Ask Lemmy

Got a second-hand Walmart folding table + chair set at the beginning of my PhD, I think the entire set was like $15 or $20; it was the only furniture I had that lasted my entire grad school

Wireless phone charger. I'll be stuck somewhere looking at my low battery life, and suddenly remember it's in my purse. It isn't the fastest charge but it is useful.

A back scratcher. Got a pack of 4 for a few bucks after one I was gifted broke. I'm old and have one quite arthritic shoulder, so half of my own back is unreachable. It's especially shitful getting an itchy back at night, but now I don't need to get up to relieve it. I use it every day, and every day I bless the person who first gifted me one.

Pair of hook earbuds. Cheap no-name presumably Chinese brand, but they sound great and don't fall out of my earholes.

Opinel carbon steel pocket knife. They're awesome. Cheap, robust and easy to keep sharp. Just need to oil the blade every now and then for corrosion resistance and you're good to go.

Tesa outdoor double sided tape.

That stuff is basically magic. It will stick anything to everything and you can remove it from almost any surface without leaving a mark. I used to stick a dashcam to my car window, a birdbath to my brick wall, a remote LED lamp to the ceiling (felt iffy, works great!). It's even holding a metal plate from the doorknob in place because the door is more hole than wood by now.

It beats basically every other kind of tape of multipurpose glue, and it's removable. It's kinda thick though, so you might see it, but that's also a feature when sticking rough textures to eachother.

I got two of these squiggly window wedges. They are incredibly versatile and handy when you want to keep a window open.

A bottle opener shaped like a key so it fits neatly between my other keys on my keychain. I thought I lost my keys once and I was way more upset about that than my actual keys, despite it probably being pretty easy to find on Amazon.

Electric screwdriver from Lidl (well, it was less than £20) - as a DIY novice/flat pack builder, it changed my life

A good, insulated cup. I make ice coffee every morning and a good cup doesn't get condensation and keeps the coffee cold for hours (I drink slowly while I work)

One of those cocktail stirring spoons with a long, round handle. Makes stirring a glass full of ice extremely easier compared to normal spoon handles. In contrast, I found mixing glasses and cocktail shakers fairly optional (and those tend to be more expensive than $20 anyway if they're decent quality).

A basket/bowl thing for keys, wallet, and whatever one carries around. No more hunting for them when walking out the door.

This under US$5 milk frother from Ikea. Froth up milk, pour the coffee in, so nice.

Really good nailclippers:

https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Personal-Care/Nail-Clipper/p/8.2050.B1

If you're willing to go over the $20 barrier, you get more functionality:

https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Small-Pocket-Knives/Nail-Clip-580/p/0.6463

I liked it enough, I bought two more.

Smallest MagLite:

https://maglite.com/products/solitaire-led-key-chain-flashlight-with-gift-card-gift-box