Hot take: that $40 rice cooker at Walmart cost me way more than $40
Bought one back in 2019 thinking I'd save money on takeout. Spoiled milk in my fridge twice because I kept buying groceries I never cooked. Turns out the cooker sat in the closet and I was still hitting the drive thru on the way home. Took me about 3 weeks to admit I just do not like rice, and I threw out $60 of chicken and veggies with it. I switched to a $2 bag of dried beans and a pot on the stove and my food bill dropped $50 a month. What is that one kitchen gadget you bought and never touched?
Laughed at the part where you threw out the chicken and veggies, because I did the exact same thing with a bread maker. Bought it thinking I would be that person with fresh bread on Sundays, used it maybe three times, and the yeast packets in my pantry expired before I ever touched them again. That thing took up half a cabinet for two years before I finally gave it to my sister, who probably also never uses it. The worst part is I still buy bread at the store every week like nothing happened. At least your bean pot story has a happy ending.