Life hacks: The 20 items that will make your day a whole lot easier

It's no wonder this list of useful buys feature high on Amazon's best sellers list – everyone is on the hunt for gadgets that will make the daily grind a little more efficient.

To save you time (and money down the track) we've rounded up 20 things that will help make the often time-consuming tasks in your life easier.

From quicker cooking hacks and smarter storage options to ways you can help your kids eat healthier, peek through this list before the kids come home or the boss catches you checking your phone. If one (or all of these) give you more minutes to play with in the day, we consider that a win.

NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.

Mornings seem to be the most hectic part of the day. Packing bags, making lunches, trying to get shoes and socks on the little ones without a tantrum. Make sure you're well-fed and ready for the day with this portable cereal cup.

Simply fill the outer layer with milk and the inner layer with your favourite cereal, and just like that, you've got a breakfast on-the-go – no need for bowls or spoons. Once you're done, you can pop in the dishwasher and have it ready for the next (chaotic) morning.

It can't be just us, ironing got old during the pandemic. After months of wearing our comfy clothes around the house, none of us were prepared to go back to getting up 10 minutes earlier to turn on the iron and force the creases out of our stiff work shirts. Enter: handheld steamers.

This handheld garment steamer from Philips is ready in 30 seconds, and has a detachable water tank that can hold up to 100mL, perfect for a quick steam in the morning before work. You can now leave the house feeling put-together in your crease-free clothes, with next to no effort.

If you're looking to start packing them away your summer get-ups now Autumn is here, you need to get yourself some Cevadama vacuum storage bags.

These medium sized bags measure 60cm x 40cm and can reduce the volume of what you would normally pack away by up to 80 per cent. It helps protect the clothes you're storing away from moisture, insects and dust build-up so they are ready to go for next season. A hand pump is included, but the bags also work with most vacuum cleaner nozzles.

If you're not yet packing those shorts and bikinis away, these are also great for packing away baby clothes the little one has grown too big for, keeping all your clothes together when moving homes and makes your clothes fit nice and tight in your suitcase when travelling.

Teething is one of the worst times for babies and parents. It also often coincides with when your little one starts trying food for the first time. To help ease both burdens, baby feeding brand HaaKaa has combined a baby feeder and teether together.

Made from a BPA and latex free plastic, this feeder has soft bristles to massage bub's gums and teeth as well as small holes that release little amounts of the food inside to get them to start eating, making it a safe way to introduce solids to the baby. It is safe to use for babies over four months old and can even keep them entertained, with textured ears on the top that encourages sensory play.

READ MORE: Helpful gift ideas for new and soon-to-be parents

It might be a menial task, but tying your shoes can now be quicker and easier – certainly something you didn't know you needed in your life that will become something you can't live without. Introducing the Xpand No Tie Shoelaces System: only tie your shoes up once and slip them on and off easily.

Using patented lace anchors, the Xpand Lacing System allows you to choose the amount of tension of the laces and keep that setting locked in for future wear. Simply thread the lace through the centre hole of the anchor, then through the top hole and snap them into the bottom slot. One snapped in, they will no longer need any adjustment or to be tied and untied again. There are 36 colour options to choose from with each packet coming with its own laces to thread into your shoes.

If the lamp on your side table isn't doing the job for your evening read, it's time to get yourself a Glocusent book light. This light has five brightness and three light colour settings to choose from to make reading easier on your eyes. It also has five LED light beads that evenly distribute the light onto the page. The light can be adjusted to the angle you prefer to read and can last up to 80 hours on a single charge.

READ MORE: The best autobiographies to read in 2023 

If your pancake technique is a little lacklustre, we have the perfect solution. This nifty silicone mould will provide you with seven perfect mini-pancakes, made all in one go. Use the wide handles to flip inside the pan, and presto, a café-quality stack will await!

Apply lotions, creams, gels, and self-tanners to those hard-to-get spots with this applicator from Bakslap. With a soft, dense foam shaped to match the contours of your body, there'll be no random patches or awkward lines when it comes to your next round of fake tanning.

We can all agree food prep is one of the most time consuming aspects of cooking. Washing, peeling, grating, cutting – you might as well eat the food raw if it's going to take that long. Enter: a vegetable chopper.

This chopper from Britor has everything to make food prepping a cinch. Included are two chopper and dicer blades, three grater blades and two slicers blades, as well as a container to collect all the food you've sliced and diced. Each blade is a different shape and style, so no matter what you're cooking and how you want it cut, it can do it with ease.

The smell and taste of dumplings is such a nice treat when going out for a meal. But why does it only have to be when we go out? Bring the dumplings to your home with this dumpling maker.

Made from eco-friendly and BPA free materials, you can fold two dumplings at once and imprint those little groves that make dumplings that extra bit special. Once they are folded, you can cook them your favourite way and treat yourself to a 10 out of 10 meal.

An easy way to know your food prep is safe is through a different set of cutting boards per food item.

This cutting board set by Joseph Joseph comes with four colour-coded chopping boards – green for fruit and veg, blue for raw fish and seafood, white for cooked meats, and red for raw meats. Not only will this be extremely helpful to avoid cross contamination, but it's also knife-friendly and dishwasher safe.

Is your makeup usually found floating around the sink begging to be accidentally knocked off and smashed to pieces on the floor? This large, 360-degree rotating makeup case will keep all your beauty products in one easy-to-access, safe location.

READ MORE: The storage organisers that make us love our makeup even more

This tempered glass coffee pod storage drawer stores up to 40 Vertuoline pods in an aesthetically pleasing way. If you're looking for storage for the regular Nespresso coffee pods, you can find it here.

The coffee pods aren't included, so make sure you stock up on your favourites.

This multi-purpose popsicle-shaped silicone mold is capable of molding and storing all kinds of treats like egg bites, ice-cream, mousse, frozen yoghurt, and baby food. So no matter if you're a sweet tooth or prefer the savoury options, this has you covered.

Heading to your local for your daily iced coffee fix can add up. The solution: your very own iced coffee maker.

Breville's machine makes a single serve in just four minutes. It cools the freshly brewed coffee over ice but never waters it down thanks to its accurate measuring system. Not only that, it comes with its own 625mL insulated tumbler and straw so you can take it on the go.

A family dinner often involves a lot of switching between pots and pans, trying to multitask and hoping nothing burns. What if there was a way to cook large and healthy family meals all in the one pan?

Jaime Oliver's book One: Simple One-Pan Wonders has all the answers for a simple and quick dinner. Learn how to make the perfect meal in one pan, pot or tray that is tasty and affordable. Don't worry, everyone's tastes – sweet or savoury – are catered for.

Bento boxes provide enough room for all kinds of healthy food to be packed, so allow us to introduce you to this best seller.

This bento box measures in at 20.5cm x 13.5cm. 6.5cm and can carry up to 900mL of yummy food for the day and is microwave and freezer-safe. Its snap lid and elastic seal ring makes the box leak-proof, and is stain resistant and BPA free – so you know your kids are getting only the best.

Sure, a dash of milk into your coffee does the job, but if you want a café coffee without the café prices, your very own milk frother is what you need.

This 400-watt powered milk frother and warmer adds a creamy texture to all your hot drinks. It makes up to 160mL of frothed milk or 350mL of warm milk per use, is temperature controlled and has an auto off setting.

Summer, autumn, winter and spring all bring their own catalogue of outfits, shoes and accessories and there's only so much space in your wardrobe to keep it all together. The perfect alternative is a clothing specific storage bag.

These bags will keep your clothes safe and away from any dust or moisture. The large size can hold up to 80L and can easily fit in your wardrobe or under a bed.

Finish off your chicken with this super-quick shredding bowl. Using a twisting function, you simply pop your chicken in the container, put the lid on top, and turn the handle a few times to shred the chicken evenly.

Although designed for chicken, you can also use the shredder for pork, beef, veggies, and salads. The non-slip base also means you won't lose your contents by shredding too hard.

READ NEXT:  Cleaning products you didn't know you needed

Auto news: Shock new reason behind car delays - drive.com.au