Yahoo Lifestyle 
The $26 smart Amazon item that changed my life
If you can get your hands on these household items, I highly recommend them!
Five items have come into my life in the last 12 months that have truly changed the way I cook and clean and stopped me from having to turn my lights on manually like a peasant (OK, maybe not a peasant...). So, I thought I'd share why I think everyone should own these items, one of which is only $25.99 on Amazon.
1. Meross Smart Plug - $25.99
I live at home with my cinematographer husband, this may not mean much to most, but basically what it means is that we never have the overhead lights on – it's a lamp or it's nothing. So this means having to constantly turn on many lamps around the house every night, but now that I've got a few of the Meross Smart Plugs, I can simply use my phone or tell Siri to turn the lights on. It might not seem a huge game changer, but let me tell you, it saves so much time to tell Siri to turn the lights on and turn them off from bed or as you're leaving the house!
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I've even set them up through the Home app on my iPhone to automatically turn the lights off when the last person leaves the house and on when the first person arrives home (our apartment gets very dark, so yes, 80 per cent of the time, we need one lamp on in the living room).
Another great feature is being able to turn the coffee machine on from my bed, so it's nice and hot when you're ready to make your first cup!
If you're an Apple user, you'll just want to ensure you buy the plugs that are compatible with Apple HomeKit, this is very important, otherwise, you'll need to use the Meross app to control everything.
These also pair very well with the next product...
2. Apple HomePod - $479
I have two Apple HomePods, one in my dining room and one in my bedroom, not only do these act as great speakers, but they're a great way to speak to Siri and tell her to turn the lights on or off. Yes, you can speak to Siri through your phone, but I prefer chatting to this version.
You can ask her things like what the weather will be like as you're getting ready and in a rush or check if you've got any appointments in your calendar that you might have forgotten. The HomePod can also tell you things like the temperature and humidity in the room it's in.
I love that if you're listening to something on your phone, you can simply tap the HomePod to make it play from there instead.
These are also great speakers to pair with your Apple TV for watching movies and providing surround sound!
I've created several 'scenes' on the Home app, so when I say 'good night' all of the lights connected with Meross Smart Plugs turn off.
You can also get the HomePod mini for just $149, it might not be great for movies, but still a good little speaker!
3. Sodastream - $169
I didn't think the Sodastream would change my life, but it really has. I love a soft drink. Usually, Coke Zero is my drink of choice, but since getting the Sodastream, I have seriously cut down on my Coke Zero consumption and probably saved money at the same time!
My favourite hack is buying a sugar-free cordial and mixing it with freshly bubbled water. One unexpected benefit has been that the Sodastream has also helped me sleep since I'm not getting that caffeine from Coke Zero!
I now use this bad boy pretty much every day. I can't live without it.
4. Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer - $249.99
Everyone who has an air fryer loves their air fryer, right? I'd put off buying one for some time because I don't have the counter space due to the aforementioned coffee machine. But after I did a bit of measuring, I realised that because this air fryer is shorter than most others thanks to its dual baskets, it can actually fit in my cupboard when not in use!
I love that I can cook two things at once in the two baskets. There's also the option to have two different times and temperatures for the two baskets but have it so that the one that needs less cooking time simply starts later so they both finish cooking at the same time – genius.
My go-to recipe has been a chicken parmigiana that is so tender and delicious, but the air fryer also been great for those Sunday mornings when you want to add a little pizazz to your breakfast, like frozen hashbrowns, which are ready so much quicker than if they were cooked in the oven!
5. Ecovac Deebot T30 Pro Omni - $1,799
I'm also obsessed with the Ecovac Deebot T30 Pro Omni. Ecovac is the first brand to use AI to help its robot vacuums continuously learn to avoid things like shoes and things on the ground. It's also the first robot vacuum to be able to mop and vacuum at the same time!
One of my favourite parts about this vacuum is that it fits under my bed when it's cleaning my room. I truly can't remember the last time I would have cleaned under there, but now I can regularly!
Ecovac has also won many different awards for its vacuums. They also have anti-tangle technology, meaning that if you have long hair, it shouldn't tangle at all – I have short hair, so it's not as much of an issue for me!
You can also select certain rooms for the vacuum to clean, so if you don't want it to go into certain rooms, it won't. Similar to my Apple HomePod, I can also speak to the vacuum using the voice assistant and say something like, "OK YIKO, clean the kitchen."
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The vacuum also has an extendable mop, which means more of the house is covered. After the vacuum has finished working, the mopping pads are cleaned with 70-degree water and dried.
It also has incredible suction, which can be customised based on the room. So, if you have carpet in one room, you might want increased suction there, for example. It also knows when it's on carpet so it won't put the mopping pads down in that room. It can also do all the carpeted areas first so there's no chance that it can drip any water from the hard floors onto your carpet.
I love being able to work and have the vacuum doing all the vacuuming and mopping while I go about my day!
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