28 Somewhat Random Things To Buy For Your Home That'll Benefit You In The Long Run
These will all come in handy, especially when you need them most.
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1. A Wi-Fi-connected smart plug for scheduling lights and appliances to turn on automatically or turning them off remotely in case you kept them running. Team the plug with Alexa for added voice control and setting routines and schedules.
2. A 14-piece, stainless-steel knife set with six steak knives, a chef knife, a paring knife, kitchen scissors, and more — so you'll never have to wonder, "How am I gonna cut that?" ever again.
3. A can of fire-extinguishing aerosol spray for when you might not have space for a proper fire extinguisher. The nozzle sprays a wide area for 32 seconds of discharge, putting out small household fires as quickly as possible.
4. A nylon-coated 12-foot tape measure that you'll use for almost every home-related project, be it finding a new couch or hanging picture frames and will serve as a constant reminder to always measure twice, cut once.
5. A two-pack of compact, collapsible, lightweight LED lanterns that are water resistant and tough enough to withstand a ten-foot drop while keeping you illuminated in your darkest hours (up to 30 of them, in fact).
In early January of this year, I was on holiday in Puerto Rico and early in the morning of our last full day there, my wife and I were awoken to a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. The power went out immediately but luckily our Airbnb host stocked the house with these powerful (and collapsible) lanterns. Who knows what we would have done without them but they were a lifesaver for getting through one last, very dark night before returning home. This is a reminder to purchase a few for my home. Plus they're kind of fun to play with because they look and feel like props from a sci-fi film.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $67.74.
6. A 45-litre, Craftsman heavy-duty wet/dry vacuum, because sometimes a mop and a handful of paper towels won't be enough to handle major leaks and your regular vacuum just isn't built to inhale mounds of dirt.
7. A massive Pyrex measuring cup (8 cups to be exact) to rule them all. Seriously, this microwave-safe, tempered glass marvel will be able to handle all of your mixing and measuring needs for a long, long time to come.
8. A Rubbermaid folding, three-step, steel frame stool that safely solves the problem of having to precariously balance on a wobbly chair every time you want to reach the top shelf (and potentially save you a trip to the hospital).
9. A non-electric, mechanical bidet toilet attachment for you to take that final step in sanitary cleanliness while saving money on toilet paper. Comes with an 18-month warranty, just in case your think your bum is getting a bum deal.
10. An easy-to-assemble ten-tier shoe rack, which can hold up to 50 pairs of footwear (depending on style) and is a lot better than throwing your kicks in a pile on the floor so they won't get scuffed up or damaged.
11. A high-def, indoor/outdoor wireless home security system that’s ridiculously easy to install, even easier to monitor, and oh, did we mention the 365-day battery life from a single charge?
I was in dire need of a home security camera system for some elderly family members requiring 24/7 care and I need the ability to check in from time to time and see what’s going on. Setting up the EufyCam2 (one camera for indoor, one camera for outdoor) could not have been easier or quicker (I think I spent more time grabbing and putting away the tools and step ladder). Now I’ve got a live-stream in HD (1080p) straight to the app on my phone (that doesn’t require any additional subscription fee). The cameras are weatherproof, offer legit night vision streaming, and since I’m not constantly checking in, the battery should last up to 365 days on its single initial charge. I even sleep a little better knowing my little old aunties are safe and sound.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $407.99 (originally $479.99).
12. A 130-piece first aid kit (with antiseptic towels, butterfly closures, safety pins, fingertip strips, first-aid tape, eye pads, multiple band-aid sizes, and more) so that all minor household boo-boos and owies can be properly tended to.
13. A Brother P-Touch portable label maker with three fonts, 14 frames, and more than 250 symbols, to organize random boxes so they aren't random anymore and save you time digging through them for whatever it is you're looking for.
14. A rechargeable Black+Decker cordless driver that won't screw you over when you're drilling into wood, metal, or plastic). The battery can last up to 18 months on a single charge!
15. An enameled, cast-iron Dutch oven that you'll most likely be cooking meals with for a long, long time. It's even easy to clean and won't chip or crack even after years of use.
16. A Stasher reusable food bag for phasing out unrecyclable single-use plastics. Why so pricey? Well, do you know of any other bags that can survive the fridge, freezer, microwave, dishwasher, and boiling water? We'll wait.
17. A set of two retractable-blade box cutters, because all that cardboard piling up really needs to be cut down to size. Includes a handy refill pouch with five extra blades for when all that slicing gets dull.
18. An OXO Good Grips 4-gallon bucket with one unique feature that sets it apart from all the other buckets out there: a holder on the handle that will keep the mop upright so it's always at the ready and won't tip over and hit the ground.
19. A gas-powered, portable generator for when the lights (and everything else for that matter) go out. Ten hours of run-time will power multiple electronics from high voltage appliances to heavy-duty tools. So, yes you can still watch TV while power sanding (although we wouldn't recommend it).
20. A surge protector power strip that will keep everything that's plugged in safe from spikes in voltage. But the real selling points are the 12 roomy AC plugs that won't crowd each other and two USB ports for charging phones and tablets.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $33.49.
21. A pancake batter mixer for whipping up waffles or flapjacks more often, because you're not going to make such a big mess. Just add the ingredients, mix with the included blender ball, and pour out picture-perfect pancakes through the heat-resistant silicone spout.
22. A handheld garment steamer, because things are always going to have wrinkles, you're usually not going to want to iron them, and hauling them to the dry cleaner gets expensive fast. It takes just 30 seconds to preheat and is safe to use on almost any type of fabric, be it clothing, bedding, or furniture.
I hate ironing, which means that for a long time, if I had something that was wrinkled, either I wore it wrinkled or I never wore it again. But this steamer lets me smooth out all those fabric wrinkles within a few minutes, and dare I say it's almost fun to use it? Because it is. Now I don't have to dread the big production of ironing all my wrinkly stuff and just pull out this baby instead. It heats up in 30 seconds and can run for 15 minutes of steaming — plenty of time to rescue all my wrinkled clothing.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $39.99 (originally $45.99).
23. A dishwasher-safe, two-piece Boston Shaker set for shaking up Margs and Daiqs or stirring up Martinis and Manhattans every time you have booze-inclined friends over (which turns out to be quite a lot). After all, a more complete bar cart can save you quite a bit of cash that you'd spend at the actual bar.
24. A queen-size inflatable bed with an internal electric pump for fast inflation (under five minutes) and deflation for those visiting friends who never want to spring for the Airbnb. The soft velvety top is no excuse for not having a spare set of sheets for guests, though.
25. A digital scale that can save you so much time waiting in line at the post office by figuring out shipping rates at home (especially helpful if you're into eBaying or Etsying). Measure weights in pounds/ounces or kilos/grams for whatever your (hopefully legal) side hustle might be.
26. An expanding accordion file folder/organizer for collecting all your most important documents and papers in one place. Thanks to the colour-coded tabs, you'll never misplace a birth certificate, a W2 form, or other important physical documents ever again.
27. A six-pack of jumbo Spacesaver vacuum storage bags to increase storage space around the home, especially for bedding and out-of-season clothing. Not only do these bags come with a travel pump (in case you don't have a vac handy) but they also have a lifetime replacement guarantee.
Get six jumbo bags from Amazon Canada for $39.99 (available in five sizes).
28. A heavy-duty, rustproof, mold-resistant, aluminum handle toilet plunger so whenever there's an unfortunate clog, you won't immediately need to call the plumber because you can go all Super Mario yourself on that toilet. And as an added bonus this plunger won't retain any unsanitary water inside.
We know your home can often feel like a money pit, but most of these items will be investments and last a really long time, maybe even longer than the house. Thanks, Hanks! Bye, bye!
