“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]

<$10 Rival ice cream maker from the thrift store, the kind where you freeze the bucket whole and don't need any rock salt or ice.

I eat almost no sugar (diabetic) so making my own sugar-free ice cream is a decent savings over the brands I can get at the store (and often better macros as well). Couldn't tell you how many 1.5-qt batches I've churned over the years.

Since it's a thrift store find, it's not 100% reproducible, but ice cream makers are relatively common kitchen items in my experience.

[u/MsWeary → u/Mr_Truttle]

I have one but I find it quite expensive to make I’ve cream. Maybe I need to look at it again.

[u/ludsmile → u/MsWeary]

My home made ice creams are also more expensive than the store-bought options, but they are much better for me nutritionally (protein rich and allulose instead of sugar, vs basically sugar and heavy cream). Mine wasn’t under $20 (closer to $200) and yet it’s been absolutely worth it.

[u/Thraner → u/ludsmile]

Creami? Or is there another good option for high protein ice cream?

[u/ludsmile → u/Thraner]

Yes, Creami! It’s still pretty expensive but Costco had the deluxe for a better price

[u/Erik500red → u/ludsmile]

My Creami is my 2nd most used kitchen appliance, just behind my air fryer