I often hear, “You should never cheap out on a good office chair, shoes, underpants, backpack etc…” but what are some items that you would feel OK to cheap out on?
This can by anything from items such as: expensive clothing brands to general groceries.
All your basic staples: salt, flour, oil, sugar, pasta, pasta, milk, eggs etc. There’s literally nothing to do better or worse, so for god’s sake don’t pay for the label. Fancy olive oil is nicer, and fancy butter for actually putting on bread is nice too - but for cooking, cheap the hell out.
Get your spices from an Indian / Asian / etc grocer - you can get a huge bag for the price of a tiny supermarket jar, and because they have so much turnover, they’ll be plenty fresh.
Store-brand laundry detergent and dishwasher tablets work just fine for me (and dear god you can save a lot on those).
All your basic staples: salt, flour, oil, sugar, pasta, pasta, milk, eggs
It depends. Cheap salt is just fine. And flour, unless you’re into baking. But some things can make a difference and you don’t necessarily have to pay a lot more for it.
Pasta, for example. Bronze cut pasta absorbs sauce a lot better than “normal” pasta. It looks dull, rough, and pale as opposed to shiny and smooth. It usually only costs a buck or two more. I find it’s a big step up taste and texture-wise.
Or butter. The ones without natural flavor taste better. Sometimes it’s the store brand that doesn’t have added flavor.
And eggs. Orange yolks are way better than the pale yellow ones. But those you do have to shell out for.
Wait wait wait. Your butter has flavouring added? Like, I realise I’m spoiled here in Ireland, but fuck mei can’t even picture what that might be
That was my exact reaction! But butter is literally nothing but churned cream and possibly salt added? If there’s anything else added, such as water or any kinds of oils, it’s no longer butter. I get more scared every time I learn something new about US food culture…
Gotta check the ingredients on damn near everything here, or just make everything yourself :P.
Homemade unwashed butter = best butter (although spoils very quickly when not washing, like a day or two). I would eat that shit by itself if it wasn’t so unhealthy lmao
Irish butter is sold in a lot of grocery stores at least around me in the U.S. and my God it’s night and day compared to our shit sicks of fuck
diacetyl is typically used as butter aroma
For bronze cut pasta, De Cecco is the brand to look for
This has been my favorite dried pasta! I used to get it off Amazon before my grocery store carried it, and I can still get more shares online. I like three orrichetti and radiatorre(sp?)!
Agreed. The store brand pasta at my store sucks. It’s sticky and falls apart. It used to be fine but something changed recently.
Eggs isn’t true. The only thing you’re buying is for sound of mind for ethically raised chickens and the orange color of the yolk specifically for things where you need that nice orange color.
Nutrients aren’t statistically significant. Taste has no difference. Especially if you aren’t eating them plain.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://m.piped.video/watch?v=0YY7K7Xa5rE&start=930
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Chicken wrangler here. This may be true of supermarket eggs but should not be taken to imply that all eggs are the same.
Perhaps there isn’t a huge difference between the different labels available at the supermarket.
However, I’m incredulous that there is no difference between an egg laid by a backyard chicken who is well cared for and has a varied nutritious diet, and that which you’ll find at the supermarket.
I realise you (and youtube guy) are not talking about backyard eggs, but just because “pastured eggs” are not significantly different to cage eggs, that does not mean that it’s not possible to buy proper eggs.
Agree no difference as an ingredient in some baked dish.
But if you are eating the egg by itself or as the primary item, there is definitely a difference in taste. Not a revolutionary change your life difference, but still a difference.
In my experience the difference is pretty small amongst the options in the grocery store, but fairly noticable for eggs I get from the farmers market.
Flour - disagree. King Arthur for baking vs your basic supermarket crap is a tangible taste and texture difference in baking. While you’re at it, get a mill and buy organic wheat berries and save money for higher quality l, more nutritious flour. It’s literally cheaper to get better quality if you are willing to mill it.
Butter- Same for butter if you’re using butter as a spread. It’s ok to use cheap stuff in cooking but if it’s the main complementary flavor, like butter on toast, treat yo self to some Kerry Gold.
You’re absolutely wrong about flour. There’s a huge difference in flours (besides the cursory fact that most wheat undergoes a process called desiccation which is literally spraying it with roundup).
I’ll take my glyphosate-free wheat and corn and I won’t be cheaping out thank you very much, Toxic Avenger.
You are also missing the FACT that the other essentials you name are also badly polluted with chemicals that medical science has yet to understand.
Be careful with cheap spices, some of them (like turmeric) can be laced with lead and other nasty stuff to make them more attractive.
How does lead make them more attractive? The weight?
It makes them sexy. Stupid, sexy lead-additives.
Color.
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Nestlé
Say no more you have aldready conviced me.
I buy them exclusively so I slowly become leader.
I’d hope this isn’t a concern in any country with even a small account of regulation on what you’re allowed to sell or on whether you’re allowed to murder people
Well, most of these spices are imported (in western countries), and it’s hard to tell how often they’re tested. There are some tests you can do at home (for example, turmeric should apparently not dissolve in water, so if you drop a spoonful in a glass and look at it after 20min, the water should still be relatively clear, or it means there are other additives).
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Uhh, yes they do. This does not take much googling to find out. Capitalist companies produce spices in the east too.
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Agree on spices, bulk and into the freezer. Cheap spices aren’t just as good, they are better.
I used to agree on flour, got good bread flour but recently husband brought me store brand unbleached white flour and it near killed my sourdough starter, so my mind is changed on that - I’d still use it for cake, but cheap flour is low protein and won’t work for everything.
Disagree on pasta too, good pasta is easier to cook, doesn’t turn to mush as easily.
Bread, cake, and all purpose flours are different. It’s not just cheap, they are almost different products.
Yes. I’d always used whatever brand all purpose unbleached flour for the starter and figured it didn’t matter. So I always asked for “Gold Medal Bread Flour and whatever brand all purpose unbleached flour”. But the Publix brand all purpose unbleached wrecked my starter. It took almost the whole bag before I figured out it was the flour, because I didn’t realize they varied.
It’s actually quite good for pancakes. Maybe it’s good for biscuits, that would actually make sense. But it’s no good for bread; but Gold Medal or King Arthur unbleached all purpose work fine.
https://watch.foodnetwork.com/video/good-eats-food-network/the-dough-also-rises
It gives a good overview of the types, what makes them different, and what they are good for and how they change what you’re baking.
I’d even suggest buying laundry detergent in bulk online.
I always buy the cheapest pasta available and they’ve always been good. Just last week, the store brand (Complements) was cheapest for the first time I’ve seen, and it was also my first time experiencing bad pasta. I don’t know what they did differently, but there’s clearly a way to mess it up.
Great advice for the most part but I very much disagree on dishwasher detergent. Nothing works as well as finish pods for us. Could be our dishwasher of course but all the cheap brands leave our dishes dirty.
Same thing. I was considering buying a new dishwasher, until we switched to a good brand. I think cheap dishwasher detergent used to be ok until they removed phosphates around 2010.
Phosphates were the secret behind all good cleaners for sure.
Smartphones. Most people don’t need to buy the latest and greatest iPhone every year.
Going to respectfully disagree here. Outside of my glasses, my phone is the tool I use most often, many times daily. It’s worth getting a quality device, and if there’s an issue with the current one (battery, cracked screen etc) it’s worth replacing. But you’re right, it doesn’t need replacing just for the sake of newness.
Gonna respectfully disagree back at you. You don’t have to get a $100 crapsung, but most people whose work depends on a good phone still don’t need a $2000 top of the line phone.
An iPhone SE or Pixel ?a phone is more than sufficient for almost anyone anything more I’m probably going to call opulence.
Well the prompt was what are things you should cheap out on. I have a pixel 6, I think it was $600 or something like that? But to me cheaping out on a phone would be like a $100 device.
Because of how often I use it, it’s worth it to me to not have bloatware, to have a good camera, for the battery to last, resistant to water, etc.
Pixel 7a is currently $500 new, so good mid tier device. https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_7a
But really what you should do is get a used mid or top tier phone that’s one or two generations behind. Depreciation on phones is so great that you get a lot of bang for your buck.
For example mint condition Pixel 7 is $300
https://swappa.com/listings/google-pixel-7?carrier=&color=&storage=&modeln=&condition=mint&sort=
Think outside the box. Get a previous generation. Pixel 8 was about to be released. To move inventory, Google discounted the 7 series by like 30-40%. I got the 256GB 7 Pro for $600. Without the sale, $600 is the same price as the 128GB 7. I got a top of the range flagship phone for the cost of a midrange. My mom did something similar with a Samsung phone. She got an S20 when the S22 released. Huge discount when Verizon offered it for $449.
I second this, especially with Android you can breath new life into a phone by installing a custom ROM
Damn right. I bought myself a redmi note 12 last year and now I am back to using my 5 year old OnePlus 6 with lineage OS as it just runs better somehow.
You should try replacing LineageOS with DivestOS, it’s a much more secure build of Los.
Also, the oneplus 6 is such a great phone
What if my phone isn’t supported by any ROMs? Is there an easier alternative to building it for your device on your own, following the given instructions, for example?
Sadly the best bet is to only buy devices that you know have good custom ROM support
I’m in that situation right now with my OnePlus N10, the plan is to buy a second hand device that is supported by LineageOS
breath new life into a phone by installing a custom ROM
Smh Nope, you don’t want to go down this ROM hole!
Why?
Because they doesn’t know what their talking about.
I’m on my phone 8 hours a day. Quality counts. Slow is bad. Lacking features is bad. Crappy cameras are bad. Get a good phone. Use it until one of the following happens:
- It no longer gets security updates
- There is a new built-in hardware feature that will actually improve the quality of your life because you’ve been wanting it forever
- You break it or the battery performance starts to suck too much.
I’m on my phone 8 hours a day.
That is generally not good and shouldn’t be common. I’d argue folks should consider whether a nice phone will lead to overuse, and if so, buying a cheaper phone.
Before I had a phone I was on a computer for all that time. And before that I was reading in bed for all that time. And before that I was watching TV for all of that time. This is so much healthier than anything else I’ve done in 5 decades.
Just to be clear, I wasn’t trying to be critical of you. I know some people can’t actually reduce their screen time due to their job or way of life. I’m curious though, could you elaborate on what you mean by this being healthier for you?
I used to sit, or lay, for all those hours. Now I’m up moving around. Talking to my geese, trimming trees, painting rooms, figuring out what some idiot electrician did 60 years ago that’s causing me a problem today (stupid loopbacks and hot neutrals, aluminum wiring optional), going someplace to hike and get the physical therapy I need after breaking my back falling off a ladder, etc. Living life while managing my ADHD and still consuming massive info dumps while also having one of the 200 podcasts I listen to play in my ear at 2.5x speed.
For me it’s just the last one that counts.
Just for my personal understanding. How often have you heard about security issues from missing updates in older phones? In real life, I mean, not in some blog or video? I’m having a hard time finding any information about real cases. There are hundreds of articles from tech-sites and security companies.
To me it feels like selling pick-proof locks, a market without actual use-cases. You can pick them all anyway, but nobody actually does it.
I used to do phone security for a living. I’ve seen a handful of cases in person. The bigger issue is that most of the time you don’t know it was the phone that caused your problems. One day your bank is drained and you don’t know why.
There have been several zero days that gave anyone that wanted to the ability to own your phone with a text that you never even saw because the phone doesn’t show you command texts.
Unlike the good ol’ malwares that let you know that you’re infected by deleting your files or messing up your system, modern malware authors are profit-oriented and will do everything they can to make you unaware that your devices are infected. Then they’ll exfiltrate your data and sell them on various underground marketplace such as this one.
Definitely. If you know your device is infected then someone drastically messed up. The new stuff isn’t like the old stuff.
Don’t tell people that!
I always get a refurbished phone which are last years model that someone traded in when they got the newest and greatest thing. If people stopped doing this I might have to actually shell out for a new phone!
It is the one device most people use literally all day everyday. Having a great one is worth the money. But it does not need replaced every year. Mine is 4 years old and still works like new (one battery replacement). I will likely replace it next year.
I usually try to stay about 3–5 years behind whatever the newest one is. It’s good enough for what I need and helluvalot cheaper than current phone prices.
Another way to do that is one year old manufacturer refurbished phones. I generally spend $250-$300 for a year old phone that will last me 4-5 years
Lemmy hates Apple, but my five year old iPhone XS Max is still beastly fast, and I have like 40k pictures and all of my texts back nine years on it.
Better make a backup of those pics sooner than later
The beauty of iTunes (and the ONLY good thing about iTunes) is that I can make an encrypted incremental backup image of exactly what’s on my phone with one click.
Those pics have always been backed up.
The oldest pics are from my previous iPhone, so maybe eight years ago?
When I get a new phone (maybe soon, now that USB-C) I just plug into my computer and now my new phone is the same exact phone and layout as this phone, with all pictures and texts and files and everything.
There’s a reason my phone has no trouble with the Roku, works immediately when I use microHDMI, and gets updates for games on time and my roommate’s does not. Hardly a day passes where I’m not convinced he’s relegated to a worse quality of life because his phone just isn’t allowed to do things right. His phone doesn’t even run the transit app properly.
Now I’m not saying but a new phone every year for the incremental improvement, but don’t get something from a crap factory pushing high volume for small margins. Get something good.
What phones would you consider worthwhile in terms of price, i.e. those you can cheap out on, but not suffer the consequences of it being slow even in the simplest tasks?
One Android phone I had, Nokia 5.1, had to be replaced in less than 5 years because it often froze and lagged when I had to make or receive a phone call, open a single tab in some light-weight browser, etc.
I’m not a big fan of the smartphone industry and especially the reviewers because they seem to have a very twisted idea of a budget device. Or maybe I’m a cheapskate.
To combat this generally, you can buy one with more RAM. Also, right now there is a bit of a “race to the top” for longest phone support with Google announcing 7 years of support in November. Repairability is coming around too, which is great for replacing old batteries and broken charging ports.
I’ve adopted a policy of buying the latest iPhone every 5 years, which is about how long they tend to last in my experience. So far it’s worked out well.
Yes and no. For apple you can use their phones for quite a long time securely. For Android that is a very different story. As far as I know only Google with their new pixel phones and Samsung have offered more than 2 years of updates. After that time your phone becomes a security risk. So make sure your devices receives updates or can be used with a custom ROM (though that can be insecure as well).
It’s 2 years of FEATURE updates, usually longer for security.
Sometimes. It depends on the manufacturer. Some do more some don’t promise anything. You have to know what you have. Also the support time starts usually at the start of sale not at the time of purchase. That means if you buy a new phone that was released a year ago on clearance or something you might have only half the time.
What a load of crap. My phone is 5 years old and the only security risk is me blindly installing questionable APKs off the Internet or clicking pop-up ads or something. It’s not like I’m walking around with a time bomb or anything when all I do is browse a few apps and text and call.
Also the new pixel 8 supposedly is supposed to come with 7 years of updates. It’s entirely possible Google abandons that plan though, given their track record.
There have been a few bugs in the past years that let you take over a phone without user interaction. There was one where you only need to receive an SMS (it was invisible even) and your phone is infected. Another one was a vulnerability in wifi calling and voice over lte.
A phone is not a passive device that only gets something when you request it. You take also it with you to public places, use it in open wifi networks and you get calls. All that while being used for security critical stuff like 2FA, banking and payment.
You shouldn’t use a phone without current security updates for much more than calling. It is a time bomb. If you want to educate yourself further you should look at “zero click vulnerabilities”.
And if you happen to be in Vegas during Def con you should probably just turn off your phone and leave it in the room.
Generic meds vs brand meds.
Brands pay a lot for branding, and thus charge more. The formulas are moderated and regulated by the FDA, so unless you enjoy paying for ads, get the generic.
This isn’t always true. The content has to be the same, but the delivery mechanism can be different in generics as long as testing shows similar results
Generic concerta for example, often sucks
I’ve got a family member with a rare allergy. I’ve found that sometimes one or the other will have the allergen in it, but it’s not consistent between generic/branded. Always check the ingredients and never assume it’s exactly the same just because they have the same active ingredients
So you’re saying that your advice doesn’t apply to 99.9999999% of people? Got it, thanks
Someone elaborating on your advice is not an attack on you.
Allergies are not an uncommon thing
Drugstores here (Denmark) are required by law to ask if you’d like to buy the cheaper alternative to brand medicines. They will often change from week to week so a typical order at the drug store would be “I need this” - “I’ll grab it for you but are you OK with cheapest alternative?”
Caveat: you aren’t super sensitive to extra/less medicine. The tolerances for generic are much wider.
Technically no. The tolerances should be more or less the same (generally 90%-110% label claim for the active ingredient) . Manufacturers aim for 100% and generally hit that target (or get very close to it).
The bioavailability could be different though - if you are doing a bioequivalence trial for generic VS brand, the generic would have to be between 80% - 120%. This difference is generally a result of the starches, fillers, and other stuff that may be in a generic formulation.
Same net effect as your comment (wider tolerances), but there is a bit more nuance.
Extra info is great. Thanks for adding to the discussion!
Medicine: the branded stuff is normally exactly the same but many times the price.
When I go to the pharmacy I always ask for the cheapest generic drug product of Ibuprofen or whatever I need, it’s a couple of euroes cheaper.
Not that drugs are expensive in the EU compared to the US…not even relatively close!
I mean, sure. But store bought ibuprofen? It’s $9 for 500 count 500mg bottle off Amazon.
We only charge extra for life saving drugs, normal stuff is cheaper than dirt.
You get ibuprofen in what ? 500 pack ?! Surely there is enough to kill yourself with this amount. How do you even finish it before it expire ?
Depends on the size of the household, ages and activities of people living there. Plus depending on the product and storage, most expiration dates have some wiggle room.
As I understand it, most of them don’t actually expire
Here in Sweden they always ask: “Do you want the cheapest option?” when you buy prescribed medicine. If there’s a reason for a specific manufacturer then that’s stated on the prescription.
I’ve even had them say that the drugstore I’m at is out of the cheapest option and then ask if I want them to look up which drugstore is closest that has it in stock and if they should send them a note to save what I’m looking for so there’s no chance it might sell out before I get there.And there’s also high-cost protection, an annual maximum amount (about $275) you can spend on prescribed medication and anything else healthcare-related. So any medication you buy and the cost of any medical services you use are added together and if that cost reaches the maximum amount within a year everything is free until the next year. So basically you can’t pay more than $275 per year for medication and any other medical services.
Always compare active ingredients for OTC stuff too
I switched to the store brand breakfast cereals. Never going back to Kellogg’s again. The store brand ones near me are so good. And they’re made with better ingredients like cane sugar over corn syrup and shit.
I agree, even the ingredients part, except referring to color/flavor additives.
But cane sugar is an utter “word trick” that means absolute nothing. It is just as processed, and is exactly as good for you, as corn syrup. It’s an example of “health theater” that companies do with labeling.
You know why it hurts so much? Because we know it’s true.
Damn you. But bless you too.
We eat generic all the time, but I will say that frosted flakes and honey nut Cheerios do taste a bit better with the name brand. Luckily, they’re really cheap a couple times a year and I’ll buy a couple boxes then that last me pretty much until they’re on mega sale again
Tools you’re not sure you’ll need. Harbor Freight tools are super cheap and flimsy, but may be the right choice if you’re not using them often.
If you find yourself using a cheap tool all the time and hating the quality of it, then it’s time to buy something better.
I go by: If you are not sure you need a good one, buy the first one for cheap. Of you break it, buy a quality one. You obviously need it.
I would say if you’re not sure if you’ll use it, borrow it first. If you keep borrowing something, then buy a nice one.
If I break it, I buy a better tool. If I lose it, buy a cheap one.
Not sure if this applies to the US but for most things you buy from a supermarket the generic supermarket brand is usually just as good or even better than the big brands. And it’s usually much cheaper.
In some cases it’s actually the same product made by a big brand. They might be losing money (or just not making as much profit), but it denies profit to the competitors, so it’s still considered a win.
To counter this I used to visit some factories for a big contract manufacturer in the UK. They would often make say lasagne for the supermarkets and for the “premium” brands. Whilst they were all made in the same place, the “premium” brands products had much better quality ingredients in them and different ratios of the good stuff (say meat) to filler (say pasta sheets).
For some things it’s the exact same materials, but for many it’s different. You have to do blind taste tests to see which ones you prefer.
You’re conflating copackers with brands.
Store brands will go to the same copackers, truth. But the copacker will not just make a premium brand product for a store brand at a lower cost. It will be a recipe made to a taste/price spec. Maybe all the ingredients are sourced from the same place, but the recipe will be different.
What can be nearly identical are branding tiers. Large companies like Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble etc will sometimes have multiple “competing” brands in the same market, all made in the same factory.
Kroger’s “private selection” brand is legitimately unbelievably good in every category! Their chocolate is better than Lindt. Their bread is simply the best! Their jerky is effing amazing and with options I’ve never even heard of from other brands! The tea is pretty good, though I have actually had better. The ice cream bro!
I have certain things I don’t buy the generic for, such as Mac & Cheese and crescent rolls (one because the sauce is unmatched by off-brand and the other because the cans are impossible to open) but this is generally good advice
Often it’s literally the same thing. In Europe there is a code in every product that’ll show you where it’s produced. You’ll often find that the cheap brand comes from the same factory as the expensive brand. They just get different packaging.
From my experience, most of the time they’re healthier too!
A lot of store-brand products either don’t use as much sugar, or salt or saturated fats then their big brand counter parts.
In the US, most of the food is made in the same factories because they’re regional, then the name brands might get to pick the freshest batch, but often it’s the exact same stuff just in different boxes.
Things which are commodity items, such as sugar, all-purpose flour, etc. I buy store brand. The main difference is marketing.
Oh, here’s one: Power tools. Yeah I know, I know. But…
here’s a Porter-Cable branded 6-inch jointer on sale for $365 at time of writing.
Here’s a Craftsman branded jointer being sold for $299.
Here’s a Wen branded jointer for $241.
Look at the three of them. They bear a striking resemblance, don’t they? Makes sense for the Porter Cable/Craftsman ones, both brands are currently owned by Stanley, Black and Decker…but Wen has nothing to do with them, yet they’re selling the same fuggin’ jointer. Admittedly without the speed control, but what do you need a speed control on a jointer for?
It’s the same tool made in the same factory in China, the cost difference is what logo you’re willing to pay for.
At minimum the cheap ones have lower QA tolerances on components. Sometimes they straight up swap in shittier components (eg: plastic instead of metal, etc).
Not saying you always need the most expensive option when choosing power tools, but looks same != same.
I agree. For power tools, especially where decent accuracy is key like it is with a jointer, definitely more of a “do your research, price is not equal to quality,” not “you can do fine with any cheap one.”
A rule that I stole for tools is to buy a used or cheap one. If it breaks I buy the better version. If it don’t break then I don’t need it at all.
Harbor Freight first. If it breaks then Festool.
Just kidding. I can’t afford Festool. If the Hercules breaks I get Makita. So far I haven’t had one break. Though I probably need to get the corded circular saw because even the best battery ones choke on wet treated boards.
In the US, DeWalt and Milwaukee are tradesman-grade tools if you get the 18V-20V versions. But I agree that the average person can buy any Ryobi or Harbor Freight special and get by fine.
yeah thats a great stategy. Not sure where you are but in Europe, Aldi and Lidl have the notorious “center isle” where one can buy hand and bench tools, all the way up to band saws.
I broke my shitty center isle heat gun and now have a makita, outgrew my butane soldering iron and now have a webber, but I’m still rocking my center isle reciprecating saw and circular saw cause they work just fine and I dont use them enough.
We have the aldi centre isle in Australia as well! 😀
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Cell phone. A $200 android is extremely fast these days
Replying to you from a cheap fast Android phone.
Based and pilled bro, based and pilled
Why have people downvoted you?
Their fear response is triggered by the use of “pill” as a verb.
And, of course, that their moral philosophy operates at the level of reflex.
LOL, sadly, this is probably the case. Well stated.
I’m a bit disappointed to see this behaviour on Lemmy of all places
Unknown, but it seems like many people enjoy their low-cost mobiles so I am happy.
Absolutely, currently in the purchase of a Pixel 7a (second hand) for 300euros, looking forwards to getting that in hand and install Graphene 👍👍
Have any recommendations for cheap foldables?
You can either have cheap or foldable. Both won’t work.
People who want a foldable are at peace with it randomly becoming unusable. People who buy cheap phones are not.
napkin
You can get a Z Flip 3 for like $300 on eBay.
That’s only cheap if you don’t consider how long it will survive and the replacement/repair cost. A slab phone with no moving parts will last much longer than a foldable making the $/year cost much lower.
I can’t wait until my device and destructively scan, then re-print objects, so fast and effortlessly that I can have a folding phone that is my card carrier too. I just swipe the icon for my debit card, the thing materializes at full speed feeling exactly like Im pulling it out of a billfold, then when I push it back in it just gets chewed up again.
Or tablets. I’m using a tab s6 for browsing news sites occasionally. Best tab that runs lineage and was 200$ new (bought it late 2023)
Depends. That’s about what I paid for my previous phone second hand and it lasted me 7 years and I loved it to bits. But I was pretty broke and only could afford that. New phone, I decided to buy a brand new fairphone, because i think that the moment I get enough disposable income, I have a moral responsibility to use it in ways that encourage more ethical practices, for all the people who can’t. Doing that is bloody expensive, but if it somehow helps make this dystopian hellscape a little more bearable, I’ll invest.
Indeed. And that’s a great point, I would love a fairphone (or idealy a true linux handheld) for my next mobile device.
The key to my post is that purchasing $1500 sansungs and ios devices is ludicrous in this market, unless you are developing on the cutting edge or are a luxury tech enthusiast
It is, yeah. Especially if it’s to change it after 2 short years of use because if you keep it longer than that you look like a bum or whatever. I will never understand that tbh.
Store brand foods are good a lot of times. They used to be garbage, but nowadays they’re pretty good.
Frozen veggies instead of fresh is usually okay if you’re steaming or roasting.
Automotive parts off Amazon have worked alright; Rebuilt my suspension for, like, $120. That’s tie rod, sway bar, shocks, and struts. No issues for the two years since that repair.
A ton of hobbies have perfectly respectable aliexpress alternatives. Keycaps, Fountain pens, 3d printer parts. They rob intellectual property, but I like linux ISOs, so I don’t exactly have a history of respecting that type of property.
Software in general can be cheaped out on; I don’t think I need to champion FOSS on here.
Refrigerators and washing machines can be cheaped out on, as long as you do a bit of research about their reliability.
Lots of stuff is easy to DIY if you have some work space. Furniture, fish tanks, thermonuclear warheads. Learning to sew is valuable, not because you should make your own clothes -fuck that- but because you can mend the stitching on your current clothes.
Services can usually be cheaped out on. Youtube videos and a can-do attitude can get you through manicures and toilet repairs. Court clerks will sometimes be willing to walk you through basic legal stuff like name changes. Things you should educate yourself about beyond a short youtube video: Electricity, flammability (from heat sources), and anything involving significant pressure (pistons, compressed air, and power washers, mostly.).Also be a little careful with chemical reactions: cement hardening, for example, will produce a bit of heat. Usually this isn’t a big deal and you can ignore it, but there have been idiots.The world’s information is at your disposal. Provided you’ve got some common sense, and you never fuck around with the capacitor in a microwave, you should be fine.
Lots of stuff is easy to DIY if you have some work space. Furniture, fish tanks, thermonuclear warheads. Learning to sew is valuable, not because you should make your own clothes -fuck that- but because you can mend the stitching on your current clothes.
One of those things is not like the other…
Good catch, but that’s a common misconception. You can actually use woodworking tools on glass, such as drills and saws, but you need to go a lot slower and make sure to keep vibrations under controll.
I think you’re confusing the poor FBI guy reading our conversation ;)
I mean it’s an incredibly difficult job to refine the chemicals enough to produce a usable product. There’s a finite number of instalations which can actually pull off the delicate chemistry. The materials to make it are fairly common enough; essentially just SiO2,Al2O3, Na2O, and K2O, but it’s much easier to obtain it from the hardware store. I’m definitely not suggesting you attempt to make your own clear glass.
Most people could cheap out on tools and they’d still last. The average person just doesn’t use the ones they own very often or work them particularly hard. Really, you’re going to know if your usage will require higher quality tools and it’s not the average techbro posting on /r/buyitforlife.
Backpacks are similar. If you’re just using one lightly loaded for an urban commute there is nothing wrong with cheaping out. Spending more is really for people who are wearing them hard and filling them to capacity.
Most people could cheap out on tools and they’d still last.
I think this is a great one. I learned growing up that if you need a tool for a project buy the cheap one. Then if you use it enough to break it, buy a more expensive one next.
Tool trial by combat, so to speak.
40 something year old here who likes to fix stuff and make simple things at home. Heed this advice younglings. You don’t need the high end products if you’re not using it daily. If you use it til it breaks get something midrange that’s slightly more than what you think you’ll need and if you take care of it, it will last.
Generally agree on tools except for stuff that needs to work in an emergency even if you don’t use it frequently, or stuff that can pose serious safety hazards if it fails.
My understanding is that most cheap tool brands save costs in QA and material choices (e.g. lower quality steel), which is what leads to things like the harbor freight jack stand recall.
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Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.
The “generic” name is melamine sponge. These work exactly the same and cost a fraction of the brand name.
In my experience, the Mr. Clean ones hold up much better. Generic melamine sponges tear too easily.
But maybe I’m just getting the wrong generic ones. I’ve tried two or three different generic brands and they all sucked
This matches my experience, as well.
If you have one in your area, go to Aldi. Their knock off magic eraser has held up rather well for me.
I bought 100 on AliExpress 8 years ago, for like $5. Will take a few years yet to use them all.
There is something similar in germany for removing oil and stuff. Its basically just gasoline in a bottle. Lol.
I “just” moved and now taking care of the garden. I want a small vegetable garden (again) in raised beds.
You have a lot of raised beds kits the cheapest ones are €40 and more expensive ones are €90. I however used pallet collar’s at €5 a piece. You don’t even have to screw them together just put them down. For some custom size beds I use free pallets. They do take some work however.
Give them one treatment with linseed oil and you can use them for years. They live longer then the cheap kits and just a bit shorter then expensive ones. (Hardwood probably out life them)
Kits for vegetable gardens are most of the time really overpriced. Raised beds kits, tool kits and so on.
If you want high quality tools buy them of course, but starter kits are most of the time just the cheapest ones at a premium. Want hardwood raised beds, just buy wood and not a kit.
I suggest start on the cheap side, see if it your hobby. Buy cheap tools they already least long enough and if they break you know that you maybe want to invest in a premium one. Because you use that tool really often. (Second hand old tools are sometimes a better option of course)
Cheap/free pallets are used pallets and these have been in contact with so much shit that they should never be used with anything you’ll put in your mouth and shouldn’t be used indoors either (not relevant to you, just saying)
Thanks for you comment, didn’t think of that.
I bought the used pallet collar’s for a company I know and it shipped and stored stainless steel. I’m fine with that. But if someone isn’t comfortable with used new pallet collar’s are about €15.
The free pallets I used only moved pavement stones once, so I also think it fine. But yeah don’t just pick something on the side of the road to grow food in.
A other comment mentioned chemical treatment of pallets. I didn’t think of that. Most pallet in the eu are not allowed to use chemicals to treat the wood. Only heat treatment. That covers eur/epal pallets and single use pallets. Basically the only ones that are free or cheap. And it most be printed on the pallet how they are treated.
That being said be careful especially in countries without laws against using chemicals on pallets.
So I’m fine using them also understand other people are not. Then buying new are just wood for the store is always a option.
Just be sure those pallets were not used with toxic stuff. I’m damn sure that those that lay behind food stores are just ok.
“shit” even humans’, is used as fertilizer all over the world.
So tell me you have no idea about farming without saying that you have no idea about farming.
I don’t think the comment you’re replying to was referring to shit as in fecal matter, but rather shit as in unknown potentially toxic substances.
Do not use free range pallets for anything that isn’t strictly decorative with lots of coating on it. Those things are treated to high heaven with loads of chemicals and you never know what they had on them.
Woods preservatives and methyl bromide are known carcinogens and they’re not even recommended to burn, let alone grow food in.
https://aaapalletco.com/are-pallets-safe-to-burn-answers-from-the-experts/
It’s forbidden to use chemical treatment on Eur pallet/epal pallets. They are only heat treated. Single use pallet are also forbidden to use chemical treatment, but are normally not heat treated. So for the eu the treatment is not the problem. Of course didn’t think of the rest of the world. Sorry for that.
For the stuff that’s was on the pallet collar’s stored and transported stainless steel and the free pallets I got where form work and shipped some pavement stones.
If you don’t feel safe buy/getting for free used. New epal pallet collar’s are about €15. They are only heat treated by law.
This is a great one for sure, enjoy the gardening! 🌻
Thanks! 😌
-Any clothing/toys for children can be bought second hand, we have a very good site for that in Norway. For example, we bought 8kg of Legos, very reasonable price. Re-use is very popular in Norway.
-If you change food you eat often, it’s very important to do some reaserch on the nutrition and sugar.
-Any locally grown food should be supported by bying, if possible.
-Much electronics can also be bought second hand in Norway, since we have strong consumer protection laws. Breakdown on electronic can be repaired within 5 years, usually. But, only if the seller has the receipt.
-Jewelry and stuff isn’t nessesary, but buying cheap can be a nagging feeling and perhaps just buy something else for the person you love. Like an experience, trip to the massage/restaurant/etc. Spending time together is much more romantic anyways.
-Don’t cheap out on the bed/mattress, you spend about 1/3 of you life there.
Yeah, definitely don’t overspend on kid’s clothes. First, they don’t really care that much and they’re going to end up ruining them anyway. And second, they grow out of them so quickly, you’re buying new clothes in 6 months anyway.
For example, we bought 8kg of Legos, very reasonable price.
That’s like a kilo of cocaine’s worth.
Just checked, 7,5kg for about 120$. I have no idea about cocaine price, though… https://www.finn.no/bap/forsale/ad.html?finnkode=337960167
I had to sleep on the floor on a shitty mattress this week and it was hell. The only thing making sleeping somewhat comfortable were 2 additional yoga mats stacked on top of it.
Adult second hand clothes are fine too even if you’ll wear them longer than a child. There are many people who give away clothes in perfect state just because they don’t wear them as much. I’ve had similar luck with brand new 40€ jeans and second hand 5€ jeans.
Several years ago, we were given clothes by a woman whose husband had died. I still wear some of them, and we refer to one of the shirts as “the dead guy shirt”.
I want 8kg of Legos so much.
I once took a cooking class and the teacher was always “it’s not necessary to invest in expensive oils, the cheapest oil will always do for cooking”.
“These fries taste like used motor oil?!”
“Thanks for noticing. I took a class.”
As long as the oil you are using has the right smoke point. Different oils can get to different temperatures and are used for different things.
Can you expand on that? Which to use when?
Olive oil is a low smoke point. It’s good in a salad dressing but bad to cook something like steak and terrible for frying foods. It burns at a temperature lower than you’d sear meats at. Low smoke point oils tend to be richer and more delicate in flavors.
Canola is a mid-high smoke point oil, it’s good for searing meats and frying foods.
Safflower and avocado are a high smoke point oil. You can cook at a much higher temperature without burning the oil.
If you can find a place to watch it, there are a couple episodes of Good Eats where Alton Brown goes over the different types of oils and their usage. I find his show to be great at learning the whys behind a lot of the cooking choices and techniques.
Thanks so much.
Any idea about corn and sunflower oil? (I hope I got the names correct)
Both are high smoke point.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/800/cooking-oil-smoke-points.html
Thank you so much
Ooo there’s a great video on Minute Food about vanilla extract vs synthetic vanilla. It basically comes down to: if you cook the vanilla, synthetic will taste the exact same, if you never heat up the vanilla it might be worth getting the real stuff.
I assume the same is probably true of most oils, if you use EVOO for salad dressings it might be worth it, but if you’re using it to saute you might as well use sunflower oil and save some money.
I don’t think I’ve ever even seen synthetic vanilla outside of extremely specialised professional shops. (Europe). Vanilla seems to be insanely expensive in the US for some reason.
I see it already the time as vanillin sugar for baking instead of vanilla/vanilla sugar. Much cheaper. Every supermarket here has it.
I haven’t thought of looking at sugar as I do my own vanilla sugar. I’ll check it out next time.
