker? You should! If you don’t, message Shep to hook you up with the best price on one. He sometimes finds deals on the pellets, and this was a great find. You can use these grills like an oven, a grill, a smoker. So many choices. So many ways for the husband to cook me dinner.

With everyone moving away from Mom here in Virginia, I got a new puppy so I’d have something to take care of. This brush was a great find on Kinja deals. Super long puppy fur and no mats. The best dog and the best brush. Even if you have another favorite brush, I still have the best puppy.

Shep’s beautiful wife turned me on to a sunscreen from Japan. Love it….but it actually ships from Japan. Not so quick. Turns out Shep’s also lovely sister turned him onto this sunscreen that is available at your local drug store….for a hefty price! I paid $11 for one tube at a drugstore then Shep had 3 tubes for about 14 bucks. He is the best, isn’t he? So, for pick of the year in the McAllister family sunscreen bag, it is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizing Sunscreen.

Shep’s sister Meredith moved to Texas over the summer, and discovered some hell there called fire ants. In hopes of getting any strays out of her house, and to pick up pet hair while she worked, she wanted a robot vacuum. Almost like magic, she asked, and her brother posted this deal. Boom! Christmas done. She reports it does a great job. I have a regular Shark and can testify it is the only vacuum I have not broken inside of a year. Some people spill wine (You know who you are, ANDREW) some people break their phones. I kill vacuums. But not the Shark brand.

This deal was an outlier from my usual home cleaning supplies and gifts for the kids. I bought a foam roller. It was not at ALL what I was expecting. It is huge and hard and looks like it would be more at home directing traffic during interstate construction, but I am here to tell you this thing works! After getting my hair stuck a few times,I watched the instructional video. I am here today, hair intact, to tell you this thing works miracles, IF you watch the video. The family will tell you I am a just a little tiny bit tense and uptight. If your mom is as well, buy her one of these. (But ONLY if she has short hair and/or is willing to read directions or watch helpful videos.)

And finally, I broke down and bought the Apple AirPods when Shep alerted me to a sale at Walmart one day. I was having trouble running with other ear buds and keeping them working with my Apple Watch. They either synced and fell out, or didn’t sync and stayed in. I’m pretty sure it was operator error in every case, but I decided to give these a try at Shep’s recommendation. Wowza! They stayed in and played my music. I still can’t figure out how Apple made these fit everyone’s ears, but they did it. Guess that is why they are Apple designers and I am a middle age housewife in rural Virginia. But here is the big thing…..Shep called me one Sunday as he always does because he is such a good boy. He mentioned his AirPod battery was dying right there on the phone.He was using them to chat while working around his house?? Mind Blown! I had only put them in to run. Once my eyes were opened, I started using them to make calls while walking the dog. What a time saver. I made routine calls like to my insurance agent while walking around my yard with a puppy. Life changing.