11 investment buys for the home that are worth every rupee
If you have a little extra to spend, who better to splurge on than yourself?
When you get excited over news from the bank that your FD has matured, you know you’re a true adult. My sister wanted to get a dehumidifier. Our mother egged us on to splurge on a vacuum cleaner. I had my eye on a new RO water purifier so we could finally bid farewell to the Aquaguard song. And now that tune is playing in your head. They’re all great investment buys for the house, but we just couldn’t decide.
Looking at the price tags on these things may make you want to lock away all your cards. Often, we see these products as luxury items — that we don’t really need. So why spend if I can jugaad my way to the same result? I realised that while I’m trying to save on big purchases, I’m constantly paying to get things repaired that are on the verge of breaking down. These bills add up too. Not to mention my compulsive shopping thanks to doom-scrolling through Instagram ads – that I later end up regretting.
I’ve rationalised that some of these big ticket purchases are the right kind of investment buys for the house. They save you time, effort and money in the long run. You may shudder at the price tag now, but you’ll look back at these investment buys for the house and want to pat yourself on the back for putting your money where your tired, aching back once was.
It doesn’t always have to be something you are in dire need of either. It can be a pick-me-up, a treat to yourself for making it through a tumultuous year. Doing something nice for yourself by choosing an elegant design that’s of great quality, will last a long time and let you indulge in something you love. Be it brewing your own picture-perfect cappuccino with foam art on top, keeping your beverage of choice as warm as you are in your blanket, or dropping coin on trying to buy your cat’s love.
Because when you have a little extra to spend, who better to splurge on than yourself?
11 investment buys for the house that are worth every rupee
Instant Pot A multitasking cooking appliance is great for kitchen noobs, those low on time and/or in a constant battle with the pressure cooker. It’s super convenient and does the job of a steamer, pressure cooker and rice cooker – you can keep food warm, sauté fresh veggies and slow cook with a timer without fear of ending up with charred logs where your potatoes once sat. This was particularly helpful when I entered a long-distance relationship with didi and was left to my own devices for meal preps. Roomba I will warn you that if you’re a pet parent, your furry child is either going to hate this robotic vacuum cleaner and make it their number one enemy or fall in love, follow it around the house and even try to ride it. What Batman is to Gotham, this little robot is to our super dusty and muggy cities. The saviour we didn’t know we needed. It has a connected phone app where you can schedule your daily home cleaning from anywhere. The device’s smart technology charts out your home’s landscape and its sensors can detect the super dusty spaces and work double time in those areas. Baby monitor A smart baby monitor that is connected to your phone helps you keep an eye on your little one while giving you (and them) the space that you both need. Whether you’re getting some chores and office work done while the baby sleeps or giving them independent playtime while you’re up and about the house, it’s ideal thanks to its motion and cry detector which sends you an alert. I would love to send one of these to my mother in Delhi so I can watch my dogs from a different state on my phone, but I’m pretty sure she’d question my sanity. Cat tree This is the best thing I could have ever bought for my cat. You can get super fancy ones with little cubbies and attached toys but this one does the job as well. It’s got attached scratching posts to save your furniture from your cat’s claws and a sleeping bunk right at the top. The different levels are great for when they get into their hyperdrive zoomies mood and want to do gymnastics. Scatter some catnip and toys and your cat will be entertained. My sister does keep threatening to throw it away in frustration because all our cat wants to do is lounge in this tree and never in her lap. Pro tip: place it near a window for some bird-watching. Ergonomic work chair This past year made us acutely aware that working from your bed with your computer in your lap is a terrible idea. When you’re working from home, creating a designated work area can improve your mood, allow some work time / personal time separation and keep you from turning into the hunchback of Notre Dame. Our investment buys for the house now include at least one ergonomic chair with support in all the right places. This one has adjustable armrests, a comfy mesh back and the lumbar support that the adult who hurrahs! at a great deal on a water purifier will appreciate. They may not be the most aesthetic additions to your space, but they will save you a lot of money in physiotherapy for neck and backaches later on. Home tool kit The only tool kit I’m interested in is the one for the home. You may be thinking, ‘when am I ever going to need this?’. But trust me when I say it’s going to save you some bucks in the future. The basic kit contains an impact drill, screw driver set, socket set, pliers, claw hammers, drills, wrench, utility knife and measuring tape Instead of calling a carpenter, electrician or plumber every time you need to put up a mirror or fix a loose stool leg, you can do the basic home improvement and fixtures yourself. This is coming from someone who spent close to three hours trying to put together a wood + glass IKEA bookshelf that arrived in the middle of the lockdown with the attachments on a Swiss Army knife. This is also particularly useful for times when a handyman arrives at your home without the tools needed to fix your device, and leaves you on read for the rest of the week. Heavy-duty vacuum cleaner When it’s just too much for even a Roomba, then you need to call in the big guns. Upgrade from the daily jhadoo with the one appliance that screams ADULT. Dyson vacuum cleaners are the best you can find on the market and are serious investment buys for the house. The ‘intelligent vacuum’ has three cleaning modes for a variety of tasks (more than your arm, for sure), comes with different attachments so you can change the head according to what you’re cleaning up and is designed to absorb vibrations and dampen the noise. If you’re mentally a 12-year-old like me, fight the urge to pretend it’s a lightsaber and swing it around. Quality cookware Le Creuset pots and pans will outlive anything else on this list, and most appliances/products in your home. If you’re a budding chef, then these are an investment worth making. Decor enthusiasts love them because they really do look like works of art. They’re world-famous for being some of the finest quality cookware, especially their stoneware. Stone is the right word though because it is kind of heavy. So if you want to use your cast iron pans as jugaadu dumbbells, I won’t tell anyone. Cooking with these really needs to be experienced to fully understand the price tag. And for the klutzes in the home, these are the perfect durable pans. Round casserole (24 cm) for ₹17,200, frying pan for ₹11,900 and round skillet for ₹11,050.
Electronic pet feeder I know I said the same about the cat tree, but an automated pet feeder will change your life. I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times I’ve rushed back home because I’d forgotten to leave food for my furry flatmate. I’m not talking about my sister. And I know I’m not a bad pet parent because I’m not the only one. With this, you can set the time for food to be released into the bowl for your pet — plus, the food tank and tray are detachable, for cleaning. You’ve just got to refill the top every week or so. It can be plugged to ordinary wall outlets and works on batteries. Especially useful for when it’s time for us to re-enter society and our offices. You won’t have to worry about rushing home to feed your pet. Though I will always use that excuse to leave any social situation. ₹9,281 (including delivery, which may vary) Cup warmer At any given time you will find at least two cups around my room that I’ve forgotten existed. The coffee goes cold, I reheat it in the microwave, get back to work and forget about the cup again. It’s a lot to spend on something so seemingly small and pointless. But once you start using this portable, stainless steel and silicone coated warmer, you’ll never want to go back to microwaved coffee again. You can plug it into your laptop and it’ll keep your choice of beverage warm. I would suggest keeping it away from the screen if you have a pet or child who likes to knock things over for attention. Automatic Coffee Maker Speaking of our favourite beverages, I’ve always wanted a hi-fi coffee maker. But years ago when I actually looked at the price tag on one at an appliance store and saw a six-figure cost, I settled for my humble instant coffee mix. In the years since, new additions have entered the market that are comparatively more affordable. This espresso maker in particular doesn’t take up a whole lot of space. It even has an in-built cappuccino system. It’ll mix air, milk and steam and give you the most frothy cappuccino you could ever make at home. There’s a removable drip tray and water tank for easy maintenance and cleaning, in-built cup warmer and it turns off automatically if you’re not using it so will save on that electric bill as well.
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