Ten Things That Make My Life Easier

This week, I decided to participate in the Monday Listicles blog meme.  This weeks prompt is to create a list of 10 things/people/services that make my life easier.

In no particular order…

1.  iPhone – When I first heard that Apple was coming out with a phone, I knew that I had to have one.  When it was released in July of 2007, I was taken aback by the lines and decided I would wait.  Two days after the release date, I called my local Apple store to see if they had any in stock and they did.  I headed out to store with Z.E.N. in tow and walked out of the store only a few minutes later with my very first iPhone in hand.  Boy was I a happy camper!

I’m on third iPhone now and don’t think I can live without it.  In addition to using it as a phone, I use it as an alarm, web browser, camera, mp3 player, flashlight, mini video game console and so  much more.

2.  GPS – I don’t know how I ever got around without a GPS.  Seriously, these things are awesome.  I remember back in the day, we used to take a lot of road rips.  I particularly remember the 20 hour trip from New York City to Gaspe, Quebec using a map!  I seriously don’t think I will ever use a map again!

3.  Amazon – This is hands down, my favorite place to shop.  I placed my first order on amazon.com back on March 2, 2000, and have never looked back.  They have excellent customer service and I love the fact that they offer free shipping on most items.  Another reason I love shopping there is the fact that I don’t pay a sales tax for items sold by them.  Over the years I have purchased hundreds of items from there.  I also sell items through their Amazon marketplace and signed up as an affiliate.

4.  Online postage – I sell a lot of stuff online.  I’ve sold stuff on eBay, Amazon marketplace and Etsy.  When I first started selling stuff online, I would have to haul my packages to the post office and wait on an outrageous line just so I could have the packages weighed and purchase postage.  This was a royal pain in the ass!  So you can imagine how I felt when I heard about a company called Endicia that offered software and scales that you could use to weigh and purchase postage from the comfort of your home.  I was ecstatic.

Now I hardly ever go to the post office unless I’m shipping something overseas that requires custom forms.  Same goes for FedEx and UPS, I print the labels at home and either call for pickup or drop them off at one of their locations.  Easy peasy!

5.  Bluetooth car stereo – My car is equipped with Bluetooth and it is the best thing ever.  I never have to fiddle with my phone when I’m in the car.  If my phone rings while I’m driving, it rings through my cars audio system and I can just push a button to answer or use a voice command to answer.  Now that is is what I call hands free driving.

6.  Television – Although I hate to admit it, when I need to get things done or if ’m feeling overwhelmed or just tired, I let Z.E.N. watch TV and DVD’s for extended periods of time.  Yeah, yeah, I know that The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that you limit the amount of time your kids watch the telly, but hey, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

7.  Google – The first time I heard about Google was back in 2000.  I had just started a new job and needed to do some research on something and my boss at the time mentioned that I should try searching on the this hottest new search engine called Google.  That was the first time I heard about Google.  Now, I use Google every day, several times a day.  It’s just that good.

8.  Drive Thrus – How did I ever make it through life without drive-thrus?  I actually never considered using a drive-thru until Z.E.N. was born.  But the thought of having to lug a baby into a germy pharmacy, bank, etc.… wasn’t very appealing to me so I decided to try it one day.  They just make things so much easier.

9.  Hugs and kisses – The hugs and kisses I receive from Z.E.N each and every day just brighten up my day.

10.  Friends and family – Having a great family and great friends around who are there to help you out when you need a hand just make life a whole lot easier for me.

What makes your life easier?