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?
Cheap Amazon bidet. $40 and it revolutionized my #2 experience.
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.
A cast iron pan, despite the little more maintenance required, cooking is so much easier and food just taste so much better.
A good set of ear plugs. My toddler can be pretty screamy and I find it a lot easier to be a rational parent when I have ear plugs in that don’t muffle all sounds, but just take the edge off the loud ones.
This was going to be my answer as well! I have a pair for sleeping, a pair for travel, and a pair that I carry in my bag every day for loud places.
My noise cancelling headphones are the only reason I survived so far. At first I felt like I was being a bad parent, but I realized wearing them made me a better parent. Like you said, I was able to stay more rational and disconnect a little from the screaming.
A sleep mask. I sleep much better now that all the light is blocked out. Also, if I want to, I can sleep in in the mornings when it’s bright outside and the light won’t disturb me.
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!
Had a baby this year and I have a twofer:
- 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.
- 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.
Go team cloth! We cloth’d both of my kids. Not always fun, but it’s better for the environment and a ton cheaper!
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.”
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.
Weighted blankets are the best, definitely recommend them. They’ve gotten much cheaper in the last 5 years, too. Down from like $150 to more like $40
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.
Battery powered air compressor and jump starter. Both have saved me from being stranded form a dead battery or low tire.
For any other girls, for God’s sake get a proper fitted bra. Spend the money. It’s a world of difference
This makes such a huge difference. Higher end department stores do fittings, usually for free. If you go there during a sale, you can often find something at around or just under $100.
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.
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
I have lower back pain, and I got a cheap heated back massage cushion that I can use in the car. It’s what makes road trips bearable for me
A massage gun. Works so much better at getting knots out than just your hands!
Which one did you get?
Lifepro Sonic
Both my awesome used thinkpad ($1200 new in 2019, $100 used with a broken screen in 2022, $40 for replacement screen), and all the nice (nicer than office ones) pens I buy.