Free document scanning, an affordable DIY air purifier, and an $800 Bose soundbar for $314
PLUS: Updates on Bundler, finding dupe furniture on the cheap, and more!
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold blue 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.
Happy summer, friends! Hope you’re staying cool and doing cool things and not losing your cool over the nonsense that invades everyday life. My advice, as always: Take long walks, stay away from the news, spend more time reading books.
Or writing them! I’ve got some updates to share, starting with that:
📖 Book update: I’ve completed the first draft of Everything I Need to Know, I Learned Playing Pickleball — Stories from the Court, Lessons from the Sport. Will it be THE hot gift item of 2024? Generating a Tickle-Me Elmo level of fervor? Almost certainly. Or my mom will buy three copies and that’ll be the end of it. Either way… progress!
🎙️ Podcast update: Rick and Dave Control the Universe continues to be on hiatus while we work on Freaks and Geeks and Geeks, a rewatch podcast celebrating the 25th anniversary of one of the all-time great one-season wonders. We’ve recorded the first two episodes and plan to launch toward the end of summer. Just waiting on Paul Feig to return our calls…
📺 Bundler update: Still working! For those who missed it last time, Bundler bundles seven streaming services — possibly illegally, but it’s still operating so who knows? — for just $15 per month. Although I’m not actively using it, I decided to “let it ride” for a second month just to see how things played out. There’s no portal or anything to help you manage your account, and emails to customer service usually take a full day to get answered. Also, the Prime Video account got closed twice along the way, but both times I was provided with replacement login credentials that worked. My verdict continues to be:
QUICK HITS
🛅 We all know the importance of having a will, a medical directive, and all that — just in case. But what if you find yourself hospitalized (or worse) and a family member needs access to your passwords? Will he or she know where they’re stored and how to unlock the vault? It’s a conversation worth having. (As regular readers know, I’m a fan of password manager Bitwarden; it’s free, and you can organize various passwords, notes, and the like into a “collection” that’s shared with another user.) Whatever password-management method you use, make sure someone has access in case of emergency.
🪑 Ever spot a piece of furniture you love, but the price makes you gasp? Copy that URL (i.e. web address) to your clipboard, head to Dupe.com, then paste it in the box up top. There’s a decent chance you’ll find an exact duplicate priced much lower.
📱 Another win for 3D printing: Not long ago, Mrs. Deal Secrets asked for a phone stand she could keep on her desk at work. Her current one wasn’t deep enough to accommodate the wallet that’s built into the back of the phone case. So I found this Desk Phone Holder and 3D-printed it. She loves it! So much so that I’ve started giving them out to friends and family; they all love it, too. It’s sturdy and cool-looking and holds pretty much any phone, regardless of case-bulk. Perfect for breakfast-table reading and whatnot.
The $800 Bose Smart Soundbar 700 is on sale for just $314, and don’t bother looking for a catch
Watching TV without a soundbar means robbing yourself of a decent audio experience. Or, in this case, an amazing one: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Bose (via eBay, because reasons) is offering the certified-refurbished Bose Smart Soundbar 700 for $314 shipped. It originally sold for $799.
Why the hefty discount? This model dates back to 2019 and is now discontinued — not that there’s anything wrong with that. Although it’s refurbished, it’s listed as being in “pristine, like-new condition” and backed by a two-year warranty. Plus, it’s sold by Bose proper, not some third party.
Notable specs here include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity (yes, this can double as an AirPlay speaker), support for Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, automated audio calibration for your exact room setup, and a stylish, low-profile design.
There’s no Dolby Atmos here like on some newer Bose soundbars, but let me be blunt: That’s an overrated feature. If you want surround sound, you add surround speakers.
Anyway, check out this Bose Soundbar 700 review if you want to learn more. My take: Amazing deal on a premium soundbar.
How to build your own indoor air purifier on the cheap
I’ve long been skeptical of air purifiers, because what are they, really? A fan paired with a filter, often to the tune of hundreds of dollars. All they do is circulate the air in a room, ostensibly to catch things like pollen, mold, viruses and whatnot.
Of course, for those who suffer from allergies or have pets that shed or children that bring home germs, that kind of filtration might be beneficial. The question is, do you need to spend $200 or more on a fancy purifier and then keep buying the special filters that go with it?
Maybe not. With a $20 box fan and at least one fairly ordinary HVAC filter, you can build a comparable — or, by some estimates, superior — air purifier. It’s called a Corsi-Rosenthal Box. It’s basically a cube consisting of four filters and the fan at the front. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
Some folks don’t even go that far; they just slap a single filter on the back of the fan, let suction keep it there, and call it a day. Obviously one filter can’t match the performance of four, but for something like a small bedroom? It’s probably plenty.
You can pick up the requisite 20-inch box fan for around $20 at stores like Walmart, Menard’s, and Tractor Supply. Meanwhile, Walmart has a 4-pack of MERV 13 20x20x2 filters for $55, though obviously you can hit up just about any hardware store.
Check out this Reddit page for a deeper dive. And if you’ve ever built one of these, what was the outcome?
I signed up for a credit card to score free hotel nights — and I’d do it again
It might surprise you to learn I’ve never leveraged a credit-card offer in order to score free travel — until now. A few months back, knowing I had a couple large expenses coming up, I signed up for Marriott Bonvoy card. The deal was this: Spend at least $5,000 over the course of three months (easy-peasy when you’re staring down the barrel of a wedding) and receive five free nights at any Marriott property worldwide.
Usually (and currently) the offer is for three free nights after spending at least $3,000, but occasionally they raise the stakes to four or five. Yes, there’s a $95 annual fee, but you also get a free additional night every year, effectively making that charge a wash. And overall it’s a pretty significant value for a small amount of hoop-jumping (namely, remembering to use the Bonvoy card for a couple months). We already booked two of the five nights for an upcoming Chicago stay that would have cost at least $500 otherwise.
Like I said, I’m something of a neophyte at this. If you want to learn more about credit-card reward deals, check out Monkey Miles.
A free and easy way to use your phone as a document scanner
Every so often I need to scan a document, be it a tax form, receipt, or whatever. No actual scanner needed; I just pull out my phone, which has more than enough megapixels in its camera to capture crisp, clear scans.
For years my go-to scanning app was Scannable, which made this process quick, easy, and efficient. But recent updates have effectively ruined it, leaving me to seek out other options.
Turns out there’s a pretty great one built right into my iPhone: The Notes app can scan documents, and you’d be forgiven not knowing about it because it’s not exactly obvious. Here’s the step-by-step:
Create new note.
Tap the camera icon.
Choose Scan Documents.
Point the camera at the page, adjusting the height so you can see the entire thing onscreen. By default, the app will automatically snap a photo once it has a clear view of the document.
Repeat as needed with additional pages, then tap Save when you’re all done.
What’s nice about this is your scans are automatically synced and saved to your iCloud account, and can be shared as needed via email, text, etc.
However, unless you switch to manual mode when scanning, you can’t make any adjustments to the scans (like cropping the edges) after the fact.
If you want a more versatile tool (and/or you’re an Android user), check out Adobe Scan. It’s free and decidedly PDF-friendly (allowing you to fill out and sign forms). I did notice, however, that it doesn’t do as good a job “cleaning up” scans as other apps. (Scannable was a rockstar at this.)
PLAYLIST
The Outlaws S3 debuted May 31 on Amazon Prime. Woo-hoo! Did S2 have a perfectly satisfactory ending? Yes. Was I super-excited for its return anyway? Also yes. This show is criminally underrated. Alas, Christopher Walken appears to be MIA from this season, at least so far, but the first episode was just as funny and enjoyable as all those that came before it. Get your binge on, people!
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!
Using Android? Scan documents for free using the Google Drive app. Just navigate to the folder you want the scan to go to, hit the "+ New" button and and select "Scan" from the toolbar that pops up. The rest is pretty straight forward.
RE: Hotel nights--if you have the spending coming up anyway, the credit cards that offer a free night each year for the anniversary/annual fee can be a good deal. And, you and Mrs. Cheapskate can each get a card AND you can hold a business & personal card.
Marriott and IHG (Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza) both have cards that accrue a free night each year for the annual fee. (Some restrictions depending on which level card but I think you can add points to the free night certificate too) I use one Marriott night every year on the way home from Europe at the Schiphol Sheraton at Amsterdam airport (normally 220 euros+) and another each year during a launch weekend at Kennedy Space Center at the Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center (150-200 per night). If there's a night launch, there's a rooftop bar there that's a great vantage point. I get good value out of those cards.