Jump to: Kitchen — Garden — Body & Home — Books — Games — Content Creators
(Why yes, The Sound of Music is one of my all-time favorite movies. How did you know??)
“Things” and “simple living” don’t seem like they should go together. Isn’t the simple life all about minimizing and getting rid of things? In part yes — most of us have items in our homes that rarely or never get used and need to go — but we should counter that by filling our home with a handful of items that are extremely useful and actually make our lives easier and simpler.
Maybe you’re looking for a gift for yourself or a friend, or maybe you just like hearing real-life reviews. Either way, I’ve put together a list of some items currently in my home that I love and use all the time. I hope it’s helpful to you! Enjoy!
(Disclosure: Many (though not all) links on this page are affiliate links — when you make a purchase after clicking through, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price, without changing the cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!)
For the kitchen
The first step toward living a simple life? Start in the kitchen!
- Cast iron skillets — My collection began with a 12-inch for Christmas followed on Mother’s Day with an 8-inch… and I always think I need more.
- Cast iron handle covers — Protect your hands and stop folding a regular hot pad over your pan handles.
- Cast iron Dutch oven — I debated a long time between this one and an enameled one, and finally the matching cast-iron look won me over (though I’m open to getting another 😉 ). I make crusty bread (recipe from this book) in it at least once a week!
- Egg skelter — Did you know un-washed eggs don’t need to be refrigerated? My kids love to bring in eggs fresh from the coop and put them straight into this contraption on our counter. The oldest eggs will always be on the bottom, so you know what to use first.
- Sandwich loaf pan — If you make your own sandwich bread for your family, a Pullman pan with a lid is a must-have for those perfect slices. (I even have a sandwich bread recipe in my fresh-flour-cookbook!)
- Grain Mill — After doing some research about wheat sensitivity (which I don’t think I have after all), I started grinding my own flour with one of these beauties. (If you need some tried-and-true recipes to go with your fresh flour, check out my ebook cookbook)
- Dehydrator — One of the newer gadgets in my kitchen. I’ve used it to make dried pineapple and apples for snacks, and vegetables to store for soups. Next on my list to try is drying herbs for teas and cooking! An Excalibur is the Cadillac of dehydrators, but my cheaper Nesco is a workhorse that suits my current needs.
- Instant Pot — It took me awhile to jump on the IP bandwagon, but I’m glad I did. From perfect hard-boiled eggs to homemade yogurt, I’m learning so many ways this thing can make my life simpler and healthier.
- Electric kettle — For over 15 years I boiled water for tea, oatmeal, French-press coffee, etc in a pot on the stove. This kettle will start to heat at the push of a button, it works FAST, and automatically turns off when it reaches boiling (or manually sooner, if you watch the lid thermometer). Bonus: It comes with a stainless steel cone for making pour-over coffee.
- Pyrex storage containers — Easier to clean and healthier in the microwave than plastic, these are my go-to for leftovers.
- Half-gallon jars — While this size jar is not safe for canning, they make great dry-good storage containers — and look so pretty lined up on the pantry shelf. I also use them for holding yogurt and raw milk from our herd share.
- Mason jar pour lids — I had no idea how much I needed these until I tried out a sample pack. Salad dressing, coffee creamer, maple syrup, sugar and spices… the possibilities are endless.
- Storage containers — While I prefer to store dry goods in glass containers, it sure is nice to fit an entire 5-lb bag of flour or baking cocoa into one of these.
- Whirley-Pop — Every Friday is movie night in our house, and this thing makes THE BEST popcorn (using bacon grease as our oil might also be part of its amazingness…).
- Pie iron — Move aside hot dogs, have you ever had a grilled cheese sandwich over a campfire? My husband’s family calls these hobo pie makers. The sandwich slices made from the Pullman loaf pan (above) fit PERFECTLY.
- Recipe binder — For all of those loose cards that get lost in boxes, or shoved between pages of cookbooks, one easy-to-page-through location is needed. I even write down online recipes to keep them all together. I like the bigger cards and refill pages of this brand.
- Pampered Chef — If you’re attending or hosting a Pampered Chef party, here is a list of my favorite items for the kitchen.
- Azure Standard — Place an order, select a drop location, and pick up your organic, non-GMO food and household products. Drops happen monthly all across the U.S., and this is the best place I’ve found for bulk pantry items. Here are my favorite things to order.
- Redmond Real Salt — Do you know where the salt in your kitchen comes from? Do you know if it’s bleached or chemically altered to make it pure white? This salt is unrefined and mined right in the United States. Use my link for $5 off your first purchase of $35!
- Farmhouse Teas — While I’m a coffee snob, I’m also wanting to become someone who enjoys a spot of tea in the afternoons or evenings. I’ve long thought of tea as just slightly-flavored hot water… but thanks to these loose-leaf blends from a small family-run company I’m changing my tune. Almost every week FHT has different items on sale!
For the garden
Between cattle panel trellises and GreenStalk Garden Towers, I’m growing so much more by going vertical in my small amount of garden space! Use my link to get $10 off your GreenStalk order of $75+.
I’m a new convert to the need for a hori hori garden knife! See my full review on YouTube.
For your body & home
- Vida Bars — These sulfate-, silicone-, and plastic-free shampoo and conditioner bars by a small business are friendly to the earth and to my wavy hair.
- Crystal deodorant — I’ve been searching for YEARS for a natural deodorant, and nothing has worked consistently for me – until I discovered this one. I’m now wearing shirts again that I’d stopped wearing because the tight-fitting pits would end up stinking horribly. Be sure to read the reviews for how to apply it properly.
- Weighted blanket — I bought a kid-sized blanket for my daughter who struggles with anxiety, and I used it when she was at school… and finally bought one in my size that my husband now uses regularly.
- Fuzzy blanket — Fleece and Sherpa combine to make this the ultimate snuggle blanket. Our cats are also obsessed with kneading their paws on it.
- Hammock — I was genuinely surprised at how this thin parachute material could easily hold all 3 of my kids, or both my husband and me.
- Frostbeard Studio candles — Soy candles made by a small business, with super fun book-ish names, that put out a lot of great scent. I currently own a big jar each of Halfling Hills, Christmas at the Burrow, Christmas in the Great Hall, Through the Wardrobe, The Inklings, and Oxford Library. Use my link to get a coupon for 10% off.
- Essential oils — Plant Therapy offers great prices for quality products, without being a MLM company. I mostly use oils for diffusing and in roll-ons, for both physical ailments (headaches, stomach aches, colds, focusing, sleeping, etc) and also just for making the house smell good when I don’t use the above candles. Use my link to get 15% off your first order!
- Frixion erasable pens — I love writing with these pens both on my wall calendar and the pages of my weekly planner. I can use different colors for different family members or groups of tasks, and they’re fully erasable for the inevitable change of plans.
- Pilates membership — I LOVE Robin’s style of teaching, and Pilates really can change your body in just 15 minutes a day. A Lindywell membership gives you access to daily workout videos (so you don’t have to make a decision about what to do that day), recipes, an amazingly supportive Facebook group, and more. Use my link to get $20 off your initial membership.
Books
Rather than re-creating my book lists here, check out the ones I recommend at Bookshop.org. Living a simple life, For the home, Parenting, Chapter books for beginning readers, and more!
Games
Both our immediate and extended family enjoy playing games together. Unless noted, all of these games have been played both by my husband and me and also our 9- and 11-year old kids.
- Carcassonne — The strategy game that started it all for me. The basic game is great, but there are also tons of expansions available. Sometimes our kids will play the real thing, most of the time they just piece together roads and land and cities.
- Dominion — We spent many years gaining a new expansion of this game every Christmas. Because you can choose a different 10 cards to play with each time, it’s never the same game twice! It’s actually my 8-year-old’s choice whenever we ask if she wants to play a game. This craft box holds all of our cards — the original, Intrigue, Dark Ages, Alchemy, Hinterlands, Prosperity, Cornucopia & Guilds.
- Splendor — When we want a simple, 30-minute strategy game, this is what we choose. Gain tokens, buy cards, earn points per card, most points wins.
- 7 Wonders: Duel — My husband and I played the original of this game at a friends’ house probably a decade ago. This version is designed for 2-players. There are multiple ways to win, which always keeps the game interesting.
- Wingspan — We actually don’t personally own this game, but it’s become our new favorite thing to play when we’re with my husband’s extended family. The amount of different ways to earn points is overwhelming at first, but because of it every time we play it’s possible for someone different to win. There are now also European and Oceania and Asian expansions to add even more beautiful birds.
- Codenames — The original is great for a group, Duet is perfect for just my husband and me, Harry Potter has been fun for our whole family. I’m a much better guesser than clue-developer though. 🙂
- Sushi Go — A card-passing game that’s very fast, easy to teach to new people, and easy to travel with.
- Dragonwood — When my then-8-year-old was obsessed with dragons, we got this game for her birthday. I’ll often find the girls playing it together.
- Qwirkle — With simple rules, our kids have been playing this game with us for years. We even make up games with our youngest, matching colors and shapes.
- Pandemic — Yes I gave this to my husband for Christmas in 2020. 🙂 It’s a cooperative game – either you save the world together or you don’t.
- Crew — Another cooperative game, for 3-5 players. If you’re familiar with trick-taking card games like Euchre or Hearts, this will be easy to learn. Different “missions” each round force you to work together before moving on. Our favorite part? People can easily jump in and out of the game in between hands.
- Parks — One of the newest additions to our game shelf, this one has beautiful cards featuring National Parks of the U.S. and nicely made wooden game pieces.
For the content creators
Do you write or create in some way? For yourself or an audience? These tools can help make your creative path easier.
- hope*writers — This community helps you balance the art of writing with the business of publishing. Weekly teaching videos from people currently in the writing industry, step-by-step guides for encouraging you at the stage you’re in, an active Facebook group, and more. Doors only open a few times a year, but you can join the waitlist anytime to be notified.
- Restored 316 — When starting your own website or blog, using a theme is so much better than starting from scratch (or using a free, boring theme provided by WordPress).
- Flodesk — If you’re serious about sharing your message, you need an email list. We can’t rely on social media to always be around (remember when FB & IG went completely down for a day?). While I started my list for free on MailChimp, I soon decided it was worthwhile to pay a monthly fee for something beautiful and easy to use. Use my link to get 50% off your first year.
