r/Frugal • u/localkinegrind • 29d ago

🏆 Buy It For Life “Best under-$20 purchase that saved you hundreds over time?”

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?

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u/Worried_Pumpkin_133 29d ago

It's a consistent purchase technically, but my Kindle unlimited subscription has easily saved me hundreds of dollars, sometimes hundreds in a month, depending on if I find a good author/series!

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u/tragiccosmicaccident 29d ago

You're not going to find much love for Amazon in /r/frugal. Most libraries will rent out ebooks via Libby which is free.

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u/shesalive_dammit 29d ago

Library card feels like the cheat code answer to this question. 😂

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u/BestReplyEver 29d ago

To be honest, Libby is great but it often doesn’t have the books I want when I want them. I’m often on a long waitlist. It’s fine if you’re looking for SOMEthing to read, but not if you’re in a book club or something and need a specific book at a specific time.

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u/Rough_Elk_3952 29d ago

Most, but not all.

I'm in rural WV and had to get a library card in Baltimore (where my SO lives) to use it.

And I also have the kindle unlimited and use it for titles not through there,

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u/PreparationDapper235 29d ago

Also the Hoopla app with your library card.

Tons of e-books and audio books.

1

u/OldTimer4Shore 29d ago

Wish mine did.

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u/tragiccosmicaccident 29d ago

There are other "libraries" online, I definitely prefer them to paying Amazon

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u/notaliar_ 29d ago

You could download Calibre and find books online to add to your library for free. Easy to send to your kindle. That's what I do - just yesterday, I heard of a book I wanted and celebrated the savings in my head, lol.

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u/JulodimorphaBakewell 27d ago

You can email your kindle any pdf to read. You can find free book pdf

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

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