Asking for a friend
Gonna jump on to the bicycle recommendation.
Use it for all of your transportation needs (I bus or Lyft when biking is not feasible) and you'll save oodles of money that you can use to grab other items from this thread eventually.
bidet bidet bidet bidet bidet bidet bidet
theyre like 20 bucks on amazon if u own a toilet highly recommend this is the shit i got (im sure theres more ethcial places to buy this shit idk)
https://www.amazon.com/SAMSICHI-Attachment-Retractable-Cleaning-Existing/dp/B0C56SCBM4
high key if you have hard water i had a problem where my water nozzle stopped automatically retracting after like 1.5 years bc of mineral buildup but it was 20 bucks so i cant be too disappointed so i guess not too lasting but idk maybe ill buy a more expensive one next time
you could probably soak it in some strong acid to remove the limescale, or spray it regularly with something like vinegar or lemon juice.
thanks for the rec, i'll try that out
im p sure what happened is that the limescale filled the bottom of the nozzle giving it just enough weight that it stays down with the water pressure off. i'll try soaking that bit in vinegar and pray it doesn't melt the plastic too much lmao
Depends entirely on what you have. I'd say a used eReader and a VPN is one of the absolute best bang for your buck entertainment methods, but you can get by with your phone for reading if you don't read much. An Aeropress is fantastic for those who like coffee and don't have anything for making it. A good pillow, socks, shoes, and underwear goes a very long way, as does a comfy hoodie and sweatpants for lounging. Most of these can be quite inexpensive. If you're vegan, a good quality blender is night and day for making sauces and creams, milks, etc, or even a gym membership or set of dumbells can be massive for your fitness goals if you have any, along with a scale for you and a scale for food if this is something you personally want to do. No personal responsibility bullshit.
Try to think of what's missing from your life, any habits you wish you had to supplement your life or any you think need improvement, and go from there! This answer varies from person to person.
A good pair of shoes, especially if you're on your feet a lot. Your body will thank you now and in the future for spending a couple hundred bucks on a pair of good quality shoes. It depends on what you're doing but I do most of my running around in ASICS and I can feel the difference if I wear almost anything else. There are good choices in Brooks, Saucony, New Balance, and Mizuno as well
Agreed. I usually wear On. I know a ton of people love Hoka (I think they're ugly). But my MIL has really bad hip/knee/ankle issues and she has to be on her feet for work all day. Hoka was a life saver when she found them
Altras are great if your feet are both flat and wide. And one of their new sets if basically Hokas with a toebox.
I'd second ASICS, 12hr lab rotations people swore by them, me doing 12hr retail shifts I swear by them, get the sporty cloud looking ones, they seem to last longer than the more typical sneaker looking ones. They're not very waterproof nor that great on mud/solid ice if you run into that a lot.
If you can't afford good shoes make do with compression socks and stacking insoles. I made a 10 dollar pair go the distance with those hacks.
I’m on the barefoot shoe wave, I’m sure it’s not for everybody but if you have the time to get used to them imo they help tremendously with joint pain in your legs and foot pain. I feel much stronger in my feet and have far fewer aches when standing all day in them and there are lots of cheap options
solid knives and pots/pans for cooking. Good, big ones that will survive the fucking apocalypse.
a duffel or backpack that's tough as nails
Costs money, doesn't have any type of coating, isn't being sold door-to-door.
Any of the 3+ ply stainless cookware from any brand these days is damn near indestructible. Same goes for cast iron if you're willing to take care of it.
Nonstick cookware is, functionally, disposable cookware. It's gonna last a few years with great care, but will need to be replaced after X number of uses.
Non-pan/knife kitchenware: stainless steel or glass, generally. Nylon or silicone for nonstick cookware.
Knives: people have opinions about knives. For an average chef/not-knife-nerd, most of those opinions aren't going to make enough difference to be relevant. Decent steel for knives isn't particularly hard to come by. If you know how to chop veg and such, and find a knife that feels like it fits your hand well, you'll probably be fine. Find somewhere to have it sharpened periodically, learn to use a honing rod. Restaurant brands like victorinox, mercer culinary, dexter russell will do just fine if you know how to use a honing rod, and are very cheap at restaurant supply stores. Mid-range consumer-focused brands like Zwilling/Henckels or any cookware brand are generally fine. Fancy-pants knives like global/wusthof/shun are $$$$ and worthy of actual research and thought and hands-on time before buying.
Nobody really needs a "knife set", at least not as seen on big box store shelves. Get a big honkin' chef's knife and a little paring knife and go from there.
Stay away from serrated blades except for bread and maybe tomatoes; you're not gonna be able to do your own maintenance on them or really get them properly sharpened anywhere so they're in the same category as nonstick cookware.
I like your takes. Regarding knives, best thing I ever did was take a knife skills class. Probably could have also watched a bunch of YouTube. But my cooking satisfaction went way up after learning to be competent with knives.
Also I'd add a Dutch oven to your equipment list. Beyond braising and stews, I use mine a lot for making bread.
Or just ask me, I have a lot of opinions and like to speak authoritatively about things.
Any cheap ass carbon steel skillet from a restaurant supply store will be completely fine and very durable. You don't need to buy 5-ply allclad stainless steel for everything, only for recipes that use the fond for a pan sauce really, or maybe recipes that require adding acidic ingredients early in cooking.
If I had no pans I would get a carbon steel comal and a regular old stainless steel saucepan as my #1 and #2 and then probably get an Instant Pot for #3 so I can get those tasty tasty beans.
We're stretching the budget now, but good sleeping bag too.
I'm gonna approach this question a different way and assume a situation where you're living out of a car or on someone's couch. A kind of basic kit for stuff that isn't a revolving good like food or hygiene products.
- Basic, versatile wardrobe from thrift stores. Try to find high quality brands. If you're in a mixed climate this will be more expensive and you have to think in terms of layers. For places without much seasonal change, you can afford more variety. You can buy new for socks and underwear.
- Comfortable footwear that will protect you from water. Walking will be your main mode of transport.
- Tools like a knife, flashlight, a small mess kit (spoon, fork, cup/bowl). Reusable water container that's easy to clean. Sewing kit.
- Something that will keep you dry when spending extended periods in the rain. Probably a poncho over an umbrella. Something that fits over your body and pack.
- Accessories like a hat and sunglasses for spending time in the sun. Throw in a couple bandanas.
- A basic pre-paid phone that can do wifi calling and can run a web browser. A small notebook with blue and black pens. A sharpie.
- Build a first-aid kit from scratch to maximize space/weight
- A good bag to carry it all in, something that won't hurt your shoulders
- Small grooming kit (comb, brush, scissors, mirror, nail clippers, file)
All this isn't completely necessary if you scrounge and scavenge a little more. You can leave out the mess kit and just take free silverware packs. Hotels usually have free note pads and pens. Churches and shelters may give out some grooming stuff and clothing.
Are they good? I remember they used to advertise so heavily on NPR that I figured they were not.
They're generally considered the gold standard in office chairs, and you can get them fairly cheap from office liquidation sales. Steelcase is another good brand if it's not Miller Time for you
At an old job, I liked my chair so much that I called the barely-visible number on the faded sticker on the bottom to find out what it was, found out it was an Aeron and got me one. The great thing about a new one is the long-ass warranty. An arm snapped off mine maybe 7 years after I got it and they replaced both arms.
I think they're uncomfortable, but a lot of people swear by them.
Secondhand Herman Miller anything. Or steelcase.
Herman Miller Aeron. Herman Miller Embody. Herman Miller Mirra. Steelcase Gesture. Steelcase Leap.
A good chair is a huge quality of life improvement if you're an office worker or PC gamer.
Especially if you spend large amounts of time sitting at a desk. Nice chair helps soooo much
On the same kind of note, a mattress and good quality linens, or blackout blinds and a humidifier. Anything that improves your sleep is huge.
You could get a cheap pistol which could lead to several other lifestyle improvements if you used it well. Jokes aside I think for that ammount of money it depends on your local environment. I could say good cold weather gear but maybe you aren't in a place with cold weather. I could say a car tow hitch but you might not be in a place where people drive alot and you could save thousands by being able to tow friends cars. You could probably take a class in something and that be the thing I think. I dunno what things you are intrested in but that would be my vote.
A Phillips sonicare toothbrush and a bunch of the heads. Idk if any other "sonic" or electric toothbrushes are similarly effective but it's one of the few things I've bought in the last 10 years that I unequivocally recommend to everybody.
I always used to have one or two little problems when I would go to the dentist normally and ever since getting it I'm golden. When I have to go somewhere without it for a few days and take a regular toothbrush my mouth starts to feel disgusting.
I got one from a brand called Aquasonic a few years ago now and it's still going strong. It was about $30 and came with I think 12 extra brushes? Anyway, a great alternative to the more expensive brands imo.
electric toothbrushes are basically a duopoly between sonicare and oral-b, studies are equal for both. main difference between the two is that sonicare uses vibration and you brush normally with it, oral-b is more like a oscillating electric car buffer so you basically slide it over the teeth as it does the brushing motion. i prefer the oral-b after trying both only because the head is smaller and that helps me reach my back molars/wisdom teeth easier
only recommendation for buying one is that make sure it has a 4 quadrant timer and a pressure sensor that alerts you when you're brushing too hard, these are features usually in the 30-50 buck range, anything over that is giving you random phone app bullshit you dont need lmao
if you really, really wanna splurge on this shit i hear the new magnetic drive oral-b brushes are pretty good but they cost way too much for me to consider buying one
I love the sonicare vibration and I can't imagine anything being better but your other contribution to this thread is my other unequivocal recommendation so you might be on to something.
I think Xiaomi makes some electric toothbrushes but idk if they are any good.
Products I own that I have gotten way more value out of than I expected:
Philips Norelco electric shaver- paid about $40 for it over 10 years ago and use it daily. Works just as well as new with annual razor changes (about $20).
Oral B electric toothbrush- the Sonicare toothbrush was previously mentioned in the replies and this is just the alternative I use. Again, over 10 years of daily use.
Inzer lever lifting belt- bought it for about $100 20(!!) years ago and I thought it was a pricy purchase for the time. Now I see it as an absolute bargain. I've been using this thing 3x a week for the past 20 years through thousands of squat sets and not one stitch on the leather is loose.
Instant Pot- I can't believe how much a simple pressure cooker has changed my life for the better but the time and money this saves me can not be understated. I've been using this nearly daily for the past 5 years and now consider it essential to my daily routine.
Foam roller- any dense foam roller will do. Mine was 20 bucks and will last a lifetime. Everyone can benefit from daily rolling.
echoing others:
- a comfortable pair of all weather shoes (rain and cold is a thing that happens where i am) that can be shined up to work in a formal setting. they aren't as great as they once where, but i got a newer pair of doc martens and they have been comfy and durable over the 100+ miles of walking i've done in the last 3 months. they come up higher on the ankle than the more formal docs i bought back in the late 90s, which are still great and comfortable. i'm sure there are nicer shoes/boots for the discerning customer, but i'm basic.
- a bidet attachment for your toilet. it will probably pay for itself in saved toilet paper. there are cheapies for $20-30 which are totally great. for my second one i decided to dollar down and get a $50 one and it's magnificent, all high quality components made hooking it up a breeze.
- an entry level, basic tier rice maker with steam tray. i got a 10 year old one secondhand Aroma like 6 years ago, and it still crushes. would i like an S-tier Zojirushi that sings to me and makes my rice most auspiciously? yes. but i am not upgrading until the Aroma shits the bed.
- the lowest tier vitamix
- instapot
i got a bidet seat from costco because i found a $150 gift card in my wallet when I was finally cleaning it out after many years.. i have no idea where the card came from or how i got it.. my partner doesn't know either. We decided a bidet might be cool to try and now I don't think we can go back to not having one.
yeah, it's like of like trying dual monitors, except for b-hole hygiene.
If you have pets I highly recommend a robot vacuum. I have a Roomba brand one but other brands have decent ones too. Having a freshly vacuumed floor every day is sooo nice.
They do like 90% as good a job vacuuming as a person does but if you’re like me vacuuming more than twice a week feels like a lot, so 90% every day on a set schedule is better overall.
How well do those work around household clutter though?
I think I might be a pretty un-neat person...
Depends on the clutter. Cables are the thing it really hates. Definitely helps to pick up the floor before you run it though, even if that’s just throwing stuff onto the nearest surface.
Personally I found it just makes me less bad about leaving shit on the floor, something I used to be really bad about.
Fabrics, papers, cables, hair ties. Ask your self "will this slide under the roomba?" Or "will two spinning rollers or a spinning brush latch on to this?" Otherwise if the object is big enough or heavy enough it'll bounce off it or navigate around it.
Yeah I got one several months ago and can't live without it now. Not sure about any other brands, but the roborock maps your house and let's you set up schedules so it can do things like cleaning up around the litter box once an hour. It cleans the whole house before I wake up and stepping out onto freshly swept carpet every morning is amazing. Have a routine for after meals where it cleans the kitchen and around the dining table. But mostly yeah never stepping on litter again is amazing if you have a cat.
The nicer/newer roomba brand ones do the same thing. I set it to do the living room and office before I wake up and then it does the bedroom while I’m at work, it’s great. It also does straight parallel vacuum lines on the floor, which is a small detail but is super nice.
Gotta agree. Especially if your place is tiles or hard floors. I got a second hand one like ten years ago and it’s still going, though I’ve had to fix it up and replace parts over the years. They’re literally perfect if you have pets tbh. Definitely a bougie option but a worthy one.
Are you saying you vacuum more or less often than that? Having a dog and two cats ideally I’d vacuum every day but I simply do not have the energy for that. Twice a week is me being good, once a week is probably what I do more often.
Oh yeah no, in an apartment that’s mostly carpet with a dog and two cats, daily would be my ideal. The mostly carpet part is pretty important though, vacuuming was the only way to clean, sweeping wasn’t an option.
A good knife, and you wouldn't need 590£.
Shoes or boots, as others have said.
A good solid power drill if you're like me.
Whatever you use every day, most of the day, get a real solid version of that. Shoes, bedding, office chair, anti fatigue mats, knives, tools.
Dental work, too, though idk how much 500$ will get you.
Good to see we both went for the joke of a sword being a good small business invesment
If you don’t have one grab a cheap blender. Moderately healthy fruit smoothies for pennies on the dollar compared to a smoothie shop.
frozen fruit is crazy cheap and the texture is much better than ice cubes+fresh fruit
and the frozen fruit is often riper than the fresh grocery store fruit
I don't think I saw it mentioned but here goes: A double edged safety razor.
Better shave, better for the environment, and cheaper in the long run. Just make sure you also get a razor blade disposal case and make sure those blades are safely recycled.
The bottom of the razor blade case usually has a place to dispose the blades.
To add to this, once you are good with a double edged safety razor it’s better for your skin as well. Took me 4-5 shaves to get used to it and then I had zero cuts or redness post shave.
Also get a nice synthetic shaving brush and a block of vegan shaving soap and you’ll save a fortune, good shaving soap lasts a long time.
Finally get a alum block for post-shave skincare and if climate appropriate one for using as an anti-perspirant too.
And then congrats! You have a zero-waste daily skincare / hygiene routine.
Hey, this is kind of embarrassing to admit but what is shaving soap and the brush used for? I tend to just use a regular ass skin cleanser and since I go clean shaven I never got a badger brush. Also the alum block sounds interesting.
EDIT: Just googled it and it looks like it’s just shaving cream but better in literally every conceivable way and badger brushes are just how you put it on.
Yeah it's exactly that. I used to use shaving foam but I think the lather from soap is better and easier to continuously apply, plus canned foam is very wasteful.
I kid you not I fished out some shaving soap I got for Christmas last year and used it instead of my shaving cream and I can’t believe the difference.
No surviving hairs, less cuts, it’s great!
I was going to write the exact same thing. Safety razor has saved me a lot of money.
