What Small, Inexpensive Things Make Your Life Better?

Finding random tools that make our lives easier is one of my husband’s love languages. There are the rechargeable motion sensor lights inside our kids’ closets. He attached cord clips to our nightstands to keep our chargers tidy. And I’m forever indebted to him for introducing me to this electric pepper grinder.

What random items make your life easier? Here are seven answers from our CoJ team, and I would love to hear yours…

Joanna, founder/editor
Lifesaver: Zara Home stool

“We have a few places in our apartment — a chair in my bedroom, our guest bed — where we need small surfaces for setting down a book or glass or phone. I didn’t want to buy pricey side tables, so instead I got a couple small stools. They’re small enough to squeeze anywhere, less than $40, and easy on the eyes. My glass of water is happily resting on one as I type this very blurb!”

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Joanna, founder/editor
Lifesaver: Libby app

“I love listening to audiobooks on long drives (especially now that I drive an hour to Freddie’s house pretty regularly) and the Libby App lets you borrow audiobooks from libraries. I especially like listening to comedians’ memoirs — I enjoyed the ones by Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling, and I’m currently queuing up the new one by Jeffrey Hiller (of Somebody Somewhere fame).”

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Christina Chaey, food writer
Lifesaver: Timer Timer

“I’m obsessed with this timer for cooking. The colorful display allows me to immediately discern how much time is left, even from across the room. And I love that it lets me stay phone-free so my phone doesn’t get covered in crumbs and juices. My absolute favorite use for it, though, is to set a 10-minute timer for when I wash the dishes or clean around the stove, my two least favorite kitchen tasks. It motivates me to get as much done in those 10 minutes as possible, and also reminds me that you can do anything for 10 minutes — even scrubbing a baking dish with stuck-on bits of hardened cheese.”

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Maureen, marketing director
Lifesaver: Dimmable light

“I had been searching forever for a small, dimmable light for my kids’ rooms and finally found this $12 one from Ikea! It’s the ideal size, indestructible (has already been knocked over many times) and has an easy on/off button. Bonus: My daughter’s favorite color is yellow, so she was stoked.”

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Kaitlyn Teer, newsletter editor
Lifesaver: Silicone bags

“These reusable bags are perfect for taking sandwiches and sliced fruit to the beach or storing leftovers, especially random things, like when a recipe calls for just a half onion. We also filled them with snacks for our recent road trip. They’re super sturdy and clean up easily in the dishwasher. I even gave them to my sisters-in-law as stocking stuffers.”

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Jannelle, editor
Lifesaver: Dishwasher sign

“During the week, our home is full of beautiful and loving family members who help take care of my children while I work and also spoil me by helping out around the house with things like unloading the dishwasher. To help us all communicate more easily, my husband ordered this ‘Clean/Dirty’ magnet, and it has brought such a small but amazing sense of orderliness to our home.”

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Alex Beggs, food writer
Lifesaver: Water bottle holder

“I got this water bottle holder for hikes/long walks. I love the throwback color palette — it makes me want to drink Pepsi and watch E.R. Sometimes I don’t use it to carry a water bottle at all, but my sunglasses, chapstick, hand sanitizer, and a few Andes mints. It turns out it’s the perfect size to take to baseball games and concerts, where they have strict rules about the size of your bag.”

Now it’s your turn! Please share your helpful finds below…

P.S. Five more inexpensive things that make life easier and the best sneakers for long walks. Plus, what are your hyper-specific love languages?

(Photo by Kayla Johnson/Stocksy.)

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