Everyone loves a bargain from time to time. And, thanks to the internet, there are now so many more ways to shop smart and keep your costs down when buying essentials. However, there are still some hidden gems out there that will make your life so much easier, and will do so without breaking the bank!
One person took to Reddit to find out what some of these hidden gems were by asking, “What’s something $100 or less but is a total game-changer?”
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What follows is a collection of items that you may not have thought about purchasing, but could change your life for the better!
Musician’s Ear Plugs
“Mine cut down the sound level by 2/3 or so and I use them at every concert, but also on the subway, at loud bars, etc. They don’t make things sound muffled, just quieter. Your ears can’t regenerate, ever, and my work depends on my hearing so I gotta keep em safe. And my pair only cost about $25 Canadian!” — bjackilly
As someone who spends a lot of time playing live music and heading to concerts, the importance of these things cannot be understated. Tinnitus can ruin your life, and so looking after your ears for this small price is worth it!
Under-Mattress Clips
“Under-mattress clips to keep your bedsheet from coming off at the corners. It was recommended to me on Reddit and remains one of my favorite possessions.” — Nepentheiii
I hate having to faff around with bedsheets, I think the stress of how annoying I find putting on a bedsheet has actually taken years off my life. I’ll be ordering some of these later!
Extra Long Charging Cables
“10ft long phone chargers. You can roll to the other side of the bed!” — pizzzaing
Some people claimed that longer cables gave you worse charging rates. However, this is not the case, if your phone is charging poorly, then it is likely down to the quality of the cable.
A Better Pillow
“Pillow. Most people use it more than their car. 100 bucks can get you a pretty good one” — LightmanRS
I’ve got a memory foam pillow that I’ve had for years, and it really helped with my back and neck. Truly, it was the first adult purchase of my life.
Kitchen Bins With A Foot-Pedal
“It sounds so ordinary, but: The kitchen trash can with the foot pedal that flips open the top. We lived with the press-lip-to-open kind for years because we were too cheap to spend an extra $10 in the beginning. OMG, no longer having to manually open and close that thing like an animal is a pleasure I could not have predicted. Now, I just step on the pedal, and it opens.” — kitty-wings
Sometimes it really is the small things in life that can change your whole way of life. Even something as small as, say, the way you open a bin!
Proper Knives
“A kitchen knife that isn’t some Walmart garbage. Totally changed the kitchen game.” — PM_UR_LADY_BUTT
If you cook at all, a proper knife can be a real game-changer. It is something that I’ve never needed as I don’t cook anything more advanced than a fish-finger sandwich, but my old flatmate would rave about the benefits of a good knife!
Electric Toothbrush
“Electric toothbrush. Good lord does it feel fresh to brush now. Even the $20 Oral-B ones are great and a head will last you almost as long as a normal brush.” — Melissa-Crown
I spent years refusing to get an electric toothbrush because I hate those adverts where dentists try and convince you that they’re not getting paid to say something about the product they are clearly getting paid to sell you. However, once I eventually caved I realized how good they really are.
Roller Blade Wheel Casters
“Roller blade wheel casters for your desk chair. Quieter, smoother, and don’t damage your floor. I finally just got some and I love them, 20$” — bingwhip
It is now much easier to sneak up on people from the comfort of my desk chair thanks to these beauties!
Quality Bedsheets
“Quality bedsheets. You spend so much of your life sleeping, don’t cheap out and get the stuff that low-key feels like you’re laying on printer paper.” — RABBlTS
It was amazing how many responses revolved around people’s beds. You spend so much of your life sleeping, it is worth doing it in comfort!
Dash Cam
“Dash Cam – People taking ride in my car don’t know that dashcam also records voice, so don’t lie.” — T55XX5
These cameras have massively helped out some of my family friends when they’ve been in an accident and needed to prove that the accident wasn’t their fault. Also, they gave us those compilation vides of angry British people swearing at each other in the most politely offensive ways possible.
Coffee Maker
“A decent coffee maker to save yourself the time and money from going to a coffee shop every morning” — AlohaJahKoda
This was one of the most popular answers on the thread. For a lot of people, the amount of money they spend on coffee from chain establishments each year can be terrifying. Anyways that you can find to cut down on the amount you are spending on coffee during the day can be a real money-saver.
The Internet As Educational Tool
“The internet, it’s almost a free education. You can find free coding boot camps, MIT lectures, and more on there. It’s not only the free education everyone is demanding, without the fancy piece of paper that costs hundreds of thousands, but also one of the best networking tools out there which is what college is mostly these days. Maybe one day people will actually move beyond that piece of paper, instead of demanding we pay for it with our taxes for our whole lives.” — Tinkrr2
There is so much wonderful information out there on the internet, the ability to learn new languages, take seminars, read amazing books. It really is possible to expand your mind tenfold with the resources out there readily available!
Insulation
“This is going to be a little strange but insulation: most attics and basements aren’t adequately insulated. Over time this can cost you hundreds of dollars a year not to mention the room is just uncomfortable if it’s not well insulated. You can rent an insulation blower and buy the blow in insulation for a single room for about 100 dollars. You’d be surprised the difference it makes.” — waldosan_of_the_deep
Before attempting this, there is a whole lot of research you need to do in order to make sure you do this safely and accurately. Please look into this as opposed to simply going for the “just go for it” approach suggested here.
Magnetic Knife Strip
“Magnetic knife strip you mount to your wall. Drawers full your knives… And are also terrifying to reach into. Get you a knife strip homie.” — atheros98
A block for keeping them in can work as well, but typically the strip option will help to preserve your blade’s sharpness. Although, people may need to be careful about installing these if there are kids around.
Vacuum Packing Bags
“Those storage bags your can seal with your vacuum. So much storage space saved for fluffy items you don’t use all the time. Like sleeping bags, heavy winter blankets, ski coats, etc” — ZoiSarah
There were hundreds of people chiming in on this one to express how useful they had found these bags for when they were moving to college.
RGB Lights
“When I moved in with my college roommate, he said he wanted to string up RGB lights. As a pc nerd, I thought I would go along with it for the memes. As it turned out, it was amazing to have! Not only did it erase the monotony of a hardly decorated, prison cell-sized dorm, but it allowed us to introduce some variation into our lives as well. For holidays we could always choose colors of the season, but when for example someone needed to stay up and study, but the other needed to sleep, you could set it to a dark blue.
“It would give enough light to read a worksheet and allow the other to sleep. The icing on the cake was that they were synced to his Echo Dot. All we ever had to do was say ‘Alexa, turn the lights off’, or ‘Alexa, make the lights (insert color here)’. We ended up never needing the overhead light and just used the RGBs.
“For $20-$30, and I’m dead serious, get a strip of RGB lights in your room. With your remaining budget, you could probably get the echo dot too.” — ggibby0
Blind Spot Mirrors
“Blindspot mirrors for your car. Being able to see in my blind spots without having to turn my head to look behind me (and lose sight of the road in front) has made me feel more secure, especially in heavy traffic. You can usually buy a pair for around $10.” — DeathSpiral321
These mirrors can also be incredibly useful for people who have back issues or have had spinal surgery and struggle turning their back/neck when sat down.
Rice Cooker
“A rice cooker! Best $20 ever spent. I had no idea it could be so easy to cook rice” — geffalo
As someone who is a pretty terrible cook, these rice cookers are a lifesaver. They’re so easy to use that a child could whip up a batch of rice in one of these things!
Underwear
“Good underwear!”
This person went on to specify that their preferred brands are “Ehtika, Calvin Klein, and Tommy John”. They also explained that they are still in college, but the extra comfort is worth spending a bit extra!
Portable Power Station
“A portable power station. It’s insane how useful it is. I got mine for 90$. It has flashlights, an air compressor, charging ports for plugins/usbs. It has a few other functions I cannot think of atm. But lastly…
“It’ll jump a car 4-6 times before it needs recharged. And charges quickly. Never have that awkward experience with strangers and I can even jump someone else quickly and efficiently with no risk to my own. And in winter oh fucking boy it’s a game-changer/life saver! I’ve never felt more confident in my pos car since!” — rustedlion
This person went on to say that they have the Schumacher 1200 Peak Amp Multifunctional Portable Digital Power Station model, which seems to have a long enough title to be trustworthy!
Better Water Pressure
“A nice shower head” — Astrosloth92
Right, for a lot of people this one may seem a little ridiculous. However, if you have ever lived in a flat that has poor water pressure, then you will understand how menially infuriating it is to not have good water pressure. Getting a better shower head is worth every penny.
A Heated Mattress Pad
“A heated mattress pad. Not blanket, mattress pad. I hate being cold and my husband hates being hot but he loves the low heat on his back for pain while I love the high heat for warmth. We seriously won’t stay the night anywhere without it now.” — deannnh
You can even get ones which allow you to change the temperature-dependent on the side of the bed. This would be particularly useful for couples whose bodies running at completely different temperatures.
Electric Lighter
“An electric, USB chargeable lighter. I don’t smoke, but I do light a lot of candles, use it to light my fireplace, etc. No more dealing with the stupid ones that run out of fuel or whatever. Or the little tiny ones with the rollers that I could never freaking get to work.
“Plus there’s no flame to blow back at you. If something pushes against the electrical current, it just goes out.” — beepborpimajorp
These lighters are incredibly useful and look like something out of science fiction movie. However, if you give one to someone to light a candle, 9 times out of 10, they will put their finger in it to see how it feels, just a heads up.
Pressure Cooker
“A pressure cooker and a slow cooker (you can get both for less than $100). With whatever money you have leftover, bulk order rice and beans by the pound.
“As a Brazilian, my father grew up eating rice and beans, and the meal has stuck with him to the extent that every day he’ll make at least one batch. What takes my grandma hours to make the old fashioned way can now be done in about an hour and five minutes (with five minutes of effort and an hour of waiting). He buys in bulk so feeding our entire family of five a full meal costs about $1.50 total. For anyone on a budget or anyone who really likes rice and beans, I could not recommend this more.” — jsww
People in the comments were quick to rave about these products. People also began sharing links to the myriad of amazing bean-based recipes that you can find on the internet.
Decent Headphones
“A quality pair of headphones or ear buds.” — Red_Stag01
Despite being someone who loves music, I spent years holding on to my ratty pair of original apple headphones. However, when they finally broke, I got myself a fairly decent pair and the change is unbelievable. If you love music, don’t listen to music through tinny headphones, life is too short!
Vinegar And Dawn
“Vinegar and Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle. It’s absolutely 100% the best cleaner I have ever used.” — evilpigclone
If you’re going to try and make your own version of this from stuff in your cupboards, make sure you get the ratio right. Otherwise, you’ll be smelling vinegar for a long, long time.
A Letter Opener (Bear With Me)
“I bought my dad a $2 letter opener and he acted like it was the best gift in 20 years.” — writingwrongs
I think this one seems more like a wholesome story than necessarily the best gift. However, as someone who opens letters like a feral dog, I actually got bought a letter opener which is shaped like a little bird a few years ago and it is very useful. Good lord, I am old.
A Baby Bottle Brush
“A baby bottle brush. My kids are way past bottles now, but I honestly don’t know how I ever lived without it. It makes washing difficult-to-clean kitchen items like vases or teapots so much easier! And for only a couple dollars.” — itsybitsyemu
Sometimes it really is the unexpected things that can make our lives so much easier.
Ice Cream Machine
“I got my parents an ice cream machine for Xmas two years ago, they use it a lot in the summer. I think it’s the best gift I have ever given. So last year I brought one to a yankee-swap gift exchange, and people almost got into a fight trying to be the person who went home with it.” — Paradoxmoose
I simply had to put this one in because, well, who doesn’t like ice cream? I know that there will be a few people saying that they don’t, but they’re lying to themselves. Go out, get yourself an ice cream machine, and pretend you’re a child again!
Blackout Curtains
“Blackout curtains. Especially if you work second shift or graveyard. The quality of sleep goes up so much.” — Fourloken
The importance of a good night sleep cannot be understated, and those who have worked late-night shifts will know how difficult it can be trying to get to sleep during daylight.
Let me know if this list has inspired you to make any life-changing purchases!
