We all have something – a clever trick, a gadget or an investment that saves us money, often in the long run – and usually helps reduce waste too.
From a set of inexpensive funnels that make it easy to pour bulk purchases and save on packaging, to a sewing machine for repairs, curtains and even baby clothes, these everyday items make life cheaper and easier.
Heated throw
As a chronically cold person – the type who finds themselves shivering at their work-from-home desk in July, let alone January – purchasing a heated blanket has helped me reduce my heating bills. It makes my bed warmer, and I sometimes use it as a robe or chair cover to keep warm on those cold workdays. Kate Lloyd
To buy: €94.99
johnlewis.com
Le Creuset saucepans
I love my old Le Creuset saucepans. For one thing, they remind me of my beloved Aunt Beryl, who gave them to me 20 years ago. But since energy prices have gone through the roof, I’ve also come to appreciate the thick, heavy iron pots for the way they retain heat and save money. As soon as eggs, pasta or vegetables start to boil, I put the lid on and turn off the heat – and the food continues to cook at and just below boiling point for 10 minutes or more, and takes no longer than if I’d kept the heat on. Gavin McOwan
To buy: €185
lecreuset.co.uk
Storage crates
I currently have a soft spot for these hay crates, which have saved me money by helping me get more organised. I now have one place for all the toddler Calpol that I used to never be able to get my hands on when I needed it, which has resulted in me being the not so proud owner of eight bottles of the stuff. Ellie Bramley
To buy: from £5.10
utilitydesign.co.uk
Window film
This window film keeps our house much warmer and saves us a lot of money on double glazing, but because we live in a conservation area, it is a lot more complicated and expensive to install. Hannah Booth
To buy: €7.55
amazon.nl
Hand luggage
My Eastpak soft carry-on suitcase has saved me a fortune in baggage fees. Because it’s soft, you can cram loads into it. I’ve packed enough stuff for a four week summer trip twice in it. And if you opt to check in a 10kg bag on budget airlines, rather than the expensive option of priority boarding and two carry-ons, it barely adds anything to your budget fare. Because it’s split into two, my husband and I have used it together for shorter trips. I’ve had it for nearly 10 years and it’s still going strong. Liz Boulter
To buy: €145
eastpak.com
Janome sewing machine
I have had a basic Janome sewing machine since I was a textiles student at school, about 24 years ago. I have had it serviced a few times and it is still going strong. I have used it to make my own curtains and cushion covers, plus baby clothes for gifts and for my own children. A few simple repairs and a hem here and there means it has certainly saved me money over the years and justified its place in a dusty corner of my living room.
Ruth Lewy
To buy: €279
johnlewis.com
Funnels
My set of assorted neon funnels is one of my favorite possessions. Not only do they save me money because I now buy large refill bottles (I’m talking five gallons of bad boys) of laundry detergent/dish soap/shampoo/conditioner and then pour them into glass bottles – saving both plastic and pounds – but there’s also something incredibly calming about using them. Sometimes, after a particularly stressful day that’s ended with a rushed bedtime routine with my young children, the satisfying sip of liquid laundry detergent poured through a neon orange funnel and into an amber glass bottle feels like self-care. Abigail Radnor
To buy: Set of five Wanaone funnels, £8.59
amazon.nl
Filling funnel, £0.75
ikea.com
Vegetable chopper
For me it’s a £20 vegetable slicer I just bought. I’m always trying to get my kids to eat more fruit and veg and this saves me the expensive salad leaves and cherry tomatoes. I can just throw anything in the crisper (carrots, cucumber, peppers) and it all comes out in tempting chunks that they love to eat. And it makes the perfect crisps too! Charlotte North Edge
To buy: Fullstar Vegetable Chopper and Slicer, £19.99
amazon.nl
Oxo Good Grips chopper, £22.50
johnlewis.com
Food thermos
We have two of these food thermoses and they have saved us a lot of money on buying lunches out. I take them to work and/or the kids take them to school so they can have a hot lunch of home cooked leftovers instead of school lunches which were never a favorite. They are also a welcome change from sandwiches. Hannah Booth
To buy: €23
argos.co.uk
Patagonia Retro-X Vest
I fished every week for seven years as a newspaper journalist. Gear was incredibly important because I would go fishing in Scotland in January or deep sea fishing in Madeira, so I needed gear that would last. The other anglers recommended Patagonia, although they jokingly called it Patagucci. The fleeces and waterproof jackets I bought were not cheap, but they are still available. My Retro-X windproof gilet is probably my most worn item. Annalisa Barbieri
To buy: £160 at Patagonia
eu.patagonia.com
Or £112 at Ellis Brigham
ellis-brigham.com
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Bicycle Tires
Either I’m a nail magnet or the streets of North London are paved with glass, because a few years ago I was getting one puncture after another. It cost a fortune in patches, tubes and unexpected London Underground tickets (it costs more than a fiver a day to get to the office and back). A cycling-mad colleague recommended Schwalbe Marathon Plus puncture-resistant tyres. At £35 each they’re not cheap and I’ll never know exactly how much I saved, but I’m pretty sure they pretty much paid for themselves.
Hilary Osborne
To buy: €35
halfords.com
Sparkling water maker
I love sparkling water. I can’t think of a better way to get through the afternoon slump than with a few glasses of the most fizzy thing there is. So buying a sparkling water maker a few years ago was a game changer. It helped me cut down on the amount of local Perrier I bought (too much), saving me money and also allowing me to live a little more sustainably. Kate Lloyd
To buy: Philips GoZero Sparkling Water Maker, £83.99
amazon.nl
Heated drying rack
A friend recommended Lakeland’s heated airing rack after I complained that my house looked like a launderette in winter, with clothes drying on every available surface. The airing rack can handle two loads of washing and costs 9p an hour to run, so it’s much cheaper – and more sustainable – than using a tumble dryer (my tip is to buy the airing rack cover too, which traps in the heat and helps clothes dry even faster). All in all, it’s a much better solution than having Zoom calls with a backdrop of damp undies. Joe Steen
To buy: €179.99
lakeland.co.uk
Nuts and seeds in bulk
Since Covid we have continued to buy organic nuts and seeds in bulk as it is much cheaper, and store them in the large bin in the cupboard under the stairs. For example, a 1kg bag of organic Brazil nuts from Real Food Source is half the price per kilo of the 200g bags from Sainsbury’s. Amy Fleming
To buy: €10.70
realfoodsource.co.uk
Bicycle stand
I have a bike rack fitted in my bike shed. It stops my housemate’s bike knocking mine over when she puts hers in it and vice versa, which saves me a fortune in not having to constantly get my brake cables/mudguards fixed. It’s probably saved me about £150 a year. I get a smug feeling every time I take my bike out. Cat Drake
To buy: €59.99
halfords.com
Screen protector and luggage scale
If you drop your phone as often as I do, a screen protector is essential. Mine has saved me a lot of heartache, and money on repairs. I’ve also saved a lot of extra baggage fees by getting a set of luggage scales – I love how satisfyingly analog they are. Hannah Booth
To buy: Spigen Tempered Glass Screen Protector, £14.99
amazon.nl
Luggage Scale, £5.95
do-it-yourself.com
Banham Locks
These cost a fortune compared to other locks but they are worth every penny. I don’t live in the healthiest neighbourhood so my front door lock is worth its weight in gold, both for peace of mind and for the job it did when someone ever tried to break in (they couldn’t get past the trusty Banham). The police came to take fingerprints and said thieves always have a hard time getting past these locks. Hannah Booth
To buy: €294
banham.co.uk
Milk frother
I’m not even ashamed to say that my borderline addiction to oatmeal cappuccinos used to cost me hundreds of pounds a month. It was getting out of hand until a friend gave me this electric milk frother for my birthday. It costs around £40 and is, strangely enough, excellent at generating hot (and cold) bubbly milk without the mess or hassle of using the hot metal tap that comes as standard with most fancy coffee machines. Sasha Mistlin
To buy: €39.99
amazon.nl