Mustachian tools

[Hula Hoop]

I was just making lentil soup in my trusty pressure cooker and it occurred to me that while it cost money to buy (around 50 euro around 12 years ago) it has saved me tons of money over the years and so it's a great' mustachian tool.  I use it pretty much every Sunday to make some kind of bean or lentil soup for work lunches during the week.

We also are just putting up some heavy curtains in our apartment that should also end up being a mustachian tool as they will save on heating and cooling bills and also, we hope, help us sleep better by blocking out morning light.

Any mustachian tools you can recommend? 

[Syonyk]

That's pretty heavily dependent on where you live, isn't it?

I think my 75 year old tractor I purchased for $1100, sunk $600 into this year, and am probably dropping another grand on next year (new tubes/tires/wheel rims and some starter/governor work) is a pretty sweet deal for dealing with snow and cutting firebreaks, but that's not terribly useful for most people...

Our bread machine is awesome, we haven't bought more than a loaf or two of bread in the past year or two.  I'm certain store bought el-cheapo bread is better, but we know what's going into our bodies and it's tons tastier.

[Astatine]

I live somewhere with cold-ish winters (cold by Australian standards, not by Europe or North American standards). I bought a really warm feather doona (I think they're call quilts or duvets elsewhere?). It means that we don't need to run the heater overnight in winter. Hot water bottles are also a good mustachian tool - we use them in winter overnight as well.

[Eucalyptus]

I have an EcoPot now that my parent's bought a couple of years ago at an Ag Show, used once, gave to my brother, he used it once. I just did my third big rice and beans meal in it in a fortnight. I love it; it really suits how I like to cook. I think something like this is a very useful Moustachian tool. I wouldn't buy this myself...I think they are several hundred dollars. You could easily make one yourself. Just get some plywood and discarded EPS foam. You just need to make an insulated box, just big enough to fit your big pot or stove top pressure cooker.

Actually, this has me thinking that maybe I should sell this expensive EcoPot locally and make a DIY version basically for free for one of my other pots instead...

This will be a good thread!

Other ideas:
-hand sewing kit for basic repairs. Sewing machine if you are more skilled and even sew your own.
-solar kettle/cookers?
-bucket shower?
-bike repair tools

[Laura33]

Solid cooking equipment.  I got a Calphalon frying pan and reversible grill/griddle as wedding gifts over 20 years ago, and picked up a small cast iron pan at the same time for like $10.  They are still the three pans I use the most, while multiple cheaper/thinner things have come and gone, either because they scorched or cooked really unevenly or because they just broke or lost their coating.  I would put a good knife in the same category (just dropped my favorite off to be sharpened).  And of course my heavy duty pie dish, because pie. 

[HipGnosis]

The basic mechanics tools plus my hydraulic floor jack I use to do auto maintenance.
Oil changes.   Rotate tires.  Brakes.   Filters.  Plugs.   Etc.
They've more than paid for themselves many times over.

I got oil on a jacket once.  It was an older jacket, but my wife (now ex) complained.  I called the local auto garage and got their price for an oil change.  I calculated my cost for oil (I buy it by the case) and told her their price and my cost; no more complaints.

Channel Master DVR that records free programs via antenna.

And my German chefs knife.
 

[Gone_Hiking]

Carpet and upholstery cleaner!  We have Bissell Spot Cean Pro model that we bought on sale.    It is versatile enough to clean stains on carpet as well as on couches and allows to keep carpets and couches clean without getting professional cleaning every year.

[SimpleCycle]

The off button on my television remote. ;)

My food processor and stand mixer.

Cast iron skillets.

Chest freezer.

Pressure cooker and slow cooker.  These days people say you need an InstantPot but my existing setup works just fine.

My bicycle and panniers.

[Hula Hoop]

Pressure cooker and slow cooker.  These days people say you need an InstantPot but my existing setup works just fine.

I agree.  And Instant Pots are electric pressure cookers and electricity is expensive here.  One of the reasons I love my normal pressure cooker is that it runs on gas on the stove, which is cheap, and I can turn the flame down very low once it has come up to pressure, making it a very frugal cooking method.

[Laura33]

The off button on my television remote. ;)

My food processor and stand mixer.

Cast iron skillets.

Chest freezer.

Pressure cooker and slow cooker.  These days people say you need an InstantPot but my existing setup works just fine.

My bicycle and panniers.

Ooooh, yes, the Kitchen-Aid - with the attachments, I can do everything from bread to coleslaw to sausage to pasta.  And it has lasted forever — I burned out the smaller model after about 10 years by making too big/dense bread recipes, so I replaced it with a reconditioned version of the bigger model, and that one is at least 15 years in.

I am a fan of the InstantPot, but I didn’t use my slow cooker (because I like things seared first, and once I’ve gotten one pan dirty, I might as well just toss it in the oven), and I didn’t have a pressure cooker.  So having two-in-one has been great for me.  But I completely agree that it’s not even remotely necessary.  Just a nice convenience.

[SlowMustachian]

Definitely freezer!! I buy bread, veggies, cheese and anything I don’t use I put in the freezer!!

[ketchup]

Thirding chest freezer.  In fact, we have three (7cu ft each).

Decent cooking tools.  You don't need a $900 fork, but good quality cookware makes everything easier/faster.  However, you really don't need much.

Mechanic's tools.  Keep them organized.  You don't want to be that guy spending an hour searching for his 10mm socket.

Household power tools/hand tools. 

An extra screwdriver set that's always clean and available to use for little things like computer parts.  Also scissors.  For the longest time I lived in a house without scissors.  It was stupid.

Duct tape.  Hacksaw.

Barbell, squat rack, and weight plates.

[Laura33]

An extra screwdriver set that's always clean and available to use for little things like computer parts.

I would also add/clarify a small screwdriver, like you get in an eyeglass repair kit -- a lot of our electronic stuff requires those teensy little things to get to the batteries.  Plus, you know, sometimes we actually use it to fix eyeglasses.  :-)

My DH mocked me for years because I insisted on keeping this stupid little $5 mini tool kit my dad got me when I moved into my first law school apartment -- it came in like a 3" lunchbox, and it was basically one handle that was fat enough to hold on to, along with several different types of screwdriver heads that you insert into the handle.  But, you know, that stupid little lunchbox fits just fine in my junk drawer, and we use it today more than ever for all that little fiddly stuff.

[ketchup]

An extra screwdriver set that's always clean and available to use for little things like computer parts.

I would also add/clarify a small screwdriver, like you get in an eyeglass repair kit -- a lot of our electronic stuff requires those teensy little things to get to the batteries.  Plus, you know, sometimes we actually use it to fix eyeglasses.  :-)

My DH mocked me for years because I insisted on keeping this stupid little $5 mini tool kit my dad got me when I moved into my first law school apartment -- it came in like a 3" lunchbox, and it was basically one handle that was fat enough to hold on to, along with several different types of screwdriver heads that you insert into the handle.  But, you know, that stupid little lunchbox fits just fine in my junk drawer, and we use it today more than ever for all that little fiddly stuff.

Yes!  My little screwdriver set that I was talking about does include some tiny bits for exactly that scale of tinkering.