Jennifer Sheahan: The best home buys I made for under €100
Jennifer Sheahan loves her fairy lights, left, and Joseph Joseph bowls, top right, and Xbox controller, below right.
I often get asked what my favourite thing in my house is. Obviously, it’s the disco ball in my downstairs loo, which I got on Amazon for way less than €100.
If I’m being honest, I could also throw my disco ball ice bucket and my disco ball plant pot into that mix.
I really just love disco balls. That’s only one (category) of many favourite things, though, and while some of them are expensive (my tiles, my couch, my Le Feu fire), most of the items that have a big impact on my daily life cost very little.
These are the ones I recommend all the time for less than €100.
These were a gift from my aunt, and I use them daily.
I also buy them all the time as a housewarming gift. It’s a set of nine bowls comprising measuring cups, spoons, bowls, a sieve, a colander, and a mixing bowl.
They all nest perfectly into each other and thus take up minimal storage space.
The design is beautiful, and the functionality satisfies me on a daily basis. Costs around €70.
I have a vertical green wall in my back garden (thanks to Jonny Gannon & Associates, landscaper extraordinaire), and I have interwoven a string of solar-powered fairy lights through it, which bring a smile to my face every single time dusk settles and they twinkle on.
Choose warm-coloured ones that come with a solar panel, and affix it pointing west or south. Measure the length you need before buying.
They typically come with a light sensor so they turn on automatically when it gets dark. Mine are made by Lumify and cost around €45.
I have lots of coffee pots. I prefer filter or moka pot espresso to machine-made coffee (I know, I’m a heathen).
I use my Bialetti moka pot for my morning espresso and have done so since time began. I have a Bodum French press which has been with me for years.
But for pure aesthetics, my favourite is my Chemex pour-over pot. I adore the design of this thing. I always leave it out on the countertop.
It evokes nostalgia in me — Monica had one in Friends, and to me it’s emblematic of that sense of gathering around a generous breakfast table where everyone helps themselves. I have the six-cup, and it cost around €44, plus the filters.
I don’t remember caring much about dirty windows until I got my Karcher window-vac. I can’t describe in words how therapeutic it is to use this bad boy. You spray your windows, wash with a sponge, then unleash the vac.
It suctions the water and suds off as you squeegee down the window, leaving nothing but crystal-clear glass. Not a streak in sight. I use it on my shower doors too. I have the WV1 Window Vac, which was €69.99 when I bought it a couple of years ago but is a bit less now.
Where would we be without Command hooks? They are the “damage-free hanging” hooks you see for sale in every hardware shop, and they hold to that promise — as long as you follow the instructions. I use them to hang my sweeping brush and mop, as clothes hooks on the backs of my wardrobe doors, to hang up all my Christmas decorations, to hold my string of fairy lights in place, and the strips to hang up pictures and the clock on my living room wall. They have everything from tiny clear hooks through to larger clothes hooks, metal hooks, shower caddies, grab hooks, spray-bottle hangers, key holders, picture hanging strips, and more.
They’re perfect this time of year for hanging a wreath on your front door. Costs range from €3.99 to upwards of €35 depending on the product and the amount.
Any hardware shop will have battery-powered motion sensor lights, and these are brilliant for sticking into presses and wardrobes and other dark little spaces. I have mine under my kitchen sink, in my under-eaves wardrobes, in my attic space, and in my bathroom for nighttime trips. Ikea has great ones called Gömpyssling, which are €3 for a pack of two.
Apparently the end of days is nigh, so I dutifully read the emergency booklet that recently came through our doors and took action. On my aunt’s recommendation, I bought the Gemmac emergency radio with torch and an SOS alarm that charges by USB, a built-in solar panel, or via a hand-crank for €26.99 on Amazon. It also functions as a power bank. Hopefully it won’t be needed, but it will be useful for camping regardless.
Hear me out on this one. I was bored of Netflix — I end up just scrolling on my phone and half-watching whatever is on. I wanted something I could do to relax after a long day that was a little stimulating but not too involved. I looked at game consoles, but they’re pricey, and I’m not that into games, and I didn’t want another device clogging up my living room. Then I found an alternative.
If you have a smart TV or projector, you can screen-cast your phone or tablet to it. If you add a wireless smart controller, suddenly you have a fairly decent gaming setup for a very low cost and no console to hide away.
Lots of wireless controllers will work — I got an Xbox One controller for €64.99 that works perfectly with my iPhone and iPad. (I haven’t tried with Android, but apparently it does work too.)
I joined Apple Arcade for €6.99 a month, and it has been so fun. Sonic Dream Team is my current favourite game, as a Sega Mega Drive II alum.
I found a slight lag with casting, so I now plug my iPad into my projector with an HDMI cable. I highly recommend trying this setup if you want to dip your toe into some fun games without a big commitment.
Can we get a little soppy here for a minute? Technically, my dog Perry was free (aside from his room and board), but he’s definitely the best thing in this house! Worth the donation to Wicklow Animal Welfare, who continue to do amazing work for our beloved pets.
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