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
Remember disposable cameras? You needed 27 (or if you were lucky, 29) exposures just to get one good picture. It’s not like now when you can repose over and over until your spastic friend finally has their eyes open (alright, that’s me). A friend of mine recently busted out the disposable camera at a party the other night and when I asked her about it, she said that she likes having actual photos where you can’t take a million just to get the perfect one. Hmmm…
For those who want to have their cake and eat it too, there’s the Portable Handheld Scanner (Hammacher Schlemmer, $99.95) – the cake in this scenario being the tangible photo and eating it being the digital copy. It doesn’t just stop at photos though; you can scan anything! Photos, magazines, documents…pretty much anything you can think of. Ok, well you are confined to the limits of the microSD card, but this scanner supports memory cards up to 32 gigabytes in capacity and you can get 180 scans per charge. Each scan is saved onto the memory card as a JPEG file, as either high or normal resolution, and the scanner is both PC and Mac compatible.
Not for retinas.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 10″ x 1.25″ x 1″
-Weight: 7.5oz
-Cordless portable scanner
-Up to 180 scans per charge
-Color image sensor
-High (600 dpi) or standard (300 dpi) resolution
-JPEG images save on microSD card (not included)
-USB cable included
-Uses 2 AA batteries (included)
-Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Mac compatible
I am a note-taking fiend. If there’s a list to be made, I’m all over it. Whether it’s to-do, grocery, or packing, I’ve got it covered. The problem with making so many lists is that you might as well be chopping down a whole forest with the amount of paper you’re wasting on a regular basis. So if you can help it, try not to kill all the trees.
Instead of making an old fashioned paper list, why not try the Blackboard Door Planner (Not On The High Street, $50.16)? You can plan out your days with ease and, more importantly, without harming the planet. The set includes five reusable blackboard pieces separated by day as well as a set of chalk sticks that allow you to write on and wipe off. Simply place the self-adhesive pieces on your surface of choice (door, wall, counter top) and you’re ready to list away!
Please note, these lists are obviously not portable so you’ll still have to think of another planet-saving alternative to paper. I have faith in you.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 172cm x 57cm
-Contains 1 blackboard planner and set of chalk sticks
-Write on and wipe off
-5 separate day pieces
-Pre applied application tape
-Made of low tac self adhesive vinyl
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
