Life In Pleasantville

Food, Travel, Life

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As I get older, I’m becoming pickier about the things I actually need in my life. I’m currently in the middle of a massive purge of my house and nothing, I repeat NOTHING, is safe. I’ve been truly evaluating what I don’t need in my life, and in doing so, I’ve had a few a-ha moments about things I couldn’t live without anymore. 

Heated Car Seats

I feel like every Canadian will agree with this one because let’s face it, our butts get cold in the winter. A heated car seat is a like hug for your derrière, and once you’ve had one of these in your car there is no way you are going back. Ditto I might add for heated steering wheels. There is no way I’ll ever give this small luxury up.

Children

A lady I’ve known for years in social media mentioned this on my Facebook page and it was so simple and brilliant, I couldn’t disagree. I absolutely didn’t need children but now I can’t imagine a single second without them in my life.

A Dog

I always wanted a dog but my parents weren’t interested in indulging me, so the first thing I did when I moved into a house of my own was get one. Want and need are different things though. I wanted Honey in my life, but I had no idea how much I needed her. C’mon, wook at that wittle face. Who’s the best girl? Honey’s the best girl.

A SmartPhone

I will never forget being in Grade 8 and talking with my class about how old we’d all be in the year 2000. When we calculated that we’d be practically ancient at the ripe old age of thirty we were horrified. We talked about flying cars and space travel but never did anyone suspect we’d have a teeny tiny little device that would hold our entire lives in it. For better or for worse, my smart phone had become an extension of me, and for that reason alone, I can’t imagine my life without it now.

Coffee

A bit of a late bloomer, I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was in my 40s. Initially I started pounding back espressos to stay on top of a brutal work schedule, but now? Now I NEED it. One could say it’s an addiction.

Rogers Smart Drive

I recently installed a Rogers Smart Drive device in my car, and I am not even going to lie; when it was sent to me initially, I didn’t really get it. I already think my car is pretty smart so how could this gadget that plugs into my OBD-II possibly make it any smarter? Here’s a few ways I couldn’t imagine my life without it now.

  • We have wi-fi in the car. Clearly as a driver, this isn’t to my advantage but for my teen girls? It’s pretty much the coolest thing ever, since I’m pretty stingy with data with them. In fact, when we pick up their friends now, they instantly hand over the wi-fi code which means I’m officially the cool mom.
  • It tells me when my someone arrives at their destination safely. While this isn’t really something I worry about with my husband and believe me, I shut off the notifications when I go the mall because he doesn’t need to know everything. Sheesh. However, since I’m only a year away from having a teen driver in the house, and a second coming up fast, I can already see the peace of mind this will give me.
  • My memory has a friend. One of the most ingenious things about my Rogers Smart Drive, is it remembers where I go! I can’t tell you how often I visit a great place in the city or on my travels and then forget where it was. Now, I can simply go back into my Rogers Smart Drive app to grab the address for a return visit.
  • It helps me with my accounting. I’m inherently lazy when it comes to tracking mileage for my business, so until now, I never bothered. My Rogers Smart Drive tracks it all for me now, so each month I can tally my mileage for work and submit to my bookkeeper. Mental math shifted.

I want to hear what you didn’t realize you needed in your life until you had it. By doing so you’ll be entered to win a Rogers Smart Drive Device (value $199) PLUS 3 months of service (value $10/month)!  Using the Rafflecopter widget below, enter to win. Contest open to Canadians only, excluding Quebec. Contest closes November 26, 2017.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THIS POST HAS BEEN PROUDLY SPONSORED BY ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. ALL OPINIONS ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.

About Candace Sampson

Candace is founder and editor-in-chief of Life in Pleasantville which isn't half as fancy as it sounds. You can find her sharing travel stories on What She Said Radio and on CTV Ottawa Morning Live.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. Robyn Bellefleur

    My banking app on my phone. I thought I was all good with online banking, but then I started using the phone app and can’t live without it now.

  8. Jonnie

    A toaster oven. I always thought I have a toaster, I have an oven, why do a need a combination of the two? Now I use it daily and only use my regular oven a few times a month.

  20. Maritess S

    A SMARTphone. I was content with a phone that has the ability to call and text and did not find it necessary to have apps installed. Now I have all types of apps on my phone. I feel so empty without my phone now. I can technically leave my wallet at home but not my phone.

  27. Matthew Tully

    I couldn’t agree more with everything you mentioned not living without, but our daughter is definitely the biggest reason. She is literally the glue that holds life together.

  28. SUMMER PLEWES

    I didn’t think I needed a data plan on my phone, now I don’t think that I could possibly live without using my phone for web browsing etc.

  30. aly3360

    I didn’t know I needed a keurig until I got one. I won’t drink a whole pot of coffee so it’s nice to be able to make one cup quickly while i’m holding the baby with little mess or fuss.

    – Amber Y

  32. Krista Miller (@MillerKrazy)

    It’s my smart phone for sure. I used to just get by with a pay-as-you-go old flip phone. But now I find I’m using all the features of my smartphone like gps directions, camera, social media & online banking. I couldn’t live without it!

  35. Aliya Ladha

    I couldn’t live without fast, unlimited, home internet! We cancelled cable, so between ALL the devices in our house (around 10, including TVs), I don’t know how we’d watch Netflix or use phones to watch YouTube and listen to music, without overage charges. Hallelujah for unlimited internet usage!!!