For me, it was a pair of merrell shoes on sale. They have lasted 3+ years, have great grip in the snow and ice, and so comfortable, my feet don’t hurt after wearing all day.

Never cheap out on anything that comes between you and the ground; shoes, tires, a bed.

What have been some of your good purchases under $100?

    • These are magic, you can get good non-electric ones for $25 each and outfit your whole house. Three years from installing my first one I’m planning for power outlets near the toilets and saving for one that will yell at me in Japanese while it cleans.

    • I bought one with Bluetooth headphones built in. I have tinnitus and going to sleep was torture. I’d lay in the quiet room and be unable to sleep thanks to the loud ringing in my right ear. During the day, my hearing aid helps, but I take it out at night. With the Bluetooth sleep mask, I can put on white noise, drown out the ringing, and fall asleep.

      As a bonus, I made a specific white noise mix for sleep and I seem to have trained my brain to have a Pavlov-type response. When that white noise goes on, my brain says “time to go to sleep” and I’m able to quickly fall asleep instead of having my brain run a mile a minute in the dark. (At least, on most nights. The Pavlov response isn’t strong enough to overcome me being stressed about something if I go to bed.)

      The sleep mask with Bluetooth cost me about $30 and it was worth every penny!

  •  ted   ( @ted@beehaw.org ) 
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    111 year ago

    Had a baby this year and I have a twofer:

    1. I got a used prefold + covers lot for $100. Cloth diapers seem more comfortable for the baby and they are way easier on the wallet.
    2. Woven wraps can be found used for $20-$80. A woven wrap is a baby wrap you can use from birth till they stop wanting to be held (35+ lbs). They are cheaper and more versatile than many structured carriers.
  • A cheap beginner ukulele. Less than $100 gets you a new decent/good quality uke. (And $100 goes very far for a used one.) There is a whole world of music, musical styles, clubs, jams, online communities, and free resources. And uke players are generally kind, funny, and generous. “No big egos with tiny instruments.”

  •  Rin   ( @DreamyRin@beehaw.org ) 
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    91 year ago

    for something that I don’t think a lot of people consider…I got a wrist rest for my mouse and keyboard as a present that I had asked for. it’s significantly reduced my wrist and hand pain while typing or using my mouse, which is nice, because I already have pain issues.

    additionally! my other mention would be my weighted blanket. I got one as a gift (but it wasn’t heavy enough, make sure if you get one it’s the right weight) and basically tried it and slept better than I ever had. it only sucks during summer because it makes me warmer. but, other than that, I highly recommend one if someone is thinking about it.

  • I bought an insulated tumbler and now I drink too much water. I put ice in in the morning and it stays cold all day and I keep it by my bed for those 2am thirsty wake ups and it just hits the spot. Whenever I travel without it I just feel parched all day lol.

  •  otsana   ( @otsana@beehaw.org ) 
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    61 year ago

    A bag of chickpea flour. Somebody on Lemmy was singing the praises of chickpea flour plus water as a replacement for egg in breading stuff. So instead of flour, egg, breadcrumbs I can do flour, chickpea flour + water, breadcrumbs. And then the rest of the chickpea flour goes back in the cabinet and I don’t have to try to use eggs before they go bad.

  •  Jim P.   ( @jimp@beehaw.org ) 
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    1 year ago

    Here are a few things I haven’t seen mentioned but have a significant quality of life improvement for me:

    • High quality LED flashlight that can also double as a power bank (e.g. Sofirn BLF SP36, BLF LT1, or Q8 Pro)
    • Curved shower bar – no more fighting or getting stuck on the shower curtain/liner
    • Padded mat for in front of the sink, placement depends on where you spent the most time (handwashing dishes, food prep/cooking, etc)
    • Over the sink dish rack – Frees up a ton of counter space if you hand wash
    • “Cloud” foam slippers