What cheap items have you bought for the home that have helped get rid of mild daily annoyances?

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I’m slowly making a list of things that annoy me in the house, and thinking about what to do/buy to fix the issue. I’m talking cheap things, like a pack of new drawer knobs as some of ours are broken.

What thing solved an issue that had been annoying you for ages?

We bought a stainless steel coffee press thing after breaking the 3rd glass one. I didn’t even know they existed before looking for alternatives!

I’m in the middle of a ‘not-quite-spring’-cleaning so finding lots of little things that need fixing!

Ooh, the bath plug thingy sounds good, might get one too!

@EkinWho thanks for the link. The egg cooker in the article sounds good, I’ve been having issues with timings of my soft boiled eggs.

Silicone straws. I now have two in a tiny holder in my handbag and when we’re out the DSs can use them rather than the disintegrating paper ones. Pop them in the dishwasher and good to go again.

And zip up boot bags for both wellies and walking boots. No more piles of dried mud in the corner of the cupboard.

Poundland do an egg that changes colour so you know how hard boiled your egg is.

I use a chopstick for that - poke it into the bread/crumpet/whatever.

Key finder.
Bread machine, my husband A second hand one was low cost.
Slow cooker, again not normally cheap but I got a second hand one.
Potato peeler...easier than using a knife.

Quite a few people around me have been burgled after a criminal reached through the letter box and picked up keys left on hooks or plates near the door, then used them to let themselves in
Or car keys taken the same way and then the car is stolen off

Also handbags left near the front door, which they hook with a fishing rod and then take the keys and purse out

you can get cages and flaps that fit on the back of the letterbox but it’s still better to leave the keys out of reach and sight of the front door…

Proper metal bag clips, you can never have too many. A decent set of fridge magnets rather than cramming everything under a couple!

Plastic reusable milk bottle tops. The foil ones fall of once the milk is opened, and milk dribbles everywhere (we get glass bottles delivered).

Unless they have extremely long arms it’s not a problem 😂 our hook is by the storm door so not accessible by the letterbox of our front door.

Not sure how you’d get a handbag out of the letterbox though! How big are these letterboxes?

They don’t get the handbag through the letterbox!

they use a fishing rod to drag the bag to the letterbox and then put their hand through to take out the contents of the bag

someone posted a video of it happening, and while it wasn’t quick, the burglar knew exactly what they are doing - quick look through the letterbox and then hand and fishing rod through and fling it around until they get the loot

We solved this by not having a letter slot in the door. No draught either! Post box outside instead. All essential post done by email.

For car keys, we bought a box that blocks the key fob signal for keyless cars.

Not the point of the thread but are you opening them properly by pushing down into the centre rather than peeling them off? I find they stay on ok as long as you open them properly.

Also not the point of the thread but why can tea bags not just go in the bin/compost? My parents do this as well - leaving tea bags lying all over the counter and I don't understand it at all.

Ah okay. As I said not a problem for us because of the storm door. Might tell my son though - possibly could discourage him from dumping his bag by the door as he comes in! Although ‘burglars took my homework’ would be a novel excuse.

Although I would imagine very very few people leave their handbag by the front door so it can’t be a great earner. Or do other people do that? Leave their handbag right by the front door?

I second these!

Following!

I was going to say this! Have had mine for over a year and still comment on how great they are every few weeks.

Silicone yogurt pot lids - because the pot of cream would get knocked over in the fridge and go everywhere.

Command hooks everywhere - one inside the cupboard under the sink for marigolds, one for the toddler loo seat in the bathroom, basically hooks everywhere.

IKEA dish drying mat - get a couple, pop them in the wash, they’re great.

We (me and DDs 14/22/6) recently relocated to a very different house. It’s a cottage, with a tiny kitchen that has no cupboards but does have an under stairs pantry, and a small utility room. Its quirky, with no right angles to be seen and wonky floors all over the place.

I have ADHD and work/study full time.

• Laundry powder canister and a bottle for fabric softener - sit on a shelf above the washing machine, to hand and in my face, the giant boxes that I buy sit under the sink between the washer and dryer
• Hobbycraft trolleys for bedside tables for all of us - absolutely genius idea from my teen
• Hobbycraft trolleys for the bathroom - couldn’t buy any units etc due to the floors, so there’s two in the bathroom. One by the bath with DD6s things on top, toys in the middle, cleaning products on the bottom. One next to the shower, similar layout. Easy to move when cleaning.
• Small wire baskets - I have the cleaning products for each room, in each room. Game changer.
• Doubled up on toothbrushes/face cleaner stuff - one lot in the bathroom upstairs, one lot in the utility room downstairs. Has changed the traffic issues in the mornings!
• Really Useful Storage boxes - measured up the strange cupboards that are built in in some rooms, but have no shelves in - bought the biggest ones that would fit, then once I’d figured out what would go in them, either put stuff directly in (like bedding), or bought smaller ones to sit in the bigger ones (to separate things like general first aid stuff, spare toothbrush heads, any toiletries I bought in bulk when on offer)

I rent so I can’t go whacking shelves up/changing things.

SiIicon saucepan drainer that clips on to the pan and can be used for any size. No more getting the big colander out or trying to hold the lid slightly out of place to tip and drains boiling pasta etc... Bought mine in a charity shop for a £1 but you can get them on Amazon tinyurl.com/yjfjnrn5

In the article is a jar lid opening gadget which my H said would stay in the drawer for ever. It is the best gadget in the drawer, one lift under the lid and it releases the seal and it becomes so easy to unscrew, got mine from local kitchen shop for about a fiver.

Apparently URL shorteners are a problem. Just look up ERHUAN Snap Strainer
on Amazon UK

@mathanxiety where did you get straight sided baskets from please? I do this bit mine aren't straight and I know I'd get more in if they were!

I love these threads, until they get too argumentative 🤣

mine best 'thing', isn't actually a 'thing' but a habit! Putting my keys in the same place every single time I come home! Though I might look at getting a 'black box' as it's a keyless entry.

A good coat hook for my coat/scarf & basket underneath for my gloves.

A second phone charger for beside my bed
(I know, I know) it doesn't hold hardly any charge these days, so I have a 3m cable in the lounge, a shirt one in the kitchen, a long one by the bed and one in the car as well
as some battery packs for my bag. I really should get the battery changed (iPhone) but the chargers are always handy for my iPad too 💁🏻‍♀️

Decluttering so everything has a home & things are much more easy to get out/put away.

not very exciting, sorry!