Recent purchases I'm loving

In the last few years, I’ve developed an aversion to clutter, especially when it comes to small objects. For that reason, I’ve been careful with what I bring into our home, and frankly, what I purchase. No better wake-up call than having to move to see how much junk really accumulates. And since we’ve had to do that so often in recent years, it’s always been the small things that have sent me over the edge when it was time for packing.

I’ve been mindful of maintaining a somewhat minimalistic kitchen and other areas of our home. However, there are some things that are undeniably making our life easier, and, most often, I’m ok with making room for them, which is the case with these purchases we’ve made recently. I’m happy with them so far, and I wanted to share them because I know they’re popular and/or useful. So here they are.

Microwavable potato pouches. I love potatoes in any shape and/or form (as long as they’re cooked), and I’m not ashamed to admit it. But I hate how long they take to cook.
I’ve come across this potato pouch (comes in a set of two) that bakes them in just a few minutes (depending on the size of the potato). Well, more like boils them because you won’t get “crisp” skins using this pouch, but it won’t make them fall apart either as when actually boiling them in water may.
When cooked this way, I can add them quickly to salads, bowls (sweet potato bowls anyone?), make baked potatoes, or whatever other dishes come to my mind. This pouch makes dinner on busy nights much easier!
As far as care, I’ve washed the pouches in the washer so far with no issues, though I assume that the writing on them might wash off at some point. Also, I cover the potatoes in a paper towel prior to inserting them in the pouches to prevent stains. Note: Make sure you follow the instructions when using it!
Reusable cotton rounds. I’ve been feeling guilty about throwing away cotton pads/balls, and have been thinking of getting reusable ones for a while now. When I finally remembered to buy some, I decided to try these ones after a little bit of research, and I have to say that I love them so far. Yes, they are a bit thick, but they exfoliate and leave my skin so much cleaner and nicer-looking than the disposable cotton rounds I was using before, that I’m willing to overlook that fact. Also, they’re so easy to clean — put them in the provided pouch, and throw them in the washer!
Note that I’ve only been using them with toner, rather than removing makeup. I prefer to wash my makeup off in the shower, prior to actually cleansing my face with my Clarisonic brush (that sadly, is no longer available).
Pedicure foot file. It’s kind of always sandal season in Florida, so flaky feet are a no-no! This foot file is literally a grater (yes, like the ones used for cheese), and a sharp one at that. It does an amazing job at removing any dead skin from your feet, however, I will caution you in regards to the pressure you apply while using it… I did manage to scrape one of my toes to the point of bleeding, so the best way to use this is by seating down, and lightly scraping forward and backward, NOT sideways. The dead skin comes off easily! If needed, finish off with a pumice stone to smooth things out.
Frosted Glass Aromatherapy Diffuser. We use this one in our bedroom almost every day, for a few hours before bed. The device looks nice, is quiet, and the light is pretty bright at night, though you can turn it off if you want. Once it runs out of water, it automatically and quietly shuts off, which I like. We have it run on continual mode and find that it usually runs for about 4 hours before it turns off.

GuruNanda Essential Oil Diffuser. We use this one in our living room, which is a fairly generous space. In all honesty, I don’t like their look as much, however, they work well, and that’s good enough for me. We use this one on either intermittent, or continual mode, and it lasts up to 6 hours on one tank. Again, it’s a quiet one. You can hear water “gurgling” slightly once in a while, and that’s pretty much it. It also auto-shuts off once it runs out of water, and it does so quietly, while its light flashes.
We’ve been mostly using these essential oil blends with both our diffusers, and I like them, however, know that they all have an “earthy” smell. If you don’t like that, you can use these regular essential oils — we have these too, and use them as well; the orange and eucalyptus ones are my favorite.

Zak Designs Stainless Steel Tumbler. Well, these were gifts from my in-laws, rather than purchases, but I’m loving them so far, so I wanted to include them on this list.
I’m someone who would make a cup of coffee or tea, then get busy, and forget about it. And I’m also someone who doesn’t like drinking the said drinks cold. Yes, you read that right — I don’t like cold coffee. Since I take my coffee either black or with a tiny splash of coconut milk, drinking it cold is not very appealing. And these tumblers have made a huge difference! My coffee or tea stays warm enough, if not hot for many hours (well past the 2-hour mark advertised with the product). The best part is that the outside is never hot to the touch, making it easy and safe to hold.

Have you heard of or tried any of these products before? Thoughts?

Until next time.

xoxo,