What's the cheapest thing you had bought that by the end of its usefulness made you say "wow, this was worth a lot more than what I've paid for!"
Mine... My Xbox 360 slim only costed 129 euro back in 2012 and to this day still work like brand new, you would think that the disc drive would stop working but no. Never had the need of open it or clean it's insides. Still great, I just don't use it anymore since I feel it's outdated and loading speeds are better nowadays.
Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. It's still kicking. The amount of times I've used it, it saves so much time than looking for the proper dedicated tool.
A metal wallet. Definitely worth it if you don't carry a lot. Mine is maybe 10 years old now or more.
3+ year old used Lenovo Thinkpads, these things are great if you need a budget laptop that's not for gaming. A lot of companies lease them. When the lease expires you can get them very cheap because they flood the market.
General Military Surplus. We have a shop a few kilometers a way that sells surplus. They get in brand new stuff all the time. Still in packaging. It's built well. Keep in mind military surplus isn't just in the field stuff. Laptop bags, shirts, blankets, hats.
A pet. Worth every penny. Got my cat from a shelter, he's been there for me through thick and thin. Gives great hugs.
ebay is a good source though more expensive, places like marketplace often have decent deals, check out electronics recyclers and wholesalers, if you have any. Those are generally good places to look.
My first thought was some military gear as well. A scarf or travel utensils or bag or something. Actually even the gloves I got are probably over 20 years old.
Rescued pets cats be priceless, though keeping them fed and healthy and happy can cost a fair bit.
Steam Deck was so good, it made me question if I should ever buy a $2000 gaming PC again.
I'm currently on Year 6 and was considering getting a new graphics card. Then Steamdeck came out and found I didn't even need it, since I barely play games that require that level of power.
Oh and I'm currently playing Elden Ring right on my big screen TV with my Steamdeck and it looks great.
Ye. I still need an expensive PC for stuff like VR, 3d modeling and game dev, but it's replaced my main PC for most games. Hell, I don't even really need an expensive PC for the shooters I enjoy because most of them are either old or indie stuff that'd run on a $300 PoS from 10yrs ago. However, it's definitely made me question the necessity of a gaming rig in this day and age. The convenience outweighs the visual downgrade by a long shot.
I do have a few things I wish the deck had, such as:
The ability to define and bind touch-screen gestures (like binding a two-finger pinch gesture to the scroll wheel to zoom in). The touch screen is a bit useless outside of using the keyboard. It'd be nice if it had more utility.
The ability to pick a cloud-storage provider to use for automatic 3rd-party game sync. It sucks that I can't play a non-steam game on my deck and then resume on my desktop or vice versa.
An AMD-compatible version of DLSS or a DLSS capable processor. FSR is great, but let's be honest, DLSS is higher quality.
The ability to suspend games to disk. Linux supposedly has this ability via CRIU, but they'd have to implement it. The ability to save-state like a console emulator would be sick.
However, I've been in love with my deck since I got it.
There are so, so, so many good games that are still fun to play today. Why do people subject themselves into the whims of companies such as Bethseda, EA, etc?
I don't use mine a ton because I have a good gaming PC at home, but when I'm out for a while, I take it with me. It's taken the place that my Switch and my laptop used to occupy, and I've barely touched either of those since I got my Deck.
I've found myself using my deck way more than my PC. I've barely touched my PC since I got my deck because it can run most of the games I want to play, either natively or via proton/wine. Granted, most of the games I've been playing recently are either slow-paced and can be played with the deck controller (like The Sims 2, or OpenRCT2), or are better on a controller than m/kb (like animal crossing or mario).
I definitely still have things I still need my PC for, either because they won't run on my deck (VR stuff), are difficult to play on a deck (mainly shooters), are more suited for a physical keyboard (filling out forms), or the deck can technically handle but doesn't have performance to do it well (like 3d modeling or game dev). However, my deck has become my main PC when it comes to games.
Yes. Barely touch my switch, use my steam deck all the time. For me it's the library that makes the difference. Switch is just the switch library, while the steam deck can play just about anything a PC can play + just about any emulatable consoles (including the switch). I've actually been slowly downloading ROM versions of my switch games so I can play them on my steam deck. It sucks not to have the online capability or being unable to sync my saves with my switch, but meh.
I barely got much usage out of my switch but the Steam Deck has been well worth it. I like the customizability, ability to emulate, bulkier build that feels more like holding an actual controller, and larger game library. I love playing rogue-likes on it like Hades, Slay the Spire, and Balatro. Really good combination for quick pick up and play sessions.
It's definitely worth it. Since you game on PC, you already have a library of games for it, and steam sales frequently let you get games for pennies on the dollar.
The last apartment I had, the AC was old and would always go out a few times each summer. By the 3rd time, I went to the hardware store looking for a box fan, but they were out and only had an industrial fan that was more expensive, like $40. I bought it out of desperation. But looking back it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. Any time the AC went out, id whip out that metal beast and only ever put it on the first setting because the other 2 settings were way too powerful for an apartment. It's never given me any trouble over the years and has saved us from some very hot weather. If I had known then how good this fan was, I would have gladly paid more for it. It's currently being used in our house while we do renovations this summer and it's working like a charm!
It was honestly some no name brand and I wasn't able to find it on their site. But I did find this fan that's almost exactly the same: Lowes High Velocity Fan
Safety razor: When you need to shave with a razor, these things work better than disposables and are cheap as hell to replace the blades for. Still on my original pack of blades from 10 years ago (got a gross of blades for maybe $20) and am not even halfway through - I might not ever have to buy blades again.
I have probably tried 3 dozen blade types, and Feathers and Gillette Yellows are the tops. Double the price of the cheaper ones, but absolutely a nice "splurge." Decided to grow out my hair and beard for a while to mix things up, but I still have a big grab bag of blades for when I change moods again.
100% this. Went all in and bought a really nice open comb handle to go with it, then stopped shaving completely a year or so later. Haven’t looked back.
E: I really did enjoy shaving with it, just got tired of shaving.
This was such an improvement bit only are the blades better but since they are cents each and not dollars I just get a fresh blade when ever it want to. Bought a pack of 100 for like 6 dollars a few years back and only recently had to restock.
Use some of the savings to get a nice brush and soap it will make a world or difference over the stuff in a can.
Yup. I haven’t bought shaving supplies since when I bought mine in 2020. Bought a bunch of shaving cream in sticks, a decent brush with a lather bowl, an okay handle with a bunch of blades, and I still have enough supplies for years to come.
Not necessarily bad, but different razors are more or less aggressive and need to be used differently. I bought a second safety razor that was more expensive and higher quality than the first and discovered it has a much more aggressive edge so cuts me a lot easier.
Can't remember when I bought my de razor, but it was old even then. And it's the quick and convenient trapdoor type. I rinse and flip the blade after each shave as it only takes a few seconds. It even came with a travel case. Flea market price range, I think, well under 10€.
I have a big stack of blades I ordered from somewhere as well and they'll last a while.
i easily have somewhere between 5000 hours, and 10000 hours in minecraft to this day.
What an incredible game.
in terms of play time, i have a server that i have a little over a month of playtime on. I have several launcher instances with well over 500 hours of playtime, and i've been playing semi regularly since i've originally owned the game. So safe to say, damn good investment.
My old roommate got a window air conditioner for $20. I got about 15 years of use out of it until I had the windows replaced on the house and it didnt fit anymore. I sold it for $50.
I sometimes wonder how much of the “power efficiency” modern appliance manufacturers trumpet is completely annulled by the fact that they have 30% the useful lifetime of their less efficient ancestors.
I keep an old Ozark Trail Hobo Tool in my overnight bag. I can't tell you how useful it's been when traveling and ending up at a hotel somewhere getting take out to have an actual knife and fork.
I got a full set of silverware for backpacking that collapses down to about the size of those folding reader glasses (plus a little hard storage case just like the glasses). It’s a spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. I think I paid $6 for the set. Not super high quality, since the focus was on weight and utility, but definitely does the job.
I don’t use it much anymore, but it was great for lunch at work, and is good when traveling (staying at hotels and getting takeout - no plastic trash!). I mostly keep it in my overnight backpack so it’s available whenever I’m not home and I can’t forget it.
I bought a really cheap pair of winter boots in 2002. No-name brand, cost about the equivalent of €15 in a grocery store. I just needed something.
I was disappointed as first because the lace loops were poorly attached and fell off after a week, but I decided to fix them with a tiny bolt that I found in my tool box. It's a little difficult to explain..
Anyway, they've been holding up since then.
I only need them on days with snow, so the soles don't really wear out, the leather is still waterproof and the glue still holds up.
It was a complete fluke purchase. I wish I could recommend this or that brand, but I suppose that neither the brand or model has been available since I bought them 22 years ago on sale.
I'm still loving my iPod Classic. I got it a little Bluetooth dongle so I can listen via my hearing aids. I find iTunes beyond irritating though and am always looking for an alternative for adding music.
Back in the day, I installed Rockbox on mine. completely eliminated the need for additional management software, just drag&drop my music via a file explorer.
I still have my SanDisk mp3 player for audiobooks. It feels more straightforward to use for that purpose and the battery lasts for like 3 days of listening and is lighter than my phone.
A shoehorn. It makes putting shoes on so much easier, and for just a couple of dollars. I'm perfectly capable of putting my shoes on without it, but I enjoy not having to.
I started using one because the back would always wear out (heel counter, I think it's called) so the shoe horn has reduced that to nothing. Now the shoes wear out first, so I'm sure I've saved the cost of a couple pairs of shoes by now.
I have one of those long shoehorns that let me put my shoes on without even leaning down. It makes me feel downright aristocratic. (And it's metal too, no plastic for me!)
My nintendo DS lite. Played countless hours in it and it‘s still very good. Battery life is also still a couple of hours which is very impressive considering it‘s 15 years old.
My dslite sat untouched in a drawer for at least 4 years, booted straight up without me even having to charge it when I pulled it out. Amazing little device
My first Chromecast i bought years ago for 20$. It's still faster than the Google TV with a remote and I quite like to use my phone as a remote.
LTT screwdriver - although quite expensive has been a great tool when moving a few times, and for everything really.
An old receiver I got used, for 30$ has been with me for 5 years now, and it's sadly starting to misbehave, but I can't afford a new one ATM so I'll suffer through it as it powers everything I throw at it with ease.
I’m 41. As a college going-away gift I suppose, my dad bought me a basic screwdriver where the bits can be flipped for larger and smaller Phillips and flat heads, all stored in the shaft. It’s got a floral handle. That thing is both my husband’s and my favorite screwdriver despite having acquired many more tools in the interim, and it probably cost four bucks back in 2001.
I ordered my first Chromecast the day they were announced (Amazon exclusive at first BTW).
It was a different time with Amazon. They got confused in the rush or orders, and sent me like 7 emails in 20 minutes all contradicting each other about my order. I was mostly curious when it would arrive, so I called to see if they had any idea, since them emails ranged between 2 weeks and 4 months.
They apologized for the confusion, overnighted one to me, and refunded my money.
Amazon's customer service 11 years ago was excellent to the point of irresponsible.
I love my version 1 Chromecast! I feel like the "cast to TV" feature that's built into TVs is hit and miss. And I swear my TV objects it's own ads into things I stream.
Where my Chromecast, it displays my desktop/tab without any issues.
I grew up in a third world country and one of the first gift my immigrant relatives got for my parents was a microwave oven. That was way back in the early 90s when almost nobody in my country knew what a microwave oven was. The same microwave had been going strong for more than 30 years before the buttons finally broke last year. All for around $200 back in the day.
Leatherman with matching bitset. Bought it on a whim 10 years ago and I use it constantly for lots of things. It wasn't my cheapest purchase, but damn has it gotten me out of a lot of difficult project situations where no proper toolbox was available. I've literally filled and repaired entire server racks with this thing.
Almost like having everything you need with the bit sets and ratchet driver capable or socket adapters its BIFL for sure. Warranty of 25 years. Service is top notch. I'm ordering a new one tonight lol. New wave plus with bit kit, extender, and looking for the ratchet driver but scalpers gonna scalp so I'm holding out.
portable clothes washer and dryer: they're both 20 years old now and i bought them used on craigslist five years ago and they've already paid for themselves multiple times over. regular home sized portable washers and driers are normally 2x the price of traditional washers and driers, but they're 1/2 the price used; i got lucky and mine were 1/4 the price.
mobile clothes washers and driers are great because they don't require any special electrical, water or drain hookups that traditional washers and dryers require so you can use them anywhere where there's electricity and running water. i hook mine up to the kitchen sink for the washer and use an exhaust hose w a window for the dryer whenever i need to do laundry; then i use their built in wheels to put them in the closet when i'm done.
their regular sized capacity means that i can wash the same things that that a traditional home washer and dryer can do, but since they use regular 120 volt electric plugs instead of the special 240 volt washer/dryer plugs, they take longer to finish; but still worth it, especially in a rental situation where you can't install traditional washer & dryer electrical and plumbing hookups.
they're not advertised much in the united states and i think it's because the profit margins are bigger with the traditional home washers & dryers since portable ones require more more machinery and electronics to clean clothes, whereas the traditional ones rely on your home's specialized power grid and plumbing along w simpler machinery.
they're more common in places where 240v grids aren't as plentiful like latin america and asia; which is where i learned of them.
also know that well known appliance company branded ones (eg magic chef, black+decker, maytag, lg, speed queen, ge, etc.) are the same as the off brand ones, but w a company logo and price tag attached.
Hair clippers. I bought a set at Target for about $30 about 16-17 years ago after several bad haircuts in a row from the various chain barbers. I just have a simple men's cut and figured I probably wouldn't do worse than them and could always shave it off and call it a learning experience if I messed things up too badly.
It definitely took time to get decent at trimming the back and I had to have my wife help me sometimes while I got the hang of it, but at $20+ per haircut every 4-5 weeks, I figure I've saved almost $4k so far and it still works. I saved even more if my alternative was to pay up for a better salon to do the work.
This smartphone I bought used for $20 almost a decade ago had been a pretty good deal... Other than that, a tea ball for loose leaf tea (couple dollars)... Maybe Minecraft back in day ($13)...
Also always glad to have a plunger (just regular one) whenever I need it. Hmm
Oh I know! A legit big flashlight that I keep by the door. Everyone has a light on their smartphone, but there's nothing like busting out the flashlight when you just want to see.
Pro tip: always leave it in the same exact easy to reach spot, so you can find it in the dark
I have a pocket flashlight, the Acebeam Rider. The smartphone lights are handy, but they drain the battery. The flashlight has an AA-sized rechargeable battery, but it can also use regular AA batteries as a backup. That is important during an emergency, when power might be cut off but AA batteries are pretty common. It has 4 different levels. The top level is pretty bright for a pocket flashlight, while the ultra-low level has a hypothetical runtime of 58 hours. And it was fairly cheap, so if I drop it somewhere it is not as problematic as losing my expensive smartphone.
Walked into the store on boxing week and saw a roku stick on clearance for $10. Used it for years until the remote died. Used the phone app with it for a while until i found another roku kit on sale for less than a replacement remote.
A Roku stick is something you plug in a TV that has an OS you can use to connect to your wifi. You can then download different apps to launch different streaming services. This includes a Roku app/channel and also Netflix, max, Disney, Hulu, zues, prime, etc...
Roku started off selling a series of little boxes with HDMI ports (or little sticks that plug into an HDMI port on a TV) to to make any HDMI monitor a "smart TV." Hardware-wise it's not dissimilar to a Raspberry Pi, it's a little ARM chip made by Broadcom running Linux with a smart TV GUI running on it. Nowadays TV manufacturers build in a little ARM computer into the television itself and partner with Roku, or Google, or maybe one or two others, to do the UI and such.
My father got a toaster at a garage sale back in the 1970's. That was the toaster I grew up with. When I was moving out, my parents happen to be replacing it, so I asked for it. I did some research and it is a GE toaster from the mid 1950's. I have used it for the past ten years and it's still going strong. It's maybe a bit small for some slices, but it's hard to argue with 70 years of near continuous service.
This reminds me that every night I set the alarm on the alarm clock next to my bed. I bought this alarm clock in 1991 in a Caldor store for less than $10. It has a little light bulb in it that I've changed 3 times.
Got a set with a box cutter and a foldable knife a few years back for $7, haven't really used the knife much but the box cutter has been used a ton. It's really nice to just be able to replace the blade when it starts getting dull, and it has allowed me to use it for a lot of precision cutting for a lot of different projects, plus it's really easy to fold or unfold so I don't have to worry too much about cutting myself.
Stackable prep bowls for the kitchen. They're about $6 a piece and I have eight of them. I got sick of constantly running out of bowls when I was doing things like chopping lots of veggies for a soup or marinating tofu. I expect to reach the end of my "usefulness" before they do.
Similarly, I have a set of 12 rounded stacking mixing bowls. I use them a lot for tossed salads, but they are also useful for dough.
I don't know why, but I read "stackable" and my brain went to "collapsible". Was flabbergasted anyone was trying to mix dough in a rubber flimsy container lol. +1 for the stainless steel. All of the non-stick coating pans and pots are a complete scam of wasted money. If anyone out there hasn't purchased stainless steel, just buy one pot or pan when you need a replacement. You'll quickly realize you now have that item for life and it's safe to use any cooking utensil you want.
I have really fallen in love with my carbon steel skillet for general purpose cooking, including more delicate food like eggs. It took some time to get the hang of cooking with it and I still haven't quite gotten the seasoning right, but it's a sturdy piece. I also have a cast iron skillet, but it's much heavier and I've never been able to get it to cook eggs. Since I started using the carbon steel for eggs, I have basically stopped using our non-stick pan.
I actively use a couple of appliances with a nonstick interior, an air fryer and a rice cooker. I just try to treat them very nicely but I know they won't last forever. At least the parts are trays or liners that can be replaced separately from the appliance.
I also have a very nice 3 ply stainless steel pan, but I find that I don't pull that out as much. Maybe because I'm usually not making the sorts of recipes that it excels with, like ones that use the fond to make a pan sauce.
When I first moved into my own place I needed a few pots and pans to cook. I bought 2 cheap aluminum pots with a non-stick coating and the coating is starting to disintegrate after like 3 years and light usage.
I should have just spent the extra 10 bucks to get cheap stainless stuff.
I got an instant pot and it has completely replaced the rice cooker (I really loved) because it flat out makes better rice and it does it faster. Outside of a rice cooker costing less, there was just no other reason to keep it around from that point on.
White rice just takes a 1 to 1 ratio of rice to water, then 4 minutes at high pressure cooking and a 15 minute slow release and it's perfect. All in under 30 minutes total time.
Your question is a little too narrow for my tastes. Some of the best cheap purchases that I've made are things that I still have now. They haven't worn out or broken or become useless.
In 2001 I bought a new cast iron fry pan for $20 that I use on regular basis and it's marvelous. Around the same time, I bought some used silverware from a thrift store and I still use that everyday.
Two other purchases that go back more than 20 years are my pocket knife and my 1/4 inch hex driver, both of which I bought new but were not particularly expensive and they are working wonderfully to this very day.
FWIW, we cleaned out one of the out buildings on my family's rural property which was built in 1903. I found some rusty cast iron pans. Reconditioned them and use them all the time. They are at least 115 years old.
Plastic cutlery. Not the single use kind, but more like normal cutlery. Originally bought when my oldest was a baby, but now I'm the one using them the most.
I travel a lot for a living, and I often find myself arriving late, after any eateries in the area have closed. I started by packing a metal fork and some cup noodles in my checked luggage, but it didn't take me long to instead start keeping cup noodles and plastic cutlery in my carry-on. This way I can go to bed without being hungry even if/when United (why is it always United?) misplace my luggage.
I bought a fancy US made spatula for my grill. They make a smaller cheaper one that I added on impulse. That little guy is a champ and gets 5x the use of the big fancy one.
For me, it was probably the Yakuza games series on sale at the PlayStation store. I don't game very much, so I wait to get things until I find them near free, and during the start of Covid I went looking for a game and got Yakuza 0 for $5. Got probably 100 hours in that game, and I picked up all the others (1-7) all for about the same price, so I've gotten hundreds of hours of gameplay for less than $50.
It's sort of GTA-like, but the protagonist is actually a good person, so I enjoy it more for that, and it's more minigame centric. There's some great story, and lots of funny gags throughout.
Hit up 8 yet, or waiting for a price cut? I played it subbed cuz man that Kiryu dub was not it.
Also, gave Ishin or Man Who Erased his Name a shot? The former is its own thing but the latter ties in with 7, does the boss fight from 5 right, and has a peak ending.
Oh and if you haven't messed with them, Judgment and Lost Judgment are both great, their own protag and crew, but set in the same universe. Highly recommend and on sale fairly regularly. I know their on half off ish on Steam atm.
I've done 0-7, Like a Dragon, and Judgement. I have Lost Judgement installed, but haven't gotten to start it yet. I've been meaning to finish Persona 4's bonus content first, but haven't touched it in a couple months. Very much looking forward to Ishin, though I hear it's a bit slow on PS4. I don't know much about Infinite Wealth or Gaiden, as I've been trying to stay spoiler free as much as possible.
The dubs of Kiryu and Majima took me right out of Like a Dragon! I didn't know they were going to appear, and when they did, it felt like "Fake Kiryu" from the other games showing up with that voice. That's not my Kiryu! 😅
Nothing wrong with that. It's not as constant action of a thing for sure, the real fights being spread out after the exposition is what makes them more impactful to me, the regular street fights are mainly just grinding while you get used to the combos and are kinda boring. The varied minigames give you a break, and I like the comedy bits to swing the mood back and forth from serious to funny. I enjoy the GTA games, but find them much darker and the protagonists aren't as likeable to me. Yakuza has Kiryu as a relatively good guy, and the games are all mostly in the same city over the years, so you see the city grow, businesses come and go, and you see your NPC friends change jobs over the years, so it is a really organic experience, but it's not all fresh and brand new, so people could get bored of being in the same places a lot of the time. It's more of a book experience than an action movie.
My Logitech G203 is still alive after 8 years of constant use. Never tried to fix, but it autorepaired itself of double click (both buttons) , miss click and bad contact.
At this point I am afraid of opening it to clean inside and it just cease to exist, I still clean outside tho.
Ski goggles, and they're still good. I got them like 10ish years ago after having to walk put in some serious sub-zero harsh January wind that was making my eyes hurt. $40, now my eyes are fine and my glasses stay nice and snow-free.
I've lived in Chicagoland all my life and sometimes the winters can get almost Minnesotan, so it pays to have some quality eye protection.
I have some Shoes for Crews boots I bought back in roughly 2001-2. They're a little less waterproof higher up now due to some cracking (probably because they sat in a hot storage unit for a while), but I still frequently wear them today when working outside.
The family xbox360 of my house was probably cheap enough. Haven't played it in a while, but it's definitely the greatest console to grace my life. Definitely the most played console throughout my life (PC/phone not included). I absolutely love it, especially since it's where all my Hitman Blood Money/Absolution, Castle Crashers, Sonic Unleashed, and Borderlands 1 saves are trapped.
This also reminds me that I should probably find a way to back up my saves and account besides just a thumb drive because there's currently no xbox online service available anymore and I have around 1.5+ decades worth of stuff on there I don't wanna lose.
Edit: also a leather wallet I got from Walmart sometime around 2012-13. I don't know how long a wallet should last, but I would never expect a wallet I buy today toast even a fraction of the time this has. George brand, says Italian Leather beneath the brand name, don't believe it that it's actually Italian leather because there's no way a Walmart would ever have something that nice.
Bitcoin basically any year prior to now. You probably think it's a scam or not useful or whatever, but it's had a continuous average trend of growth for 15 years no matter how you measure it (market cap, number of nodes, transaction volume, etc). So apparently a lot of other people including large investment banks disagree. If you thought it would disappear next year because it's a bubble, you've been wrong 15 years in a row and it's maybe worth reconsidering. Bitcoin's market cap places it in the top 25 countries by GDP, higher than Sweden! If you're curious about pros/cons/FAQ and myth-busting around it check out http://bitcoin.rocks
Pretty much everything negative you've heard about it is wrong, terribly un-nuanced to point of being wrong, or about something that isn't bitcoin. Scam cryptos rugging people? Not Bitcoin. Stupid monkey JPEGs selling for a million dollars? Not Bitcoin. FTX/exchange collapses? Not Bitcoin. Slow transactions and high fees? Not Bitcoin (thanks to Bitcoin lightning), transactions confirm in under a second for pennies in fees. Anybody can print Bitcoin? Nope, the supply is capped at 21 million coins. People with the most coins control the network? Nope, amount of coins is totally unrelated to network consensus and rules. Boiling the oceans? It moves trillions of dollars in value every year using < 1% of energy, mostly from renewables (as they are cheapest) and helps even out demand curves/incentivizes provisioning renewable electricity. Makes electricity cost more? Nope, it makes electricity cost less because miners only buy the cheapest electricity possible (off-peak hours) so they don't compete with regular users. That means you aren't paying for "un-used supply/capacity" with your bill because your grid always has a buyer for any surplus electricity generated.