As per the title. Have been renting so I have all the essential things (fridge, bed, tv etc) but as I’m about to move into my first home, I’d like to hear about your household items that seem non-essential but now you’d highly recommend to others? I guess it’s a bit of a celebratory housewarming present to myself…
Eg. Airfryer. (I already have one but this is a non-essential item which is more of a “nice to have/make life easier” item)
Plant trees early and choose wisely.
I would suggest dwarf variety trees even if you have the space. They are easier to harvest.
Really good answer. And being small you can get some netting that's easy to use to keep the birds away. I've seen some massive peaches on the dwarf trees, you just need to thin them out. And control the fruit flies (yellow sticky traps work OK).
Congrats on the new home.
Dwarf trees in pots a good idea?
Pots are okay if you are a knowledgeable gardener. Advantageous in certain scenario. I plant berries in pots because the soil has to be significantly more acidic than what the rest of my garden can tolerate.
With pots, you need to remove and clear the dead roots every few years. You also have to monitor the soil and moisture more carefully.
I see lots of trees in pots being left to die because "it doesn't fruit" or the fruit is poor quality. Dwarf trees are almost certainly grafted so it is guaranteed to be consistent as long as the conditions are consistent.
If you're owner occupier, choose a good spot and just put it into the ground.
@[Deactivated]: There some easement and water drain at the back where I dont want to plant something which plays with council drain pipes. Pots over drain grill might be a good use.
I dont call myself knowledgeable in gardening. Thanks for sharing some details, atleast I now know some stuff which needs to be done. Can look online for maintenance of dwarf plants before making a decision
@EnALup: You're in Sydney, try avocadoes in pots. You should be able to do Lamb Haas well in pots there. Lamb Haas is amazing.
Just make sure you also have a B type stock like Fuerte. It's not a dwarf but it prunes down well.
Philips Hue lighting.
This!
Or any other smart lighting setup.
I agree I have some lifx lights and strips they are great
oh god smart lighting is (profanity) trash. It's just another reason to be glued to your phone and it doesn't even (profanity) work properly.
$63 for a downlight tf
Me too. They are great. Brilliant brand. White/warm white, brightness. Automation. They are great.
I bought Kogan downlights which are RGB and dimmable. They costed $99 for 4 pack and works great. Also they are rebranded Tuya lights, works with Smartlife app.
I live near a nuclear reactor so it’s very illegal for me to sell fruit I grow.
Don’t get why I’m being downvoted
why are you worrying about what other people think?
+1 on feline
I have never owned so it has never been of much use for me (I have a few strategically placed LIFX bulbs instead), but I have always though that when I buy my own place that I would sooner use wifi controlled dimmer switches vs smart bulbs. Seems simpler for the same effect (if you just want white bulbs) and you don't need to just bin the bulbs you currently have.
Anyone have experience with this?
Smart doorbell.
Smart door lock.
+1 for Philips Hue.
Air fryer is a great one.
Magnetic knife rack for kitchen.
A good relationship with the neighbours.
"Magnetic knife rack for kitchen." have considered this and getting rid of the knife block
Good quality knives is a very worthwhile investment to "splash" some money on.
No need to buy a full block with 12+ knives. Just a good quality chef's knife, paring knife & bread knife.
Bought the above Wusthof knives a few years ago and never looked back. any time I used a friends or families knife it amazes what a difference in quality there is.
Side note, Magnetic knife racks are quite bad for the knife it self, it blunts & bends the blade.
Personally also think it looks messy having knives hanging on display but that's personal opinion.
an "in drawer knife block" is perfect solution IMO.
hmm, hadnt considered one of the in drawer ones. Might do. What do you use for sharpening. I have some Zwilling Henckels knives but they need sharpening stat. The included sharpening 'pole' isnt cutting it any more…
@JuryWheel: The "sharpening pole" is a honing steel and it basically straightens out the blade which makes cutting easier rather than sharpening the blade perse.
A whetstone might be better if they're really dull.
To add to this. Buy yourself knives. Knives are not for anybody else to touch they'll wreck them.
I'm a big fan of Victorinox knives - they're great value for money
Please recommend an in drawer knife block. I got rid of my standing knife block, and need one for my chef's knife.
@notJV: I use a Blum knife holder in the drawer. It fits 4 large and 5 med/sml knives. (had magnetic rack but now with a glass splashback a) didn't want to drill through and b) drawer is under where I cut, rather than spinning 180 and reaching over to the rack)
We've got some good hand made Japanese knives, but one thing for the life of me I don't understand is why you'd pay money for a good bread knife? Would a near home brand bread knife not do the exact same job?
I've managed to get amazing use out of IKEA knives and haven't needed to sharpen them in 3 years. I sharpened them initially with my Lansky and either before or after every time I use them I strop them with an old leather belt I recycled.
Haven't needed to sharpen them since and I can shave hair off my arm with them!
What are your thoughts on good maintenance of cheaper knives as opposed to high quality expensive knives?
Albeit a high quality expensive knife treated the same I treat my IKEA knives would be better but I feel like the tradeoff of paying the extra premium for the jump in sharpness that doesn't really equate to a significantly better cutting experience isn't particularly justified but I'm also open to changing my mind
If there is more value in a higher quality blade
Nonetheless, I'm 100% behind you in having good sharp knives in the household! :)
Magnetic knife rack. Ewwwww
That's not nice to have, that's ugly.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
your opinion is wrong
A good relationship with the neighbours.
^^^ This. Over & above everything else.
how much does good relationship with the neighbours cost?
Giving up smoking if you do, maintaining a reasonable gym schedule, throwing balls back over the fence, being tolerant of overhanging bushes or shading trees, and putting up with their stupid yappy barking dogs. Oh, and not stealing their electricity.
What's the appeal with the Hue lighting and the smart door lock? Not having a go just genuinely curious as we bought our first home this year too.
I'm currently looking into smart thermostats but I think I need to get some additional wiring done.
Smart door locks -> Don't have to get keys cut, can re-code yourself if you lose a card. Easier for guests.
Smart lighting -> Home automation, can turn lights on and off without moving. Easy to add and remove light switches. Can be set up with motion switches to do smart things like turn on/off the lights when you walk in/out. I use mine as an alarm, turns on to help wake me up. Turns off when I leave
Smart locks — tap your phone or key fob on the door rather than fussing around with a key in a lock.
Hue lighting — turn off room lights from warm comfort of bed. Program lights to turn on to wake you up. Dim and set light configurations from your phone.
Smart thermostats are great — I have a Sensibo myself that I really like. Personally, I am DIY'in a smart thermostat for the heater because I couldn't find something simple to do what I want, and I'm renting which limits options for home modifications…
Smart door locks are great. I got a lockly one. My family can access using either a fingerprint, code or key.
You can create temporary codes for a set period of time if you have guests over.
I love it and couldn't recommend it enough.
When you combine these with automation apps like IFTTT you can do some pretty cool things.
I have my lights turn blue if the temp will be below 20C for the current day or red if it'll be over 27C (triggers at midnight so I see it when I get up in the morning).
We also have them change color when the washing is done which is a good indicator if you're not home or don't hear the chime.
There's so many things that you can link in like when your Dominos pizza is <5 min away, same for Uber or create your own custom automation - worth looking into because it really can make life easy.
sucks to be using ceramic knives :-/
Ceramic knives are great for some things. With the ones I have, I find while they stay sharp forever, they just are not so sharp out of the box.
What do you do if your neighbour is blasting a subwoofer in the middle of the night?
They may not be aware that you can hear them. Bass travels through walls a lot better than high sounds. Especially a problem in connected townhouses or units. Ask nicely and positively to keep it to before 11pm. Politely suggesting headphones during the night would be unlikely to be interpreted negatively. Assuming positive intent (i.e. assume they are simply unaware of the disturbance it causes you, rather than being malicious) will help to maintain a positive relationship with your neighbour. Some people are jerks — if it persists and they are non-negotiable, call the council.
Bidet
Toto?
the Toto suite in my previous house last more than 30 years.
How did you get it hooked up to 240v? I didn't know they made any 240v models
@spaceflight: Classic Australia. No prices on the company website, only 4 suppliers in my whole state, 3/4 have no website. The one with the website has no prices. Incredible.
@Ezekiel2320: There's a big variety but you can find prices online if you search really hard. It's annoying as hell to try, easier just to call up.
If you are serious about having one, think about why, as that will determine the model options you have.
Their simplest ones are just normal toilets, nothing special at all. Some have a rimless design, that's about it
Next up you have attached (side) washlet and remote washlets, on their simple toilets.
next up you have their japanese style toilets (for want of a better name). The "basic+" is one of these- it's flush is different, it's rimless, it's meant to be easier to clean and use various tech in the material, and also comes with a washlet.
I think there was a supply issue with the side washlets so you end up mostly being stung for a remote.
Oh, and you can find prices for some units on the harvey norman page. Start with the TOTO Australia catalogue though, it's the best way to figure out what tech is in what you are buying. Took me ages to settle on the Basic and remote.
Every time after number 1:
🎶I bless the rains down in Africa🎶
Flush music - I like it. But given it's a bidet it would be equally applicable after a #2?
They are very expensive
Dog
Only if you can look after it and walk it. Otherwise. Be prepared to annoy your neighbours because it will bark.
We have a new neighbour that his dog barks every week day. Probably a small breed as it has a high pitch. Luckily is not right next door to us.
Tool set
This. I made a good use out of my toolset, my drill etc, when I moved.
And get a set of hex drill bits so you can build ikea flat packs
Just did a quick peruse of my place and a few of the nice things I like are:
Stables
Hedge Maze
Tennis courts
Helicopter launch pad
Fountains
Croquet green
User name does not check out this time.
You forgot a train, which I could also afford.
Is it really a home if it's not surrounded by a moat though ?
Helicopter launch pad
Last time I checked you don't 'launch' helicopters
meant helipad I guess
Might be for his space helicopter.
Bronwyn Bishop approved helipad
with catapults you do
just buy a spaceship, launch, and yell at everybody: " I don't want to live on this planet ANYMORE"
Good call, I've been just been having guests park their helicopter on the croquet grounds for years. Just not sure whether to go rooftop or just buyout the neighbors for more space.
If you’re into baking, a stand mixer.
+1, nothing better in life than bread or cookies straight from the oven - though this should also go with buying a treadmill or exercise bike as I have put on a number of kilos since getting mine.
+2 - Great for pizza dough
More specifically either a Kenwood Titanium XL or Cooking Chef
Doner kebab machine.
A moat
Robot vacuum
Air fryer
Robot vaccuum! Love them, and they're not too expensive anymore.
Any recommendation?
i have a 2nd gen xiaomi thats i think 3 years old now.
Great unit
@Last Seen: S50 I think.
It's great.
The spring in one of the wheels broke and I got a screw in replacement (whole wheel assembly) for like $25.
Consumables are dirt cheap aswell.
@knk: That'll be the one. Agreed re consumables, you really can't go wrong with this thing. I've bought extra filters and brushes from AliExpress during sales.
I can vouch for Eufy Or DeeBot
Not any specific recommendations from me, I just love the whole concept.
I've got a Roomba and I'm happy with it but the other models are probably good too
+1 robot vacuum
We got a 360 s7 on one of the deals here. It’s great. My wife loves it and I’ve been tempted to get a 2nd one so we can have a mini army cleaning while we are out.
Wish we had got one earlier
+1 Robot Vac. Such an amazing investment. Best thing I purchased once moving into my own place. I don't even think of vacuuming.
Working from home makes me turn it off frequently saying "not today bud"
Mi Robot Vacuum (any model)
You can automate the whole process of scheduling the cleaning activity such as time based or if you are using any Mi Door lock which will send signal to the robot to start cleaning when you leave the house.
The product is build very well and everything is modular; any faulty part can be replaced easily.
Air purifier
Slide (if 2 story)
Security cameras
Storey.
Cool Storey
A good diffuser
Insurance
iMac Pro
A maid or butler
Pet peacocks 🦚
Philips Hue lighting.
PlayStation 5 + OLED TV.
Fruiting trees and plants.
Pet kitten adoption and/or fish tank.