A small $10 rechargeable flash light I added to my every day carry. I use it all the time. Way brighter than a phone light.
A garlic press. I avoided them for years because of a mixture of guidance saying it’s just as easy to chop it or it tastes worse from a press. I don’t have the tastebuds to notice it being any worse and it’s certainly a lot easier than chopping since you don’t even have to peel it.
Oh man, a great hack is to microwave your garlic for about 5 seconds and the peel comes right off.
Never tried that, but I use the press and roll method. Simply press the garlic clove into a cutting board and roll it around a bit while pressing down on it. The peels mostly come off straightaway. I combination with my cheap garlic press, it’s been so nice dealing with garlic such that I use it more.
I got a Groove Life belt because they had a lifetime warranty and heard they were good quality. Every belt I had before would fall apart after a few months, even expensive genuine leather ones. The GL belt was $60, and it is the best belt I have ever had. I have had it for years now, it is pretty much indestructible, it is slightly elastic, the buckle mechanism is easy as fuck to do and undo, and it doesn’t roll or bind up in the belt loops. And they come in so many colors and buckle styles. Plus with the lifetime warranty, I could literally send it back and get a different style if I really wanted to (the warranty paper literally gives that as an example).
A cheap Jeweler’s loupe from Amazon. It’s like a high magnification magnifying glass with a LED light built into it. I initially bought it to inspect my kitchen knives when I sharpen them, but it’s been useful for inspecting soldering work and other random little things.
Others have mentioned a powerbank and one of those multiport USB chargers. I’d second those as well, tho I guess they both can climb in price depending on if you need a lot of power capacity.
I use an LED lighting ring when working on electronics that I can easily move around. I also have camping headgear/headlamps that until your post I never even thought to use. Would be just as if not more useful for that kind of work. Thank you!
My girlfriend requested one of those for her birthday. She takes it hiking, she’ll get down on the forest floor and use it to inspect mushrooms and leaves and bugs.
That’s a wonderful use for one lmao
A yoga mat and a pull-up bar for a door frame.
Just seeing it hanging there all the time was enough to motivate me to start a daily calisthenics routine. Now instead of having to drive to a gym, get changed, shower afterwards, etc. which would take 2 hours out of my day, I just do a quick 1 minute set of a progressive calisthenics routine 20 times a day.Usb c headphones. Plugs right into usb c devices. Its almost as good as the audio jack of old.
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This felt life changing at first. I don’t really know why. Maybe it was just the bulkier plug head that makes it feel more durable and the straight head style is more agreeable with today’s device/pocket arrangements.
However, it means I can’t charge and listen to my phone at the same time. This is more of a flaw of the phone design than headphone design and only really comes up during 2h+ phone calls. I suppose my laptop is also older, which is why it only has one C port. I can get a splitter, though it’s harder to find dual-c than c+3.5mm. I can’t plug it into non-C devices, since there are still 3.5mm jacks out there such as on planes and older phones (I carry my older phone as a dedicated movie/music device on said planes/travels). I carry Bluetooth headphones as well, but the latency is unbearable for movies. Probably a headphone issue more than a sole BT issue.
In summary of all my gripes, just review your devices for intended use. I still carry them when I travel and still use them for longer calls. It beats charge anxiety in most situations.
I bought an ipod from a thrift store. Its so nice to have a separate power and audojack!
Depending on which iPod you’ve got, modding them can be incredibly easy giving them much more storage. If it’s a Touch though, you can’t do much.
Yep! I have a new-ish battery in one and linux running on it. Its so nice.
I think they sell dongles that would let you charge and listen. It’s one more thing to carry, but you can just leave it on your charger all the time.
You said they’re hard to find but, here
Going to rugged phones for me and kids. You get used to the heft but they handle accidental falls like champs. Also can have neat features like 3 day battery, headphone jack, SD card, and fm radio! Ulefone Armor series.
Eh… I mean the physical phone itself might be great… but software security for these phones are… um… awful… (IMO)
Late security updates and only like 2 years of security updates in total
I mean even if you do manage to unlock the bootloader, last I checked, Lineage OS does not support these phones…
Might be better to just slap a rugged case on a “mainstream” phone
I agree, those phones always have really outdated tech. Probably a great phone if you work in a mine or operate heavy machinery and your employer issues it for use on the job, but terrible choice for most consumers.
Sure but my argument is about rugged phones, my exact circumstances have taken me to use this model, because the “better” manufacturers ignore this segment. But if a better alternative becomes available I’m in.
A multi port charger with a replaceable cord. Went from multiple little power bricks to charge each device or play the swap everything game. Plus I can leave the short cord plugged in at home on the headboard and use another cord while traveling.
A nice fluffy robe with a hood. Get out of the shower when it’s chilly and stay nice and warm.
Buying two identical pairs of shoes at the same time. Got this trick from a roofer. You can wear one pair on one day and the other the next. If a shoe gets wet you just swap to the other pair. Eventually when they start to get worn you will often have one shoe be in worse condition first but still have a pair with a spare in case the other goes bad. Plus swapping the shoes out allows them to fully dry from sweat and keeps foot odor down.
A desk mat. Think mouse pad but large enough for the keyboard too. Never run out of room while gaming and it stays put unlike the tiny little pads.
Definitely agreed on good chargers, but, regrettably, standards keep changing, so here’s my anecdotal experience/advice. I’ve had multiple issues - my pixel 3a charges faster than my Pixel 7 (comparable battery life) and my 7 doesn’t rapid charge on my ~2020 bricks. I have great cables, too (finally) and after swapping bricks/phones/cables, the problem stays with the brick/7 combos. Same for my SO’s S21 Ultra or whatever. So, after years of practice of reading wattage specs, I’m now stuck reading the bullshit product descriptions saying iphone 17/s24 compatible or whatever is contemporary to my devices. I charge slowly nightly, so the ability for proper fast charge is important for the random needs otherwise.
If you’re using a type-c device, you need a C brick and C-C cable. But, what I’ve recently discovered with my latest pair of excellent bricks, is that “dumb” type-C devices may lack the negotiation ability to get C-C power. I must use A-C in that case to charge my flashlights. Probably why they all come with shitty A-C cables. I already carry A-micro for my older devices anyway
Your last point drives me crazy on a regular basis. I have a 65W fast charger in a convenient location that I use for all my USB-C devices, but I have maybe 2-3 devices that refuse to charge on it and I can never remember which ones they are. So every time I try to charge them, I come back later to find they didn’t charge and I set them aside for days/weeks until I finally get around to digging up a “dumb” cable/charger and charging them. Then after they’re charged I put away the dumb cable/charger and immediately forget that those devices can’t charge on my main charging cable.
Bidet - don’t need any fancy standalone appliance, just a $50 nozzle that goes under the toilet seat and plugs into the water hose. Haven’t paid a penny for toilet paper in 6 years.
the fact that this is not the norm around the world is crazy to me
You definitely still need to wipe to be properly clean. Not only is it possible to miss spots with a bidet for uh … messier movements, but the water retains some particles. You’re not using soap, amd water will not perfectly remove everything.
The tell is in the smell. If your ass still smells like an ass, it’s not fully clean.
Yes, the water perfectly removes everything and does not splash. I refused to believe it myself. TMI warning: for the first year in my disbelief I would test it personally, for science, by sticking a finger in for “first-hand” comparison. When using paper, no matter how much you wipe, afterwards, even if the finger looks clean, it still has a whiff of ass. Only a full shower after use would remove the whiff entirely. But after using the bidet, the finger looks clean and smells clean, so much so as if there isn’t even a need to wash the finger afterwards (though of course I did anyway). In summary: paper = never fully clean, bidet = fully clean.
I think the difference in our bidet experiences is the water pressure. Mine is plugged directly into the water supply, and I have good water pressure, so the pressurized stream coming out is tight and powerful like a water pik. It took some getting used to. But it’s easy now and it scours everything. I fear a gabo-style bidet that pours instead of powerwashes (or a spraybottle like the one linked in this thread) would not be as thorough and might indeed require a follow-up wipe. But mine doesn’t.
I mean. When I had a bidet I still used paper to dry off, just less of it
I call toilet paper “quality control” now.
You just walk around with a wet asshole? That sounds uncomfortable.
Do some research man, you let the dog lick it until it’s dry enough. If not, clap them cheeks dry.
You’d think so! right? But instead it is the idea of smearing shit on your ass with your fingers and a piece of paper that now sounds uncomfortable to me. This is the “completely changed your life” element of it. I’ve been using paper for decades no problem, but now I hate pooping outside of home because there is no bidet there. Beware!
Have I got a thing for you! Culo Clean
The product name alone is worth the price, I love it! 💕
Bought four, three will be presents 😂
I had the exact same response when I found out about them!
They are great gifts.
I bet i could print this for cheaper than $10 and also not have to visit Amazon to purchase.
Amazing
I still use a bit of toilet paper to dry off and as a make-sure
Maybe they have a fancy bidet with a blower? Or they horded toilet paper during COVID and are working through the surplus? You do pretty much have to dry somehow, but the amount of TP needed to dry a wet asshole is significantly less than cleaning a shitty asshole.
Here to second bidet.
I still dry with toilet paper tho
Heh, thirding bidet. I’m still working through the stock of toilet paper I bought as a joke when Covid first hit and everyone was panicking about toilet paper, I bought the bidet right after that and realized I’d be taking a looong time getting through that.
It’s handy for lots of other stuff too, if I ever need to quickly rinse something the bathtub’s right next to the toilet so I can hold it there and give it a blast.
I remember back when people were posting pictures to shame the idiots at Costco who were panicking and buying all the toilet paper before anyone else could…
What I’m trying to say is that’s a “hilarious” joke!
Toilet paper doesn’t go bad.
Powerbanks… no more fear of phone dying
Also, power outages don’t seem that scary anymore… at least you can like read an ebook while you burn/freeze to death lmao
Adding extra cables/chargers. One at each desk and each bag, no hunting and losing a single charger and being SOL.
Power banks with replaceable batteries are awesome.
My ex-wife a drink…
What a coincidence! I was going to say the same thing. My life turned around when I bought your ex-wife a drink.
That’s why you’ve got an itchy bum…
A racket ball. I carry it around and bounce it to myself and play catch when I’m bored or walking somewhere. Way more fun than a fidget spinner and I’m building hand-eye coordination.
This is what I needed from this thread. I already know I need a bidet, but the ball sounds way more fun.
Used $25 breadmaker from a local thrift store. Now I bake fresh wheat bread that requires practically no time and effort at all, costs a fraction of what the loaves at the store cost, and tastes great too.
The real move is to use the bread maker on the dough setting and then bake in a loaf pan to avoid the carb cube shaped loaf.
Too much extra effort and cleanup. And the carb cube makes good sandwich slices.
Knee pillow. I’m a side sleeper and my hips began to hurt. It was about $10. It’s amazing to think how much a little knee separation can relieve your hips and lower back.
Money bags McGee over here. I just fold the covers into a bunch ;-)
Covers? Luxury.
When we was growing up it was a few moldy newspapers stuffed into a garbage bag.
Depends on how we define “cheap,” really. My 3d printer is a cheap 3d printer, and has probably been the most lifechanging recent purchase. Still like $200.
If we mean something most people would be able to afford within a month, it’s between my laptop, or my server. Both were $50, and both had a massive impact on my life.
What kind of specs does $50 get you?
Not much, admittedly. It’s a Lenovo Thinkpad T430 if you want to look up the spec sheet. But it was enough to start me down a path of being more hands-on with my software, and making me more aware of how kinda bullshit it is that a lot of the more basic software flat won’t run on older hardware. I get that there will be cutoffs, like going from 32 to 64 bit, where there are fundamental incompatibilities, but it’s kinda bullshit that you need 16gb of RAM to just load the news, or watch videos that were on the internet before this thing released.
I’ve upgraded it a bit since (more RAM, faster CPU), but without it it still did do a lot compared to what you’d expect from a then 12 year old laptop. It did handle some light gaming, reading things, some websites loaded fine, mostly the ones that were just text with a few images, playing music, etc. Biggest problem has been the battery life, which is expected out of an old battery. Lasts about 45 minutes
