Vacuum sealer.
They are always available used at thrift stores and they are simple machines but I can reseal bags of chips or other grocery items.
You can make your own bags for cheap from a roll and then individually wrap portions for the freezer that stay longer and don’t get freezer burn.
And if you get one that has a hose attachment you can seal bottles of wine, mead, or Tupperware for the fridge if you get the right lids.
balaclava. I wear it all the time. It’s a great way to keep my mouth and nose covered from the nasty germs when out in public.
And the money you save is amazing
No kidding. I saved enough for a big bag of zip ties.
A pry bar. I use it to open cat food tins because my fingernails are not up to the task.
Or just use the handle of a metal spoon
Hard disagree. The pry bar is the superior tool. For one thing, it is indestructible, unlike my spoons which were getting scratched up. It is satisfying in a tactile way and because it is so ludicrously overpowered for the task.
Not as effective
A very thin piece of linen cloth for summer heat. Soak in water, press against body, when it becomes too warm, let it fly in the wind for a few seconds, then press again.
A swiss army knife sd classic. I have it on my keychain and use it a lot
Not a comercial; But I bought on a whim a very cheap, usb midi pedal from temu, that I use for triggering hotkeys on many apps by using a midi to hotkey converter. It’s awesome for streaming, it is sturdy as hell and the midi protocol allows me to do a lot of trickery under the hood. Like toggle buttons or different keys for press and release states. It makes me want to try out more midi equipment from that site.
Also for about 3 dollars I bought a used ceramic crockpot back when I was in college and I am still using it to this day. It instantly became a staple of my home cooking it’s stupid easy to use and the thing will probably keep working for decades.
I’ve been thinking about getting foot pedals for my computer for a while. And my wife and I got a crockpot for Christmas when we first moved in together ~13 years ago. Still use it a bunch.
Once found a whole functioning pc (minus ram and the hard drive) at a thrift store for $3. My guess is it came from an office, and when they plugged it in, and when it didn’t work, they assumed it was junk. Actual value of the parts was like $300.
Unexpectedly? I’m not sure. But for under $6 I got a secondhand Faberware medium and large pot. We have a glass cooktop and our current pots tend to “bow” on the bottom when heated so they don’t sit flat. Was fine when we had a gas cooktop, but now the bow makes a hotspot in the center on the flat glass. The old Faberware pots sit perfectly flat. Awesome.
An Aeropress. I bought it when work removed the free coffee and was super surprised at how good it tasted vs what they were serving. Later, I found a bean hand grinder that fits right inside the Aeropress plunger and now I take it on work trips, vacation and camping.
It’s not fully inclusive for $20 because you need a cup, some way to procure and heat water and beans but still, it’s served me well.
I’ve found that it tastes kinda plasticky compared to my glass French press. Am I aeropressing wrong?
I have an old one, maybe they were manufactured differently. The main part is a hard plastic. I never noticed a plastic taste, but it could also be the rubber/silicone plunger stopper that imparts a taste. They do now sell a glass one, but I’ve heard that it’s overpriced.
I know people who also swear by their French press. From what I know, regardless of the brew method, the grind is the most important factor, followed by the water quality and temperature.
If its made before 2009 its likely not BPA free and you should consider upgrading to a modern one. I think the plastic was changed again around 2014. Mine is from that time period and doesnt have an after taste either.
As well as the glass one you can get one made of tritan, which would be my pick over the glass as its mostly the same look, a lot cheaper, and pretty much unbreakable.
I didn’t buy an aeropress for years as I had a coffee machine and was like, surely that’s better.
But finally got one, and my god. The simplicity. The ease of cleaning. The nice coffee.
It’s basically my sole way of making coffee now, despite more pricey alternatives at my disposal.
I find a good pour over cone makes better tasting coffee with a little less fuss, but the aeropress is irreplaceable for iced coffee.
The clever dripper is pretty nice pour over cone with a shut off valve.
When I’m making just one cup of coffee I use an aero press, for 2+ cups I use the clever dripper.
A package of blue-tack - it is basically sticky play-dough that is completely opaque and you can use wads of it to blunt the pain of stupid LEDs on on your tech shit. I am currently sitting in my living room looking at my TV and various components including router and stuff…easily 20 gobs of blue-tack masking 20 blinking LEDs.
Blue tack is very handy stuff. But you know, they make blackout stickers for exactly this application. They look a lot nicer. Though personally, I just cut little pieces of black electrical tape.
Broke single mom here. My H&M usually offers a buy one get one discount on boys’ cotton boxers, so whenever I buy a pack for my 12 year old son, I grab myself one as well and they serve pretty well as pajama shorts which I pair with a cheap oversized cotton tee.
Very wholesome! How do you keep yours and his from getting mixed in the laundry?
The packs come in different colors so I use the white ones and he uses the grey ones.
For some reason it makes me happy you’re on here, I thought it was all tech neckbeards. Wish your family luck in bargain hunting!
There are dozens of us! I’m a mom who works in publishing and don’t know a linux distro from a pokemon (other than Pikachu.)
I became a full-on programmer after joining Lemmy. Coincidence?
As a fellow non tech person… There are dozens of us!!
Got a second-hand Walmart folding table + chair set at the beginning of my PhD, I think the entire set was like $15 or $20; it was the only furniture I had that lasted my entire grad school
This under US$5 milk frother from Ikea. Froth up milk, pour the coffee in, so nice.
Also very good for making hot chocolate.
Anybody know if these work with oat milk or almond milk? Does it froth?
Yep, should work fine, although the foam will have a slghtly different texture.
I bought a Rada Quick Edge at a thrift store for $2.
Was always taught my my metal-smith grandfather how to properly care for and sharpen knives, but when I tried it out on a knife I cared little for, I found it was such a shocking difference in efficiency I couldn’t help but notice.
It completely changed my relationship with knives and knife care, which was so helpful for me because I cook everything from scratch and whole ingredients. Everything, so having good knives is not kids-play for me.
It made me discover that for me, using a quick sharpening wheel and a hone gets my knives beard-shaving sharp in less than 30 seconds. I could never go back to the “right way” and I firmly joined the “dark side” of knife ownership.
Yes they destroy knives with some aggression, far more than traditional methods, but in the forensic audit it has saved me hundreds in a literal way, and hundreds of hours laboring over sharpening stones.
I no longer need to pamper knives, I buy cheap German steel chef knives on sale for $5-$20 and I throw them out in 3 or 4 years. I’ll never go back. All the hysterics from knife “gurus” on YT be damned - in my personal cooking world where I have 10,000 Km on my knives and cutting board, I could give two shits what they think. Nobody better ever give me a $300 knife for a present because it’s going back in the box.
Dual-wheel sharpener and 14" hone is all I’ll ever use from now on.
What’s the point of the hone?, I thought knife sharpeners like the Rada did the same thing as a hone?
The edge is just a little rough after the removal of material with the wheel, the hone grooms the metal so the grains align roughly in the same direction. It also “peels away” ragged and folded edge grains.
The hone takes it from a sharp but rough edge, to a razor sharp edge.
The hone is also the best tool for quickly refreshing the knife edge without having to sharpen it on the wheel. Just 10 seconds before any major cutting.
Honing doesn’t remove material. If you sharpen too often your knives wear down real fast
Great recommendation and knife user therapy in one post. Thanks!
Extra long shoe horn. I eventually upgraded to a solid metal one when the cheap one broke.
The shoe horn is the bidet of getting dressed.
