Asklemmy

A bidet. Fight me.

One I didn't see mentioned yet: a rice cooker.

Put in rice, add water, push start button, and you get perfect rice every time. I'm usually against single-purpose kitchen tools but a rice cooker is soo worth it.

If you have a car get a dashcam. It’s more valuable than any insurance because it will definitively prove what happened when something goes wrong. Bonus: you can post videos of bad drivers doing stupid things on the internet for imaginary points.

A toothbrush

A pair of high fidelity earplugs (aka concert earplugs or filtering earplugs). You can get a good non-custom pair for $15–$40, and that’ll work well for the average person for a long time.

They’re excellent for live music, airplanes, and anytime you want the world to be quieter but still need to be able to understand speech. And for music specifically, they can bring the volume level down just enough to be safe without muffling the sound like traditional foam earplugs do. Protect your hearing, kids!

A bike. Poor people in underdeveloped countries can use it to get access to education and markets, while people from developed countries can ise it to keep healthy and reduce their environmental footprint

Maybe specific, but if you do any DIY housework, get an endocscope. Baiscally, a 10 foot long flexible wire with a camera and light at the end. Uses your phone as a screen. Can be had for <$50. So many of my house projects would have been impossible without it. Also good for finding stuff under the couch.

3 dozen pairs of identical socks. Mine are black crew cut. I'll wear them until the last few pairs are worn through and I'll never have a sock without a mate.

A first aid kit

A fire extinguisher can be found for less than 100 USD and is a must-have. A smoke detector is also a bare minimum in my opinion.

The Haynes manual for your car. Even if you're not a mechanic they are so detailed they will walk you through fixing almost anything, they're made for the laymen. I'm a diesel mechanic and even i own one for my cars.

When friends buy a new car i buy them a Haynes manual.

They don't do them for ever single car in the world and the coverage isn't as great on later model stuff but if you own s car 5 years or more old they're great.

https://haynes.com/en-au/?gclid=CjwKCAjww7KmBhAyEiwA5-PUSuYaLa8Lf9OzVI6z-fuUXN0lI7Wo2VP6vV-gXqGiDAJzVaogwRctThoChAIQAvD_BwE

A water kettle. Doesn't have to be any fancy one, but it really fucking rocks for anything you might think of : want hot water for tea? No problem. Need hot water to steep something? No problem.

Most mid-range ones are insanely power efficient too, often being alot better than just boiling water on a stovetop, or using a microwave. And, depending on insulation, heat can be stored for over 6! hours.

A fire extinguisher

99 bucks

A towel

An OBD scanner

A decent flashlight

A mini screwdriver set

A multimeter

An outlet polarity tester

These immediately come to mind.

A rice cooker making rice in a saucepan will yield different results almost every time, a $20-50 rice cooker is just a set it and forget it kitchen tool that yields the same results every time. Very nice and easy

A cast iron pan. Not only under $100 but will last generations. I just passed the one my father used and gave to me down to my Son when he moved out.

Water sensor alarms.

If you have any doubts about the pipes in your house or have a feeling that water might enter your basement, sensors will help you sleep at night.

Water damage to your home is no joke. I know two separate homeowners who have had leaks from their refrigerator's plumbing (water and ice dispenser). The damage for each homeowner was quite extensive given how small the leak was.

A sun hoodie. Sun hoodies are meant to be worn on their own, cover your entire upper body, be very light, and have a high UPF (clothing equivalent of SPF). Instead of dealing with globs of sunscreen that wears out as you sweat, you can slip on a sun hoodie in an instant and get lasting protection. I got the REI store brand, which is around $50. Unfortunately, it looks like they're almost sold out of the nice visible orange color that I bought. It's only available in XXXL.

A good quality fire extinguisher, multiple if you live in a large house or apartment.

To that note, a good quality, working carbon monoxide detector should be on the list...

Since someone already mentioned dashcams and cast iron, my vote is: a bidet toilet seat attachment.

Fancy ones can roll $200+ but a super simple one with just a cold water hookup and no electricity will knock you back $50-60. I bought one right as covid was beginning to hit the west coast, and instantly realized I could never - ever - go back.

Huge bonus of the toilet seat style bidets is that, since you aren't actually replacing the toilet, they take like 5 mins to install and can be done in a home, condo, apartment, wherever.

My dad would say a cast iron pan. That would outlive you and your kids.

I would say maybe an air fryer, I think you could get a decent one for less than $100USD. I use mine every day.

Otherwise, maybe good waterproof boots. I got some decent ones at an outlet store. They are kind of dressy so nice enough for work, but also warm AF and during the winter they are so good.

A decent set of precision kitchen scales, and some general use scales that don't have a massive delay on them #WeightSupremacist4Lyf

But seriously, fuck you, measuring cups. Fuck. You.

Jumper cables. For like 10-20$ it can save you or someone else a lot of trouble.

A portable car tire inflator (with build in battery).

Meat thermometer.

A dildo.

A well stocked toolbox. Not just a random assortment of things but a well considered, well stocked toolbox with everything you need to tackle basic home repair.

To all those saying that tools are too expensive, they are not. Everything you need to tackle most home repair scenarios can be had under $100. Will you be turning screws by hand and adjusting wrenches? Yes. Will it be enjoyable work? Probably not, but you absolutely can have a good set of very basic tools for under $100 then add to it over time.

Get a hammer, adjustable wrench, angled pliers, razor utility knife, and 11-in-1 screwdriver. Buy additional tools as needed.

As a homeowner, a Dremel. I've replaced half my tools with a single device and counting. Best 80 bucks I've spent on useful stuff in ages. You can get literally anything as an attachment, Lol. I'm waiting for the attachment that will do my taxes.

• The Casio F-91W. Timeless classic, with seven years of battery life.
• A dutch bicycle. Made from steel, with a kickstand, a chainguard a dynamo and internal gear. Built to last.
• A cordless screwdriver from Bosch. Fast charging and very good built quality.
• A water heater for the kitchen.

A good chef knife

Also makes and excellent chrismas/birthday present

If you have any interest in working on things, a ~$30 set of calipers is an awesome tool for figuring out hardware sizes and so much more. You can definitely spend much much more but as a hobbiest I'd recommend against it.

A few spare charging cables to keep plugged in around the house are always great too, I also recommend keeping one in your travel bag so you never need to think about packing one.