Little things for the house that make life easier - I’m doing a shop

[Dollywilde]

Right. I’m getting my act together. As I once again realised we’d run out of little clippy things for reasealing food packaging, it also occurs to me I keep meaning to buy an extra long iPhone cable so I can use my phone when it’s charging in the living room (I can rest it on the table but can’t look at it while sat on the sofa which is pissing irritating and means I’m constantly on 3% battery). I do try and avoid amazon so as not to help Jeff Bezos and his sickening wealth but sod it, I’m going to sit down this afternoon and do an Amazon shop for all those little things that make life easier but I never get around to buying. Basically all the stuff my mum used to go to Woolies for when I was little (RIP Woolies, gone but not forgotten)

So far my list is:
Kitchen clips
Extra long iPhone cable
Lighters - if I can buy them online? (I don’t smoke but I’m a candle obsessive and I am always running out of long matches)
An oven liner, threw mine away a couple of months ago as it was rank and now I need to clean the oven base instead which is much harder than running the liner through the dishwasher - sigh

Please could you suggest other things I need but can’t think of right this second? Much appreciated

Lint roller & refills
Goose neck (so you can watch you iPad in the bath etc)
Reusable ice cubes
Fridge liner sheets
Clippy reading light

Possibly some handy little boxes to store all the handy little items mentioned on this thread

I would love a carpet cleaner but can never justify! I think in the sale they’re only £100 ish but they clean everything! My sister has one and I’m so jealous whenever I visit.

A mop with a clippy bit on that you can stick wipes too - so much easier than a real mop!

Little baskets for the fridge - creates so much space.

@HeronLanyon I bought a silicone washing up thing but sadly not impressed as it's just not tough enough on dried on food. The scourer side of a washing up sponge is much more effective.
I am disappointed as trying to be more eco friendly.

I absolutely love all of you who have introduced me to USB candle lighters. No more burnt fingers when trying to light tea lights in a deep jar!

A 4 socket extension cable, 4 power bank thingies, plug into your least used out of the way socket in the house and you will never worry ever again about your phone running out.

Lots of long life milk to use for custard and sauces.

Lots of tinned fruit so that when you realise that you haven't had 5 a day for ages you can eat 6 tins of pears, peaches and pineapple and instantly feel virtuous. Yum 😋

With custard if you like as a result of #2.

A big jug, big bottle of water, soap and towel, baby wipes and bags, in the car, then you will never worry about finding a loo again. As long as your car is nearby. Oh a long coat too so you can do it surreptitiously in the back seat. Only for wees though.

Thanks Pictish. Can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with my cats, but most of my candles are in jars. They frequently set themselves alight in front of the fire from spitting embers though!

I use pegs instead of the packet clips, I find them easier plus I’m just buying one thing.

I’m currently looking for a usb hub & organiser as the DCs all got tablets for Xmas si I need a central place to charge and keep them all.

I'm boggling at the usb lighter, it's like magic

A knife sharpener and actually use it once a week so you don’t have to hack through onions.

100 pairs of nail clippers, they go missing forever everytime you use them.

Gin

I've not read the full thread but I finally got round to getting a proper kitchen sink caddy for the washing up sponge and scrubbing brush and I feel like an actual adult now.

@AliceMcK

I use pegs instead of the packet clips, I find them easier plus I’m just buying one thing.

I’m currently looking for a usb hub & organiser as the DCs all got tablets for Xmas si I need a central place to charge and keep them all.

I used a bread box for that, just hacked a hole in the back for cables and can close it all away so everything the tangle of cords is out of sight.

Joseph Joseph cutlery organiser that stores the cutlery on top of each other instead of side by side. And then shallow drawer dividers from B&M next to it. My cutlery drawer is a thing of beauty now and I’ve got twice as much space.

70isaLimitNotaTarget why can’t you have candles with your cats ?

Ah Honeyroar my daring female cat likes to throw things onto floors if she doesn't like them .
Two fruitbowls ( one was older than my DC so 22+years) pens, books,computer mice .
She's a heartless villan

So we stick with the LED rather than try to persuade her otherwise .
Her brother is fine with things though.

Fruitbowls both smashed so I got a metal one ...she still throws it but it bounces

USB candlelighter for the win. It’s amazing and @Fedup21 hardly ever need charging. Not even once a month and I use it every day.

I’m in the market for Christmas decorations storage containers. Currently keep everything in a ramshackle or old boxes and want to be able to stack them nicely in the loft.

Plenty of ball point pens, if you can never find one when you need one.

A stamper thing www.ryman.co.uk/camouflage-roller-stamp?___store=ryman_uk_main_en_gb&nosto=nosto-page-search1 to obliterate addresses on mail, instead of cutting them up.

www.argos.co.uk/product/8551159?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=ixwlimptq&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157%7cacid:898-274-0554%7ccid:9563031084%7cagid:97151865326%7ctid:pla-901087803817%7ccrid:423211493232%7cnw:g%7crnd:165839303078333001%7cdvc:m%7cadp:%7cmt:%7cloc:9045852&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9563031084&utm_term=8551159&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=97151865326&utm_custom2=898-274-0554&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7YLmgrTu7QIVh-_tCh0GlwLdEAQYAiABEgLHqPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
These are great if you have a dog (or DC who forget to wipe their feet when coming into the house).

3rdnamechange, I’ve bought those stretchy silicone lids ( from Asda) to use instead of clingfilm, they are brilliant.
I’ve bought a selection of silicone sheets and cut them to fit my baking tins, trays etc so as to cut down on the amount of greaseproof paper and foil I use.

These kinds of reusable bags and pouches to avoid lots of plastic waste

Mini rubber spatula - I had to buy another as I missed it so much when it was in the wash. Brilliant for getting last bits out of jars, getting all the leftovers out of the non stick pan, stirring cake mix and scraping the bowl...

I got mine from eBay for 99p, like these ones:
www.lakeland.co.uk/32443/My-Kitchen-Silicone-Coated-Mini-Cooking-Spatula-–-Colours-Vary

Like 70 age means I have collected most of the above. I do need more tweezers though to keep in car, purse and downstairs loo (now monitor upper lip like a third eyebrow). And pens. Liking the Zebra ones from Tesco which have a grippy bit. I intend to buy a stash of stamps and birthday cards for the year ahead.

Draw dividers for underwear, bra, t shirts etc

Get the long lighters. I think they're meant for fires etc. We ended up with them when our clicky thing on the hob broke. They're really good for lighting candles which are closer to running out.

A little whiteboard on a string that you can hang in the kitchen, with a magnetic pen, so that you can write things for the shopping list on there as and when you remember them/run out of them.