misosouper, a shopping blog

Now that my daughter has started preschool, I’m planning ahead for show-and-tell. One of the goals of show-and-tell, of course, is to bring in the coolest thing, the thing that makes all the other kids tug their parents’ shirts and loudly whisper, “Oooh, I want thaaat,” in that long-voweled way kids so sweetly do.

Yeah, they’re brine shrimp; and yeah, they’re gross; but I can guarantee you that when your child (hell, when your significant other) trots into her classroom with a Sea Monkey strapped to her wrist, you’re the parent of the coolest kid in the school.

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As you read this, Hurricane Fay bears down on my state’s shores. Our power is probably out, and a tree branch has punctured my windshield. (No one was in the car, thank goodness. Who goes out driving in a hurricane anyway?)

You might worry that we’re subsisting on a meager diet of PB&J and Tang. But no. As a veteran of exactly 873,642 hurricanes, I know that when the going gets wet and windy, the wet and windy grill. And with this griddle, our grill transforms into a skillet, so that we can eat bacon, eggs, and home fries for breakfast before we go outside to retrieve the mailbox that has inevitably landed on our front lawn.

As my best friend explains here, finding sustainable solutions for household goods often proves to be a, um, shattering proposition. (Long story short: she substituted their disposable paper to-go cups with glass versions, then her husband drove off with the new cup on top of the car. It broke.)

Here’s her replacement: a porcelain take on the landfill-clogging coffee cup, complete with soft silicone lid. Completely reusable, insulated, witty, and not made in China. (Well, Taiwan. But still not China.) And with the coupon code 40SAVE, a really good deal.

Like many of those who read design magazines, I covet the rooms that have managed to eliminate the presence of all cords. Yeah, I know: some production assistant is tasked with coiling or cutting them before the photo is taken, and then some photo assistant airbrushes out the remaining offenders. So I’m drawn to any kind of cord catcher, be it box, tube, or tie. This mobile phone holder by Driinn might be my favorite yet: it comes in bright colors, and solves the problem of a cord that will haunt you every day, especially if you have a 3G iPhone, which seems to need charging twice a day (don’t you feel sorry for me?).

This strawberry huller may seem like the ur-example of frivolous kitchen gadgetry; but considering the time and agony saved by helping your two-year-old defrock strawberries instead of listening to her howl about how you’re not slicing them fast enough, and you’ll see its infinite wisdom.

When friends/family/random acquaintances discover that I write a shopping blog, their most fervent request is this: give me a product that will keep my plants watered (in their own pots, as opposed to the God in a pot featured in March).  So to appease all the lazy brown thumbs in my life, I present the Plant Nanny, which comes conveniently attached to a little fluted globe that dispenses water directly to your plant’s roots. Digi types might gravitate more toward the Thirsty Light, which blinks when your plant runs dry.

I’m partial to the Plant Nanny’s design, which looks like an adorable miniature gazing ball, plus eliminates the all-important act of actually watering the plant (you just have to remember to refill the globe). It’s sweet and receptive, just like a certain helpful blogger you know.

As far as Frugal Friday objects go, this one busts our normal budget, but considering the *potential* for money saved, this digital coin counter puts Coinstar (8.9% processing fee? what’s up with that?) to shame. Fill up this sucker, corral your kids/friends/neighbors to help roll your coins, then treat everyone to a gallon of gas.

I discovered these air drums while searching for easily packable plane toys that don’t contain 45678 movable parts. (Like puzzles. And Legos. And crayons.) While not exactly appropriate for the plane–they light up! they’re loud!–they’re perfect for a 2-year-old to bang on the hotel furniture once you get there.

As yesterday’s crab platter was high, today’s frugal find is low: a refrigerated beer coozie.

Too bad it won’t fit in your lawn mower’s drink holder.

For the most part, jewelry boxes seem to be way uglier than the baubles that go in them. The elegant acrylic of Muji’s jewelry case reverses that trend, allowing your jewelry to shine.