We’re back with more recommendations of things that have made our lives easier! From hydration to happy, frizz-free hair, we’ve got suggestions.
In our last Stuff We Like, I mentioned a Passport and Vax Card wallet, and wow, was it great for travel. We’re getting some as gifts for people because they’re so handy.
Kiki: I bought a new water bottle and it has improved my quality of life a kinda shocking amount in the last two weeks.
Owala FreeZip 32oz Water Bottle, $23
It has a straw AND a normal drinking spout and keeps stuff hella cold and mine kinda looks like a toucan to me which is fun.
Sarah: You’re right, it does kind of look like a toucan!
I usually have an insulated straw cup full of water with me everywhere (people who know me are probably nodding at that because, yes, literally everywhere) but it doesn’t have a carry loop like that water bottle does!
I am very tempted.
Susan: Just remembered that I love my packing cubes and I maybe need to buy some more. Mine are the red eBags, but I’m pretty sure they’re everywhere.
Sarah: I have the eBags ones, too, plus some from Tom Bihn. I love packing cubes.
I also have the flat-pack eBags toiletry case and love it. It does indeed pack flat.
Elyse: These packing compression cubes are on sale:
Compression Packing Cubes, $34
Claudia: This really works for rough, dry heels:
Dr. Scholl’s Severe Cracked Hell Balm, $7
Shana: I’ve been carrying way more stuff in my carryon, and therefore need a lot of cute zipper bags. Like this:
Mine was a gift but I’m pretty sure it’s the same one.
Sarah: One of the first projects I made was zipper pouches with very cheap scrap fabric. There are so many online tutorials. I have so many now in flannel or quilting cotton, and they’re so useful.
I should make some more.
Shana:I’ve been taking very early morning flights to try to avoid delays. So this eye mask is my friend.
I just bought a satin cover for my car’s headrest and I love it so much. The back of my head of curly hair kept getting frizzy during my commute to work.
SatinProtect Satin Headrest Cover, $25
This totally keeps my hair looking perfect and it also prevents me from having weirdly flattened hair on long road trips. I wish I would have bought one sooner!
Sarah: You know how sometimes, a thing will keep appearing or being mentioned, and no, I don’t mean when your apps start advertising the thing you mentioned to someone else while your phone wasn’t on (though that does happen and it freaks me out). For example, I heard about these bug fans.
And I thought ok, a fan that blows away bugs, I can do that. But then someone else mentioned these table fans that keep bugs away with stickers? THEN I saw a picture and things made more sense:
Treva Table Top Bug Repellent Fans (2 pack) $30
I love eating outside in the evening and I hate how allergic I am to biting insects. This keeps bugs away and I’m really impressed by how well it works. I have been testing it at the Most Bugtastic Times in my yard by parking it on the arm of my chair, and it was really effective. It also kept bugs and flies away from our food on the patio table.
I really thought I’d fallen for sneaky marketing, but nope, they seem to work really well for me, especially against those black and white striped biting flies ( I think they’re called Tiger mosquitoes?) which always go cruising for my blood.
I do have a request, though: do you have a way of keeping the dog out of a room but letting the cat in? One of our elderly dogs is a little too fond of the carpet in the room where we feed the cat, but the dog is only a little larger than the cat. I’ve been looking at gates with cat doors, and door stoppers that hold the door open enough for a cat, but I thought I’d ask y’all since I know you have pets and pretty much know everything. Any suggestions?
And what about you? Anything you’ve bought recently that you absolutely love?
Is your cat a decent jumper? Could you erect a barrier the cat could get over but not the dog?
Get the dog a carpet of their own?
We put the cat food up on a counter, out of the reach of our 12 lb dog. We also have a chain lock on the door where the litter boxes are. There’s a brick in the doorway holding it open. She can’t squeeze through the doorway when the chain is on, but the cats can.
An expensive fix, but I’ve purchased bowls for my two geriatric cats (who are, of course, on two separate special diets), that will only open for the cat wearing the correct RFID tag on their collar. The bowls are totally worth the price (about $150 each when I bought them a few years ago – probably more expensive now), since I don’t have to mess around with feeding the cats separately. There is a bit of a learning curve, as the cats take a while to get used to the automatic opening. If your cat is microchipped, the bowls can use that too. I think there are pet doors that work the same way, too.
I haven’t tried it, but I just read Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Mojo book, and he suggests a baby gate about 8 inches above the ground. Then the cat can shimmy under OR jump over. Might need to be lower if you have a smaller dog.
Thank you for all the suggestions! Alas, Wilbur the cat is 8 or 9 and jumping isn’t always his favorite, so putting a gate across the door doesn’t seem like a great option, though I could get a shorter one that he could jump over, but Zeb could not. (Zeb is half cocker half cavalier, so low to the ground.)
As for the carpet, when I say Zeb is fond of it, I mean that he pees on it, sometimes at night. We just had the rug cleaned, and the balance of “keep things clean” and “we have elderly dogs” is a tricky one!
I really like the chain/brick/partially block the door idea, as Wilbur’s food is on my desk and while I think this room is my office, Wilbur thinks this room is HIS room and moving his food would not go over well.
Ah, animals. So much fun. I am very curious about this RFID bowl – thank you!
@Diana we have been doing the gate trick for years to keep the dog away from the snack bar, aka the litter box. The gate is just high enough for the cats to shimmy under but not the dog.
Petmate makes an indoor electric fence (see Amazon link) that has a sensor disc you place and set to keep one pet a certain radius away. It works just like any outdoor electric fence with the sensor collar. I have a persistent terrier who has defied training for high prey drive on a songbird cage, and this has been a life saver. It would likely work for your issue.
https://smile.amazon.com/PetSafe-Barriers-Adjustable-Proofing-Stimulation/dp/B000A76ZYS/
Have you tried something like the “door buddy door latch” from Chewy? It basically holds the door open just enough for your cat to slip through, but too small for a chunkier dog. My cat hates cat doors, but doesn’t mind narrow gaps.
@Brianna: OH this might work!! Thank you for the suggestion!
I don’t suppose you want to add a cat flap to the door? We installed one in the door that goes from the house to the garage. No dogs, but multiple cats, so we’re not constantly having to get up and open the door for them. Or, if Zeb likes one particular spot, leave a disposable puppy training pad there.
Due to a typo, one of the products is “Cracked Hell Balm” and I hope you don’t correct it!
Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out how and why you would make a water bottle from insulated straw.
UPDATE:
Brianna, the Door Buddy is the greatest invention!! Older yelling cat doesn’t have to jump over things, and short potato elderly dog can’t get into my office to anoint the carpet. Thank you so much!!!