Mine… My Xbox 360 slim only costed 129 euro back in 2012 and to this day still work like brand new, you would think that the disc drive would stop working but no. Never had the need of open it or clean it’s insides. Still great, I just don’t use it anymore since I feel it’s outdated and loading speeds are better nowadays.
Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. It’s still kicking. The amount of times I’ve used it, it saves so much time than looking for the proper dedicated tool.
A metal wallet. Definitely worth it if you don’t carry a lot. Mine is maybe 10 years old now or more.
3+ year old used Lenovo Thinkpads, these things are great if you need a budget laptop that’s not for gaming. A lot of companies lease them. When the lease expires you can get them very cheap because they flood the market.
General Military Surplus. We have a shop a few kilometers a way that sells surplus. They get in brand new stuff all the time. Still in packaging. It’s built well. Keep in mind military surplus isn’t just in the field stuff. Laptop bags, shirts, blankets, hats.
A pet. Worth every penny. Got my cat from a shelter, he’s been there for me through thick and thin. Gives great hugs.
My wife did a cert class for data analytics and needed a work horse laptop. I bought her a used i7 Thinkpad from eBay.
It’s so damn fast… m2 drive 32 GB of ram it’s literally only limited in speed by the user input.
Just an amazing deal for $450
Edit it was a t14 gen 2.
I just got mine a few weeks ago and it’s so impressive. I bought it used for $150 and I can tell I’ll be using this for years.
I juuuust retired a t420s recently… off lease computers are absolutely the way to go for buying new to you laptops.
Toss in a SSD and a Linux distro… and you’re good for 6-8 years imho
I love my poncho liner lol, it’s perfect for a hammock blanket. I think it was maybe $5.
Heck my wife stole mine, I spent more on mine. Those things are great.
Trying to convince mine, she keeps buying these expensive cartridges that she ends up throwing out after a few times or they get left out and their little soap bars fuse to stuff. They suck.
Where would I buy a cheap thinkpad?
ebay is a good source though more expensive, places like marketplace often have decent deals, check out electronics recyclers and wholesalers, if you have any. Those are generally good places to look.
Amazon or Ebay probably. Sometimes you can find an electronic recycling place and just ask.
My first thought was some military gear as well. A scarf or travel utensils or bag or something. Actually even the gloves I got are probably over 20 years old.
Rescued pets cats be priceless, though keeping them fed and healthy and happy can cost a fair bit.
The last apartment I had, the AC was old and would always go out a few times each summer. By the 3rd time, I went to the hardware store looking for a box fan, but they were out and only had an industrial fan that was more expensive, like $40. I bought it out of desperation. But looking back it’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Any time the AC went out, id whip out that metal beast and only ever put it on the first setting because the other 2 settings were way too powerful for an apartment. It’s never given me any trouble over the years and has saved us from some very hot weather. If I had known then how good this fan was, I would have gladly paid more for it. It’s currently being used in our house while we do renovations this summer and it’s working like a charm!
What’s the specific fan? Brand, model? Thanks!
It was honestly some no name brand and I wasn’t able to find it on their site. But I did find this fan that’s almost exactly the same: Lowes High Velocity Fan
industrial fan
we call those “shop fans” around here, they’re commonly used in shops, for the aforementioned cheap price, and pretty rugged construction.
Safety razor: When you need to shave with a razor, these things work better than disposables and are cheap as hell to replace the blades for. Still on my original pack of blades from 10 years ago (got a gross of blades for maybe $20) and am not even halfway through - I might not ever have to buy blades again.
This. I bought 500 feather blades for $40 (which is more of a steal than a deal) in 2013 and they will last me many more years
I have probably tried 3 dozen blade types, and Feathers and Gillette Yellows are the tops. Double the price of the cheaper ones, but absolutely a nice “splurge.” Decided to grow out my hair and beard for a while to mix things up, but I still have a big grab bag of blades for when I change moods again.
Even at double the price you still end up paying under $0.10 per shave - maybe $25/year - and that’s if you pay full price. A small fraction of what you’d pay for cartridges or disposable razors.
Yup, double edge blades are so cheap compared to cartridges. I got pretty long life out of blades too, so it got even cheaper.
A 100pack of astra blades… they just keep going and going! I suspect that they multiply inside that box tower that they come in!
This was such an improvement bit only are the blades better but since they are cents each and not dollars I just get a fresh blade when ever it want to. Bought a pack of 100 for like 6 dollars a few years back and only recently had to restock.
Use some of the savings to get a nice brush and soap it will make a world or difference over the stuff in a can.
Yeah, I’m still on my original brush too lol
Yup. I haven’t bought shaving supplies since when I bought mine in 2020. Bought a bunch of shaving cream in sticks, a decent brush with a lather bowl, an okay handle with a bunch of blades, and I still have enough supplies for years to come.
Can’t remember when I bought my de razor, but it was old even then. And it’s the quick and convenient trapdoor type. I rinse and flip the blade after each shave as it only takes a few seconds. It even came with a travel case. Flea market price range, I think, well under 10€.
I have a big stack of blades I ordered from somewhere as well and they’ll last a while.
If you don’t already do this, drying off your blades can make them last even longer.
Minecraft
I wish Minecraft had an in game play counter… Well… I mean I’m glad it doesn’t but I kind of wish it did. I’ve been playing since 2011 or so…
I probably have more than a year in actual game time… lol
i easily have somewhere between 5000 hours, and 10000 hours in minecraft to this day.
What an incredible game.
in terms of play time, i have a server that i have a little over a month of playtime on. I have several launcher instances with well over 500 hours of playtime, and i’ve been playing semi regularly since i’ve originally owned the game. So safe to say, damn good investment.
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This is the best money saver
My old roommate got a window air conditioner for $20. I got about 15 years of use out of it until I had the windows replaced on the house and it didnt fit anymore. I sold it for $50.
Collapsible metal travel chopsticks. Always have a useful set of utensils on me. Cost me less than $10.
I keep an old Ozark Trail Hobo Tool in my overnight bag. I can’t tell you how useful it’s been when traveling and ending up at a hotel somewhere getting take out to have an actual knife and fork.
I got a full set of silverware for backpacking that collapses down to about the size of those folding reader glasses (plus a little hard storage case just like the glasses). It’s a spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. I think I paid $6 for the set. Not super high quality, since the focus was on weight and utility, but definitely does the job.
I don’t use it much anymore, but it was great for lunch at work, and is good when traveling (staying at hotels and getting takeout - no plastic trash!). I mostly keep it in my overnight backpack so it’s available whenever I’m not home and I can’t forget it.
A shoehorn. It makes putting shoes on so much easier, and for just a couple of dollars. I’m perfectly capable of putting my shoes on without it, but I enjoy not having to.
I started using one because the back would always wear out (heel counter, I think it’s called) so the shoe horn has reduced that to nothing. Now the shoes wear out first, so I’m sure I’ve saved the cost of a couple pairs of shoes by now.
Plus I feel classy using it 😆
I feel classy using it
I have one of those long shoehorns that let me put my shoes on without even leaning down. It makes me feel downright aristocratic. (And it’s metal too, no plastic for me!)
I have one of those, shoes are on in seconds. My wife refuses to use it (various reasons) so she will struggle for a minute to get her feet in, walk down the apartment hallway still struggling, get to lobby and sit and fix the back of shoes. Maybe one day she will come around.
The gf made fun of me at first for using it, but now she does too, especially as she likes to take off her shoes without untying them. 😒
She brought home a metal one a while ago after our long plastice one broke, but this one already bent somehow. I keep bending it back, but it must be made of the cheapest metal possible because it keeps bending again. Still works, just looks stupid. I’ll have to ask for a quality one for Christmas. It does make me feel rather gentlemanly when I put on my work boots!
A long full shoe horn marketed for old people so you don’t have to bend down just makes things so much more pleasent
I’m still loving my iPod Classic. I got it a little Bluetooth dongle so I can listen via my hearing aids. I find iTunes beyond irritating though and am always looking for an alternative for adding music.
My Zune will never die.
Possibly the only worthy iPod competitor in my opinion. I wish I had one.
My zune got stolen :'(
My first Chromecast i bought years ago for 20$. It’s still faster than the Google TV with a remote and I quite like to use my phone as a remote.
LTT screwdriver - although quite expensive has been a great tool when moving a few times, and for everything really.
An old receiver I got used, for 30$ has been with me for 5 years now, and it’s sadly starting to misbehave, but I can’t afford a new one ATM so I’ll suffer through it as it powers everything I throw at it with ease.
I’m 41. As a college going-away gift I suppose, my dad bought me a basic screwdriver where the bits can be flipped for larger and smaller Phillips and flat heads, all stored in the shaft. It’s got a floral handle. That thing is both my husband’s and my favorite screwdriver despite having acquired many more tools in the interim, and it probably cost four bucks back in 2001.
I finally got one of these after using my normal bit-swap screwdriver with no ratcheting about a month ago and I’ll never go back
Bonus: craftsman make one that will ratchet the same way no matter what way you twist it. Just hold the ring and twist, screw goes in. It is amazing
I ordered my first Chromecast the day they were announced (Amazon exclusive at first BTW).
It was a different time with Amazon. They got confused in the rush or orders, and sent me like 7 emails in 20 minutes all contradicting each other about my order. I was mostly curious when it would arrive, so I called to see if they had any idea, since them emails ranged between 2 weeks and 4 months.
They apologized for the confusion, overnighted one to me, and refunded my money.
Amazon’s customer service 11 years ago was excellent to the point of irresponsible.
I love my version 1 Chromecast! I feel like the “cast to TV” feature that’s built into TVs is hit and miss. And I swear my TV objects it’s own ads into things I stream.
Where my Chromecast, it displays my desktop/tab without any issues.
I grew up in a third world country and one of the first gift my immigrant relatives got for my parents was a microwave oven. That was way back in the early 90s when almost nobody in my country knew what a microwave oven was. The same microwave had been going strong for more than 30 years before the buttons finally broke last year. All for around $200 back in the day.
Leatherman with matching bitset. Bought it on a whim 10 years ago and I use it constantly for lots of things. It wasn’t my cheapest purchase, but damn has it gotten me out of a lot of difficult project situations where no proper toolbox was available. I’ve literally filled and repaired entire server racks with this thing.
Almost like having everything you need with the bit sets and ratchet driver capable or socket adapters its BIFL for sure. Warranty of 25 years. Service is top notch. I’m ordering a new one tonight lol. New wave plus with bit kit, extender, and looking for the ratchet driver but scalpers gonna scalp so I’m holding out.
Skyrim for $3 on PS3. Best money I ever spent on a video game.
portable clothes washer and dryer: they’re both 20 years old now and i bought them used on craigslist five years ago and they’ve already paid for themselves multiple times over. regular home sized portable washers and driers are normally 2x the price of traditional washers and driers, but they’re 1/2 the price used; i got lucky and mine were 1/4 the price.
mobile clothes washers and driers are great because they don’t require any special electrical, water or drain hookups that traditional washers and dryers require so you can use them anywhere where there’s electricity and running water. i hook mine up to the kitchen sink for the washer and use an exhaust hose w a window for the dryer whenever i need to do laundry; then i use their built in wheels to put them in the closet when i’m done.
their regular sized capacity means that i can wash the same things that that a traditional home washer and dryer can do, but since they use regular 120 volt electric plugs instead of the special 240 volt washer/dryer plugs, they take longer to finish; but still worth it, especially in a rental situation where you can’t install traditional washer & dryer electrical and plumbing hookups.
portable?? can you share an example of what you mean, this monkey brain is having trouble unserstanding
the driers are self explanatory and you don’t have to bother with anything beyond plugging it in if you get a ventless designed dryer.
this video shows how you can connect a portable washer to both a kitchen sink, like i do it, and to traditional washer/dryer hookups.. there are many different styles of portable washers; the smaller ones are more affordadable; but their small size limits their usefulness and this video only focuses on the traditional sized ones.
this one seems to be a decent AI generated review of the smaller/cheaper ones.
