BillyKnowsBest

Best Summer Hotel Rate for Manhattan, New York City: Sheraton Four Points Midtown

Hotwire just shot me this incredible $115 rate for the brand new Sheraton Four Points Midtown hotel in Manhattan at 326 W. 40th Street. Valid for travel any day through September 12th, you need to book it by July 8th. With taxes, that's $134.89 including free wi-fi and bottled water. To book it, Click Here, or call 212-967-8585 and mention rate plan TICKER1.

The Best Barbecue Grill Cleaner: GrillStone

Last summer I discovered Grill Wipes, a great way to clean and grease your grill at the same time.  This summer, I discovered GrillStone.  While Grill Wipes are great for light cleaning, they don't address hard-core caked-on baked-on gunk.  That's where GrillStone excells. GrillStone cleans faster, easier and better than wire brushes and scouring pads, without clogging, on hot or cold grills.  Better still, they are non-toxic and made from 85% recycled glass!  I found mine at Home Depot, but you can order online (and on sale!) at Kmart.com.

Rue-La-La Sample Sale Invitation

Joining the Gilt.com model of invitation-only access to limited-duration sales of marquee fashion and home decor brands is Rue La La.  Membership is free, but requires a member-to-member invitation.  Click here for yours.

The Best Discount Inkjet Cartridges: 123inkjets.com

There's a reason inkjet printers are so cheap.  The manufacturers make their money on replacement cartridges.  So much so, that Kodak is marketing printers whose primary consumer claim is lower replacement ink cost.  Most consumers don't think about ink costs when they purchase a printer, but anyone who's bought replacement cartridges knows that they can sometimes be as expensive as the printer itself!  Others turn to generic and remanufactured cartridges, though Consumer Reports has reported lower page counts from these. But I've had good experience with 100% guaranteed compatible generic/re-manufactured cartridges from 123inkjets.com. They offer an enormous selection, easy ordering by printer model, fast service and great prices.

Final Clearance at eLUXURY.com

I remember trying on this scarf at Neiman Marcus when Philip Lim's summer collection first arrived in the store.  Cute, but at $450, it was clearly a fashion choice with an exceedingly low ROI I would later regret.  Today, it's on eLUXURY.com for $90.  (I've made a no-new-clothing-purchases 'til September pact with my friend Sam, but it would make a lovely Christmas-in-July present ;)  eLUXURY.com is getting out of the e-tailing business, and has started clearing out their inventory.  All sale/clearance merchandise (including some very fancy women's shoes) is now 50% off (the sale prices listed are before the discount, which will appear in your shopping cart.  Hurry -- most items are available in very limited sizes and quantities!

The Best Mulch for Tomato Plants: Red Plastic

I've been growing tomatoes for years. This year, for the first time, I tried a red plastic mulch.  For the past few years, I've mulched with seaweed -- it's easily collectible on the little island where I spend most of my summer, and contributes valuable organic nutrients to the soil as well.  But I've been increasingly plagued with Verticillium Wilt, and I'm not able to rotate crops in my tiny 10x10 garden (it's all tomatoes!). So,  I figured a plastic mulch might help prevent the soil-borne fungus from splashing up onto this year's plants.  And I'd read about red plastic mulch increasing tomato yields and decided to give it a try.  Well, my plants are growing faster, bigger and healthier than ever -- at a time when everyone else is complaining that their tomatoes are not growing as well as they usually do with the rainy weather we've had.  I bought Dalen Better Reds Mulch Film from Amazon.com.  While it's easiest to put the mulch down when you're planing the plants, these 3'x3' film squares are easy enough to place around plants already in the ground.
See my other garden tips and gadgets here.

The Best Hose Nozzle: Ray Padula 8-Pattern Series R Advanced

The folks at Real Simple magazine tested 70 hose attachments, and named the Ray Padula 8-Pattern Series R Advanced Functionality Hose Nozzle the best.  It has a comfortable rubberized grip, an easy-to-flip water flow switch and 8 different spray patterns.  Buy it for $14.37 at amazon.com. Their basic/budget choice: the Dramm Pistol Spray Gun, $9.97 at amazon.com.

The Best Charcoal Lighter: Weber Chimney Starter

I converted to a gas grill years ago, but for most of my grilling youth, I was a charcoal guy, and some of my more foolish moments involved spraying additional lighter fluid on a pile of coals that hadn't quite gotten started. Then I learned about building the charcoal pyramid, and finally, I discovered the chimney.  With just a few crumpled pieces of paper under a vertical stack of briquettes, it's easy to get charcoal burning without the hazards, odors or expense of that nasty fluid.  Buy one online for $18.95 at Amazon.com.

The Best Headphones/Earbuds for the iPhone: Ultimate Ears on Sale at Amazon

I've written about Ultimate Ears earphones before, but their popular iPhone model -- Ultimate Ears MetroFi 200v Noise Isolating Earphones with Microphone -- just went on sale for $24.95 at Amazon.com -- a 75% savings.  Catch 'em quickly.

The Best Sports Rehydration Drink: O.N.E. Coconut Water

I saw O.N.E. Coconut Water stacked high and priced low at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and decided to try it.  It's delicious and very good for you..  Coconut Water is 100% natural (drained from young coconuts), and has five essential electrolytes: calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium and sodium.  It has more potassium than a banana, no fat, no cholesterol, no preservatives. With just 60 calories in an 11 oz serving, it's naturally sweet without added sugars or artificial sweeteners . Beats the pants off Gatorade and Vitamin Water, naturally ;). Find it at your local Whole Foods, or order it from amazon.com.