Ask Lemmy

3D Printer. You'll probably need to learn a bit of 3D modeling to get the most out of it and it is a hobby in its own right... But man, the amount of little bullshit stuff I had to buy from Amazon that now I print for pennies and to the exact specifications that I need. I made a new door shelf for my fridge to hold my coffee carafe, a door stop, a loop for my bedside table to hold cables, bracket to hold my webcam, hydroponics tower, drawer organizers, pegboard hooks, a plate to cover a weird shaped hole in my wall, a bracket to hang a rgb smart bulb behind my monitor, a phone stand, angled smart doorbell mount, broom and mop hanger, board games, and of course attachments for my 3D printer!!

To varying degrees, a book.

Might not be the most popular call, but streaming services.

A) movie tickets are absurdly expensive. Went for the first time in years last year and was shocked by the nearly $60 for an early morning session. Bonus though because the wifey and I were the only two at the screening (spider-verse 2). B) physical formats can cost more than 3-4 streaming services per month for just a single movie, cd, vinyl etc. Sales are still worth keeping an eye out for. C) streaming services promote choice. Your favourite movie isn’t on the service? Watch these similar themed movies. Like this song? Here’s work from similar artists. D) the other high seas streaming service is very viable if you’re discriminated against by living in a particular region or country. Or you simply can’t or don’t want to pay.

There’s definite downsides such as service saturation, the curse of too much choice, or constant garbage with the odd diamond thrown in. But if you’re not too concerned with loyalty (and you shouldn’t be) or you sail the high seas then that’s not going to be a problem.

Vaseline

Toothpaste and deodorant.

LED lighbulbs.

Started getting them way back when those things were quite expensive and they still payed for themselves within 2 years.

You can use bigger more powerful ones to get more light in a room, which makes your home much more pleasant without your electricity bill going through the roof.

And this is just plain bulbs, no extra installation work stuff. If you go into stuff like LED light strips you can surround yourself with light and/or pimp your home to your hearth's content.

There is really is no need to live in a place that turns into an almost cavelike somber environment when the sun goes down.

Personal hygiene products.