Wanting to get a list going on of things I need because I’m moving soon and wanted to have everything hammered down. They esentially shouldn’t be expensive. I suppose can also be habits or other such things that improve QoL and maybe cost savings overall
Thank you!!
A small thing, kitchen scissors, too useful, it will cut. Too lazy to bring out your knives? Kitchen scissors to the rescue.
I end up with extra trauma sheers from work. Those work pretty good for the job
When I first saw my dad cut a pizza and then tamales with them I wasn’t sure if he was lazy or a genius. I believe both.
If you eat a lot of rice (and if you don’t what are you doing): a rice cooker. A simple one will set you back 20-30 dollars, and it makes so many things, other than the rice i eat for almost every meal.
I dont really eat rice, maybe I should. Thank you!
Rice and beans is a staple for about 2 billion people in Latin America for a reason. It’s delicious and absolutely nutritious. Not to mention Asia!
Half of this is expensive, but the higher quality stuff usually is.
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I highly recommend trying to buy good cookware (if you cook a lot). Even just one good stainless steel pan is a game changer. I’ve had some for 20 years and they still look new and aren’t even coated in poison. I have no idea how much they cost these days, but I expect a lot more than a cheap one. Cast iron is a good alternative to stainless steel, but harder to maintain and can retain tastes/smells
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An air filter if you live anywhere with air pollution (every city) or a fire season. The cheap option is to get a box fan and put a big central AC filter on it.
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A plunger for the toilet and one for the sink/shower/tub.
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Something to trap hair before it goes down the drain and maybe you won’t need a plunger
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A fire extinguisher
Re: Cookware, a good chef’s knife is a fucking game changer. Not a set, just one high quality ~8in knife that you like, you will use it for nearly everything.
I have this one from Misen, its made anything I do in the kitchen way easier than when I just had like a $30 set of knives
For cookware I found this handy list of kitchen essentials (apologies for google): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nKkPjKHh9D9jBHzBDXbXRO54vdX41jdDCbr8L7j_omU
Seconded on the plunger. One for every toilet in the house. Because when you need a plunger, you need it urgently.
Yeah I’ve cycled through around 4 pans at this point they all go to shit. Definitely should invest in a good one… Will look for BIFL essentially
Yeah I live in hazardous pollution all the time and nobody gives a fuck (I wear a mask, also for covid). How would it work, need to mount on windows? Never tried sorry for silly question
For hair down the drain I just use toxic chemicals that burn it overnight
The liquid plumber stuff can eat through older pipes, so depending on where you’re moving to it might be better to invest in one of these:
Ah I see. I dont think its an issue where I’m currently at but yeah might be as I move, thank you!
I got a Winix air purifier and am very happy with it. ~$100+ for a “luxury” (health) item though
Stainless steel for cookware is the way to go
Lotion, keep your skin hydrated
If you own a car, one of those “jumper pumper” battery packs is a game changer. Can charge or power household items during power outages, is great for camping, and can jump start a battery or pump a flat tire. Around $100 at Costco
Edit: and yes, a robo vacuum is a game changer. I also got an electric mop (still gotta hand push it, but it has rotating heads and a sprayer) and it makes mopping a lot less miserable
I have an air purifier but doesnt seem to do that much and I have to run it with windows closed which sucks in the summer when allergies peak
I dont really use lotion as I have greasy-ish skin but dunno
Thanks!!
For the air filters, the lowest cost but least effective is to literally just tape a square/rectangular filter to the intake of the fan, turn it up a notch, and put it in the room you spend the most time in or that gets the worst of it.
More effective is setting up a Corsi-Rosenthal box with the fan, a few filters, and some duct tape.
After that, you can buy something like a cheap a Levoit purifier with the smoke filters. Sorry for Amazon link. I use one of these though and turn it up to high on days when the smoke is bad, but just run it 24/7 on low otherwise.
For real big ones, you usually need to mount them in the window and have large ducts/block off the rest of the window, etc. They’re way more expensive and complicated/limiting. More effective too, but only marginally so over something like the Corsi unless you live in a very large space.
For hair in the drain, a dollar drain catch like this is great.
Woah thank you, amazingly useful I’ll check this out later thanks!!
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I finally got an electric toothbrush after my dentist badgered me into it. It dramatically improved my dental health. My dentists barely has to do anything at cleanings now.
my partner dragged me into that world kicking and screaming and I feel stupid for fighting it. Dentistry is just such a fucking grift in general I couldn’t accept that the money was actually worth it
A double edge safety razor. The initial razor will set you back roughly 40 bucks but you’ll get a closer shave, less cuts, and save a lot of money in the long run from the cheap-ass razor blades. All better for the environment too. Get your ass some shaving soap and a vegan badger brush too. It’s zero waste and will save you money in the long run with no shaving cream.
r/anticonsumption has been a great resource for me, as I’m trying to hatch a new escape plan to finally gtfo my parents basement. I need all the money I can get, and if I can stick it to porky by buying less, even better!
Facts. You don’t even need to spend 40, I got a decent one that I’ve been rocking for years now for about $10, but I am sure there are nicer ones out there, and a pack of 100 blades for another $6 that will take forever to go through. I haven’t tried the brush, I just use my hands.
I ditched the pink “disposable” razor shit for the DE Safety Razor (they do come in pink and other cool colors too, I got a chromatic rainbow one). Works great on face and on legs. My recommendation is to go slow but still be intentional about it as there is a small learning curve and those blades are sharp, but the buttery smooth shave is unforgettable.
100%. I used to be all about disposable razors, and I had 2-3 rather messy shaves before I got the hang of it (I did 0 prior research), but now I’d use nothing else. It’s so efficient I’m actually more horrified that anyone in the world would regularly use anything else now.
I’ve had the same safety razor since 2018 and I’ve only had to replace my brush once because the first one I got was terrible.
For someone who’s particularly hairful It’s saved me so much money and plastic waste compared to the major brand grift. I do keep one or two disposables around but only to get spots I can’t see and that’s usually once a quarter or so.
As a neurodivergent person, a big chunky old kitchen timer (a timer buried in a phone menu has too much mental friction to find it when I need it), and a supply of those little blue glass gems. I drop a glass token into a jar every time I do something I didn’t feel like doing (even though I wanted or needed to do it). Something about the ritual acknowledgment that what I did was not easy, every time I drop a token in, helps to counteract all the eugenicist propaganda I grew up with concerning what struggles may be considered worthy of complaint
I really like the token thing. I might try that sometime.
CPAP machine, seriously I would maybe be dead without it. If you suspect you got sleep apnea at all look into it.
Stretching every day also has been a life saver as a guy in my 30s.
Get a good bed.
Do you have a good reference for a daily stretching regimen?
Quart mason jars (with reusable lids). You can use 'em to pickle veggies, drink water, freeze leftover soups/stocks, (with an inexpensive infuser) make cold brew tea or coffee, tons of different things.
Didnt know you could do so much with them, thank you!
Big change that improved my life:
Going vegetarian. Totally revamped my relationship with food, reignited my love of cooking, noticably improved my health and saved me a lot of money (mostly because going to resturants/ordering takeout became largely infeasible).
Little things:
Electric kettle. Being able to quickly and efficiently bring water to a boil is incredibly useful for cooking, cleaning, and, if youre careful, taking a warm bath.
Analog Wrist Watch. I have a cheap, self winding watch and I wear it on the daily. There is something nice about not having to take out your phone to check the time, the seconds hand is immensely useful, and it really helps launder my image as a person who is “put together”. Interviewers like it and I always wear one while “networking”.
Boot Dryer. This one depends on your region and season, but a functioning boot dryer is basically indespensable in the winter in some places. They work alright for soaked sneakers too.
Home coffeemaking equipment. This isnt cheap per-se, but if its replacing a daily habit of going out to buy coffee at a cafe it will save you a lot of money in the long run regardless of upfront costs. There is something very satisfying about the morning ritual of measuring, grinding, pouring, waiting, and drinking. There are also electric coffeemakers that can be programmed to start brewing as soon as you wake up if thats more your style. Those can be had for less than twenty bucks at thrift stores.
Admittedly, I don’t think these suggestions were all that cheap, but they have certainly been impactful for me at least.
Not exactly a “need” aside from that you need some method of cleaning your floors, robot vacuum is a huge boon to QoL. It does like 90% as well as vacuuming as I do but it does it every day, sometimes I’ll have it go twice a day, vs me doing twice a week at best.
I got one of those totes and keep it stocked the full range of cleaning supplies in it (wood, glass, tile, each with their own set of specific color coded hand towels, sponges, etc).
this is what I mean by tote
I use hand towels instead of paper towels, but you get the idea. microfiber for wood/glass, bar towels for other shit. scrubbies, sponges, each assigned to a cleaning solution if they are ones that shouldn’t mix.
when there’s some kind of mess or I notice something needs attention, I can just grab it without thinking, carry it to the problem, and take care of whatever is going on in one trip.
I got the idea from how professional cleaners in commercial spaces use a singular, multipurpose cleaning cart (or carts for multiple teams) to independently handle 99% of typical cleaning and maintenance jobs as they move along a circuit.
so like, it’s not just for spot cleaning, but I can walk from room to room and clean every type of thing in every space in a single loop with no walking back and forth.
yes, I am extremely fun at parties.
I do this too! I’d also put in a plug for a couple sets of rubber gloves (color coded e.g. bathroom, kitchen) - my hands are already torn up from other stuff and this keeps them safe/pain-free from cleaners and less dried/cracked.
Oooh that’s really smart. One bin or one bin per type of thing?
mine is like one tote that has maybe 6 compartments. each compartment is for a type of surface. so the glass one has the glass cleaner and a microfiber towel. there’s a wood one, a tile one, and a general purpose one with a sponge, brillow and hand towel. and then one compartment has a few hand towels of each type (general vs microfiber), more sponges and a brillows. it’s completely grab and go.
I also keep a separate laundry bag just for hand towels (like they do in restaurants) in the same storage space along side the actual full stacks of sponges, scrubbies, hand towels (I buy in bulk) so when I finish something big I can immediately restock the tote for next time and cycle dirty materials out for a dedicated washing cycle.
I think of my place as a mini hotel and restaurant lol.
Yeah I wanted to look into one that is supported by Valetudo without breaking the bank
Every now and again Roborocks will go on firesales for like $200, which is an absolute steal if you can afford it.
Yeah I’ll look for offers or buy a second hand one. Not in the US so those offers probably don’t apply
Seems a bit daunting to root via Valetudo’s process but I’ll see. Don’t want a scan of my home going to feds lmao. Thank you!!
Rooted a Dreame robot a few months ago, the Valetudo documentation makes it seem way more daunting than it is (at least if you have some tech experience) 👍
Ooh I’d never heard of that, when my current vacuum dies I’ll have to look at getting one that works with that.
Yeah it looks great! I like the author so far from what I’ve read on the website
I know it’s cliched but…physical activity (not necessarily exercise). I try to work up a sweat one way or another six days a week. It’s not fixed all my problems but it definitely helps with keeping my shit together overall.
I am the type to finagle things but a $20 multitool pry bar has really added QOL
A set of cheap diamond sharpening stones and a leather strop. Spend an afternoon learning to use them and you will have razor-sharp knives for the rest of your life, making cooking much more enjoyable.
A set of big-ass steel tweezers. They are brilliant for moving around hot food precisely.
Step stools and a small step ladder (i got a flat-pack one from ikea, three steps and when I’m not using it I put pot plants on it). Can be used for everything from improvised squatty-potty to getting up to high places (shelving , cupboards, changing lights, dusting away cobwebs etc.)
I know it’s a common answer to these sorts of things, but cast iron cookware saves my bacon. My three cast iron pans are basically the only things I use to cook now. I don’t even bother to season them.
It really is about 95% as non-stick as teflon non-stick pans, and for the other 5%, it’s just iron, so you can scrape up the food with a metal fish slice, no problem - it’s been proven you actually absorb dietary iron when cooking in cast iron too, so it’s an active health benefit.
My only downside would be its weight. But all the furore about maintaining it and seasoning and all this I have just ignored; After cooking I wipe it down with a chainmail scrubber or a sponge if need be, rinse it, and leave it to dry. It’s stayed non-stick and never had any rust, going on 3 years now.
