The Life-Changing Magic of Mundane Purchases

Alright, look: not all mundane purchases are magical. Most of them probably aren’t, unless you live a much more exciting life than I do. But a blog post needs a catchy title. And this isn’t a bait-and-switch situation, because I am going to tell you about the life-changing magic of certain specific mundane purchases I made on Amazon last year. Four of them, to be precise.

There is a fairly short list of everyday products that I’ve bought over the years which have unquestionably improved my quality of life in mundane but important ways. My Jiffy clothes steamer. My belt hole puncher. My WonderLint sweater shaver. My Billion Dollars Brows universal eyebrow pencil. My BaByLiss hair-styling tools. You get the idea. Most of these things can be found on Amazon, which isn’t to say that Amazon is magical, only convenient. Anyway, last year I added 4 more things to this list and I want to tell you about them because, just maybe, they might also make your life a little bit better.

Walking Pad

I’ve talked about this before but, a full year on since my purchase, it continues to deliver life-changing magic. Like, for real. Of all the things on this list, my walking pad has made the biggest impact on my life – in a very concrete and measurable way. I have never been fitter in my whole adult life than I am now, at 44. Walking is the perfect form of exercise for naturally slothful people, and I am speaking as one. It’s low intensity (I hate getting sweaty) and low impact (I have creaky knees and a temperamental back), but done consistently, it delivers fantastic health benefits.

For me, a walking pad takes care of the two worst things about walking: (1) having to go outside, and (2) the boredom factor of repetitive exercise. Now, don’t get me wrong; I like walking outdoors … in nice weather. The weather in Edmonton is not consistently nice. Winters can be brutal, summers can be smoky. Walking indoors means I can walk any time, and the walking pad makes it easy to squeeze it into my daily schedule in small increments throughout the day. Which keeps me moving regularly, something health experts recommend. Since around May, I have been walking about 8-9 km on average every day. It sounds like a lot, but broken down into sessions of anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, it’s surprisingly manageable. It does get boring, though, which brings me to the second advantage of the walking pad; within a few days, I was able to get my balance figured out so I can read or watch shows on my phone while I walk. (I should mention that I am someone who gets car-sick from reading in moving vehicles, and the walking pad doesn’t trigger that at all.) It makes the time fly even quicker.

As you might imagine, I put a LOT of wear and tear on my pad last year, but it’s holding up well. It had to be oiled a couple of times, and the battery on the remote replaced, but otherwise I have no complaints. The brand of my pad is AirHot, but the exact model isn’t currently available on Amazon and I don’t think there is any particular magic in the brand itself. I paid about $270 for mine back in January 2024, and there are very similar-looking ones in the same price ballpark, so if you’re interested, I would suggest doing what I did when I bought mine: pick one with good reviews that don’t sound bot-generated.

Before I move on to the next thing on the list, here is a little addendum. Before I got my walking pad last year, I had not had a consistent workout routine in more than a decade. Establishing a new habit and sticking to it isn’t particularly easy, and I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach. For me, a number-based goal can be extremely motivating, so I set daily step targets for myself. I used to track this on my phone, but after about 10 months, I got fed up with the inaccuracy of its built-in pedometer, not to mention the hassle of having to carry my phone with me everywhere, all the time. So, I bought a $20 basic pedometer on Amazon that clips on clothing and looks a bit like a pager. The downside of looking like a time-travelling 90s businessman is more than offset by the satisfaction of knowing I’m not missing a step (from my daily goal).

e.l.f. Eyeshadow Pencil

The older I get, the less makeup I seem to enjoy wearing. I’d rather spend my time (and money) on skincare. Lipstick, eyebrow pencil, and a bit of foundation under my eyes and on my nose is just about all I can manage these days. But having more or less given up on mascara, lately I’d been feeling a bit ‘naked’ around the eyes. I am super pale so I felt like I was needed a bit of extra contrast in that area to balance out the bright (usually red) lipstick I like to wear. I don’t have the dexterity to mess with eyeliner and getting eyeshadow right is tricky for me because I had deep-set eyes.

Enter the e.l.f. No Budge Matte Shadow Stick. Basically, it’s a jumbo pencil that you can use to get a just-rolled-out-of-bed-looking-miraculously-cute, smudged eyeliner effect. I don’t need to be precise with it; I just sort of run it along my upper lashline once or twice, depending on how dark I want it to be. I use the shade Cool Beans, which is dark brown.

It lives up to its name; it does not budge or smear at all during the day, but it’s easy to take off. [I tried a Nyx version, and it creased and rubbed off within hours.] It gives my eyes enough definition without looking as stark as black mascara does on me. I love how ridiculously easy and quick it is to apply. I’ve already bought a back-up 🙂

Watch Repair Kit

This is a more niche item, but if you have a watch collection, an incredibly useful one. I got the Ohuhu watch repair kit ($23CAD on Amazon) and the JOREST watch press tool set ($16CAD on Amazon). The latter is for removing (and putting back) watch backs that have a pry opening rather than screws holding them in place; the Ohuhu kit doesn’t include this tool. Between the two, we can now do all our watch maintenance and repair at home, including battery replacement, watch strap adjustment and replacement. And by “we”, I mean my husband, who is actually handy with tools. We’re both watch collectors and have saved well over $100 this past year alone by not having to take various pieces to a professional repair shop. It’s been especially useful for rehabbing the vintage watches I’ve bought secondhand, most of which have needed their bands either replaced (if leather) or adjusted (if metal). I don’t care if my watches actually run, but my husband has done battery replacements on his and they’re super inexpensive to buy.

Mechanical Keyboard

I know it sound silly, but this keyboard brings me a ridiculous amount of joy every day I need to sit in front of my computer. In fact, it’s been more than 6 months since I’ve had it, and the joy hasn’t diminished at all. I love how it looks, I love the clicketty sounds it makes (SO FUN!), and I love the various light-up options I can program. Some days, having a little rainbow at your fingertips makes all the difference, you know? I have the LTC NB681 Nimbleback model; it’s currently about $70CAD, which is middle-of-the-road, cost-wise, for a mechanical keyboard but it has good reviews, and I have had no complaints about its performance.

Now, please, tell me: what mundane things have brought life-changing magic into your life lately?