Best low cost purchases you now can't live without

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Beer

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by troutman

Nose and ear trimmer.

#oldman

and i always thought i'd have to go see plastic surgeon to get that kind of work done

as for my purchase - i'd have to say a wireless computer mouse

[socalwingfan]

I bought a crappy PVC "regulation" size net and a shooter tutor for under $100. I probably use that thing 5 nights a week, taking shots in my garage for about 1 hour a night

[Huntingwhale]

3.0 usb sticks. 8 gb. $7 Perfect for loading music, movies, files, or anything that needs to be transported from pc to pc. Nothing worse then having crappy 2.0 sticks having to wait 20mins for a couple gigs to transfer

[DoubleF]

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00B...7823011_a1_3_p

I use these for my keys. Way less bulk and it's nice to equally distribute weight in two directions. Easy to add and remove keys too. Just twist off the lock and click off the key ring a key is associated with.

*Note* I use 2 of these side by side, not just a single one. I also use key rings with it, but I could probably reduce bulk further by getting smaller key rings or eliminating key rings entirely.


I bought a trackball to use with a HTPC. $25. I've used it for like 4 years. It's great for basic scrolling, clicking movies etc since you don't have to find a suitable surface like a laser mouse. Just use thumb to scroll.


http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/neatfrea.../6000188206198

Easily for me, these are a god send!

Not quite this brand, but one I found at Costco, but these super thin hangers make a crap ton of room in closets. Wood hangers for example literally take up 3x the amount of room (not figuratively, literally. I did a comparison). Basic plastic ones about 1.5-2x the room on a bar. The only comparable is those wire ones, but they can hook and damage clothes and cannot take on as much weight without bending out of shape. Extra bonus, they look a hell of a lot nicer than wood or any other hanger. Any guys lacking room due to a significant other taking up all the space, give these a try. WARNING! When my wife and I converted to using these, she was so excited about the space savings, we needed like 2 boxes of these things. When complete, the closet seemed so empty, she justified a mini spending spree to purchase items to fill in the gaps.

[MrMastodonFarm]

35-40 dollar Swiss Army Knife

Cheap little key chain with led flashlight from Canadian Tire

[Sr. Mints]

Ikea shoehorns. I'm telling you, I don't even know how I put on shoes before I got one. They're only a dollar or two. I have one stationed at every door, there's one in my car. I've given them to all my family and some of my friends (for purely selfish reasons.)

AND they double as a back scratcher.

[FireGilbert]

The $7 I spent at the Singapore airport on the one prong to two prong headphone adaptor. I can now avoid using those cheap airplane headsets and plug my Sennheiser headphones directly into the entertainment system.

Honourable mention to the $35 I spent on CIV IV with the BTS expansion pack. I definitely can't live without it and considering the amount of time I have sunk into that game it probably works out to a cost <1 cent per hour.

[driveway]

For those of you who have cats, switching to the pine wood cat litter will make your life way more wonderful. There are tons of brands, I used to use the PetCetera in-house brand. Pretty much completely eliminates litter-box smell.

[calgaryblood]

For those with the robot vacuums, does it go from room to room or do you have to physically put it in each room.

[jeffporfirio]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

For those with the robot vacuums, does it go from room to room or do you have to physically put it in each room.

The Neatos go from room to room, return to their base when a charge is needed and continue where they left off.

They scan each room and follow a pattern.

[blueski]

My wife!

Oh wait, has to be low cost...

[Clarkey]

Originally Posted by blueski

My wife!

Oh wait, has to be low cost...

It's 2014 buddy, this type of humor is not tolerated anymore. You've got to ask yourself WWJD--what would JackLayton do?

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by Jacks

http://missionbelt.com/pages/how-mission-belt-works
Check it out, they're great.

ok I have a large collection of ill-fitting belts and this has me intrigued. you order straight from the site (US prices & shipping) or is there a more efficient way of getting these?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Jack

ok I have a large collection of ill-fitting belts and this has me intrigued. you order straight from the site (US prices & shipping) or is there a more efficient way of getting these?

Isn't there a special leather punch-tool for adding new holes for belts and such?

At least the belts wouldn't be a waste.

[dakeyras]

Technically it's my Kindle Fire. I used to think I'd hate an e-reader but damn, the thing is pretty much indispensable now.

But the real "low cost purchase" I'd recommend is a free App called Overdrive.

With the App and a library membership (also free in Calgary right now), you can borrow e-books on your Kindle Fire. Doesn't work on the more basic Kindle models unfortunately but I've saved a ton of money using Overdrive.

[Hevishot]

After years of skinning knuckles and making myself bleed, having vise grips and other assorted pliers slip while trying to pull on irritatingly tight exhaust pipe springs I spent 10 bucks and wondered why the hell I waited so long.

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Isn't there a special leather punch-tool for adding new holes for belts and such?

At least the belts wouldn't be a waste.

well I guess that might work, but my belts are also kinda stretched out and there's a lot of extra length that just flops around past the buckle. maybe I could find a place to get that cut down too without looking all janky.

...but then I still don't have a cool new hole-less belt. I guess this thread is about frugal solutions, but acquiring new swag is also nice.

[calf]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

Goddamit, those songs are in my head now. Stupid 2 year olds.

It was a moment of great confusion for me when my little cousins started watching a cartoon with dogs after talking about wanting to watch Pappa Troll for a couple hours.

[Superflyer]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Jack

well I guess that might work, but my belts are also kinda stretched out and there's a lot of extra length that just flops around past the buckle. maybe I could find a place to get that cut down too without looking all janky.

...but then I still don't have a cool new hole-less belt. I guess this thread is about frugal solutions, but acquiring new swag is also nice.

I used to work in a shoe repair many years ago and we would have people come in and get belts trimmed up. We would then cut off the extra, smooth it out on a sander then dye the end to match the colour of the belt. pretty quick and easy.