Shopping

Secret to trying a laptop out at home

Here’s a tech-savvy tip most people overlook: Just like returning clothes that don’t fit, you can often return a laptop if it’s not the right fit for you. The key is understanding the seller’s return policy. I’ll break it down so you don’t end up with an expensive doorstop.

Know the basics

Here’s what to look for in a return policy that lets you take a “try before you buy” approach:

Return period: These range from 15 days to 90 days.
Shipping and restocking fees: Some sellers hit you with return shipping or restocking fees of up to 25% of a laptop’s original price.
Surprises: You may have to keep every bit of the original packaging, or the clock on your return windows could start the second you hit “Buy,” not when it’s delivered.

So, where’s the best place to buy?

The best: Costco and Walmart both have a 90-day return window with very little in the way of fine print or picky policies.
The worst: Best Buy’s return policy is only 15 days. You get 60 days if you pay up to $180 for a My Best Buy annual membership. Don’t shop here.

What about Amazon? The return window is 30 days for laptops that didn’t start when they arrived, were delivered in a damaged condition or are still in an unopened box. If you open the box or it works, you’ll pay a 15% restocking fee. Pro tip: If you’re a good Amazon customer, hop into a chat with their customer service team and ask them to reverse the charge. This worked for me!

I asked my IT genius, John, to pick his favorite Windows and Mac laptops. He shops for the tech we use here in the studios, so you’re in fabulous hands.

Windows of opportunity

💰 HP 17 Business Laptop ($486): Powered by an i3 processor that gets the job done for browsing, banking and school or work. The 17.3-inch screen is also big without being bulky.

💰💰 Dell Inspiron ($616, 5% off): For about $100 more, you get a touchscreen and a slightly more powerful i5 processor. It can handle heavier-duty stuff, like casual gaming and programming.

💰💰💰 HP Envy ($1,129): All the bells and whistles, including an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD. Zoom-zoom!

Continue reading →

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

How to take Apple’s hearing test – and what to do if your hearing loss is more than mild

Apple really pulled off a great feat. You can now test your hearing with your AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone running iOS 18. It’s a groundbreaking feature, FDA-approved and perfect for catching mild to moderate hearing loss early.

Continue reading →

The perfect pair

🥜 Better than peanut butter and jelly … almost.

An air fryer and fancy French fry seasoning. Now all you need is a bag of frozen fries.
A pizza-cutting blade (27% off) and grease-absorbing sheets for your next game-day slice.
Viral Korean cleansing foam followed by a snail mucin moisturizer (26% off). You’ll practically glow.
Reusable overnight oats containers and cute collapsible bento boxes. No more ordering expensive breakfast and lunch.
A time-marked water bottle and a 90-day personal planner so you don’t lose complete control over your life before the holidays.
A silicone microwave mat (50% off!) and an Angry Mama microwave cleaner, because scrubbing a dirty microwave stinks.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Cozy season is upon us

🍁 These are great to gift yourself … or, you know, someone on your gift list.

Put up stained glass window film (18% off) and never worry about your neighbors judging you for watching nine hours of “Judge Judy.”
Add pizazz to your football-watching with a TV backlight (under $30). Woo, get $10 off if you click the coupon box!
Too cold to get out of bed? You need a lap desk.
Missed the northern lights? This cube (17% off, under $20) projects them onto your ceiling for some funky cosmic ambiance.
With a cute candle warmer, your favorites last longer than if you burn them all day. Don’t miss the 15% off coupon.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

eBay trick: Whether it’s a baseball card or a used car, there’s an excellent tool to determine its worth. Search for an item on eBay. After getting your search results, go to Filter and scroll to Sold Items. Tap or check the box to enable this filter. Now, you’ll only see listings for items that actually sold.

Samsonite's lightest suitcase completes a groundbreaking journey to the edge of space

The travel brand catapulted a suitcase 130,000 feet through the atmosphere to demonstrate its strength, and they captured the whole thing on video.

$1,249 a month

Cost to lease a Tesla Cybertruck for 36 months. Put $7,500 down and the payment shrinks to $999 a month. Yeah, even with the gas savings, this is ridiculously expensive.

How to spot fake reviews on Amazon and other sites online

With the holidays around the corner, I’m gearing up for a whole lot of online shopping between now and Christmas. And while I’m glad the FTC is finally cracking down on fake and paid reviews, let’s be real — it’s not going to catch every bogus review out there.

Continue reading →

This, not that

🤩 Upgrades and swaps you won’t regret.

This 2-in-1 olive oil sprayer (20% off, under $10) saves you money and cleanup time and won’t gum up your pans like Pam.
These reading glasses look stylish while you stare at the daily crossword for two hours. Way better than the generic ones from the drugstore.
Ditch harsh ceiling lights and bask in the glow of a sunset lamp for under $20. Right now, it’s 33% off and you’ll get another 5% off if you click the coupon box.
Stop hovering over the stove, waiting for the water to boil. Use this fast-heating electric kettle (14% off) instead.
The Clean Ball (20% off) rolls around inside your purse or bag to catch all the nasty stuff, like the granola bar crumbs you keep ignoring.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

🔌 This is a good find: Lots of generic phone chargers don’t meet established safety and quality testing guidelines. Consumer Reports did a ton of testing, and this cheap Amazon cord works as well as the expensive USB-C cords.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

A trick from the Komando brain

🧑‍🎄 I get stocking-stuffer shopping done early so I can focus on the bigger gifts later. (I won’t tell anyone if you get one of these for yourself!)

Guys, give your gal a jewelry cleaning stick to shine up her rings. It’s small enough to carry around and it’s under $10.
For the caffeine lover in your life, grab a five-pack of dark chocolate-flavored coffee bites for about $9. Each packs as much caffeine as one-third of a cup of coffee.
No-show socks are out; these $10 flat no-show inserts are in. They slip into any shoe and are machine washable.
This Grandmother’s Journal (39% off) is such a sweet gift. It’s a way to get her to write about her life so the whole family can remember her stories for years to come.
A cute scarf as low as $6 (57% off)? Yes, please. It’s extra long, so it can pull double-duty as a blanket.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Got kids? Amazon’s Echo Show 5 Kids (45% off right now) includes kid-focused Alexa services — think “Alexa, help me with my homework!” It also has parental controls, like time limits, language filters and activity reviews.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Share via email - Top 10 bestselling band T-shirts

Share on Facebook - Top 10 bestselling band T-shirts

Share on LinkedIn - Top 10 bestselling band T-shirts

Share on X - Top 10 bestselling band T-shirts

Top 10 bestselling vintage band T-shirts — spreadshirt.com

Have any of these band T-shirts sitting around? Cha-ching!

What if I …

Always make a mess draining pasta? Get this strainer that attaches to any pot.
Have dry, crusty winter hands already? Slap on skin repair gloves (30% off, around $3). Wearing them for 10 minutes gets the job done, but overnight is better.
Leave my jewelry in a tangled pile? Fix that with a nice travel-sized box (12% off) for guys and gals.
Don’t want patio season to end? Light a tabletop fire pit for under $28. Click the coupon box for 10% off.
Have Starbucks cups rolling around in the backseat? This hanging car trash can (16% off, around $6) comes in 15 different colors.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

🧘 It’s National Stress Awareness Day

A walk outside (with my funny podcast!) goes a long way. Need more? All these finds are under $20.

Clip a page-turner onto your Kindle so you can stay comfy in bed while you get through that cozy mystery.
Put a USB-powered travel diffuser in your car, breathe in the essential oils, and don’t flip off that truck that just cut you off.
Spray this aromatherapy mist on your pillow before bedtime for max relaxation mode. Bonus: Spritz the whole house and make everyone else relax, too.
Give your room a warm glow with a dimmable Himalayan salt lamp (10% off). There’s a reason these things are always in yoga studios.
These aromatherapy steamers make showers even more relaxing. As they dissolve, they release the smell of eucalyptus and menthol.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

I see your frayed cords …

♠️♦️ … And I raise you a nice charging station for all your tech.

Charge seven devices at a time. This dock has three USB-A-to-Lightning ports (for older iPhones), two USB-A-to-USB-C cables (most modern tech) and two USB-A-to-micro-USB cables (Kindle) so you can charge anything. Click the coupon for $10 off!
Just need USB-C ports? Cool. This fast charger packs six of them and can charge a phone to 50% in 30 minutes.
Fancy-pants Apple 3-in-1 for your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
Here’s a more affordable version that’ll get the job done, too. Don’t forget to click the extra 20% off coupon.
This affordable little charging hub is great for use at home, or pack it next time you travel.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

🤫 Secret Amazon deals page

Amazon Outlet is packed with overstock items at great prices. It’s worth browsing now and then to see if something you need is on sale!

I like putting shampoo, conditioner and body wash in clear containers (50% off a 5-pack). Looks clean and everything matches.
Reusable cable ties are the best. This pack is under $14. You can clean up your cords. I believe in you!
The lowest price I’ve seen on the TubShroom hair catcher: 27% off!
Crew socks are back in style. Try ‘em out on the cheap: 3 pairs for 50% off.
Dang, 65 feet of LED lights for under $10. Click the coupon for an extra 10% off.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Yuck! But … cool

🤢 There’s a certain kind of gross that’s also very satisfying.

Grab a ball of Blu-Tack and press it into your earbud speakers. Pull it away, and all the junk inside comes out with it. Gross, I know.
Color-catcher sheets grab all the dye in the washing machine so your lights stay light. They look pretty gross when you pull ‘em out, FYI.
Pimples are a fact of life. These patches work.
I know your keyboard is gross — mine is, too. Grab a ball of this goop to pick up the crumbs.
This brush is a must if your dog is a shedder. You’ll be shocked by the size of the hairball.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Drop the drop shippers: On Etsy, the whole purpose is to buy something handmade. If you’re not sure what you’re getting is legit, check if it’s genuine or mass-produced junk by doing a reverse image search. Click on the item’s image, then drag and drop it into Google Images. Major red flag: You see the exact same thing on other sites.

Love a bargain

💸 Affordable doesn’t mean low quality. Let me prove it.

Fancy-pants face masks for only $3 a pop. Then, put on this gloss that’s eerily similar to the $40 Dior lip oil for under $8.
I got a $600 Dyson Airwrap with credit card points. If I was paying for it myself, I’d get the $31 Revlon version everyone loves instead.
This could be your new favorite soup pot. Lodge’s Dutch ovens are just as nice as the Le Creuset versions and so much less money.
Workout headbands for guys and gals. This big pack of 10 costs less than one from Lululemon.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.