The holidays are coming up. Do you need gift ideas?
Of course you do! It's always hard to know what to buy, especially if you are someone who doesn't value material possessions as much as the next person. So getting practical, cheap purchases is quite a way to get a good gift for someone.
u/kickbackthisthat asked Reddit:
What are some affordable items (<$100) that are life-changing?
Here were some of those answers.
-Vacuum Noise-
A mini hand held vacuum was one of the best purchases my wife made this year lol. It's so useful for cleaning the couches, small messes or the car.
- the one we got was this one from Amazon.
It was pretty cheap so any big brand would probably be better
Just Like New
A fabric shaver. Refreshes sweaters/coats etc. n no time and saves replacing the garments that are in otherwise good condition.
Is this like a lint remover? I swear the ones I've had have been super crappy and all my jumpers end up with those little balls of fabric. Any recommendations for a good one?
It's not like the roller/sticky paper lint remover. This is specifically for piling of fabrics and if you open it up it has actual little blades in there. I don't have a recommendation, I just went with the most reviewed online that was under $20 and so far so good. It made a sweater that I love look so much better!
Convenience AND Safety!
A shoehorn. So simple and cheap, and instantly turns 5 seconds of the most annoying wriggling and forcing into a 1 second maneuver. I'm amazed they seem to have gone out of style.
Also, a fire extinguisher on every level of your house.
Great For Kid Proofing!
We have a slow-close toilet seat on our toilet since all 4 of our kids like to slam everything in the house. Anyways we took a family trip to my mother's and after using her rest room my stepfather asked me if his toilet upset me. He says well you sure slammed that lid I figured it made you mad. Totally forgot not everyones toilet lid doesn't ever so slowly and gently close.
It's For ME AND For Thieves!
Timer-caps for pill bottles. Basically, the cap is a timer that resets every time you open the bottle. You can get some on Amazon for like $10.
I take my ADHD medicine every morning right when I wake up. Some mornings I'll even take it and go back to sleep for ~30 mins until it kicks in and wakes me up. Some mornings, I'd forget that I took it and went back to sleep, and accidentally take a second when I wake up. 100mg of vyvanse makes for a fever dream of a day. At that level it actually makes you less productive, so you get nothing done and deal with insane side effects all day. Conversely, some days I'd accidentally go without it because I thought I'd took it already and get nothing done. The timer cap pill bottle literally totally fixed that problem.
It also made me aware that one of my friends stole my ADHD medication. They still won't fess up to it. I wish they would. It was messed up but I'd forgive them. We're not very close anymore.
In A Mine! (In A Mine!)
One of those headband flashlights. Buy one and thank me later.
My brother's wife made fun of him for getting me one for Christmas. Turned out to be one of the most practical, useful gifts I've ever received. I use it at all the time.
It Feels Good On Me Nether Parts, Love
Good, high quality underwear. Not like, the 5 pack for 15 at walmart. Quality underwear from somewhere may not be majorly life changing, but the day to day improvement is amazing.
Saxx was definitely a life changer for me. Yes, they're expensive, but not having things sticking together down there is worth it
Bargain Comfort
Costco has amazing towels. I was visiting my parents house and their towels were like clouds and they said they were from Costco so I went and bought a whole new set for myself immediately and they were incredibly affordable.
Costco towels are great! I'm in love with a brand called Wove. A little pricy, but I bought one and then bought four more after I used it for the first time.
It's Just Worth The New Feeling
Some measures and a shopping trip later I own a bra two band sizes smaller and two cup sizes bigger. I didn't know how comfy a wired bra can be! No more empty cups when leaning forward or even lying down.
I actually cried when I got my first well-fitting bra. I don't have weird or ugly boobs (what I thought since puberty). I just had the wrong bra. Fifteen years later, I finally am content and feel sexy. And I wish this for every woman! Don't underestimate what a bra can do for your comfort AND self-esteem!
Always A Toasted Sammich
A toaster oven. I used to think of them as something college kids have in their dorm rooms. But at age 60 I bought one. That was early this year, and I haven't turned on my full-size oven since then.
I now toast things that I never would have toasted before, because the full oven was overkill. No more untoasted sandwiches.
It also makes a nice pizza oven. Take a tortilla and put pizza toppings on it.
Because NOTHING Is Worse Than Wet Socks
This is very lifestyle specific, but waterproof socks. Yes even if you have waterproof shoes these will still change your life (water can sometimes still get in through the top of the shoe via being absorbed by your trousers and working it's way down - thanks, gravity). Every actor or extra who has ever done a location shoot on a historical or fantasy show/film swears by them (yeah I did say they're lifestyle specific lol).
That SodaStream
Two things I wish I had bought years ago:
A vacuum sealer, this is a game changer for food storage. You can properly package portions for any size family and food stays fresh much longer.
A carbonation machine (aka sodastrem, etc). I love having on demand carbonated water available.
To Weigh The Ingredients
A kitchen scale.
One with 1g precision is good, but better spend another $20 to get 0.1g precision. It will get you a perfect cup of coffee every single time, allow you to mix a cocktail by free pouring, and fundamentally improve your baking forever. Once you get the hang of it, it's so much easier to leave a bowl on the scale and to press the "zero" button between ingredients compared to fishing for tiny spoons of and combining fractions.
Just A Little Strip
This will be buried, but nasal strips absolutely changed my life. Breathe Right or a similar brand. For years, I didn't realize that I couldn't breathe through my nose when my face relaxes to sleep. For the last six years, I have had less acne because I'm sleeping with my mouth closed. I've been a million times better rested and had tons more clarity. I don't wake up as often during the night. If I could ever meet the person who invented them, I would love to thank him/her.
Swimmy Swimmy Swimmy
A pet. Even just a fish. I lost my pet bird after 16 years. Waited a little while to grieve before getting a new one. The amount of stress reduction from having a pet is so much more than you could put a $ on.
The Way To Keep The House In Order
A good tool set. For beginners having a level, screwdriver with many bits, hammer, small clamps, pliers, tape measure can do almost any small-medium sized project around the house. For bonus points get a spare hardware box (screws nails drywall hangers) and a bag of rags from the paint section and your home is your oyster. (Rags are way more durable than paper towels and can be used wet and you can lay them down on the floor to protect carpets/floors from falling objects/dust.
All this should run you like $80 at most.
