2-Day Shipping on most products. Shop Now!
Megan is a writer and editor who specializes in home upgrades, DIY projects, hacks, and design. Before Apartment Therapy, she was an editor at HGTV Magazine and This Old House Magazine. Megan has a degree in Magazine Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She is a self-taught weighted blanket connoisseur.
published about 4 hours ago
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Pretty soon, I’m going to have to rightfully give my job over to my grandma. Her resume as an online shopper and product tester is likely stacked, probably a lot more than mine is, and her intuition when it comes to sourcing quality, ingenious finds on Amazon never seems to fail. Last week, she shared her Amazon account info with me to help her source the best light bulbs for her home … but (after some shameless snooping), I found so much more. Not only is her list of recent purchases a treasure trove in its own right, but her shopping cart exclusively features gadgets, tools, and hacks that even I never would have found. Say a prayer that she forgives me for exposing her secrets to an immaculate, well-oiled home and read on for a few of her coolest recent finds.
For more content like this follow
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
There’s something about going home that encourages our inner child to come out, some more than others. Parents do generally own things that children (especially me) covet, and sometimes those things end up vanishing from their home at the exact time I’m headed back to New York. Consider this my official mea culpa: I dedicate it to my parents, first and foremost, for introducing me to these awesome little essentials and for graciously accepting their disappearance whenever I come to town. Secondly, I dedicate it to Santa in an attempt to make amends for my misbehavior this holiday season (and hopefully end up with some of these things in my stocking). Disclaimer aside, these are just six of the things I somehow end up going home with when I leave my parents’ house each visit, each of which have become mainstays in my life at home or on the go.
For more content like this follow
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Last year around this time, I was still working as a hostess at my restaurant job. We had just put up a real fir tree in the dining room, when my manager approached the host stand, an excited grin on her face. “I have a fun task for you,” she shared, before pointing me in the direction of the storage closet where I could find three cardboard boxes of red and gold ornaments. As it turns out, the task in question was not going to be fun. For as long as I can remember, decorating the Christmas tree has never been a holiday pastime I’ve looked forward to, in my own home or otherwise. As much as I love the final result — a sparkling, colorful tree that lights up the whole room — I can’t say the same about the process. One reason why is because getting the ornaments to actually stay on the branches is always way more of a struggle than it should be.
For more content like this follow
What’s more, at home I have an artificial tree. Suffice to say, I was not prepared for how much running and chasing I had to do across the restaurant as ball after ball slipped off the tree’s real, unbendable branches. In that moment, I really could’ve used something like these Ornament Anchor hooks from Amazon. If they look familiar, it might be because they were featured on “Shark Tank.” Now, the hooks can be the star of your living room, too.
For $20, you get 24 of these bad boys, which should be enough to cover at least half of your ornament collection. The hooks are actually more like stretchy fasteners that attach to your tree decorations and tighten to remain securely in place. The green ones will blend best with the surrounding fir needles, but you can also get the hooks in gold, red, and white. Most importantly, each hook can hold up to 10 lbs, so even your largest ornaments don’t have a chance at running away.
Those who’ve already bought their own anchors can’t recommend them enough. “I love to display my grandparents’ ornaments and the ornaments that I made or that my kids made over the years,” one reviewer noted. “We have lost a few over the years, and that just plain sucks. Not anymore. Ornament Anchor is the best.” You can rest assured that your own tree adornments, be they glass or just highly sentimental, won’t be going anywhere.
What’s more, homes with kids and pets need all the protection they can get against broken shards of glass. And once you buy a pack or two, you can reuse them year after year! Decorating the evergreen will have never felt so easy.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Let me tell you about one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten. The friend who gave it to me bought it in bulk on Amazon, and while that might sound impersonal at first, I’m actually thrilled to know that so many other people in her life are enjoying it as much as I am. Without further ado, I present to all sleepers — especially the uneasy, light-sensitive, and globe-trotting varieties — our Best List-awarded-winning sleep mask: the FRESHME Handmade Cotton Sleep Mask.
For more content like this follow
For most of my life, I’ve preferred waking up with the sun instead of using blackout shades. I’ve never really minded a few rays of moonlight spilling in through the window or the vague luminosity of a city that never sleeps (even if I’m trying to). Well, that was before I stayed with a light-sensitive friend who regularly gifts her overnight guests their very own FRESHME sleep mask just in case they like to sleep in darkness, too. An impressive hosting gesture for sure, but I admittedly didn’t use my mask until I found myself on a noisy, long-haul flight a week later. As a last-ditch effort to get some rest, I slid the mask’s fine-knit organic cotton softness over my eyes and experienced all that my friend (and the more than 7,000 five-star reviews on Amazon) raves about.
Of all the sleep masks I’ve tested during my years as a shopping editor, FRESHME’s is the only one that made me sigh with instant relief. At 4″ wide, it’s designed to cover your entire eye line, including all of those tricky facial contours where speckles of light seep through other masks. The adjustable back is just as comfortable as the front thanks to strips of thin, surprisingly soft velcro, and since the mask also covers your ears, it muffles and decreases detectable sound. I’ve even customized the tightness to help relieve a few pressure headaches — it really works!
I now use the FRESHME mask on every flight I take and in every hotel or home I stay in (including my own). It’s upgraded my nights from decent sleep to indecently deep sleep, no matter where I happen to be. And it’s, without a doubt, the most comfortable blackout eye mask I’ve ever tried. Sound like a dream that’s too good to be true? I recommend you grab one (or a few!) of your own and experience the comfort for yourself. Personally, I’m taking a cue from my super-hospitable friend and buying them in bulk to give as holiday gifts this year. And of course, I’ll always have a few on hand for overnight guests.
Buy: FRESHME Handmade Cotton Sleep Mask, $24.98 (normally $30.99)