Skip to main content

10 Gadgets Below $100 That Everyone Needs But Few Already Have

10 Essential Items Below $100


Whether you've just moved into your new home or looking for a great housewarming gift, here are 10 gadgets that everyone needs but few already have. There's nothing fancy here. All basic items that most don't even give a second thought about and that's precisely why we're here to remind you that you shouldn't forget about the basics. Some of them can be lifesavers and we mean this both literally and figuratively! 

1. Emergency tools and supplies for the trunk / glove compartment

Getting stuck on the highway
Image Credit: lucasrag

Imagine getting stuck, or worse, in an accident, in the middle of nowhere. You could use your mobile phone to call for help, but that help could be hours away. This is why it's essential you have emergency tools and supplies in your car at all times to help you survive till help arrives. Here are some tools and supplies you should have in your emergency kit:

Flashlight 

Best Flashlight to buy
A crank flashlight like the Cynergy Lifelight never goes out of power. Just turn the crank to keep yourself well-lit and safe in the dark as you wait for help. What we liked most about this device is that it is not just a flashlight, but a multi-feature safety device that includes not only a rechargeable LED flashlight, but emergency power for handheld digital devices (iPhones, Smartphones etc.) from the built in USB port, a compass, a seat belt cutting knife, a safety window breaking hammer, and a red light flash as well.

Battery-powered / Hand-crank Radio 

Hand Crank and Battery Powered Radio

The hand turbine rechargeable FRX3 is a preparedness radio that allows you receive AM/FM, all seven NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather band stations and the “Alert” system signals. 

There are multiple options to power the FRX3. Spinning the hand turbine for one minute gets you 10-15 minutes of radio and flashlight use. Alternatively, place the FRX3 in the sun for passive charging. You can also power it with AAA batteries or DC power.

First-aid Kit 

First Aid Kit

Emergencies are unpredictable and the best you can do is to be prepared. Having a first-aid kit that fits snugly in the glove compartment of your car gives you the peace of mind that you will have the essentials such as cold compress, bandages and scissors should you ever need them.

Emergency Blanket 

Buy your emergency blankets in bulk
If you're stuck outside and it is getting dark, the temperature can drop pretty fast. A thermal blanket retains up to 90% of your body heat, ensuring that you don't go into hypothermia while awaiting rescue. These emergency blankets are especially useful if you're out camping.  

Emergency preparedness is such a big thing that Amazon has a subsection dedicated to it where you can find other important tools like the LifeStraw Water Filter and whistles. The Red Cross also sells emergency kit supplies. Buy from them to support a deserving international charity.

2. Dashcam 


ZeroEdge 2.4- inch 135° View Angle, Full HD 1080P with G-Sensor Car Dashboard Camera Bundle with 16GB TF Card (Black)

We previously wrote about why every driver should have a dashboard camera (dashcam) and the reasons definitely still apply. Capturing evidence of an accident, protecting yourself from insurance fraud, protecting yourself from road-rage or just plain lousy drivers, catching vandals in the act or just simply to capture the unexpected on your drive, these are just some of the reasons to own a dashcam.

The popularity of dashcams is increasing as their prices have come down and have become a lot less prohibitive to own. You should be able to pick up top selling dashcams like the ZeroEdge 2.4- inch 135° View Angle, Full HD 1080P with G-Sensor Car Dashboard Camera for under $100.
  

3. Portable Car Battery Jump Pack 



Having a portable car battery jump pack gives you great peace of mind because you don't have to hope for another person coming along when you're battery is dead and it's minus 20 degrees. As a bonus, it also takes way less time than maneuvering another car and connecting jumper cables.


4. Carbon Monoxide alarm/detector 


Best Carbon Monoxide Detector For Home

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in North America, with an average of 430 deaths per year from 1993-2010. It is often referred to as the silent killer because it's odorless, tasteless, and invisible

Carbon monoxide poisoning can come about via a number of sources, including everyday items and appliances in your home or office. The scary thing is that because the symptoms of CO poisoning mimic the flu or other common illnesses it can often go undiagnosed.

5. Kindle 


Best Amazon Kindle Touchscreen

Lighter than a paperback, holds thousands of books. And with those words, we were sold on the Kindle. It also helps that it reads like a real book and is easy on the eyes unlike reading on your laptop or iPad.


6. External Mobile Battery 


External Mobile Battery For Smartphone 

How many times have you worried about your phone running out of battery while you're camping, hiking or other great outdoor activities? With an external mobile battery, no more worries about watching your phone's battery die before you're able to charge it.

7. Ear Thermometer 


Best Ear Thermometer For The Home

Everyone should have a thermometer at home. No more guessing and feeling your forehead or neck to see whether you have a fever. And if you are a new parent, you should know that the average baby gets seven fevers a year. So it's important to accurately tell when they're having a fever so you can bring them to the doctor. 

So why a ear thermometer instead of an oral or rectal thermometer? Basically, the eardrum shares its blood supply with the temperature control center of the brain, so changes in body temperature are reflected sooner and more accurately in the ear than in other places.

On the other hand, rectal temperatures lag behind changes in core body temperature, so they are not always a reliable indicator. Skin temperatures, from the underarm or forehead, are not the same as core body temperatures and they can be influenced by external factors such as sweating or drafts. Similarly, oral temperatures can be influenced by external factors such as drinking, eating, and breathing.

8. Smoke Detector 


Best smoke detector for home

Too many lives are lost to fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 1,298,000 fires reported in the United States in 2014 alone. These fires caused 3,275 civilian deaths, 15,775 civilian injuries, and $11.6 billion in property damage. One home fire was reported every 86 seconds.

Having multiple smoke detectors in your home will help to give you and your family ample warning in case of a fire so that you can escape to safety. Be sure to get one that uses a photoelectric sensor as they can detect the build up of smoke, which can occur prior to widespread outbreak of heat and flames during a home fire. This makes them better smoke alarms than those which rely only on detecting heat.

9. Fire Extinguisher 


Best Fire Extinguisher For The Home

With a fire extinguisher at home or in your car, you might be able to put out a small fire before it causes major damage. As we mentioned above, fires caused $11.6 billion in property damage in 2014. If fire extinguishers were available somewhere within reach, we're sure this number could be reduced. Again, it's surprising that not many homes have one.


10. Your own modem 


Buying your own modem helps you save money

We've mentioned previously that renting your modem from your ISP is for suckers. Buying a good modem like the highly recommended ARRIS/Motorola SB6141 which is compatible with all the major ISPs including Comcast, TWC, Charter and Cox, would typically cost you less than $70. At the current Comcast rental rates of $10 per month, buying your own modem would pay off within 7 short months. In fact, we estimate that you would save anywhere between $200 - $400 over the life of the modem.

But it's not just cost-savings that you should consider. Another important consideration is performance. Buying a good modem instead of relying on a crappy one from our ISP also means better performance and speeds.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it - our top 10 gadgets below $100 that everyone needs but few have at the moment. From saving money to keeping your family safe, we hope you enjoyed the article and found it useful. Now in full disclosure, there are affiliate links in the article above and we thank you for all your support. It has really helped us to keep the site going.

Comments

  1. Led Flashlight called torches have been around for a long time. Hand portable illumination is clearly desirable in many situations. LED flashlight use the latest LED Flashlight lighting technology to produce a better product in almost every way.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to View YouTube Shorts in the Regular YouTube Player

YouTube's "Shorts" is YouTube’s answer to TikTok and Instagram reels but let’s be honest, the YouTube Shorts player lacks some functionality, such as the ability to fast forward and go back in the video. However, you might be surprised to know that every video that loads in the "Shorts" player is actually a regular video, and by changing the URL slightly, you can load the same video in the regular player along with all the functionality of a traditional YouTube video. Changing the URL Changing the URL is the easiest way to switch the player from a technical standpoint. It’s so easy even your grandma can do it, as long as she knows how to type an address into the address bar of a browser.   Let’s use this super popular short video about AI taking over ping pong as an example. Look in the URL bar of a video playing in the "Shorts" player, where you should see the text Shorts/. Replace that text with watch?v= and load the new URL. So in this

Create QR Codes in Excel With VBA

Need to automate the creation of QR Codes? Excel and VBA can help with that! Here's how to do it in less than 15 lines of code. What we're looking to do is have a URL in a cell and then we're going to use a function that we create in VBA call Google APIs to create the code. Here's a video that explains the whole process of creating a user defined function in VBA that will create QR Codes: Code to create QR Codes in Excel with VBA Open up your Visual Basic editor and insert the following code and then save. To call the function, type =GETQRCODES(Cell Address) where Cell Address is the address of the cell which contains a URL that you want to send your user to. Function GETQRCODES(QRCode As String)     Dim URL As String     URL = "https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=100x100&&cht=qr&chl=" & QRCode     ActiveSheet.Pictures.Insert(URL).Select     With Selection.ShapeRange(1)         .Name = "QR_CODE_" & QRCode         .Left = Applic

How To Change Bluetooth Name On Android

This post will take you step-by-step through the process of changing the Bluetooth name of your devices on an Android phone. There are pictures as references in case you get lost along the way. Change Bluetooth Name On Android | Step-by-step 1. Unlock your Android phone and go to Settings Unlock your phone and click on the Settings Icon It goes without saying, but the first thing you need to do is unlock your phone. By default, the settings icon will be on your home page like in the picture above. If you don't have the settings icon, you can search for 'Settings' in the Android search bar. 2. In the Settings page, click on Bluetooth Click on the Bluetooth settings to open up the Bluetooth Settings menu Click on the Bluetooth settings which should be at the top of your Settings page. If it doesn't, scroll down till you find it or just search for it in the search bar at the top of the Settings page. 3. Click On Device Name To Change Your Phone's Bluetooth Name Click o