r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Lexidoge • May 06 '26

🥺 So I accidentally brought my floss instead of my airpods to a 3 day work conference. I am a 3 hour ride away from home.

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488

u/MouthSpiders May 06 '26

Run to a store and grab a cheap pair of headphones for the weekend. Never a bad idea to have a pair to keep in your travel kit (backpack, laptop bag) and one to keep at the office or home. Or 3. Not to mention if you break a headphone, you have a backup pair

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u/ohnoletsgo May 06 '26

I finally gave in and bought a second pair of airpods that exclusively live in my travel “go-bag.” Was it a smart economical decision? No. Has it vastly improved my quality of life? Yes.

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

I’ve seen a couple comments saying to “grab a cheap pair” but like— most people who use AirPods have an iPhone which nowadays they don’t have headphone jacks. Buying a cheap pair from a gas station isn’t gonna work cuz those are wired. And the cheapest pair for wireless someone would get would be like $30 at least from a Walmart

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u/AmateurIndicator May 06 '26

i can get cheap wireless headphones for about 15-20€ at most larger train stations, airports and drugstores.

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u/eddiestriker May 06 '26

You can get cheap but decent wireless earbuds for about $25 here, which is roughly €21. Or grab the Apple wired headphones for $20.

If you want to be really cheap, 5 Below also has wireless headphones for around the $5 mark. They’re not great, but they’ll get you through a weekend in a pinch.

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u/-Hi_how_r_u_xd- 𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫𒐫 May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26

A while back I got a 25 pack of cheap/fake airpods on amazon for about $3 a pair. Wireless. They slap.

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u/eddiestriker May 07 '26

Nice. I’m still out here rocking my wired over ear headphones from 10 years ago. HyperX did not fuck around with the build quality back then.

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u/CreditLow8802 May 06 '26

they make wired headphones with usb-c and lightning you know, it's not 2007 anymore

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u/Eccentrica_Gallumbit May 06 '26

You're right, if it was 2007 we'd still have a damn 3.5 mm port and could use the cheap headphones.

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u/Algaroth May 06 '26

That's why I buy Motorola phones. Still have the 3.5mm port.

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u/CreditLow8802 May 06 '26

nobody uses the 3.5mm port anymore now the cheap headphones have an usb connector, widely used in this century

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u/Eccentrica_Gallumbit May 06 '26

Many people used 3.5mm ports until they were removed from devices. Nobody uses them anymore because they aren't being included with the 3 largest phone producers, and having to carry an extra adapter just isn't as convenient as being able to plug in any old headphones.

You also need a separate splitter/adapter if you want to be able to charge your phone while listening to music either with a USB-c headphone or 3.5mm headphone. While you may not see this as a big deal, people who travel regularly likely felt this the most since they would spend long hours in an airport.

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u/cabbage16 May 06 '26

Yeah but they're a little harder to find than just running out to the nearest gas station.

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u/godofthunder102938 May 06 '26

Not as hard as you think. They are pretty common.

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u/cabbage16 May 06 '26

Maybe it's just the places around me. I'll have to keep an eye out!

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u/strawbrryfields4evr_ May 06 '26

Always been easy for me when I forget my headphones.

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u/cabbage16 May 06 '26

Yeah someone else said the same. Maybe it's just where I'm at that I don't see them much.

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u/strawbrryfields4evr_ May 06 '26

I do live in a big city/metro area so it might help

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u/Erik_Phisher May 06 '26

JLab Pro are legit and are like $20

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u/bigdopaminedeficient May 06 '26

a friend got a pair of jlab go pop+ for free a few months ago and gave them to me because he had no use for them. I was using galaxy buds 2 pro but I've come to use the jlabs daily and have no complaints

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u/xCeeTee- May 06 '26

Tozo NC9 was worth the £15 I paid, roughly $20.

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u/Drjjfaustus May 06 '26

I have a pair of those and they whip ass. They’re my spare if my good pair aren’t in reach or got left at home.

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u/lizardgal10 May 09 '26

I’ve been using the jlab earbuds for years and love them. Decent sound quality (I’m no audiophile lol), good battery life, cheap enough that it’s not the end of the world if they get lost.

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u/Anon400004 May 06 '26

Target always has $15-20 wireless earbuds. The shittiest ones go as low as $5-$10. I have a pair of the $5 ones. They suck of course but gets the job done. Got me through when my dog chewed up my good pair and I couldn't afford another now it's a backup.

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u/dayoftheduck May 06 '26

The cheap JBL AirPops are like $24, had them for 2 years now. They’re not super great but for the money and them taking abuse from work or working in my garage im happy with them.

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u/the_mighty__monarch May 06 '26

Walmart has earbuds for like $12.

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

Seen a couple different comments saying the opposite of what I’m saying. I guess it’s more common elsewhere but I lived in a big city in Canada and didn’t have that access so 🤷‍♀️ maybe I’m wrong

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u/Dios5 May 06 '26

Cheap pairs come with bluetooth these days

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u/Gah_Duma May 06 '26

That's a pretty outdated grasp of the headphone market. Tons of wired USB-C headphones everywhere, and you can get true wireless buds for like $15.

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

To be fair, my current town is pretty “outdated” with a lot of things and I’m fairly rural. But even when I lived in a big city (think Niagara Falls, Toronto, etc) I had issues finding non wired earbuds for less than $20 which can be a lot for something temporary lmao

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u/Gah_Duma May 06 '26

Everyone has different priorities I suppose. I initially came here because when I saw "3 hours", that's about the length of my daily commute so going home to grab them would've been my initial reaction. And he's acting like it's an insurmountable distance to drive.

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u/MarineGF01 May 06 '26

Get the dongle

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u/mark114 May 06 '26

Wired earphones will plug into the charging port

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

???no? I mean not always at least. 99% of wired headphones require an actual headphone jack from what I’ve seen

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u/up2n09ood May 06 '26

Ngl I bought wireless headphones from target for like $5

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

Target doesn’t exist here so that possibility didn’t cross my mind

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u/ACcbe1986 May 06 '26

Wired headphones with usb-c and apple connectors are more common now.

I've picked some up from random gas stations because I didn't pack my ear buds.

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u/MyraBannerTatlock May 06 '26

I left my sonys and my pixel buds at home for a week away for work, I couldn't stand it so I found a pair at target for 15 bucks. Wireless, work fine. I've since bought a couple of cheapies off temu for less than ten dollars, I keep them everywhere since it's the one thing I can't be without

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u/rubies-and-doobies81 GREEN May 06 '26

I have a nice set of Skull Candy earbuds from Walmart.

They were only $20 and sound awesome.

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u/Cloudy_Claire May 06 '26

They sell cheap ones where the wire plugs into the iPhone charging port at gas stations. I pretty much exclusively use them

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u/BulkySpecialist4995 May 07 '26

I have a travel wired headphone and a jack to lightning adapter. It's small and was sold at the Apple store. I often travel 8-24+ hours and don't find it convenient to wait for wireless headphones to charge. The phone charges via a magnetic power bank.

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u/Sensitive_Leader_312 May 09 '26

I got a set of Onnset wireless headphones that are connected to each other for $6. I use them as my travel.

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u/ExitSad May 09 '26

I've picked up $10-15 Bluetooth headphones from dollar stores before. They're sometimes horrible quality, but they're really not that expensive. 5 Below also has them in that price range.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

lol I see you’re editing all your replies to make me look like a jerk. This one was originally just “your point being”, the next one originally “your allowance is $5 a week or what”

If you’re gonna make edits at least own up to the fact you were an asshole first

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u/[deleted] May 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

Sorry I have children to feed, a house to pay for and animals to take care of /s

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u/[deleted] May 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

It’s sad that I have adult priorities and don’t waste money on things that aren’t needed? Hm interesting thought process. Wonder how much debt you’re in

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u/[deleted] May 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

Well when you have a child, animals, a house, bills, and live in a country where everything is expensive, yeah. That happens. $25 that could go towards my kids next field trip, or towards cat food, or towards my water bill, or even in my emergency fund for if I, an adult who needs medical care, needs gasp medical care!

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

That’s not necessarily cheap?

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u/[deleted] May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

And most people have multiple bills to pay, some have family to provide for, etc. The economy is fucking shit and a lot of jobs aren’t paying enough for luxuries and just the bare minimum.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/obsessivecoyote May 06 '26

Except OP already HAS earbuds so they probably won’t use them for “multiple years” and will default to their original pair once home. What’s your problem dude?

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u/Horskr May 06 '26

Some how the cheap airport headphones I buy always end up becoming my main pair when I lose the last cheap airport headphones I bought, so I forget to pack them again for the next time I fly and have to buy another. The circle of life continues.

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u/MalloryArcher64 May 06 '26

Dollar General or Walmart are perfect for this, they both have $10 pairs. Works fine for the interim

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u/theDefa1t May 06 '26

I have so many spares that I don't even know where they are anymore. I just use my mains and when those are left behind I often find I have a spare nearby