Cheap things you have bought that improve your life massively disproportionally to what they cost!

[wineoclockthanks]

I'll start!

12 ballpoint pens from the pound shop - this week has been a joy, no scrabbling about trying to find a writing implement (and not having to resort to a stubby pencil or purple crayon)

An eye mask (£2.99) - nearly 13 years of trying to contort body and duvet to shield eyes from hallway light (needs to be left on for nighttime trips to the loo), it's transformed my nights!

£1.99 for proper glasses cleaner cloth, as opposed to t-shirt or tea towel - I can see again!

Any more for any more?

Egg poaching bags from aldi, perfect poached eggs with no faff, makes my breakfast much happier!

Egg poaching bags you say tell me more. I couldn't poach an egg if my life depended 8n it

I need to know what NFC tags are too please

Plastic clips to hold freezer bags shut. So much better than the freebie wire ties.

An 'egg pricker' which punches a small hole in the egg so it doesn't crack when it goes into boiling water.

Buggy buddy to hang off then handlebar and hold DD's water cup etc, no more delving into nappy bags or the basket.

Brightly coloured phone cover, I can now find my phone in my handbag.

Ear plugs for swimming - about £2.

Stopped me getting ear infections and have also made a massive difference to my swimming as I focus so much more when I can't hear anyone else.

I too need egg poaching bag info. Perfect poached eggs continue to elude me.

Dh can smugly make perfect poached eggs mine are a stringy mess

A heavy based sellotape dispenser -has made wrapping presents so much easier.

Not cheap per se but...

Vax Rapide Ultra,on sale, saves me a fortune in carpet cleaning and replacing ivory carpets in a house with a seriously messy child!

Amazon Prime saves me a fortune on deliveries and means I can get things fast.

Goose Down duvet and pillows mean I'm now sleeping better than I ever have in my life (the duvet just hugs you!!!!) which is important with minimal sleep and a severely autistic teen to care for! Also is hypoallergenic so saves my asthma and sinuses flaring up so much.

Cheap ones:

Nivea moisturiser in the blue pot,£2. Saves a fortune in moisturiser and is so much better than others and lasts longer. No more dry,irritating skin here!!!

Secondhand,small kitchen island,thick solid wood £8,and delivered free, from a Facebook selling page. A few cuts and tweaks and I have a very solid,fair sized jewellers bench. Total bargain as a cheap,nasty plywood bench costs £180 and a solid one several hundred. Saves my dining table,is a better working height and makes everything much easier!

Amazon also sell the poached egg bags, but I haven't used them:

www.amazon.co.uk/Poachies-Egg-poaching-Bags-20/dp/B006VT2OMQ

Shampoo bars from Lush. I was getting through a small fortune in Aussie products but this little £5 bar that I had no faith in at all has been going for a month now and looks barely touched.

Thanks for the link Js. I thought I was up to date with the latest innovations in egg poaching! Excited to try these and have actual proper poached eggs instead of a poached yolk and various white stringy bits.

Packs of elastic hair bands that cost £1 for loads in Primark. Just having so many means I'm not constantly searching for one. They're everywhere in this house now thanks to Primark.

Not sure if it counts as it was a Christmas gift from my dp in 2013 but I know it only cost £2. It's a toothbrush holder tube thingie. I have Asperger's syndrome and the amount of meltdowns due or someone touching my toothbrush (germs.... I know, I'm crazy) is amazing. I love it - best present I ever got and a big reason I fell in love with her; who else could know me so well?

Double walled ceramic travel mug with silicone lid. DH got it for me - cost him 49p!

I no longer buy coffee at work and have thus saved a fortune.

The amount of meltdowns it has prevented I should say

A thermos flask to take my soup to work. No more waiting for others to finish using the feeble office microwave, then doing the "ooohooohoohthisbowl'stoohotandI'mgoingtodropit" dance back to the table - I can just sit down and have my lunch.

Can't believe no one has mentioned Ikea's Antilop highchair. About £15 and so much easier to clean than much more expensive ones!

Also a bumper pack of plain black hairbands for DD1 for about £1.50 for 30. No more scrabbling around the house trying to find one and when this lot go missing it won't cost a fortune to get a new pack. They don't have metal too so don't pull her hair out.

£1.50 for a pair of old fashioned trouser braces to hold the fitted sheet on the bed-much cheaper than the elastic things they sell in Lakeland and 100% effective!

A cat toy (mousie onna stick) from the 99p shop. It keeps the monkey-cat occupied and me entertained.

This was actually free as we swapped things round, so even better...
Instead of having a double duvet, DH and I have a single one each. Amazing. It literally has transformed our sleep. He is over a foot taller than me and was a duvet stealer.

We still manage to snuggle or hold hands if we can not a euphemism yet I am cosy and warm and tucked up ALL NIGHT.

And it was free!

I run a supper in and use the egg poaching bags. They're great.

I have three corkscrew shaped hair slides that cost about a fiver from Boots. They twist in in seconds and give you a perfect bun. I've had them for years and love them.

I'm thinking of more now...

A door key turner thing, with arthritic hands I couldn't unlock the front door my own, but it would be brilliant for difficult locks for "normal" hands too.

www.completecareshop.co.uk/household-aids/key-turners/comfort-grip-key-turner

Bit more expensive, but battery operated candles. Amazing, can flicker or be static and have a timer and remote control. Use one as a DC nightlight as well.

I'm well past this stage now, but when DCs were in strollers/buggies, I had little weights that went over the front wheel support things and if you had shopping on the handles but lifted DC out, the buggy wouldn't fall over!

Any silicon bakeware.

Again, this was about £20 so not cheap, but a stool to sit on in the shower. DC love it for some reason, no more shower avoiding teens [smile ]

My 'egg poaching bags' are silicon muffin cases. Better yet, they're marvellous for baked eggs - they come out muffin-shaped and you can put other stuff in with them :)