Looking for some neat ideas/quality of life improvements aka lifehacks I guess
Under cabinet manual jar opener. It’s flat and mounts under your cabinet of choice. Easy to use, but also easy to forget it’s there! I sometime find myself jar in hand and half-way to wherever my husband is before I remember that I no longer need his skills.
Electric candle lighter. Rechargeable lighter with long neck. Eliminates the need for matches or standard lighters. The noise it makes does scare one of the cats, though. I haven’t tried it on campfires yet, but I think that was something the ad said it could do.
If by “electric candle lighter” you mean one of those “plasma” or arcing ones, they’re awesome, but cannot light anything that won’t fit between the two ends of the arc. I love mine for candles, but have yet to successfully start my charcoal grill with them. I imagine a campfire would suffer similar issues.
Hopefully you have better luck!
If you kill your own spiders, he ought to be sweating.
Those electric lighters are like a torture device to my ears. If you haven’t lost your high pitch hearing, don’t get one
It is the equivalent of nails scratching on blackboard for me. My mom uses one and I have to get away whenever she is about to use it because it makes my ears and teeth hurt like a mofo.
Yeah, I feel it in the base of my skull and my spine more than my ears
Whoa, hey, don’t tell people about that first one! Us husbands won’t be needed anymore!
Flair Pro 2 manual espresso machine.
Ohhhh that’s been on my radar ever since I saw James Hoffmann playing around with it. I’m about to move abroad so it would be unnecessary ballast, but once I’ve settled in, that’s on the to-do list.
How steep is the learning curve to get the workflow & output consistent?
The learning curve is a bit steep, but for me it’s part of the fun. You control all the variables, which kind of forces you to learn about the whole espresso making process. Once you got the workflow down it’s not too bad.
Don’t get it if you expect a quick cup of espresso in the morning. Do get it if you like to fiddle with things and want go the extra mile to get the most out of your espresso.
Oh sure, it wouldn’t me my daily driver I guess, at least not the one for the first shot. But I’ve already got a decent espresso machine for that (plus 7 other coffee making contraptions), so the flair would be for the second and third short during the day. And a nice showpiece for sure.
Sorry this isn’t real life, but in Space Engineers I made a rover with wheels so big I can’t even get in it. So I made a platform that lowers down on a piston, to scoop the passenger up.
(Also I had no source of water and hence couldn’t power my jetpack to just fly up onto the rover)
It feels so cool every time I use it.
Space engineers is so underated. Too bad I’m too stupid to play it. But I watch playthrough on YT every day, drooling over crazy builds and admire people’s creativity.
Beer
YMMV; My life has improved greatly since I am not buying beer anymore.
Cigs
An AeroPress for making coffee. It’s functions sorta like a drip brewer, french press, and espresso machine, all at the same time. but super simple. It’s really just a giant syringe for making coffee.
Such a game changer. I’ve just used drip brewers my entire life. And it was fine. But AeroPress-brewed coffee is soooo much better. So much smoother. Not nearly as bitter as drip brewed.
Thank you to James Hoffman for the recommendation.
A breadmaker which also makes jam.
If it can give hugs too, you basically got a whole gramma there.
The smell of fresh bread is like a hug for your nose.
A spray bottle for oil to easily coat a pan or food in oil without using huge amounts of it.
I use a little dish and a silicone brush. I think whether or not it will clog will depend on the oil a lot.
Too bad they clog easily.
This one has worked great… https://www.amazon.ca/FLAIROSOL-Dressings-Continuous-Professional-Technology/dp/B0BLHJSPHW
Maybe if you are using the aerosol cans with lecithin in them. I’ve never had just plain oil clog up a pump sprayer
Every olive oil pump sprayer I’ve used has …
Use a plastic squeeze container like a ketchup bottle. Lots of pizza places and others use them when you buy bulk ranch or other sauces. Ours are from Jets pizza and they rock
Okay this sounds like a great idea.
be sure to get one of those metal/opaque ones specifically made for oil, as it degrades when exposed to sunlight (btw, that’s why oil bottles are coloured and not transparent)
It won’t make you sick of you dont, but exposure to light will get rid of its health benefits
I did not know that, thanks!
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Pomade stick. Looks kinda like deoderant but you use it on your hair. I have long hair and get flyaways like crazy, especially when I tie my hair back. Works wonders.
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A stainless steel Casio watch. Looks nice and will allow me to tell the time at work since I won’t be allowed to have my phone on me most of the time.
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Got a robo vacuum (Roborock q revo). Amazing stuff. It runs every day and the first floor has never been cleaner.
Air fryer has been fun though I’m still trying to learn what works well with it.
3D printer (Bambulab A1)! So fun.
I just realised that I’ve spent like 2k on gadgets in the past two months oops.
Though I really really want a rice cooker but haven’t pulled the trigger… yet.
Something a bit cheaper is this home made bread that needs no kneading and is amazing.
3dl water (1.3 cups) pouch of dry yeast (11g, 0.38oz) 1tsp salt 1tbs maple syrup (or whatever syrup) 2dl of dried oats (0.85 cups) 5dl of wheat flour (2.1 cups) 2tbs neutral oil (haven’t tried olive) Seeds if you like!
Mix up dry ingredients. Add lukewarm water and mix (add a splash or two extra if it looks like not everything is mixed into the dough). Do not knead, just mix. Add oil and mix slightly. Put a baking sheet in a bread pan and pour the dough in it. Add a spritz of water on the dough surface (not necessary though). Cover and leave in room temperature for 30min. Bake at 175C (350f) for 45-60min.
I think I’ll make one.
I found a more sensible thing instead of a rice cooker was to just get an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, and cook rice in it. It works really well and then I have it to use for a bunch of other stuff.
Yeah maybe, haven’t really looked at what I could do with one. Though they’re probably a decent bit more expensive.
They were a huge fad (though worth it, IMO), but lots of people have given them up to thrift shops, and you can get them for really cheap now
Absolutely excellent for cooking chili and bean soups, and you can do pasta in 5 minutes in them. I find they are worth the extra money.
Chili and bean soups sound great, I’ll take a look, thanks!
Rice cooker you should definitely get if you eat rice on a normal basis. You can get them super cheap like $20
Rice cooker is definitely worth it if you eat rice with any degree of regularity. I love my zojirushi, it makes excellent rice and its super easy to clean. Plus it plays a little tune when the rice is done!
I got an e-bike! Well, an e-trike. I work like, maybe three miles from home, so it never made sense to drive.
Open ear bone conduction headphones. Light, affordable, waterproof and safe to bike with. Also good in the office as you can still hear what’s going on whilst listening. Only drawback is they’re pretty quiet and easily defeated by heavy traffic/loud kids etc.
Also not recent but as someone who suffers from tinnitus, a Bluetooth audio sleep mask has improved my quality of life more than any other minor purchase I’ve ever made.
which sleep mask did you get?
I had to go to Amazon for it, it’s the only thing I will buy from there because I haven’t seen them elsewhere. The brand is Musicozy, cheap and made in China. I’ve had three and they’ve all broken because I’m only spending about 20 quid at a time. But it’s worth it for the sleep!
ok thanks im hoping to find one that isnt so likely to break
If you find a good one, and you remember, please let me know. I’d love to find one that lasted more than a few years.
costco has a fancy one and they have an amazing return policy: https://www.costco.com/smartgoggles-by-therabody.product.4000206073.html
or you can get cheap chinese stuff for $6 at temu.com https://www.google.com/search?q=temu.com+wireless+sleep+mask
or i found this
That’s a lot of money for something that looks un-cleanable and sitting on your face for 8 hours - it will contribute to acne if you ain’t clean it.
I absolutly love open ear bone conduction headphones. Really help getting to your surrounding without any audio leak from your headphones. Too bad that i never found one who didn’t broke. Shockz ones broke the neck security thing and the left ear headphone. JBL ones can’t be recharged anymore onto the right one, as it seems that the earphone doesn’t connect fine with the pins in the charging case anymore. And i even tried a cabled one, hoping this one would break as easily. The cable broke connection and it only work if you hold the cable at a specific angle (unusuable in most usages)
Worried now as I only got mine last week from a no-brand seller
I mean, it could also just be me too. I forgot the ticket for the shokz. Bought it “reconditioned” by Amazon for the JBL (and not possible to be repaired by JBL in that case). I would suggest you one tip from those with a back ring security thing, don’t lay on the back with it. Even if you rotate it to the entire back of your neck. I didn’t broke it there for those that obviously, but i feel it may have loosened it.
Thanks for the tip. I was sitting on a train today and I hit the back security ring against the headrest and the whole headset nearly came off. I was wondering how sturdy it might be. Now I know, thanks!
The new ones are made out of titanium. They are difficult to break. The old ones… yeah…thats why they switched.
I own 3 different pairs. Between a hobby for running/biking and having a toddler - these are the only headphones I can use anymore.
If you are in a noisy environment, you can use earplugs with your bone conduction headphones. That’s what I do on the treadmill and while mowing the grass.
I just tried this and it works really well!
Mine actually came with earplugs and have an onboard EQ setting for this specific use case. Check your manual and see if there’s something similar.
It does have this! Amazing, thanks!
I picked up some open ear headphones recently (Soundcore Aerofit) and I love them. I hate how buds feel in my ears, and the open ear headphones are super comfortable.
I love my bone conduction headphones. I love listening to podcasts and books whilst communicating. Agree with them getting drowned out by traffic sometimes though I guess that’s sort of the idea.
I got a soda machine that uses packets of powder instead of a c02 cannister.
Fun fact: the CO2 version can actually be made incredibly cheap if you retrofit a decently sized paintball CO2 canister to work with your soda machine (kits can be bought). The biggest difference is that paintball CO2 isn’t food grade, but it’s pretty common to dismiss this if that’s something you’re comfortable doing.
You go from spending however much (think I remember them costing as much as $50 for like, 12oz) on a SodaStream proprietary CO2 canister, to spending like $10-$30 every couple of months on a 20+ oz fillup at your local sporting goods store, and the one time $40-$60 for a decent sized canister that lasts forever. Seriously, I still have my canister from when I played paintball in 2008.
I bought an adapter and a 25 liter siphon tank.
I found a local gas company that will refill my siphon tank with food grade CO2. Because it’s a siphon it’ll transfer liquid directly into the SodaStream tanks.
I own five SodaStream tanks. I can refill them about four times out of the siphon tank.
The siphon tank cost $25 to refill at a semi local gas company.
pop rocks?
sodium bicarbonate
Not really bought but I was gifted a used 3D printer (Ender 3 pro) from a print farm. Great starter printer and it’s solid and totally upgradable. It’s like a manual Jeep Wrangler from the in line six days and before. I can print anything to improve my life.
First great functional print was a wall socket cover plate with a HomePod mini shelf above it to get it off our kitchen counter. Projects sound much better since it’s no longer surrounded by stuff.
My wife then wanted a handle for a 20oz Yeti tumbler. Printed that and she loves it.
Little things, printed a tool holder for my 3D printer tools that fits on it and keeps them neat and out of the way.
Recently printed a computer monitor stand VESA mount to lift it up (I only have a short monitor stand). Spent $2.63 on the filament to print that. It’s freaking awesome.
Easily the best gift I’ve received in decades.
I’m still rocking a super old monoprice mini select. It’s been so heavily modifier and repaired at this point I probably should have gotten a better one. Small print area, no magnetic build plate, no auto leveling. It feels like a geo metro with manual everything.
I finally got a carbon steel pan recently. It’s the only pan I use now, unless I’m cooking something acidic.
What do you like about it?
It has many of the benefits of cast iron and heats up more quickly. High heat searing is where it really shines. Steaks and burgers are just effortless.
I have a bunch of Le Crouset and stainless. I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time scraping and scrubbing burns off of them from searing.
This thing just works every time
Carbon steel woks are incredibly versatile, especially with a flat bottom.
Just got a nice big one for my birthday. Got to get it all seasoned up nice. I love it already
I don’t buy anything
