I need some holiday gift ideas (that I will probably gift to myself as well)!
Here’s an unusual one - an M.2 SSD to USB adapter.
Most, if not all, laptops come with SSD’s nowadays, and they’re usually pretty easy to take out from a laptop. Gather some old, broken laptops, and take out their SSD’s. They’re so much faster than USB flash drives, I prefer to use SSD’s where possible. Plus, it helps with e-waste
Could even make this a little simpler - if somehow you’re not using an SSD at least as the primary boot, please god change that immediately. $50 can easily get you 512gb, often even a TB.
I wish I had the money to upgrade my laptops often enough that even my previous one had an m.2 ssd
I help my friends and family with computer issues. I’ve gotten a number of laptops/PCs out of that.
This is it for me. I don’t go through many laptops on my own, but ask around your family? You can get quite a stack of e-waste pretty quickly. Especially if you’ve already been labeled the “tech guy” of the family
“neat ideas for $50?”
- first, throw away a $1,000 laptop
-first, reuse the functional components in a broken laptop
I’d be careful with that suggestion. Some external readers will only read SATA M.2, Dube will only read NVMe M.2.
Ideally you’d want I’ve is each or one that will do both for maximum compatibility.
Though most drives do seem to be NVMe now.
I did the same with laptop HDDs. So many cheap storages.
I don’t know if they’re still under $50 but I really like my KOSS Porta Pros, they’re just ridiculously good headphones for the price.
I personally prefer the sound of the Koss KSC75s paired with the headband from another cheapo pair of headphones, but for some reason my one pair of Porta Pros outlasted all 3 of my KSC75s (one ear keeps going out, probably just need to replace the cable), so now I’m just using the Porta Pro drivers on the cheapo headband.
The Porta Pro headband clamps too tight for me but the cheapo ones are a great fit and it genuinely feels like I’m wearing nothing on my head. It’s amazing for both work and play. Been rocking this setup for at least 5 years now.
Yeah but they’re super fragile. Nowadays I’d go more for some akg clones over the porta pro. Sure they’d sound worse but they’ll survive longer.
You’re right, they’re pretty flimsy but surprisingly comfortable for on-ear headphones (in my experience at least).
Oh hey, I just got a $50 Amazon gift card! I’ll read some suggestions in here…
A kitchen paper holder that you can mount to a wall, shelf, etc, and that has a stopping mechanism so that it allows you to rip some paper off the roll with just one hand. Absolute kitchen game changer.
Give any roll a tight tug outward to apply pressure to the tear line without yanking the whole roll down - then immediately rip across the line.
The final rip acts both as a means of stripping the paper off and a redirection of the initial tug energy.
Eventually you should be able to rip any sheets with one hand. Or get paper everywhere like a silly cat sometimes. A fun alternative though. :)
I have no idea if they exist for parchment too. I got one like this:
Have you asked the ancient Egyptians?
Also, papyrus sucks.
I haven’t read all of the comments on here, but here are mine that are more beauty related that improve my quality of life:
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a bottle of oil makeup remover and face cleanser, specifically the DHC Cleansing Oil that you put on your dry face, rub lightly all over and then rinse off. Gone are the days of drying out your face and creating more waste with makeup remover wipes.
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if you prefer just water and no oil, a simple soft makeup remover towel is a dream, removes makeup with just getting the cloth wet and then gently rubbing on your face and eyes. Buy a pack of like 12 or something as you shouldn’t use the same towel more than once to clean your face - the bacteria it gets on there can actually make your skin worse if you use it multiple times before washing.
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sunscreen! Omg if you don’t moisturize or use sunscreen you’re doing yourself a disservice. Do yourself a favor and make it easier by gettinga 2-in-1 moisturizer+SPF. Good brands being dermatologist recommended CeraVe or flight attendant/aesthetician recommended Kiehls. Honestly, throw in some lip balm from them too or their overnight lip mask where you put it on before bed and wake up with super soft and non-chapped lips - a lifesaver especially when you’re sick and end up mouth breathing all night.
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a microfiber dedicated hair towel - immediately after your shower wrap up your hair in this for like 5-10 min and then your hair won’t be sopping wet and will be less frizzy from the lack of scratchy towel drying. Bonus, you get to look cool in a hair wrap.
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an eyelash growth serum, my favorite is Babelash. Gone are the days of falsies or weak thin lashes that don’t keep debris out your eyes. Put this on your lid lash line religiously every night for a week then alter every other day and then after about 3 weeks you should see results and then use as-needed. Stuff is amazing and you can get a two-pack at Costco even - just don’t buy the ones off Amazon as it’s a knock off formula and you’re putting stuff near your eyes so be mindful about that.
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nail cuticle oil, my fingertips get dry and I end up picking them. Not to mention how much healthier your nailbeds will be when you start using this. Put some on your cuticles and then rub it in - I do it mindlessly while I’m watching TV or something. Helped me get my nails back after biting them for decades.
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a cozy pair of soleless slippers, I prefer the brand “snoozies!” I wear those all the time I’m in the house and love that I can even put them on the couch or wherever as I don’t go outside with them. Alternatively, a good pair of slippers with a sole you wear to get the mail with if you are in chill mode and don’t wanna put on actual shoes for small outdoor tasks.
That’s all I can think of right now, but those are some of my favorites for smaller daily life improvements.
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Big ol’ bag o’ weed
Came here to say this. Happy 420 to anyone on that planet in the correct timezone
Eco 6$ toothpaste dispenser from AliExpress. I love it every time I use it
Dispenser? You put like toothpaste from a tube and it’s like those soap dispensers you push to get soap?
You put the toothpaste tube upside down in it. You insert your toothbrush from the front, it comes out with a consistent amount of toothpaste on it.
Second on the mandolin that was on someone’s list.
Caveat being don’t buy a shitty one or it will have the opposite effect.
Waternymph 360 Degree Swivel Sink Faucet Aerator. https://a.co/d/5GcJVli
Cut gloves
Pour over coffee maker
More if or when my back is hurting way less.
Dreamfarm cooking utensils: https://dreamfarm.com/
Squishmallows for comfort
USB-C cable tester, to tell you what a cable can actually support
Velcro cable ties
Cable labels https://a.co/d/jkEJrgl
Label printer
Victorinox kitchen knife
Sharpening stone
Leather strop for sharpening
Ruffwear dog leash
Ruffwear dog leash bag, attaches to the leash and is so useful!
Pepper gel spray with UV dye
Water filled pepper spray training aid
Door stopper security device
Karabiner with screw lock for keys
Nite Ize does all sorts of neat products. This is useful: https://a.co/d/bhSR9I7 a hook that doesn’t fall off
Resqme car escape tool
Reusable shopping bags/totes
Pyrex or steel reusable food containers
https://a.co/d/5fx7YJm first in first out can dispensers
Leather strop for sharpening
I’m genuinely curious here - really? As someone who always has to mess with the old fashioned ‘steel’ (mind your hands cus there’s no guard on it!) sharpener, are they better? Honestly, heard of them, never used but interested.
Yeah, after getting the profile on the blade correct, you finish it by polishing the edge. It really, really makes a huge difference. I could never use a steel correctly though, I always messed up.
Second the Victorinox kitchen knife. Add in their paring knife, too, and that’s pretty much all you’ll need.
I third both Victorinox knives (specifically the ones with the Fibrox handles, not wood).
That said, I suspect other brands of similar knives – broadly, the good-but-cheap commercial-grade kind found in restaurant supply stores, which have stainless steel stamped blades, grippy plastic handles, and are NSF-certified to survive being sanitized by restaurant dishwashers – would be just about as good. Think something like a Mercer Culinary or a Dexter-Russell.
I never understood the need for a pour over coffee maker. Why drink just one cup when you can drink a whole pot? :P
It doesn’t make just a single cup. Usually 6 to 8 cups.
Oh! Well then, I may need to reconsider this then! More coffee is always best
A bidet
People always underestimate how awesome bidets are when they haven’t tried one.
Body pillow. I got one off of Amazon for like $30-$40 on a whim to try out sleeping with one. Can’t even imagine trying to sleep without it anymore
I have a dog-shaped teddy bear which I almost need to support my arms. It has such a novel shape as a pillow, there are so many uses compared to a rectangular/square cube or tube.
💀 i hope you’re just trolling
You don’t have to get weird anime covers for you body pillow. There’s just normal covers lol.
no it has my waifu on it. my waifu is a delicately woven bamboo fiber square pattern in off white
ha yeha knew it
It’s just a pillow the size of a person you dweeb
These are the things I’m glad I got back then and would get again if they broke, that fit the price category:
- an onion comb for dicing
- shoehorn with a long handle
- 3 stage knife sharpening station
- wireless phone charger (no more fiddling in the dark with the cable)
- magnetic keychain holder (from AntPocket tools)
- Unicorn Beetle Pro phone case and belt holster (if you’re on board with the aesthetic)
- a pair of Klim earbuds (wired, with foam tips)
Unicorn Beetle Pro
Tbh, their stuff used to be fire but on some phonws the cases are just too brittle. I went through three of them on my Note 20 Ultra, all cracking in the same way (in the corners), before giving up and switching to a UAG case
I use a mous case. Works like a charm.
I ditched UBP for a Spigen case. It’s the only case I’ve found that has a low profile built in lens cover/shutter.
Thanks for the heads up, I had no cracking issues yet, but after years of daily use the screen protector got worn out and the kickstand broke loose. Now I’m on the second one of the same model, but it’s still going strong with no real issues.
Sawyer squeeze. Used to spend more than $100 a month on bottled water. Not anymore.
Undrinkable tapwater I suppose?
Weed LSD Shrooms
And any meat leftovers or treats for these guys
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the cape sundew I keep on my windowsill. As someone with a lot of house plants, it has been a godsend for keeping flies and other pests out of the house.
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my first aid kit. You never want to need one of these, but I’ve been glad to have it close to hand a fair few times
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