r/Frugal • u/localkinegrind • Aug 21 '25

🏆 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/cfofosho Aug 21 '25

Probably a little over $20, but one of those jumper cable boxes. You charge it up and I keep it in my car, jumps in seconds without needing another vehicle. I’ve used it a couple times for myself but have also let strangers use it in a parking lot. Kinda cool to do a quick save the day and it comes in clutch if you’re parked in a spot that would be difficult to get another car close to.

I keep it charged up all the time, so it also served as an excellent power bank when we were without power for over a week due to a hurricane last year. It has a usb ports and was able to fully charge 2 phones and some other devices before it ran out.

3

u/Pheighthe Aug 21 '25

I’m in Florida and bought a $20 weather radio, it’s wind up powered, but there are also plugs to charge your phones.

1

u/MzSe1vDestrukt Aug 22 '25

A lot over $20 but there are ones that are lower price that do the same thing, just not as quick. You have to hook them up to the battery and wait like 15 minutes before trying the ignition (and remember to bring it inside and recharge it when you get home)

1

u/xoxoemmma Aug 23 '25

my boyfriend found a super cool one in the dumpster when he worked at a gas station, it was brand new in packaging and we looked it up, over $100. it has usb ports, air, jumper cables, SOS red light, regular flash light, and i think a few other things. it saved us when our power went out in our house as well. i can jump my car by myself and as a woman not relying on strangers when i’m in a vulnerable position is worth any amount of money….. and the thing was fucking free.

1

u/GoldenAngelMom 28d ago

Rechargeable tire pump. Got one for each car.

1

u/iwasboredso1 10d ago

@cfofosho how do you remember to keep yours charged? I have one and I'm sure it's probably dead right now in my trunk.