Reusable water bottle. It’s just something I always have on me and it’s great because I’m not wasting money on plastic with liquid in it.
Mine is an extension of my body. I can’t not have it with me going out. But I get thirsty a lot. Took me a while to fine one that works for me size and function wise.
I’m not wasting money on plastic with liquid in it.
What are you wasting the money on now?
My SteamDeck. I fucking love that thing
Seconded.
My house.
I started by looking at apartments, but after seeing a few I just wasn’t feeling it. I’ve always wanted a yard, more space and privacy so I thought I’d have a look what kind of houses would fit my budget and found out that by paying just a little more I could get a small one on a good location for almost the same price. Now I own a small granny cottage with a damn nice yard, well, root cellar and a sauna in a separate building aswell as a small workshop. On top of all that my mortage payments are less than what my friends are paying rent.
Wow. I couldn’t fathom collecting more in rent from my friends than I would need to keep both them and myself housed.
It’s not me they’re renting from
Treadmill. I live in a country where it’s just not possible to run outside during winter so I used to gain some extra weight during those cold and dark months. Now I am in better shape than I have ever been during my life.
E-bike. I hardly use my car anymore. Last time I filled up the gas was in March or so. I still have a quarter tank of gas.
19.99€ I spent on Minecraft in 2011.
About 8000 hours of entertainment.
Global Entry. Best $100 I ever spent, even with the headache of the application and scheduling interviews at airports. I only fly a few times a year and I’ve still probably accumulated high tens of hours of time saved from aggravation and standing in queue.
I used to feel the same way, but then I was standing in a (short) global entry line and I watched people breeze right by that. Found out they were just using the free CBP app. Felt a little cheated, honestly.
Haven’t been doing as much international travel since second kid was born, so we didn’t get him global entry. Last trip we did I used the app instead. It was just as fast as global entry, possibly faster.
The only real reason to get global entry again now is for tsa ore check, and there are easier and cheaper ways to get that.
Good info! Will look into this.
Best purchase? Probably my steam deck. Nobody else in my family really plays games and I always felt like my choice was either to monopolize the living room TV or retreat to my cave where my PC can be the only person that cares about me. With my steam deck I can play almost every game I care to try, and I don’t have to be a dick to my partner who just wants to chitchat and watch bake off.
Best acquisition? Absolutely 100% the weight bench I got from FB marketplace for nothing. I’d go so far as to say that it literally saved my life at the beginning of the pandoodle when we were being super serial about locking down. I had just gone from a restaurant job to an office job anyway, so I was getting used to being a bit more sedentary and all of a sudden I had nowhere to go during the day, no access to the gym by the office, and nowhere to go/nothing to do all evening. I was probably about 5 minutes from trying to peel all the skin off my body just so I could say that something happened that day when some kind soul decided to put the bench up for free. Spent another $100 on adjustable dumbbells, then just kept trolling different online spots and picking up plates, dumbbells and barbells where I could. Now I can bench my weight, but more importantly I can sit still at work for almost 3 whole hours every day and sleep is a thing I do rather than a cruel joke.
Induction stove. Its responsiveness and power are incomparable to electric or gas. I’m never going back.
Alternatively, my Steam Deck. I use it practically every day. A gaming PC that I can take anywhere has always been my dream, and it absolutely delivers.
Problem with induction is you can’t use anodized aluminum, ceramic or other nonmagnetic cookware. I usually prefer gas, but I’d do hate what fracking is doing to the world, not to mention the constant small benzene exposures aren’t good for you. But traditional electric ranges are a pain. Wish there was another option.
They make metal plates you can use over an instruction stove to use whatever cookware you have
The only one I tried was so slow and pathetic that it’s completely put me off the idea. Was it just a bad example?
Gas stoves also release carcinogens and need to be very well vented. They re superior other than that, IMO. I just run my vent hood when my stovetopnis in use.
Yeah, I mean if the stove is in good condition it only releases anything when it’s first turned on before it fully ignites and possibly a miniscule amount when it turns off, but yeah, it’s not a bad idea to vent during that time or if you have a stove that’s in bad condition or is dirty and not directing the gas properly so it fully burns. Same for water heaters, though, and older furnaces, though modern ones deal with it.
But either way it’s a tiny bit and on its own is not likely to cause problems. The problem is that we get exposed to so many other carcinogens that it all adds up, so any exposure that you can limit is a good thing. And of course, risk increases with age.
Recent studies have found that this information is entirely false and propaganda by the gas companies. It releases huge amounts of quite toxic stuff every second it is lit. More closely aligned with everyone in the house breathing second hand smoke from cigarettes continuously while it is being used. It has been all over the news these past few months.
Yeah I know. I have a gas leak/no2 detector because I had a leak once that the gas company was dilly dallying over. I’ve tested around my stove and it’s relatively low compared to others I read about in those studies. But if the part that splits the gas before burning is dirty it can sit on there wrong and some gas escapes before burning and several other issues can lead to gas escaping. My point was that we’ll maintained stoves are relatively ok. Those are what the gas companies do their testing on, new products, but those don’t really exist in many homes.
Security camera in my house. Saved me a bundle in the divorce
Steam Deck. I travel a lot and it’s become a constant comfort in cramped airplane seats and backwater hotel rooms all over the states.
This may sound weird, but GTA V is one of mine. I’ve never bought any shark cards, just the criminal enterprise pack, so altogether I spent about $60 on it, and I’ve gotten 765 hours of enjoyment from it so far. That’s roughly 8¢ per hour. I’m not planning to stop playing any time soon, too.
My mazda mx-5 or miata depending from where you are from. Discovered lots of cool places fairly close to where i live. Sunny weekends are always a joy.
Always loved the Miatas. The latest generation in targa version is something I wish to have one day.
Mid twenties, I bought two items at a luggage store near the Castro in sf. One was a weekend bag for camping, or visiting another city, can hold 3 days of clothes. Another was a small bag for daily use. Lesbian here, I don’t carry purses, just bags the size of purses, way more functional.
I’m late 40s now. Traveled, wandering, homelessness, camping, backpacking, have put those bags thru hell for over 20 years. They still look brand new. The small black bag, still use daily. I’m constantly astounded by what I can fit in it. It’s like the tardis.
Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5 inch smoker. I’ve cooked for 30 people at a time off of it, it’s easy to use, holds temp well, lots of mods, etc. etc.
