--- title: 6 Household Items That Will Help Improve Your Life description: From wireless bluetooth speakers to portable bag hooks, these items will help simplify and improve your life. canonical: https://time.com/4630381/simple-life-improvement-items/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-14T13:30:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:38:55.642Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 6 Simple Items to Help Improve Your Life og:description: From your music to your refrigerator og:url: https://time.com/4630381/simple-life-improvement-items/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9eb03a9b6b5aecd1/69887219f887dc2282e936be/50-healthiest-foods-parsley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: healthiest foods, health food, diet, nutrition, time.com stock, parsley, herbs og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Simple Items to Help Improve Your Life twitter:description: From your music to your refrigerator twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9eb03a9b6b5aecd1/69887219f887dc2282e936be/50-healthiest-foods-parsley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 6 Simple Items to Help Improve Your Life > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=393b1423-a6f2-4680-8037-a103fda6ae98&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Liz Steelman / Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Liz Steelman / Real Simple Jan 14, 2017 1:30 PM UTC  Danny Kim for TIME by [Liz Steelman / Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Liz Steelman / Real Simple Jan 14, 2017 1:30 PM UTC **1\. Wireless Bluetooth Receiver** Upgrading your speaker system has never been easier. This clever gadget turns any old speaker into one that’s Bluetooth enabled. Simply attach it to your system via A/V, RCA or 3.5mm jack input, pair with your smartphone or tablet, and you’re ready to stream. **To buy:** [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXYXXK2/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timesyndsimplelifeimprovementitems-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00KXYXXK2&linkId=27d12fb26f03626d96820ce5eecb52d0). **2\. Skinfood Gummy Bear Jelly Clean Gel** This Korean import is a fast-absorbing, nondrying hand sanitizer with citrus extracts to help brighten brown spots. The bears come in kiwi, pineapple, apple, raspberry and orange. Fighting germs fast has never been sweeter. **To buy:** [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018SB6UD8/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timessyndimplelifeimprovementitems-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B018SB6UD8&linkId=11d7a3ebff31d589f955672984d8102f) **3\. Herb Saver** This slim container holds leftover herb stems upright in water, keeping them fresh and usable for up to three weeks. **To buy:** [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ERE2RLK/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timesyndsimplelifeimprovementitems-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00ERE2RLK&linkId=d976eeb4eef9d0a9d086090ce3774250). **4\. Magnetic Spice Rack** Keep your most-loved spices at the ready with this spice rack. Attach on a fridge door or other metal surface to free up precious cabinet space. Holds up to 1.1 pounds. **To buy:** [urbanoutfitters.com.](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7885613/type/dlg/sid/Timesyndsimplelifeimprovementarticles/http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=40471658&category=A%5FNEWARRIVALS&cm%5Fmmc=CJ-%5F-Affiliates-%5F-Time+Inc.-%5F-11554356) **5\. Portable Aluminum Bag Hook** Hook this nifty tool to a keychain and always have a place to hang a bag. The aluminum hook slides over the edge of a table and uses the weight of a bag (up to 100 pounds) to stay in place, keeping belongings off dirty floors and within sight. **To buy:** [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CWL9F46/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timesyndsimplelifeimprovementitems-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01CWL9F46&linkId=fe218e73113a9bde7d10cf8543fb81e6). **6\. Golden** Looking to give back to your community, but don’t know where to start? Try [Golden](https://www.goldenvolunteer.com/), a free app that simplifies lending a hand to local organizations. Find one-time opportunities that fit your schedule, read reviews from former volunteers, and find new organizations that sync with your interests. Helm an organization yourself? Use the app to recruit, maintain and grow your volunteer base. _This_ [_article_](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/problem-solvers-010617/?xid=time-rs) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com) _We’ve included affiliate links in this article._ [_Click here_](http://time.com/4605406/time-affiliate-link-policy/) _to learn what those are._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4630381/simple-life-improvement-items/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4630381/simple-life-improvement-items/"},"headline":"6 Simple Items to Help Improve Your Life","datePublished":"2017-01-14T13:30:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:38:55.642Z","description":"From your music to your refrigerator","url":"https://time.com/4630381/simple-life-improvement-items/","keywords":["Living"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9eb03a9b6b5aecd1/69887219f887dc2282e936be/50-healthiest-foods-parsley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Liz Steelman / Real Simple"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9eb03a9b6b5aecd1/69887219f887dc2282e936be/50-healthiest-foods-parsley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"healthiest foods, health food, diet, nutrition, time.com stock, parsley, herbs","caption":"healthiest foods, health food, diet, nutrition, time.com stock, parsley, herbs","creditText":"Danny Kim for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4630381/simple-life-improvement-items/","name":"6 Simple Items to Help Improve Your Life"}}]}] ```