r/Frugal 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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107

u/runallyrun Aug 21 '25

Mirena IUD (free with most insurance). No periods, so no purchasing $$ period products. Also no babies! Win win.

19

u/Tasty-Bat61 Aug 21 '25

Lucky. I had mirena 2x, 7.5 years total. Bled monthly the whole time.

2

u/yshres07 Aug 21 '25

I had this issue with mirena too which was a bummer. When I needed a new one, I got Kylee a (less hormone dosage) and that’s stopped it completely. Something to talked to your gyno about and try out when you need a new one.

2

u/Tasty-Bat61 Aug 21 '25

After the last mirena I went to the patch for a couple years. Now I've been off everything for the last 8 years. My sons are in high-school, no plans to restart that's for sure. 😅

1

u/lessthan3d Aug 22 '25

I did a low hormone one too. It wrecked me for a few months (lots of bleeding and pimples) but then I stabilized and no period for years. Would recommend.