You know what Batman Begins taught me? One must always mind their surroundings. If it’s smart advice for Bruce Wayne, then it’s good enough for me. It should actually be my mantra because I am forever running into things. Ra’s Al Ghul would be so disappointed in me.
Until I can master the fine art of walking without tripping over my own two feet, the Lappers Non-Slip Dining Trays (Vat19, $15.99) will have to help me out. What looks like a regular serving tray actually features two removable non-skid silicone mats to keep your plate and drink from sliding around. Because I frequently don’t pay attention to where I’m going, this tray would be instrumental in getting my food from Point A to Point B. The plate and drink areas of the tray are also recessed to provide even more dishware support – a place for everything and everything in its place.
“Justice is balance.”
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 18″ x 11.5″ x 2″
-Non slip dining tray
-2 removable non skid silicone mats
-Recessed areas for plate and drink
-Large handles
-Eliminates spills
-Available in 3 designs: circles, trellis, or tuxedo
-Dishwasher safe
-Made of sturdy melamine plastic
I can’t stand overpaying for stuff. I mean, it’s not like I everything I buy is on sale, but I make it a point not to buy something that is obviously overpriced. There are some times when that’s seemingly impossible, like at a baseball game or the airport. That’s fine, as long as you make sure you’re not shelling out a couple bucks a day just to get a bottle of water when you can get all the H2O you want from the water fountain for free.
Because you can’t take a water fountain with you, the Foldable Water Bottle Set (Things You Never Knew Existed, $9.98) is a great alternative. Lots of people are now carrying around reusable water bottles instead of buying disposable ones and that’s great for the environment. However, they’re usually pretty bulky, so you might decide to leave your fancy water bottle at home when it doesn’t jive with your routine. You won’t have that problem with these water bottles because they flatten and fold up when not in use. A water bottle you can stuff in your pocket – crazy, no? When you’re thirsty, you can unfold the bottle, fill it up (for free!), and it’ll stand upright.
It’s pretty bad when beer and water are the same price.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Pocket friendly water bottle
-Includes carabiner clip and 2 bottles
-Stand upright when full
-Flattens and folds when empty
-Assorted colors
-Freezable
-Washable
-Reusable
Why does it seem like there are never enough outlets? Is it an actual problem with the home’s construction or is it our overreliance on technology? Either way, it’s definitely a problem in my house (and I bet yours too). I’m constantly having to unplug one charger just to plug in another, which basically means I can never find my phone charger when I need it.
The Plug Out Plug Organizers (Perpetual Kid, $7.49) are here to rescue your many cords from obscurity! The silicone plug organizer attaches to the wall via stain-free adhesive and serve to keep your plugs handy even when they’re not in use. Each set comes with two plug organizers so it’s up to you to choose where your problem plug areas are. Even if you don’t suffer from technological dependence (liar), you can still use these organizers to keep track of the electronics you unplug when they’re not in use to save money/energy.
I’m considering fully converting to Apple products, if only for the simplicity of one cord to charge them all.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 3.5″ x 0.75″
-Store plugs near outlet when not in use
-Set of 2 plug organizers
-Stain free adhesive
-Choose from black/white or orange/green
-Made of silicone
Don’t get me wrong, I love technology but it seems like there’s a new gadget every week. I can only carry so many things with me at one time before it becomes a burden and I’m basically under house arrest due to gadget overload. If I can actually manage to get out of the house with my geek bundle, then I have to deal with the issue of readiness. What good is a smartphone if it’s not easily acceptable? Does an iPod play itself? Well, kinda but that’s not the point here.
I tend to fill my car’s cup holders with knick-knacks, trash, and well, cups so there’s not a whole lot of room left for anything actually important. The MagicPad (Latest Buy, $11.95) creates a safe space for your precious gadgets seemingly out of thin air. This stick pad attaches to most surfaces (as long as they are clean, smooth, and dry) and does so without any harsh adhesives. How? Well, that’s the magic part! Once you’ve selected the perfect spot for this pad, you’re all set to stick your items to it. That’s it – no other set-up required. Your objects will stick to the pad without any special devices or magnetic contraptions. If for some reason the pad loses its magical stickiness, all you have to do is wash it in warm water to reactivate it.
Apparently you can also use this stick pad vertically, but that just makes me nervous. I drop things on my own all the time – I don’t need any help in that department.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Stick pad for small items
-Sticks to most surfaces
-Sticks without adhesive
-Wash in warm water to reactivate stickiness
-Heat and cold resistant
-Made of elastic rubber material
I’m at that age where I’ve started to replace my adolescent items with ones of a more mature variety. For example, I recently started drinking wine with more purpose than simply to get wasted but I still feel like a college when sipping out of a colorful plastic goblet. So I went out and bought a few actual wine glasses – nothing fancy, yet streets ahead of my old college dishware.
Just because I’m graduated from plasticware to actual glass doesn’t mean that I’m actually gonna hand wash it so the Tether Stemware Saver (Amazon, $9.26) is a must. Sure, you could take your chances and put your precious wine glasses anywhere in the dishwasher, but who’s to say your mugs or other glasses won’t start pushing and shoving once you close the door? Better safe than sorry with these flexible dishwasher attachments that slide over your dishwasher’s posts on one end and clip onto the wine glass stem on the other. Because they’re flexible yet sturdy, these tethers are suitable for both top and bottom dishwasher racks (depending on the size of your stemware and the fullness of your dishwasher).
Wine not?
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 7.7″ x 1.4″ x 3″
-Flexible dishwasher attachment
-Pack of 4
-Hollow base slide over dishwasher post
-End clasp clips onto wine glass stem
-Top or bottom rack dishwasher safe
