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?

Bugger, only got onto this thread cos I thought it said "Cheap Wines" not "wins" ??

Mine's the plastic/rubber grid stuff that you put under rugs. You can get a couple of metres worth for about £5.

Shred old clothes, sheets etc into strips. Feed strips through the grid so both ends are the same side with part of the grid through the middle, tie once (like the beginning of tying shoelaces) then repeat with another strip.

I made a 1 metre by 1 metre rug for my bedroom for £2.50! Now working on one for my front room, and taking orders for Christmas presents!

My cat. £20 from a rescue centre a decade ago and she's loved me ferociously every day since.

Seriously the best £20 ever spent.

E cloths
My set of 4 measuring spoons
Hot water bottles

Plastic tape dispenser and 8 little rolls of tape for DD (4) who wants to do lots of craft stuff by herself but can't quite manage the scissors/cutting tape/not getting stuck to tape conundrum yet. Less than £1 from Wilko. She LOVES it and uses it daily.

Peppa Pig nightlight - ordered by DH the morning after DD's first night home and we couldn't see to change nappies in the dark but didn't want bright lights waking PFB. Not sure where he got it but it was £3 and has been used every night since (over 4 years).

Not sure how much this cost as it was given us by a friend, but a bulb that goes in a normal light (we have it in bedside light) with remote control so we can turn it on/ change colour etc from anywhere in bedroom. I use it daily for reading/checking baby etc and don't need to disturb DH as it's on his side of bed. Kids love playing with it in daytime. Can make it brighter/duller too so ideal if baby still in your room.

Wilko flannels £1 for 2; wet one with warm water, use one to clean baby's bum, dry one to dry him, put in nappy bucket when used after a poo. Bought 10 and they wash well and I never run out. Brilliant. Only use wet wipes when out of house.

Bosch washing machine bought second hand for £40. Smelt like a swamp and rattled when I got it, but a clean up and taking the 5p coin out of the pump sorted it! Still going strong four years later. (Goes off to find a bit of wood to touch.)

Slow cooker. Revolutionised my winter eating habits - healthier, tastier, and cheaper.

Café type sugar dispenser, no more messy sugar bowls.

Barbara Daley eyelid primer, use it as concealer as well.

Micro Stitch, gadget that attaches material together with little plastic tags. Holds my duvet in place inside the cover and just pulls apart when removing the cover to wash. Holds camisoles in place if you attach to your bra straps.

Rechargeable carpet sweeper. Cost £30, it takes seconds to grab it and run it over the carpet, picks up crumbs, cat hair and all kinds of crap. No messing around plugging the hoover in, just a quick zap with the sweeper.

(should point out we do vacuum regularly too but the sweeper is fab for the quick clean-ups)

Ace thread. I have today bought microfibre kitchen cloths from Asda, and have just panic-bought a scrudle online, as I'm not sure I'll get on with it but can't bear the prospect of deciding later that I WOULD have got on with it, by which time there wouldn't be any left

My contribution is: microfibre cloth on a square pad, on a stick. Yes, ON A MO FO STICK. The bottom of my windscreen is bloody miles away and with this gadget, I can actually reach it to clean it, for the first time in my life. It is revolutionary. It was a couple of quid in Aldi.

Also from Aldi - memory foam insoles for £1.39. They have made my cheap wellies a billion times more wearable.

Finally, from Aldi (yes, there's a theme here) their All For One (I think) perfume. About three quid, and smells lovely.

My car parking ticket holder arrived today; I ordered it thanks to this thread :D

puntastic
I really rate my inner soles from Aldi.

They keep my feet much warmer in my £10 Dunlop Wellies!

I bulk buy magic erasers & use them everywhere, saves me time & don't need ++ bottles of cleaner
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00IKFJNEQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1439413200&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=magic+erasers+100&dpPl=1&dpID=31E7UzNojTL&ref=

white vinegar - for de-scaling kettles, bicarb of soda / baking powder - cleaning for mugs etc - lemon halves once used for cooking/dressings etc then filling with table salt and putting at back of fridge on a small plate/bowl to deodorise fridge or remove any smell - used lemons can also be used in a bit of water then microwaved to freshen etc

any brand white vinegar - for de-scaling kettles, bicarb of soda / baking powder - cleaning for tea stains on mugs etc - lemon halves once used for cooking/dressings etc then filling with table salt and putting at back of fridge on a small plate/bowl to deodorise fridge or remove any smell - used lemons can also be used in a bit of water then microwaved to freshen etc

Earplugs.
They have save my sleep, and my snoring DH's life, more times than either of us know.

All the eBay posts say keep the epistick away from eye brows and lashes :)

Dunelm's spotty folding step stools. I think they're £4.99. They'll take weight up to a gazillion kg, come in nice colours, fold up neatly and are brilliant for the kids in the kitchen/bathroom/wherever, and me/DH any time we just can't quite reach something but don't want to fanny about with a stepladder. I think we have around 6 now.

Just seen that this is back I bought an apple slicer after reading thread first time and its used daily, it brilliant! I can't bite in to apples so have to them cut, this meant I can have them while I'm away from home too because its easy and safe to throw this in my suitcase

Well I haven't got my head together yet so have no input but massive thanks OP for starting this thread - I've just had a great time reading through and making notes :-)

Not super-cheap but it improved my life massively - a Supertooth Buddy bluetooth kit for the car. It meant that when I started a new job last year with v early starts, and frequent long commutes I was able to keep in touch with my teenage son. Mainly making sure he was on track for getting up for school and had no problems contacting me if he needed to. It was about £30 and I can honestly say it changed my life. I'm a single mum and his dad works shifts (and is mega-forgetful about arrangements...) so vital to keep in touch.

(and yes I've seen the latest news about talking on mobiles in the car being distracting, even if hands-free. I get all that and don't do it as a matter of course, but it's there if needed)

insole liners for summer footwear= no more sweaty sandals!

www.amazon.co.uk/Metaltex-36-02-06-Sector-Tray-Holder/dp/B00583CRYG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1441702241&sr=8-5&keywords=pan+lid+holder

One of these to hold pan lids in the cupboard, no longer do i risk an avalanche of lids falling on me every time i open the door. I also got one for my baking trays