Some purchases are exciting. These are not those. These are things that you won’t use very often, but when you need them you’ll be glad you own them.
From the article:
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01
Fire extinguisher
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02
Fire blanket
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03
Document Safe
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04
Step ladder
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05
Tiny screwdriver set
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06
Slow cooker
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07
Shredder
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A fire extinguisher and fire blanket
Hopefully is the item you buy and never touch. Still, a small fire extinguisher and a fire blanket are cheap compared to the alternative.
The blanket is the one I’d especially want near the kitchen. These are great for putting out grease and kitchen fires that just need to be smothered.
A document safe
A document safe can protect your important documents from fire and flooding and water damage.
And honestly, a document safe is as much about being organised as it is protection. It gives your passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, insurance papers and backup drives somewhere to live. It creates one clear spot for the important stuff. If something does happen, you can easily grab it and save all your important documents.
Spare batteries
I always think I don’t need batteries anymore, and then a remote dies, a clock stops, a kitchen scale gives up or some little sensor starts beeping.
I like having a small stash of the batteries I use including AAA batteries and a few common coin batteries. The Amazon ones are cheap and have a 10-year shelf life.
A good chef’s knife
You do not need a huge knife block. Most people can get a long way with one good chef’s knife.
This is one thing I’d try to buy in person if possible. The right knife is partly about the blade, but it’s also about how it feels in your hand. Some people like a heavier knife. Some people like a lighter one. Neither is wrong.
A good knife makes cooking less annoying. Prep is faster, chopping feels cleaner, and you’re not sawing away at an onion with some awful drawer knife you picked up in a share house 12 years ago.
A step ladder
This is the one on my to-buy list. I still use an IKEA stool more often than I should. It technically works. It is also not really safe
A small step ladder or sturdy step stool belongs in the house. The version you want is the one you’ll actually use: easy to fold, easy to store so you can get it quickly when needed.
A tiny screwdriver set
This small screwdriver set has been useful far more often than I expected.
Glasses. Sunglasses. Toys. Battery covers. Remote controls. Little electronics. There are two types. One that just has the different sizes and another that comes with the different types of brand specific screws many manufacturers use. You really just need the different sizes unless you do electronic repairs.
Old towels
Do not throw out every old towel.
Keep a few of the rough, faded, demoted ones somewhere easy to grab. They’re perfect for leaks, spills, wet shoes, muddy pets, and broken dishwasher moments. You’ll regret not having them if you have to use one of your nice towels.
Buckets
Every home needs at least one bucket. Probably two.
They’re useful for mopping, soaking, cleaning, washing the car, carrying garden scraps and dealing with leaks. They’re also handy if the water gets cut off and you need to flush a toilet or move water around the house.
A collapsable bucket will make it easy to store.
A slow cooker or multi-cooker
When I was a kid, I would not be happy coming home to find the slow cooker on. That was partly the era. There were a lot of flavourless “exotic” recipes happening.
Things are better now. A slow cooker is great for chilli con carne, pulled meats, curries, soups and stocks.
My parents rave about their Philips all-in-one cooker, which is basically the modern version with pressure cooking added. If you’re trying to cook more and buy less takeaway, a slow cooker or pressure cooker is a very easy way to make a lot of food with minimal effort.
A first aid kit
You don’t need something a paramedic carries around. Just some bandaids, a bandage, sterile tweezers, and an ice pack. You can buy complete kits. Bandaids in various sizes are the most useful thing though.
A shredder
I live in an apartment with shared bins, so dumping sensitive documents straight into the rubbish has never felt ideal.
A shredder is useful for old bank letters, health paperwork, tax documents, work notes and anything else with information you don’t want floating around. More people are working from home now, and businesses have higher privacy expectations too.
If you live in a house with a garden, shredded paper can also be useful for compost or worms. I’d stick to plain paper and avoid anything glossy, plastic-coated or full of little envelope windows.
I haven’t included a fire alarm - this is a “should have” item. It’s required by law.
Let me know on Facebook if there is anything that I should add to this list.