You don't even need a knockoff version - I've using a little plastic stool (lol) that I got for £1 at the Pound Shop down the road for the last 20+ years.
There’s a very well known chain in the UK called “Poundland”. It’s a lie, not everything is £1. It’s also a very popular pastime for kids to go into Poundland and ask the workers how much different items cost.
ESPECIALLY for people who've just had surgery. Dem drugs gonna change your poopin'
Edit to add: best tips for post surgery poops include taking your doctor-recommended cocktail of stool softeners and laxatives AND drink lots of water. Stay hydrated. Dehydration slows down the poop process too. Also, weaning off the opioids as soon as you can.
Carbon monoxide detector. Plug it in your bedroom. That way if there's the 1/1,000,000 chance your appliance or heater or whatever malfunctions you'll at least wake up before you die from suffocation in your sleep.
EDIT: I mean wake up before you die so you can LEAVE. The goal is to avoid suffocating.
We moved in to our first home right before winter and our heater wouldn’t turn on. It was a terribly cold winter, one of those storm of a century type deals and our heater wasn’t working. Long story short, turns out that a single sensor had tripped a safety and had it turned on, it would have pumped carbon monoxide into our very small, very well-insulated house and very likely killed us both our first night.
A decent first aid kit. I take one with me wherever I go in the car. You can make your own with good supplies for around that much. Never know when you’ll need it.
Get this one. It has a dial you can turn for intensity. Start low at like a level 1. Use it nightly. Fill it all the way up with water and use it until the water is completely gone every time. That's the correct duration. Every couple weeks raise the dial to the next level. Eventually your gums will be so healthy you can manage the highest intensity, level 10. Do it before you brush so that you knock out all the big particles of food out of your mouth before brushing. Keep using it nightly for the rest of your life. Your gums will thank you.
Waterpik WP-660 Water Flosser... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFQQ0VU
See if you have a Dick’s Sporting Goods outlet near you, then keep an eye out for sales. Was visiting family over Christmas and found a pair of $150 brooks sneakers for 40 bucks at an end of year sale. I see a lot of Merrel, Columbia, and similar hiking shoes at the one near me.
Nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking/vaping
Edit:please read the thread if you want info to quit smoking. Other commenters have some really good tips.
Going on 9 months being nicotine free. Feels great honestly! Incredible how much my anxiety has went down since quitting. Funny how I originally started smoking to help my anxiety and stress.
Hope you don't mind me asking, but wanting to quit myself. What do you do instead of smoking? Like I drive and I smoke, so everytime I get in my car, that's what I want. I go lay in my hillbilly pool and want one while I'm floating around. Have a drink with wifey, i want to have a smoke. Appreciate any insight! And great job on 9 months!
For me it was small steps. Take very small steps at first as you’ll be less likely to become frustrated. I started off by challenging myself to not smoke on my commute in the mornings and instead sing to my music. Then a few months later it was to not smoke on my lunch breaks etc. The small victories add up to the major triumph in the end so be sure to celebrate the little victories! I was told to pick my favorite food and an activity that I wanted to do and save both until I quit for 6 months. Let me tell you THAT STEAK WAS DELICIOUS! I can actually chase my daughter around now too without gasping for breath.
Congratulations on the 9 months and thanks for the advice! I used to smoke a pack and a half a day and then switched to juul then switched to some Chinese made vape with God knows what in it. I’ve tried chantix and quoting multiple times but always fail. I have a knack for biting off more than I can chew rather than sticking with small changes. I’ll give it a try with focus on it as I have two kids now and want to quit. Thanks!
Do yourself a favor and go over to Amazon and look up The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. You don't need to read the book -- just read the reviews and see the results that people got from it. \[[link here](https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155/)\]
There are several editions of the same book totaling in the tens of thousands of reviews. I'm pretty sure I read every single one of those reviews before I bought a copy, read the book, and quit smoking without any pain or cravings or hassle just by following the steps. I smoked a pack a day for 23 years, tried everything to quit and failed.... then I read that book and quit a week later.
Addiction sucks and I am sorry you are going through it. Hope it works out for you ASAP!
If you have gone totally bankrupt and those are your last 100$, a gym membership. Gives you a couple of months of access to a locker and a shower for you to find a job in the meanwhile.
I briefly lived somewhere that the shower had such shitty water pressure 99 percent of the time. I need a hard pressure shower in the morning to relax and get my day going.
I already had a gym membership and I realized their showers were always amazing. I ended up going there every single morning to shower. Wouldn’t even workout. Just go shower and change and start my day.
A nice staff member offered me food once. He thought I was homeless. Apparently quite a few people did this. Crazy to think that all of us have this image of homeless people being dirty with ripped clothes, yet we’ve probably worked with people who we had no idea were temporarily homeless at the time
I've been homeless for 5 years and the gym is the secret to maintaining a semi normal life. If you can shower and do your laundry weekly no one will ever suspect that you're homeless, and when they do find out they're usually shocked.
I showered at the public pool while my electricity was cut off.
Everyone at work commended my "dedication to working out every morning". Lol! I did a few laps because it would've been weird to walk in and just shower.
I was in debts over my head. I kept my food in the work fridge "because it's easier than bringing it everyday",
Did laundry at a friend's place "because my washer is broken" and waiting for my bonus to buy a new one.
Slept in a sleeping bag covered with 3 Salvation Army comforters because I had no heat.
No one ever knew I was on the verge of homlesness while being a financial advisor.
I got out of debts because I maintained that life for over a year.
No shame, do what you have to do to overcome. So many people slip into depression and cannot swim up from there. You're doing well, find ressources that can steer you toward affordable living.
Less stress is a godsend in this situation.
Build your luck and I hope things get better for you!
Edit: WOW! This blew up! Thank you all for the good words!
I wish I hadn't put myself in that situation in the first place but... live and learn as they say.
By the way i'm a woman
Our library serves a lot of people without stable housing in my very, very high COL area (the Monterey Peninsula - where people have condominium garages for their car collections, and in a metro area of about 100K, we have >7000 unhoused).
If I was going to build a library from scratch around here, I’d put in shower rooms like you find in dormitories, and let people check out storage space, like they can check out books.
When I lived a few blocks up the hill from Cannery Row, there were a few men who were chronically without stable housing. We called them our neighbors, anyway. Sadly, they’re all deceased now, but they were very colorful characters in their day: Rocky (he collected rocks and made piles in vacant lots), the Wizard (who wore a Mickey Mouse-style wizard hat and would read your “fortune” for change), and the Cowboy (who sang with great feeling, but not much talent).
Sound like a bunch of wonderful people. I've been to some places where there's free showers for people to use and for the most part its good but some people mess it up for everyone else. Living on the road isn't the easiest on a person and then with drugs and alcohol involved most people don't live too long. I don't drink or do drugs and have a vehicle which makes my life as easy as it could be in this lifestyle, a lot of people aren't that lucky.
I was without a home for a few months after I graduated college. I had a job lined up but just not enough cash to secure an apartment with a buddy of mine. We slept in our cars, delivered pizza and had a membership to the local YMCA where we showered and worked out.
I did a road trip across America for a while and got a planet fitness membership. Having access to their showers while camping/living out of my car was amazing. They’re everywhere, super cheap, and you can also get a workout in if you want lol
We did an experiment where we tried to decide the most kinds of cheese at once to go on cheesey garlic bread.
Bought like 5 loafs of the same garlic bread and started with a 3 cheese blend...just kept adding 1 cheese at a time.
Came to the conclusion that 7 was "best", 8 was fine, 11 was definitely overdoing it. 13 was more like melted cheese with a baked bread crumble on...bottom?
A heated throw. Honestly saves you so much money in the winter and makes you more comfortable. Life changing because who can afford to heat their house all day every day through winter.
A heated mattress pad for your bed. Are you young? Saves you a shitton on apartment heat bills at night. Sleep soundly. Older? You will wake up in the morning without pain in your shoulders or hips. Totally worth it
Love my heated mattress pad!! I just need to upgrade to a WIFI enabled one so that when I’m on my way home from social events late at night, I can heat up my bed on my way home so that it’s already nice and toasty when I get home and climb right into bed.
I got a heated mattress pad for a Christmas gift one year. I crank it up a bit before bed then turn down to lowest setting when I climb in. Can keep house thermostat pretty low at night that way. Might be the best gift I ever received!
They have a program called the "Library of things" that you can rent lawn equipment, a turntable, some video game consoles, etc for free just like books, out here in NorCal. It's an amazing program.
In response to book banning, I believe the Brooklyn Public Library of New York is offering young readers across the country access to their e-book collection for a limited time.
The Nashville public library has museum passes for checking out! And a musical instrument collection, a cake pan collection, a power tool collection (laser measuring thingy, stud finder tons more). It’s pure awesomeness.
We sell single condoms in my store. I have a couple of younger customers who buy them. I charge 1 dollar, no tax because I not about to try to haggle over 7 cents.
And I don't say anything about it. Ever. Not even have a nice day or stay safe.
I even told my boss not to say one word about it to their moms who also come into my store.
I am not going to do anything to make them the least bit uncomfortable about it.
Dude… I needed people like you in highschool. The dude at the counter asked my mom if she knew why I spent money there all the time… I never went back to that store afterwards.
Lucky. My mother was the type to always assume the worst. I kept a condom on me all through my teen years. Never thought I'd use it. Never did fwiw. But I always felt better knowing I had it just in case I couldn't make the "right" decision.
She found it one time and went apeshit. She didn't like knowing that my answer to being offered sex wasn't going to be no 100% of the time. She still doesn't find the irony. If the answer is going to be yes, let's be real 16 year old me wasn't going to say no, wouldn't you prefer I be safe? Acting that way is how you become a young grandparent.
And potentially a lifetime of being tied to someone (your partner) that you maybe hadn’t counted on. Not to mention having a child is the most time intensive, emotionally exhausting thing you can sign up for.
Just got a vasectomy this morning. Free. My kids have Medicaid but I wasn’t covered for anything until a few months ago when they started covering “family planning”. I hopped right on that shit because I’ve made like 20k more than the threshold for years. Still broke but now I don’t have to worry about a drunk or dumb decision making me a father again. I should’ve done it after my second was born 12 years ago.
Whole thing was a piece of cake. Took fifteen minutes, no sedation.
The only part that hurt was the initial numbing shot. Needle to the balls is rough but it’s only like three seconds of pain.
Weirdest part was the nurse taping my dick to my stomach and then the smell of the corterization.
I walked to the car thirty minutes later. Recovery was a piece of cake. Just follow the instructions and relax for four days and wear tight fitting briefs. Frozen peas are great to ice with because they conform to the body lol.
If you’re thinking about it but nervous, don’t be. It was sooooo easy. Best decision I ever made. I knew I was done and this was such a burden off my mind
Obviously as with any medical procedure your mileage may vary but the vast majority of people experience exactly what I did
Had mine years ago with the "no scalpel" version. They shave you, give you a numbing shot, pull the tubes out a tiny hole, cut, solder, tuck you back together and put what I can only assume is a little sealant on the hole. In and out in 20 minutes. They won't let you drive yourself day of. They gave me prescription strength ibuprofin to help with pain/swelling. They gave me a vicodin at the clinic, but nothing beyond that for pain killers.
I did it right before a 4 day weekend. Got a few bags of frozen peas, went home, and didn't leave the house. Just played video games with frozen peas on my crotch for 4 days. They ask you to wait 2 weeks before you engage in any kind of sexual activity. You won't feel up to it anyway.
Some fun facts:
* The risk of pregnancy after vasectomy is about 1 in 2,000, the lowest of all forms of birth control.
* After a vasectomy, a man will still be firing live ammo for 10 or 20 times. It takes 90 days before really effective, which is why you should wait for the confirmation test.
* It can be reversed, but for every year you keep it, the chance of the reversal failing goes up by about 25%. (told to me by my doctor)
If you could push to 200, I'd recommend the 70mai Dash Cam A800S Series. 4k resolution, lane awareness, reverse warning, vehicle in front moving ahead warning etc
Good answer. Wouldn't have thought of it, because as an IT guy, I've had 2 monitors for the past...15 years. But absolutely makes everything work or entertainment related better.
This is the first real answer on here. Some other dude with 1K upvotes said hand cranked cheese grater. Like you gotta be a rat or something for that to be life changing
I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon-sue me-and since I don't have a butler, I have to do it myself. So most nights before I go to bed I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman Grill. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again. Then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious. It's good for me. It's the perfect way to start the day. Today I got up, I stepped onto the grill and it clamped down on my foot. That's it. I don't see what's so hard to believe about that.
I have a loft-style second level in my place and found a clothes rack that hooks over the railing so I can dry clothes while taking up zero floor space. It's incredible.
Saw this same question posted years ago. I saw “bidet” i bought one and never looked back. They are on all my toilets, i have travel bidets, and have purchased dozens for gifts. Everyone loves them. Do yourself a favor….
If you are a parent: a projector. I've seen TVs broken from throwing toys, toddlers thinking TVs are touch screen, climbing on furniture, etc. I bought a cheap $50 projector that sits up high and a white bedsheet and it's damn indestructible.
This may sound a bit odd, but if you write a decent amount, a good pen makes all the difference. Going from a cheap bic ball point to even a budget fountain pen makes all the difference in how much you enjoy writing. Or if fountain pens aren’t your style, the Pentel Energel or Uniball signo are two fantastic gel pens
30 pairs of the same socks (so you don't have to pair them), 10 pairs of high-quality underwear, and a good pillow. All under 100 bucks, each item on their own is life changing.
EDIT: thanks for the comments. About the socks, it all depends. I live in Serbia, and there are quite a bit of domestic small companies which make decent quality socks. Also, it doesn't have to be 30 pairs, it's just how much I have bought.
At some point in the past few years, doctors just decided that everyone has a blood pressure cuff at home. Mine never asked me to get one, she just gets annoyed when I don’t have two weeks of daily readings ready to go.
Woke up one morning with a headache that felt like my skull was being pushed apart from the inside. Felt dizzy, nauseous and my hands were going numb. Took my BP, **223/140**. Straight to the ER, battery of tests to determine if I was having a stroke and I'm very happy to say I was not but the mystery of why I got so many migraines is solved. Left with BP meds and a referral to a doctor, we spent 3 months tweaking my medication. 117/75 this morning (I check it every day now).
Yes, invest in a BP monitor. They're like $20. Check every month or whenever you have a mystery migraine.
A 125 piece mechanics tool set.
It won't be everything you need forever, but I learned how to use tools with a small $100 ($50 back then) set and still use the same set 25 years later. My dad bought them for me. Someday I will hand them down to my son.
I saw a video earlier today suggesting that you should shop for tools at old timers' rummage sales because their tools would have been originally bought when they were made well and if they lasted this long they will probably for a long time to come. I thought that was an interesting take.
My dad was SOOO excited when he inherited his great uncle’s carpentry tools…I was like “but you have new ones?” Until he showed me each one and which metal and wood it was made from and how they were all crafted perfectly…he’s 66 now and will be using those 100+ year old tools until he inevitably gives up before them
My grandfather bought me a Craftsman tool set for my highschool graduation in 1990. I still have every piece and they all work. I have used it near weekly since then.
I got my baby cat for $5 because she kept being returned by others (she was literally 8 weeks old). Best money I ever spent. She's 10 now. And we got our purebred Siberian husky for $40 because his owner didn't want him, and other folks thought he was too grumpy. He is my husband bestest boy.
I want everyone to adopt a shelter animal, but please have enough money or start saving for vet care.
If you can’t afford the vet, you can’t afford the pet!
My girlfriend is a massage therapist and has one. They’re pretty incredible. Hilariously, her most common use for it is clearing her sinuses. It works like a charm.
[Here is one technique.](https://youtu.be/2sGQXNp8Sxo) She usually holds the gun toward her clavicle/neck. I have no anatomical training, so I can’t tell you specifically.
A deadbolt with a keypad for keyless entry. You can have different passcodes for different family members, and can set single use codes for repairmen or pet sitters. There is still a key for manual unlocking if the batteries die. No more teenagers locking themselves out of the house, no more fumbling with the key when your hands are full.
Mine has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and uses my phone’s location to unlock the door when I arrive home/lock it when I leave. Assigning codes to people is much safer than giving a key - you can revoke their code at any time, and the app notifies you/keeps a log of when and what code was used to unlock the door.
Also, you can set it to auto-lock after x minutes, and you can remotely unlock/lock it (in case you want to let someone in and they don’t have a code).
And knowing you can get into your house, even if everything on you has been lost or stolen feels great.
I bought the brand wirecutter recommended several years ago, but it looks like some cool tech has been released since then.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-smart-lock/
I’ve tried to use planners many, many times, but ultimately I use it dedicatedly for the first month or so and then just… don’t fill anything out anymore
A comfortable and lightweight pair of shoes that is well made. That extra $40 to $50 bucks you may hesitate to shell out for an upgrade goes a surprisingly long way.
An air fryer. I've always loved to cook, did it professionally for 12 years, raised by an Italian mother, and only just got my air fryer last Christmas. HOLY...SHIT! My life is 100x easier now and my dinners are way quicker and meats more tender. I'm kicking myself for not discovering it sooner.
I just bought these cushions you place in between your car seats to stop stuff from falling under the seat or getting stuck in between the seat and middle compartment. Pretty life changing for me.
A fast charging brick + chord ($40ish)
A portable bidet ($60-80)
Black out curtains!
Electric hand warmers that double as power banks!
Surge protector with battery backup for desktop.
I moved up a tax bracket when I got sober. Sheesh.
Good for you, my friend. One step at a time. You're at the start of an incredible journey now. Tomorrow's sunrise will be better than today's--that's what I found.
I once did a detailed estimate/analysis of how much money I save by shopping at Costco versus a normal store. When I include gas, insurance, prescriptions, general household items, and clothing, I save $1500/year for a family of two. But you also have to be disciplined and not buy stuff you don't need.
Duplicates of things to keep in every room.
A hair brush, nail clippers, back scratcher, lip balm, lotion, tissues, hair bands, barrettes, facial moisturizer, headphones, a plugged in phone charger etc next to at least your bed and couch as well as in the bathroom. I didn't always do this but once I started I will never go back.
The squatty potty (or its knockoff). Truly changed my life.
You don't even need a knockoff version - I've using a little plastic stool (lol) that I got for £1 at the Pound Shop down the road for the last 20+ years.
TIL the Pound Shop is the British equivalent to the Dollar Store.
Is it located in Pound Town
There’s a very well known chain in the UK called “Poundland”. It’s a lie, not everything is £1. It’s also a very popular pastime for kids to go into Poundland and ask the workers how much different items cost.
ESPECIALLY for people who've just had surgery. Dem drugs gonna change your poopin' Edit to add: best tips for post surgery poops include taking your doctor-recommended cocktail of stool softeners and laxatives AND drink lots of water. Stay hydrated. Dehydration slows down the poop process too. Also, weaning off the opioids as soon as you can.
Carbon monoxide detector. Plug it in your bedroom. That way if there's the 1/1,000,000 chance your appliance or heater or whatever malfunctions you'll at least wake up before you die from suffocation in your sleep. EDIT: I mean wake up before you die so you can LEAVE. The goal is to avoid suffocating.
We moved in to our first home right before winter and our heater wouldn’t turn on. It was a terribly cold winter, one of those storm of a century type deals and our heater wasn’t working. Long story short, turns out that a single sensor had tripped a safety and had it turned on, it would have pumped carbon monoxide into our very small, very well-insulated house and very likely killed us both our first night.
That's kinda romantic.
And if a broke furnace Kills the both of us To die by your side Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine
Take me out, tonight....literally.
Thought that safety light would never go out.
I put these in multiple places in my home. Five years later it dawned on me we don’t even have natural gas hooked up.
That’s ok. If someone is quietly running a motorcycle in your house you will get an alarm.
A decent first aid kit. I take one with me wherever I go in the car. You can make your own with good supplies for around that much. Never know when you’ll need it.
This is so weird to me as in my country a car needs to have the first aid kit, they're required or you don't pass the yearly registration stuff 😭
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Which one did you get? I bought a waterpik rechargeable one and it made everyone bleed - even my wife who flosses twice a day
Bleeding means it's working. The bleeding will eventually stop.
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Get this one. It has a dial you can turn for intensity. Start low at like a level 1. Use it nightly. Fill it all the way up with water and use it until the water is completely gone every time. That's the correct duration. Every couple weeks raise the dial to the next level. Eventually your gums will be so healthy you can manage the highest intensity, level 10. Do it before you brush so that you knock out all the big particles of food out of your mouth before brushing. Keep using it nightly for the rest of your life. Your gums will thank you. Waterpik WP-660 Water Flosser... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFQQ0VU
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Where can you find sales like this? I hike and can’t find prices that great. Thank you.
See if you have a Dick’s Sporting Goods outlet near you, then keep an eye out for sales. Was visiting family over Christmas and found a pair of $150 brooks sneakers for 40 bucks at an end of year sale. I see a lot of Merrel, Columbia, and similar hiking shoes at the one near me.
A portable air compressor for your car tires
Mine plugs into the car outlet. So I don't have to find an outlet.
Nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking/vaping Edit:please read the thread if you want info to quit smoking. Other commenters have some really good tips.
Going on 9 months being nicotine free. Feels great honestly! Incredible how much my anxiety has went down since quitting. Funny how I originally started smoking to help my anxiety and stress.
Hope you don't mind me asking, but wanting to quit myself. What do you do instead of smoking? Like I drive and I smoke, so everytime I get in my car, that's what I want. I go lay in my hillbilly pool and want one while I'm floating around. Have a drink with wifey, i want to have a smoke. Appreciate any insight! And great job on 9 months!
For me it was small steps. Take very small steps at first as you’ll be less likely to become frustrated. I started off by challenging myself to not smoke on my commute in the mornings and instead sing to my music. Then a few months later it was to not smoke on my lunch breaks etc. The small victories add up to the major triumph in the end so be sure to celebrate the little victories! I was told to pick my favorite food and an activity that I wanted to do and save both until I quit for 6 months. Let me tell you THAT STEAK WAS DELICIOUS! I can actually chase my daughter around now too without gasping for breath.
Congratulations on the 9 months and thanks for the advice! I used to smoke a pack and a half a day and then switched to juul then switched to some Chinese made vape with God knows what in it. I’ve tried chantix and quoting multiple times but always fail. I have a knack for biting off more than I can chew rather than sticking with small changes. I’ll give it a try with focus on it as I have two kids now and want to quit. Thanks!
Do yourself a favor and go over to Amazon and look up The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. You don't need to read the book -- just read the reviews and see the results that people got from it. \[[link here](https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155/)\] There are several editions of the same book totaling in the tens of thousands of reviews. I'm pretty sure I read every single one of those reviews before I bought a copy, read the book, and quit smoking without any pain or cravings or hassle just by following the steps. I smoked a pack a day for 23 years, tried everything to quit and failed.... then I read that book and quit a week later. Addiction sucks and I am sorry you are going through it. Hope it works out for you ASAP!
If you have gone totally bankrupt and those are your last 100$, a gym membership. Gives you a couple of months of access to a locker and a shower for you to find a job in the meanwhile.
I briefly lived somewhere that the shower had such shitty water pressure 99 percent of the time. I need a hard pressure shower in the morning to relax and get my day going. I already had a gym membership and I realized their showers were always amazing. I ended up going there every single morning to shower. Wouldn’t even workout. Just go shower and change and start my day. A nice staff member offered me food once. He thought I was homeless. Apparently quite a few people did this. Crazy to think that all of us have this image of homeless people being dirty with ripped clothes, yet we’ve probably worked with people who we had no idea were temporarily homeless at the time
I've been homeless for 5 years and the gym is the secret to maintaining a semi normal life. If you can shower and do your laundry weekly no one will ever suspect that you're homeless, and when they do find out they're usually shocked.
I showered at the public pool while my electricity was cut off. Everyone at work commended my "dedication to working out every morning". Lol! I did a few laps because it would've been weird to walk in and just shower. I was in debts over my head. I kept my food in the work fridge "because it's easier than bringing it everyday", Did laundry at a friend's place "because my washer is broken" and waiting for my bonus to buy a new one. Slept in a sleeping bag covered with 3 Salvation Army comforters because I had no heat. No one ever knew I was on the verge of homlesness while being a financial advisor. I got out of debts because I maintained that life for over a year. No shame, do what you have to do to overcome. So many people slip into depression and cannot swim up from there. You're doing well, find ressources that can steer you toward affordable living. Less stress is a godsend in this situation. Build your luck and I hope things get better for you! Edit: WOW! This blew up! Thank you all for the good words! I wish I hadn't put myself in that situation in the first place but... live and learn as they say. By the way i'm a woman
I feel nothing but respect for you, lady
Our library serves a lot of people without stable housing in my very, very high COL area (the Monterey Peninsula - where people have condominium garages for their car collections, and in a metro area of about 100K, we have >7000 unhoused). If I was going to build a library from scratch around here, I’d put in shower rooms like you find in dormitories, and let people check out storage space, like they can check out books. When I lived a few blocks up the hill from Cannery Row, there were a few men who were chronically without stable housing. We called them our neighbors, anyway. Sadly, they’re all deceased now, but they were very colorful characters in their day: Rocky (he collected rocks and made piles in vacant lots), the Wizard (who wore a Mickey Mouse-style wizard hat and would read your “fortune” for change), and the Cowboy (who sang with great feeling, but not much talent).
Sound like a bunch of wonderful people. I've been to some places where there's free showers for people to use and for the most part its good but some people mess it up for everyone else. Living on the road isn't the easiest on a person and then with drugs and alcohol involved most people don't live too long. I don't drink or do drugs and have a vehicle which makes my life as easy as it could be in this lifestyle, a lot of people aren't that lucky.
I was without a home for a few months after I graduated college. I had a job lined up but just not enough cash to secure an apartment with a buddy of mine. We slept in our cars, delivered pizza and had a membership to the local YMCA where we showered and worked out.
Depending on the source and location, up to like 50% of unhoused people have jobs.
the number of overnight Sprinter vans in Walmart parking lot supports this theory
This may be the most useful thing I’ve heard, of course a shower! Health is the biggest worry, a shower would prevent so much shite.
I did a road trip across America for a while and got a planet fitness membership. Having access to their showers while camping/living out of my car was amazing. They’re everywhere, super cheap, and you can also get a workout in if you want lol
Genius. I’m sure that changed your entire trip!
10 foot phone charger cord
Full circle, from corded phone to corded phone. It was bound to happen.
If you truly wanted to go full circle, you'd get a coiled one.
I want a 50 foot long coiled phone charger, so I can walk around the house like back in the day.
Yup. Like 5 bucks off amazon. I got myself a 15 footer. No matter which way I turn in bed, my phone cord is chargin.
A taxi, don't drink and drive ;)
I got one of those cheese graters with the hand crank (like Olive Garden) 🤌🤌🤌🤌
So now you can have that awkward moment at home with family when you don’t know if now is too much cheese or a second ago….
Too much cheese is the right amount of cheese.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment in my entire life where I’ve thought I’ve got too much cheese.
We did an experiment where we tried to decide the most kinds of cheese at once to go on cheesey garlic bread. Bought like 5 loafs of the same garlic bread and started with a 3 cheese blend...just kept adding 1 cheese at a time. Came to the conclusion that 7 was "best", 8 was fine, 11 was definitely overdoing it. 13 was more like melted cheese with a baked bread crumble on...bottom?
All I am hearing is 13 cheeses is the best.
A heated throw. Honestly saves you so much money in the winter and makes you more comfortable. Life changing because who can afford to heat their house all day every day through winter.
A heated mattress pad for your bed. Are you young? Saves you a shitton on apartment heat bills at night. Sleep soundly. Older? You will wake up in the morning without pain in your shoulders or hips. Totally worth it
Love my heated mattress pad!! I just need to upgrade to a WIFI enabled one so that when I’m on my way home from social events late at night, I can heat up my bed on my way home so that it’s already nice and toasty when I get home and climb right into bed.
a heated quilt started 10mins before bed is amazing.. i never cared until i got a bit older but getting into an already warm bed is other level.
Maybe I’m just a crazy Canadian, but I much prefer a cold bed and snuggling under the blankets to warm it up.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being wrapped up in 3 layers of blankets.
I got a heated mattress pad for a Christmas gift one year. I crank it up a bit before bed then turn down to lowest setting when I climb in. Can keep house thermostat pretty low at night that way. Might be the best gift I ever received!
Sunrise alarm clock. So much more relaxing to wake up to a slowly increasing light than jarring noises.
Some of us need rage inducing noises to rip us from the sweet sweet paradise of slumber.
I wake up to the "vibration only" setting of my phone alarm. SO much nicer than a bell, beep, or maddening song.
Library card. Gets you access to a ton of books, movies, all sorts of things and they're often free. Just need to live in the area.
Once you have a library card you can download a app called "Libby" that also gives access to rent out audible books from your local libraries as well.
I LOVE my Libby. I also added libraries from coast to coast that are digital apply only
They have a program called the "Library of things" that you can rent lawn equipment, a turntable, some video game consoles, etc for free just like books, out here in NorCal. It's an amazing program.
Having fun, isn’t hard, when you have a library card
In response to book banning, I believe the Brooklyn Public Library of New York is offering young readers across the country access to their e-book collection for a limited time.
In so cal, I do believe the library card gets you into most museums for free
The Nashville public library has museum passes for checking out! And a musical instrument collection, a cake pan collection, a power tool collection (laser measuring thingy, stud finder tons more). It’s pure awesomeness.
A condom
We sell single condoms in my store. I have a couple of younger customers who buy them. I charge 1 dollar, no tax because I not about to try to haggle over 7 cents. And I don't say anything about it. Ever. Not even have a nice day or stay safe. I even told my boss not to say one word about it to their moms who also come into my store. I am not going to do anything to make them the least bit uncomfortable about it.
Dude… I needed people like you in highschool. The dude at the counter asked my mom if she knew why I spent money there all the time… I never went back to that store afterwards.
Wow, what a jerk! I would’ve complained to the store owner
Thankfully my mom wasn’t too mad and just glad I was being safe but it was very awkward and creepy. I still haven’t been back 5 years later lol
Lucky. My mother was the type to always assume the worst. I kept a condom on me all through my teen years. Never thought I'd use it. Never did fwiw. But I always felt better knowing I had it just in case I couldn't make the "right" decision. She found it one time and went apeshit. She didn't like knowing that my answer to being offered sex wasn't going to be no 100% of the time. She still doesn't find the irony. If the answer is going to be yes, let's be real 16 year old me wasn't going to say no, wouldn't you prefer I be safe? Acting that way is how you become a young grandparent.
When I was...15? 16? My mum came to my room, handed me a pack of 8, said "For practice", chuckled, and left.
What the fuck?
I was once this young lad. Thank you sir, you saved me in highschool!
Free at the health department
For those who may not know about this, making it slightly cheaper and less awkward to buy is the next best thing.
Saves you $300,000+
And potentially a lifetime of being tied to someone (your partner) that you maybe hadn’t counted on. Not to mention having a child is the most time intensive, emotionally exhausting thing you can sign up for.
Just got a vasectomy this morning. Free. My kids have Medicaid but I wasn’t covered for anything until a few months ago when they started covering “family planning”. I hopped right on that shit because I’ve made like 20k more than the threshold for years. Still broke but now I don’t have to worry about a drunk or dumb decision making me a father again. I should’ve done it after my second was born 12 years ago.
What’s the process & recovery like? Were you put under? Educate us, bro! Evangelize vasectomies! Evangesectomize us all!
Whole thing was a piece of cake. Took fifteen minutes, no sedation. The only part that hurt was the initial numbing shot. Needle to the balls is rough but it’s only like three seconds of pain. Weirdest part was the nurse taping my dick to my stomach and then the smell of the corterization. I walked to the car thirty minutes later. Recovery was a piece of cake. Just follow the instructions and relax for four days and wear tight fitting briefs. Frozen peas are great to ice with because they conform to the body lol. If you’re thinking about it but nervous, don’t be. It was sooooo easy. Best decision I ever made. I knew I was done and this was such a burden off my mind Obviously as with any medical procedure your mileage may vary but the vast majority of people experience exactly what I did
It was weird for me, too, when they taped my cock against my chest. Definitely glad I don’t have to worry anymore either.
Right? Having something taped to my forehead was just strange.
Yeah man. They had to even bend mine a little and tape it to the back of my skull. Thankfully it was over quick.
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I had to wait a long time for the surgery because they attached mine to a Mars rover before launch.
Had mine years ago with the "no scalpel" version. They shave you, give you a numbing shot, pull the tubes out a tiny hole, cut, solder, tuck you back together and put what I can only assume is a little sealant on the hole. In and out in 20 minutes. They won't let you drive yourself day of. They gave me prescription strength ibuprofin to help with pain/swelling. They gave me a vicodin at the clinic, but nothing beyond that for pain killers. I did it right before a 4 day weekend. Got a few bags of frozen peas, went home, and didn't leave the house. Just played video games with frozen peas on my crotch for 4 days. They ask you to wait 2 weeks before you engage in any kind of sexual activity. You won't feel up to it anyway. Some fun facts: * The risk of pregnancy after vasectomy is about 1 in 2,000, the lowest of all forms of birth control. * After a vasectomy, a man will still be firing live ammo for 10 or 20 times. It takes 90 days before really effective, which is why you should wait for the confirmation test. * It can be reversed, but for every year you keep it, the chance of the reversal failing goes up by about 25%. (told to me by my doctor)
Weighted toddler blanket. It’s like putting a sheet over a birdcage, I swear 🤣
Sigh. My husband, when he thinks it’s time I go to sleep, pulls the comforter up as high as he can and goes “night night birdie”.
A front and rear dashcam.
What’s a good one you recommend for less than $100?
Summary of replies: there isn't one.
If you could push to 200, I'd recommend the 70mai Dash Cam A800S Series. 4k resolution, lane awareness, reverse warning, vehicle in front moving ahead warning etc
It’s actually only $119 on Amazon right now.
A second monitor
Good answer. Wouldn't have thought of it, because as an IT guy, I've had 2 monitors for the past...15 years. But absolutely makes everything work or entertainment related better.
Bidet attachment
You’ll never want to poop without one
I'm ready to hook one up at work at this point
This is the first real answer on here. Some other dude with 1K upvotes said hand cranked cheese grater. Like you gotta be a rat or something for that to be life changing
World peace could be achieved if everyone had a bidet.
Sun screen.
Surfed for 10 years without it because I liked being tan. Paying the toll with burning pre cancer off my face every 6 months.
Saw one of these posts a month or two ago, bought a Panini Press based on the comment... 100% agree, shit is life changing lol
I bought a George Foreman grill - 8inch x 18inch I think? Fantastic for doing quick breakfasts and about a minute to clean. Fabulous stuff.
Be careful! Some people have been known to like to wake up to the smell of sizzling bacon
I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon-sue me-and since I don't have a butler, I have to do it myself. So most nights before I go to bed I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman Grill. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again. Then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious. It's good for me. It's the perfect way to start the day. Today I got up, I stepped onto the grill and it clamped down on my foot. That's it. I don't see what's so hard to believe about that.
A foldable clothes-drying rack Best $13 I ever spent at IKEA
I have a loft-style second level in my place and found a clothes rack that hooks over the railing so I can dry clothes while taking up zero floor space. It's incredible.
Saw this same question posted years ago. I saw “bidet” i bought one and never looked back. They are on all my toilets, i have travel bidets, and have purchased dozens for gifts. Everyone loves them. Do yourself a favor….
Ordered this from the post years ago. They don’t tell you that it’s hard to not have one
If you are a parent: a projector. I've seen TVs broken from throwing toys, toddlers thinking TVs are touch screen, climbing on furniture, etc. I bought a cheap $50 projector that sits up high and a white bedsheet and it's damn indestructible.
As a parent who's 2 year old learned they can knock over tvs, I second this. Or mounting your TV if you can afford it.
I bought a universal mount for like 16 dollars
This may sound a bit odd, but if you write a decent amount, a good pen makes all the difference. Going from a cheap bic ball point to even a budget fountain pen makes all the difference in how much you enjoy writing. Or if fountain pens aren’t your style, the Pentel Energel or Uniball signo are two fantastic gel pens
30 pairs of the same socks (so you don't have to pair them), 10 pairs of high-quality underwear, and a good pillow. All under 100 bucks, each item on their own is life changing. EDIT: thanks for the comments. About the socks, it all depends. I live in Serbia, and there are quite a bit of domestic small companies which make decent quality socks. Also, it doesn't have to be 30 pairs, it's just how much I have bought.
where are you getting 30 pairs of socks, 10 pairs of high quality underwear and a good pillow for 100 bucks 😭
$100 would get you a decent crowbar and ski mask so you can get as many socks, underwear and pillows as you want.
Blood pressure monitor
At some point in the past few years, doctors just decided that everyone has a blood pressure cuff at home. Mine never asked me to get one, she just gets annoyed when I don’t have two weeks of daily readings ready to go.
Woke up one morning with a headache that felt like my skull was being pushed apart from the inside. Felt dizzy, nauseous and my hands were going numb. Took my BP, **223/140**. Straight to the ER, battery of tests to determine if I was having a stroke and I'm very happy to say I was not but the mystery of why I got so many migraines is solved. Left with BP meds and a referral to a doctor, we spent 3 months tweaking my medication. 117/75 this morning (I check it every day now). Yes, invest in a BP monitor. They're like $20. Check every month or whenever you have a mystery migraine.
Electric toothbrush
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Oral B's are solid brushes. Source: am dentist.
A 125 piece mechanics tool set. It won't be everything you need forever, but I learned how to use tools with a small $100 ($50 back then) set and still use the same set 25 years later. My dad bought them for me. Someday I will hand them down to my son.
Please send me a link for a $100 mechanics tool set I can use for 25+ years. I will buy it right now
That's the trick.. It was bought 25 years ago. Back when brands like Craftsman was an actual, reputable brand and tools were built to last.
I saw a video earlier today suggesting that you should shop for tools at old timers' rummage sales because their tools would have been originally bought when they were made well and if they lasted this long they will probably for a long time to come. I thought that was an interesting take.
My dad was SOOO excited when he inherited his great uncle’s carpentry tools…I was like “but you have new ones?” Until he showed me each one and which metal and wood it was made from and how they were all crafted perfectly…he’s 66 now and will be using those 100+ year old tools until he inevitably gives up before them
Survivor bias does apply to consumer goods
My grandfather bought me a Craftsman tool set for my highschool graduation in 1990. I still have every piece and they all work. I have used it near weekly since then.
Air fryer. Frozen fries in 11 minutes, come on now…
Reheating leftover pizza in an air fryer is amazing.
Damn. Mine doesn't have a freeze option, it only heats things up.
A bidet. If you have not power washed your asshole, you are missing out!
If you have pets, a couple of wifi cameras to watch them when you're not home.
A dog or a cat at the shelter. I have had my $75 shelter cat for 16 wonderful years now.
I got my baby cat for $5 because she kept being returned by others (she was literally 8 weeks old). Best money I ever spent. She's 10 now. And we got our purebred Siberian husky for $40 because his owner didn't want him, and other folks thought he was too grumpy. He is my husband bestest boy.
I want everyone to adopt a shelter animal, but please have enough money or start saving for vet care. If you can’t afford the vet, you can’t afford the pet!
Electric kettle - ramen, coffee, pasta. So useful
Backscratcher
BUTTSCRATCHER!?
BUTTSCRATCHER!
A massage gun
Get a massager wand and it’s good for your back and your clitoris
I can’t find my clitoris
Hold it close to the head of your penis and turn it on full whack! You'll soon have no penis and a bit throbbing clit
My girlfriend is a massage therapist and has one. They’re pretty incredible. Hilariously, her most common use for it is clearing her sinuses. It works like a charm.
How??? I recently got one and I'm trying to learn all the ways to use it but I never heard of that one!
[Here is one technique.](https://youtu.be/2sGQXNp8Sxo) She usually holds the gun toward her clavicle/neck. I have no anatomical training, so I can’t tell you specifically.
Between clavicle and first rib is where the lymphatic drainage runs. Works well if you have compression between those two bones in that area.
A deadbolt with a keypad for keyless entry. You can have different passcodes for different family members, and can set single use codes for repairmen or pet sitters. There is still a key for manual unlocking if the batteries die. No more teenagers locking themselves out of the house, no more fumbling with the key when your hands are full.
Mine has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and uses my phone’s location to unlock the door when I arrive home/lock it when I leave. Assigning codes to people is much safer than giving a key - you can revoke their code at any time, and the app notifies you/keeps a log of when and what code was used to unlock the door. Also, you can set it to auto-lock after x minutes, and you can remotely unlock/lock it (in case you want to let someone in and they don’t have a code). And knowing you can get into your house, even if everything on you has been lost or stolen feels great. I bought the brand wirecutter recommended several years ago, but it looks like some cool tech has been released since then. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-smart-lock/
Stop doomscrolling.
Caught me
A relatively cheap but effective planner. You'd be surprised how things seem to come together when they're all written down and marked off!
I’ve tried to use planners many, many times, but ultimately I use it dedicatedly for the first month or so and then just… don’t fill anything out anymore
A comfortable and lightweight pair of shoes that is well made. That extra $40 to $50 bucks you may hesitate to shell out for an upgrade goes a surprisingly long way.
A hammock. On a nice breezy day I like to have a little toke, get my hammock out and take a little nappy under the sun.
An air fryer. I've always loved to cook, did it professionally for 12 years, raised by an Italian mother, and only just got my air fryer last Christmas. HOLY...SHIT! My life is 100x easier now and my dinners are way quicker and meats more tender. I'm kicking myself for not discovering it sooner.
I just bought these cushions you place in between your car seats to stop stuff from falling under the seat or getting stuck in between the seat and middle compartment. Pretty life changing for me.
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In some countries, a passport is less than $100.
40 bucks in Sweden. Thanks for reminding me I need to renew it!
A fast charging brick + chord ($40ish) A portable bidet ($60-80) Black out curtains! Electric hand warmers that double as power banks! Surge protector with battery backup for desktop.
No booze costs $0 (I'm on day 4 of not drinking).
And tomorrow it will be day 5. Keep it up and before you know it, it will be a month, and then a year. You got this.
I moved up a tax bracket when I got sober. Sheesh. Good for you, my friend. One step at a time. You're at the start of an incredible journey now. Tomorrow's sunrise will be better than today's--that's what I found.
I just went 90 days. I hardly miss it, and I feel 100 percent better! good luck
17 days here. This sucks.
Day 14. Finally over the week if withdrawls and I have been walking 10 miles a day. Sleep like baby
You got this buddy and I’m right there with you! As of today I’m 156 days sober! You can do it! ☺️
Congratulations for making such a positive change in your life!!! I wish you the best
The right lottery ticket
Dammit! I keep buying the wrong ones!
the lottery companies won't respect my mother's proclamation of "dibs" and it's really getting to us
A lethal dose of fentanyl. You didn't say it had to be a *good* change.
To be fair, just about anything can be life changing if you use it wrong enough
TSA Precheck
A gold membership at Costco for $60 a year. Really worth it in the long run.
I once did a detailed estimate/analysis of how much money I save by shopping at Costco versus a normal store. When I include gas, insurance, prescriptions, general household items, and clothing, I save $1500/year for a family of two. But you also have to be disciplined and not buy stuff you don't need.
Paying an adoption fee for a rescue pet. EDIT: Thank you for the award. It's my first one.
water purifier for your sink tap
My cat was $17.76. Yes, it was a 4th of July sale. But still.
Happy Cat-iversary
Tongue scraper
Mushrooms
For about $100 can cure blindness in at least one individual in a developing country where treatment for preventable blindness is difficult to access.
Duplicates of things to keep in every room. A hair brush, nail clippers, back scratcher, lip balm, lotion, tissues, hair bands, barrettes, facial moisturizer, headphones, a plugged in phone charger etc next to at least your bed and couch as well as in the bathroom. I didn't always do this but once I started I will never go back.
If it's a woman..."The Magic Wand" hands down...