Ask Lemmy

A Victorinox Swiss army knife. Bought it used for 10€, and it has everything from a very good blade to screwdrivers, a bottle opener, pen and tweezers. Always in my pocket in case I need it.

Oh man, there's this German company Beurer that makes simple equipment for medical home application. They make this sort of zapper thing, which is battery oper and it just heats the shit out of a little ceramic plate. Put that on a bug bite, it heats away the irritation. No more itch, no more venom in your body, just gone.

I am no longer careful around biting bugs. Keep in mind it's not supposed to work for stingers.

I figured for 15 euros it'd be too bad if it doesn't work but I now can't imagine not having it.

I've since also bought a TENS/EMS machine of theirs and a laser hair removal tool is underway for my wife.

I completely trust this company based on just two products.

Got a second-hand Walmart folding table + chair set at the beginning of my PhD, I think the entire set was like $15 or $20; it was the only furniture I had that lasted my entire grad school

A roll of really heavy duty velcro. The kind that can, for example, stick a sledge hammer to a wall. It's about $12 for 5 feet or so, and about a 1" piece is sufficient for most tasks, so it lasts a very long time. I use it for all kinds of stuff; it's amazing how many uses for it you find when you have it.

A back scratcher. Got a pack of 4 for a few bucks after one I was gifted broke. I'm old and have one quite arthritic shoulder, so half of my own back is unreachable. It's especially shitful getting an itchy back at night, but now I don't need to get up to relieve it. I use it every day, and every day I bless the person who first gifted me one.

Pair of hook earbuds. Cheap no-name presumably Chinese brand, but they sound great and don't fall out of my earholes.

Wool poncho. I've used it to stay warm, stay cool, as a groundcloth under my sleeping bag, as a blanket, as a pillow, as a decorative throw, as a cat bed, as a picnic blanket, as a beach blanket. It's incredibly useful and versatile.

This under US$5 milk frother from Ikea. Froth up milk, pour the coffee in, so nice.

Metal Chopsticks $9 https://www.amazon.com/BamLue-Stainless-Chopsticks-Dishwasher-Restaurant/dp/B07RTNWLM1 These are no longer for sale. They are not just for eating. Great for deseeding jalapenos, tomatos. Mixing small sauces. Too many uses to list. They are super durable. Very 'buy it for life' vibes. The tip texture is the most helpful. Not to be used as Ninja weapons.

I bought a reusable tote for like $3 in the section at the front of Target where they stick all the cheap stuff. It looks like it's made of woven burlap. It says "Going to Market" on the sides. It's shorter than the standard reusable tote, but a reasonable width.

I bought it on a whim and thought it would sit in my trunk after I forgot about it. I use it all the time, and I've gotten a ton of compliments on it at checkouts of various stores.

A screwdriver kit with multiple head tips, can repair almost anything as long as I am given some schematics

A bottle opener shaped like a key so it fits neatly between my other keys on my keychain. I thought I lost my keys once and I was way more upset about that than my actual keys, despite it probably being pretty easy to find on Amazon.

My pocket stun gun was $19.99. Decided I needed a defense mechanism I could conceal after an encounter with a scary aggressive homeless man.

Also has a flashlight.

Wireless phone charger. I'll be stuck somewhere looking at my low battery life, and suddenly remember it's in my purse. It isn't the fastest charge but it is useful.

• knife sharpening steel
• squeezing bidet (made me realize how gross using toilet paper is)
• caffeine pills (extremely cheap [15€ for 180pcs. x 200mg] compared to coffee and great if you're in a hurry)
• Raspberry Pi Zero (tiny single board computer, tbh not in use anymore, but I had fun tinkering for days)
• remote controlled power outlets
• easily cleanable drinking bottle and switching to drinking tap water