We all have something – a clever hack, gadget or investment purchase that often saves us money over time – and usually also helps reduce waste.
From a set of inexpensive funnels that make decanting bulk products a breeze, as well as saving on packaging, to a sewing machine for common repairs, curtains and even baby clothes, these everyday items make life cheaper and easier.
As a chronically cold person – one who shivers at his wfh desk in July, let alone January – buying heated air has helped me lower my heating bills. It makes my bed toastier and sometimes I repurpose it as a cape or chair cover to keep me warm on those chilly work days. Kate Lloyd
Buy: £94.99
johnlewis.com
I love my old Le Creuset pans. Firstly, they remind me of my much missed Aunt Beryl who gave them to me 20 years ago. But since energy prices have taken off, I’ve also come to appreciate thick, heavy iron pots for the way they keep warm and save on bills. Once the eggs, pasta, or vegetables come to a boil, I close the lid and turn off the heat – and the food cooks at and then just below the boil for 10 minutes or more, no longer than when d was keeping warm. Gavin McOwan
Buy: 185 pounds
lecreuset.co.uk
Right now, I’m loving these hay crates, which have saved me money by pushing me toward more organization. For example, I now have one place for all the toddler Calpol that I could never lay my hands on before when I needed it, resulting in me being the not-so-proud owner of eight bottles of the stuff. Ellie Bramley
Buy: from £5.10
utilitydesign.co.uk
This window film keeps our house much warmer and has saved us a fortune on double glazing which, as we are in a conservation area, is a little trickier and more expensive to install. Hannah Booth
Buy: £7.55
amazon.co.uk
My Eastpak cabin size soft case has saved me a fortune on baggage fees. Because it is soft, you can stuff a lot of things into it. Twice I carried enough stuff in it for a four-week summer trip. And if you check in a 10kg bag on budget airlines instead of the expensive option of priority boarding and two cabin bags, it will barely add to your budget. Since it is divided into two parts, my husband and I used it between us for shorter trips. I’ve had it for almost 10 years and it still works. Liz Boulter
Buy: 145 pounds
eastpak.com
I’ve had a basic Janome sewing machine since I was in textile school about 24 years ago. I have serviced it a few times and it still runs. I have used it to make my own curtains and cushion covers, plus baby clothes for gifts and for my own children. A few basic repairs and a trim here and there means it’s definitely saved me money over the years and justified its place in a dusty corner of my living room.
Ruth Lewy
Buy: £279
johnlewis.com
My set of different neon funnels is one of my favorite things. Not only do they save me money because I now buy large refill bottles (I’m talking five liter bad boys) of detergent/soap/shampoo/conditioner and then pour them into glass bottles – saving both plastic and pounds – but there’s something incredibly comforting about using them . Sometimes, after a particularly stressful day capped off with a bedtime routine with my young children, a satisfying gulp of liquid laundry detergent flowing through a neon orange funnel and rolling into an amber glass bottle feels like self-care. Abigail Radnor
Buy: Set of five Wanaone funnels, £8.59
amazon.co.uk
Fill Funnel, £0.75
ikea.com
For me it’s the £20 vegetable chopper I just bought. I’m always trying to get my kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and this saves me buying expensive bags of lettuce and cherry tomatoes. I can just throw in anything from the veggie drawer (carrot, cucumber, pepper) and it all comes out in tempting cubes that they love to eat. Plus it makes perfect chips! Charlotte Northedge
Buy: Fullstar Vegetable Slicer and Slicer, £19.99
amazon.co.uk
Oxo Good Grips Chopper, £22.50
johnlewis.com
We have two of these thermoses and they have saved a lot of money buying lunch. I take them to work and/or take the kids to school so they can have hot leftover lunches instead of school lunches which have never been popular. It also makes a welcome change from sandwiches. Hannah Booth
Buy: 23 pounds
argos.co.uk
For seven years I fished every week as a newspaper fishing reporter. Gear was incredibly important as I was fishing in Scotland or deep sea fishing in Madeira in January so I needed kit that would last. Other fishermen recommended Patagonia, although they jokingly called it Patagucci. The fleeces and waterproof jackets I bought weren’t cheap, but they still work today. My Retro-X Windproof Vest is probably my most worn item. Annalisa Barbieri
Buy: £160 at Patagonia
eu.patagonia.com
Or 112 pounds at Ellis Brigham
ellis-brigham.com
11
Schwalbe Marathon Plus bike tires
Either I’m a nail magnet or the streets of North London are paved with glass because I got a puncture a few years ago. It cost a fortune in patches, souls and an unexpected London Underground fare (more than five a day to and from the office). A cycling enthusiast colleague suggested Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires with puncture protection. At £35 each they aren’t cheap and of course I’ll never know exactly how much they saved me but I’m pretty sure they pretty much paid for it.
Hilary Osborne
Buy: 35 pounds
halfords.com
I love sparkling water. I can’t think of a better way to get over an afternoon slump than with a few glasses of the buzziest thing available. So buying a sparkling water maker a few years ago was a change. It’s helped me cut down on the Perrier corner stores I’ve been picking up (too many), saved me money, and helped me live a little more sustainably. Kate Lloyd
Buy: Philips GoZero sparkling water maker, £83.99
amazon.co.uk
A friend recommended the Lakeland heated air gun to me after I complained that my house looks like a laundromat in the winter with clothes drying on every available surface. The aerator holds two loads of laundry and costs 9 cents an hour to run, so it’s much cheaper—and more sustainable—than using a tumble dryer (my tip is to buy an aerator cover as well, which contains heat and dries clothes even faster). All in all, it’s a much better solution than sitting through Zoom calls framed by a backdrop of wet panties. Joe Stone
Buy: £179.99
lakeland.co.uk
We still buy organic nuts and seeds in bulk from Covid because it’s so much cheaper and keep them in a big tub in the cupboard under the stairs. For example, a 1kg bag of organic brazil nuts from Real Food Source will cost half the price of a kilo of 200g bags at Sainsbury’s. Amy Fleming
Buy: £10.70
realfoodsource.co.uk
I installed a bike rack in my bike shed. It stops my roommate’s bike from knocking into mine when she puts hers on and vice versa, which saves me a fortune because I don’t have to keep fixing brake cables/fenders. It probably saved me about £150 a year, every year. I feel smug every time I take the bike out. Kitty Drake
Buy: £59.99
halfords.com
16
Screen protector and luggage scale
When you drop your phone like I do, screen protection is essential. Mine has saved me a lot of worry and money in repairs too. I’ve also saved a ton on oversized baggage fees with a set of luggage scales – I love how satisfying analog is. Hannah Booth
Buy: Spigen Tempered Glass Screen Protector, £14.99
amazon.co.uk
Luggage scale, £5.95
diy.com
It costs a fortune compared to other locks, but it’s worth every penny. I don’t live in the healthiest neighborhood, so my front door lock was worth its weight in gold, both for peace of mind and for getting the job done the one time someone tried to break in (they couldn’t get past the trusty Banham ). The police came to take fingerprints and said thieves always try to get through these locks. Hannah Booth
Buy: £294
banham.co.uk
I’m not even ashamed to say that my borderline Oat Cappuccino addiction has set me back hundreds of pounds a month. Things were spiraling out of control until a friend got me this electric milk frother for my birthday. This one costs around £40 and is strangely excellent at making hot (and cold) bubbly milk without the mess or hassle of using the hot metal attachment that comes standard with most fancy coffee machines. Sasha Mistlin
Buy: £39.99
amazon.co.uk