tell me the last thing you bought for under $50 that radically improved your life.

@montybrewster Walking the dog at night? Flashlight! Finding remote control in dark family room? Flashlight! Looking in bottom of closet for missing sock? Flashlight! Inserting USB-A or HDMI and can't tell the orientation of plug? Flashlight! Lost dog ball in car under seat? Flashlight!

@montybrewster Reading a book at night in bed? Flashlight! Kids working lights&sound in highschool play? Flashlight!

@kevin fancy, fragrant laundry detergent. makes my home smell lovely while clothes are washing and on the drying rack and works as operant conditioning to make doing laundry more of a treat than a chore

@kevin portable bidet

@kevin Not "bought" exactly, but I had my kitchen knives sharpened. They desperately needed it.

@kevin an extra long shoehorn. I now slide into my sneakers with the grace of a Victorian gentleman

@kevin
The FOSS finance tracking app Buckwheat was revolutionary for me. It's because it's so ridiculously quick and simple that even I don't put off using it. With the widget on the home screen, the results are so instant and visible that it actually keeps my finances and spending constantly top of mind.

Before, my bank accounts were a black box, I never really had a sense of, that I only opened to feel bad once a month or so.

This app saved me literally thousands of dollars of impulse buys.

@kevin nasal spray. Getting over the damn flu.

@kevin An open box but unused OHOM Ui mug and induction heater/wireless phone charger. I paid $44.93 USD via eBay including shipping, and I cannot recommend this product highly enough.

I keep my furnace set to 64°F in Winter to save fossil fuels and money, and this mug enables me to keep my coffee or tea hot all day for a few pennies' worth of electricity (22 W max).

I plan to buy a second, so I can move up and down stairs, and still keep my drink hot.

@kevin Started using Narwhal for browsing Reddit rather than using the official app. Feels like going back to the Apollo days.

@kevin organic food.

@dratom @kevin true but the people here are less stupid and give better answers

@kevin a subscription to English @lemonde instead of the NYTimes.

@slacy @kevin autogenerated youtube videos of what?

@kevin @stefan
a double-wall mug

@kevin For less than $30, this fan from Dreo. I have no air conditioning in my home, and this tiny fan is extremely quiet and pushes just enough air on Low to make a real difference in my ability to sleep comfortably in Summer. Before getting it, I honestly never thought a fan could be this quiet and this effective.

@argonaut Oh interesting, just learning that this exists!

@kevin

@kevin For $25, a hardcover copy of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. This book has opened up an entirely new perspective for me on parliamentary procedure in the American tradition. This past year, I was elected to representative public office and appointed to a seat on my town's Planning Commission, and this book has been absolutely life-changing.

Immersion blender*

*ours was a gift, but I assume it was under that price cap

@kevin
I like coffee, and I usually use either a simple Chemex pitcher or a stainless steel Bialetti moka pot, which were each under $50 when I got them, maybe a little more now.