It’s one of the crazy things about the UK but every time a new concept/theory of living/lifestyle choice comes along there are a slew of articles all designed to make you get the wanties and to flash the card. It’s like we ARE a nation of shopkeepers and shoppers, obsessed with buying what we think we need over the counter.
I could list articles and bloggers who have oohed and aahed over hygge and the books out at the moment and in the next breath listed “9 things you need to make your home full of hygge” or “The Essential hygge shopping list” And the items they list are, generically speaking, what you need; a warm cover, candles and candle light, hot drinks and slippers spring to mind.
But they’re top end stuff. In this article, 10 of the Best Hygge Home Ideas, in the Evening Standard, to buy the 10 items they list would cost you over £550 at the prices listed. What? Over £500 to hygge your house? Is it necessary? Who can afford it?
I can’t answer who can afford it, but I can answer the first question; is it necessary?
No. Just no.
Hygge is not a lifestyle concept that relies on spending money. It’s not a luxury, high end thing. It doesn’t need anything buying for it, or any money spending at all, except on comestibles like candles and cocoa. Let’s look at the “10 Best Hygge Home Ideas” one by one and see… what do you actually need for a hygge home.
- A Candle. Or more than one. The Evening Standard recommended the Scandinavisk Hygge Deep Glow Candle, at £15 a pop. Given that Meik Wiking recommends at least 5 candles to hygge properly, that’s £75 of your money going up in smoke for 70 hours of burn time. Ikea Glimma tealights have an average burn time each of 4 hours… mostly long enough to see you through an evening of hygge assuming you start at 7 and sleep at 11. They retail at £1.75 for a pack of 100. To achieve 70 hours burn time you need 17.5 tealights per Scandinavisk candle…. multiplied by 5 is 87.5 tealights. That’s the equivalent flame power of the Scandinavisk for a saving of £73.25. And if the lack of the word Hygge bothers you…. then an idea like this from Pinterest is easily adaptable.
Total Saved so far; £73.25
2. Slippers. Fluffy slippers to wear around the house. ES chose sparkly Whi
te Company slipper boots at a cost of £40. Ok, so I love a decent pair of slipper boots, but I like washable, because my feet will make them smell after a while and it’s good to clean them now and again. My favourite pair, which have made appearances in blogposts of mine over the years, came from Debenhams and cost approximately £20. They’ve been washed to softness. Shop around, though. Currently there’s a pair on Debenhams’ website for £4.95 on sale, or a pair at Matalan in scandi-favourite colours for £10 full price, a saving of £30.
Total saving so far; £103.25
3. A Luxurious Faux Fur Throw. To wrap yourself up in when the chill descends. I say… don’t bother. Faux fur, however much you spend on it, sheds hair like a Golden Retriever in Springtime. And if you love your black clothes (which, if you’re living like a Dane, you do) then a lifetime supply of lint rollers will be needed as well. ES recom
mendation; Linea Faux Fur from House of Fraser.. I have had to list a comparable one as the one they listed wasn’t available… £91. To me, this is a no-brainer. Grab a granny and get hooking. A crochet blanket works to keep you warm twice; the energy you use in making it and the warmth you get from snuggling in it. There are a thousand blankets to look at out there, but I love Attic 24’s Neat Ripple Pattern, mostly because all you need to do to change the look of the blanket is change the shade family.Cost of 17 balls of w
ool at £1.75 each from Wool Warehouse is £27, a saving of £64.
Total saved so far; £167.25
4. Holographic Fairy Lights £20 from Habitat. That’s a pound per light. 100 clear fairylights on 8m of cable from Amazon retail at £10.98, giving you five times the twinkle for half the price. Or get your Christmas box out and put up your Christmas tree lights early for no extra money. A saving of £20.
Total saved so far; £187.25
5. Brora Mohair Icelandic Jumper. This one, from Brora retails at £125. This Soft Touch Mens V Neck jumper won’t shrink in the wash and, at £8 a go, you can buy a new one when it loses its softness… as it will, eventually. Assuming you invest in 2 to see you through a winter vs one from Brora, that’s a savings of £109.
Total saved so far; £296.25
6. Bed Socks. 
“Your feet will thank you for these after a hard day at work.” Choose the Elle socks at £8.99 a go; assume you need three pairs to keep those tootsies hygge-fresh smelling and that’s a cool £26.97 to keep the toes warm. Amazon do a pack of three bed socks in pastel colours for £2.95 including free delivery. A saving of £24.02
Total saved so far; £320.27
7. Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Diffuser from John Lewis at £62. That’s £62 for some smelly water and a pile of reeds that only smells good for a few days. I’m not a great one for air fresheners etc, but I do like my house to smell lovely. Why not mix your own? Pinterest has great ideas (again!) and I make one from a recipe at Brocante Home, which I talked about in the post called Season of Mists and Mellow Hyggeness. So far the resources to make it, including very cheap vodka, have cost me £20 max. A saving of £42, but an investment because I have enough ingredients to make it indefinitely.
Total saved so far; £362.27
8. Luxury Faux Fur Bean Bag adult sized. They bought theirs from Bean Bag Bazaar at a cost of £99.99. Seriously? You need a bean bag to hygge? What if your friends come round? Do you all get a bean bag? And have you ever had a cup of tea or cocoa in a bean bag? You spill it, trust me, it will be all over you and the Brora jumper will need dry cleaning. The suggestion that this is a necessary piece of kit for a decent hygge… well. It just isn’t. The only time you need to buy a seating device to hygge is if you haven’t actually got a comfy chair. Then you buy one to live in, not just to hygge. I won’t even recommend an alternative. You just don’t need one. Saving yourself £99.99. But follow this link first before you move on; https://youtu.be/PE5iaY_X55U I guarantee you’ll like it.
Total saved so far; 462.26
9. A cup to drink your tea from. You can choose between Emma Bridgewater’s Teacup and Saucer at £20.95 or a mug. Cost of the mug depends on whether you have a current favourite that you’re happy with, or you need to go to Asda, where I have seen good mugs for £1. Or if you must have a hygge mug, why not try a Starbucks Etched rainbow Sirens one for £7.50? But I’m betting you have a favourite mug, so I’m counting that as £20.95 saved.
Total saved so far; £483.21
10. Letters of Note (a book to read) at £20 from Amazon. Because you need something good to read while you hygge, don’t you? Actually, if this book is the sort that floats your boat, I say go for it. Money on books is never wasted. But if you prefer Jackie Collins (God Bless Her) or Tom Clancy or any other late, great writer, then go for that. Heck, you probably have a book right now that you want to read but never have time to. Go and get it off the pile, sit down with your mug of tea and your slippers and read. Saving you £20.
Total savings; £503.21
That’s a sizeable chunk of anyone’s hard earned cash. Hygge isn’t a shopping exercise, it’s a way of life, a brain-way or a heart’s path that means you look at what you have and give thanks. You curate what you let into your life, not spend because the papers say to. You wait and choose carefully, you create things. Meik Wiking (I need to meet this man for coffee) says that his favourite things are chosen carefully and include a coffee table made from a tree trunk by him and his Grandad. That’s hygge. An object that gives you more than just useful, it gives you a history as well. Happy thoughts in a table. Hygge.
Have a good weekend; I’m busy again, so no posts until Monday probably! I might repost some on Twitter or Facebook if I get the chance. Don’t forget to follow me;
Twitter;@HyggeJem
Facebook; @howtohyggethebritishway
Instagram; britishhyggejem
How to Hygge the British Way 
Absolutely true. I’m trying to resist the pressures to purchase that are all around us. Such a good feeling not to splash out but to find a way to reuse or recycle keeping in mind the simple pleasures that are so hygge. Lots of us have versions of most of these ‘must-haves’….we don’t need to buy stuff just find similar in our own homes. Exceptions as you so rightly say are the consumables……basic candles bought in the biggest box you can find and Earl Grey tea!
LikeLike