What's the most unexpectedly useful item you've ever bought under $20?
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A back scratcher. Got a pack of 4 for a few bucks after one I was gifted broke. I'm old and have one quite arthritic shoulder, so half of my own back is unreachable. It's especially shitful getting an itchy back at night, but now I don't need to get up to relieve it. I use it every day, and every day I bless the person who first gifted me one.
My grandfather had this thing called the bear claw! It was basically a strip of pointy plastic tines and it fit over an out-facing wall corner.
I found myself with a back scratcher in every room as I got older until I learned that the reason my back is constantly itchy is because my fine back hair.
I bought this thing called The Man Groomer which is basically an extendable back shaver, and now I don't use back scratchers anymore... Honestly a humongous relief from needing to scratch my back like 75 times a day. Now I need to scratch it zero times.
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What do you use to wash your back? I have a brush but it keeps slipping out of my hand.
These are my solution, I have bad shoulders... I get them at the dollar store.
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I thought you meant baklava and I thought, yes, good idea. Have baklava in mouth at all times.
I’m not going to argue with this one. We all need more baklava.
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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'm an old lady but I also happen to use linux! You don't have to be a tech neckbeard for that, just dislike Windows.
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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.
+1 for the Aeropress!
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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.
Ooh, good idea! I hate all those lights.
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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.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]I've tried (electrical tape) that but found it is gummy and leaves a sticky mess.
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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.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]I'm one of those who gave my bread maker away. The problem was when I was making bread with it, it was so good I'd quickly eat it all up and kept gaining weight, so I stopped using it.
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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.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]might I interest you in an N95 respirator? those germs would still end up in your lungs by just wearing a cloth
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I don't have a device for this, but I do the same thing by running water as hot as I can stand over bites and it works.
Yeah I use the hottest running water and also scrub it with soap to get as much as possible off.
I've also used a hair dryer to heat the bites up but you have to be careful not to hold it too close to the skin and burn yourself. I'm very reactive to bug bites and I seem to get a million bites within seconds of going outside.
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Make sure you also test it while drunk or heavily drugged up.
Isn't that the time most people would think of testing it on themselves?
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Waterproof mattress protector. Pays for itself after one accident or spill.
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An emergancy fm/am radio with a crank generator and solar panels.
Came in clutch when power was out, not only could I listen in on the news, I could also charge my phone.
I'd list it as unexpected because I did not expect to actually have to use it. But im really glad I had it.
The answer to infection is here
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I've found that it tastes kinda plasticky compared to my glass French press. Am I aeropressing wrong?
Is it an authentic aeropress, not a cheap knockoff? There are a bunch that sell under the same name but aren't in fact manufactured by aeropress ltd., and those can taste off since the cheap plastic is not certified for use with boiling water, and might not even be bpa free.
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A large magnet. I bought it on a whim ~20 years ago for $20 (still online for same price). I got it on a whim while buying gifts from an educational toy website. It comes in handy whenever I drop something small that ferrous or just need it to hold onto things.
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I have one always in my pocket, too, but I'd argue it's not "unexpectedly useful".
Ima be honest, I didn't think it would be this useful. I just thought it was probably ok for a good emergency knife but I have used all of the tools in this small handy dandy tool many times over.
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Honing does remove material. It shears off the ragged edge grains, and presses the other grains into alignment.
Anytime you use a hone, you can run your fingertips along the knife edge and gather the removed grains of material.
It's a very small detail but to say that a hone does not damage a knife or remove material isn't 100% right.
Oh I thought it just aligns the edge. I guess it does remove an amount of material. But I think it should be a lot less than sharpening
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A swiss army knife sd classic. I have it on my keychain and use it a lot
Yes, this. The best multi tool is the one you have on you on when you need it, and with one of these on my keys, I comes in handy more often then I thought it would.
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I became a full-on programmer after joining Lemmy. Coincidence?
Nope not a coincidence at all
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Is it an authentic aeropress, not a cheap knockoff? There are a bunch that sell under the same name but aren't in fact manufactured by aeropress ltd., and those can taste off since the cheap plastic is not certified for use with boiling water, and might not even be bpa free.
It's Aeropress
and purchased from a reputable roaster. I suppose it's unknowable to me if some shenanigans were pulled further up the supply chain.I'll add that the thing I noticed is that it tastes plasticky if I use water at 205°F but not 185°. I prefer the hotter temp because I think it gives a better extraction, and I need the caffeines.
