12 Products to Keep You Sane While Stuck at Home

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Welp, times are weird, but you don’t need to hear that again. Nonetheless, welcome back to Elevated: Travel Style for the Modern Man—I hope you’re feeling well and staying safe out there while stuck at home. If you’ve been as bored as I’ve been these past few weeks, I’m happy to know I’m not alone. I’ve counted the tiles in my bathroom three times since March 6, you know, just to be extra sure. (There are 27.)

Aside from math, I’ve been experimenting with cooking styles, improving my home, and discovering new ways to revamp my old lifestyle. I figure being stuck at home this long is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so if I can take advantage of it, I’m going full throttle. These are the comforting items getting me through this uncomfortable period of time.

NakedWines

At the beginning of whatever the hell is going on, I had this huge fear that my local liquor store would close. Although she’s still wide open, I panicked and accidentally bought a case of wine on NakedWines—and by accidentally I mean it was fully intentional. Upon skimming the site, I noticed members were even offered some serious discounts, so of course I signed up. I decided to go with a selection of New World White Wonders to let myself pretend I’m traveling again. Each bottle is individually listed in all of the site’s curated packages, but I chose to turn a blind eye and let myself be surprised. I’ve loved every selection so far.

Allbirds Wool Loungers

These Wool Loungers are really the only pair of shoes I’ve been wearing for a month straight, and I refuse to apologize for it. I’m all about an easy slip-on design even when I’m not feeling like a lazy sack, but these are great for both long walks (accompanied by face masks and gloves) to the supermarket and short walks to throw out the trash.

GoWISE USA Air Fryer

After being bombarded with food photo after food photo in my group chat, I discovered how popular air fryers are amongst my friends, only to find out they’re just super popular in general. Have I been living under a rock? No. But have I been bored living off canned soup and mac and cheese for the past month under self-quarantine? Absolutely. After completing my first air fry, which was homemade garlic parmesan green bean fries, I was shaken to my core that I hadn’t bought one of these sooner. I’ve now ditched the cooking oil entirely and started throwing everything in the air fryer, making homemade chicken cutlets, fried eggplant, and potato chips. It cuts cooking time in half, creates a dramatically healthier meal, and is easy to use. You just pop whatever in, walk away, and it’s done. I’m obsessed.

Weighted Gravity Blanket

If the weight of the world is feeling like a bit too much right now, I suggest adding a few pounds. This weighted blanket from Gravity is seriously getting me through it, simulating the feeling of being hugged—which is something we definitely all need right now. Swaddling your bod and reviving key pressure points helps produce a deeper, more peaceful sleep, so this blanky is totally worth it.

Trade Coffee

Although I’ve really been into that fluffy coffee drink everyone’s been raving about (you know, the one where you vigorously mix water, sugar, and instant coffee), during my time at home I’ve stumbled across Trade Coffee and I’ve been having a ton of fun with it. The brand helps you discover your favorite brew by mailing different blends directly to your door. With almost 400 distinct tastes on offer, the possibilities are endless.

Harry’s Razor

I find grooming very important during this time, but I recently shaved my beard and now I regret it. Normally I’ll use my Harry’s razor for shaving my head and cleaning up my beard, not to fully embody a Cabbage Patch version of Rosie O’Donnell—but that’s fine, we all make mistakes. As I wait for my peach fuzz to grow back, I’ll be anticipating my next clean-up with this bad boy.

Marshall Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

While I’m on the job, I always need to be listening to something. It helps me concentrate and get into a steady workflow. When I first started working from home, I’d catch up on all my news using my TV, but began to feel a little bad for my sleeping roommates. These Marshall headphones are an awesome alternative; I’m still getting my news, hitting up some favorite podcasts, and checking out some new albums. My favorite part: I can leave my work station and head anywhere in my apartment to snag a bite to eat or clean a couple of dishes thanks to the wireless Bluetooth connection.

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Boy Smells Ash Scented Candle

I’ve been burning my Boy Smells candle for a few months now, and at this point it’s time for a new one. There are tons of subtleties packed into these. They will easily fill a room with a delicious, non-overwhelming scent. I’ve dabbled in a few other scents, but at the moment I’m ready to find out what this ash scent will bring.

LARQ Self-Cleaning Water Bottle

One thing I have to pay more attention to is drinking water. No, seriously, the majority of the liquids entering my body lately have come in the form of coffee and alcohol. I got this self-cleaning water bottle to combat my lack of hydration, and it’s so cool, using non-toxic UV-C LED technology to eliminate bacteria and other viruses. Now that I have this, I’m about to throw my Brita in the trash.

Giant Checkers Reversible Rug

I am a savage when it comes to checkers. I will fight to the death and quadruple-jump with no hesitation just so I can have the bragging rights—it is semi-problematic. With that being said, after painting a checkerboard on my coffee table with my roommate, I decided to go ahead and purchase a board we can play on our roof when we want to get some fresh air. I’m really excited about the future of this board since it’s made of a rug-like material, easily packable for beach trips and hikes.

Cardon 3-in-1 Men’s Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer

If I’m gaining weight during this quarantine, I might as well focus on making my face look good. I’ve been pretty dry now that I shaved my beard, so Cardon’s Boost Gel Moisturizer has been a game-changing lightweight nighttime application I’ve been using for the past couple of weeks. I barely realize it’s on my face since it’s not as goopy and viscous as moisturizers I’ve tried in the past, and when I wake up after a night of use, I can really notice a difference in the way my skin looks and feels.

The Essential Spices Collection

As mentioned, I’ve been cooking a lot of new recipes lately. Whether I’m creating a disaster or a masterpiece, my lack of flavor was really showing in my first couple of meals. Turns out salt and pepper don’t always do the job, folks. I thought $99 for all these high-grade spices was a deal I could get behind. Everything I’m making now is so much more flavorful than it was previously, so I’m 100 percent purchasing from these guys again. *chef’s kiss*

More from SmarterTravel:

• The 10 Most Comfortable Men’s Walking Shoes
• The 10 Best Weekend Travel Bags for Men
• 9 Cozy Sweatpants You Can Wear in Public or at Home

Tyler Schoeber is a production specialist, photographer, occasional writer, travel style guru, and general Renaissance man at SmarterTravel. Follow his adventures on Instagram at @tylerschoeber.

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