USB rechargeable headlamp for probably about 10 bucks. I use it all the time for crafting stuff to see better without having to turn on the big lights.
USB light board for about $7. For decorating my journal or sometimes I send friends snail mail with doodles. I snip pictures from the internet and print them out on my shitty printer and trace and color them to wherever I want them.
A garlic press. I avoided them for years because of a mixture of guidance saying it’s just as easy to chop it or it tastes worse from a press. I don’t have the tastebuds to notice it being any worse and it’s certainly a lot easier than chopping since you don’t even have to peel it.
It’s definitely better than cutting with a knife, but TBH I’ve gone a step further and just started buying it pre-mashed in jar.
The “tastes worse from a press” is entirely dependent on the material of the press you’re using. Garlic reacts with stainless steel, hence those stainless steel “soap bars” they make to remove garlic smell from your hands. I got a zinc press for this exact reason.
I’ve broken every press I’ve had. Pressed the grate right out of it.
How you prep garlic depends on what you are doing with it, or what the recipe calls for.
What it comes down to, the more garlic flavor you want out of a clove, then the more you need to damage the garlic’s cellular walls.
So this means if you want some garlic flavor, then a rough chop would be fine. If you want a good amount of flavor, then mincing is necessary. If you want a metric f#$k ton of garlic flavor then you run it through a press.
Why wouldn’t you just use fewer garlic cloves and just use the press all the time? There are many reasons, but mainly because a pressed clove may be too over powering for the recipe. Also, if you are doing a slow cook, then larger pieces of garlic will enfuse the recipe better over the longer cook time than pressed garlic.
I hope the above makes sense. On the surface it appears that it’s just better to press garlic cloves and just adjust the amount you put in the recipe. However, there are real differences to the final product based upon how the garlic is prepped and added to the recipe.
This is an excellent comment. This isn’t the image you reminded me of, but still helpful.
You’re right. But it has never been an issue in my house nor ever someone ever composed a phrase conveying the feeling that there was too much garlic on the food.
Oh, we have at my house and it was completely my fault.
I was making marinara sauce in bulk for a specific recipe that we make often. At the last minute I decided to press the garlic, but not reduce the amount and the results were not pleasing. It was way too much and none of us are vampires.
that’s exactly what a vampire would say…
The more you smoosh garlic, the more allions exposed and the more intense the flavour. That’s how you can range from whole roasted = mild to minced = asshole burning.
So a chopper is not a replacement for a press or a grater and vice-versa
Try a tiny grate for garlic.
Press is too hard to wash after use, but swapping to grate made wonders. I have two now.
Oh man, a great hack is to microwave your garlic for about 5 seconds and the peel comes right off.
Take two bowls, toss the garlic cloves in, put the bowls together like clamshells and shake. Peels come 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.
You can also just use a cocktail shaker or a jar with a lid and shake them. Peels come off so easily and you just mostly sift through them to get the cloves.
I just smash it with a cleaver. Faster than pressing and more fun.
Wait, you don’t have to peel it if you press it?
It spits the garlic through the peel
I don’t see shoehorn yet, so shoehorn. But, I thought the one I got was more expensive than a plastic thing really should be.
I got it after reading one of these threads.
I stole the metal one from DSW when I got a new pair. It is game changing
New challenge unlocked
Its nothing special, just not plastic.
I just like stealing really low value little trinkets
Lmao same. Wtf is that about?
Cheap thrills? I’m trying to think of other fun little things I’ve nabbed. I always stock up on paper towels for the car from the gas station, but those are “free”. Oh! In the gun section of the hardware store there’s a parts drawer cabinet just like the ones for nuts and bolts just gun hardware. There’s a pile of “complimentary” tweezers, I have quite a few.
Fitness Adventure Pro for the Switch. Is it an amazing game? No. But it is a fitness game, which means I can get a workout without any equipment to set up and break down, and without having to leave my house. I’ve only been using it a few weeks and I can already feel a difference.
One of those adjustable clasping tactical-style belts. I fluctuate in weight frequently so my belts never fit quite right. This is the only type that’s done a respectable job of keeping my pants up. I just wish they made them in other colors.
Fellow fluctuator here! I like the leather belts with the holes all the way around.
I’ve been having a whale of a time finding a replacement one. The only option I’ve found is from the same place I bought this one, and the plating wore off unevenly and way too quickly.
Maybe I should just order online.
For regular wear, I like https://arcadebelts.com/products/hardware-alu-work-belt?variant=51798558671212 They have a bunch of other clasp styles that I havnt personally tired.
And for work; I like this one better than arcade, but it is larger vertically that normal belt. https://holstery.com/products/modbelt
This is what I wear, I bought mine for around $12 at a local discount retailer. The American flag patch comes off cleanly using a sharp knife to cut the stitching. The finish of the clasp can chip a tiny bit with regular use, but for that price its excellent quality.
https://hltactical.com/collections/nylon-belts/products/tactical-nylon-belt-united-states-design
Replacing the battery in my ps5 controller instead of just buying a new controller. It was super simple to install and the batteries cost $17.00.
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).
An egg slicer that you could also use to slice strawberries, whole pitted olives and other similar things.
It’s so quick compared to doing it manually, and so easy to clean.
Double this one.
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.
Not exactly cheapest but I have been an absolute fan of Gallium charging bricks. They can do much higher wattage in a smaller size and with a long USB C cable and 4 ports actually replaces a laptop charger, phone charger, and more.
And specifically Anker makes a 65w charger that also doubles as a battery bank for about $80 that means I can charge everything from just that one and then take it with me and use it as a battery and plug I to the wall to recharge itself and my devices again.
A new mousepad. I don’t know how much it cost, but it was on the low end and I got it from a local book shop to replace an aging, unusable one last March.
It’s serving me quite well.
What do you need a mousepad for? Do you have a glass desk?
My desk is wooden with a thick felt covering. The mousepad is just to give the mouse a steady surface for it to travel on.
Air fryer, i got it for around $20 at bestbuy. I haven’t used my gas range in years. I ended up getting a bigger over for 45 recently to make larger meats without having to cut them. I get the bella pro brand. They are certainly nothing fancy, but very high value for the amount of cooking I’ve done in them. Pork tenderloin, perfect.
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
I think it’s predominant
I came here to say heated bidet lol. Almost as cheap as the base version, almost as easy to install. Buy one, it’s worth it.
Mine was less than $30, installed easily in 20 minutes with a single wrench, and has worked flawlessly for years. Changes your life for the better every single day.
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.
I use a small amount of toilet paper to pat dry myself.
Wiping shitty ass with dry paper leads to micro tears and hemorrhoids.
One further benefit is that it allows you to optimize what little toilet paper you do buy towards strength. Normally there’s a tradeoff. Softer and less abrasive toilet paper is nicer on the bum, but it comes apart more easily. It can leave bits of toilet paper dust around and even tear at the most inopportune time. But if you’re only using a little to dry off, you can buy the strongest stuff you can find, regardless of how harsh it might be to use as regular dry wiping paper. Who cares if it feels like sandpaper if you’re just using it to pat yourself 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!
Bring a little water bottle
I have a bidet as well, but I use a very small amount of paper to dry up - and verify that the bidet has done its job well.
I don’t think I would want to use it without any way of drying up.
You… you didn’t refute walking around with an undried bum…
Have I got a thing for you! Culo Clean
Lmao that name
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.
Getting one for my road trips.
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
Do some research man, you let the dog lick it until it’s dry enough. If not, clap them cheeks dry.
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
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, and 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.
Nope, mine is also directly hooked up and not one of those stupid misting types. Frigging power washer.
Maybe you have way less hair down there, or you somehow manage to eat enough fiber, or maybe you just don’t know what a truly clean asshole is, but let me tell you, water is NOT enough for many, many kinds of less than perfectly healthy movements.
Also, the tell isn’t necessarily in the immediate smell. I should’ve specified a lot better: Water can trap particles that otherwise would get in the air. The real tell is later, after everything’s dry and your ass has been rubbing on your underpants for a while. If you can peel off your underpants and only smell normal sweat smell, that’s clean.
As an analogy, think of how scientists test for the presence of bacteria. It’s not sampling a surface and taking a whiff. They let that shit grow in a petri dish first. That’s what you’re doing with your ass at all times. Sniffing it right after is akin to sniffing the raw sample, when your ass is going to be the petri dish either way.
Yeah, a bidet alone isn’t enough to get you clean. It does most of the work, but it’s going to leave remnants that need to be wiped. It’s not a matter of water pressure either. Mine has a stream that will reach the other side of the bathroom at full power, but there’s still going to be debris.
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.
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.
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That’s a wonderful use for one lmao
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!
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.
I did this for years… Then I started juggling… Now I juggle
This is what I needed from this thread. I already know I need a bidet, but the ball sounds way more fun.
