Win every gift exchange with this 10-inch digital photo frame for just $24

That's for Prime subscribers, but everyone else can get it for $35 -- still a stunningly good deal

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.

Greetings, all. It’s only December and I’m already fed up to here with the cold weather and gray skies. Anybody out there live in, say, Costa Rica and have a spare bedroom? I’m really quiet and I make a mean chocolate-chip cookie. Just saying.

One thing I’m trying really hard to do is stay off social media (I recently departed Twitter) and spend more time reading. Books are the best. You can get an unlimited supply free from your local library, and you can escape into any kind of world you want. Why would I choose doom-scrolling over that?

(Because my brain has been rewired to choose those endless little dopamine hits, that’s why. But I’m fighting it. I want my focus back. I want time to stop moving at warp speed. This is going to be a rough detox, but I honestly believe books are the answer. Your thoughts?)

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QUICK HITS

📺 “You’ve just crossed over into…”: You no longer need to wait for Christmas Eve and have the SyFy Channel to enjoy a Twilight Zone marathon; a new channel on free streaming service Pluto plays the classic TV series 24/7. In fact, you can even watch episodes on-demand, in case you want to instantly revisit your Rod Serling favorites.

⏱️ Time-saving secret: Ever watch a YouTube video or listen to a podcast and wish the speakers would, you know, hurry up a little? Good news: Most podcast apps let you adjust the playback speed (without affecting pitch or audio quality). Try cranking it up to, say, 1.2x or 1.5x and see if you like the result. You can do likewise in YouTube: Just click the little gear icon and then choose “Playback speed”. I recently did this on a work-related video; it saved me a solid chunk of time, but I still got the information I needed.

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The single best gift to give or receive: A digital photo frame for just $24

I will never shut up about digital photo frames. Anyone who knows me knows why: They get your photos out of your phone and into daily rotation so you get to actually enjoy them. I treasure mine, and I love giving them as gifts.

And this right here is the single best deal I’ve seen — ever — for a modern frame: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon Prime subscribers can get this Apofial 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Picture Frame for just $24. That’s after clipping the $15-off coupon (see above), before adding it to your cart.

Don’t have Prime? The coupon is still available, but the starting price is $50, which gets you out the door for $35 — still an exceptional deal. (Typically these generic frames sell in the $60-75 range.)

This model has a touchscreen, auto-rotation (meaning you can display it in portrait or landscape mode), and enough storage for a few thousand photos. An app called VPhoto makes it easy to add pictures and videos, and allows invited friends and family to do likewise.

Want something larger? Here’s a 15.6-inch Digital Picture Frame that drops to $70 when you apply promo code 50GTP2V6 at checkout. That’s a huge jump in screen size, plus you get higher resolution (1,920 x 1,080) and four times the storage.

I haven’t tested either of these two models, but I’ve tried plenty of other generics just like them, and they’ve all been pretty darn good. Your mileage may vary, of course, but at these prices, it’s well worth “taking a flier,” as they say.

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PLAYLIST

🍿 It’s What’s Inside (Netflix): Speaking of The Twilight Zone, I’m a sucker for movies where a group of people gathers for a party or camping trip or whatever and things go seriously sideways. That’s all I’m going to say about this trippy, stylish mind-bender, other than to say it requires your full attention. Everything about this movie impressed me: the editing, the music, the plot turns, and especially the casting. (Something like this would fail miserably without good actors.) Rick’s Rating: A-

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Thanks for reading Deal Secrets! Questions? Comments? Shoot me an e-mail. I’ll do my best to respond to all inquiries! Want to show your support? Buy me a coffee!

There's also my book: Everything I Need to Know, I Learned Playing Pickleball. And check out my curated book list at Bookshop.org, which donates to local bookstores with every purchase.