10 Household Tools That Will Pay For Themselves Within a Year

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Have you ever considered just how beneficial it is to invest in certain items that will pay for themselves over and over again? I do; and I have to explain it to my husband repeatedly. It began with an expensive pair of black Jimmy Choo heels that are just lovely. He thought it was ridiculous to spend so much money on something that goes on your feet, but after replacing my inexpensive black heels five or six times a year thanks to the fact that they were cheaply made, the toe fabric began coming off immediately and the heel fabric magically began to peel within a few wears, I was desperate to find a pair of shoes I didn’t have to worry about after a minute and a half. My grandmother always told me growing up that sometimes you have to spend money to save money, and I decided that was a good time to try.

I found the pair I wanted, and they were on sale from $750 to $300. I decided it seemed like a good deal, and I bought them. It’s been over 10 years now, and I still wear those gorgeous heels on a regular basis when we go to church, to meetings with my kids’ teachers and even on date night. I love them, and I receive so many compliments on how gorgeous they are. They look just as good now as they did when I bought them, save for the one time I had to have the heel repaired after getting it stuck in a doorway piece and ripping it. But after the repair – they’re perfect. If you do the math, that $300 pair of shoes ended up costing me $30 a year. I was buying $50 – $75 pair of black shoes a few times a year before I invested in my Choos, and that’s how I learned how to spend money upfront to save money in the long run.

The same goes for so many items, not just my clothes and shoes. It goes for household tools, too. My husband is quick to point out that spending a lot of money on household items such as his grill and our patio furniture is a good idea, because we are not replacing them regularly. The first patio set we bought was a cheap metal set with four chairs and a glass table for $99 over a decade ago. We had to replace it the following summer because it was disgusting. We decided after a few summers of this that we’d spend a lot more on a much nicer table and chairs. It hurt, but it’s been 6 years now and we love that set. We’ve replaced the cushions on the seats once, and the table is absolutely beautiful. Well worth the money spent. So what else can you purchase to use at home that will pay for itself within a year? Let me help you spend your money.

Water heater blanket

This is one of the most amazing ways to save money. I’m telling you now that you will save so much by keeping one of these wrapped around your heater, because it will keep your water warmer and allow you to save significantly throughout the year on the cost of your water heating bill. It can become quite expensive, and we can help you lower the cost with one of these.

LED lights

When my husband and I bought our house and every light in here was an LED, we thought, “Oh boy.” There were a few missing so we had to replace them. They’re expensive. But let me tell you how much our utilities have decreased and how long these things last. Usually we would have replaced our bulbs twice by now, and we haven’t had to replace them at all, and we won’t for another decade.

Rechargeable batteries

I never cared much for these, but the cost of batteries is truly astronomical. They’re expensive, and it’s borderline ridiculous. It might seem like a lot to pay for batteries and a charger up front, but it’s worth it when you don’t have to keep spend so much on new ones regularly.

High quality pots and pans

It might seem like a great deal to buy cheap ones, but it’s not. They’re going to fall apart, stain and break in no time. Buy the good ones and you’ll have them forever, which is a great way to save money over the life of your kitchen.

Your coffee pot

I say it all the time; invest in a good coffee pot. We have a Keurig that we bought about four years ago, and we love it. It seemed like so much money to spend on a coffee pot back then, but we haven’t had to buy a new one since. Before that, we were spending $100 a year replacing our cheap pots when they stopped working.

Double oven

This is something that I find pays for itself time and time again. Okay, so I didn’t exactly buy mine. It came with my house, but it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. As much as we bake and cook and host gatherings, it has been a dream come true. Nothing was better than on Thanksgiving and Christmas last year than being able to bake the turkey, the ham, the pies and everything else at the same time. In years past, we’d have to time things around other things and wait forever to have pie since we didn’t have room for it. Those ovens paid for themselves in one day last year.

High quality utensils

We have kids, and they are rough. Also, I use my forks and things to open other items and I abuse them endlessly. That’s why I love my more expensive utensils. Instead of losing a fork a week to a crab leg, I now have good ones that are very strong and not so susceptible to damage.

Ceiling fans

These are expensive, but they are well worth it. You can buy these all at once, install them and watch as your electric bill decreases because you are able to turn up your air and still have comfortable cooling abilities in your home.

Tire pressure gauge

This is amazing, because you can do some serious damage to your tires if you do not check the pressure. It’s a little pricey, but you should use it every two weeks. Even if your tire pressure is only just a bit low, it’s going to tell you so you can fill it up. Even a slight discrepancy can cost you in gas and in other maintenance costs.

Yeti cooler

It’s not technically a tool, but it’s the best thing we’ve ever purchased. Okay, it’s expensive. But you have no idea how much we have saved on ice; it’s ridiculous, really. We’ve saved so much on ice in the past year. During the summer when we are on the boat all the time, we usually buy 10-15 bags of ice a week. It melts so quickly. Now we buy one or two, because even when the cooler is in the boat in the hot sun all day long, the ice does not melt. It takes a good week for the ice to melt in the Yeti.

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images

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