6 Clever Items to Simplify Your Life

Keep your child safe—wherever you may be—without lugging around a bulky car seat. Designed specifically for traveling, this inflatable booster seat fills with just a few breaths and just as easily deflates (it even fits in your purse!). Appropriate for ages 4 to 11.

To buy: $40, bubblebum.co.

Featured December 2013

No matter where you plan to hang the holiday lights—around the windows, down the stairwells, along the gutters—use strong-holding clips to make installation a snap. These self-adhesive light clips are easy to remove and won’t damage paint. If only Clark Griswold had been so lucky…

To buy: $10, homedepot.com.

Poaching an egg is no easy task—and everyone seems to have a different technique. Skip the guesswork and simply crack an egg into this pouch, immerse in simmering water, and cook for four to six minutes to guarantee perfectly poached eggs every time.

To buy: $5 for 20, surlatable.com.

Stash this variety pack of towelettes (which includes nail polish remover, antiperspirant, a facial cleanser, and more) in your carry-on so you can keep that fresh-faced look while on the go.

To buy: $20, lafreshgroup.com.

This handy shopping tool, which adheres to your fridge with a magnet, recognizes barcodes or your voice, and then instantly adds those items to your shopping list (which is accessible from your mobile phone or tablet). With your entire shopping list at your fingertips at all times, you’ll never have to make a second trip for forgotten items.

To buy: $79, hiku.us.

Wish you could bring order to an unruly inbox? This free app saves your e-mail from overload by scanning your inbox for newsletters, offers, and other commercial mailers. Once these messages have been corralled, you can easily opt out of unwanted subscriptions and create a daily digest of only the ones you want to receive.

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