Hot Shot MaxAttrax Ant Bait stations come in handy when ants appear in your home or office. I am surprised how well they work, because usually I use the ant baits provided by a pest control service. I recommend putting 2 per small room or problem area. The ants don't die immediately, but most die after about 2-4 days. You can see them start to get stomach aches and slow down, then they start to disappear. A few little scout ants might stick around, so leave the bait in place for a while. Try to leave all or most of the ants alone; don't kill a bunch of them or wipe away their "invisible" ant tracks, because they leave messages for each other. It also takes a while for them to walk into the bait and enjoy the "party." Once they discover the "feast," they invite their little friends. Once you've used the baits for a few days, if ants appear in another spot, you can move the baits as needed. The product is supposed to last 6 months, according to the packaging. If desired, you could put the stations in a zipper bag until needed again. 

Pros: Effective – eradicates within 2-4 days (at least in my experience), but for sure by a week they should be gone. Easy to use. No mess, gel or sprays to deal with. Most of the ants leave on their own so there's not much "cleanup." There is no odor. Inexpensive for a non-professional product that actually works.

Cons: Doesn't kill immediately, just like other baits. However, it's worth the short wait, as this (according to the packaging) kills the queen (at some point). The only way to kill immediately is to spray ants directly. 

A rare 5 stars.

Pros: Strong, absorbent, convenient size
Cons: Can be expensive, rough texture

Brawny Giant pick-a-size paper towels are truly excellent! I used to trade off between these and Target's Up & Up paper towels, but Target's paper towel quality changed recently. Their two-ply paper towels became much thinner, like a one-ply – a big disappointment. So now I purchase Brawny exclusively. The pick-a-size option is very convenient, and helps you feel like you're stretching your money a bit, since you can often use a small towel size. I go through a ton of paper towels, so it's important that they be a brand that consistently performs well. These really deliver! 4 stars.

We have a high-maintenance dog and light-colored carpet. Yes, we do take her out quite often, but unfortunately, frequent indiscretions abound. That's where the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe 50150 comes in. Any carpet cleaner requires a bit of a time investment, depending on how much area must be cleaned. Like its competitors, this model does, too. As a fairly compact machine, it requires fairly frequent water changes and hot water additions, but it does a very good job for a decent price! Speaking of hot water, I fill the reservoir with hot tap water as users on Amazon suggested. The machine came with Hoover brand carpet cleaner, and we often buy refills of the Pets Plus version. The solution works fine and I'd rather not gamble on another brand, since this liquid cleaner is supposed to go with this machine and is backed by Hoover. When this Hoover carpet cleaner breaks, if we can't get it fixed for a decent price, we'll buy another one, or the next generation model. So yes, we'd buy it again! 4 stars.

Here's a concentrate that claims to clean all kinds of things: LA's Totally Awesome All Purpose Concentrated Cleaner, Degreaser and Spot Remover. Directions say to mix it with so many parts water to cleaner. The only thing I basically use this for is my glass stove top (the ratio I like is 2/3 water to 1/3 solution). I found a great generic sprayer at FoodMaxx that works great with this product. I wanted to use this cleaner for stone countertops, but the directions don't mention granite or other stone. I'm sure it would be great for tons of other applications. I like that it's just a basic cleaner, doesn't have a "loud" scent and works fine. If you use this product, how do you like it, and what do you use it for? The price was right! I picked up a gallon at a 99c store for something like $3.99. At this rate, it'll last me about 4 years. Four stars.

The Feit Electric LED Dimmable A15 60-watt bulb is rather funny looking – and quite expensive – but the package says it'll last 25,000 hours or 22.8 years. That's quite a claim. I went ahead and bought it to go in a ceiling fan light fixture. Although it touches the bottom of the "globe" on the light fixture, the bulb seems to run fairly cool, so I'm not concerned. What I wanted from this light is a decent color and light output, and it gives me both, thankfully! I do recommend this light. I like the mid-warm color (soft white; not too yellow, not too blue) light it emits. I've had it for about 3 months and have had no issues. Not sure that it will last the claimed amount of time, but if it lasts 5 years, I've gotten my money's worth. 4.5 stars. (Loses half a star for unattractive design.)

"Look Ma, no hands! This ugly, Dijon mustard-colored, full-sized metal frying pan is decoupaged with a pheasant scene and has a semi-Roman numeral clock face with no hands for the correct time. Usually I go into more description but in this case I think that says it all!" – UglyWeddingGifts

Actually, this "find" is found on a great Etsy website I came across today. Need a gag gift for a wedding, anniversary, birthday or other occasion? Snap up deals like this before they're gone! (1 star!) etsy.com/shop/UglyWeddingGifts