I bought cast iron pan which I think is the best ever purchase I made.

    • s3rvant
      link
      fedilink
      161 year ago

      +1 for bidet; got mine after recommendation from a friend and since then my folks and son-in-law have also upgraded

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        41 year ago

        Interesting.are you in the US? Sounds like a lower water pressure. Or you have very thick and dense hair. Usually takes me a couple of seconds to clean up, and I’m on the slightly hairy side of men.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          91 year ago

          I got a Tushy bidet and took out the water flow restrictor. Thing can basically power wash my undercarriage now, 10/10

          • PopShark
            link
            41 year ago

            Yes those hidden restrictors nerf shower head pressures often too, I always suggest people check and remove them in their shower head assemblies if found lol

      • @Lifecoach5000
        link
        English
        21 year ago

        I got a fancier-ish one too by Bio Bidet. I found that the Turbo mode really does the job right - even though that blast pressure was a bit uncomfortable at first. Does your model have any different type of spraying options?

          • @Lifecoach5000
            link
            English
            21 year ago

            I think go for highest pressure and pulsate if you can stand it. It felt uncomfortable to me at first as well but I got used to it and seems to do the job as least for me. Also, I get it about the fan. Maybe just skip the fan for now and wipe and if you get down a solid system where you know you’re clean every run, then maybe indulge in the fan dry if you have time. Im sorry for the unsolicited advice if you didn’t want any, I’m high and it just came out.

  • Margot Robbie
    link
    fedilink
    901 year ago

    The best purchase I’ve made this year has to be the tickets for the “Barbie” movie on opening day July 21st. As I watched the movie in theater (the best way to watch a movie), I was literally moved to tears by the performance of the lead actress, whom I might add, deserves an Oscar this year.

    Fellow lemmings, I, for one, will definitely be buying “Barbie” on Blu-ray to have it in my collection.

    Multiple copies, in fact.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      251 year ago

      I truly enjoy seeing you pop up all over Lemmy, especially with posts and comments like these! Rose gold effort!

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      51 year ago

      You are the opposite of me, I got bored in 10 minutes and I turned it off after 30 minutes.

      It’s cool that people can enjoy so different things.

      • @vxx
        link
        91 year ago

        Look at the username, it’s her.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          111 year ago

          Do you…actually think that’s the real Margot Robbie and not just someone pretending to be her for a theme account?

          • Margot Robbie
            link
            fedilink
            81 year ago

            Looks like I completely dissappeared into the role of “average Lemmy user” here.

            That’s called acting.

          • @vxx
            link
            7
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            I’m pretty sure it’s not actually her, but in the context of the post the user replied to, it’s still worth playing into it.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      5
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Two questions for you!

      1.) What is the most useful thing we in the Lemmy community can do to help you get that Oscar?

      2.) I have a secret Santa this year coming up in a month that I am a part of with some friends. Would you be interested in leaving a comment for a friend of mine in response to this that I can show them a month from now for the secret santa?

      “Hey Rome, this is Margot Robbie wishing you a merry Christmas and happy new year?”, or something like that?

      Thanks for being cool either way and good luck getting nominated this year!

      • Margot Robbie
        link
        fedilink
        21 year ago
        1. Memes. I don’t know how it works either so I’m just going with it.

        2. I’m sure he would appreciate the sincere thoughts of you as his friend more than a social media comment left by a complete stranger from the Internet. Which is what this is.

        Still, hi Rome!

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          01 year ago

          You’re no stranger, you’re THE Margot Robbie! Well, A Margot Robbie. And since I saw that name on my screen that means we’re best buds, right?

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          121 year ago

          It is worth learning. A single two sided whetstone and some basic skill will give you sharp knives for the rest of your life.

          Bonus, keep your cheap knives. They are typically a softer metal that will require maintenance more often so you can practice.

          Also learn when you need to sharpen and when you need to hone. Your knife may be sharp but the edge is out of shape (folded, bent over). A few swipes of a hone and you could be back to 80-90% sharp.

          At this point I use medium value knives and sharpen them once a year. I have no regrets regarding learning to sharpen with a whetstone. I also typically don’t sharpen beyond 1000 grit and it’s still enough for people to remark on how sharp the knives are.

          Best of luck.

          • Scratch
            link
            fedilink
            English
            31 year ago

            Instead of a hone you could make a strop. A 2”x10” bit of leather, buy a stick of stropping compound and you get to feel like an old timey barber.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            11 year ago

            That’s no longer true. A dishwasher safe trend took over, most cheap knives are extremely hard now. I’ve a nice old set of not quite stainless that sharpen very easily and the ten thousand grit polish stone I have actually does something. Most new knives I sharpen for people I don’t even go over 3000 because they are far too hard to take much effect. My personal favorites are old Wiltshire 70s wood handled inox cleavers and Opinel knives, those opinel especially turn into a razor incredibly easily.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          51 year ago

          If you know how to use it. If you do not know got to use it a kit that you just stick in the knife is going to be way better.

    • Nach [Ohio]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      131 year ago

      I bought a really nice Benchmade pocket knife. I like the way it opens Amazon packages

      • no banana
        link
        11
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        For anyone reading this, do not “get into” pocket knives. You’ll not know what to do with all the damn knives!

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          6
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          same goes for flashlights. you won’t stop even if you already own 15 D4V2s (excluding those you already gifted to friends and family ofc)

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          21 year ago

          Give them away to friends and family who aren’t into knives. There are a lot of garbage knives out there, so it helps to have a friend who knows what I should be using and how I should take care of it.

      • @FireTower
        link
        31 year ago

        Couldn’t agree more sharp knives don’t slip. Yet some people out there are purposely blunting kitchen knives.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        11 year ago

        I’ve heard that, but I’ve only ever cut myself with the really sharp knives and yeah it’s clean, but when the knife is dull it just kind of pokes my finger and that’s it

      • Neuromancer
        link
        fedilink
        -41 year ago

        I bought some knife set that cost like 1000 dollars. It was an impulsive buy when I won an award at work.

        Damn I learned expensive knives are worth every penny. I’ve had them twenty years. Normally I’d buy a knife and have to throw it away after a couple of years because they couldn’t be sharpened as they were cheap.

        I cook every day and it makes it so much easier.

        • @Eheran
          link
          111 year ago

          You can sharpen every knife. Better knifes stay sharper for longer, but they still need to be sharpened regularly. This also applies to ceramic knifes, which stay sharper even longer, but also need to be sharpened after a lot of use.

  • CrimeDad
    link
    fedilink
    English
    541 year ago

    My house. Even though we have to pay taxes and mortgage interest, it beats paying rent to a landlord. Also, we bought it in 2020 and it has appreciated it value significantly since then. However, that appreciation is kind of fictitious to me, because if we sold the house it’s unlikely that we’d be able to buy a similar one in the same area for less. So, it’s just a nice house.

    • @books
      link
      151 year ago

      Yeah housing gains do nothing for you if you want to stay in the same area.

      Theoretically you’ll have more equity so you can take out loans, but with high interest rates you’ll likely avoid that… and your property taxes will eventually go up since your home value has gone up.

      Hate the fact that my house has gained so much.

      • CrimeDad
        link
        fedilink
        English
        71 year ago

        At least property tax increases usually aren’t as bad as rent increases, at least in my experience.

        My apparently controversial take is that flat property taxes should be abolished and the imputed rent of a given property should be progressively taxed as income instead.

      • @eran_morad
        link
        2
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Whatever down payment you put into your house (+ whatever equity you build) appreciates at the rate of housing gains in your area. You protect that capital from devaluation due to inflation. Housing gains can do a hell of a lot for you if you want to trade up in your own neighborhood.

  • The Giant Korean
    link
    English
    471 year ago

    Our air fryer. I thought it was all hype. I just didn’t know. It’s so convenient for so many things.

    Along similar lines, our Instant Pot. So covenient for so many things. We cook rice in it, chili, stews, my dog’s food, stock, etc.

    Our bidet. I cringe at how dirty my asshole used to be. It’s amazing.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      111 year ago

      Hell yeah. We got a ‘Ninja’ that is an air fryer and pressure cooker. We use it so much. We are also on team bidet. The worst thing about having a bidet is the feeling of disappointment you get whenever you take a shit somewhere else.

      • The Giant Korean
        link
        English
        51 year ago

        We’ve got a Ninja also. They’re great! I roast veggies in it, prep my meals for the week, all kinds of stuff.

        We were on vacation for a week and very much missing our bidet.

        • 𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖈𝖍
          link
          2
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          Question. We were gifted a Ninja air fryer ages ago and never use it because it’s giant and we live in a tiny apartment. The basket barely fits in the sink, the whole unit is like 3x the size of the basket, and having to shake it every few seconds so stuff doesn’t burn is a pain in the butt.

          I think we’ve used it like twice in three years. What exactly am I missing here? Did they fix these issues in newer models?

          • The Giant Korean
            link
            English
            11 year ago

            Wow that sounds gigantic. It must be a different model than ours. I do shake it for fries or veggies occasionally but that’s maybe twice during the cooking time. Anything else I can just let cook or flip once.

      • Subverb
        link
        31 year ago

        My wife and I have a big, fancy bidet. We love it, of course. We’ve been remodeling our house and living in air B&Bs over the last five weeks. Ugh. Missing our bidet so much!

    • @AVengefulAxolotl
      link
      41 year ago

      I am the same with the bidet. Without water (or something wet) touching my chocolate starfish i feel kinda dirty as well. Crazy.

  • @Macaroni_ninja
    link
    451 year ago

    Steam Deck - I know I’m not supposed to promote a specific product (change SD to a handheld gaming device if you must), but after my son was born, moved to a different country and changed jobs my life was rather hectic. I had no time to play videogames at all, which was my go-to method to unwind since I was a little kid. As an almost 40 years old responsible adult I can now still enjoy gaming in bite sized bursts, in bed, instead of scrolling through social media or watching mindless videos. The best thing is I can be next to my SO while she does something else I can work through my backlog.

  • @FireTower
    link
    431 year ago

    I bought a rice cooker, and it easily earns it’s permanent space on the countertop. Having the ability to cook 5 (dry) cups of rice and have it stay warm for days is so convenient.

    • @SpaceNoodle
      link
      431 year ago

      Warm for days? That’s a mold incubator …

      • @FireTower
        link
        4
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        I haven’t experienced any mold in mine. It’s a sealed unit (outside of it venting during cooking) and I’m no mycologist but I’m sure that mold spores wouldn’t be too appreciative of the cooking process.

        • @SpaceNoodle
          link
          81 year ago

          So you just cook rice several days ahead and don’t open the cooker until then?

          • @FireTower
            link
            51 year ago

            Some times, also left over rice can be put in the refrigerator and then used for fried rice. Sometimes I’ll just make as much as I need on that occasion. Either way it comes out perfectly every time.

      • @Tikiporch
        link
        31 year ago

        Mold? Not likely. Bacteria? Yes.

        Per the CDC: Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F. Never leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if exposed to temperatures above 90°F).

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        01 year ago

        It stays hot, nothing’s gonna be growing.

        With mine, the rice is still pretty good after about 48h on the keep warm setting. It’s still edible after 72 but starts to get too dried out at that point.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      8
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      An opposing viewpoint here, from a couple of rice snobs – I’ve spent 30+ years (my entire life) with a rice cooker so I’ve never questioned not owning one.

      Ours broke (the gasket did, after 10 years), and the company that made it no longer exists (Sanyo), so we tried just cooking rice on the stovetop for a year before we bought a new one. It’s now been 2 years without a rice cooker, and we don’t plan on buying one of those fancy Korean ones I’ve been eyeing.

      We found the rice tastes better (a bit of burning at the bottom adds flavour), and we don’t need another appliance taking up space. The only thing I miss is the keep warm functionality, but now we just freeze the leftover rice and microwave it (or make fried rice with it).

      And now we have more counter and cupboard space to buy other gadgets, as we’re cooking enthusiasts.

      For large amounts of rice we luckily have a pressure cooker.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      71 year ago

      This is one I thoroughly do not understand, maybe because I have not tried it, but cooking rice is already so easy, why would i need a separare appliance for it?

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            11 year ago

            my take is, if you are alone in the kitchen and doing multiple cooking tasks. then you have one less thing to worry about.

            it is also good because even children can operate the rice cooker. so you can assign that very easy task to a person with little to no experience and just a minimum of instructions.

            1.wash rice

            2.measure water by cups

            1. put in the cooker and push
      • @lyam23
        link
        101 year ago

        I have one and it’s a little easier to prepare, keep warm, and clean. If you eat a lot of rice, it’s worth it.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        41 year ago

        I thought the same thing for 20+ years. A nice rice cooker is great though. Ours has a yumcarb setting that my wife likes, which has a separate basket with holes in it. Most of the starch leaks out of the rice and pools below it.

      • ditty
        link
        fedilink
        11 year ago

        I have a tiny kitchen so I appreciate being able to conveniently cook rice in the corner of one countertop, especially when I’m cooking with two pans on the stove.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        111 year ago

        I’m guessing it’s a “keep warm” mode.

        I’m paranoid about it going bad or attracting pests…or even just using energy unnecessarily. But apparently it’s not bad for any of those things!

      • @FireTower
        link
        2
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Otp got it. I have some in it right now that I made two nights ago. Texture wise, if I press down on it, it slowly springs back up. If that gives you a good sense of how it’s holding up. & it’s a sealed unit water can’t escape once it’s done cooking (it vents steam during that process)

          • @FireTower
            link
            21 year ago

            Asian, Japanese in particular. Osaka prefecture in even more particularity if their about us page is to be believed.

            • @Melonpoly
              link
              English
              71 year ago

              I think that was a joke question based off of the Monty Python skit lol

    • @Zibobwa
      link
      21 year ago

      What brand and model? I’m curious to check it out.

      • @FireTower
        link
        21 year ago

        I’ve got a tiger jbv-a10u. I’d imagine there’s some other good competition in this space too though.

  • @yenahmik
    link
    411 year ago

    Lasik. Being able to wake up in the morning and just see things with zero effort was life changing.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      20
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I’ve gotta chime in here with an opposing viewpoint. I got all laser lasik and while it mostly corrected my myopia (went from -5 to -0.5 sph), it gave me really bad astigmatism, to the point where night driving is much more dangerous for me. Glasses were a pain in the ass but at least they made things crystal clear. Post surgery everything except bright sunlight now has an annoying halo. I’m 3 years post surgery btw, and went back under the laser twice to try to get it corrected.

      • v_krishna
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        That scares me. I also have family members who got it decades back and for the most part they all still have to use glasses.

        I have ridiculously bad vision (-9.5 contact prescription) and bad astigmatism already, thankfully every optometrist ever has told me I’m a horrible candidate for it so I’ve never even had the possibility in my mind.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          71 year ago

          I just asked my eye doctor about this yesterday. She said LASIK would correct myopia for 10-15 years, then it’ll start coming back. She also said everyone loses up close eyesight about 45 so you’ll have to wear glasses or contacts anyway. Said it’s only worth it if you really want to see without putting on glasses.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        11 year ago

        Damn thanks for the opposing experience. You’re doing a good thing letting people know the possible tradeoffs

    • @FireTower
      link
      81 year ago

      It was shocking just how simple of a procedure it was when I got it. The actual surgery was under 3 minutes, the doctor joked about it he could complete it before a song finished at the start. Then my eyes were only recovering for like 36hrs if you don’t count eyedrops.

    • Trollivier
      link
      fedilink
      4
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I had PRK operation, which is slightly different and takes longer for recovery, and I confirm. Best investment in my life.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          61 year ago

          Oh man it was a nightmare finding someone who would sterilize me. I was 24 when I started seriously looking, and I can’t tell you how many doctors told me I’d change my mind about not wanting kids (insert huuuge eyeroll here), and one doctor even said that he thought my boyfriend was forcing me into it and that I didn’t understand how permanent it was. Thankfully I did finally find someone to take me seriously but man, what a pain in the ass!

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            21 year ago

            I worked with a guy that had to go in three times but I think he was no following post operation care. You are supposed to abstain for a few days while it heals.

            When I got my vasectomy it was no needle, no scalpel. They make a small hole then pull the vas deferens out cut and tie it to itself then do the other, all with pain numbing spray. Was 5 minutes not including the ball shaving. I went in to work that night, with an ice pack on my balls all night but barely had any issues. Some extra swelling happened but I went back for an injection of anti inflammatory and it went away.

      • @whoamibro
        link
        -21 year ago

        Yes, if you fuck once annually

    • @ohlaph
      link
      31 year ago

      Yeah, I’m 5 years in and stopped getting tested.

      It was a fantastic purchase though!!!

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      1
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      This means that over a span of 20 years, even with perfect use, there is a 33% chance for a pregnancy

      No this is completely inaccurate and wrong…there’s a 33% risk of a condom failing. You’d still have to time it with ovulation of the person you’re boinking for there to be a risk of pregnancy. And even then, having sex in the most optimal period isn’t even a guarantee of pregnancy, far from it.

  • Ms. ArmoredThirteen
    link
    fedilink
    34
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Off the top of my head no particular order:

    • Proper mop bucket like heavy duty on wheels. Mopping takes minutes now, nothing has worn out in years, very little waste.
    • Proper broom, not plastic. Got tired of all the waste from plastic ones wearing out so quickly. I got one of these and it is an amazing buy it for life kind of thing.
    • Bidet
    • An IDGAF pocket knife. All those times when I was young and just needed a vaguely knife-shaped piece of metal but dad was like “don’t hammer that knife into that rock you’ll damage the blade” or “don’t hammer that knife into the can of beans” or “don’t hammer that knife into the deer skull you found” well now IDGAF. Sturdy, cheap, doesn’t matter it it holds an edge or stays clean.
    • A Dremel. I don’t have a lot of space and this thing is great for cutting random things I don’t have real tools for.
    • Respirator and impact goggles. Originally bought for going to protests but I’ve found they’re just fantastic around the house. Don’t want to breath in murder chemical while cleaning an oven? Or microplastics from sawing your latest art project in half? What about “This Dremel blade might explode if I use it like this and I don’t want to lose my eyes”?
    • Yak tracks, they work. I’m getting too old to fall on ice and walk it off.
    • The right shoes for the job. Walking shoes, climbing shoes, hiking boots, brown leather heels for construction work, eight inch black leather stilletos for getting attention, blue suede boots for getting attention, six inch pink platform boots for getting attention, blue gogo boots for getting attention. They’re all crucial to my day to day.
    • Cats. They keep the sad away, works great.
    • Jars everywhere. You can store spices, leftovers, paperclips, q tips, an array of rocks for making minis, paints, pepper ferments. They are so versatile and easy to clean I have maybe 150 or so of them currently.
    • Air fryer. Didn’t think I’d like it but I’m a convert now they’re great.
    • A growing collection of glues. I don’t know why but the ability to properly fuse shit together unlocks so many possibilities. This is a new discovery for me.
    • A growing collection of solvents. Like the reverse of glue the ability to clean things in specific ways is great.
    • Metal wire shelves. They’re versatile, sturdy, relatively cheap, easy to break down and transport if you’ve been averaging a move a year for ten years.
    • A small sewing kit. Great for small repairs. I’ve added years to some of my dresses by catching weak points early and doing 10 minute fixes.
    • Proper electric toothbrush. Even the fanciest ones are cheaper than dental work.
    • Lastly, a bin of compost in your living room because you live in a city and don’t have much access to dirt. Feed it very slowly so it doesn’t rot. Keep roly polies in there, they’re cute, and springtails to prevent mold, they’re also cute. When you feel sad about living in a cement and steel environment just crack that thing open and pretend you’re looking at a forest floor. Dig around a little see how the worms are doing. Bother your nesting partner by grabbing fistfuls of it and loudly exclaiming “dirt smells great today really earthy!”

    Edit to add, how could I forget this? I just got home and in my entryway there is an 18 unit locker like the kind you would find during a Bed Bath going out of business sale and they’re getting rid of everything including the employee lockers in back, you know the ones. I’m poly so each of my partners and my nesting partner’s partners get to pick their own locker to keep overnight supplies in. There are unclaimed lockers for guests to store small things, and some that are effectively house mandatory junk drawers. Also serves as a lost and found when like partners leave phone chargers or whatever else behind. Great purchase.

  • hrimfaxi_work
    link
    fedilink
    English
    261 year ago

    Decent quality automatic cat feeders.

    We have 3 cats, and I resisted getting autofeeders for 5 years because it felt silly to buy what amounts to three $75 food bowls.

    They paid for themselves the first weekend I didn’t have 3 razor sharp dickheads screaming at me to feed them at 5:15 AM. I should have bought them years ago.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      71 year ago

      Seriously. My cats are so relaxed because they get their food at the exact same times every day. I still hand feed the first and last meals (canned wet food), but it gives them something to look forward to during the day, even when we are at work.

      They can also apparently tell time now because they get ready within five minutes of most feedings, I like to think that makes them feel more connected to their world and existence.

    • Chetzemoka
      link
      fedilink
      51 year ago

      Avoiding 5am starvation yowls is exactly why I free feed, and I’m sure it’s going to bite me in the ass when my two are older and stop maintaining their weight easily. But for now, they’re active and healthy weight even with the free feeding. So we’ll see

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        31 year ago

        After watching a Jackson galaxy video on how to stop your cat from waking you up early, I followed the advice of never feeding immediately after getting up, and instead doing a certain activity first, like making coffee. After a month of taking a shower before feeding, my cat no longer makes any noise in the morning and only starts getting noisy when I step out of the shower. So thats a good tip for those who can’t free feed. I also started collecting every toy and putting them in a secure box before bed since she has a tendency to chase toys around in the middle of the night and yelp with one in her mouth.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      41 year ago

      wish there was one that could open wet food cans and parse it out. my old gato is on soft foods only.

      • Dessalines
        link
        fedilink
        41 year ago

        We use ice cube trays to freeze wet food, then put the cubes in the automatic feeder.

  • kase
    link
    251 year ago

    I bought a nice sandwich last week

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    251 year ago

    A robotic vacuum cleaner. I just have to clear the dust bin weekly and manually mob some spots that the robot couldn’t clean

  • @AcornCarnage
    link
    251 year ago

    One of my favorite purchases in terms of usefulness, cost, and fun (relative) was these frigging ceiling fan pull chains. I saw them on some “things you didn’t know you needed” list or something. But for less than $10, they have made my life infinitely easier and they do give me a little joy every time I pull on them.

      • @AcornCarnage
        link
        81 year ago

        Right. I never pull the wrong one anymore because fan=fan and light=light. I know it’s a stupid minor thing, but it’s great.