Does anybody besides me want to turn in their adult card? Surely there’s a window somewhere, where you can opt-out of all the awful adult-like things we always thought we wanted as kids. Stay up as late as you want? Nah, in bed by 10 p.m. Spend the whole weekend gorging on TV? Nope, you’ve got bathrooms to clean. Eat ice cream for dinner? O.K., that one is still pretty cool.
If you must adult (and you must), you might as well have tools in your arsenal that make it worth it. That’s what we’ve got here: decidedly unsexy but hugely useful refrigerator bins, a gadget that tackles your back pain, and a magnet to help you remember whether the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or not. The 37 products that follow are guaranteed to make you feel like the adult you — sadly — are.
Throw It In The Bin
I said these weren’t sexy, O.K.? They 100 percent are not. I know it, you know it, the world knows it. But, you know what else? They’re hugely satisfying. There, I said it. These organizer bins will have your refrigerator looking like Marie Kondo herself got in there and arranged things. You’ll get a set of six, which includes one specifically for eggs and another for standard soda cans.
You’ve Got The Power
When I was growing up, we had a dedicated “battery drawer.” If you need a battery… to the battery drawer you went. Now that I’m an adult, I don’t have the space for a battery drawer, but I do have one of these battery organizers, which is nearly as good. This contraption holds nearly a hundred batteries and has a built-in tester.
What’s On The Menu?
No one tells you this, but being an adult is really just trying to figure out what you’re going to cook for dinner every night for the rest of your life until you die. This dry-erase menu board will at least help you put all your thoughts in one cohesive place. It comes with the weekly planner, markers, and a handy eraser.
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Get Lit
Sure, you could buy one of those cheap Bic lighters at the cash register, but this article is about feeling like an adult, which means you need to step up your lighter game. This USB rechargeable electric lighter will tackle all your candle lighting, BBQ cooking, and firework shooting-offing (that’s not a word) with ease. The extended wand makes it simple to use and it’s also weather-resistant.
Get Every Last Drop
Being an adult means squeezing every last drop out of everything you buy — toothpaste, eye cream, peanut butter. Can’t you just hear your dad saying, “Who threw out this half-full jar?” The Spatty is dubbed a “last drop beauty spatula,” getting into the bottom of your jars and bottles and ultimately saving you money. Your dad would be proud.
Speak-er Your Mind
Stop craning your neck to listen to the tinny sounds coming out of your phone. You deserve an upgrade, a Bluetooth shower speaker that not only plays your favorite tunes but also allows you to take calls. And, if you thought you’d never have to answer a call in the shower, well, buckle up, buttercup, things are about to get even weirder.
Check Your Neck
I don’t know how old you are, but take it from someone who’s creeping up on 44, start your beauty routine now. Like, right now. Don’t wait, like me, until you’re in your 40s to start caring. This youth-restoring neck cream will tackle sagging skin on your face, neck, and décolleté while you’ll need other products entirely for the crying session you just initiated.
Boost Your Bath
There’s nothing I enjoy more as an adult than taking a bath, and I mean, a full-to-the-brim tub of boiling hot water. (What? Adult skin can handle it.) This bath pillow steps up your alone time game, letting you truly relax while cradling your head and neck. This one has a hook so you can hang it to dry for the next use.
The Perfect Grown-Up Cocktail
You have to stop drinking Jägerbombs — maybe not today, but soon because you have a job. The perfect grown-up cocktail awaits, though, with the assistance of this black and tan layering tool. Serve layered beer cocktails at your next get-together or have one after a particularly stressful day at work … which is likely to be any day that ends in “y.”
Control The Junk In Your Trunk
If you’re still riding around with empty water bottles and fast-food wrappers in the floorboards of your car, listen up: It’s time to get your home on wheels in tip-top shape. This trunk organizer will give all your gear a place of its own, but please don’t use it to store your trash, O.K.? Bag that stuff up and throw it away.
Pump Up The Noise
When you lie down at night, does your brain spring into overdrive? That’s one of those lovely adulting things nobody tells you about. This white noise sound machine will quiet all of those reminders, thoughts, mental to-do lists with a bevy of sounds from thunder to the ocean. It’s also perfect when you just need to get away but can’t afford a vacation.
Be Your Own Barista
Daily Starbucks runs are all fun and good until you get to the end of the month and you’re eating Lunchables and Cheerios waiting for your next paycheck. Start crafting your own coffee drinks at home with a minimal investment in this milk frother. You can still enjoy your cappuccinos, lattes, and more without sacrificing your budget to do it.
A Magnetic Message
If you had told me as a kid that one of life’s biggest mysteries would be whether the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or not, I would’ve laughed. I’m not laughing now, though, because the struggle is real. This dishwasher magnet will tell everyone the status of what’s going on inside your favorite kitchen appliance… if you can remember to flip it appropriately?
Baby Got Back Pain
One day, maybe not yet or maybe soon, you’ll wake up and go, “What did I do to my neck/back/knee/shoulder?” And, there will be no answers. This back and neck massager has a strange look but it works; I own one and can vouch for it. The ergonomic design reaches anywhere on your body and the nods and spikes work out sore muscles or trigger points.
Give It A Trim
Have you noticed hair … in places you never thought it would be? No one told you about that either, did they? This three-in-one trimmer helps eliminate hair from places you don’t want it to be like your nose, ears, and face. Rechargeable and made of durable stainless steel, it’s also easy to clean once you’re finished purging yourself of stray hairs.
Your Biggest Fan
Like many people, I have multiple ceiling fans and, living in Florida, I use them just about year-round. But, have you ever turned a fan off? Yuck, do they get gross! This ceiling and fan duster make cleaning the seldom-cleaned a far simpler task. An extendable handle and “dust lock adhesive” pair together to turn a chore into, well, a chore you’ll be able to do more easily.
Hanging Around
Think of your life in terms of the types of hangers you use: Teenager – metal hangers, your early 20s – plastic hangers, the 30s and beyond – velvet hangers. And, why not? These non-slip hangers are ultra-thin so they don’t take up as much room in your closet and hold your clothes carefully so that the new top you bought doesn’t slide off end up on the floor of your closet.
Pillow Perfection
One of the greatest purchases of my adulthood was the purchase of a silk pillowcase like this softer-than-silk satin pillowcase from Kitsch. Not only is it especially gentle on your hair (no tangles! no frizz!) but it’s also great for your skin, shunning wrinkles and stopping fine lines in their tracks. This one has a zippered closure and comes in fun colors and patterns.
Time To Wine Down
I’m not going to lie, this wine chiller gift set is one of the few perks of adulthood because it means you can drink wine… and that you take it fairly seriously to boot. This set includes a vacuum-insulated wine bottle and two tumblers so when your girlfriends come over, you can really look like you have your stuff together.
Try These Towels — No Chemicals Required
There are so many cleaning products on the market that unless you have a Ph.D. in clean-ology, it can be tricky to know what works and what’s mostly hype. This nano towel intrigues me because it captures liquid, dust, dirt and grime like a magnet with — get this — only water. You don’t have to use harsh chemicals or waste paper towels with this four-pack in your arsenal.
Cuts Like A Knife
If you love cooking, one of the first “adult” purchases you’re likely to make is high-quality knives. You can display them in a cool way, too, with this magnetic knife block. Made of bamboo with a non-slip base, the strong hidden magnet causes your knives to “snap” right on and looks good while doing it. This is a great alternative to a boring ol’ knife block.
Get A New Mat-titude
We’re adults now; we don’t eat raw cookie dough… or do we? And, we most certainly bake all cookies from scratch. Right? These silicone baking mats are great for cookies, macarons and pastries, eliminating the need for toxic cooking sprays or expensive parchment paper. Buy these in a variety of configurations from two half sheets to three quarter sheets.
Cover It Up
One of the greatest dilemmas of adulthood is this: Do you toss part of a half-used can in the trash or do you save it, only to watch it spill a few days later in the refrigerator? These food can lids help you save money by conserving half-full (or half-empty) cans of food in your fridge with no fear of spills or ill-fitting foil/saran wrap. This set includes four small and four large lids.
I’m So Board
Adulthood means always being prepared to pull out a charcuterie board. I don’t know who makes these rules but here we are. This bamboo cheese board is one of the nicer ones I’ve seen with a grooved serving rim to keep your crackers from going all over and a hideaway utensil drawer with all the cutlery you need. Just add wine.
Scale Your Efforts
But, not too much wine because your metabolism is about to grind to a screeching halt. This Bluetooth-compatible scale will help you stay on top of your weight with a ton of trackable features from weight and BMI to body water and metabolic age. It has a compatible smartphone app that works with both Apple and Android devices so you can stew about your weight while sitting in traffic.
Go Under Cover
Adulthood comes with some musts: Tylenol, a comfy pillow and your pick of weighted blankets. I like this one a lot because it comes in a variety of sizes, weights and colors with a removable cover that you can toss in the washing machine. Weighted blankets deliver even pressure to help you get a better night’s sleep and stop all the tossing and turning.
Scrub-A-Dub-Dub
When you were a kid, you probably had someone around who helped you reach all those places you couldn’t to get them nice and clean. As an adult, well, it’s a little weird to ask. This back and body scrubber is a nice addition to your shower, with easy-grip handles and a length that will go over your entire back. It has two different textures, one on each side.
Break The Cycle
You have a gym membership but you can’t remember the last time you darkened the door of said gym. Sound familiar? This under-desk pedal exerciser won’t require you to roll out of bed at 5 a.m. to get in a workout before work since you can workout… while you work. It won’t give you big biceps but it’ll make you feel like you’re doing something nice for yourself all the same.
Meal Prep In Style
Repeat after me: I will not go through the drive-thru today. Meal prep takes a little work but it’s completely worth it for the cost savings and better quality meals that won’t leave you feeling like a total trash bag. These glass meal-prep containers can go from freezer to oven in a split second. They’re also leakproof and have an airtight seal.
White As Snow
I always appreciated my super white teeth… until I got more than a few years into adulthood and the mix of coffee, wine and soda made them far less white. This teeth whitening pen is a good on-the-go solution for treating your teeth right after a run-in with one of the aforementioned beverages. It’s mint-flavored and works well for those of you with sensitive teeth.
Take My Temperature
When you’re young, you think you know everything… including how to cook meat perfectly without any help. When you get a few years on you, you realize there are tools out there designed to make this simpler. This waterproof thermometer will give you an instant reading on a digital display so everything from your ribeye to your Christmas candy comes out perfect every time.
Garden Glove Love
Somewhere along the adult journey, I thought my green thumb would grow automatically. As it turns out, I was born without a green thumb. Ahem. For those of you who have one, you might enjoy these gardening gloves. They feature a textured rubber coating for great grip, reinforced fingers to protect your nails and a snug, elastic fit to keep dirt out.
The Right To Bear Arms
It’s been some years since you’ve knowingly — or willingly — left your house without your phone. Now, with a job, kids and other responsibilities, you wouldn’t dare. This armband phone holder keeps your tech gear close while freeing your hands for other tasks. Clearly, the woman in the picture is running, but this sleeve would be useful in a variety of situations. (Read: You don’t have to take up running, I promise.)
Put It In Lights
One of these days, you’re going to look around and go, “Why is it so dark in here? Why can’t I read anything?” You may need to get your eyes checked … or, you might want to invest in these wireless LED under-cabinet lights. These stick on simply and are surprisingly feature-rich with a wireless remote, selectable dimmer and optional auto-off timer.
Letter Getter
You aren’t a full-fledged adult until you have at least one stack of mail in your house that needs your attention. This three-tier letter organizer won’t pay your bills but it will at least make them nicer to look at. Made of durable scratch-resistant steel wire mesh with a reinforced metal frame, you’ll have plenty of room to store papers, bills, documents and more.
What’s Your Password?
Can you remember all your passwords? (It doesn’t count if you only use one password for everything.) I’m guessing not because I can’t either. This internet password logbook will remind you of your parents but you’ll be stoked to use it yourself. It’s designed to resemble a regular notebook to enhance security in case you leave it lying around. It has alphabetized tabs, a pen holder and a ribbon bookmark.
Don’t Get The Blues
The jury may still be out on the effectiveness of blue light glasses but my 40-something eyes really appreciate them. I notice I have fewer headaches and reduced tiredness when I actually remember to put them on. This two-pack costs less than $17, giving you a pair for the office and a pair for home. I especially love the colorful and animal print frames.