another tip: If it's on sale and you can afford it, buy it.
(that's my personal favorite)
My sister uses a role of toilet paper as a pin cushion. She doesn't use many pins and keeps them to the center of the roll. Then if she needs to wipe up a small spill, blow her nose, dab at some blood, it's right there to use.
When hand sewing I use a thimble on my middle finger and tips of rubber gloves (the dishwashing kind) on my thumb and forefinger for keeping a grip on my needle and pulling it through.
I also keep a pair of tweezers and some 1" squares of polar fleece with each machine for cleaning. The lint will cling to polar fleece and it makes cleaning my machines a breeze.