The Scottish Boomerang

This part of my blog is basically dedicated to really cool stuff that I discover or you send me your reviews on. Very rarely, I come across amazing products or resources that really makes a difference, and being someone who hates shopping, I only recommend stuff which I know will make a really positive difference.

The Life Straw (Cost – US $2)

This is an amazing thing, something which should be in everyone’s first aid kit, especially in the car, camping kit, or just about anywhere else. I travel a lot to developing countries and this is coming with me next time I go to India or rural Latin America. Basically its a straw that purifies water as you drink it. Cheep, and portable. This is the coolest thing I’ve seen this year. Please send me your own reviews and comments to the main blog article here.

The Menstrual Cup (Mooncup, Divacup, Lunette) (Cost $30)

If you are grossed out, lads, look away now. My suitcase when travelling is half-filled with “feminine products”. This takes up about 3 centimetres in my carry-on baggage, and comes in a cute wee bag. For woman who use internal feminine products, this is a reusable medical grade silicone cup worn inside your body for up to ten hours depending on your flow. It collects menstrual fluid (you empty the contents down the loo). It’s considerably more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than the other stuff out there (it lasts years), and is not as gross as you think (certainly not nastier than clogging the toilet, polluting the environment, contracting infections, or shelling out hundreds of bucks a year on traditional disposable products). Please send me your own reviews as comments to the main blog article here.

Prepaid Credit Cards (Mastercard, Visa).

OK, they are not really credit cards, but they use the same system. Also known as pre-paid gift cards or pre-paid debit cards, they are for people who (1) aren’t old enough to get a credit card (2) are allergic to credit cards but want the same convience or (3) can’t get credit for whatever reason (4) exchange students, gap year travellers etc. these are cards which use the Visa or Mastercard systems, but which you pre-pay like debit card, and can be charged up using the Visa or Mastercard systems. Useful for travel money because you can buy them in dollars, Euros or pounds (though to be really useful for travel, they need to do something about the $6 per foreign transaction that the British ones incur). They also are great for buying stuff on-line, and can be cheaper for sending money from the UK to a foreign country (the recipient has one too).  The do have a monthly charge though, so bare this in mind. Please send your reviews and comments next to the main blog article here.

 Magnetic Jewellery Fasteners.

These nifty wee things transform tricky necklace and bracelet fasteners. Two tiny powerful magnets link your necklace together as securely as a normal fastener. You can then unfasten by pulling the links apart. I have a coordination disability called dyspraxia which means I have a bit of trouble with fine motor control. For year’s I’ve had trouble with fasteners: these are perfect if you have arthritis or motor problems. The cheapest place I’ve seen these is actually QVC - though I would maybe be a bit embarrassed to say I bought them “off the telly”. My mum admitted that’s exactly where she got the one she gave me. Anyway, they have quite a nice demonstration video, and I’ve made one for YouTube as well.