In the last few weeks, nothing has been more important than a feeling of safety and ease in your surroundings. With each visit to an essential store, I’ve seen more and more shoppers in masks and gloves (and I’ve progressively upgraded from sanitizer to gloves to mask and gloves) which is great- but also quite eerie.
While the economic impact of staying at home absolutely calls for fiscal responsibility, I believe that ensuring that act of staying at home is pleasant is also a responsibility. It’s always been my position that it’s worth a little extra rent or a little extra investment to make your address a home. Now that it’s our place of rest, sleep, work, fitness, hobbies, dates, “travel” from room to room, cooking, and more, it’s never been more important.
Most likely, you didn’t design your space to address all those aspects of living, or you’ve put off certain upgrades or projects because they haven’t been that pressing. But now that every inch of your living space matters, they might be in your way or an eyesore every day.
Think about working on low-touch home projects like:
- Organizing your pantry to better fit your deeper non-perishable food supply
- Spring cleaning your closet
- Visually freshening up hardworking spaces in your house
- Elevating your gym space
- Supporting your increased cooking or serving at home
A couple of small purchases can make a huge impact. And while they might have a slight delay in these times, they’ll still arrive within days. Anyway, here’s my quarantine shopping list so far, and why I’d recommend them:
For Your Semi-Hoarding Tendencies
You most likely have more food stocked up than you usually did. Where does it all fit?
- Clear Plastic Adhesive Wall/Cabinet Mount Storage Organizer (2-Pack of Small Size for $16 on Amazon) – You might have seen my enthusiasm for these in my QUARAN-CLEAN Story highlight when organizing a pantry. I used them to corral plastic ziplock bags and dog walk bags (pictured above), but could have also put spice packets, napkins, bagged food, etc. in there, making space shelf for the rest. It’s also good for the inside of bathroom cabinets, allowing you to corral bottles, hair tools, etc., and a ton of other uses.
- Canned Food Rack Organizer ($30, fits up to 36 cans, on Amazon) – Bought out the chicken soup, tomato sauce, or pet food sections at your grocery store? Use your pantry’s (whether it’s one cabinet or a whole mini room) vertical space without the probability of cans coming crashing down on you with this handy organizer.
- Rubbermaid Brilliance Pantry Organization & Food Storage Containers with Airtight Lids, Set of 4 ($45 on Amazon) – I have a bold stance here: pantry containers must match. Period. Otherwise your containers are still creating clutter! These are airtight, look like glass, and will give your pantry class 😉
For a Healthier Home
You’re spending even more time at home. You might have been inspired to virus-spring clean. But surface cleaning only goes so far.
- Air Purifier – I am fairly allergic to my dog as well as pollen, etc. And this virus chose to come during spring sneeze season. So, an air purifier went to the top of my list. I spent hours researching before I bought, and here are my findings. (PS. I own 2/3 on this list).
- For a standard single room: Levoit – 129 Sq. Ft Personal Air Purifier – White ($90 on Best Buy)
- For a small apartment: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier with True HEPA and Eco Mode in White ($220 on Amazon)
- For a section of a house: Honeywell Allergen Remover, HPA300 ($209 on Amazon)
- Flat Dust Brush ($22 on Amazon)- Reach those weird slivers of your home or hard-to-reach spaces that require unplugging and pulling out heavy appliances or furniture (even I’m not motivated to pull out the stove or fridge to take a look, plus this also helps with dust/lint buildup around your washer/dryer).
For Indoor/Outdoor Ambiance
Ambiance honestly means everything right now whether for productivity, mental health, or relaxation.
- Solar-Powered String Lights ($30 for 24ft on Amazon) – if you are privileged to have an outdoor space right now, these are perfect for ~ sparking joy ~ from that space, whether you choose to be outdoors at night or enjoy the ambiance from indoors. For indoor use, I’d suggest Target’s plug-in all-weather string lights in gray – no need for outdoor-feeling dark electrical wires indoors!
- Reed Diffuser ($12 at Target) – Whether it’s in your ‘gym’ for that zen feeling, bathroom, or elsewhere, this will add a sophistication and slight sense of luxury to any space.
- Hand-Crafted Faux Succulents ($49 on Wayfair) – Don’t get sticker shock – these are worth the price. Some of the best faux plants I’ve seen, and the white pots with gold geometric pattern on them are great for any space.
- Gray & White Baskets ($9-$17 each at Target) – Go wild on making your storage pleasant to look at. Even I have a couple of gross boxes in my closet that I thought I would save money on by not replacing. But the benefit far outweighs the cost when you’re in your house almost 24/7.
- Waterproof Flameless Candles 8″ by 4″ ($30 for set of two on Amazon) – These look like the real deal, and help you put candles anywhere – only minor fire safety accommodations needed.
For the Home Gym You Thought You’d Never Need
Group classes were the best, right? Until now.
- Gliders ($14 on Amazon) – Got a wooden floor? Let these gliders put you through your paces on a broad range of moves like Spiderman Planks, gliding Side Lounges, and barre moves like Ronde de Jambes. I love cyan/mint, so while there were other options, this brand won my heart and my home-workout inspiration.
- Foam Roller – 18″ ($27 on Amazon) – It has felt so good to be able to give my back a nice rollout between bouts of sitting at my home office, which is a space I’m grateful for but is certainly not to the ergonomic standards I require in my real office. There are cheaper, well-rated, and colorful ones by the way, like by Amazon Basics, but I paid a little more for a gray one to match the aesthetic of my “gym studio.”
- Pilates Grip Socks ($14 on Amazon for set of 2) – I don’t know about you, but I can’t be bothered to put on sneakers for most in-home workouts. So far, I’ve only done it for a few cardio kickboxing classes. Pilates/barre socks are a happy medium – my mat/floors are preserved from my inevitably-sweaty feet, and I still have some stability that I wouldn’t have with just socks.
For New Culinary Feats
You’re your own smoothie bar, coffee shop, lunch spot, and dinner chef all in one – help yourself accomplish those feats.
- Silicone Lids ($17 for a set of 5, various sizes, on Amazon) – These lids are epic for cooking you’d do with plastic wrap, replacing the plastic, and keeping food warm on the table, even in your serving dishes that don’t have lids. And, especially in white, they look nice enough to briefly bring to the table.
- Chop2Pot Cutting Board ($22 for largest size on Amazon) – I initially saw these in a design-forward home goods store in Helsinki, and I haven’t been able to forget about it since. The cutting board starts flat for your chopping, then you can raise the sides and shoot the contents into a pot or pan, without any bits going rogue on either side. Now that’s innovation.
- Marble Paper Towel Dispenser ($20 at Target) – I have always lived with a basic metal paper towel dispenser. My entire life spent using a practical device that totally lacked design chops. But no more! The marble base has the benefit of making the whole thing heavier, meaning you can grab paper towel with one hand (gasp!) without knocking your dispenser over. Also, you know I essentially want to change everything to white and blue, which this item helps with perfectly.
What’s been your at-home savior or ‘sparker’ of joy? Had some thoughts on this article? No, I have no investment in these products except I chose to buy them
Leave a comment below or DM me @anchoredandadrift on Instagram. Thanks for reading, and happy shopping!
anchored & adrift 