6 Clever Items to Simplify Your Life

Home security systems are now accessible (and affordable) thanks to this compact, subtle motion sensor, which sticks easily to a wall or doorway in your home. The wireless sensor will send phone notifications if it senses motion in your home while you’re gone, giving you the option to dismiss the alert or call 911. A professional monitoring service, which can call authorities in the event of a disturbance, is only $9 per month.

To buy: $30; heykangaroo.com.

Corral charging cables on a desk, nightstand, or countertop with this sleek magnetic organizer, which keeps cords in place when not in use—never crawl on the floor to retrieve a fallen cable again.

To buy: $20; silksmartish.com.

This travel-ready jewelry cleaner cleans and shines fine gemstones and fashion jewelry. It fits neatly in a purse or jacket pocket, so you can arrive at every holiday party this season looking absolutely dazzling; the festive packaging makes for a useful stocking stuffer.

To buy: $22; baublerella.com.

Repair shattered makeup palettes with this compact pink box, which reshapes your almost-empty or crumbling powders in usable tins. If you’re feeling creative, you can even blend new colors to create your own palette.

To buy: $48; fixymakeup.com.

The difficult foil on the top of your favorite wine bottles is no match for this multi-tasking tool, which cuts and removes the foil with a simple pinch. Once you’ve had your fill, it doubles as a bottle-stopper.

To buy: $10; rabbitwine.com.

If brown bagging isn’t your style but the thought of spending $10 or more a day on lunch makes you cringe, try MealPal, a meal plan service that allows you to have 12 or 20 lunches a month from restaurants near your office. Prices start at $5.99 per meal, plus taxes and fees—far less than you’d pay at retail prices. The service is available in New York City, Seattle, Philadelphia, and more.