16 Things That'll Upgrade Your Life For Less Than $5
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These products cost less than $5, but they'll feel like they're worth a lot more.
1. A velvety cream-to-powder Wet n Wild multi-stick to conceal, highlight, or contour. Pick a shade depending on your need, and then swipe away for a buildable and long-lasting color. Reviewers swear that you can also use them a lipstick, eyeshadow, or blush!
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review: "I absolutely love this product!! I've been using it about every day for the past almost two years, and it's easily become my favorite cream bronzer! I am a light-skinned gal with normal-dry skin, and I use the shade Oak's On You as a bronzer rather than a contour. Perfect shade, consistency, and texture and blends with NO problem. I find that while it does need some building up, I don't find that to be a bad thing if you are looking for a light wash of bronzer color on a light makeup day and/or can build it up enough to your liking without it being too much all at once. I will ALWAYS buy this product as long as it's still being made!" — Violet & Brandy
Get it from Amazon for $3.98 (more shades available here).
2. A pack of foaming garbage disposal cleaners because they'll deodorize your smelly pipes safely and dislodge buildup safely and effectively. No one wants to smell the leftovers you tossed down the sink three days ago.
Promising review:"This product works! I followed the directions, which were super easy, and was very satisfied to see the gross slime and muck that was removed. You put the entire packet down your disposal, and the magic happens quickly! Very powerful and successful cleaning! The scent was not what I would call overpowering, but the inside of the disposal is super clean, confirmed. These will definitely be a cleaning staple for me. The garbage disposal runs much easier and more quiet now. When things fall into the disposal, my hands are not covered in gross slimy stuff anymore." — JSullivanJ
Get a pack (good for four uses) from Amazon for $3.78.
3. A pack of slow cooker liners that'll come in handy if you have a lot of hungry people to feed. With the disposable liners, you can cook different recipes at the same time, reducing your overall cooking time *and* saving you from having to wash a huge stack of dishes.
PS: They also come in handy with dishes going into a water bath (think cheesecakes, custards, and puddings).
Promising review:"We constantly use our crockpot for easy meals. I'm a teacher and my husband is a firefighter, and it's just easy for our family of five. No real cleanup. I toss the bag in the trash after use and will just run a wet rag around the inside of the pot for good measure. Never have a problem with holes or burning." — Ashley Matthews
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $3.18.
4. A before-you-go toilet spray so your coworker is none the wiser when they enter the bathroom after you.
5. Some Tide sink packets with the perfect amount of detergent to clean your sweaty T-shirts, and dirty undies. Rewear clothing instead of stuffing your suitcase with pieces you'll only wear once!
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"My husband and I travel often. If we go to Europe, we stay for at least a month. We stay longer to make the use of my airline reward points more valuable in seeing more cities and in seeing more places. Now retired, we can take our time in cities. We take minimal clothes and re-wear them. With these Tide travel packs, I can wash our clothes in the bathtub, use travel clothespins to hang and dry items, and even use a hair dryer to dry heavier items like jeans quickly. Always pack these Tide packs for all travel. They are especially great during hot times and hot temperature locations." — B Tatum
Get three packs from Amazon for $4.03.
6. A cruelty-free lengthening mascara because you're tired of mascaras that don't live up to their promises. This one won't let you down — I promise! It's lightweight, won't transfer, doesn't smudge, and lasts all day. Consider your expectations exceeded!
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review:"Love this mascara! I've used the 'best of the best' designer, super hyped, ultra-popular mascara available, and NOTHING compares to this stuff! I don't even bother using a lash curler anymore! I buy two at a time, so I always have a spare (yes, it's that good!!). I highly recommend this particular mascara... it goes on effortlessly, it lasts pretty much all day, and the price — I feel like I'm almost stealing it! I'd give it 10 stars if I could!!!" — Chulaboola & MCD
Get it from Amazon for $4.99 (available in two colors).
7. Some acne patches for those days when a pimple pops up at the *worst* possible moment. Hydrocolloid, tea tree oil, and calendula oil are gentle on the skin while still drawing out fluids and pus from your pimple.
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "I've tried a few pimple patches, and they often work just 'fine.' Not particularly well, but better than just leaving a whitehead alone. Super stoked to say these work great for me — better than any other brand I've tried. I leave a patch on overnight, and I'm always impressed by how much gunk it pulls out by the morning. The only advice I have is to make sure your skin is dry when you put these on. Some other patches have decent adhesion even if your skin is still wet, but these become almost unstickable if your skin's not dry enough." — Jac
Get 30 round patches from Amazon for $4.88.
8. An interactive cat toy that'll appease your furry rulers and occupy them for a few hours...until they come howling for dinner.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I have a whole room filled with cat toys that my cat is not interested in. It's funny how the least expensive cat toy I have makes him go crazy. He plays with this until he's panting like a dog, and I have never seen him jump so high. I'm certain this toy will help him lose his belly. He loves it! I highly recommend it!" — Kwoo
Get it from Amazon for $3.99.
9. An exfoliating heel mask so you can soften and unglue those rock-hard calluses to reveal the soft, smooth skin underneath 'em.
Promising review: "This worked great! My heels were pretty badly cracked, and after about a week of using it (I did leave it on for the full hour), the skin began peeling off. After several days of peeling the cracks were all gone. I used one a few years ago on my whole foot. I liked that this one was just for the heels. You can't walk around once it's on, so get all set up in advance and plan on staying put before you put it on." — Sunnylaz
Get it from Amazon for $4.68.
10. A pack of light-dimming stickers because bright alarm clocks and flashing electronics shouldn't distract you from sleep.
Amazon
Promising review:"My wife hates all my gadgets in our room and how they do an excellent job at lighting it up. Between the constantly flashing red, blue, and green LEDs, it was hard for her to fall asleep and stay asleep, causing some not-so-nice mornings, if you know what I mean. LightDims was an inexpensive impulse purchase because, hey, why not? It may compel my wife to stop complaining and actually get some peaceful sleep. Well, I'm glad to announce that LightDims did the trick! I'm still able to monitor device activity at a glance without putting on a personal light show in the room. The LightDims adhere strongly and come in various shapes and sizes for convenience. It seems like they'd remove easily, although who would want to? I'd definitely recommend LightDims to anyone for use on all their devices!" — A. Williams
Get a sheet of more than 100 stickers of varying shapes and sizes on Amazon for $3.99.
11. A moisturizing saline gel if you're a drippy, sneezy mess thanks to allergies (me right now!) and are constantly blowing your nose, which has led to some not-infrequent nosebleeds (so fun!). Reviewers who use CPAP machines swear by this stuff, as do airplane travelers (dry airplane air!).
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "So thankful for this gel. Was having nosebleeds daily with the dry air and this stopped them! It doesn't make your nose feel sticky, and it's not really smelly. Easy to use. It was everything I needed." — Danica
Get it from Amazon for $3.62.
12. A double-sided scour pad that'll obliterate soap scum, limescale, hard water stains, pink mold and whatever else is gunking up your tub, tiles, shower, sinks, and other bathroom surfaces.
Promising review: "I don't know what this thing is made of or what is in it, but it works. I used it to clean my glass shower doors and it cleaned deep enough to go through layers of hard water stains. I used it on the shower fixtures and my large bathroom mirror. It is not worn out." — Lee
Get it from Amazon for $4.98+ (available in a 2-pack and 6-pack).
13. A soap brow kit for anyone who wants to try this beauty trend they've seen all over TikTok. This method will help make your brows look thicker using just your existing hairs. And of course you can go in with a brow pen or powder to add even more fullness.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I can say I am very satisfied with this one. You just have to wet your brush with a fixing mist or water and then brush it on the soap and comb. Ultra-fixed brows all day! It's really the best thing for my brows; it keeps them the way that I like all day long. I'll use it every day. Easy to apply, easy to use." — Hadasa
Get it from Amazon for $4.99.
14. A soap saver dish so the expensive bar soap you treated yourself to isn't sitting in its wet juices all day. The slanted divots help liquid drain and allows for airflow under the bar, which helps extend the life of your soap *and* prevents the icky feeling of touching a soggy soap bar.
www.amazon.com, Amazon
Promising review: "I was pleasantly surprised at how nice these little soap holders are. They are more of a little pad than a 'soap dish': flexible and easy to put on the ledge in your shower or edge of the sink. They're designed to drain, so there isn't a water buildup under your soap bar; the water just drains off immediately. I liked the first ones so much, I ordered a second set." — Tam2dogs
Get a three-pack for $4.29+ (available in eleven color combinations).
15. An exfoliating towel because reviewers with keratosis pilaris (aka "chicken skin" and "strawberry skin") swear it helps clear up those pesky reddish bumps.
www.amazon.com
16. A pill organizer if you could use a helping hand when it comes to consistently remembering to take your meds.
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "I got this to put my supplements in for when I travel. Love how cute and compact it is. It does come with a plastic pick to help you open the container if you have nails like me. I even use this to throw in my bag so when I forget to take my vitamins at home, I have it on me." — Clairessa Tessier
Get it from Amazon for $3.99+ (available in four colors).
These products once they come into your life:
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The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.
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