Ask Lemmy

Waterproof mattress protector. Pays for itself after one accident or spill.

A large magnet. I bought it on a whim ~20 years ago for $20 (still online for same price). I got it on a whim while buying gifts from an educational toy website. It comes in handy whenever I drop something small that ferrous or just need it to hold onto things.

An emergancy fm/am radio with a crank generator and solar panels.

Came in clutch when power was out, not only could I listen in on the news, I could also charge my phone.

I'd list it as unexpected because I did not expect to actually have to use it. But im really glad I had it.

10 foot long phone charger

An ezel. You know, the kind that artists use to put their cavvas on.

I'm a digital artist, so I have a display drawing tablet. Eventually having the tablet completely horizontally flat got annoying to draw on. I ended up sitting cross-legged and awkwardly perching the table on the edge of my desk on my lap to get some sort of comfortable angle on it. However that was annoying too.

I went and looked what a tablet stand costed for my tablet model and... It damn near costed the same as my tablet! The. I had an idea. There's this cheap ass hardware store called Harald Nyborg in Denmark, maybe they have cheap ezel?

Lo and behold they do. Made from the crappiest cheap wood available, it serves its purpose perfectly! I've had it for a few years now and never needed to think about getting that dedicated stand for my tablet.

Small drafting table I got at Goodwill for $4. I've used it for actual drawing, and it has an adjustable tilt so it can be flat to use as a plain table.

[edit: I'm rambling about a lanyard!]

I don't know what it's called, but I chord you put around your neck, goes down to the belly with a metal hook at the end? Used to keep backstage/security passes visible, but I keep my keys on there instead.

Keys always end up at the bottom of my bag, and it can be frustrating and even painful to dig them out. I don't always have pockets suitable for keys. I have a place for them at home, but still misplace them constantly.

With this chord I can keep my keys around my neck when in use, like at work or going to the store, and even if I put them in my bag I can loop the keys around a handle and down through their own chord and they'll hang there to be pulled out when I need them.

The chord is long and colourful and way easier to find than just the keys, and often hang visible out of a bag when I haven't put the keys in their place.

It's great. I have different colours for different sets of keys, one colour is home+bicycle, other is work. Other keys I add only when I need them. It gets annoying having too many keys on at once.

I have a little fold-out rack with (I think) 24 individual clips on that hold socks and other small items. It can then be attached to the washing line, taking up a lot less space than hanging things along the length of it.

It was £3.99 and it makes putting the washing out so much easier. I much prefer to line dry things outside than using the dryer when I can.

Vacuum sealer.

They are always available used at thrift stores and they are simple machines but I can reseal bags of chips or other grocery items.

You can make your own bags for cheap from a roll and then individually wrap portions for the freezer that stay longer and don't get freezer burn.

And if you get one that has a hose attachment you can seal bottles of wine, mead, or Tupperware for the fridge if you get the right lids.