Gen Y is by far the most technologically savvy generation to reach adulthood: we grew up playing Nintendo (and all its incarnations), had computers, taught ourselves to use the Internet, and have had a cell phone or two.

We are also part of the generation always looking out for the newest gadget and gizmo to make our lives easier or possibly more entertaining.  However, many of us students and young grads don’t recognize that there are certain devices we should own before spending our sparse resources on that next gadget.

I admit that their functionality is limited and they’re not exactly sleek or very pretty. They’re not portable, either. But they’ll save you lots of money in the end. You can find them in a kitchen.

Give up?

Coffeemaker

I seem to be one of only a few friends with a coffeemaker and I don’t understand why.  If you drink one cup of coffee a day and buy it from outside your home, the cost over time really adds up.

Let’s say you buy one $1.50 coffee Monday to Friday every week of the year.  Each week you spend $7.50 on coffee and in a year that amounts to $390!  And that is for one very cheap cup of coffee!  If you go to premium coffee shops or buy more than one cup each day that number  increases exponentially.

You can buy a coffeemaker for one person (less than six cups) for around $50 or a larger one for a little less than $100.  A large canister of coffee can be bought for around $5 if it is on sale, and that canister can make you around 100 cups of coffee.  All you need to get are some coffee filters (less than $3 a package) and a travel mug (like my amazing one with the caffeine symbol on it), and you’re good to go!

Slow Cooker

More popularly known as a Crock Pot, a slow cooker is used to cook dishes at a low temperature for long periods of time.

Some common things you can make are soups, stews and chili, but the possibilities are endless. They allow you to toss a bunch of items in before you leave for the day, and when you get home your dinner is ready!  It is also economical because if you eat meat, you can buy lower-quality cuts and still have something that tastes really good.

The best part about them (and arguably my favourite thing): they reduce the amount of dishes you have to wash! Slow cookers can cost as little as $20 to over $100 depending on size, brand and where you are shopping.

If you still have that thermos you had from when you were a kid, you can bring in whatever you made the night before for lunch and save money that way, too.  If you don’t still have your My Little Pony Thermos kicking around somewhere, water bottle company Sigg makes some really nice but expensive ones, or you could check out places like Walmart and Canadian Tire for cheaper options.