Let’s talk about saving money on household gadgets
So how to find out what is really a good buy???
I have lived through the above situation many times. But now, having a minimalist life goal, I have been evaluating what objects are really necessary in my life, before purchasing anything. And especially household gadgets, which are often expensive. It is hard not to fall into the trap of Googling reviews and this is something I really don’t want to spend a lot of time and energy into though, I prefer to spend time with my son, plus there are the daily chores which take up a lot of my time. I appreciate having plenty of time to rest too!
Since leaving my parent’s home and setting up my own I have bought quite a few household gadgets and feel I have become a bona fide gadget buying expert, and have learned thought my mistakes, some buys turned out to be very superfluous and others indispensable.
How to decide what is worth spending your money on? My experiences have led to a few top tips that I would like to share with you:
– When considering a product ask yourself “do I need it?”, “how often will I use it?”, “is it time efficient?”. If you answer yes to all of these questions, we can move on to considerations about cost
– How much is it? Are there other brands which offer better value for money with similar quality? Will it be an investment? If this product is expensive and only saving me ten minutes in the kitchen, a product you will probably only use once a week? If so, probably not worth it.
– Is this product going to be useful in the long term? Or is the want to buy it coming from the fact that everyone has it and you feel left out?
If after asking yourself all these questions you have decided to go ahead with the purchase, here are a few more tips on how to save money:
– Along the years I found that the cheap coms out expensive. If the product you want is something that you can see yourself using often, invest in something good. A lot of the more affordable gadgets don’t have the same speed/strength and in the end are just a pain to use
– As I said above there are situations where it is worth it looking at buying a product similar to the high end one, but more affordable. A great way of comparing products is to watch YouTube videos
– Still unsure? Try to get a second-hand version of the high end product you want (obviously not a faulty one). A lot of stuff sold online has never been used, and the price can be excellent. This option it’s easy on the wallet and you get what the gadget you wanted!
– Do you have a gadget you never/rarely uses, just sitting in your cupboard? Take a picture and sell!
My latest adventure was with the Philips AirFryer. We’re big veggie eaters and I also love doing vegetable crisps. But I was scared to spend 140€ on a product I knew very little about and would mabe just use a few times. After a lot of research I bought a second hand one, I kept an eye out for offers and sales, and I finally found one for 30€. The seller had just bought an AirFryer XL, and for that price it was a risk worth taking. Now we use it on average 4 times a week and I love it.
My mother-in-law has a little robot in her kitchen called Thermomix and she uses it daily. I personally find it very expensive and superfluous to say the least. Plus I would feel sad leaving a gadget to do all my cooking, I love cooking!
Now would you like a tour of my kitchen? Here are the gadgets I love using in my kitchen:
*Mixer Omniblend – we paid extra for a good quality blender because we make smoothies everyday, still not as expensive as Vitamix
*Coffee filter machine with grinder– I don’t drink coffee, but for my husband it’s espresso first, “good morning” later
*Stick blender with multi-attachment – super practical to make soups and blend it all straight in the pan. I use the mini processor attachment to make dips, grind everything from nuts to chicken. With the whisk attachment I can quickly whip some egg whites or cake dough
*Japanese mandoline slicer– I use it all the time and am in love with it. I slice vegetables for salads, frittata, vegetable chips…
*AirFryer – It’s simply a mini-oven with a fan, I use it to cook vegetables, chips, “fry” beef or chicken, and it is all ready with half the time it would in the over, no need to pre-heat either!
*Sewing machine – because I love sewing and do it often
*Hoover – we invested on a good one, with no bag, avoiding extra costs
*Dishwasher – every time I open the door and load it with all the dirty dishes I won’t have to wash by hand, I feel so grateful for its existence
*Kettle – for teas and cooking, I find it essential in my kitchen
Apart from that I have invested on a good set of knives rather than buying a food processor. And items such as a washing machine, I feel there’s not much thinking to go into this purchase as it is more of a necessity than a choice gadget.
What gadgets are indispensable in your house? Any regrets or impulse buys?
