‹ Matt Manser

Picks worth having

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Moving to Adelaide? 7 things worth having on moving day

• Lifting straps · $80-$90
  Shoulder Dolly moving straps (2-person)
  Two people lift a fridge or wardrobe with their legs, not their backs.
• Furniture sliders · Under $20
  Super Sliders oval sliders for carpet (4-pack)
  Slide the couch or wardrobe across carpet instead of dragging it.
• A tape gun · Under $20
  Amazon Basics packing tape dispenser gun
  Seals a box in one pull, one-handed. Worth it once you're past a few boxes.
• Chisel-tip markers · Under $10
  Artline 90 chisel-tip permanent markers (2-pack)
  Write the room and what's inside on two sides of every box.
• Vacuum bags for winter gear · Under $20
  Amazon Basics vacuum storage bags, medium (5-pack, hand pump)
  July here averages a top of about 15°C, so the doonas come too. Squash them flat.
• A power bank · $40-$50
  INIU 20000mAh power bank
  For the first-night box. Your phone is your map, your bank and your keys on day one.
• A rechargeable fan · $30-$40
  JISULIFE handheld turbo fan, rechargeable
  Adelaide has hit 46.6°C. A summer moving day is hot work.

First home in Adelaide? 7 things I'd buy first

• A kitchen fire blanket · Under $20
  DAWNTREES 1 x 1 m fire blanket
  Hang it near the stove. It's for a pan fire, where water makes it worse.
• A small extinguisher · $30-$40
  1 kg ABE dry powder extinguisher with bracket
  Mount it near an exit with the bracket it comes with.
• A cordless drill · $120-$140
  Bosch Home & Garden 18V drill driver (2.0Ah battery, charger, case)
  Curtain rods, TV mounts, flat-pack. It earns its keep in week one.
• A stud and cable finder · $40-$50
  HANMATEK SF1 wall scanner
  Check for studs and live wires before you drill into a wall.
• A proper tool kit · $40-$50
  Amazon Basics household tool kit, 142 piece
  Hammer, screwdrivers, pliers and sockets in one case.
• A 3-step ladder · $50-$60
  SONGMICS 3-step folding ladder, 150 kg
  Light globes, smoke alarm tests and the top cupboards.
• Energy-monitoring plugs · About $20 each
  Tapo P110 mini smart plug
  See what the old fridge in the garage really costs to run.

Moving to Adelaide in summer? 5 picks for the heat

• Car seat towel covers · $20-$30
  Waterproof towel car seat cover
  Adelaide car seats in January burn. Throw this over first.
• A windscreen sunshade · $20-$30
  EzyShade windscreen sun shade
  The car sits in the sun all day while you unload.
• A hard cooler · $50-$60
  Coleman Daintree cooler
  Fridge food stays cold between the old place and the new one.
• A soft cooler bag · $40-$50
  Lifewit collapsible cooler bag, 50 can
  Folds flat once the fridge is running.
• Cooling towels · Under $20
  Cooling towel 4-pack
  Wet it, wring it, round the neck while the truck's unloaded.

First home in Adelaide? 5 picks under $30

• A good tape measure · Under $20
  Stanley Tylon 8 m tape
  Measure the room before you buy the couch.
• A first aid kit · $20-$30
  Lewis-Plast Premium first aid kit
  One spot for the plasters, not three drawers.
• Door draught stoppers · Under $20
  GroTheory under-door draught stopper (2-pack)
  Blocks the gap under a door, winter or summer.
• A rechargeable torch · $20-$30
  Blukar rechargeable LED torch
  For the meter box and the first blackout.
• Motion-sensor lights · $20-$30
  Gritin rechargeable motion lights (2-pack)
  Lights a dark pantry or hallway. No electrician.

Renting first in Adelaide? 5 picks, no holes in the walls

• Damage-free hooks · $30-$40
  Command variety pack (hooks + strips)
  Hang pictures and towels. Made to peel off clean when you move out.
• A tension rod · $20-$30
  Amazon Basics tension curtain rod
  A curtain or a shelf in the gap, no drilling.
• A door stop · Under $10
  Umbra Buddy door stop
  Stops a gully wind slamming every door.
• Plug-in night lights · $20-$30
  Dusk-to-dawn LED night lights (2-pack)
  For finding the loo in a house you don't know yet.
• A clothes airer · $70-$80
  Sakugi 2-tier folding drying rack
  Not every rental has a clothesline.

First Adelaide home with a garden? 5 picks to keep it alive

• A tap timer · $40-$50
  Insoma programmable hose tap timer
  Waters at 6am while you sleep. Set it and forget it.
• Proper secateurs · $20-$30
  Fiskars bypass pruning shears
  Clean cuts on roses and natives. Cheap ones crush stems.
• A garden kneeler · $30-$40
  HORUSDY foldable kneeler and seat
  Knees on the pad for weeding, flip it over to sit.
• Solar path lights · $20-$30
  Toodour solar ground lights (8-pack)
  Lights the path at night. No wiring.
• A retractable hose reel · $90-$100
  Gardenmaster 20 m retractable hose reel
  The hose winds itself back. No tangle on the lawn.

Adelaide heatwave coming? 5 buys for a hot house

• A pedestal fan · $20-$30
  Goldair 40 cm pedestal fan
  Cheap to run all night. Point it at the bed.
• Thermal blockout curtains · $40-$50
  Smarcute thermal blockout curtains
  Close the west windows by lunch and the room stays cooler.
• An evaporative cooler · $80-$90
  Portable evaporative cooler with ice packs
  Works best in dry heat, and Adelaide's heat is dry.
• A shade sail · $60-$70
  Instahut 3 x 5 m shade sail
  Shade the west wall or the patio, not just you.
• A 1 L insulated bottle · $20-$30
  Berusd 1 L insulated bottle
  Keeps water cold through a hot afternoon.

First Christmas in your new Adelaide home? 5 backyard picks

• Solar festoon lights · $50-$60
  Quntis 15 m solar festoon lights
  Over the deck, no extension lead across the lawn.
• Solar fairy lights · $10-$20
  Toodour 20 m solar fairy lights
  For the tree out the front, or along the fence.
• A mosquito repeller · $40-$50
  Thermacell MR300 portable repeller
  Summer evenings outside without the spray.
• A small speaker · $30-$40
  soundcore Select 4 Go speaker
  Carols by the BBQ. Waterproof, so the pool's fine.
• Big ice buckets · $40-$50
  Lifewit 7 L ice buckets (2-pack)
  Drinks on ice on the table, not in the laundry tub.

Know someone new to Adelaide? 5 gifts they'll use

• A walking guide · $25-$30
  Best Walks of Adelaide & the Fleurieu Peninsula
  Over 40 walks, from the city out to the Fleurieu.
• A camping guide · $25-$30
  Camping Guide to South Australia
  Over 400 SA campsites for their first long weekend.
• A beach picnic rug · $20-$30
  SAMSIER waterproof picnic blanket
  Glenelg, Henley, Semaphore. Waterproof and sand-proof helps.
• Stemless wine glasses · $20-$30
  Krosno Harmony 600 ml glasses (6)
  For the Barossa and McLaren Vale bottles they'll bring home.
• A beach sun shelter · $80-$90
  Sport-Brella UPF 50+ umbrella shelter
  SA summer sun is no joke. Shade for a whole beach day.

Adelaide first-home buyer to shop for? 5 gift picks

• A video doorbell · $70-$80
  Tapo D205 2K battery video doorbell
  See who's at the door from work. Battery, so no wiring.
• A cheese board set · $60-$70
  Bamboo cheese board gift set
  For the first time they host.
• A cast iron pot · $40-$50
  Overmont 4.5 qt enamelled dutch oven
  Slow-cooked anything, in a pot that lasts years.
• A label maker · $50-$60
  Brother P-touch D210
  Every box, switch and fuse labelled.
• A knitted throw · $30-$40
  CREVENT knitted throw blanket
  The couch is new. This makes it feel like theirs.

Adelaide office Secret Santa? 5 picks under $30

• A card game · Under $30
  Exploding Kittens
  Comes out after Christmas lunch. Every time.
• A KeepCup · Under $20
  KeepCup Original reusable cup
  For the one who buys a coffee every morning.
• A fast charger · Under $30
  Anker 33 W 2-port USB-C charger
  The office never has enough chargers.
• A phone stand · Under $20
  Lamicall adjustable phone stand
  For video calls at the desk.
• Chocolates · $20-$25
  Lindt LINDOR assorted gift box
  When you've no idea. Nobody hands it back.

Adelaide, hold off on these 5 buys until Boxing Day

• A robot vacuum · About $300
  roborock Q7B robot vacuum
  Floors done while you're at work.
• A dual-drawer air fryer · About $200
  Ninja Foodi Dual Zone 7.6 L
  Two things cooking at once, and the oven stays off in summer.
• An indoor camera · $40-$50
  Tapo C210 2K pan/tilt camera
  Check on the dog, or the house, from your phone.
• Smart bulbs · $30-$40
  Tapo L530B B22 colour bulbs (2-pack)
  B22 fits most Aussie light fittings. Lights on a timer.
• A cordless stick vacuum · $150-$160
  60 kPa cordless stick vacuum
  Quick tidy-ups without dragging the big one out.

Moving to Adelaide in the new year? 5 packing picks

• Strong moving boxes · $50-$60
  10 medium 73 L moving boxes with handles
  Supermarket boxes collapse. These have handles.
• Packing paper · $20-$30
  100 sheets of packing paper
  Wrap the plates. Newspaper ink rubs off.
• A mattress bag · $20-$30
  Dreamz queen mattress bag
  Keeps the mattress clean in the truck.
• Moving blankets · $60-$70
  VEVOR moving blankets (12-pack)
  Wrap the TV and the timber table. Saves the scratches.
• Zip-lock bags · Under $10
  Ziploc sandwich bags (80)
  Screws in a bag, taped to the bed frame.

Moving to Adelaide with kids? 5 back-to-school picks

• A school backpack · $30-$40
  VX VONXURY 15-inch kids backpack
  Fits a folder and a lunchbox.
• A bento lunchbox · $10-$20
  Smash stainless steel bento (5 sections)
  Five sections. No more squashed sandwich.
• An insulated drink bottle · $20-$30
  b.Box insulated 500 ml bottle
  Term 1 starts in the heat. Keeps water cold till lunch.
• Name labels · Under $20
  Avery no-iron fabric labels (54)
  So the jumper comes home.
• A proper sun hat · $30-$40
  JAN & JUL Xplorer kids sun hat
  Lots of SA schools are 'no hat, no play' in the hot terms.