13 Small, Everyday Things That Make My Life Better

An incomplete list...

It’s a weird week: maybe you took part of the week off to make it an extra-long weekend, or maybe you’re sitting at your desk cursing the fact that your entire feed is in Nantucket or Italy or somewhere else more glamorous than… your desk. Either way, I thought it would be a good time for a frothier, more chaotic letter!

Let’s talk about 13 small, cheap, everyday things that make my life better. And PLEASE tell me yours in the comments, because we can probably all use some cheap thrills right about now.

1. At-home luggage stand: I stopped talking about my luggage rack for a bit, because I evangelized it a bit too hard circa 2018-2019, but I never stopped loving mine. Who knows what my suitcase has touched, so it’s definitely not welcome on my bed. And in my late-thirties, I think more about my sometimes-finicky back than I used to. Enter, the at-home luggage rack! Why should these be relegated to hotels?

2. Pre-shredded iceberg lettuce: (Buckle up, this list is going to be all over the place. You’ve been warned.) You know what I love on sandwiches? Shredded lettuce. You know what I’m never going to do at home? Shred a head of iceberg. I can’t fully explain it, but it feels excessive and annoying. I can already picture it getting everywhere as I struggle to contain it on a cutting board. I recently realized you can buy pre-shredded iceberg (I’m chronically behind on grocery innovations living in NYC… more on that in a sec). I use a bag for 2-3 sandwiches and throw whatever’s left into a salad. My at-home sandwich game has been revolutionized.

3. Instacart, in general: Grocery shopping in New York City sucks. Stores are small and usually crowded and you have to carry whatever you buy home (a major problem for someone with a heavy seltzer addiction). I got an Instacart subscription a couple years ago when I threw my back out (bet you didn’t think I could tie this together with the 2 things above… aha!!), and it’s been a game-changer. Unlimited seltzer delivered to me by a stranger with a car, access to Wegman’s—which would otherwise be outside my walking radius—someone else doing a chore I don’t particularly enjoy! Win-win-win!

4. Aquis hair wrap: I’ve bought 5 or 6 of these over the years because I love them so much that I can’t travel without one and have a nasty habit of forgetting them in hotel bathrooms. But I’ll happily repurchase them into infinity! I have fine hair, and this is so much more gentle than a standard towel wrapped around my head. It’s also way lighter, so I can leave it in my hair to partially dry while I work. (I’ve heard great things about the Crown Affair hair towel, too, maybe I’ll try that next time I lose mine.)

5. Tiny tongs: If you’re a podcast listener, you know about my love for tiny tongs. It’s an inside joke so endemic to the pod that it became the name of our corporate entity (Tiny Tongs LLC). But these get so much play in my kitchen: taking things out of the air fryer, a serving utensil, tossing small amounts of ingredients. Truly, a kitchen MVP.

6. Oportun app: I wouldn’t call myself good with money. I love to shop, I love to travel, I love to eat out. Which is why I also love this app (previously Digit) that steals small, unnoticeable amounts of money from my checking account to put toward savings goals. I have evergreen goals for a rainy day fund and a vacation fund, but occasionally make other specific goals if I have a splurge in mind. At time of writing I have $3,535 stashed in here that I haven’t noticed being “borrowed” from me.

7. Eucalyptus shower spray: Once, I stayed in a hotel that had eucalyptus spray in the shower and immediately came home and bought some. While I fantasize about someday having a human-sized bathtub, this is the next best thing to make my shower experience more spa-like. And it lasts forever. I’ve had the same bottle for years.

8. Walks: I’ve always walked a lot as a means of transportation, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I realized the benefit of walking for my mental health and creativity. It’s truly my version of a stereotypical dad’s relationship with duct tape; in my mind there’s almost nothing a walk can’t fix.

9. Iced coffee chiller: I’m a year round iced coffee drinker, and I drink 95% of my coffee at home (not because I’m thrifty or virtuous, I just don’t want to put on out-of-the-house clothes before coffee). I tend to make a full pot and put it in an air tight carafe in my fridge to use over the next few days. But on days that I’ve run out, I have this nifty contraption that turns hot coffee into iced in about a minute. No more watery kind-of-iced coffee!

10. 5-year journal: Not new, but I never pass up a chance to evangelize my five-year journal. Sticking to it in the first year is tough, but after that I’ve been consistently thrilled by the number of memories it resurfaces. I have more about how I use mine in this post.

    Is 2025 the Year You Start a Journal?

11. Good pens only: I am a certified pen snob, and my life has been changed for the better since I’ve instituted a policy of “good pens only,” instead of whatever junk drawer pen happens to be laying around. In my case, that means Le Pens for five-year journal and Sakura Pigma Micron 05’s for everything else. If you want even more about my hyper-specific office supply preferences, I’ve got a whole post on that, too.

    Writing Accoutrements

12. Water bottle cleaning tablets: Is this a safe space to admit that most of the water I drink is actually 90% water, 10% orange gatorade? I have no compelling justification for this. But it does mean my water bottle gets icky quickly (I think because of the sugar?). So, I love these bottle cleaning tablets that make my Owala feel extra clean. Don’t skip using a small brush inside the straw, too.

13. Weighted eye mask: I switched to a weighted eye mask for sleeping earlier this year, and WOW it makes a huge difference. Mainly, it helps my mask to stay in place, so I don’t wake up at first light with it somewhere on my forehead. But I also find the weight itself soothing.

OK your turn, I’m eager to hear what small—seemingly silly—things make your life better.

Until Sunday,

Becca