The 11 Best Things I Bought In 2021

4 easy ways to dry your laundry faster, a brilliant way to overcome outfit indecision, and more. 4 easy ways to dry your laundry faster, a brilliant way to overcome outfit indecision, and more. January 19, 2022 [View Online]( Good morning! I think we can all agree that hearing all about the amazing thing your friend just bought is a great way to discover new products. Hopefully Today’s Good Thing will serve a similar function, because I’m sharing 11 of the best, most impactful things I bought over the course of last year. Also in today’s newsletter, I’m sharing a tip that can help you overcome episodes of outfit indecision. Instead of spending an hour trying on 8 outfits and having a minor breakdown, this tip will give you an instantly accessible source of inspiration. Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING The 11 Best Things I Bought In 2021 [Photos of a tissue box cover, a travel pillow, ruffled socks, and a trash bag holder.]( Take a look at 11 of the best purchases I made last year and find out what I love about them. If you’re a fan of Oprah Winfrey like I am, then you already know all about her annual “Favorite Things'' list. But for those who aren’t familiar, the list is part product recommendation and part gift guide, and I love going through it every year. Not only am I often inspired by her picks, but I also just like seeing what made Oprah’s list! I thought it would be fun to share a similar list here with you, but one that featured things I personally bought and used last year, rather than things I like in general. (I would never try to disparage Oprah, but I’m sure she gets stuff for free all the time, so I'm just clarifying that I'm choosing to highlight things I personally purchased.) When I sat down to brainstorm the very best things I bought last year, I ended up with a list of 11 items spanning home decor, travel essentials, and everything in between. But they do all share one thing in common, which is that they made my life better or brighter in some way in 2021. See what made my very first “best things I bought last year” list by following the link below. [The 11 Best Things I Bought In 2021 ➜]( Related • [6 Of The Most Comfortable Clothes You Can Buy On Amazon]( • [I Tried The Highest Rated Stain Remover On Amazon, And Here’s My Opinion]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Whether you need it for a recipe or it’s the star of the meal, this guide will help you make delicious chicken in your Instant Pot. [Read more ➜]( • Keep everyone in the house on the same page with a “command center” that won’t add clutter to your kitchen. [Read more ➜]( • If your house is smelling a bit musty, use these 7 tips to eliminate odors at their source and freshen up your space. [Read more ➜]( WASH IT WEDNESDAY 4 Tips For Cutting Down On Drying Time [Photos of tips for speeding up drying times.]( Drying your laundry faster will not only save you time, but it’ll save you money too. Dryers aren’t known for their energy efficiency, so finding ways to cut down on your drying time can help you save energy and make your next round of utility bills more affordable. Here are a few ways to speed things up when it comes to drying your laundry: 1. Add A Towel. OGT reader Cassandra recommends adding a dry towel to the dryer. The towel will absorb water from the other items in the load, and since a damp towel doesn't take very long to dry, that can help the whole load dry faster. 2. Use Dryer Balls. [Wool dryer balls]( help to separate the items tumbling around your dryer, which helps improve air circulation and promotes faster, more even drying throughout the cycle. 3. Don’t Overfill It. While dryer balls can help improve air circulation, overfilling your dryer does the opposite. A dryer drum packed full of clothes will not only take ages to dry, but it likely won’t be able to dry completely—the stuff in the middle may still be damp when the cycle is done. 4. Spin Again. Especially when you’re washing something that can hold onto a lot of water (like blankets or pillows), they may still be pretty damp once the wash cycle is complete. Instead of moving them right to the dryer, run another spin cycle to get rid of the excess moisture so they’ll dry faster. BEAUTY Create A Photo Album Of Outfit Inspiration [Photos of Jillee taking photos of clothes.]( Choosing an outfit can be difficult at the best of times, but this simple tip can give you inspiration when you need it. While most days I have no trouble deciding what I'm going to wear, everyone has “those days.” Whether it feels like you just can’t decide or like you suddenly don’t even like any of the clothes you own, sometimes the simple act of getting dressed can turn into a very stressful ordeal. It certainly makes me appreciate those days when I have no problem deciding what to wear, but I also take advantage of them by standing in front of my mirror and snapping a photo of my outfit. I keep those photos in my designated Outfits album and hold onto them for a rainy day. In just a few weeks, my Outfit album had turned into a sort of catalog of outfit options. Whenever I feel like I can’t decide what to wear, all I have to do is pull out my phone and scroll through the photos I've taken to remind myself of outfits I’ve put together in the past and liked. I’ve found this system hugely helpful because it narrows my options and prevents me from spiraling over a relatively minor decision. If you’ve been in the same boat and think you could benefit from having an Outfit album too, I encourage you to start one! Learn how to create new photo albums [on iPhone here]( and [on Android here](. JILLEE'S PICK This Ladle Can Do It All [A photo of the Get It Right Silicone Ladle.]( I think it’s in our nature as humans to identify things that could be improved, whether it’s an object or a process. Our drive to improve things may not always be beneficial (like telling your spouse there’s a better way to do something and it going very poorly), it does make it incredibly satisfying to see those improvements come to fruition. And “incredibly satisfied” is exactly how I felt when I used this [Get It Right Silicone Ladle]( for the first time. It’s like the designers considered how to improve on every minor shortcoming of traditional ladles and managed to pull them all off in one fell swoop. It’s made of heat-safe (up to 550°F), dishwasher-safe, BPA-free silicone, and the “bowl” has raised measurement lines on the inside so that you can dish up soups or sauces in perfect portions. But it's the flexibility that makes this ladle truly magnificent—you can get right into the corners and scoop up every last drop. [See the Get It Right Silicone Ladle on Amazon ➜]( WHAT IN THE WORLD WIDE WEB A Very Specific Kind Of Sculpting Contest [Photo entries for the International Hair Freezing Contest.]( If you took the spirit of an ice sculpting contest and applied it to the act of giving yourself a crazy shampoo hairstyle in the shower, you’d end up with something like the [International Hair Freezing Contest](, an annual hair sculpting competition that I somehow only just learned about. The contest has been held at Takhini Hot Springs in Whitehorse, the Yukon’s capital city in northern Canada. The hot springs are an ideal location for folks looking to prove their skill in the fine art of hair freezing, though much depends on the weather—the “prime conditions” for frozen hair sculpting are -4°F or below. (Brr!) For the brave souls who made the pilgrimage to Takhini Hot Springs between December and March, and as long as the temperature happened to be “agreeable,” hair freezing hopefuls could snap their photo and enter for a chance to win $2000 and eternal glory (I can only guess). The Takhini Hot Springs facility has been closed for over a year now for renovation work, and will apparently open [under a new name sometime this year](. We don’t know whether the new facility will continue to host the International Hair Freezing Contest, but for now at least, we still have the [2020 contest entry photos]( to enjoy. A FEW MORE THINGS... By Pop-ular Demand: It’s National Popcorn Day, and honestly, I couldn't be more thrilled. Popcorn is one of my all-time favorite snacks, and while movie theater style popcorn will always be my #1, I won't say no to kettle, caramel, cheese, or chocolate-drizzled popcorn. To celebrate, try this [deliciously gooey marshmallow popcorn](, or make [homemade popcorn in your microwave](. Happy Birthday: Happy birthday to any January 19 babies out there! You share a birthday with some notable names, including ​​Edgar Allen Poe (1809), Paul Cézanne (1839), Phil Everly (1939), Janis Joplin (1943), Dolly Parton (1946), and Shawn Johnson (1992). What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! My inbox is always open, so just hit "reply" and let me know what's on your mind. See you tomorrow! Sending you bright ideas and simple solutions to help you create a home and life you love. My mailing address is: One Good Thing by Jillee 841 S. Main St. Heber City, UT 84032 If you're not happy please reply to this email to tell me why. You can [update your email preferences]( or break my heart and unsubscribe . View our privacy policy [here](.