A PVC pipe cap.

I was making a lightsaber for my kid, and bought a length of clear PVC from Home Depot. (I know, they have bad politics, but Lowe's didn't carry clear PVC.) My local store didn't have any clear PVC or clear accessories in stock, so I had to place an order for shipping, so I got a couple things "just in case" for the build. One of those was a pipe cap.

Didn't end up using the pipe cap, because lightsabers don't have that sort of end. It now sits at my desk as a teeny tiny trash can. Bits of thread from sewing, nail clippings, tags I clip off of shirts, a lot of things fit in the teeny tiny trash can. When it's full, I empty it into the trash, but for a rather small pipe cap, it holds quite a bit of small trash.

My wife got me a fitbit. I resisted a little bit because I didn't want to have yet another device to monitor, charge, and maintain etc. I've been really surprised and impressed and how effective it has been in subtly encouraging me to make some small improvements in my habits. Not a bad deal for $100.

Mechanical keyboard. Almost had no money back then, but wanted to treat myself. It costed 100$, and I regretted it the next morning. Felt like shit, but it was so cool to type on.

After 5 years, this metal-frame keyboard managed to survive many outside gigs, long travels, literal war, and it's still with me. And I still love typing on it. Sometimes I code just to type. You can guess why I don't use code completion tools.

A set of small neodymium magnets. Didn't have a plan, only they looked "super cool and strong wow".

Used for:

• Locating needles in the carpet.
• Fishing keychains out from behind sofas, gap between garden deck and house, and so many other places.
• Makeshift fix for an old cabinet door that tended to glide open.
• Holding nails and screws while fixin' stuff.
• Attaching a soda bottle to the office lamp in a way that is easy to undo while still pissing off HR.
• Slapping it on a screwdriver to make it magnetic.
• Fidget toy.
• Regular ol' fridge magnet.

Pizza bag. A really good one

Didn't think it would be a big deal but it's a game changer for takeout pizza. Hell, it's usually warmer than deliveries since I don't make any other stops

Massive difference even for a place 8 minutes away, and gets me warm great pizza for the places 20 or so away

Double Edge Razor. I used to shave with an electric shaver but now I can shave faster, better and cheaper. The razor gives a super smooth shave and the soap/aftershave is a kind of wellness routine now that I really enjoy. The blades are extremely cheap so I change them every second shave. There are tons of different types of razors and blades to try out and I really enjoy trying out the shaving soaps and varying them from shave to shave.

I got a really girly looking beanie (I'm a guy) at a white elephant gift exchange and it became my favorite beanie. It got stolen and I'm sad that I can't find it again.

I have an off-brand swiffer handle that I’ve actually packed up and moved several times because it’s the perfect size to unclog my vacuum.

A toy accordion I bought at a truck stop 30 years ago. I blew all of my $30 in vacation spending money on it and everyone said I'd regret it. It ended up kind of joke\prop instrument in all my bands and I still have it and it's still fun to play.

Pizza stone

Reusable zip ties.

Tons of mini magnets and metal clothes pins (infinite bag closing clamps for near free).

My victorinox signature with a pocket clip (keysmart nano clip). It's a tiny swiss army knife with a built in pen. Comes in handy almost daily an never leaves my waistband otherwise.

Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. I really didn't think much of it at the time but I have been very happy to have them at hand especially once I made a system to keep track of the ones that needed recharging and the ones that were fully charged.

A Potato Ricer. My wife thought it was dumb as hell, until she made the best mashed potatoes we've ever had. It's like a massive garlic press for potatoes

Ember mug. I saw James Hoffmann’s review and went, “how good could it be?”

It’s the only mug I can drink from now.

ANTAGEN dishbrush. I was at IKEA and saw they had dish brushes for less than a dollar a piece, so I stocked up on a few.

They last forever as far as dish brushes are concerned. It did clean-up for 2 large meals every single day for over a year before it started getting worn out. We'd throw it in the dishwasher at night to clean and sterilize it.

Pizza Scissors. Great for frozen pizzas so you can cut it up right out of the oven without waiting for the cheese to cool off. It's also great for cutting dough and just having a 2nd pair of kitchen shears if your normal pair was used to cut raw meat.

An Aeropress Go.

I'm far from a coffee snob, but figured I'd give this $25 piece of plastic a try because a good friend was raving about it. In the year since, it's been my favorite way to make myself a cup of coffee-- the ritual of it helps me structure my Saturday morning, the coffee tastes better than I thought coffee could taste, and I'm more excited to look at the flavors and whatnot from locally ground coffee.