# Cheap purchases that exceed your expectations **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 1, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438 "2016-08-01T03:52:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/41 "2016-08-26T17:43:30Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Yes but does this make any difference? My experience is that insect infestations are so numerous that killing a few hundred is like standing in the ocean scooping a bowl of seawater out in order to try to stay dry. A perfect seque into my reply. I had battled cockroaches in my apartment for 25 years. On occasion, I beat down the population but they always came back. The exterminator ( hired by my apartment building ) came every month and did not even make a dent in problem - he told me it wouldn’t go away unless I renovated my kitchen and then kept it spotless. The infestation got worse. You couldn’t turn your back while making food. The last straw was when I found roaches nesting under cans in the cabinets. I found this on Amazon. I spent $22.50. [https://www.amazon.com/Advion-Syngenta-Cockroach-Bait-Tubes/dp/B002Y2GNVM/ref=sr\_1\_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1472233049&sr=1-1&keywords=advion+cockroach+gel+bait](https://www.amazon.com/Advion-Syngenta-Cockroach-Bait-Tubes/dp/B002Y2GNVM/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1472233049&sr=1-1&keywords=advion+cockroach+gel+bait) I applied it once, used 3 tubes. Began vacuuming up roach corpses. Applied the 4th tube a week or so later to the spots where I saw the most dead roaches. I stopped letting the exterminator treat my apartment. That was almost a year ago. I have not seen a single cockroach, dead or alive, since then. Except about 10 months ago I saw one near the front door in the throes of a painful poison induced death. Now, no matter how grim my life gets, I can say to myself " at least I don’t have cockroaches in my apartment." Definitely the best money I ever spent. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/42 "2016-08-26T17:48:07Z")
The Perfect Tortilla set of 4 pans for making baked flour tortilla bowls. $5 at the grocery store and they work like a dream. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/43 "2016-08-26T18:50:42Z")
Ten bucks last week saved me I don’t even know how much in fancy cleansers and makeup removers. I was completely skeptical, but [these babies](http://www.ulta.com/makeup-removing-towel-set?productId=xlsImpprod14541109&sku=2305750&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&cagpspn=pla&CATCI=pla-195414740190&CAAGID=32267573190&CAWELAID=330000200000705523&catargetid=330000200000774860&cadevice=c&gclid=COWb797f384CFcQehgodB-gK2w) work amazingly. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/44 "2016-08-26T21:04:25Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > Ten bucks last week saved me I don’t even know how much in fancy cleansers and makeup removers. I was completely skeptical, but [these babies](http://www.ulta.com/makeup-removing-towel-set?productId=xlsImpprod14541109&sku=2305750&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&cagpspn=pla&CATCI=pla-195414740190&CAAGID=32267573190&CAWELAID=330000200000705523&catargetid=330000200000774860&cadevice=c&gclid=COWb797f384CFcQehgodB-gK2w) work amazingly. Oooh. Seriously, they work without cleanser? Do you launder them just like you would a towel? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/45 "2016-08-27T14:43:35Z")
Several years ago, my husband and I were feeling financially overwhelmed, and we decided to try this little software program, [You Need a Budget](https://www.youneedabudget.com/). It was $50 for a license at the time (now $50 annually) and this relatively inexpensive piece of software has saved us thousands of dollars so far. I cannot imagine life without it. There is a whole philosophy behind it, it’s not just some abstract tool like MSMoney and I deem it superior to Mint. The fact that it comes with free customer support, free training webinars and constant helpful tips is just icing on the cake. This is a bit more narrow of an interest, but likewise, Literature & Latte has a writing program called [Scrivener](http://www.literatureandlatte.com/) that is $50, designed explicitly for organizing and compiling large documents such as novels and dissertations. If the price jumped up to $1000, I would pay it in a heartbeat. As a novelist, I would pay any amount of money for this program. That is how valuable it is to me. It is an extraordinarily complex program that comes with a 400 page manual. When I describe all of the things it can do to other writers, they’re like, ‘‘Oh, I wish I could afford that,’’ And I’m like, ‘‘No, $50, I’m not kidding.’’ And all upgrades are free. ---
**Author:** ![Latimera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/latimera/32/497_2.png) [@Latimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latimera)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/46 "2016-08-27T15:43:59Z")
In 1970 or 1971 my mom was given an electric hotpot. Eventually she gave it to me. It has been working well ever since, and I use it on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/47 "2016-08-27T16:03:42Z")
One of the best dollars I ever spent was on a 26" long shoehorn. I keep some of my casual shoes permanently tied, and just slip them off when I get home. Not so easy to put them on though, since my heel hits the back of the shoe, and I don’t want to weaken it. This shoehorn-on-steroids has been a real winner, no more bending over. Another dollar store find is a combination pen/stylus that works beautifully on my cellphone. My fat fingers could never work as well or as quickly as this little beauty does. I’ve given away many to people who have admired them. Why it doesn’t cost more is a mystery(I have seen comparable ones for 10 to 15 bucks). Several years ago I bought a yarn winder(I am a crocheter) This little marvel makes quick work of sloppily wound skeins, half-used balls of yarn, leftover hanks, donations from friends, etc. The price was 60 bucks( I know!) but had a 60% coupon. Whoever invented it was a genius. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/48 "2016-08-29T12:44:44Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Oooh. Seriously, they work without cleanser? > > Do you launder them just like you would a towel? Yes and yes. Liquid eyeliner can be a _little_ bit of a challenge, but it’s totally worth it. And I’ll second the Scrivener - I am not a serious writer, but the organizational factor is nothing short of amazing. When it was offered as a free 30-day trial during National Novel Writing Month a few years ago, I fell deeply in love. Of course, I haven’t actually written anything in years because I’m too in love with the organizational part, but it’s still tear-inducingly beautiful. And cheap. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/49 "2016-08-30T17:45:37Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > It’s kind of been mentioned, but gas station/Target/Publix sunglasses. > > I don’t wear glasses or contacts, so I don’t need to worry about prescriptions, but I see no reason to spend 100+ on sunglasses that I’m just going to smudge up/scratch at Disney World. I buy them by the dozen every few years. The same places that sell to sunglass retailers will sell the same dozen in a box to you. Sometimes I have to change the style slightly, but I always have a pair of polarized sunglasses at hand. I keep them in my and my wife’s cars, desk, boat, tackle box, etc. When they scratch or break, I toss them in the bin. When I get to my last few pairs, I get another box. Google “sunglasses dozen” to find lots of different vendors. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/50 "2016-08-30T18:35:58Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > I buy them by the dozen every few years. The same places that sell to sunglass retailers will sell the same dozen in a box to you. Sometimes I have to change the style slightly, but I always have a pair of polarized sunglasses at hand. I keep them in my and my wife’s cars, desk, boat, tackle box, etc. When they scratch or break, I toss them in the bin. When I get to my last few pairs, I get another box. > > Google “sunglasses dozen” to find lots of different vendors. Omg you are a saint! [21 bucks for a dozen sunglasses?](https://www.ctswholesalesunglasses.com/wholesale-xsportz-wrap-around-sports-sunglasses-style-xs86/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw3ZS-BRD1xu3qw8uS2s4BEiQA2bcfMx4p8vP19WhICtI44Kz5_BvkvYHLPO2pcd49Ej6GplgaAuMt8P8HAQ) Yes, yes 1000x yes! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/51 "2016-08-30T20:07:56Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > A few months ago, I bought a Snark clip-on guitar tuner for about 12 bucks. It is the best guitar tuner I have ever used, and I have had dozens over the years. I think the only one I paid less for was the pitch pipe I had in the 70s. Loves me some Snark! I have two, for the 6 string and one for the 12. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/52 "2016-08-31T15:30:23Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Oh FFS **Princhester**. You’re an Australian, and we all know that fly-deterrents don’t work down here. > > Stop being a kill-joy for those in the north who still have hope. > > 😉 The little corks suspended from the brim of **Princhester** ’s hat (I presume he wears one, all Australians do) do a decent job of deterring the flies. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/53 "2016-08-31T16:37:59Z")
**Ann Hedonia** , a thousand thanks! I have been battling roaches for months, with no success. I ordered the Advion gel Sunday, UPS dude delivered it (at almost 9 pm!) last night, and I started applying. Seriously, this morning I’m starting to see carcasses instead of crawlers. (I’m in a 2500 square foot house, so I ordered 8 tubes. Used 4 initially, will probably put out 2 more around doors and windows, and have 2 in reserve.) Really. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/54 "2016-08-31T19:29:32Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I have several tungsten rings. You would have to hurl them with force at a concrete floor for them to shatter, a simple 3 to 5 foot drop is not likely to shatter them and if it’s any surface other then concrete or stone or a similar very hard surface they are not going to shatter no matter how hard you throw them. > > So yes they can be shattered but it’s pretty unlikely to happen accidently. I bought my original tungsten ring 9 years ago. I got sized and the jeweler told me to bump up one full size because I was getting a wide band and one more full size because they can never be resized and he figured I’d get fatter over time. So for 9 years I had a massively oversized ring that found its way off my finger hundreds of times (if not thousands) sometimes with serious force (it’s landed on concrete 50 feet away from me) and it’s still perfect in every way. I don’t think the first ring qualifies because I bought it retail at a brick and mortar jeweler for way too much, but I just bought a properly sized exact replica for $16 last month on amazon. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/55 "2016-08-31T19:51:48Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > With all the heat this year, we have been seeing a few flies in the house. I think they hover near the garbage cans outside the back door, and sneak in when it is opened. There are never many in evidence near the cans. > > I bought one of these fly traps, less than $5 at Home Depot: > > [RESCUE!® Disposable Fly Trap](http://www.rescue.com/product/disposable-fly-trap) > > You fill it halfway with water and hang it up. A few hours after I did, I spotted a half dozen flies inside. I went to look and most of the surface of the water was covered with dead flies, at least 100 of them. After 3 days the flies are an inch deep in the water, thousands of them. It does smell like an animal died, but only if you get downwind and fairly close. > > Dennis Rescue is a great company and they make the best disposable yellow jacket trap I have ever used. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mr.Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bill)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/56 "2016-09-01T17:51:58Z")
When I was in my twenties, and just starting to accumulate kitchen equipment, the supermarket carried a brand of cooking knives called Old Hickory. These were inexpensive in the extreme, just a couple of bucks each. I bought one every couple of weeks, until I had the whole set. These knives were simply made, a stamped carbon steel blade and an unfinished wooden handle. But almost 40 years later, I am still using those knives. Despite being exposed to and having much “better” knives. The cheap carbon steel stains if you look at it funny, but it takes and holds a wickedly sharp edge. The chef’s knife is used pretty much daily and I sharpen it maybe a couple of times a year. While they ain’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, in terms of function they are far superior to the $100 knives. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/57 "2016-09-02T18:17:27Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > **Ann Hedonia** , a thousand thanks! I have been battling roaches for months, with no success. I ordered the Advion gel Sunday, UPS dude delivered it (at almost 9 pm!) last night, and I started applying. > > Seriously, this morning I’m starting to see carcasses instead of crawlers. (I’m in a 2500 square foot house, so I ordered 8 tubes. Used 4 initially, will probably put out 2 more around doors and windows, and have 2 in reserve.) > > Really. Thank you! You’re very welcome. I hope it works as well for you as it did for me. Shortly after I applied the stuff, I remember watching a rather large roach, in the throes of neurological death, trying desperately to reach the nearest dot of gel for a snack. It really was a miracle product for me. My tip is to apply it liberally. use the recommended spacing but put dots on every shelf in every cabinet, every door hinge, around light fixtures and switches, the corners between wall and ceiling. ---
**Author:** ![Deanna\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Deanna\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deanna_D)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/58 "2016-09-02T21:28:51Z")
Ann Hedonia , I’d like to second the thanks! I’ve been battling the vile creatures for a few weeks now, after someone brought some old boxes of stuff over to my house for storage, and imported some roaches from their place to mine. I’ve been lucky to have never had roaches before, so I was baffled by how to get rid of them without paying my exterminator lots of extra money. (Seems roaches are not covered by my regular service contract.) Anyway, I got my gel in the mail earlier this week, and am happy to report that Roachmageddon 2016 is going well. I haven’t seen a fully-alive one in several days. I’m hoping to reclaim my kitchen completely in a few more days! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/59 "2016-09-06T16:58:31Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Omg you are a saint! > > [21 bucks for a dozen sunglasses?](https://www.ctswholesalesunglasses.com/wholesale-xsportz-wrap-around-sports-sunglasses-style-xs86/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw3ZS-BRD1xu3qw8uS2s4BEiQA2bcfMx4p8vP19WhICtI44Kz5_BvkvYHLPO2pcd49Ej6GplgaAuMt8P8HAQ) Yes, yes 1000x yes! That’s exactly who I order from. You have to pay shipping, but it’s still a bargain. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438/60 "2016-09-10T20:11:42Z")
A semi-national electronics chain (rhymes with “CicroMenter”) has a sale on Raspberry Pi Zero boards for 99 cents. (Regularly $5.) Since I was driving near there and I had a gift card\* … This is the latest v1.3 with the camera connector. I have the Model 2 B board already. This one is significantly slower. But it’s a computer for 99 cents. I’m going to install it inside my PC box, running off the PS, networking via USB (which the Zero and the latest kernel support) and accessed via Cygwin/X. So I’ll have a Linux/ARM system available when I want “real” Linux at my fingertips and not Cygwin, a VM, or a dual boot. Did I mention it’s a computer for 99 cents? - Don’t want to waste _real_ money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-purchases-that-exceed-your-expectations/761438.md?page=4)