I saw this post on Cup of Joe and was amazed by all the genius little tricks people use in their everyday life. I thought I’d share my own list of small, inexpensive things that make my life better. And please, don’t hold back and share yours! Sharing is caring!
I have this phone/table holder* from Ikea, which is super-useful on my small WFH desk. It keeps my phone upright, visible, and easily accessible.
Electric candles/string lights on a timer. I bought some rattan star string lights before Christmas, but they’re really not just for the holidays and I think I’ll leave them up all year. They make me so happy.
Blush. I am by no means a heavy makeup kinda person, but mascara and a little blush go a LONG way. I look (and feel) so much more awake when I use a little blush on my cheeks, ha.
Night lights. Yeah, they’re not just for kids. I have two of these rotating LED night lights* and they’re perfect (small, unobtrusive, non-obstructive).
A kitchen scale. I don’t know how people cook with cup and spoon measurements. Weight measurements are so much more precise.
Bonne Maman jars. I use them for everything — storing my sourdough starter, storing herbs in the freezer, as a to-go container for overnight oats, collecting coins, etc. They’re so versatile. Also, Bon Maman jam is the best.
A small ruler with a non-slip cork back*. I bought this to keep in the inside pocket of my planner and I use it all the time.
A tubshroom*. We live in an old apartment and had problems with draining issues in the bathtub (what with my long hair). Not anymore!
This Spigen Liquid Air Armor Design iPhone Case* is the best – and most affordable, too! – iPhone case I have ever owned. Hands-down! It has a really good grip due to the patterned surface but still slides easily in and out of my pockets.
I love my Threads Wallets Lanyard*. Keeps all my keys and my slim wallet together when I don’t take a purse.
Your turn! Which small, inexpensive things make your life better?
* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites, and all items were bought with my own money.
Ally Bean
February 9, 2023 at 7:39 amI like those Bonne Maman jars, too. I like Burt’s Bees lip balms in a variety of flavors. I have a Merisky clip-on book light that I use when reading a book– and use it sitting on my desk over my keyboard so I may see the keyboard more clearly. I’d also suggest star or happy face stickers are fun and allows me to reward myself on my calendar with something cheerful.
Elisabeth
February 9, 2023 at 8:37 amHmmm. I feel like I should have all sorts of fodder for this, but my mind is blank…That said, I love posts like this and want to come back and read about everyone’s hacks/suggestions.
I have a long charging cable for my iPhone that I leave plugged in on my bedside table. I LOVE that it’s extra long and I think I bought it for less than $5.
My YETI Rambler is my #1 hack for drinking lots of water. I fill it multiple times a day, but it has a large capacity and keeps water cold. Love it.
Using Crocs as indoor shoes has been amazing and they hold up better than most “slipper” brands, but I find they keep my feet very warm (especially when I wear socks)
As for blush, I stand by the hack I learned many years ago to use lipstick. It blends in so well, I don’t have to worry about it cracking, don’t need a brush etc. I don’t actually WEAR lipstick, but the original hack was the use the same lipstick on your lips and cheeks for my wedding; I did that, ditched using it for lips, and have been a die-hard fan of lipstick as blush for all the years since.
And we have the same nightlights!
NGS
February 9, 2023 at 10:13 amI have some electric candles in our living room that are on a time from 5-10 pm and they make so much difference when it gets dark so early in the winter. This is the first year we’ve had them and I love them so much.
My YakTrax make living in the winter in the midwest bearable! I can go outside even if the ice and snow and feel pretty comfortable I won’t fall. I love them!
Jenny
February 9, 2023 at 11:18 amOoh, I love lists like this! I’ll have to check out the Cup of Jo post as well. I can think of a few things that have been making my life easier, but I couldn’t call them cheap. My newest favorite thing that I use all the time is my rice cooker- my son got it for me for Christmas (so I guess it was technically free.). After cooking rice in a pot on the stove all my life, the rice cooker is a game-changer. Another game-changer is my hydration vest, although again, not cheap. I love that I can run anywhere I want and not have to rely on water fountains- I always have my water with me.
Suzanne
February 9, 2023 at 12:04 pmThese kinds of lists are so fun! I love the fanny pack I “borrowed” from my daughter — she got it for her birthday but it’s a $10 bag from Target and I love it for holding my phone when I walk outside.
I also love my tea diffuser! I think it cost something like $10 on amazon and it’s perfect for my big mugs and loose leaf tea.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
February 9, 2023 at 10:52 pmSuch a fun post. Always loving them.
But just like Elisabeth my mind is blank when I think about what that would be for me. Maybe it is because I am away on vacation. But I keep it in mind for future ideas.
I use Bothe a kitchen scale and cup measures.
Nicole MacPherson
February 10, 2023 at 4:24 amI saw that post as well and loved it! I meant to tell you that I bought a detangling brush like the one you had mentioned before Christmas. I didn’t buy the exact one you had because, get this: in the US amazon site, it was something like $6, on the Canadian site, it was $37! That seemed like too much for a brush but I found a similar one for $15 and it was such a good purchase. So, thanks so much! I was skeptical because it seemed so…poky, but it is a dream.
I am a cup and spoon cook, but I am also an extremely imprecise cook! “little bit of this, little bit of that.” Somehow it all works out, I don’t know how!
Grateful Kae
February 10, 2023 at 8:34 amYES about blush! I feel like I look dead if I don’t have some bronzer or blush on. It really does make a huge difference!! Especially in the winter. I also love my battery operated candles. I have one in my office and one in my master bath. I love turning it on while I shower (with all other lights off). Makes it feel like such a treat.
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
February 10, 2023 at 11:41 amWe also used nightlights before having kids! We have one in our bathroom. Now we have WAY more of them since Paul is sensitive to the dark. But they’ve been a clutch item for a long time! We also have a hair-catcher for the shower. It’s amazing how much hair I shed… especially since becoming a mom!
My recent inexpensive item I replenished is a travel deodorant at work. I very occasionally will forget to put deodorant but don’t’ realize it until I get to work! So having an extra small one there is so key!
J
February 12, 2023 at 1:02 pmI have those shroom things 2 of our bathroom sinks. I like them, but they get gross and moldy, and don’t come clean. Clearly they would if I cleaned them more often, so I just outed myself. They are good about keeping the hair from clogging up the sink, though.
I love my Logitech iPad keyboard. LOVE IT.
I have some mini kitchen tongs with silicone tips that I got at the grocery store. I use them all of the time, they are GREAT.
I also reuse my Bonne Maman jars, they are great for homemade salad dressing and so many other things, plus they’re pretty. I also buy little mason jars, and buy plastic lids for them, since the metal ones seem to get rusty. If you aren’t actually canning things and don’t need the seal, they are fabulous. I got them at the hardware store.
I’ve considered getting a kitchen scale, but have never done it. I cook using cup and spoon measures. I know that is not very precise, esp when baking. I don’t bake much though, so not really an issue.
Stephany
February 14, 2023 at 2:10 pmLists like these are so much fun! I may do one myself soon. Some of my favorite little items are: a small, extendable back scratcher (feels so good to scratch my back sometimes!), little fake plants that add a punch of color, and a butter dish so I always have spreadable butter around!
sarah
February 16, 2023 at 12:23 pmThis is SUCH a great post idea, and these comments are excellent. My favorite cheapie purchase lately is a 2-pack of BPA-free water bottles from Target. Only $8/bottle and they’re so portable.
Rachel
February 18, 2023 at 11:17 pmI didn’t realize that Bonne Maman was international! I guess I did realize it because it’s french and sold here, but I didn’t realize they have it in the USA too. Their jars ARE such an amazing size – we use them for pens and art supplies.
I think the thing making my life easier at the moment is having lots of the things I need. So instead of a few pens downstairs we have LOTS OF PENS. And instead of a few washcloths we have LOTS OF WASHCLOTHS. I am not usually a person who likes having excess things, but right now buying multiple of cheap things we use often is helpful.
March Link List – theinbetweenismine
March 27, 2023 at 6:30 am[…] few weeks ago, I blogged about 10 small, inexpensive things that make my life better. Stephany jumped on the bandwagon and shared her own 10 little things that make her life better. […]
Kate
March 27, 2023 at 7:04 pmI love a Spigen phone case; the one I have on my phone right now is my first non-Spigen in probably a decade… but I think I’m about to buy the one you just linked to!