6 Clever Items to Simplify Your Life
Real Simple’s mission, through its 20 years, has been to simplify your life with smart finds like these. Here, you’ll find the best-ever party food, a smarter baking tool set, and better tools for kids living in a modern world.
1
This set of multi-tasking baking tools will make any holiday (or stress) baking much easier. The rolling pin works as a rolling pin, sure, but also a flour shaker and pastry measure; the spatula has two heads of different sizes, plus a bowl scraper feature hidden under one of those heads. With five super-powered tools, you’ll have less clean-up—and more time for enjoying your fresh-from-the-oven treats.
2
Enjoy Levain’s famous cookies fresh out of the oven in your own home—and at a smaller, more manageable size, no less—with this line of frozen, ready-to-bake cookies. Four of the beloved flavors—Two Chip Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and Chocolate Chip Walnut—are available in the freezer aisle at select grocery stores.
3
Dress up any drink or treat with this edible, vegan add-on. Simply pour a sachet into your recipe or treat to add shimmering decor (and subtle flavor). Rose gold raspberry, gold blood orange, and flavorless gold are available, and each box comes with six of each, so you’ll have more glamorous drinks for days.
4
It’s never too late to set kids up from remote learning success. With this customizable notepad, you can give them a planner just for them, with space for them to plan activities, record reading time and creative projects, and more. It could help them set up a routine that works, taking some work off parents’ plates.
5
On a cleaning spree? Help your kitchen cabinet and pantry shelves stay just as clean as the rest of your home with this low-key shelf liner. Its grip top holds everything in place, as any shelf liner should, but built-in Clorox antimicrobial protection fights odors, mold, and mildew, so your space smells as clean as you know it is, even if there’s a small spill or sticky bottle.
6
A collaboration between Chase and Greenlight, a financial education company for kids, this new type of checking account can help parents teach kids and teens better money management. The checking account has no monthly fees, and parents and kids alike can access a Chase First Banking account through the Chase Mobile App. Within the account, parents can manage allowances, track chores, and more; kids get a digital option for their allowance with a debit card and simple Earn, Spend, and Save functions to help them learn responsible money skills. With fewer and fewer places accepting cash (and the safety concerns surrounding hard money), this allows kids to continue to earn money for chores and other tasks and spend it in a 21st century manner.