Have you ever been at the airport and seen a parade of dazed and elderly Asians, trailing bags that could easily have held a couple of large humans? You were witnessing an immigration, and those bags held every single earthly possession of those people. Seeing one of those sarcophagus-shaped bags always chokes me up because they become a bit of a legacy- those bags live in the homes of immigrant families forevermore. Most often, they're used to pack several tons of blue jeans and Maybelline makeup, treasures from America, to take back to the homeland for a visit.

Of course, these days, it would be really hard to pack up one of those giant bags without incurring baggage overage fees that exceed the price of a trans-pacific flight. These days my family members use regular luggage and struggle to weigh the unwieldy suitcases on bathroom scales. I want to get everyone a Balanzza luggage scale, so they can use those body bags again without fearing the baggage counter. The Balanzza is a small, 10 oz. device that you simply hook to the handle of the bag, then lift. You hear a beep and then you can read the weight. That's it. The Balanzza is accurate up to 100 lbs., which is a whole lot of mascara and Jordache.

The Balanzza luggage scale is $25, or you can get a 12-pack for $250.