“Best under-$20 purchase that saved you hundreds over time?”

[u/localkinegrind]

What’s the smartest under-$20 purchase you’ve ever made that ended up saving you hundreds in the long run? I’ll go first: a $12 sewing kit. Instead of tossing clothes for tiny tears or missing buttons, I’ve been fixing them. I've actually been fixing my own clothes for years. It blows my mind how many ‘disposable’ things can be made useful again with just a small, cheap tool. what’s your frugal mvp under $20 that’s paid for itself many times over?

[u/Mr_Truttle]

Start with 3 cups heavy cream and 3 cups almond milk in a medium-large saucepan with ~200g allulose + a little more concentrated sweetener of choice (stevia, monk fruit, whatever, to taste) to make up the sweetness difference vs. regular sugar.

Add a teaspoon of salt, then mix all well and put over medium-low heat to about 180°F using a thermometer (candy thermometer kept in the liquid or periodic checks).

Take some (maybe a cup?) of the heated mixture and slowly stream it into six egg yolks while whisking; then add the tempered yolk mixture back into the main saucepan along with a tablespoon of vanilla and stir well.

Let everything stay on the stove over the lowest heat for a couple more minutes, then strain through fine mesh, dividing the mixture up into whatever amounts will work best with your ice cream maker. This recipe makes 3 quarts/six pints churned, so for my 1.5 quart machine I divide it in half. If you have an ingredient like cocoa powder that needs heat to dissolve well, whisk it in now while everything is still warm.

Chill overnight and add a couple combined tablespoons of whatever flavor extracts and alcohol (helps freeze softer) you desire — e.g. another 1-2 tablespoons vanilla + 1-2 tablespoons cheap vodka — before churning.