If you’re lucky enough to be employed and have a little disposable income, treat yourself. Here are seven inexpensive items to make your life better.
Music That Will Make You Smile
Upbeat music irom the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel soundtracks
The first few times I watched the TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I kept my smartphone handy and pressed the Shazam app whenever a new song came on. I just loved every tune and absolutely had to add each one to my digital collection. “I Enjoy Being a Girl” by Sutton Foster & VInce Giordano & The Nighhawks. “A Wonderful Day Like Today” by Cyril Ritchard. “Pass Me By” by Peggy Lee.
If you’re ridiculous enough not to care about looking like a freak, you can have a great time walking, cooking or driving with these outdated ditties lifting you up in the background. I splurged on all three seasons of Mrs. Maisel albums at once; that was going overboard. Just get the first. That’s sensible. You will smile as song after song comes on while you walk, cook or drive. Click here. (Confession: I already had “A Wonderful Day Like Today” in my library. It’s embarrassing to be me.)
This Clipper Nails It
Japanese nail clipper that gets the job done with ease
My entire adult life, I have dreaded cutting my fingernails and toenails. Scissor or clipper, I found it stressful, especially trying to tame the nails on my dominant hand. Too short, too long, funny angle, then OUCH way too close to the skin. Surely I’m not the only one who never mastered this common self-grooming task.
I sometimes let the professionals take over, but now that I’m socially distancing I’m stuck handling my own trimming tasks. I do like saving money by not paying the pros. Still, it hurt to pay more than $20 for a new device when I already have a little Revlon scissor and some type of ordinary mammoth clipper.
This Green Bell G-1008 Nail Clipper is worth the ridiculous price. Sexy name, right? OK, we’re not going for glamour here, just tidiness. This gadget works. Snip snip, spot-on, every time. It’s made in Japan, and I suspect it will keep on keeping on the rest of my life. It’ll certainly remain sharp for the rest of my quarantine.
Bottoms Up
Heathyoga exercise shorts that are incredibly comfortable
We’ve all gone all-comfort, all-the-time working from home. I was fine in my workout leggings or shorts through every afternoon, but wanted to carry my phone with me even in the house and had no pockets. My Noom diet requires a whole lot of steps every day, and I kept forgetting to take my gadget with me whenever I strolled to the kitchen or mailbox.
I am sooo comfortable now. I came across workout shorts from Heathyoga, which might only sell on amazon.com. These shorts are soft, so soft that I put off showering just because I know I’ll be less comfortable once I change outfits. Plus, they have deep pockets on both sides that keep my phone safe even when I’m riding a bicycle. There’s also a back pocket for ID. They fit snugly but not tight, they don’t roll down … these are the perfect shorts. They come in a short length, which is my favorite, and long, and in a capri length, which I assume will be my daily outfit when the temperature drops.
Get a pair. It’s all you’ll wear. Here.
Hard Luck
LifeBoard portable floor for exercising on carpet and rugs
Once I got a soft new rug for my family room, I no longer had a floor hard enough for me to do yoga and strength exercises while watching instructors on a TV screen (which I do via an iPad an Chomecast). I could only find one solution. It’s overpriced, but it works wells so I’m thrilled to have it. It’s called LifeBoard and it’s billed as a portable floor.
Essentially, you snap two pieces together. That’s easy sometimes and impossible other times, but I’m sure once I master the basics it’ll always be a cinch. Once it’s together on top of my rug, I place my workout map on top and have a safe strong floor for my planks and suitcase squats. I honestly don’t know how I would have continued exercising without the Lifeboard. $125 is a ridiculous price but I found no alternative.
Now You’re Cookin’
MultiExpression apron that keeps you clean and stores your stuff
My very talented mother never cooked with an apron and never had a speck of dirt on her clothing. Me: opposite.
So I’ve spent the last 20 years wearing decent but faded and stained aprons that I received at restaurant and hotel events. When I bought aprons, they were consistently awful. Maybe they hung down too far exposing half of my blouse, or … they just stunk.
Whomever designed the MultiExpression Blue Denim Chef Apron must have set out to make one perfect apron. Yes, the name is dull. Buy this apron anyway. It’s thick. It’s soft. It’s adjustable anywhere you need it to be. It has helpful pockets. You’ll barely feel it yet it will keep everything you’re wearing clean and it’ll hold your dishtowel, tongs, whatever you need to drag around with you. Just toss out what you have now. This is all you’ll need.
Scents that Make Sense
LaNatura roll-on scented oil that de-stresses even the tensest among us
Dashing out of a hotel spa one day, I picked up a silly little item called Anti Stress Therapy Roll-on, threw out $22 on it and never looked at it again. Dumb and shameful, yes. Enter 2020, and I rediscovered this LaNatura product when cleaning out a drawer. Since I’d already blown all that cash, I figured I’d try it to help me calm down in the early days of our Covid-19 nonsense. I dabbed a little under each nostril before going to bed one night.
Even I find this hard to believe, but whatever scents are in this blend reach my brain lickety-split and bring me down a few notches. The website mentions oils of sunflower, lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus. It’s an effective combination. I used up my first roll-on after a few months and ordered a second. It lasts a long time, and it helps me drift off to sleep every night.
Scale Up
EatSmart bathroom scale with easy-to-read numbers
Somewhere over the years, my eyes went from a sharp 20/20 vision to “Wait! What do I weigh?” I need glasses to see what a scale says.
Not with the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Bathroom Scale. This scale was designed for people too large to see over their tummies, and it works just as well for those of us too vision-impaired to read something down by our toes. With this scale, the numbers flash in very large type (although the contrast on my second one isn’t as clear as it was on the first). Plus, the weight stays illuminated for several seconds, so you can step off and check the weight once again. It works. The scale is also extra wide and handles up to 440 pounds. It’s priced well at under $25. I can’t imagine wanting a different scale ever.
While I threw away money on creepy dresses from China, a cooking ingredient called harissa and a pulse oximeter I hope to never need during this hiatus from life as we knew it, I sometimes made wise purchases. These are the best ones. Check out my Amazon Influencer page for other ideas. Please share your worthwhile finds too.
Or, do what I haven’t yet pulled off: Make do with what you already have. You can hum “I Enjoy Being a Girl” yourself.