Life is full of little surprises. For less than 20 bucks you can get yourself out of a bunch of different jams.
Just this morning my partner left the house to run an errand and her car would not start. Her car battery was dead. Fortunately she had some jumper cables so we got her on her way to the auto center.
Or that time when the power went out and because I had a flashlight handy I could easily find some candles to light so we were not sitting around in the dark.
You should always try to be prepared. That’s the motto of the Boy Scouts.
“Be prepared for what?” someone once asked Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting.
“Why, for any old thing.” said Baden-Powell.
The items in this list will certainly help you be prepared. Read on and let us know in the comments what items you would include in a list of
20 items you should own for under 20 bucks each
Jumper cables
It’s not much fun when you finish your workday or a fun day at the park to return to your car and find you have a dead car battery. No one seems to carry jumper cables for some reason. Don’t be that person and sit there stuck when all you want to do is get home. Less than 20 bucks will get you back on the road and safety.
Smoke detector / alarm
They say working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 50%. The faster you know about a fire, the faster you can start moving your family and pets outside to safety. You need a reliable smoke detector in every room and First Alert is one of the top brands.
Flash light
Everyone needs a flash light since you never know when the power may go out or when you need to find something in the trunk of your car at night. With the technology today you can get a super bright 2000 lumen LED flash light that will last 100,000 hours for under twenty bucks. 5 Modes: high / middle / low / strobe / sos and a skid-proof & water resistant design. Don’t be left in the dark.
First aid kit
You never know when an accident will happen. Best to be prepared for such time by making sure you have a first aid kit available. This 85 piece kit by AAA is light weight & compact and well suited for car, home or outdoor. It has clear pockets for ease of identifying.
Basic tool kit
Less than 20 bucks for a tool kit? Yep. The Apollo Precision Tools 39-piece Pink Tool Set comes with attractive pink accents and helps fund breast cancer awareness initiatives. 50-cents from this purchase is being donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. That’s cool. You never know when something is going to break or when you want to hang a picture. Best to have a basic tool set around the house. This tool kit contains the tools needed for most small repairs around the house. The set includes a 12-foot tape measure, 8-ounce claw hammer, 6-inch slip joint pliers, 8 SAE hex keys, an 8-inch scissors, and a ratcheting bit driver. Also included are 10 total 1-inch bits, an 18 mm knife, and four precision screwdrivers all in a sturdy case.
Hide-a-Spare-Key Fake Rock
You never know when you are going to get locked out of your house. At night. In the rain. It has happened to me a bunch of times. Replacing a broken window can be expensive. If you had one of these Hide-a-Spare-Key fake rocks you would be letting yourself back in the house and getting on with your fun and exciting day. Looks just like an ordinary rock but allows you to hide several keys inside it. (If you like those metal square type that you can use on your car, you can get them here.)
Cable ties
Great for organizing TV and stereo cables, tying garden plants to support stakes, closing luggage, securing gates and hundreds of other jobs. You really should have some cable ties in your home, garage, office and work shop. These 500 – 4 inch cable ties are made of strong nylon construction with self-locking teeth to eliminate loosening. Ties come in a storage canister for convenient storage and come in orange, green, yellow, black and white.
Fire extinguisher
Sometimes things get a little too hot around the house. It is these times when you really need a fire extinguisher. The Kidde FA110 Multipurpose Fire Extinguisher is UL rated 1-A:10-B:C and is designed to fight basic fires common to the home, including fires involving fabric, plastic, wood, flammable liquid and electrical equipment. It is fitted with an easy-to-read pressure gauge that lets you know the fire extinguisher is charged.
Lodge Cast-Iron Chef’s Skillet
Designed for the gourmet, the Lodge Chef Skillet is great for omelets, cornbread or sauteing. This unique 10-inch skillet has sloped sides and features a teardrop handle. Cast iron loves a campfire, a stovetop, or an oven, and can slow-cook foods without scorching. It retains heat well so you can sear meat at higher temperatures and will keep your delicious meals warm for a long time. Made of cast iron, this skillet evenly distributes heat from the bottom through the sidewalls. Measures: 10-inch diameter, 1.75-inch deep. Cast Iron, like your grandmother used, still ranks as one of the best cooking utensils ever made.
Flower vase
Don’t be that person who doesn’t have anywhere to put a beautiful bouquet of flowers your guests bring over. It happened to me once. Never again. Always be prepared. This lead free vase is a full 9-inch in height and is dishwasher safe and shock resistant. Superior resistant to use and dishwashing guarantees a long lasting product.
Plunger
Not much is worse than when you have company over and the toilet clogs up and you do not have a plunger. Yeah, not much worse than that. Don’t ask me why I know this. Having a plunger is a positive thing for sure. A Bathroom without a plunger is like a car without a spare tire! …or jumper cables. This professional quality, plumber’s choice, force cup toilet plunger makes easy work out of big, BIG jobs. The sturdy wooden handle has a thick rubber plunger which is strong enough to clear the toughest clogs.
My suggestion – get two because sometimes the kitchen sink clogs up to and, uh, you may not want to use the one from the bathroom in the kitchen sink. Just saying.
Deck of playing cards
Known for quality, heritage, and bringing people together for generations, Bicycle playing cards have been a part of household gaming since 1885. Every Bicycle playing card deck is specially crafted so that you can trust Bicycle performance hand after hand. From professional card players to the neighborhood game night, Bicycle is a part of the gaming tradition. Great for all card games. Great for all players. These decks are new and sealed. And who doesn’t like to play poker or Go Fish?
Pocket Notebook
You never know when a great idea is going to strike. Let’s not kid ourselves. We always say we will remember to jot it down later but that never happens. You must write that idea down right away before it is lost forever. Unless you have some portable electronic device with Evernote or something similar, a pocket notebook is the next best thing. For about five bucks you can get three notebooks for all your important thoughts. Keep one in your car, one in your pocket and one on your nightstand. You never know when inspiration will strike!
Swiss Army Knife
I had no idea you could get a real Swiss Army knife for under 20 bucks! The Swiss Army Climber II Knife is a compact knife with a selection of more than 10 useful tools. Precision crafted in Switzerland, this knife is constructed with a nylon handle, and 100-percent stainless-steel components that will hold their edge and last you for years. The Climber II weighs a lightweight 3.55 ounces and measures 3.58 inches when closed. Features include: large and small blades, two standard screwdrivers, bottle and can openers, a corkscrew, a wire stripper, scissors, key ring, reamer, and parcel hook. Tweezers and a toothpick pull out of the ends of the Climber II. Ideal for your glove box, utility drawer, or taking along for weekend trips at the cabin.
Precision crafted in Switzerland to ensure years of use
Measures 3.58 inches when closed; weights 3.55 ounces
Includes a small and large blade, two screwdrivers, bottle and can openers, a corkscrew and a lot more
Includes a lifetime warranty
Features more than ten useful tools
French Coffee Press
If you are going to drink coffee you make yourself you might as well have a good cup. The easiest way to do that is with a French Press. I wrote about the benefits of using a french press here.
Attractive and functional design at an affordable price. The Brazil has a durable, heat-resistant borosilicate glass beaker and a plastic handle and base, which make the Brazil easy to use and easy to clean. The 3-part stainless steel plunger has a fine mesh filter, which allows for a premium extraction of your coffee’s aromatic oils and subtle flavors. A mesh filter allows this flavor to be delivered direct to your cup and not absorbed by a paper filter. Plus, no paper filter means no waste. The patented safety lid prevents the splashing of liquids while pressing. All parts are dishwasher-safe.
BIC Multi-purpose Lighters
BIC multi-purpose lighters are useful all year round: conveniently light BBQs in the summer or candles and fireplaces in the winter for those nights you just want to stay indoors and cuddle.
Salad Spinner
It is no secret IKEA is one of my favorite stores. They have almost everything…including salad spinners. When you are done washing your salad greens, the best way to get the water off your lettuce leaves is to use a salad spinner. Centrifugal force spins the water right off! With this model the bowl can even be used for serving. Good deal!
Pocket Kite
Ok, you don’t really need a pocket kite but they are fun and easy and inexpensive. This fun kite is made with durable, brightly-colored material, complete with tail and flags, string and plastic handle. Great to take along in its durable storage bag (assorted bright colors). When fully expanded, size is 20″ x 12″.
Magnifying Glass
If you are like me and finding your vision getting worse, it may be time to invest in a magnifying glass. The PO-55 MiniBrite Pocket Magnifier from Carson Optical is a compact 5x power slide-out Magnifier with a protective plastic sleeve. The PO-55 comes equipped with a built-in bright LED light. The sharp, distortion-free view is thanks to its crystal-clear acrylic aspheric lens. The MiniBrite is a handy tool for those with low vision and is excellent for reading everyday items. The MiniBrite Pocket Magnifier is compact enough to fit in your shirt pocket or purse. Requires three AAA batteries. (Batteries not included) Lifetime Limited Warranty! Carson will repair or replace your magnifier if it is found to have manufacturing defects in materials or workmanship. Not a bad deal for under 20 bucks right?
Wine Bottle Opener
Oh sure, you could get one of those fancy wine bottle opener like the Rabbit though this one works just as well at half the price. To use the electric wine bottle opener, place it on top of a wine bottle, making sure it remains in an upright position and not at an angle to the bottle. A single operating switch ensures foolproof operation from here. Simply press the lower part of the switch to start. The unit’s corkscrew spiral will turn to enter the cork, then it will gradually remove the cork from the bottle, stopping once the cork has been fully removed from the bottle. Lift the electric wine bottle opener away from the bottle, and remove the cork by pressing the upper part of the switch–the spiral turns in the opposite direction to release the cork. Voila. Let the pouring begin.
So there you have it. 20 items you should definitely have and all for under 20 bucks.
What items do you think should be added to the list? Let me know in the comments below.