this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025
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[–] nandeEbisu@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I got a cheap office chair when I moved out after college. It was like $15+20 and it's super comfortable and still use it daily over 10 years later.

It's just foam stapled to plywood but really good support.

[–] three@lemmy.zip 109 points 1 week ago (19 children)

One of these stainless steel bars of "soap". It's for getting onion and garlic smell off your hands. I was skeptical when my partner bought it, but it totally works. Rub on your hands under cold water and it's like you never even looked at the garlic.

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 34 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Fyi this also works with a steel faucet or sink in a pinch

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 38 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (8 children)

Okay so maybe I've grown to used to the smell of garlic but is it a common problem that people are worried about their hands smelling like garlic/onions? Maybe it's because I wash dishes as I cook, so whatever I chopped/prepared them on I would have washed in the sink while it started to heat up in the pan, but I guess I need to sniff my fingers more after doing so.

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[–] Hugin@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (2 children)

So any stainless steel will do that. No need for a special disk. I use a stainless steel cocktail shaker to peal garlic. Then when I rinse it clean it also removes the smell from my hands.

Just drop the cloves into the shaker and shake hard for 30-45 seconds. Most of the garlic is now peeled and some just need a bit help. So much faster and easier.

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[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 87 points 1 week ago (13 children)

One way window heat shield. Reflects 85‰ of the UV back out. Sticks to the window using only water.

Noticeable difference in temperature for any sun-facing windows

[–] wiccan2@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I did this at my last House and it was fantastic.

Just need to remember that once it's dark outside the reflective side "switches" and everyone can see clearly into the house.

[–] SSUPII@sopuli.xyz 33 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's just how a normal window works

[–] wiccan2@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago

Yes but the film has a one-way mirror effect and most people don't put 2 and 2 together and think the window is opaque when is not.

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[–] Vinny_93@lemmy.world 73 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Oh man, there's this German company Beurer that makes simple equipment for medical home application. They make this sort of zapper thing, which is battery oper and it just heats the shit out of a little ceramic plate. Put that on a bug bite, it heats away the irritation. No more itch, no more venom in your body, just gone.

I am no longer careful around biting bugs. Keep in mind it's not supposed to work for stingers.

I figured for 15 euros it'd be too bad if it doesn't work but I now can't imagine not having it.

I've since also bought a TENS/EMS machine of theirs and a laser hair removal tool is underway for my wife.

I completely trust this company based on just two products.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 37 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Oh wow, there's a product out there? I've been heating the back of a spoon on the stove and applying it directly to the skin for a minute all these years. You gotta do it carefully, but it works very well!

NerdageThe mechanism relies on denaturing the mosquito proteins injected with the bite. Meaning the heat causes the proteins to loosen up and deform so they no longer interact with the surrounding tissues in the same way.

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

I’ve just run a spoon under the hottest possible tap water. It’s hot enough to work and it’s not hot enough to actually burn you

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[–] liyah27@lemmy.world 59 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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.

[–] misteloct@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 1 week ago (9 children)

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!

[–] GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

As a fellow non tech person... There are dozens of us!!

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[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 47 points 1 week ago (15 children)

A roll of really heavy duty velcro. The kind that can, for example, stick a sledge hammer to a wall. It's about $12 for 5 feet or so, and about a 1" piece is sufficient for most tasks, so it lasts a very long time. I use it for all kinds of stuff; it's amazing how many uses for it you find when you have it.

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[–] TheFlopster@lemmy.world 37 points 1 week ago (17 children)

I bought a reusable tote for like $3 in the section at the front of Target where they stick all the cheap stuff. It looks like it's made of woven burlap. It says "Going to Market" on the sides. It's shorter than the standard reusable tote, but a reasonable width.

I bought it on a whim and thought it would sit in my trunk after I forgot about it. I use it all the time, and I've gotten a ton of compliments on it at checkouts of various stores.

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[–] hakase@lemmy.zip 35 points 1 week ago (3 children)

$20 bread maker I found at at a thrift store. There's no telling how many hundreds of loaves of healthy, fresh baked wheat bread I've churned out of that thing over the past two years, especially now that we're grinding our own wheat too.

[–] VetOfTheSeas@discuss.online 17 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I got a bread maker for free. I asked my coworkers and THREE different people said they had a bread maker that's just sitting there, unused as gifts that they don't want.

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[–] r0ertel@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (10 children)

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.

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[–] Zier@fedia.io 31 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Metal Chopsticks $9 https://www.amazon.com/BamLue-Stainless-Chopsticks-Dishwasher-Restaurant/dp/B07RTNWLM1 These are no longer for sale. They are not just for eating. Great for deseeding jalapenos, tomatos. Mixing small sauces. Too many uses to list. They are super durable. Very 'buy it for life' vibes. The tip texture is the most helpful. Not to be used as Ninja weapons.

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[–] vaionko@sopuli.xyz 30 points 1 week ago (5 children)

A Victorinox Swiss army knife. Bought it used for 10€, and it has everything from a very good blade to screwdrivers, a bottle opener, pen and tweezers. Always in my pocket in case I need it.

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[–] kayzeekayzee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 27 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

A swiss army knife sd classic. I have it on my keychain and use it a lot

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[–] nebulaone@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
  • knife sharpening steel
  • squeezing bidet (made me realize how gross using toilet paper is)
  • caffeine pills (extremely cheap [15€ for 180pcs. x 200mg] compared to coffee and great if you're in a hurry)
  • Raspberry Pi Zero (tiny single board computer, tbh not in use anymore, but I had fun tinkering for days)
  • remote controlled power outlets
  • easily cleanable drinking bottle and switching to drinking tap water
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[–] rouxdoo@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (5 children)

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.

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[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 22 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Wool poncho. I've used it to stay warm, stay cool, as a groundcloth under my sleeping bag, as a blanket, as a pillow, as a decorative throw, as a cat bed, as a picnic blanket, as a beach blanket. It's incredibly useful and versatile.

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[–] jinwk00@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 week ago

A screwdriver kit with multiple head tips, can repair almost anything as long as I am given some schematics

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 20 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Opinel carbon steel pocket knife. They're awesome. Cheap, robust and easy to keep sharp. Just need to oil the blade every now and then for corrosion resistance and you're good to go.

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (7 children)

My pocket stun gun was $19.99. Decided I needed a defense mechanism I could conceal after an encounter with a scary aggressive homeless man.

Also has a flashlight.

[–] VetOfTheSeas@discuss.online 20 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Be careful with a stungun. It requires close range confrontation, and It's not effective if the assailant is drugged up or heavily drunk and ignores the shocks.

Mace gives good distance, and pepper in the eyes doesn't care about the stimulants in your blood stream.

Also practice with it. A large number of people carry self defense tools and choke under pressure/fail to use it correctly during situations.

[–] lars@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 6 days ago

I’m so so so so so afraid of needing to use a fire extinguisher under pressure

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[–] bravesentry@feddit.org 19 points 1 week ago

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.

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (2 children)

An ezel. You know, the kind that artists use to put their cavvas on.

I'm a digital artist, so I have a display drawing tablet. Eventually having the tablet completely horizontally flat got annoying to draw on. I ended up sitting cross-legged and awkwardly perching the table on the edge of my desk on my lap to get some sort of comfortable angle on it. However that was annoying too.

I went and looked what a tablet stand costed for my tablet model and... It damn near costed the same as my tablet! The. I had an idea. There's this cheap ass hardware store called Harald Nyborg in Denmark, maybe they have cheap ezel?

Lo and behold they do. Made from the crappiest cheap wood available, it serves its purpose perfectly! I've had it for a few years now and never needed to think about getting that dedicated stand for my tablet.

[–] renrenPDX@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

Easel. But we understood. 😀

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[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 18 points 1 week ago

I got two of these squiggly window wedges. They are incredibly versatile and handy when you want to keep a window open.

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

One of those cocktail stirring spoons with a long, round handle. Makes stirring a glass full of ice extremely easier compared to normal spoon handles. In contrast, I found mixing glasses and cocktail shakers fairly optional (and those tend to be more expensive than $20 anyway if they're decent quality).

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[–] MrStag@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Electric screwdriver from Lidl (well, it was less than £20) - as a DIY novice/flat pack builder, it changed my life

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