Life Life Strategies A Knife That Won't Smush Your Sandwich—and More Clever Items to Upgrade Your Life This Week The last days of 2021 are upon us, and we can hardly believe it. Here’s hoping as you’re penning your resolutions, you keep the theme of this column in mind as inspiration: take shortcuts to make your life easier when you can, so you can spend more time enjoying it. This week, it may be time to finally splurge on a vacuum you can sit and watch while enjoying a cup of coffee. By Martha Upton Martha Upton Website A former associate editor at Real Simple, Martha Upton began her four-year tenure at the magazine in 2018. She spent a majority of her time researching and testing products for the "Clever Items" column. Prior to joining Real Simple, she spent six months completing a fellowship at Esquire, where she wrote men's commerce stories for online. Martha earned a master's degree in magazine writing from New York University. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 29, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: kuhnrikonshop.com 01 of 06 Kuhn Rikon Sandwich Knife Courtesy of Kuhn Rikon $20.50, kuhnrikonshop.com Picture this: You've made the perfect sandwich, deli meat, cheese, veggies, avocado, all layered between two fresh pieces of bread that have been slathered with the condiments of your choosing. Now, it's time to cut it in half to make it more manageable, but a regular knife threatens to smush your masterpiece. Enter this knife with an ultra-sharp scalloped-edge blade that promises to slice through even the crustiest of bread. **Chef's kiss** 02 of 06 Eufy RoboVac Courtesy of Amazon $249.99, amazon.com This little robot is incredibly sleek at only 2.85 inches tall, allowing it to easily slide under cabinets and dressers, but still possesses powerful suction. It's operated by your smartphone, climbs over carpets and ledges (imagine that!) with ease, and has technology that senses before it falls down the stairs. 03 of 06 Welly Camp Cup Courtesy of Well via Instagram $30, wellybottle.com This handy campsite staple keeps your coffee hot for six hours or water cold overnight. Little details like the leak-proof lid, grippable bamboo handle, and tapered bottom to fit your cup holder will make it useful outside of sitting around the campfire. 04 of 06 Cork Genius Wine Opener Courtesy of Cork Genius $19.98, corkgenius.com No matter how seasoned a wine drinker you are, we can all agree, wine bottles are frustrating to open. Save your strength (and your back from all the wrenching) with this gadget that injects air into the cork so it comes out naturally. Just pump it a few times and watch it pop. 05 of 06 Farmacy The Giving Back Pack Courtesy of Sephora $30, sephora.com With these beloved skincare products from Farmacy, you can dabble in the double cleanse with the melting balm, clean out your pores with the toner, and pamper your skin with the honey balm. Each kit donates 20 meals to Feeding America. 06 of 06 Potluck Courtesy of Potluck via Instagram potluck.us Forget lengthy group texts about who's bringing what to the potluck. This membership-based app will let you assign items to participants, keep track of who's bringing what, and even allow participants to chat about the event. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit