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Useful Practical Items and Apps I Wish I Had Earlier in Life
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items Dear younger self, don't hold off on these purchases or app downloads. Once these items entered your life, they served a bigger purpose than you could ever imagine. HINT: These make great gift ideas for college students, wedding gifts, housewarming g...
Sections
5
Kitchen
Garage and Outdoor
Self Care
Household
Android Apps
Kitchen
These kitchen items make cooking and life easier. Some of these items seem like gimmicks, but they do work well, and I wish I had purchased them earlier.
I used manual can openers until Christmas 2024 when I bought myself and electric can opener. This life changing. I can make chili in a breeze. Why did I not buy one earlier? It feels like less cams have the pull tabs on them these days.
Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Can Opener Black - 76607
An air fryer seemed like one of those items you don't need until you have it. It makes such good sausages, baked potatoes, chicken nuggets, and French fries at home! The best part is that it's faster than heating up the oven, and cleanup is easy.
Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1 - AF141: 5-Quart, 1750W, Dishwasher-Safe Parts, Gray, Metal & Plastic
The InstaPot is so woth it! I felt bad laughing at my husband when he won this at work, thinking we'd never use it. Jokes on me! We use this all the time. It cooks the best hard-boiled eggs, chicken, and steam vegetables in a breeze and makes awesome...
Instant Pot 6qt 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker Bundle: Stainless Steel, Rice & Multi Cooker, Locking Lid, 1000W, Black
A clean or dirty magnet for the dishwasher is so nice to have - especially when there's multiple people in the home doing dishes! Everyone knows the status of the dishwasher and dishes.
Clean Dirty Dishwasher Kitchen Magnet
The kids LOVE it when I use this on cucumbers to cut them fancy! I also like feeling a little fancy, too! Great item to buy to get yourself into eating more vegetables.
If you click the link and make a purchase, at no cost to you, I may earn a littl...
HIC Crinkle-Cut Wave Slicer Vegetable Cutter
This cover is so handy for the microwave. It's reuseable and keeps the microwave free from splatters. I have used this for years. I've never actually thought of using it as a colander until I saw this photo for it! I love items like this that can ser...
Microwave Splatter Cover & Colander, BPA-Free
Garage and Outdoor
Having a yard and some plants to care for is a little extra work. However, these items have been super helpful to me, and I wish I had discovered them earlier.
Why didn't anyone tell me this weeding tool was worth it? I got one of these last summer, and it's been so wonderful for helping pull weeds like thistles from the yard. Why better than using any other garden tools. It makes it so much easier to pull ...
Unique Bargains Stainless Steel Patio Gardening Hand Weeding Digging Tool Weeder 2 Pcs
My husband laughed at me when I purchased an air compressor because "can't we just use the one at the gas station for free?" Well, this turned out to be one of our best purchases. There is no need to rely on gas station air to fill tires. In the wint...
Greenworks POWERALL 24V Cordless Dual Function Inflator/Deflator (Tool Only): Portable Tire Inflator, 160 PSI, Electric
I thought my husband was wasting money buying our home outdoor security cameras, but he was right. They are so nice to have! They help us keep an eye on our kids, know what's going on (even just weather wise) when we leave town for a few days, know t...
Blink Outdoor 4 - Battery-Powered Smart Security 3-Camera System
Self Care
As a busy mom, I don't have much time to leave the house and would rather spend money on the kids. Here's inexpensive self-care items I can use at home.
Best messager ever. You can use it for all areas of your neck, shoulders, and back. You adjust your own pressure settings. It feels so good to use this a few times a month.
HOM Neck, Shoulder and Back Massager with Soothing Heat and Deep Tissue Kneading for Body and Muscle Pain Relief at Home, Office, and Cars
This has saved our family so much money! With the help of a few YouTube videos, I can cut my boy's hair. In a pinch, I can also cut husband's hair.
Wahl Pro Series High Performance Corded Electric Haircutting Kit with Cordless Rechargeable Beard Trimmer
When I tell people I've been cutting my own hair for 7 years, they are amazed and ask how? My secret: CreaClip. I saw this on Shark Tank and immediately purchased it. It's saved me hundreds of dollars (maybe thousands at this point) in hair cuts! It ...
CreaClip Hair Cutting Tool Set - 2 Clips
Living in a colder climate, half the year I need to wear a winter hat. A game changer was when I got a winter beanie hat that had a hole for my pony tail go go through! It works so well!
Ponytail Beanie Hat With Messy Bun Hole, Knit Crochet ... - Etsy
This neck reading light is awesome to use when reading, writing, or drawing. I love the warm tone and choice of using one or both lights. The charge lasts a long time. It's light years better than the reading lights that clip on the book (pun intende...
Glocusent 3-Color Rechargeable Book Light
Household
These are practical items around my home I wish I purchased earlier in life. They keep our home organized and clean. These make great housewarming gift ideas!
We have cats. We love our couch. The two don't always mix, but this lint roller is fantastic as you can use it over and over again and it gets all that cat fur off! Happy cat. Happy humans. Happy house!
Maison Pet Hair Remover Lint Roller
Pets, kids, guests, MYSELF! We all make messes and having a portable carpet cleaner has become an essential tool in our home. We've used this for the past 5 years and it's come in handy countless times for when the kids spill something, someone pukes...
Bissell Little Green Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner 3908
Anyone out there like me and don't like scrubbing toilets? Here's a secret: the never scrub system! It's super simple to install and refill. The refill is just replacing the blue piece. It lasts a while. I can always tell when it runs out, because ou...
NeverScrub! Self Cleaning Toilet System
A bench shoe rack by the door where guest come in is a must-have. It gives people somewhere to sit while putting on shoes and keeps shoes tidy when guests visit. I also have a rug under this to catch any dirt, etc. that gets tracked in.
Bamboo Shoe Bench, 3-Tier Shoe Rack, Stable Shoe Organizer for Entryway, Living Room, Bench Seat Holds Up to 330 lb, 11.4 x 28 x 19.3 Inches
Your 3am self will thank you for upgrading to a soft close toilet seat. I also like plastic toilet seats, they are much easier to maintain and keep cleaner long-term. If you don't have one of these, add it to your Christmas list!
If you click the li...
Mayfair Caswell Modern Slow Close Toilet Seat
Android Apps
Here's my favorite organization and helpful Android apps I use on my phone. Most on this list are free or I just use the free version!
The Color Checklist app is my go-to for staying organized. Grocery list, to-do list, gift ideas list, goals, packing list, etc. It's super helpful and has ways you can color code and even and "unchecked all" feature so you can use the lost over and o...
Android Apps on Google Play
Everyone needs to live within a budget. What works for me is tracking income and expenses in an Excel sheet. For the items each month that fluctuate like groceries, the utility bill, etc. I use the electronic envelope system. Every time I make a purc...
Android Apps on Google Play
I wish I had discovered our local Buy Nothing group earlier! These Facebook groups are hit or miss around the country, so proceed with caution. However, I'm grateful our local one has been wonderful. It's so nice to keep things local and help neighbo...
Profile for Buy Nothing Project