Dish Soap. I used to just buy whatever was on sale and not think about it, but then I got married and for a while we are using Mrs.Meyers dishsoap but that shit got expensive in a hurry once we had a kid.
Photo by Brooke Balentine on Unsplash
So, now we just buy the cheapest dish detergent we can find and lately it’s been this one:
Jim’s Pick for Dish Detergent
Amazon.com: Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray, Dish Soap Liquid, Fresh Scent Bundle
Sure, there’s other more bougie brands that talk about the craft
of doing dishes but our job is to get them clean, dry and then use them again hours later usually.
Dawn Platinum Dish Detergent Review
Pros: Cuts through grease easy and the spray bottle is cool
Cons: The strong smell can be off-putting to some
Rating: 4.8 stars
Add to Cart
For the price, this might just very well be the best soap you can buy for cleaning your dishes - unless, you don’t have kids - then you can use the fancy soap.
Shop Dish Detergent on Amazon
Photo by Jessica Lewis 🦋 thepaintedsquare on Unsplash
I’m not a pen snob so maybe I’m the wrong person to give advice for pen replacements, but I have heard that getting into pens can get crazy expensive.
Jim’s Pick
Amazon.com : Black Pen Holder Cup for Desk, Black Wire Mesh Pencil Cup Holder for Desk Office Pen Organizer : Office Products
Cheap pens are great because, well - they’re cheap and if you lose them it’s no big deal.
I know there’s reddit groups and clubs all about pens and I’m not that guy as I don’t really have much use for a pen and theres always a pen or two in my [[Glass Pen Holder]] so I haven’t had to buy a pen in a long time so these would do in a pinch.
The only other writing tools I may need would be some [[Pencils]] and maybe [[Sharpie]] or two and I am good to go.
Shop for all pens on Amazon
I only remember using steel wool for cleaning the rust off my bike tires and I doubt I would use it to clean my pots and pan set for daily use as there are more gentle [[2025-12-02-kitchen-sponge.md|ways]] to clean your dishes now.
Photo by yasin hemmati on Unsplash
Jim’s Pick
Amazon.com: Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Scrubbers, Scouring Pads for Cleaning Tough Baked-On Messes, Metal Scrubbers for Cleaning Dishes, 3 Scrub Pads : Health & Household
I like these over tradition steel wool pads because they don’t have that messy soap built into them already and it’s so, so messy and I have yet to determine if it actually makes a difference so I have to pick the above as my recommendation and just get a bit of your own dish soap to use with these pads and I bet you’re rocking it just as well than those others.
Shop Steel Wool Pads on Amazon
I really don’t care much about pots and pans. I mean, they work and that’s about it.
Photo by Cooker King on Unsplash
Actually, scratch that. Pots and pans do matter because if you eat at home (you should) then you will spend a lot of time cooking and liek th mechanics that pay a lot of money for good tools, every home should have a good pot and pan set.
Jim’s Pick
Amazon.com: Amazon Basics Non Stick Kitchen Cookware 8-Piece Set, Non-Induction, Includes Pots and Pans, Black: Home & Kitchen
Pros: Even heat distribution and easy to clean
Cons: Not the most durable
Rating 4.6 out of five
Buy Now On Amazon
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a pot and pan set, although you can, it’s optional and if you start with a good starter set it will let you figure out what pots and pans you use the most so when the next time you need a new pot and pan set you have a better day about your needs.
Shop Pots and Pans on Amazon
Photo by Asher Ward on Unsplash
We’re not smokers so obviously these did not get bought new or won as a prize, but I think we found these at a garage sale while looking for something completely different.
Jim’s Pick for Blue Coffee Mugs
Amazon.com: Grip 12oz Enamel Coffee Mug - Impact Resistant - Dishwasher Safe Enamel Finish - Great for Campsite, Tailgates, Picnics, BBQs (Blue) : Home & Kitchen
This is a really nice mug. It holds a good amount of coffee or whatever hot drink you want to have. I sometimes am able to get a latte in this mug without issue.
This blue coffee mug had a good hand feel in the hand and seems to work well for me for using every day. They are sturdy and are dishwasher safe which is nice too because nobody wants to wash dishes by hand with a [[2025-12-02-kitchen-sponge.md|kitchen sponge]] because that’s no fun.
Here’s a few other blue coffee mugs to consider:
Amazon.com: vancasso STARRY Ceramic Coffee Mug Set of 6, 12 Oz Tea Cups with Handle for Latte, Tea, Cappuccino, Milk, Cocoa, Microwave&Dishwasher Safe,Blue : Home & Kitchen
Amazon.com: Miicol Ceramic Coffee Mug, 16 oz Large Coffee Cup, Tea Mug with Handle, Flat Bottom Mug for Men, Women, Office, Microwave and Dishwasher Safe, Multi-Color, Navy : Home & Kitchen
Amazon.com: vancasso STARRY Coffee Mugs Set, 12 oz Ceramic Coffee Cups for Latte Hot Tea Cappuccino Cocoa Milk Stoneware Cups Set of 6, Dishwasher & Microwave Safe, Blue : Home & Kitchen
I used to just use the good old j-cloths that I had been using since oh, the eighties at least.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
But now, I have better. Because there’s now some cloths that work better than the old dish washing cloths of yesterday.
The problem with the older dish washing cloths of yesterday is that they smelled a lot if you didn’t stay on top of them. The musty smell is one smell I could never get used to, and besides - who wants to wash dishes with an older musty dish cloth that’s a germ factory in fabric farm.
Jim’s Pick
I really like these because they’re sturdy but no too big so you’re not tied up in the cloth while you’re trying to get some dishes washed
Amazon.com: Kitinjoy 100% Cotton Kitchen Dish Cloths, 6 Pack Waffle Weave Ultra Soft Absorbent Dish Towels for Drying Dishes Quick Drying Kitchen Towels Dish Rags, 12 X 12 Inches, Dark Grey : Home & Kitchen
these are great for washing my travel mug for one example as they are very absorbant to get all the old coffee out and have it rinsed and ready for next time.
Here’s a few other dish cloths I like:
Amazon.com: VMKBL 10 Pcs New Upgraded 3 Layers Non Scratch Wire Dishcloth, Multipurpose Wire Dishwashing Rags, Wet & Dry for Cookware, Sinks, Dishes, Stoves & Fireplaces (7.87 x 7.87-10pcs) : Health & Household
Amazon.com: AMOUR INFINI Cotton Kitchen Dish Cloths Set of 8 – Highly Absorbent, Super Soft Premium Terry Cleaning Cloth (12”x12” Inch) Premium Dishcloths for Washing Dishes (Turquoise) : Home & Kitchen
Amazon.com: Bumble Dish Towels & Dish Cloths (8 Pack) | 100% Cotton Kitchen Towels | 12” x 12” | 405 GSM | Soft, Highly Absorbent & Durable Rags for Washing Dishes | Gray : Home & Kitchen
Shop all Dishcloths on Amazon
Jeans are the quintessential wardrobe item for myself. I have tried to wear many other pants over the years and always come back to jeans.
Jim’s pick for Mens Levi’s Jeans
Levi’s Men’s 511 Slim Fit Jeans
Photo by Mnz on Unsplash
Now, especially because now they’re not just plain denim but also some kind of space age stretchy material for those of us with variable waistlines.
I stick to the basic colors and for style, I like the slim fit for my once slim fit, but if I keep eating pie I might have to graduate to relaxed
I suggest waiting for them to go on sale as they tend to frequently because who wants to pay full price for a pair of jeans?
Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash
You would think with all this technology available to is we would be able to design a coffee mug that doesn’t spill.
I didn’t know I was a coffee cup snob until I was constantly spilling on myself and so I went and did some reading and found that the Contigo cups were pretty good.
I like the fact that you can flip a tab and the opening will close quickly as you don’t have to worry about spilling.
I would and definitely have recommend this coffee travel mug.
[!NOTE] Jim’s Pick
Contigo coffee mug
Amazon.com
Shop more coffee mugs on Amazon.
Oh, wallets. I’ve had a few in my lifetime but they’ve never seemed to be the one. I had a velcro wallet one once and that was great until you opened it and realized that people were staring.
[!Jim’s Pick] Jim’s Pick - This is the wallet I would buy if I had to do it all over again
Amazon.com: Vaultskin MOORGATE Slim Card Holder – Minimalist Leather Wallet with RFID Blocking, Front Pocket Credit Card Case for Men & Women (Royal Blue) : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry
I always, always wore my wallet that had every receipt in it from 1985 becausse, you never know when you might need it again.
But then I found out about minimalist wallet. I’m no minimalist as [[We Have That At Home!| this site]] will show over time but man it’s nice to get this thing into your front pocket instead of the back because it’s a lot easier on the back and you don’t have take your wallet out after driving for 40 minutes because you can’t feel your ass anymore.
If my pick doesn’t do it for you there’s a few other wallets that might work and are still minimal:
Amazon.com: The Ridge Wallet - Slim Minimalist Compact Wallet and Card Holder, | RFID Protected Front Pocket Wallets | Integrated Cash Strap | Forest Green : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry
Amazon.com: ZALVEX Wallet for Men, Mens Minimalist Wallet 9-13 Cards, Slim Compact Wallet with Money Clip & ID Window, RFID Blocking Smart Pop Up Card Wallet, Metal Aluminum Credit Card Holder Bifold Wallet : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry
Amazon.com: ZALVEX Wallet for Men, Mens Minimalist Wallet 9-13 Cards, Slim Compact Wallet with Money Clip & ID Window, RFID Blocking Smart Pop Up Card Wallet, Metal Aluminum Credit Card Holder Bifold Wallet : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry