According to a recent survey run by shopping comparison site PriceRunner.co.uk, we Brits are wasting up to £920 million on faddy ‘must-have’ items.
Fizzy pop and ice cream
PriceRunner has worked out the cost per unit (CPU) of the most wasteful kitchen items, revealing that it costs a whopping £48.39 per fizzy frink when using a Soda Stream, for example. Pop down your local supermarket, and you’ll get a six-pack of fizz for less than £3.
Hold steady if you’re thinking of buying an ice cream maker this summer, too. The CPU shows that a litre of ice cream can cost up to £26.92 when making it in a machine – that’s over £20 more than a standard shop-brought tub.
Bearing in mind that nearly 40% of Soda Stream owners use it only once a year, and the same percentage of ice cream makers only come out of the cupboard every 3-6months (according to PriceRunner), it seems bizarre to waste pennies on such frivolities.
Gadgets to get instead
But all is not lost, gadget geeks. The survey, which was run by YouGov, also indicated that the espresso maker is one of the most useful and cost effective machines. 51% of people who have one use it at least a few times a week, and at 65p per espresso (Starbuck’s will charge you more than that) it’s a pretty low CPU, too.
Surprisingly, spaghetti measurers are also well worth investing in. Cheaper than a bowl of pasta in a restaurant, the CPU is 24p per use and it will help us avoid saucepans full of sticky leftover pasta.
Top 3 foodie 'fad' items
|
# |
Item |
Most typical amount used |
% of nation with this in their household that uses it this often |
Annual CPU |
Average cost of product |
|
1 |
Fondue set |
Less than once a year/never |
56% |
£41.65 |
£41.65 |
|
2 |
Soda Stream |
Less than once a year/never |
37% |
£48.39 |
£48.39 |
|
3 |
Melon baller |
Less than once |
35% |
£5.95 |
£5.95 |
Which faddy kitchen gadget do you use the least? Or are you one of the few who uses their Soda Stream or ice cream maker every week? Talk to us in the Comments box below…
