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  1. Home
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  3. What's the most unexpectedly useful item you've ever bought under $20?

What's the most unexpectedly useful item you've ever bought under $20?

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  • zier@fedia.ioZ [email protected]

    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.

    little8lost@lemmy.worldL This user is from outside of this forum
    little8lost@lemmy.worldL This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #36

    Chopsticks are also nice to mix fluids in a bottle because for some they are long enough
    I also started eating potato chips with them, can reach deeper in + clean hands

    nailbar@sopuli.xyzN J nusm@piefed.zipN 3 Replies Last reply
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    • T [email protected]

      A swizzle stick?

      Apparently there's a collector's club for these, but none of them displayed in photos were the twisted kind, so I didn't link there.

      O This user is from outside of this forum
      O This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote on last edited by
      #37

      Not a plastic swizzle stick, a bar spoon. They are stainless steel and have various ends. This is the teardrop, makes stirring ice easier. There's also a coin (flat disc on the end that op was talking about), that is used for muddling and can also be used to stir ice, and the trident used to get garnishes out of jars like cherries and olives. Source: I am a bartender

      T R 2 Replies Last reply
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      • E [email protected]
        This post did not contain any content.
        Z This user is from outside of this forum
        Z This user is from outside of this forum
        [email protected]
        wrote on last edited by
        #38

        Even though I don't regularly use it, I'm glad I have a p38 can opener on my keychain. Just in case I end up in a survival situation, it's good to have alongside a good keychain bottle opener. Obviously not as good as a leatherman, but for under $20, yeah, these two are worth it.

        S P B 3 Replies Last reply
        0
        • H [email protected]

          I think it's home cook weird shit, now sell me something to get rid of fried food smell from clothes. I'll live with garlic and onions which smell amazing over fried oil smell that saturate you skin and leave you as a soggy French fry

          L This user is from outside of this forum
          L This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote on last edited by [email protected]
          #39

          https://www.justrite.com/emergency-cubicle-shower-shower-and-covered-abs-eyeface-wash-strip-screens-hand-activated-sd32k45g?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22616905379&gbraid=0AAAAAoV7W1KvFQTcMpAyzX7MdG54YHuli

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • Z [email protected]

            Even though I don't regularly use it, I'm glad I have a p38 can opener on my keychain. Just in case I end up in a survival situation, it's good to have alongside a good keychain bottle opener. Obviously not as good as a leatherman, but for under $20, yeah, these two are worth it.

            S This user is from outside of this forum
            S This user is from outside of this forum
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            wrote on last edited by
            #40

            Now you need to find a can in a survival situation.

            Z 1 Reply Last reply
            4
            • S This user is from outside of this forum
              S This user is from outside of this forum
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              wrote on last edited by
              #41

              I always have metal chopsticks on me.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • tetris11@lemmy.mlT This user is from outside of this forum
                tetris11@lemmy.mlT This user is from outside of this forum
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                wrote on last edited by
                #42

                I dont understand how people eat with metal or plastic chopsticks. Wood? Sure, it practically holds itself

                meekah@lemmy.worldM 1 Reply Last reply
                2
                • S [email protected]

                  A good, insulated cup. I make ice coffee every morning and a good cup doesn't get condensation and keeps the coffee cold for hours (I drink slowly while I work)

                  tetris11@lemmy.mlT This user is from outside of this forum
                  tetris11@lemmy.mlT This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #43

                  got any recommedations?

                  undulyunruly@lemmy.worldU S 2 Replies Last reply
                  1
                  • O [email protected]

                    Not a plastic swizzle stick, a bar spoon. They are stainless steel and have various ends. This is the teardrop, makes stirring ice easier. There's also a coin (flat disc on the end that op was talking about), that is used for muddling and can also be used to stir ice, and the trident used to get garnishes out of jars like cherries and olives. Source: I am a bartender

                    T This user is from outside of this forum
                    T This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by [email protected]
                    #44

                    Ah, I'm no bartender but every cocktail kit I've had has referred to them interchangeably. I was thinking of the spoon style but ironically ran out of metaphorical spoons while trying to find a good example. Thanks.

                    edit: Added missing words.

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                    • E [email protected]
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                      tetris11@lemmy.mlT This user is from outside of this forum
                      tetris11@lemmy.mlT This user is from outside of this forum
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                      wrote on last edited by
                      #45

                      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

                      little8lost@lemmy.worldL W I K F 7 Replies Last reply
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                      • E [email protected]
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                        little8lost@lemmy.worldL This user is from outside of this forum
                        little8lost@lemmy.worldL This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #46

                        An extention cord thingy.
                        I got it in some cheap chinese goods place so i thik it was like 15€.
                        It was an impulsive purchase (i am the type to get tools impulsivly)
                        But for a long time it was a useless dust catcher.
                        After i moved there finally where oppertunities for it.
                        So at that point it got unexpectedly useful.

                        For summer i reccommend buying a hand fan + a spray bottle (spray water on skin & use fan, its really nice)

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • E [email protected]
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                          nebulaone@lemmy.worldN This user is from outside of this forum
                          nebulaone@lemmy.worldN This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote on last edited by [email protected]
                          #47
                          • 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
                          Z 1 Reply Last reply
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                          • E [email protected]
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                            mothra@mander.xyzM This user is from outside of this forum
                            mothra@mander.xyzM This user is from outside of this forum
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                            wrote on last edited by
                            #48

                            A mini pen I keep on my lanyard.

                            Cost me like $2.50, I thought it was too expensive for what I was getting but it works. Now when those bitches lose the pens, I can still write instead of dancing a pat-everything-pat-myself-look-for-pen-everywhere

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • tetris11@lemmy.mlT [email protected]

                              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

                              little8lost@lemmy.worldL This user is from outside of this forum
                              little8lost@lemmy.worldL This user is from outside of this forum
                              [email protected]
                              wrote on last edited by [email protected]
                              #49

                              Somewhere i worked had that. (Edit: but more for privacy)
                              It was so funny seeing passerbys using it as a mirror.
                              Absolutly funny 10/10

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              7
                              • V [email protected]

                                Not sure what you mean by this. Are you just trying to gage some reason because it's a German company? They made heating pads, heated blankets, stuff like that.

                                E This user is from outside of this forum
                                E This user is from outside of this forum
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                                wrote on last edited by
                                #50

                                I think they're referring to Bayer, which was absolutely active during that time...

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                4
                                • L [email protected]

                                  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!

                                  ::: spoiler Nerdage
                                  The 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.
                                  :::

                                  I This user is from outside of this forum
                                  I This user is from outside of this forum
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                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #51

                                  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

                                  1 Reply Last reply
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                                  • T [email protected]

                                    I knew I wouldn't regret starting to use user notes.Demonstration of user note reminding me that I share a fandom with this user

                                    I This user is from outside of this forum
                                    I This user is from outside of this forum
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                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #52

                                    Isn’t everyone a better off Ted fan? Some people just don’t know it yet.

                                    Actually, I just realized that I have only seen Portia de Rossi in two things and they were both fucking killer. Maybe I should watch ally mcbeal…

                                    T 1 Reply Last reply
                                    5
                                    • I [email protected]

                                      Isn’t everyone a better off Ted fan? Some people just don’t know it yet.

                                      Actually, I just realized that I have only seen Portia de Rossi in two things and they were both fucking killer. Maybe I should watch ally mcbeal…

                                      T This user is from outside of this forum
                                      T This user is from outside of this forum
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                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #53

                                      Both excellent points!

                                      1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • tetris11@lemmy.mlT [email protected]

                                        I dont understand how people eat with metal or plastic chopsticks. Wood? Sure, it practically holds itself

                                        meekah@lemmy.worldM This user is from outside of this forum
                                        meekah@lemmy.worldM This user is from outside of this forum
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                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #54

                                        Yeah rice is impossible for me with anything but wooden chopsticks

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • T [email protected]

                                          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.

                                          meekah@lemmy.worldM This user is from outside of this forum
                                          meekah@lemmy.worldM This user is from outside of this forum
                                          [email protected]
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #55

                                          These are mostly a myth to my understanding.

                                          There is some theory on how the chromium in stainless steel could help with breaking down and removing the smelly compounds from onions and garlic off your hands, but there aren't any studies proving this.

                                          In my experience just properly washing your hands with water for 15-20s works just as well. I think the "soap" kinda works because it tricks people to not just rinse their hands.

                                          T L 2 Replies Last reply
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