• TauZero@mander.xyz
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    10 days ago

    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.

      • TauZero@mander.xyz
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        10 days ago

        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!

      • thermal_shock@lemmy.world
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        10 days ago

        Do some research man, you let the dog lick it until it’s dry enough. If not, clap them cheeks dry.

      • bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        10 days ago

        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.

      • BurgerBaron@piefed.social
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        9 days ago

        I use a small amount of toilet paper to pat dry myself.

        Wiping shitty ass with dry paper leads to micro tears and hemorrhoids.

        • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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          8 days ago

          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?

    • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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      10 days ago

      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.

      • datavoid@sh.itjust.works
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        10 days ago

        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!

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      9 days ago

      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.

  • rem26_art@fedia.io
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    10 days ago

    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.

    • iegod@lemmy.zip
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      10 days ago

      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!

  • glibg@lemmy.ca
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    10 days ago

    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.

    • Corngood@lemmy.ml
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      10 days ago

      This is what I needed from this thread. I already know I need a bidet, but the ball sounds way more fun.

  • RegularJoe@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    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.

  • hakase@lemmy.zip
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    10 days ago

    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.

    • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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      10 days ago

      +1 to bread maker!
      $25 from marketplace and now in 3 hours I can always have fresh baked bread, throw in some rosemary and garlic and scallion in an olive oil loaf and you have a nice dish to bring to a dinner.
      Use the dough setting and now I have easy bagels and pretzels. Or even challah bread.

      I even got a 50lb bag of flour for $14 so each loaf of bread costs about 40¢ in ingredients.

    • Stegget@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      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.

  • MuttMutt@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    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.

    • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      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

    • Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk
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      10 days ago

      The shoes thing works with expensive dress shoes as well. I knew a guy who wore fairly high end suits and handmade shoes to work. His cobbler told him to always get two pairs and they’ll last a lot longer if you alternate them so they get a rest day than if you buy one pair at a time and use them daily.

  • mesa@piefed.social
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    10 days ago

    Usb c headphones. Plugs right into usb c devices. Its almost as good as the audio jack of old.

    • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      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.

        • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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          10 days ago

          Yes. I did a brief search and got annoyed as I realized here was no way to reliably filter out c/3.5mm splitters and only find c/c. But I guess there’s no real point trying to pick the best amazon option

      • mesa@piefed.social
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        10 days ago

        I bought an ipod from a thrift store. Its so nice to have a separate power and audojack!

        • djdarren@piefed.social
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          10 days ago

          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.

  • ctry21@sh.itjust.works
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    10 days ago

    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.

    • EponymousBosh@awful.systems
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      10 days ago

      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.

    • baller_w@lemmy.zip
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      10 days ago

      Oh man, a great hack is to microwave your garlic for about 5 seconds and the peel comes right off.

      • stringere@sh.itjust.works
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        10 days ago

        Take two bowls, toss the garlic cloves in, put the bowls together like clamshells and shake. Peels come right off.

      • CatZoomies@lemmy.world
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        10 days ago

        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.

        • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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          10 days ago

          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.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      9 days ago

      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.

    • Canopyflyer@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      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.

      • No_Ones_Slick_Like_Gaston@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        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.

        • Canopyflyer@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          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.

    • Taleya@aussie.zone
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      9 days ago

      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

    • lb_o@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      Try a tiny grate for garlic.

      Press is too hard to wash after use, but swapping to grate made wonders. I have two now.

  • mech@feddit.org
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    10 days ago

    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.

    • xorollo@leminal.space
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      9 days ago

      Cool. I love home workout stuff. I just got some bands to try to find modifications for what I usually do with dumbbells. I figured it would be more comfortable for me to use these while traveling than try to use a hotel gym.

      • mech@feddit.org
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        10 days ago

        I roughly follow this, with 3x12 repetitions (The green line is as far as I got).

        My advice: Don’t try to rush progression, that’s not the point.
        Only progress if you can do the current level in good form, slowly, without using inertia.

  • EponymousBosh@awful.systems
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    10 days ago

    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.

  • Kristell@herbicide.fallcounty.omg.lol
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    10 days ago

    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.

      • Kristell@herbicide.fallcounty.omg.lol
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        10 days ago

        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

  • azimir@lemmy.ml
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    10 days ago

    A pair of simple latching straps from IKEA. They cost €5 and we use them constantly:

    • hauling furniture
    • tying up garbage bags for carrying bundles
    • holding packages together for transit
    • strapping blankets up for trips

    They’re incredibly important to being able to easily haul/carry things around.

  • hawgietonight@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    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

      • hawgietonight@lemmy.world
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        10 days ago

        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.