To ask for your “game changers”

[AndTheReasonIsYou]

Things you’ve bought that have essentially changed your life for the better.

For me, it’s a swim dress. Basically a swimming costume with a little skirt that just covers the bikini line. Flattering, hides my stomach and most importantly it doesn’t matter if my bikini line is needing a little attention. It has completely taken the stress out of taking the kids swimming and now we go all the time

Other game changers for me include the perfect prep (🥰), L’Oréal eight-second wonder water, and Pinch of Nom.

@Upwardtrajectory

Coverless washable duvets.

Scribd - brilliant for the kids on long car journeys.

Omg yes coverless duvets for the kids.

@diamondpony80, I also love the James Clear book (and not because I taught him and his lovely wife when they were undergraduates). It is such a transformative book.

My rear reversing camera is a life-changer. I love being able to parallel park without fear.

I was thinking about one of these.. but does all the moisture not cause dampness in your house? That thought put me off..

@NeverDropYourMooncup

Secukinumab. I can't remember the last time I woke up and wasn't in pain from before opening my eyes, but 9 months on the things and I feel like a relatively normal human being. I will fight the entire NHS singlehanded to stay on it forever.

Custom orthotics. Turns out that I can walk and stand up for more than 30 seconds, after all.

A cold pack to keep in the freezer. Bye, bye, occipital/cervicogenic migraines and sinus pain (with the help of Sudafed).

Wool duvet. Warm when it's cold, cool when it's warm.

Feather pillow and a moulded neck pillow. Means I am comfortable all night - I suspect a body pillow would be even more amazing, though.

Other than that, running shoes two and a half sizes too big for me - perfect for fitting the orthotics and cushioning the impact on my arsey joints.

I have a Baavet duvet. It’s far too hot in the summer and not warm enough in the winter. So I’m not of the general opinion that they are as wonderful as they are cracked up to be.

@OohThatCat

Ooh also Lakeland heated airer, it’s amazing for winter, I used to hate putting washing on radiators. Now I put on some washing in the evening, put it on the airer before bed, set the timer for 12 hours and in the morning it’s dry! And no extra humidity in my already damp and humid old house!

Again, I have one of these and find them useless. I can have it on all night and day and the washing is still not dry. Plus if the windows aren’t open you’re in a sauna.

• Minimalism
• No alcohol
• Very early morning creative work vs admin afternoon and more generally better time management.
• smart plugs + google home
• Muji A5 Spiral notebook. Super cheap and best paper for fountain pens.

Couch to 5k and period pants.

No alcohol. Dont manage that 100% but always feel 100% better when i do.

Moon cup - been using it for about 10 years now - so much better than tampons. Had to use one recently and realised how many 'side effects' it gave me - subtle localised pain, extra abdominal pain. Mooncups are so much better.

Varifocal contact lenses.

• High waist, high leg Brazilian cut bikini bottoms; stylish for the frivolous but fun side of me.

• Sweaty Betty 7/8 leggings; the active me and the lounging around me.

• My summer dresses; a must for sunny days.

• My cordless lawnmower; for the practical gal in me.

• Mattress topper; for the extra comfort purring me and the fun me 😉

D-mannose tablets
Chillys bottle
Bialleti coffee pot
So sleepy pillow spray

A few people have asked about the jacuzzi mat. This is the one I got.
moltos.co.uk/product/945234
I got mine from Amazon, but they don’t seem to have them in stock at the moment.
It does make some noise, kind of like a low level hoover. But you don’t really notice it once you’re in there and relaxing! The mat covers all the bottom of a standard size bath so it’s a good size. It’s pretty powerful. I still have it on the lower setting.

I would recommend it. It’s helped so much with aches and pains and I sleep much better afterwards.

I've just ordered a robovac
Had one years ago but didn't replace it when it broke, but about to move house so it's my housewarming gift to DH!

I have a couple of questions…

Some pp have mentioned specific hairdryers- what is it that makes them game-changers? Speed of drying, I’m assuming? They can’t actually make your hair look that different, can they? Just dryer?!

Secondly, I can’t understand all the excitement about robot vacuums! Can someone explain? We have an average 4 bed house, and hoovering takes very little of our time. That could be, of course, because we hardly ever do it. But we sweep up crumbs etc as and when (hard floors) and I can’t imagine a robot being any real saving of labour here?! What am I missing? Are some people hoovering all day every day until they get their robo vac?

Oh I just thought of another one… Driclor- amazing stuff!

A one-pint teacup and a large box of strong Assam teabags. My morning tea is now deeply satisfyiing and wakes me up completely..

A walk-in shower installed in a corner of my bedroom. No more plodding up and down stairs in a dressing gown only to find someone else is having a long soak and I have to go back down again and wait... wait... wait.

Old, dull, discoloured opaque polycarbonate roof of my conservatory removed and replaced by a clear glass one. Why the hell didn't I do this years ago? Now the sun streams into the house, we can watch the stars and the moon, and the underneath of seagulls and also their webbed feet as they walk across the roof, and it's fabulous during heavy rain, hailstorms, and snowfall. Best £2k I ever spent.

A small handheld vacuum cleaner kept charged up and kept hidden but near where the cat eats. Great for instant clean-up of dried up pellets of whatever he's dragged out of the bowl onto the vinyl.

Years ago I bought a long wooden pole, painted it white and fixed it horizontally halfway up across my bedroom sash window. After my daily shower (see above) I can hang my wet towels flat across this bar, and with the window open a few inches they dry properly. I can also air items of clothing by putting them onto hangers and hooking the hangers over the bar. Genius idea that cost me a bout £5.

Heated airer owners- are they collapsible? I’m tempted to get one as we have a terrible condensation problem, but we live in a tiny 2 bed flat so we need something that doesn’t permanently take up space!

Ooh yep - love my blackout blinds.

@melonhead

Keeping a weekly meal plan and shopping list on the fridge door. Children can look at what's for supper without asking me when I'm WFH and it stops my flow. Also stops the 'we need...' constantly as people have to write it on the list and I just take a picture before I go shopping.

Genius!

@AngeloMysterioso yep! We have one in our bathroom (have a plug socket in a cupboard) and fold it away or half away a lot of the time.

Tesco own brand bottle brush. Had a Tommee Tippee one and it was shite. Tesco one actually gets in all the nooks of annoying toddler cups and is sufficiently stiff to do a good job.

I’m a woman of simple pleasures 😂

New clic bathplug. This one pops up and has a little basket on, so after my shower I can lift it out and pull all the loose hair out straight away. Strangely satisfying .
I looked at the robovacs but decided against and got a superduper cordless Dyson. Well worth it. Whole house is done in minutes after the initial grot is sucked up on first use.

Secondly, I can’t understand all the excitement about robot vacuums! Can someone explain? We have an average 4 bed house, and hoovering takes very little of our time. That could be, of course, because we hardly ever do it. But we sweep up crumbs etc as and when (hard floors) and I can’t imagine a robot being any real saving of labour here?! What am I missing? Are some people hoovering all day every day until they get their robo vac?

@Shakespeare79 No, I wasn't hoovering all day but needed to! I can see some people wouldn't need a robovac but in my case we have a tiled floor with three big dogs, two small children, a husband who gets dirty at work, a big garden plus we live on an unmade road in a hot country. Oh, plus the house is half-finished so there are always building materials around! Dust is a constant problem, not only on the floor but it never felt really clean and tidy and to keep the house as I wanted it needed constant hoovering and mopping.

Now Eufy just trundles around all the time, freeing me up to do other things, plus the house being that bit cleaner and tidier encourages us all to make an extra effort to keep it that way, whereas it used to be so discouraging that as soon as the floor was clean it became dirty again so the whole process just felt pointless.

However for people in different circumstances to us the difference wouldn't be so dramatic.

@FastFood

- Minimalism

• No alcohol
• Very early morning creative work vs admin afternoon and more generally better time management.
• smart plugs + google home
• Muji A5 Spiral notebook. Super cheap and best paper for fountain pens.

Thank you!! So hard to find a fountain pen friendly notebook!

A proper conservatory roof. The legislation changed whereby you can do this without planning permission, and the roof tiles are a lightweight replacement for slate or ordinary roof tiles.

Best. Thing. Ever.

Temperature is warm but ambient in summer (we're SW facing) and keeps its heat in winter.

Wish we did it years ago.

@AngeloMysterioso

Heated airer owners- are they collapsible? I’m tempted to get one as we have a terrible condensation problem, but we live in a tiny 2 bed flat so we need something that doesn’t permanently take up space!

Honestly buy a dehumidifier! It will dry your washing and solve the condensation problem. We have a Miele one and it’s fantastic.