If you've recently built a Wi-Fi spy camera out of an ESP32-CAM, you can use it for a variety of things. A baby monitor at night, a security camera for catching package thieves, a hidden video streamer to catch someone going somewhere they shouldn't be — you could use it for pretty much anything. Best of all, this inexpensive camera module can perform facial detection and facial recognition!
Holidays are a time for good food and good drink, but more often than not, we substitute good drink for, well, cheap drink. However, cheap wine doesn't have to be bad.
The USB Rubber Ducky is a famous attack tool that looks like a USB flash drive but acts like a keyboard when plugged into any unlocked device. The Ducky Script language used to control it is simple and powerful, and it works with Arduino and can run on boards like the ultra-cheap Digispark board.
Looking to create slow moving and motion shots with your camera on a stable surface on a low budget? Try building your own skater dolly! In this video you will learn the entire process of building your own inexpensive dolly that will allow you to create fantastic motion shots.
Want a great, inexpensive, 3D movie experience in your bedroom (and have an aversion to the perennial red/blue anaglyphic glasses)? Sean Hellfritsch from Encyclopedia Pictura shows how to make the Vizard, a home 3-D viewing station. This podcast from Wired Magazine is a creative and whimsical hack with both modern and nostalgic technology perfect for watching a flip book style movie in 3D. The Vizard is a polarized stereoscopic display. It's not a red or cyan filter. LED has a natural polariz...
HippyUrban teaches viewers how to make inexpensive tortilla chips from scratch! First you will need to buy some MasaMix at your local Spanish market! It really is just corn flour. First, you need two cups of corn flour, 1 quarter teaspoon of salt and 1 quarter cup of water. Mix this up and add a tablespoon of water at a time to get it just right. Divide this in three and roll the dough on parchment paper. You want it to be thin and as thin as pie crust. With thicker chips, they can hold the s...
Gnats seem to come out of nowhere - one day your house is clear and the next you're covered in a million little pests. They get in your eyes and nose and all over your food.
As far as the world of consumer electronics goes, it doesn't get much greener than recycling solar panels. In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to solder together broken solar panels, giving them new life as a functional AA battery charger, which produces about 6 volts in direct sunlight and about 3 volts indoors. In order to get started on this hack, you'll need a number broken solar panels (which can be had cheap for cheap on the Internet), a low-temperature soldering iron, silver-beari...
Got a case of the wintertime blues? Then use a snow day or just a boring Sunday afternoon to put together this simple and inexpensive skinny notepad. Yeah, we realize you can purchase notepads at just about any office supply store, but these pretty, beribboned notes will cheer up your day every time you write on them.
These wee 3X3 cards may be small, but they sure do make a charming impact when sent to friends as Thank You cards or small "Just Because" notes. Made from craft supplies that can all be found at Michael's for $1 each, these mini blank cards are also wallet-friendly.
Make beautiful presents using materials around the house with simple gift wrapping techniques. Learn how to wrap presents with aluminum foil, wax paper, cheesecloth, and more in this free arts and crafts video series.
If you're trying to film on a budget, this tutorial is perfect for you. Instead of spending money on expensive professional lighting equipment, you can use these inexpensive alternatives (like using tin foil as a reflector or a shower curtain as a diffuser).
Roxy and Sarah take a trip to the craft supply store, and pick up material to make inexpensive Christmas presents at home. Kids can learn how to make a decorated cocoa jar to give to teachers, coaches, or neighbors. All you need is a glass jar, hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, and whatever Christmas decorations you want. Watch this video crafting tutorial and learn how to do this fun kid-friendly activity of decorating cocoa jars as a Christmas gift.
What better way to get into the holiday mood than by wearing a festive Santa or elf hat around your workplace? Send your spirits soaring and get ready for Christmas by making your very on Santa hat.
The Kinect is a powerful piece of technology you can use to do more than just play games. This tutorial shows you how to construct a basic green screen using the Kinect, and then you can use the Wiimote for even greater 3-D functionality.
Ever wanted to build a backyard teepee? Here's your chance! In this two-part tutorial, learn how to contruct an inexpensive teepee out of a tarp. Easy to set-up, this teepee is roomy and fun to play in no matter what age you are! If in the wilderness, use this teepee for reliable shelter from cold or warm weather.
This easy tutorial will show you how to create fun birthday invitations in a variety of designs. With a few simple steps, you'll be able to invite guests using crafted cards themed after lady bugs, robots, monkeys, dinosaurs, sweet sixteen celebrations, or even a pretty pink tea party. This instructional video also offers tips on material costs and helpful printing hints.
Love the look of the seamless white background in some trendy photographs? You don't need to pay for expensive remodeling to your studio - this video explains a very simple and inexpensive technique you can use to achieve this same effect in your low budget studio.
Watch this instructional photography video that shows how to build a useful, inexpensive tripod for the amateur photographer on a budget. This tripod will be more useful than most commercial tripods with only a plastic bag full of beans. The result is a stable, useful extension with minimal photographic inhibitions that works on any surface. A great how to video for the amatuer photographer.
In this tutorial, we learn how to set up and light an inexpensive green screen. First, use the backdrop with anything that is a lime green color. You can use anything from a green colored wall to a green blanket. Put one light on both sides of the screen, then place blue color over the lights. Place the camera in front of the green screen and look at the lighting to make sure the lighting is right in the area. When you are ready, use software to change the background to different places. When...
Buying a candle from the store can be pretty pricey, depending on what kind you get. One that smell are of course, going to cost you more money, while there are others that are less expensive but not as good. So here's a helpful tutorial that will help you save money and allow you to make whatever size you want. This video shows you how to make an inexpensive and reusable oil candle from a glass container, sand, cooking oil, wooden toothpicks, and cotton balls. So good luck and enjoy!
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a natural and inexpensive Christmas wreath. The materials required for this wreath are: some greenery, garden wire, pair of pliers, ball of string, scissors and ribbon. Begin by cutting the wire into 120 cm and bend it in half. Now weave the strands together and bring the ends to each other. Hook them and twist it together. Now weave the greenery along the wire. Tie down the greenery with some string to secure it. Finish by trying the ribbon o...
This video shows some fun, inexpensive projects you can try for kids. There are several different crafts presented, beginning with Flubber, or Silly Putty. Mixing some glue, water and Borax in a bowl makes the same stuff you can buy in the store. The next craft is Crazy Crayons, where you gather old crayons together and heat them in an oven to make new, colorful creations. Then comes Spiffy-Sniffy Watercolor Paints, where we find out you can just mix water and Kool-Aid powder to make bright w...
Framing and matting your favorite posters or art can get expensive! In this Curbly video tutorial, you'll learn how to make a quick and inexpensive frame. All you need are some basic supplies available at almost any arts and crafts supply store including: A sheet of plywood, a plexiglass cut to the size of the plywood, archival paper cut to the size of the plywood, frameless corner clips, and a bracket.
If you have a lot of jewelry and hair accessories then your collection probably looks more like a land fill than an exquisite, well-curated and organized selection of adornments.
This is an easy and simple dolly you can make with just a few lengths of PVC pipe and some wheels taken from a pair of Rollerblades. You'll also need a few pieces of hardware to attach it, like screws.
Do you have an suspicion that your bed and home is being taken over by bed bugs? Are you waking up with small bites on your legs and arms? In this video, learn how to detect bed bugs in your home, the inexpensive way, with help from this video presented by Ask the Exterminator.
Do you love orchids but do not want to spend $50 just to have an orchid flower centerpiece? Watch this video tutorial by Better TV to learn how to create a floral arrangement that won't break the bank.
Acne sucks, and if you have it then you've probably spent hundreds of dollars on salicylic acid face washes, benzoyl peroxide moisturizers, and stinging alcohol toners. But to what end? Most of the products you buy at the drugstore dry out your skin too much, especially when used in conjunction with one another. This leads to oil overcompensation and even more acne.
After a long, grueling day at work and a grueling commute home, the last thing you want to be doing is prying yourself away from the couch to start an hour-long dinner prep session. While we totally get that, it actually doesn't take much to make a meal at home.
During the holiday season most of us have a Christmas tree up in our living rooms, filled to the brim with sparkly ornaments and twinkly lights. But the Christmas spirit tends to be a bit damper at work, where the most jolly it gets is making a makeshift post-it note Christmas tree on our cubicle wall.
In addition to unclogging your toilet using common household items, you can also clean and disinfect your toilet for cheap without ever having to use expensive and chemically-toxic toilet cleaners ever again.
In this how-to video, you will learn how to plan an inexpensive wedding. First, you should look online, on television, and in books and magazines for great ideas to save money. You can even ask your friends for input on how to plan a wedding on a budget. First, keep a small notebook for writing down ideas. You will also need a priest or other clergymen for the ceremony. Look for churches or restaurants to have your wedding. Do not be afraid to shop around. Figure out how much you can spend an...
Hydrogen gas has been a front runner in the alternative fuel debate for decades now. It is plentiful, inexpensive, and the only byproduct of its combustion is water vapor. In the following video, I demonstrate how hydrogen can be produced in large quantities using very inexpensive and common chemicals. Materials:
This is an in-depth tutorial page that teaches flute making theory and shows how to make several different (they have freakin' tables of information and dimensions) flutes from ordinary PVC pipe.
This is a great way to repurpose your old covers! Tired of your old iPhone cover? Rather than spend $30 on a new one, why not just paint the old one until it suits you? It's way less expensive, and better on the environment!
The joys of summer are many! If you, like me, live in a place where the summer is short, you’re going to want to maximize your fun in the sun by doing as many awesome things as possible before the sun goes back to wherever the hell it hibernates during the cold and dark times. The most important ingredients for fun in the sun are friends and…well…the sun, so you can do almost anything with a group of exciting creative people, but here are my favorite el cheapo activities for summer.
Pigs in a blanket are the perfect appetizer for any occasion. They are great snacks at Super Bowl parties, family functions or birthdays. They are easy to eat finger foods and with only 3 ingredients, require very little work or clean up! In this tutorial, Betty shows us how to make inexpensive pigs in a blanket with Vienna sausages. Enjoy!
You can easily make an inexpensive silicone mold in your kitchen for cheap! This is a great project to do with your kids, or just for fun! You can also use this method to easily make theatrical props and prosthetics.
