These are my absolute at-home must-haves for parents – the things that will make your life that little bit easier. We don’t gate keep here at Capsule, and we have found a service – Appliances Online, ofc – that will honestly make life easier!
Ad – Capsule x Appliances Online
Appliances never break at a convenient time, do they?
When my clothes dryer died, it was during one of those Auckland winter weeks when the rain was constant and the sun was MIA. Of course, just a couple of weeks earlier, I’d gotten rid of our old sheets on a whim (why?), with the intention of buying a new set. So that morning I’d just washed our one and only set of sheets when I discovered our dryer was now dead and I’d have to go find a laundromat to dry them – with a baby in tow. Even in a hurry, it still took four days to get a replacement sorted and with us.
Our dishwasher dying was nowhere as dramatic – it gave up the ghost on the afternoon of the last day of a long weekend. Our thoughts of ‘maybe we can live without one!’ lasted approximately four hours, before we jumped online and bought a new one (this one!), which was – no joke – delivered the next morning to our semi-rural address and the kind folks even took away the old broken one AND the cardboard boxes (this was perhaps the true selling point for my husband. Cardboard boxes are his pet hate – he is in a constant war against the cardboard that seems to breed in our garage). As a household who can’t even get Uber Eats delivered to our location, this was truly impressive… and an incredible introduction to just how Appliances Online can take the mental load of buying household… well, appliances, easy.
The whole thing was very fortuitous, because I’d only just heard about them three weeks earlier, when we decided to finally give ourselves the gift of a proper coffee machine. Because… coffee.
I love a good online scroll — planning holidays, hunting down winter coats, diving into true crime. Now I’m adding appliances to the mix (minus the headache of hopping between a million tabs because who the hell has the time/space/wil!). I’m an Appliances Online convert – yes, there’s the lightning fast (and free!) delivery, the taking away of your old appliance and the packaging – but they have a best price guarantee, so there’s no need to trawl through prices on the internet.
Now, I have two mum-related appliance buying regrets in life: one, that I didn’t buy a SodaStream while I was pregnant (sparkling water with a touch of lime juice was the only kind of liquid I could hold down. I must have spent a fortune on it at our local dairy!), and two. that I didn’t buy a proper coffee machine when we had a newborn (nooo explanation necessary, I know).
A couple of weeks ago, Kel picked out some dreamy must-haves that are on her wish list from Appliances Online – which all looked fab! But if, like me, you have little people in your home though and the thought of a white (WHITE!!) sofa in your home fills you with anxiety, I have a few must-haves for new (or not-so-new) parents! [Kelly’s note: Wooo! DINK life!].
Delonghi Magnifica Start Fully Automatic Coffee Machine, $718
THIS is the coffee machine I bought and honestly, as I said, my only regret is that we didn’t have it in our lives sooner. Our hesitancy around getting a coffee machine was really that we have quite a small kitchen space – or rather, a small amount of bench space compared to the number of ‘essential’ appliances we seem to have. This machine takes up a lot less space than I expected a decent coffee machine to.
It takes beans OR grounds and makes a delicious coffee – and it’s really easy to clean. My only warning would be that like any coffee grinding contraption, you’re not going to want to grind those noisy beans while your baby is asleep anywhere close by, unless you want an immediately awake baby.
Sunbeam Alinea Select 4 Slice Toaster $149
Before I had kids I had a dinky little toaster and never really understood why anyone would bother with anything larger? Who needs to toast FOUR slices of toast at once? Now I understand that there are not enough toaster spaces in the world to keep up with our morning routines. As a side note, I also love a four slicer because I’m gluten free. I have marked (drawn on in vivid!) which toaster spots are for gluten-free bread only. Saves on getting two different toasters!
Panasonic Handheld Garment Steamer, $152
Back when I used to have time in my life, I would drop my delicates and jackets off to the dry-cleaner. Now, I simply cannot imagine bothering – or having the time to deal with all that admin. This is where a steamer comes in! Steamers like this one remove wrinkles from your garments, as well as moving 99.99% of bacteria and mites. They’re super handy – this one is ready to go in 30 seconds, perfect for when you’re about to head out the door but suddenly realise you should have ironed your clothes! This Panasonic steamer weighs just 600 grams, so you could even take it on the go with you when needed. Steamers can be pretty life changing. I can still remember as a teenager when my friend’s dads bought a steamer – no one had one back then. He was so proud of it and completely obsessed with steaming everything in those first few weeks, so every time I visited the house, I would leave with freshly pressed and steamed clothes. So handy!
Vitamix Explorian E310 High-Performance Blender, $599
I love a Vitamix – they’re pricey, but they’re hard working and pretty indestructible. I tried out the Ascent few years back – right after it appeared in an infamous Succession scene (here’s my review!) – but if you’re looking for a more affordable version, this will easily do the job. Back when I had an infant, I thought I would use a blender all the time, whipping up little nutritious purees of things for him to eat. But HA, no, he was only ever a fan of my stewed apples and one very specific Simply Organic baby pouch, so most of my purees went into the trash. Still, it blends a great stewed apple, soup, sauce or smoothie – but it’s also our go-to for a good frozen margarita (an essential for all parents, no?).
Westinghouse Four Slice Flat Plate Sandwich Maker, $117
The humble sandwich press is so underrated. It’s a godsend postpartum, when you have five seconds to prepare something to eat and 10 seconds to actually eat it. A toasted sandwich always hits the spot just right – you can even prepare them to keep in your freezer, already filled. Then, dig one out in the morning, let it defrost and ready to bang it in the press at lunchtime if you really want to be truly prepared.
A sandwich press is always a gift on the weekend, when the kids are hungry and the cupboards are looking a bit bare, or you’re lacking inspiration. Easy peasy lunch ready to go!
Ok great, that’s the cool stuff, but how does Appliances Online actually work?
Appliances Online is a new player in New Zealand but are huge across the ditch and basically they are all about reducing time, stress and mental load when it comes to buying new stuff for the house.
You can buy all the usual top brands of fridges, washing machines, ovens, small appliances, coffee machines, BBQ’s, furniture and more.
The biggest difference, however, is what happens when you do purchase your new appliance. Appliances Online offer their legendary service which includes free next-day delivery which, itself, is fabulous. (Currently available Auckland, with free delivery also offered in Whangārei, Hamilton, Tauranga, Taupō and Rotorua.) But they also provide basic connections of appliances AND they take away your old products for free. They also recycle them and the packaging from your new appliance which is lovely, and there is 24/7 support available on the phone if you need some advice, place your order over the phone or if something’s not working the way it should.
