Eneloop rechargeable batteries. Having to look around for new batteries whenever a regular alkaline battery dies was annoying.
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Inexpensive life-changing purchases
- Thread starter Wag
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Coffee/Tea warmer. don't have to worry about your drink getting cold. 3 temp settings.
Whaaaaatttttt!!!
I think I was getting mixed up between all the "2000 mAh" and "2100 charges" thrown around in the descriptions, sorry. If you have the pack above, it should be the current 2000 mAh. As long as the (Regular) pack says something about holding a 70% charge for 10 years, that's the most recent version. And of course, be wary of buying from questionable sellers, including Amazon's "Fulfilled by Amazon" listings.
There's Pro versions if you want more charge, but those are a little bit thicker (can cause fit issues in some devices), can only be recharged about 500 times, and have some other quirks. But they're apparently better for flashlights, etc (I've never owned any, so I can't confirm): https://eneloop101.com/batteries/eneloop-pro/
These things do work pretty well! They have my endorsement. Also rubbing your hands on stainless steel (like, the wall of a sink) will get the garlic smell off, which is another useful (if not life-changing) tip to know.
A garlic peeler. Just roll those fuckers in there to get rid of the skin. Super fast and easier than trying to get it off with your nails.
Why Does Stainless Steel Erase Garlic's Smell?
Why Does Stainless Steel Erase Garlic's Smell?
You shouldn't use soap on cast iron pans. It destroys the seasoning which is like 90% of the appeal.
I'd fear for my seasoning using one of these, but maybe it's ok. I've always been fine rubbing what i can off with my fingers under warm running water (pan has to cool a bit obviously), and then anything else I can feel on the pan but can't get off with my fingers, using a plastic scraper like this:
Haven't had any issue with the seasoning on my pans and I use the chain mail. I also have the scrapers, but the chain mail is better when I get lazy and leave shit on the pan for a day or two.
This is a myth. The seasoning survives dish soap just fine. Soap used to have lye in it which absolutely does destroy the seasoning, but it's not in dish soap any more. Washing your cast iron with soap and water like any other pot is easier and faster than scrubbing it and scrubbing it with this that or the other thing. I've done both and have been using soap and water for about three years now and my pans are still beautifully seasoned and I'm sure as shit not going back to not using soap.
Yeah.
I will say that the purported-panacea seasoning of flaxseed oil did not survive any cleaning, soap or not, so if you've done that recently you may have bad luck, but otherwise yeah, three years cleaning my pans with soap and they're fine. I wash them in hot soapy water, dry the bottom with a towel and put them on my stove on the lowest setting. I then dry the inside with a paper towel or other rag. Once hot and dry, I put a super thin coat of oil on (like it's not wet to the touch thin) and turn the element off.
Just wanted to say I bought a pair too, they arrived but they're currently wrapped for Xmas. My Wife already has 50 other pairs of shoes, so it'll be interesting to see what she thinks of these or they'll just join the huge pile.
Will update on Xmas.
Nice. I hope she likes them. They've really changed my life. My wife got me Stitch fix for Christmas and it arrived early. I tried on some regular brown leather shoes and that's what prompted me to buy a pair of brown leather Kiziks.
A garlic peeler. Just roll those fuckers in there to get rid of the skin. Super fast and easier than trying to get it off with your nails.
Dude just use the knife, chop the root end off the clove, and crush the whole thing. Skin slides off in one piece.
Base roomba with the smart scheduling is fine as a starter. Later models really just add mapping and later the ability to select no go zones virtually, self-empty, specify 'clean under the dining table' etc. But you don't need those initially.
My wife was skeptical but absolutely loves ours now. One of the best purchases ever. We've also ditched our 'real' cleaner and just have the roomba + a handheld for corners/stairs/spot cleaning etc.
I've used bag balm my whole life. Those tins will last a decade+. I will use it on my knuckles and dry spots on my back during winter. All this o keeffe talk has me curious though. Going to pick some up today.
It's not a bidet, but it might be the next best thing.
A push down pump. I keep one of these on the counter next to the toilet. Fold up some toilet paper, press down on it, and then you have wet toilet paper.
Just enough water to get it wet without turning it into a sopping, nasty mess.
I got this one off amazon.
Cable management box
There's different designs but this is what I use. This stops me from kicking the power strip and cables under my desk.
Travel bidet
Buying my first bidet kind of ruined traveling for me. Using paper at work, etc, is bad enough, but going a week without a bidet is unbearable. Then I found these things on Amazon and it changed everything for me.
This is the one I have, but there are others. It's not as good as a real bidet, but it works almost as well. You fill it up in the sink (bonus: you can use any temp water you want), screw on the tip, and then reach back and spray. The bottle is soft plastic, so it's easy to squeeze to get water pressure (and it doesn't crinkle or anything). The tip is angled, so you don't have to get too close. And it's easy to rinse/wash it when you wash your hands.
When you're done, the tip can be unscrewed and the inserted into the bottle upside down to reduce the footprint, and then stored in the bag. When we travel, I keep it in a drawer in the bathroom or under the sink. I NEVER travel without it since buying it 5 or 6 years ago.
As someone without a car and with shops in walking distance I find this thing really damn useful:
(goes by the brand name Clax)
A foldable shopping trolley (folds down to the size of the bottom level and has small feet to stand on its side then, you can detach the wheels if you need it even smaller) that takes those standard folding boxes so you just shop with the trolley, push it home and detach the box to carry it up the stairs.
Damn $200 is a bit much, but it's the only one of trolleys I found that really tick all the boxes I need. I currently use a wagon I got at Academy but it's unwieldy to use.
It's been pointed out here more than once, but a white noise machine has literally saved me from my noisy neighbour. It's actively changed my life
Has it been explained how these are necessary when there are a million other things you can use for white noise, including white noise apps on your phone or whatever? Do they produce better white noise or is it just a matter of convenience having a dedicated white noise machine?
They generally go louder, especially than a phone speaker, and have more sound options. Plus I'd prefer to not just have my phone's speaker running for 8 hours a night.
I could see an Amazon Echo or something doing a similar job, but I'd never use my phone
I use an Amazon Echo for it, and it works pretty well. I started using it to help my kids sleep, but now my wife relies on it to sleep. (We do brown noise instead of white noise, though. I tested it with my first kid and noticed she tended to fall asleep faster to it.)
What's it do that putting rice in a boiling pot for 15min doesn't?
For a while, the only thing we had available to prep food was a microwave, but the rice cooker was so convenient that we kept on using it even after we had a stove available. It doesn't take up a spot on the stove and no need to wait for water to start boiling, plus it's really easy to clean and is dishwasher safe.
I gave one to my wife as a gift for when our new baby came. The amount of sweeping she was doing with two other kids was killing her back.
We went with the roborock s4. It was one sale for $250 and it has been the best gift I have ever given her. She loves it. I actually think I should have spent more on an s5 or s6 for the multifloor cleaning.
Doesn't the silicon leave a funny taste on the popcorn?I'll see your popcorn popper and raise you A DIFFERENT POPCORN POPPER:
It's a silicon popcorn popper. It's $10-$20 on Amazon depending on which one you buy. You throw some kernals in the bottom of the bowl, (with or without oil, it's fine either way,) microwave it for 2-3 minutes, and you got yourself a bowl of fresh hot popcorn.
Real talk, I was dubious about it. I wanted a new popcorn popper, and this random-ass silicon bowl was the highest-rated popcorn popper on Amazon. But for $12, I took a chance, and it works amazingly well. I have two now so that when I'm making large batches of popcorn I can swap them out of the microwave.
I never really liked any of the options in apps because they just sound weird to me. I also didn't want to have my phone broadcasting to a bluetooth speaker constantly all night. And we don't have an Alexa/Google Home (partner doesn't want one in the house).
So a dedicated device fit the bill better for us.
Cable management box
There's different designs but this is what I use. This stops me from kicking the power strip and cables under my desk.
This is useful for my nightstand and PC desk
Have this kit for my entertainment center and Desktop. Desktop you can no longer see any wires or power strip. Behind TV is better but still kind of a mess just because there's too much shit back there plus AV cabinet with more shit.
I have one that is a physical device. It makes a much better quality sound in my opinion than something playing a digital file.
Also, we like to turn our phones off after a certain hour.
I always assumed people just put box fans against the wall to make white noise, since that's what my friends do. Plus that way you also have a box fan for when you need ventilation, instead of a noise machine that only has one use. But maybe there's some disadvantage I'm not aware of.
That's pretty much what I do, although I usually point it at me since I like having air circulation around me when I sleep.
No, and yes.
Okay, it's technically an oven that circulates air, but the results come out totally different, even compared to convection ovens.
OMG this is a legit game changer. Wife and I just got them. We were skeptical at first but damn!
Got this a few days ago. It's legit. Skin is smoother and not as dry. I used regular wash cloths prior.
hmm I'm skeptical but interested. Need something to make fried chicken and chips.
I bought the Tushy brand because their webpage and advertising cracked me up.
https://hellotushy.com/products/classic-affordable-bidet
https://www.amazon.com/TUSHY-Classic-Bidet-Toilet-Attachment/dp/B07B8Y327H
There are less expensive brands out there that I'm certain work just as well. Very happy with my Tushy though. Was easy to install. Simple to use. Honestly the hardest part was mental. 40+ years of cleaning one way was pretty ingrained. Now I don't want to ever use a toilet without one.
OP
OP
As someone without a car and with shops in walking distance I find this thing really damn useful:
(goes by the brand name Clax)
A foldable shopping trolley (folds down to the size of the bottom level and has small feet to stand on its side then, you can detach the wheels if you need it even smaller) that takes those standard folding boxes so you just shop with the trolley, push it home and detach the box to carry it up the stairs.
https://www.amazon.com/Folding-Shopping-Cart-VersaCart-Water-Resistant/dp/B07JFTTBZG
VersaCart. Love this thing. Since I had back surgery it's been invaluable. Holds a lot of stuff, very light, strong and takes up very little space. Without it I would never be able to get the groceries up from my car to my apartment. I even put bags of cat litter in it. Bed, Bath & Beyond usually has it for ~$40 but they're OOS.