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When did everything get so damn expensive? It used to be that you could pay full retail for something and not have to promise your first born in exchange. Although it’s getting a little parched, the well of cheap hasn’t run completely dry quite yet. Ten picks, each under ten dollars (shipping not included) follow below. Above Photo Credit
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1. Allen Edmonds Mini Shoe Care kit – $7.65 w/ NEWAPRIL ($9.00)
Murdered out shoe care! All black setup to go with you on the road. Applicator cloths too. Black and neutral carnauba wax. Wondering what the hell the difference is between shoe creme and this carnauba wax stuff? Grab a drink and enjoy the swingin’ music while you get the answer here. (Basically: Creme is better for moisturizing and coloring. Wax adds some color but it’s better for high shine.) Ships free. Available through Maxton men and 15% off with the code NEWAPRIL. That code takes 15% off all their just in goods. Code expires 4/10.
2. The Cincinnati Kid
Starring Steve McQueen – Free w/ Amazon Prime Membership ($2.99)
Rounders
3. Bicycle Black Tiger Playing Cards w/ red pips – $10.74
Speaking of poker… Just make sure you get the deck with the red “pips.” Those would be the symbols for the suits. It’s pretty tough to tell if you’ve got a flush draw going when both the spades and hearts are white, so get the red pips and your diamonds and hearts will be in red as shown in the pic above. Deck photo credit
4. Anthony Logstics Glycerin Bar Soap – $10.50
Yes you could buy a pack of safeguard bars for less, but this stuff won’t strip your skin down as much. It’s touted as a pre-shave cleansing bar, but if you’re the bar soap type, maybe worth investigating as your daily. Fifty cents over the ten dollar limit, but it ships free from Nordstrom.
5. Old Navy 60/40 Pocket Tee – $9.94
Online color selection is a little on the limited & awfully bright side, but some brick & mortars have black, grey, etc… These fit surprisingly pretty true and trim. 60% cotton, 40% poly, which is AWESOME to some of us. Blend shirts are durable, soft, and have a bit of stretch to them. And the pocket makes them a perfect short sleeve option between basic underwear looking t-shirts and a polo.
6. One of these sneakers: GNRC for AE Court Sneaks – $19.99 ($39.50)
Looks like they’re mainly canvas with some sueded leather at the heel and up along side the eyelets? Twenty bucks is pretty cheap for summer ready sneakers. And it appears the only mention of American Eagle is on the tongue tag, which will be easily hidden by the laces. Available in navy and white as well.
7. Brooks Brothers Socks – $14.50 | BOSS Orange – $9.75
Obligatory loud sock picks. The Brooks Brothers socks drop a bit in price if you get three pairs for $35. convienent that they come in three different colors. Made in Italy too. The Boss Orange socks are, well… they’re more of a risk. A red/black checkerboard pattern will do that. Both ship free through Nordstrom.
8. Left Lane Cruiser “Big Momma” – $0.99 on iTunes
Two guys who sound like the devil spawned a hybrid of John Lee Hooker & Gwar. “Big Momma” is actually one of their softer tunes. A ballad almost. Black Lung will blow the doors off. Out of Fort Wayne. Interviewed for a job once in Fort Wayne. The potential boss was an ass, and one of the first things he said about the city was that it was “known for bad drivers and fat women.” Seemed like an okay place to me. Didn’t end up there. Might have if I would have stumbled across these guys playing live.
9. Woodlore Cedar Belt Spinner – $7.00
Keep your belts in line, freshen up the funk in your closet, and maybe fight off a few clothes eating bugs at the same time. Everybody wins for seven dollars shipped. Except the bugs.
10. Rotating a couple of your watch bands – Free – $5.00?
Many big-box branded jewelery stores or jewelery counters will be glad to do this for you for free. Take a look at your watch collection. Maybe there’s a watch you love that could use a different band. Instead of buying a new one, just swap it out with a band you have on another watch. It can change the entire look for free. The above example is a long since discontinued Citizen Eco-Drive grey-face chronograph. The original band is the tapered croc embossed semi-gloss in the back. That’s been temporarily switched out with a more rough looking black/leaning charcoal matte band that’s noticeably thicker. Makes it much easier to wear casually during the warmer months.