A $40 Ember Mug alternative that's surprisingly good...
...and a $15 AirTag alternative that's surprisingly not. This issue is short and sweet, just like you. (What... I don't know how tall you are.)
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold type), meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.
Greetings, Deal Secrets peeps! Not to be confused with Easter Peeps, the beloved seasonal marshmallow treat. Speaking of which, this seems like the proper time of year to share the secret to eating Peeps the right way:
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No offense, Peeps lovers; those things just gross me out, and that video makes me laugh and laugh.
THIS ONN IS OFF: A short while back I shared some insights into Apple AirTags and other item trackers. One product that didn’t make the cut was the Onn Item Locator, which supports Apple’s Find My network and seems like a steal at $14.88. Good news: I’ve now had the chance to test it. Bad news: It’s a bad product. Bought two of them; both were defective. You can read my full Onn Item Locator review here.
ANOTHER AFFORDABLE INTERNET OPTION: Recently I wrote about T-Mobile Home Internet, the service I’ve been using for the past two years. As it happens, I’m just in the process of switching over to Verizon 5G Home Internet because I can get it super-cheap through work. For civilians it’s $50 monthly (equipment included, no taxes/fees), same as T-Mobile, but if you have Verizon service for your phone, it’s just $25. That’s a pretty stellar deal.
Now, this is purely anecdotal, but at my house Verizon has been much faster than T-Mobile (not that I ever found the latter to be slow). However, I don’t love the Verizon app, which is clunky and always requires sign-in and doesn’t let you change modem settings or reset it if necessary. But that’s hardly a deal-breaker. Just glad to have another internet service provider option that’s not Comcast. Check out Verizon Home Internet to learn more.
THIS COFFEE MUG DEAL IS HOT, HOT, HOT: Love the idea of an Ember self-heating mug but not the insane price of an Ember self-heating mug? Turns out there’s a cheaper option: The Tzumi IonMug sells for just $39.98, and it’s actually pretty decent. Available in black, bronze, or white, it comes with a charging coaster and can last a couple hours on a charge (if you use the included lid). There are only three temperature presets, though, and a few Walmart customers have cited reliability issues. I’ve been testing one for about a week; so far, so good. And there’s a one-year warranty, if that puts your mind at ease.
BOOK CLUBBING IS THE BEST KIND OF CLUBBING: Quick report from A Book, A Beer, A Brotherhood, which convened this week to discuss the jaw-dropping Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. It was a small but splendid group, with lively discussion, lots of great insights, and some cool life stories from the Brotherhood. (In honor of the book, I asked everyone to share their scariest moment, and, boy, did we get some tales.)
One member also drew some unfortunate parallels between Japan’s internal anti-America propaganda during World War II and what’s happening within our own country right now. And I think that’s exactly why it’s important to join groups, meet new people, and try to combat this mindset of the “evil other.” In the end, we’re all just humans trying to be happy; shame on those who would pit us against each other.
(Wow, didn’t mean to get political, here. Not my bag at all. Bottom line: Books are awesome, the group is great, you should join!)
Thanks for reading Deal Secrets! Questions? Comments? Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook, or shoot me an e-mail. I’ll do my best to respond to all inquiries! Want to show your support? Buy me a coffee!
Lol that video made my morning, thanks Rick!
Great post, thank you Rick