does stealing it count? because that would be a boxed copy of redhat linux from best buy in the late 90s/early 2000s. yes, i found a way to steal linux
I went through a glasses addiction myself as well lol. I found an eye-care clinic where they would cut the lenses and have them ready within 3 hours.
I would go to garage sales, thrift stores, and swap meets to find glasses to put lenses on. They were like $60 for the lenses and I never spent more than $10 on frames.
I ended up with 3 seeing glasses and 4 sun glasses before I realized it was going to be unsustainable to get new lenses for my new prescription every year.
Smart vacuum cleaner. You pay once for not needing to vacuum your house anymore - best deal ever.
An E-reader. There's no more space in my house for book shelves. I've a ton of books stored inappropriately in a bunch of cabinets and on top of furniture, that I hope to find new homes for before irreparable damage is done to their spine.
Having an e-reader also helped me in the gym. Instead of doomscrolling on lemmy or tiktok, I read between sets. Helped me regain my reading habit and kick my social media habit. Also, helped my social anxiety of having to rest longer than half a minute when other people might want to use the iron I'm using.
This is a great shout. Since I stopped commuting 6yrs ago my reading is almost entirely non existent. Doing it between sets means I can give my brain a workout while the guns get one :D
TOP OF THE LIST: bidet (duh),
electric water kettle (fuck gas stoves and also faster),
$3 metal tongue scrapper (clean ass mouth),
noise cancelling headphones (it's amazing not going back),
slow cooker (it's impressive how lazy i am. spend an hour cruising slow cooking recipes on reddit/chaptgpt, pick out 10+, set for life),
piratebay
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
50+ pack of small white rags and using those instead of paper towels. simple washer after all used to reuse
cheap air purifier in room @ night, clean air and dual white noise maker.
small $10 desk usb fan. fuck running the A/C just turn this guy on.
electric space heater. depending on your climate, you don't need central gas heat just get space heater and shut the door to the room you're in.
A house. My mortgage is cheaper than rent, and now I get to actually address annoyances with my living conditions.
It's almost 100 years old, and a bit of an fixer upper, but the important stuff is solid. Last summer I invested in proper drainage around the foundation so that I can start making the basement livable. This year I invested in a proper bathroom. Next year it's a new kitchen. And if time allows I'll start rebuilding the basement mainly for one extra bed room and an office.
Hold onto it long enough and it will be eventually. Home ownership is the only real cheat code we have against inflation.
A dishwasher... For a family, it saves a huge amount of time and water.
Blackout curtains, they are the only reason I'm surviving working nightshift
A fluffy eye mask has helped me here! I sleep like a little baby now.
Synology NAS (basically a hard drive always connected to the home network and internet) - has been amazing for auto-backing-up photos from the family phones and for running Plex run my own personal streaming service for the whole family around the world. Has been great for file transfer too. I can easily move files between my phone, PC, Steam Deck, etc and all the USB memory sticks I had have been sitting in a drawer ever since.
Exercise compression thermals - wear these is super comfortable and really warm. I wear them constantly at home and can have the heating off almost all winter (UK). Saves tons of energy and money.
Electric blanket - another great low energy purchase for relaxing under when watching TV or warming up the bed before sleeping. Gets super hot while hardly using any energy at all.
Split unit air con installation - this was expensive and I thought it would be unnecessary in the UK, but it seems to be used more and more every summer as we get more heatwaves and summers are becoming unbearable.
Safety razors - I have really thick facial hair and the multi-blade razors from big name brands would dull really quickly and cause tons of shaving rash. These razors are sharper, last longer, are recyclable and much better for my skin.
Liquid ink refillable rollerball pens - I tried fountain pens after seeing the online communities that are crazy about them, and really didn't like them. I found rollerball pens I like that take fountain pen ink and have been super happy with them. I write a lot at work and this has gotten rid of the plastic waste of throwing away used disposable ballpoint refills every couple of weeks.
Hitbox controller - I've been playing Street Fighter 6 since release and I made a leverless controller box myself and I've loved using it to play SF6. Managed to make it for one third the price of what these things sell for and completely customised it.
Sunglasses and UV-blocking clothes.
With the first I discovered that I have a high sensitivity to light, now I can see much more during the day.
And the second is very useful, protecting me from sun without the need to worry about sunscreen (except for the face)
I have the same issue with light, had prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses, and had to switch between the two frequently. Finally got prescription transitions and they're incredible, I no longer have to think about my glasses at all. Just put them on and go.
In last 5 years for me:
- a pair of decent (second hand) speakers
- a cheap (blue switches ftw) mechanical keyboard
- a standing desk
- an ergonomic chair
(sorry it's not single item...)
I'm glad that works for you!
In my house we have roller shutters and they make you see nothing.
I've been at places without proper shutters.. tried sleep masks.. and they don't fully block light nor do they stay in place after even a single turn in bed. I ended up wrapping one of my black stockings around my head like a blind fold to actually sleep. >.<'
My PC, now I can stay 24/7 at home, so now I don't even need to leave home, I remote work, I remotely socialize, and this helps me to get out of this physical world.
I would like to say some other item, but I don't leave my PC.
