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RULES (updated 01/22/25)
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Orthotic shoe inserts. The good ones (superfeet) cost more than $20 but I was able to use my HSA $ to buy another brand for $0 out of pocket. Feet not hurting is worth the money.
Foam roller. I roll out my back 2-3 times a day.
Can you tell I'm getting old?
A usb-rechargeable battery bank that doubles as a hand warmer. Comes in handy for computer time in the cold basement and during a power outage, was extremely useful to charge cell phone
Freshly roasted coffee beans. A bag sets me back maybe $13 or so and gets me approximately 10 cups. Not what I would call outrageously expensive but I enjoy it a whole lot
A 10-foot USB cable. Most people use whatever's packed in with their electronics, and it's pretty rare to get anything longer than 6 feet. Having the extra length is really nice in many situations.
It's also one of my go-to inexpensive gifts or part of a care package for someone in the hospital. The extra length there is often the difference between being able to use a device while it's charging or not.
For me anymore, I like to get a nice bag of single origin coffee from a quality roaster.
You can also still get zoo or museum tickets for that in many places. I got a lot of things (probably too many) so I like doing experiences when I can now to slow down the accumulation.
Not luxury, but I keep a small AAA flashlight with me nearly all the time.
Easier to handle and faster to use than a phone light. Also doesn't use phone battery. I clip it on my hat if I need both hands like taking out the trash.
I have an Olight i3T but I would try out the i3T 2. More lumens and better battery efficency.
Mini Swiss army knife. I don't know how to live life without this on my keychain
A coffee cup warmer. No more getting up from my desk to nuke cold coffee.
Get a double walled cup, i can have hot coffee for 4 hrs and warm for another 2-4 hours
An electric 'coffee grinder' just for grinding up spices / seeds. Don't use the regular coffee grinder, or your coffee drinking housemates will get super annoyed. The flavor, and nutrition is so much better when you cook with freshly ground spices.
There's much nutrition in coffee?
Coffee drinkers, especially before morning coffee can be a tad bit intolerant of one's spice experiments. It's best to not goad the beast, at least until normal / optimal levels of caffienation have been reached, and beauty achieved.
I love spice and I love my morning coffee. I might try combining them as an experiment but I own two coffee grinders for a reason!
So called Turkish Coffee, which I used to drink on the regular in post grad, has cardamom, which is a great place to start. I'm always game for a little extra flavor. Just a touch of chili powder? Hmm, never tried it, but maybe Nigella sativa / Kalonji/ Black Cumin Seed would be a good add. LMK!
Methylphenidate
A beard trimmer. Shaving sucks and irritates my skin, plus I look like a baby without facial hair. But that's only one benefit.
I have been using a beard trimmer to cut my own hair for the last 10 years which has saved me probably $2000 worth of haircuts (estimating a $25 haircut + tip every 2 months). Not to mention saving about 1 hour waiting at the barber every time. I only messed up once and had to do a buzz cut.
I'm sure it's preferable to looking like a baby with facial hair
So you just buzz cut your entire hair essentially? I did that once and looked like a serial rapist
It only takes a few minutes of YouTube videos before you can do a passable men's haircut.
I cut my own hair during the pandemic and never went back to paying for it.
Only of you do it wrong, or you want to look like a serial rapist.
If you have a simple cut/style all it takes is a little practice to DIY.
$20 can buy many peanuts.
Explain.
Money can be exchanged for goods and services
Bidet attachment.
For 20 bucks really? Is it a handpump model you dip directly into the toilet water?
Aww damn. Prices went up since I bought mine, but it was $20 when I got something similar to this one :
https://www.amazon.com/SAMODRA-Ultra-Slim-Minimalist-Non-Electric-Adjustable/dp/B08QHTVDM3
Yes
A bamboo back scratching stick. I bought dozens back when Pier 1 existed and sold them for 75¢. Most are still around.
A decent pen and/or pencil. I have several nice fountain pens that I use for journaling, but I use my Zebra F-301 ballpoint daily for general notes/etc. -- ~$10 for a 4 pack on Amazon. If you prefer a pencil, you can pick up a Pentel Sharp Kerry for under $20 on Amazon.
I prefer the Pilot Precise V5 as my favorite cheap and ubiquitous pen upgrade. Everyone remarks on how smooth it writes. Not the best for labels with gloss though is the only catch with it. Capped or retractable versions, and while I like the V5 (0.5mm tip) because I write smaller, they also have a V7 (0.7mm tip) for those that write larger or what bolder lines.
After that, hop on Jetpens and there are tons of <$10 pens that are way better than anything in a store, or refills to turn your favorite cheap pen into an undercover fancy pen so you don't need to worry about losing a fancier pen body. I stocked up on so many great pens, and now I have a job where I hardly ever have to write and I really miss getting to use my pens all day. The cheap office pens skip and are so scratchy it feels like drawing on dirt with a stick in comparison.
If you use your phone a lot (or if your battery is old and you haven't replaced it), a power bank is very useful.
A reputable powerbank (such as those from Anker) cost just under $20 USD for 10,000 MAH
It's worth it for other people too, the fun putting a "W" sticker in front of the logo is endlessly entertaining.
A small USB-C hub. It has a USB-C out on one end then HDMI, 2 USB-A ports and another USB-C in on the other. I use it as my travel dock for my switch and steam deck, I've used it as a USB A to C converter, and I'll use it to test inputs on various TVs. I've gotten so much more mileage out of this $15 Amazon purchase than I ever would have expected
Platinum Preppy fountain pen. Often, it's less than 10$
No one needs a fountain pen to write, but writing with a fountain pen is a unique experience. Alas, many fountain pens will cost a little fortune and other will cost a large fortune (what about a 40k$ one?). The Preppy is an exception. It's not the best fountain pen but it's very decent, it's even incredibly good considering its price. For slightly more 25-30$, I would also suggest the Lamy Safari.
Beside that, I can't think of many luxury items under 20. I mean, I can think of a few useful luxury things but they cost more than 20.
The Pilot Varsity fountain pen feels cheap in your hand, but the way it writes is exquisite. This pen is shorter than average, yet holding it by the opposite end and dragging the nib across paper, letting the nearly inexistent weight of the pen apply pressure, you'll be left with a beautiful and consistent line.
You can usually pick up single Varsity fountain pens at stores such as PoopShelf for less than $3 each, or you can support your local art store by buying them in 3-packs for less than $10. I've been using these pens for over a decade and the only pen I've ever found that had an equally smooth and delicate writing experience was something I found at Paradise Pen for over $500—back when I could get these fountain pens for less than $2.
I have to warn you about their cheap construction, though: don't store them in your pants pocket. They'll find some way to bend, crack, or otherwise dump their entire reservoir in your pants.
I carry an arch lighter everywhere. It cost me $15 but saves me a ton in lighter fuel, and you'd be surprised by the number of every day situations that a controlled burst of plasma solves. Opening packages, lighting candles, kills mosquitos in the dark, and it's a fantastic taking piece as mine slots into a zippo.
Only downside is I can't use my zippo for light on the off chance I get trapped in a dark tunnel.
Zippo sucks imo because the gas evaporates so quick
Exactly, as a non smoker, I don't use it enough to justify the cost of fuel. That's why I like the arch lighter insert. All the look and feel of a zippo but I have to fuel it annually instead of hourly and it takes USB instead of oil.
Neat! Didn’t know these existed.
A key wallet ; Keep your keys organized, stops them from jingling, can put smart cards in it too. Easier to hand off to friends to borrow. I hate jingling keys.