Because really, don't we have hobbies to kind of take our minds off the everyday stresses of life? Hey guys! So I thought it was about time that I kind of go over my favorite puzzle must-haves. Now these are things that I use to help better my overall puzzle experience. But there is a reason why I say must-haves and quotes. And you'll see why as I talk about each item. And I'm gonna put links down below in case you're interested in any of these items for yourself. So let's start with puzzle must-have number one for me. Number one, my beautiful puzzle table. Now there are tons of different tables you can find either online or at your local department stores. And the prices can range anywhere from about $70 all the way up to in the 200 range. And it really depends which style you go about getting. They have ones that are full tables. There are ones that have pop out drawers where you can sort pieces in and save extra pieces. And most come with adjustable levels or a cover that you could just lay on top of the puzzle after you've worked on it for the day. Now I'm gonna talk about the table that I have. This one came from Amazon. It has five adjustable levels and it has fold up legs. So you can store this either standing it up against the wall or under the couch or wherever the heck you want to hide it. And my favorite part about it is that it has a non-slip surface to keep the pieces from sliding. Now is this really a must have? Well, no. But it sure is nice. So obviously you can use any surface to do your puzzles. Now like me before I got my actual puzzle table, I just used the end of my dining table. Many use foam boards and you can pick them up from like a buck from Dollar Tree. And with that you can even take it wherever you want in the house, which is kind of nice really. My table's pretty heavy so it kind of just stays on the floor and I just sit on the floor or on a cushion and I puzzle like that instead. Really you can use any surface you are comfortable with. But if you have the money to spare and you have space for something like this, depending on what style you want to get, then go for it. It's a great item to have and I personally think it makes my puzzle experience much better. Must have number two. And you always see me using this in my videos. So you know it's my puzzle trays. And these are the Ravensburger puzzle trays. They come eight trays to a pack and they stack really nicely on each other as well. You can have all your pieces in the trays and then just stack it. And it keeps them all nice and safe in here. Obviously not the top but you know what I mean. And what I love about them is that they're actually puzzle pieces themselves. So they kind of interlock on your table if you want. So they're not going all over the place which is kind of fun. I'm going to be honest here, having these puzzle trays actually make me feel like I know what I'm doing when I'm putting my puzzles together. And again, you can find these online. I've even seen these in Walmart places like Target and they're not expensive at all. Price wise, I believe these range between maybe 10 and 15 dollars. I could be exaggerating. But do you really really need to have these puzzle trays? No. They're fun. They're cute. But honestly, you can use anything to sort your puzzles. And mind you, that's if you're a sorter. But again, really, you can use anything. You can use paper plates, paper bowls, sheets of paper. I mean, anything just to help you keep your pieces separated from one another. Or you could just set up little piles on the table wherever you're completing your puzzle. It doesn't really matter. Again, I just think they're really cute. Must have number three. And that is my puzzle scoop. Now, I've only used this for the first time recently. And it's so good that it already made my list of must-haves. And I know this is something that I'm going to be using from now on. And like the other items, you can find this online or your local Walmart target. And they're really inexpensive. These are under $10. It has three times the magnifying power. It has a built-in LED light. That's a good light. And it's a scoop. So you can kind of scoop sections of puzzles that are completed and move them on to your fully completed puzzle. I haven't actually used it for scooping it. But I'm sure it will do a great job. But what I really, really use this for is for the magnifying power and for the light, which is fantastic. Even the magnifier is pretty clear. It's not blurry. At least mine isn't. But is this really a must-have? Must you buy this particular scoop? I mean, the LED light is pretty darn fantastic on it. But did you know that your smartphone has an LED light on it? And I'm pretty sure you have a phone, right? Now also in terms of scooping sections of puzzles, really, you can use any form of card stock paper. Heck, you can even use index cards to pick up sections of completed puzzles. And it's roughly about the same size as this scoop. Now I know that may seem a bit silly, but look, I'm just trying to help and be creative here. Gotta try to save that money, you know, times of rough nowadays. Now in terms of the magnifier, unless you just happen to have a magnifying glass in your house or your kid happens to have one in his school backpack, I mean, that's really one of the main things you would get this scoop for. Or better yet. Um, I guess go get your eyes tested or your glasses redone. I know I need to, but yeah, definitely one of my new favorite items to use while I'm puzzling. Now I have some other must-haves here, and these aren't necessarily puzzle accessories. And I don't feel like I want to use quotes on this because I kind of feel like me personally, I really need these things to help my overall puzzle experience. And if you've been watching my videos from the start, then you're gonna know what I'm talking about here. And these must-haves have to do with your environment. I'm talking about your puzzling space. I'm talking about the ambience. All these things are very important in the overall mood setting. If you're planning to sit for several hours doing nothing but puzzling, you need to sort out your surroundings. And the way I do that is I put on some aroma therapy. And the scent that I usually put on during my puzzling time, that scent always has some sort of connection to what I'm actually working on. I put background music. And again, like the scents, the background music fits the theme of the puzzle I'm working on. And also, don't forget to grab a special drink for yourself. And if you just so happen to have a mug, that kind of matches the whole theme of the puzzle, well, even better. But in terms of your puzzling environment, you can make this your own. I mean, go nuts. Just get creative. Heck, if you want to dress up as a Disney character or some other creature, by all means, go crazy. Maybe throw in a special snack. Look, guys, I get very serious when I puzzle and I never used to be this serious about it. But I noticed if you work on those little things, that at those little special touches in your puzzle environment, it's going to make the whole experience so much more immersive and relaxing. And it's just going to take you away from the everyday stresses of life and help transport you into this beautiful image that you are completing in front of you. As I said, I'm very serious about this. You know what? Forget about all the things I said earlier. You can just save your money and work on those last few things that I said. Work on your environment. And those are the keys to really filling you inside with good oras and energy to complete your puzzle. Because really, don't we have hobbies to kind of take our minds off the everyday stresses of life? Make this time very special for you. Have your little mental escape. Make it special and most importantly, have fun with it. Now, hit the like button if you have any of the most have items that I mentioned earlier. And let me know down below what you use or you don't use or things that I haven't mentioned that you recommend. It not only give me ideas, but I'm sure others will be reading your comment as well and getting some ideas. I hope I was able to give you some ideas or inspiration on how to better your puzzle experience. Either that or I just made myself sound like a complete nut case. But thank you so much for watching and I will see you in the next one.