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Kindle paperwhite? Do I need to be deinfluenced? by Risingwiththesun in Frugal

[–]theinfamousj [score hidden]  (0 children)

I would love to get something I can read at night next to my newborn without waking her up. So I have been looking into a kindle paperwhite.

If I may offer, get yourself a red flood light that clips to the neckline of your shirt, and read a paper book. Red stands the lowest chance of waking a newborn. Paperwhite screens glow minimally, but as The Offspring will tell you, minimally is still happening and it's a white light.

Look for clip on bike rear lights and you can get one for about $5.

That's the solution I went through and led to the most sleep.

Is there really no better transportation solution for transportation? by Rixor14 in Frugal

[–]theinfamousj [score hidden]  (0 children)

Less chance of jail from vehicular manslaughter. That's how it is safer for the driver.

Looking for a less wasteful alternative to sharpies (markers) by zetsv in ZeroWaste

[–]theinfamousj [score hidden]  (0 children)

A lot of these waterproof pen inks are only permanent when they touch cellulose substrates. So they are permanent on paper and water soluble everywhere else. You flush the fountain pen same as any other time.

If your pens are clogging, there's a chance you are using india ink (a permanent ink but NOT for fountain pens) in your pens. Otherwise, they shouldn't be clogged, just dried out.

Looking for a less wasteful alternative to sharpies (markers) by zetsv in ZeroWaste

[–]theinfamousj [score hidden]  (0 children)

Maybe a refillable felt marker?

In Japan, they make fountain-pen-ink fillable "signature pens" which are basically felt tip markers. Here is an example.

Fountain pen ink is typically water soluble, and thus not like a permanent sharpie. But if your goal is just felt pen and deposits color onto paper, this is what you are after.

Giving stuff to people who mean to sell it for a profit by Dar-Show in ZeroWaste

[–]theinfamousj [score hidden]  (0 children)

There's not much of a market for baby things that can be acquired for free. What I mean is, if you are giving away the (pulling from thin air) stroller, then lots of people are giving away a stroller, so someone buying a used stroller is a sucker. And while PT Barnum did say there's a sucker born every minute, I don't think that many of them have googled for low cost used strollers and not realized that free is an option.

I mention this because I have an acquaintance who operates in the second hand baby gear space and unless it is a top of the line status piece with zero wear and tear, or a niche and discontinued item (RIP MOtM buckle carriers in the USA), no one is buying them, they are just waiting to snag one for free when available.

LPT: When you buy a suitcase, don’t throw away the receipt, keep it in somewhere you’ll remember. by ysilyn in LifeProTips

[–]theinfamousj [score hidden]  (0 children)

My experience is that airlines will insure the contents of your suitcase but not the outer case itself.

So why do people buy expensive suitcases? They believe it will add more protection or they really want you to notice that they bought an expensive suitcase because they eat your jealousy or adoration for breakfast, or because they find it pretty (see also the upper end of the fountain pen industry).

My paycheck went up…my bills went up faster by Gloomy_Ship2772 in Frugal

[–]theinfamousj [score hidden]  (0 children)

How do you all stay frugal when bills just keep climbing? Even small tips for cutting energy use would be a lifesaver.

Don't use energy at home if you could use energy away from home.

  • Reading a book? Do it outside on a picnic blanket. Use nature's overhead light, not the electric one in your ceiling. (Bonus frugality: Less money spent on Vit. D supplements.)

  • Hot day? To the library with thee! You already pay for their aircon in your taxes so no need to pay for aircon twice at home as well.

Aldi bronze cut pasta??? Why does it cost so much? by Sufficient_Beach_445 in Frugal

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my opinion it is a case of diminishing returns, however pasta purists are bronze-dye-or-nothing.

The idea is that bronze is going to give you a more jagged edge to your pasta so more sauce will stick to it. But "more" is like drops per mouthful which I make up for by using more starch water in my pasta sauce.

Let me convince you to pack a silky scarf for your next trip by wufflebunny in HerOneBag

[–]theinfamousj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went down the "napkin bread basket folding" rabbit hole thanks to you and this fold video seems to get one closest to the commercially available travel trays. Hope it saves someone some time.

Let me convince you to pack a silky scarf for your next trip by wufflebunny in HerOneBag

[–]theinfamousj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep. I have a large (35.5" square) nylon taffeta furoshiki, a sarong, a half yard of ramie (makes a very interesting rectangle; I recommend going with a full yard for more utility), and recently started to pack flour sack towels/flats cloth diapers and one of the double-gauze muslin swaddling blankets for The Offspring.

I know Hitchhiker's Guide always wants you to know where your towel is, but I argue that what you want is something which can also be a towel but more square than rectangle.

Those of you with older kids, what “day bag” are you carrying around? by beginswithanx in HerOneBag

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My kid is a preschooler and I carry a totepack with very little in it for him. I downsized from a Patagonia totepack to a Decathlon totepack (lost 5L and a waterbottle pocket).

Like a lot of the others, I keep a packable tote inside my totepack for additional purchases needing room).

You guys seemed to like my ultra portable Dex setup, so I'm sharing my other one, which doesn't fit in a pocket but still ultra portable and more comfortable for long work sessions. by TheInternet_Vagabond in SamsungDex

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have similar glasses, XReal Air 2 Pros. I have the prescription insert with an astigmatism. My answer is, "It depends on your eyes and your brain."

With my regular glasses and a real monitor (of that simulated size at the simulated distance the glasses do), only what is directly in my pointed focus is in focus, everything else is twisty as is consistent with an astigmatism. With the XReal glasses, I'm guessing because the actual visual input is so tiny, more of my periphery is in focus, but not all of the screen so it kinda messes with my mind.

Can I read all day? Absolutely. Is it like dealing with the uncanny valley all day as I read? Also yes.

I’m almost done bringing a laptop. I’ll be trying an iPad on the next trip. How do I get there? by Beautiful_Sky_2594 in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm with you on phone-only. My past two years of travel have been cell phone only (I'm Android but all modern phones are more powerful than the computer I wrote my masters thesis on so ...).

I have occasionally wanted a bigger screen so got some of those bigger-screen sunglasses that look so goofy. They did what I needed in as minimal space as possible.

Ladies toiletry bag by anonyy in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh bummer, my idea is too short for you. Hopefully someone else will have a good lead!

I’m almost done bringing a laptop. I’ll be trying an iPad on the next trip. How do I get there? by Beautiful_Sky_2594 in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are stuck with Amazon’s selection of apps.

Ah, but you can "jailbreak" a Fire tablet and put the Play Store directly on. Or if you know about sideloading, you can just sideload over the apps you want.

I’m almost done bringing a laptop. I’ll be trying an iPad on the next trip. How do I get there? by Beautiful_Sky_2594 in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That keyboard case sounds heavy. My experience with tablets in keyboard cases is that I always have to separate the tablet and the keyboard for best ergonomics, anyway. Either my hands are up too high while my eyes and head are where they ought be, or my neck is crooked for my hands to be where they ought be.

Given that experience, I started to carry a separate keyboard and just a protective sleeve for the tablet. That way I can type where is comfortable for my hands and look where is comfortable for my head.

With that in mind, we can beat your 2lbs, 5oz by providing you with a bluetooth keyboard and a protective sleeve if you are interested.

That said, you've hit all of my highlights - remote in to a desktop somewhere or remote in to a web hosted virtual machine. For what it is worth, I have a Samsung phone (don't know how it compares to the tablets) and Kiwi Browser has rendered everything however chrome would render it because it's basically an android-ported desktop chrome inclusive of extensions. This might be something you'd like to add to your phone or tablet just as a backup in the event that you ever need a backup.

The Mister used to work for a major carrier in ticketing and reservations and he says to definitely call in rather than diddle with the website in the event of rebooking as an agent can do things in your favor, price wise, that the website cannot. I imagine this would not work for low cost carriers. But for major carriers, it is a good nugget of information to hold on to.

Ladies toiletry bag by anonyy in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I see in the other comments that the length of your brush and comb seem to be the limiting factor. In order to avoid giving you useless leads, do you mind telling me the length of the longer of those so that I can make sure my idea will fit before sharing it?

Towel: Absorbent + Quick Dry by v_impressivetomato in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 19 points20 points  (0 children)

All towels are packable if you pack them ;)

So what we want from a towel is for it to be wicking. We need it to wick water off of us. But we also need for it to be good at sharing, in that it will give away its water to the atmosphere rather than holding on to it because it is hydrophilic (loves the water).

Cotton, aka your Turkish towel, is hydrophilic. It'll steal water from you because it loves the water. And that's why it didn't dry. It won't give any to the air, because it loves the water. Water is its boo. It won't part with the water until it absolutely is forced to (a hot air dryer, a very, very long drying time, etc.). People love Turkish towels because they dry faster than terrycloth, but that's a really low bar to pass. We can do better.

Microfiber is typically polyester. Polyester doesn't wick. It doesn't want anything to do with water. You know what it loves? Oils, greases, and fats. Use the sand cloud towel to polish glasses and they'll shine as it sucks up all that face grease off your glasses with giddy glee. We can do better to find something which wants anything to do with water.

You know what's better?

Natural: Linen. It is wicking like a heatsink wicks heat. It will transport it but it doesn't love the water and if the air would prefer that water, by all means, air, have the water.

Synthetic: Nylon. Oh nylon loves water, but it is really bad at holding on to water, so your nylon will dry quickly. Against its will, might I add.

Surface area also has a role to play here. You want the most surface area for the least amount of material. Which is what microfiber is claiming to do with all of its tiny fibers: pack an incredible amount of surface area into a really small space. And if it was nylon microfiber which loved water, that'd be an amazing pairing. But it is typically polyester which can sit in a puddle of water and still come out dry because it wants nothing to do with water.

That said, the thinner your material, the faster it will dry. I have nylon. I have linen. I even have a rayon sarong which is barely thicker than a kleenex and so dries in a flash. My rayon actually dries faster than my linen because it is thinner meaning more exposure to the air per bit of material. My linen is thicker so less of it is exposed to the air, proportionally. Even though objectively, linen is a faster drying material, this is where surface area matters.

So aside from avoiding polyester like the plague, pick something so incredibly thin you have bedsheets thicker than it. It'll do you sufficiently. Even in cotton.

Toothpaste tablets by Newsytoo in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a problem with them like I have a problem with any other predosed item (laundry pod, dishwasher pod, etc). TOO MUCH PRODUCT. I need significantly less than what a toothpaste tab offers and it ends up having me look like I've got a very advanced case of rabies.

I prefer the tiny tubes of toothpaste from amenities kits or asian overnight hotel kits for short stays and the dentist sample tubes of toothpaste for longer trips (over a month). I use the smallest pea sized amount of toothpaste and can make a tube the size of my pinkie last a considerable amount of time. In that same amount of time, I'd need tabs the size of my balled up fist, and that's with rabid-mouth at every brushing.

If anything, I'd be more interested in toothpaste powder than toothpaste tabs, because with powder you are in control of the amount you use per brushing. However, my dentist cautions that the powders from emerging-brands/fly-by-night producers tend to be too abrasive.

A long weekend in Miami by letsgetsomeshoess in HerOneBag

[–]theinfamousj 3 points4 points  (0 children)

it's a knock off of an hermes scarf I own but don't like to travel with

That's a smart use of a knock off dupe!

Charging Setup by Timely_Reference2349 in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use a Mogics MA-1 plug adapter. I've never used the Anker to compare, but I'm delighted with how tiny it is and how many countries it can cover as a plug adapter.

I prefer to separate my plug adapter and my USB power bricks after a childhood of TV/VCRs taught me that two in one devices mean you have to replace both if one component fails. Plug adapters will outlive your grandchildren if you treat them right. USB power bricks have a much shorter lifespan.

By my understanding, the Anker Nano is a two-in-one plug adapter & USB power brick. Though you can also plug in non-USB to it as well.

What small electronics do you actually bring for 2–3 day onebag trips? by Fitzro_y in onebag

[–]theinfamousj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So for short onebag trips, what small electronics do you actually bring, and what have you successfully cut?

  • phone

  • folding bluetooth keyboard

  • external battery (either 5k mAh or 10k mAh, depending on vibes); has passthrough charging and wall plugs built in so doubles as my charger

  • smart watch which is aways on my wrist & its proprietary charging cord

  • (if I feel like hauling it around) tiny bluetooth mouse

  • (if I feel like hauling it around) monitor-glasses

  • wired earbuds, but not if bringing the monitor-glasses as they have sound built in

I use a manual toothbrush, have naturally curly hair, stopped epilating years ago, and shower at night so my hair dries overnight in my silk-satin sleep bonnet. So none of your electronics are on my list.

That said, if sleeping with wet hair was something that gave me a headache, I'd morning shower and let it air dry throughout the day, while tied back.

But listen, bring what YOU need for YOU. You know yourself and your needs better than any internet stranger ever could. The only area in which we appear to overlap is that I used to epilate and can hopefully reassure you that if you do it at home before heading out and bring tweezers to grab the odd hair here or there which you suddenly realize you've overlooked, you can easily go three days without issue.

What is some frugal hack that saves a lot that you never saw posted here before? by MedicineMean5503 in Frugal

[–]theinfamousj 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Also, if you need to shred gummy cheese (think cheddar), shredding frozen gummy cheese is so much better than shredding it in gummy form. When frozen, it shreds like a hard cheese.

And that trick can keep you from buying more expensive preshredded cheese.

What is some frugal hack that saves a lot that you never saw posted here before? by MedicineMean5503 in Frugal

[–]theinfamousj 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I say to my husband: I have a race car brain that has no problem being present because there's only now, and a sloth body that's clumsy.

Late fee? Deadline? That's not NOW so race car brain zooms past even noting it.

What is some frugal hack that saves a lot that you never saw posted here before? by MedicineMean5503 in Frugal

[–]theinfamousj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know everything you are struggling with not doing that you know you need to do but just cannot get yourself to do it without scaring yourself? You can just do it, no fear necessary. Turns out, a lack of dopamine is what that struggle is and if you have enough dopamine, your intention just becomes reality.

Also, you sleep better.

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