Share a story, ask a question, or start a conversation about (almost) anything you desire. Maybe you'll make some friends in the process.
RULES
Casual conversation communities:
Related discussion-focused communities
A high quality mechanical pencil that takes girthy lead. I use a staedtler 925 2mm and it's absolutely wonderful for taking notes and writing and has served me through high school, college, and work. It writes similar to a regular wood pencil but sharpening is optional
I use so-called "eternal pencils" now. They come in various "hardness" ratings (like pencils: B, HB, H, 2H, etc.) but even my "softest" (read: darkest with broadest tip) has been in use now for a couple of years without noticeable wear on the tip. That one is guaranteed to be usable for a decade. My hardest will likely stop working when the sun dies in four billion years or so.
Strap wrenches as jar openers, got a two-pack years ago (large and small) for less than $20 and end up using one every couple of weeks
We got an Un-Skru under-cabinet opener and it's pretty great
I use a small sheet of that no-slip shelf liner stuff for jars.
$20 total or per day? If total, then a dumb stylus for my phone. If per day, then junk food. As an American my retirement plan is to die from heart disease.
Oestrogen (joking but also serious)
On a more serious note, a raspberry pi to run pihole and gobble up all the ads for all devices on my home network
1L water bottle, especially if it’s insulated. Keeps your drink cool, but also makes it so I don’t have to get up to get more drinks when I run out.
We had some in a car during a trip to Wonderland during the summer. A Gatorade bottle was disgustingly hot while the insulated bottles still had ice in them.
5/7 would recommend
I love insulated bottles but I can't find one that's 1L that isn't massive...
I'm surprised I did not think of mentioning it next to the Preppy fountain pen I already mentioned but a reading lamp! This one is 15-18€ clip-on. It's USB-C (I would prefer standard batteries if there was a model so it doesn't got to waste one the battery is dead). It's lightweight and the brightness (as well as its temp) can be adjusted.
Worth every single cent, imho. I find it so useful that I have purchased two, just in case I need to recharge one.
Reminds me of the GameBoy Color light accessory, but fancier. Man, that thing was clunky!
$20 can buy many peanuts.
A 10-foot USB cable. Most people use whatever's packed in with their electronics, and it's pretty rare to get anything longer than 6 feet. Having the extra length is really nice in many situations.
It's also one of my go-to inexpensive gifts or part of a care package for someone in the hospital. The extra length there is often the difference between being able to use a device while it's charging or not.
Especially if it's braided and has extra large and durable connector thingies so it won't hard bend.
They're rare because 10 feet is too long for a reliable USB data transmission. But yes good for charging.
I love my ten foot charging cables, but I also really love the magnetic ones that self wind, regardless of length. I keep one in my car and it has yet to be the problem that every other charging cable I've had was.
Pet jumping spider.
Honestly 10 star pet. They eat a small bug every other day or so. They look adorable. They will recognize and react to you, and you can even train them to accept handling. They come in a wide variety of colors.
Downsides are that you'll probably end up getting more than one (do NOT co-hab them!), or that they only live for 1-3 years. If you enjoy having the spider though, you can look into other arthropods like tarantulas, or vinegaroons (which look scary, but are harmless and have very sweet dispositions).
Not a pet but a couple weeks ago I had a big fly buzzing around my room and annoying the shit out of me for like 4 hours while I was working from home. Then I heard it buzzing against my window in a weird way and I turn around and there's a big ass jumping spider just murdering the shit out of it. I've never been so happy to see a spider in the house. It hung out in the corner of the window for like an hour after that and then it was gone and I haven't seen it since.
Converting $20 to local currency, I'd probably go with this:
This is so-called "Liubao Tea", a kissing cousin to pu'er tea. I did a review of my first batch(es) and it has rapidly (literally with one round of brews) reached the top of my circulation in teas.
The depicted tea is one aged from 1991 (the one I reviewed was tea stems from 2003) and is of one of the higher grades. A 100g package will set you back about $15 or so at today's exchange rate. 100g is about 15-20 servings, and each serving can be brewed multiple times (even my tea stems can be brewed four times without loss of flavour), so it's quite the bargain.
Save it for a time when you really need something warm, rich, and comforting. It will last forever as long as you store it in a cool, dry, dark space. And personally I think it's a bargain at 15 bucks.
Excuse me, kissing what?
It's an expression. It means "related, but not so closely that they can't fuck". Welcome to Dixieland, pardner
Also, if you haven't tried it, loose leaf pu'er tea really is excellent. I get mine in tins from the local Chinese grocery store, and the one time they didn't have any I drove around all afternoon trying to find a store that had some in stock.
I've tried them. I still prefer the compressed ones, but they're pretty good, yes.
Fluffy stuffed animal. If I didn't have a couple stuffed kitties to hug I probably would have killed myself already. Nice to have something to pretend loves you
As someone who has no less than two dozen stuffies on the bed right now I can tell you they do love you because you love them.
Been spending about 16 hours a day here
Oh that looks cozy!
If you use your phone a lot (or if your battery is old and you haven't replaced it), a power bank is very useful.
A reputable powerbank (such as those from Anker) cost just under $20 USD for 10,000 MAH
It's worth it for other people too, the fun putting a "W" sticker in front of the logo is endlessly entertaining.
A cheap over shoulder satchel, it's like having a extra pocket always available
Mini Swiss army knife. I don't know how to live life without this on my keychain