Why It's Worth It To Pay $29.99 For A Pill-Cutter When I Can Get One For Free At My HMO's Pharmacy
I take 7.5 milligrams of Adderall three times a day, plus I supplement each cup of coffee I make with 150 milligrams of caffeine.
There's a problem with that: Caffeine tablets come in 200 milligrams. Adderall comes in 10 milligram tablets.
This means a little dance with a pill-cutter to make the right amounts -- cutting the Adderall in half and the caffeine tablets in halves and quarters.
Adderall are particularly tricky to cut. I often end up getting many unevenly cut or even half-smashed tablets.
And cutting them one-by-one is annoyingly time-consuming.
Well, I found a pill cutter that does multiple pills the other day on Amazon.
The problem? The price: $29.99.
Recognizing that my time is valuable -- especially now, as I'm writing a demanding next book and my column plus blog posts, plus doing speaking engagements -- I decided to buy it.
Well, it's absolutely worth the money. I put a line of Adderall (maybe 10 tablets) in the long slot and pressed down. There was one pill that was cut a little off center, but mostly, they were right down the middle.
This will save me hours every year -- hours I would have spent doing a boring, annoying, menial task.
And I love that.
What are some other expensive items that are worth the money?
Vegetable peelers. Cooking knives. ( If possible get the Japanese carbon steel ones, and a good stone block sharpener.)
Coolers. My favorite right now is Orca or Pelikan. The competition has pushed even Coleman to make a better cooler.
Pretty much any musical instruments. The good ones are always much easier to play and sound ten times better than the cheapie chinese knock offs. You gotta know what you are looking for and looking at though.
Vacuum cleaners. Most are either terrible or if they are good and cheap than when they break they are toast. Parts arent replaceable.
Been pretty impressed with Dyson. Had a really good Panosonic when we lived in Germany but wouldnt run on 110v.
Generators. Yamaha is the way to go.
Tools in general. If you use them a lot, you will find a huge difference between the cheap ones, and the good ones.
Isab at May 14, 2018 1:18 AM
Plastic bags which preserve food longer than you can imagine. They are sometimes called GreenBags and are worth every cent. They frequently go on sale; buy them then. Scallions (green onions) start decaying in the fridge after two or three days. They last two to three weeks in a GreenBag. Same with lettuce and other vegetables. Do remember not to put tomatoes in the fridge. Ever. They quickly lose their flavor and start tasting cottony.
Elizabeth Falkner at May 14, 2018 3:54 AM
Interesting. Especially the plastic bags thing.
Greenbags: https://amzn.to/2rFC2yB
Says they're washable. Do you put them in the dishwasher?
Oh, and thanks on the tomatoes. Didn't know that.
And Isab, right on on the vegetable peelers.
And I'll add shoes: I haven't bought a pair of shoes in maybe 10 years. (I wear boots, actually, so make that boots.) I have always bought really nice ones on sale and then taken them to the shoemaker for resoling and care.
Another thing I've spent money on is tailoring -- taking skirts in so they actually fit well. Then clothes that annoy become clothes you love.
Amy Alkon at May 14, 2018 6:07 AM
A pre-nup?
Guns. (Hmph. AutoCorrect thought I said, “diamonds”.)
Surprisingly, one has to avoid fanboy ranting.
Radwaste at May 14, 2018 6:36 AM
Do you put them in the dishwasher?
I would go with hand washing. After trolling thru Amazon's question and answer section, it would appear that simply rinsing is the better answer, since you don't want to unnecessarily ablate the chemicals in the bag.
I R A Darth Aggie at May 14, 2018 6:39 AM
French Press coffee maker. I thought I made pretty good coffee with my drip pot (I grind my beans fresh each morning). But once I got a French Press I was amazed at how much better the coffee tasted.
Jay at May 14, 2018 6:58 AM
Krups drip coffee maker from Williams-Sonoma. If I can make a decent cup of coffee with it, it's gotta be good: programmable, auto shut-off, and good coffee.
I've tried the French Press and it's too much effort per cup for me.
Conan the Grammarian at May 14, 2018 8:16 AM
Cold brew coffee maker?
https://amzn.to/2jYrXZw
I find its output lasts me about a week, but I only drink one cup a day. The rest is tea, mostly hot, but I also have a cold brew beaker very similar to the coffee makers.
I R A Darth Aggie at May 14, 2018 9:02 AM
I got a Waring spice grinder. They can run up t0 $300 depending on the model
Kinda pricey but I can get whole herbs and spices, plus with my freeze dryer turning out dehydrated onions, other veggies and fruit peelings I can make my own spice blends with that thing in less than a minute.
lujlp at May 14, 2018 10:14 AM
Good sheets and bath towels.
Durable luggage.
Kevin at May 14, 2018 11:19 AM
Reminds of this quote from The Catcher in the Rye:
Conan the Grammarian at May 14, 2018 12:25 PM
Amy, I just rinse them out and leave them inside out on a towel to dry. When it comes to shoes, it's hard for me to find anything worthwhile in size 11, and worse to find any bra which comes in a 46G. A friend gave me a $50 lipstick some years ago and I think it would be worth the price if I ever bought another lipstick. I wear lipstick once or twice a month and no other makeup because it's really just me in color.
Elizabeth Falkner at May 14, 2018 4:42 PM
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