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A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.
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I'm a data analyst by day and an artist who draws people on his free time. Figuring out things is my biggest hobby. Check out @portraitclub_atx if you're looking to draw with other people in Austin, TX
PHYSICAL
I stopped using pump style lotion bottles because a good amount of lotion was left behind and hard to reach. My favorite solution has been FIFO (First in First Out) Squeeze bottles. They can be used store anything from ketchup to paint. There's a large rear cap that makes filling the bottle simple and also helps when cleaning it out in the dishwasher. Another bonus is the valves are replaceable if they ever wear out.
I still have a mix of old and new devices that need different USB ports to charge. The Anker Powerline II 3-in-1 cable covers 95% of all my devices with USB micro, C and Lightning ports. My old cable lasted four years of daily use, and Anker replaced it under their lifetime warranty.
I've really enjoyed using fountain pens for drawing and writing the past two years. Fountain pens are endlessly customizable with different ink and nib sizes. The Pilot Varsity is a great first fountain pen if you want to try them. It's affordable and writes wonderfully, as good as pens 4-5x it's price. If you're brave you can even refill it following some tutorials on Youtube.
DIGITAL
I purchase products monthly from AliExpress and overseas. It can be a hassle to keep track of all the different shipping companies. 17Track covers most shipping companies and have apps on iOS and Android. The updates are timely and the app is simple to use.
I use Whisper AI to transcribe meeting recordings on my computer for free. The transcriptions aren't perfect but I'm really impressed by the speed and accuracy of the package. I followed this guide to get started.
INVISIBLE
A strategy I use to curb non-essential spending is to limit it to the first 10 days in a month. For the other 20ish days I'm forced to wait and evaluate my upcoming purchases for next month. I do give myself exceptions on things like great deals and limited available items though. Most of time I realize I already have something that suffices and that great deal will still be there in a few weeks.
