Found it in Boulder last Saturday for $20 less than the cheap ones online and after sealing up 12 pounds of ground beef from the discount bin at Safeway I saved like $40 in food waste alone has anyone else found a random gadget that actually pays for itself?
Picked up what I thought was a steal from a lady in Pasadena but the bottom wasn't flat enough for induction and now it spins like a top. Anyone else get burned on cheap cast iron that didn't work with their cooktop?
Used to swear by Tide until I did a blind test with a $4 bottle from Aldi back in March and honestly couldn't tell the difference on my clothes. Has anyone else found a store brand that actually beats the expensive stuff for your specific stains or water type?
The drum wouldn't spin and the repair guy quoted $200, but I watched a youtube video and swapped the door lock switch for seven bucks at an appliance shop off Roosevelt Ave. Has anyone else fixed a major appliance for under ten bucks?
I was half done vacuuming the living room rug when the belt snapped and it started smoking. I remembered I had an old vacuum in the basement my aunt gave me last year, so I dug it out and it worked perfect. Has anyone else kept a backup appliance around and actually needed it?
I was grabbing milk and this lady is telling her friend she paid $800 to have a plumber swap out her fridge's water filter system. Said it was "easier than dealing with those little filters every 6 months." I looked it up on my phone right there, a pack of 3 compatible filters costs $22 on Amazon and takes 2 minutes to change. Has anyone else noticed people just throw money at stuff that takes almost zero effort to do yourself?
I was picking up a new trash can lid and this older gentleman told his grandson he's been reusing Ziploc bags for 40 years by just rinsing them and hanging them on a clothespin to dry. Figured I'd give it a shot with my last batch of sandwich bags and I've saved about $12 in two weeks. Has anyone else tried this or do you think it's too much effort?
I was patching a hole in my kitchen wall with spackle and a cardboard backing, and my buddy said it looked like a rental special. He showed me the California patch technique using a scrap piece of drywall and some paper tape, now my fixes actually look professional for under $5.
The belt snapped on my 8 year old Dyson and I almost threw it out, but I found the replacement belt online for 6 bucks. Took maybe 10 minutes to pop it in with a screwdriver. Anyone else nursing their appliances along with cheap fixes?
Always just scrubbed mine with a brush but I tried boiling three of them last night and the water came out brown with gunk I didn't even know was in there, has anyone else been missing that hidden grime?
Last Christmas at my apartment in Dallas, my friend Sarah saw me put a candle I got from her into a bag for my sister. She got all quiet and later texted me saying it was tacky. I told her I smell it first and only pass on ones I can't use, and my sister actually loved that wax melt scent. Has anyone else dealt with a friend who thinks regifting is a crime instead of just smart?
I was always skeptical of those random bottles of furniture polish you find at Goodwill for like $2. My grandma swore by that old can of Pledge she got at a yard sale in 1992, but I thought she was just being cheap. Then last month my coffee table looked all dusty and dull, and I grabbed a $1.50 bottle of some brand I never heard of from the thrift store. Figured what the heck, it's only a buck fifty. Turns out it cleaned up the wood way better than the expensive spray I usually buy at Target. No streaks at all and the shine lasted like two weeks. Has anyone else found a random cleaning product at a thrift shop that actually outperformed the store bought stuff?
Everyone told me to buy expensive joist screws or call a handyman. I used baby powder from the dollar store, brushed it into the gaps, and the squeak stopped after two days. Anybody else got a weird cheap fix for something like this?
I was killing every peace lily i bought for like 2 years. Thought i was just bad at plants. Then i got a $10 pH test kit off amazon just for fun and tested my tap water. 8.5. Looked it up and most houseplants want 6.0 to 7.0. Started using rainwater from a bucket i leave outside and suddenly my plants are thriving. Anyone else ever test their water pH and find something weird?
I checked out a gardening guide from the downtown branch last spring and somehow it slid behind my nightstand until December. When I finally brought it back, the late fee was $14, but I told the librarian I donated $10 worth of old paperbacks to their book sale bin instead. Has anyone else talked a library into forgiving a fine with a creative trade?
Everyone in this group raves about those glass meal prep containers with the snap lids. I bought a set of 12 from PrepDish in January, and three lids cracked already. For $200 I expected them to last longer than my cheap plastic ones from the dollar store. Anyone else think the glass hype is overrated for the price?
Was tossing bags of yard waste last Tuesday when this guy in his 70s starts pulling half-dead plants out of the pile. He says I'm throwing away free fertilizer and shows me how he chops up stuff like dandelions and grass clippings, layers them in a bucket with a little dirt, and gets rich soil in 6 weeks without buying a single bag of compost. I always thought you needed a fancy bin or some special mix. He just uses a $5 bucket and patience. Anybody else have a super simple method for turning kitchen or yard scraps into dirt that actually works?
I was changing my oil last Saturday and my old strap wrench just shredded on me. Instead of grabbing the cheap auto parts store option for $8, I walked into the dealer and bought their 'pro grade' metal filter wrench for $35. That thing slipped off the second I put any real torque on it, scratched up my new filter, and left me stranded with a half-drained pan. I ended up using a big pair of channel locks and a rag, which worked perfectly for free. Anyone else have a tool that cost more but worked way worse?
I kept buying those $2 bunches of cilantro and parsley at the store only to have them turn into slime in three days. So last month I chopped them up, stuffed them into an ice cube tray with olive oil, and popped them in the freezer. Now I just drop a cube into soups or sauces whenever I need that fresh taste. Has anyone found a better way to keep herbs from going bad without spending extra?
My kitchen sink was backing up real slow for a week. Didn't want to call a plumber that costs $150 minimum. Grabbed this cheap plastic drain snake from Family Dollar for $5. Pulled out a massive wad of grease and food bits in about 4 minutes. Totally fixed the problem and saved myself a service call. Has anyone else had luck with those cheap tools over the expensive ones?
For like 5 or 6 years I was buying Glad or Hefty kitchen bags because I thought the cheaper ones would rip open and make a mess. I was spending almost twice as much every month. Then one day we were cleaning out a job site in Austin and my crew chief grabbed a box of the store brand bags from the hardware store. I gave him a hard time about it. He laughed and said watch this, then double bagged the can with just one bag pulled up and folded over the rim. It never tore. The trick is to not fill it too heavy and to use a bag that's a size bigger than the can so you can fold it down. I felt like an idiot for wasting probably $200 over the years. Has anyone else realized they were overpaying for something simple like this for no good reason?
Ngl I always thought store brand AA batteries were junk and only bought Duracell. But after my TV remote died 3 times in 6 months with Duracells I tried a 20 pack of CVS brand for $6 and they've been going strong for almost a year now. Anyone else find a generic product that actually outperforms the name brand?