12 online shopping favourites

Purchases my wife and I absolutely love

It’s not quite holiday season, but it’s getting there – and this year, many shoppers are choosing to buy their presents early to avoid overwhelming an already-stressed Canada Post during the busiest time of the year.

So if you’re looking for some ideas, or to get ahead of the game, below are a list of some of mine and my wife’s best online shopping wins. We are always in search of the next best thing that might make life a little bit easier, so feel free to take some holiday shopping inspiration from our finds (presented in no particular order) – or maybe get yourself a gift, too!

1. Blue light glasses

Blue light glasses were an absolute essential for my wife and I. Spending long hours of the day working between our cell phones and computers, we found our eyes becoming increasingly sore and fatigued from the blue light. We increased the warmth of our screens hoping that would help, but at night it only made us more tired. The great thing about these glasses is that within a day or two of use, we already noticed our eyes feeling significant relief from the blue light – and the lenses themselves have a very minor tint on them that is barely noticeable.

For a photographer however, these glasses are not the best for editing photos due to the slight tint, but they can be worn for all other business tasks that require screen-time.

2. Bissell vacuum mop

This vacuum mop changed our lives. It seriously was beyond our expectations.

We have two cats and occasionally they like to spill their litter or walk around our apartment with their dirty feet. Additionally, they love to make a mess of their food station.

With this machine I no longer have to vacuum or sweep up a mess and then mop resulting in about an hour or more of time wasted; instead, I vacuum while mopping and can even mop and vacuum my apartment rugs, leaving them fresh and new.

Once you own the machine, all you need to do is buy a bottle of product (it typically comes with one as well, but it is pretty inexpensive and lasts relatively long), take out the head piece (maybe once a month depending on the type of mess you clean) and wash or replace it, and change the tank of dirty water (which is also a very simple process). There is a hard floors mode and a carpet setting, it is that easy—our apartment always smells like it was professionally cleaned now.

3. Danish dough whisk

While this one may seem like an odd gadget, it works better than a normal whisk. Maybe you are the person who uses a whisk for cookie dough – if so, then you’ll notice the difference. The great thing about this style of whisk is that it does not collect a clump of dough in the middle and the handler will also notice less resistance when using the whisk. It is also simple to clean compared to other whisks.

4. Webcam cover

In an age where nobody knows who has access to their webcam, this might just be the perfect thing for some peace of mind.

5. No-staple stapler

Although an arguably unnecessary find, the no-staple stapler essentially weaves papers together and can be great for anyone who wishes to rid themselves of the storing and finding of staples. Another bonus is that if needed, the weave can be undone with little damage to the papers woven and the bind is strong enough to hold being tossed around in a stack of papers.

6. Zit stickers

Zit stickers are amazing. If you battle acne or have the occasional monster zit, these might just change your life. Each box comes with many. Just apply to the problem, wait, and like magic, the zit is reduced in size if not completely gone, and redness is reduced or completely removed. If the goal is to reduce redness, they work in as little as 10-15 minutes, while an hour or more might completely remove the zit.

7. Adhesive LED-lights

These lights have an adhesive on the backside and can be applied to the wall like tape. If you purchase the connectors you can even cut and reattach them. They use very little power and can blink different colours. A specific colour or pattern can be selected with the remote, and depending on the colour choice it can really change the environment of the room.

8. Maono mic

This is a great affordable mic with pristine audio. While my wife and I primarily use it when we sing together, it could easily be the primary mic for a podcast or Twitch stream.

9. Electric lighter

So far, this lighter has worked great for us. It is unique because it can be recharged and requires no lighter-fluid or replaceable batteries. I probably would not suggest this for people that are worried about their kids.

10. Gallon water bottle

This water bottle is great for anyone who likes to keep track of their water consumption and can actually help motivate people to drink more water due to its size.

11. Chomchom

For us, this is one of the best things on this list! If our cats lay on our bed and shed, just roll this thing back and forth over the surface and the hair all accumulates in the back section of the brush for easy disposal. It also works with lint and hair in general on fabric surfaces from clothing and couches to bedding. This would work great with dogs that shed as well.

12. Star projector

The star projector is an interesting one we recently acquired. There’s a certain mode where clouds look almost real and it also can connect as a bluetooth speaker with decent audio. It might even have the capability to change colours and movements to music but we have not tried that function out yet.