Simple Living

I am paranoid and wanted a way to find my keys so I bought an Apple AirTag and key case.  Overall it’s about $40 ($30 AirTag and $10 key case). It works as expected and I feel a little safer knowing I have a way to find my keys. If it works out, I may add one to my car as a way to track it (heaven forbid, it ever gets stolen!)

  Picked up a 2015 Toyota Camry XLE as a replacement for the Lexus IS250.  I’m optimistic the Camry will enjoy the famed Toyota reliability, but hedging my bets with another $3200 extended warranty. The Camry cost me about $18k, then $3200 for the warranty with an out the door price of about $23,000. Yes, it’s a bit high, but it’s the top level trim for the 4 cylinder and had only 88k miles. I did the math and no matter how I spin it, the monthly cost to own any reasonable car was going to be about $350-$400.  The Camry hits the high end of that range. Specs - 2015 Camry XLE Engine - 2.5L - 4 Cylinder - 2AR-FE HP - 178 @ 6000 Torque - 170 @ 4100 Transmission - 6 Speed Performance: 0-60: 7.9 seconds 1/4 Mile: 16.2 seconds @ 88 mph EPA MPG: 25 City / 35 Highway Dimensions: Length: 190.9 inches Wheelbase: 109.3 inches Height: 57.9 inches Width (w/o mirrors): 71.7 inches First Impressions — Old Reliable Eh…it’s a Camry and it’s a smooth and reliable ride.  Acceleration is a modest 8

Both my old 8 and 10 amp power banks died and I replaced them with a new Anker Power Core 10400 (10.4 amp).  I’ve always wanted an Anker and figured now was as good a time as any to get one. Cheap as it’s slow charger 12W max The Power Core 10400 is an older model and usually retails for a lower price (I got this one for $20).  The reason it’s so cheap is it’s max output speed on charging is about 12 watts which is fine for smaller devices, but would take forever to charge bigger phones that are used to 15-45 watt fast chargers. Besides the wattage limitations, it has good capacity relative to its weight and size.  But unfortunately, because of the slow charging speed I can only use this for smaller devices. Unless you can snag this for $20 or less, consider spending more for a faster charging model and newer Anker’s can run at 4.8 amps or higher which translates to 24 watts or more of charging speed, it actually makes a difference.