So I used to buy those pre-packed 1 pound chubs at the market, never thinking about it. Last month I noticed the package said 1 lb but my mom's recipe needed 1.25. I weighed it on my buddy's scale, it was 0.9. That's 10% less meat for the same price. Now I grab the loose stuff from the case and weigh it myself, portion it into freezer bags. Has anyone else caught a packaged meat shortage like that, or am I the only one who never checked?
The listing said IPX6 rated and I trusted it without checking the actual zipper seams, which turned out to be the weak point. Am I the only one who's stopped believing outdoor gear ratings unless I see a test video from someone who actually poured water on it?
Picked up a bulk pack at a hardware store in Phoenix for $18, thought it was a steal. Got home, saw the stamp on the back: expires in 9 months. Who knew batteries had an expiration date that short? I store tools in a hot garage, so they're probably toast by next summer. Should I just burn through them in remote controls and flashlights now, or is there a trick to keeping them fresh? Has anyone else wasted money on these bulk deals?
Used one at a hotel during a work trip and thought it was a gimmick, but after installing this thing last Tuesday I can't stand regular toilet paper anymore. Anyone else get stuck with a home upgrade that ruins the rest of the world for you?
I kept almost buying those big plastic bins for my seasonal stuff, but every single one I looked at got bad reviews on the lids cracking. Then my neighbor in Boise let me peek at how she does it: she uses the clear stacking bins with the clip handles, not the cheap ones. Spent $38 on two of them last week and they actually hold up, no flex in the walls. Anyone else find a brand that survives more than a year of garage temps?
I was grabbing some paint samples last Tuesday when this older dude was returning a post hole digger. He told the clerk he'd rented it three weekends in a row for like $35 each time instead of dropping $150 to own one. Said his fence line was 80 feet and the tool just sits in his shed the other 360 days. Stuck with me because I almost bought one last spring for a single repair. What do you all rent instead of own? I'm thinking about doing the same for a tile saw next month.
Grabbed a bubble level at a yard sale in Dayton for 6 bucks, thought it looked fine, but it was so far off that every shelf I hung for two weeks was crooked and I had to redo them all. Have you ever had a cheap tool waste more of your time than it saved money?
Last month I took a $140 camp stove on a 4 day trip and it crapped out the second night when the wind picked up. I got it from a big outdoor store, so I brought it back and told them the regulator froze up in the drizzle. The clerk said they see it all the time with that model, and pointed me to a plain $45 single burner that runs on the green propane cans. I've used it twice since and it boils water in the same time, plus less parts to break. Now I tell people to skip the fancy multi-fuel stuff unless you're doing real winter mountaineering. Has anyone else traded down to a simpler stove and found it works better for car camping?
I almost dropped $200 on a cordless impact wrench at Home Depot last week, then saw the return policy had a 30 day limit and I'd be stuck if it broke at month 5. Turns out their 90 day window only applies to certain brands, found that on the fine print behind the register. Has anyone else gotten burned by an assumed return window?