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?

4 bottles of cider on a sunny Sunday afternoon at an industry football tournament. I only went for an excuse to get talking to the hot guy in another department as both too shy to make the first move. We've lived together two years now

my second hand Dyson. bought for £25 from a fb selling page and it's still going strong 3 years later!

Just thought of another one.

£5 or so in the cafe in the local park every couple of weeks ago. It's one of the few things that teen dd2 consents to do with dp and I, and it means we actually get a little chat with her!

Hmm I think dh would benefit from NFC tags.

But he's been horrible to me today so I'm not telling him.

I've discovered the Jamie O cream cracker burgers and they are amazing! I add a bit more spice to them.

I've just bought some daylight Philips lightbulbs and I am ridiculously happy to have natural light lightbulbs instead of the weird yellow glow!

I must be the only oerson who isn't impressed by the cordless dyson, it doesn't pick up as good as the main one and is heavier than it looks

My compost bin-about £10 & looks good in the kitchen & my nigella salt pig that I dithered over for ages. Love them both

So excited to get the micro rice steamer-have added it to my Amazon wish list but don't think I can wait!

A fridge tray was a great purchase for me-about £2 from Lakeland I think & all the cheese & meat things go in it in the und counter fridge. Less waste from not realising something was at the back of the fridge. I love my actifry & slow cooker too.

Tweezerman tweeter are the best tweezers & I know it's controversial but getting my colours done has saved me from wasting as much money on stuff that doesn't suit me

Straws - I buy massive packs from the pound shop and kids use them every day.
Sudocrem - use it in cuts, grazes, spots, rashes... Miracle cream.
Wipes - obv never needed them before kids but so useful!
Foldable kitchen step because I am short and my kitchen is tiny.
Some little melamine bowls on sale at my local cook shop a few years ago. I think they were for picnics but they are perfect for kids pudding, cut pieces of fruit etc.

Fleece lined tights!!!?
Tell me more!

A proper extra wide spatula type thing that means I can now flip omelettes and pancakes over properly without them falling apart. Love it. A couple of quid in local homewares shop.

I love my foldable crate (which I use for laundry) - I've had it over 20 years. Probably the best £2.99 I ever spent.

I've just added car dehumidifiers and Napisan to my Amazon basket.

Fleece lined tights have made winters bearable, even in the very north of Scotland.
A pill box so I don't get mixed up.
Everything for our first home was cheap or second-hand etc. We have over the years replaced mostly everything. I still use the chopping board set and kitchen scissors daily. They were both £1.

A tin of tile paint to cover the hideous tile frieze in the bathroom. It's like a whole new room.

What a great thread

Mine is whatsapp

Mine is a breville blender that costs £20. It's a copy of a Nutribullet.
It gets used every single day.
Chuck in any fruit or veg with some yoghurt or almond milk.
I love it.

On a parking ticket theme, we now tuck our ticket into the defunct tax disc holder. A cheap thing I bought which has improved my life no end is a waist-strap thingy to attach the dog lead to while I run. No more wrenched shoulders when she spots an interesting squirrel/other dog/leaf/random shadow while we are out running.

Um, nobody seems to have said a rabbit vibrator yet?

It cost me £25 and has massively improved my sex life with DH (after 20 plus years!). I wish I had bought one ages ago. It has not only enhanced my enjoyment (obviously) but also DH's, and made him much more keen on DTD regularly. I used to be one of those posters who joined in on 'mismatched libido' threads - no more! Sorry for TMI but it gets to go on holiday with us and everything

Oh and a mango splitter. I eat tons of mangoes so this was a fantastic £4 investment!

Thank you Astro! My old car had one built in, and I have missed it since I changed cars a few months ago.

Toaster tongs from Lakeland

No more dicing with death trying to retrieve crumpets/hot cross buns/toast from the toaster.

Oh and Lakeland pan scrapers. Makes light work of getting gunk off pots & pans and saves on gunking up brushes.

A tangle attack from PoundLand for my DD's hair that used to matt the minute it got wet.

My hot water bottle.

My not cheap thing is our woodburner that has made our lives so much cosier and comfy.

My scrudle. £3.29 from Lakeland and I use it most days.

When I need to get the leftovers out of my big slow cooker the crock is too heavy to lift with one hand to scrape out. Scrudle does the job so much quicker and more effectively than a ladle.

Sadly Lakeland will soon be discontinuing them. (Why? Madness.) Going to buy a few for friends.

Oh, and blending stick for soup without having to use a blender. So much quicker and less washing up.

This thread just reminded me that I bought an epistick months ago after seeing it recommended here and I totally forgot about it. I've just used it to de-fuss my massive sideburns and I'm so pleased with the result