What is life gonna be without all these brilliant technologies, given the hectic lifestyle in Singapore, there is no way a dual-income family (without kids) can come home after a long day at work with the strength to clean the house, cook your dinner nor ensure your house is still in one piece when you are back. Absolutely NO! At least not for me nor my husband.
- I don't like the idea of hiring a helper because too many news about them running away, getting pregnant, kill their boss or even ill-treating kids. I know some of them are being forced to the edge because of evil boss. I can understand.
- I don't like the idea of a part-time helper that comes once or twice a week to clean your house (sweep & mop floor + wipe windows), wash your clothes (using washing machine) or iron clothes. I can do this over the weekend. But seriously you may find it contradicting but you can't be vacuuming or sweeping the floor once a week? I used to initially but now no more.
- I just feel so lethargic after a day at work and all I want is to be on the sofa, lying down and have some 'me' time with my television or my phone. And husband of course. I don't wanna do anything after work. Seriously no joke. Lazy to tabao, find whatever comes in handy to eat (ya lor... mostly snacks lor but you eat snacks for dinner? Erm... sometimes I do. Hehe...)
When such situation arises, you will need to spend. Spend on things that can save you the trouble from washing the dishes after cooking. Save you the trouble having to sweep and mop the floor one after another. Save you the trouble from bringing someone to justice because of theft or break-in.
Many may not agree with me but heck care! The three products that I think I must have has become so common nowadays and even if I don't say, you people will know. Thanks to Internet and social media. At least, these three products give me the Convenience, Support and Safety. Aiya... don't agree with me, please go to the top right corner and click the cross to exit.
1. Convenience - Airfryer
Before we got our keys, I have came across this airfryer and thought it was quite good and can make me feel less guilt when I want to have some indulgence on fries or anything needed to fry. And then finally, I got my hands on this wonderful creation from Philips and have used it for 2 years and going. Mine is the older model as compared to the latest one but so long as it works wonder.
I written a post on my very own Kitchen Staple (read here) and also my very own guide on airfryer cooking (read here). And I don't need to say so much about airfryer because it has become so common to home owners that everyone use it to cook and bake or even warm up food. Depending on how you use. This is a flexible product that one should have. With less than SGD 100, you can get a decent one which maybe not from the brand I used.
MAINTENANCE: When it gets dirty, it can take a bit of work to clean it, especially the oil stains (yes and especially when I didn't use any oil). So what I usually do is soak in dish washing water over night. That will make it easier to scrub with a brush. But if you are hardworking than me, you will do it after every time you use.
2. Support - iRobot
It was my birthday present this year and have since been working on our home cleanliness for 2 months already. Why do we spend almost a thousand to buy this? Everybody is asking because it is too expensive to have and it does not do everything for you. The story goes. In the beginning when we moved in, we were so hardworking to wash toilets, vacuum and mop floors every Friday after work. Then as times goes by, it gets more and more tiring, plus lazy. But after having this iRobot to support in our household cleanliness, our house is dust and hair-free every single day because it was programmed to start 'work' at 12 noon everyday. It takes about 5 hours to charge fully and when we reach home at night, it can go another round of cleaning which takes about 1 hour 20 mins for a 4-rooms flat.
The downside of having this robot helper is that it can't reaches some narrow corners or where we put some stuff. So now we try to have most of the things away from the floor so that it can do its job well. It can even go below the fridge to vacuum. Also, it is a little noisy but not as noisy as that Karcher vacuum I initially used. That one cmi! New! After 3.5 months of use, one side of the sweeper cannot spin. Relying on the workable side till we send it for repair. I think I have overworked this baby. But that is what it is for.
The cheapest I have seen is about SGD 200 and the most expensive at least SGD1000+. 一分钱，一分货.
MAINTENANCE: For us, it is all about daily cleanliness plus easy to clean away (or dump) its dust or debris from the compartment. Do so every week so that the unwanted will not overflow from the compartment.
3. Safety - Door Peephole Camera
I think the first time I come across this device was in the Facebook group and was quite interested because not only you can see who is outside, it also allow us to see who came to our door step when we are away at work through playback of recording. So decided to get my very first.
I wrote a post previously because it was so new to me and thus excited to share with all my readers (read here). But after awhile since installation, the date and time 'jump'. Reset it back but it just keep going to some future date. So we give up on that. So long as it keeps recording. As time goes by, the battery life span goes shorter and finally after 2 years, it die on me because cannot be charged anymore. Time to change. So I got my 2nd camera at almost three hundred at Home Fix which has motion detector and video recording. Easy to install and use. Husband was looking at those that uses lithium batteries but according to the retail staff, it will be too much for the battery to contain. So now such cameras use AA batteries.
About SGD 100+ you can get a decent one. My 2nd one is of the middle range. Trial and error. That is the sacrifice you have to make when getting such device. I never read a lot reviews about this brand of peephole camera. Because sometimes it is quite conflicting reading many different reviews. Don't know which to trust.
Currently, I haven't venture further on the functions of this camera but I have to say it is quite stubborn because while it is recording (with a red light on), you are unable to switch on to view your past recording, let alone the current view of the outside. And when you only wish to playback a small section of the day, it plays back on the whole day before stopping. But so far so good. Fingers crossed. Hope it can last for another 2 years or more.
MAINTENANCE: Nothing much. Just remember to change your batteries and clear your files in the MicroSD card as and when. A free 4GB microSd card last me for a week of recording.
MAINTENANCE: Nothing much. Just remember to change your batteries and clear your files in the MicroSD card as and when. A free 4GB microSd card last me for a week of recording.
Conclusion
Anyway, you may think otherwise about the WORTH HAVING especially for item 2 and 3 because it is expensive and has its downside. But nothing is perfect. Just like human. They can do one thing but may not be able to do another. However, when you think about Convenience, Support and Safety for your home and your family, it is worth having, along with proper maintenance and eventually it is not about the value anymore because it depreciates to zero. It is about catering to your real needs. Enjoy!