The best New Year’s resolution might simply be to try making life less complicated. Set yourself up for success in tiny ways, and you’ll reduce your overall stress. Sometimes, it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Take these 10 unassuming — sometimes strange-sounding! — gadgets, for instance. They offer smart solutions to everyday challenges, and they all happen to cost less than $35 at Amazon. From a nifty vegetable spiralizer to a top-selling grabber tool, you’re sure to find something on this list that’ll come in handy in 2024.
Amazon
You want to eat more greens, right? But they’re a pain to prep — and the healthier they are, it seems, the more work they entail. Not anymore. This brilliant tool shears tough leaves (think kale, collards, mustard green) off the rib with ease, helping you breeze through a whole head in just a couple of minutes. Smaller holes are for stripping herbs like rosemary, thyme and parsley, and the edge blade also lets you cut up leaves. Forgive me in advance, but I have to say it: With this tool, it’s easy being green.
$7 at Amazon
Amazon
At just about half a pound, this top-seller is like an ultra-lightweight extension of your arm. The durable metal rod extends as far as 32 inches and features texturized rubber end grips equipped with magnets for lifting items small and large. To use, just pull the trigger on the handle, which was designed to respond with little effort. Doing so makes the claw contract around whatever object you’re trying to reach, whether it’s a can that’s up on a high shelf or a dropped set of keys. It’s also great for picking up leaves and trash in your yard, no painful bending or straining required.
$9 at Amazon
Amazon
Anyone who’s ever worked in a retail store knows that spacing hangers uniformly (one-finger’s width!) is what gives a rack dignity. At home most of us have given up on this notion, and our overstuffed storage results in smashed, wrinkled clothes — requiring ironing even when they may have been in beautiful shape when they were put away. No longer. These hanger spacers give each of your shirts, dresses or pants the personal space it needs to remain in good shape and at the ready. The spacers make it easier to get dressed for work, to put away laundry and to feel like you’re ahead of the game.
$18 at Amazon
Amazon
I read that the best way to bathe a cat is by placing it on a tilted window screen in the tub. Its claws come out in fear, and in the cat’s terror it is trapped so you can lower the feline into the water. This, to me, seems bonkers, and it’s why my cat of 11 years has never been bathed. However, the Aquapaw makes me feel like I may have a chance yet. A wearable sprayer-scrubber that attaches to a hose (outside) or a faucet (in the tub), it lets you get the job done quickly and cleanly. You might even be able to convince the kids there’s fun to be had here, and outsource dog-scrubbing duty to them.
$14 at Amazon
Amazon
I don’t want to make generalizations about teenage boys, but can we all agree that their baseball caps could use a washing? And yet that precious headwear is not exactly easy to clean. Hats off to whoever invented this clever gadget, a “cage” that enables you to safely wash caps in your dishwasher.
$14 at Amazon
Amazon
Dinner prep is infinitely easier when you don’t have to rifle around for that one errant pot top. This universal lid has got you covered (or has got your pots covered). It works with most 8.25-, 9-, 10-, 11- and 12-inch pots and pans, so you can keep it handy, transfer from pot to pot as needed and concentrate on your brilliant culinary creations instead.
$20 at Amazon
Amazon
Yes, it’s intended to help you clean those high-up tiles on the wall next to the shower. And it’s damn good at this. Like so many Oxo products, it’s an ergonomic delight. The head pivots to get into awkward spots, moving nimbly even when the pole is fully extended. A sturdy anti-microbial head is abrasive enough to do the job and easy to rinse clean. What the manufacturer may not mention is that it’s also awesome for killing bugs; this is the primary function for this tool in my home. I usually grab a used dryer sheet out of the laundry basket, lay it across the head (it sticks because of the scrubby texture) and in seconds that ceiling spider has met a quick (and I hope painless) demise.
$16 at Amazon
Amazon
Been meaning to spiralize but can’t quite get motivated? This low-tech hand tool takes away the intimidation factor — and the potential mess — catching and containing veggie ribbons as you twist. Make yourself a whole spiralized salad, top with a dollop of dressed lentils (or any leftover protein from last night’s dinner) and lunch is packed and ready to take to the office. Plus, it comes with attachments for juicing, ribboning, grating, shredding and more.
$22 at Amazon
Amazon
It’s great that we’ve finally gotten into a nationwide habit of bringing our own bags to the grocery store. Each year more cities outlaw plastic bags. But if the back of your car now looks like an explosion at a tote-bag factory — a crazy chaos of canvas, nylon and good old-fashioned brown paper — you’ll love this slim, storable carry-all. It folds completely flat, expands to a generously sized rectangular cube and weighs next to nothing. Bring it into the supermarket with you, fill as you peruse the shelves and after the groceries are put away at home, collapse and file neatly in your vehicle. Car clutter solved. And it’s available in five colors/prints.
$32 at Amazon
Amazon
If, like many of us, you promised yourself healthier habits in 2024, these olive oil bottles belong in your kitchen. You get the convenience and lightness of cooking spray with the quality (and “good fat”) of your favorite olive oil. These bottles have a broad spritz, so they coat the pan using less oil overall — and who couldn’t use a bit fewer calories in that a.m. omelet? Fill the second bottle with balsamic, if you like; that makes it a breeze to dress salad and keep leaves light and bright.
$11 at Amazon$11 at Walmart
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