My buddy wrecked his whole machine doing that exact thing last year.

Yeah, the hardware encryption on those is solid. I've used one for years and it's never given me trouble. Just make sure you don't lose the password, because you're not getting back in.

Sounds like that cheap mud was basically just sand, right?

You mentioning the grocery budget really hits home. I did the same thing with my "fun money" for the month. I was always blowing through it on little online orders without even feeling it. Now I pull out that cash and keep it in my wallet, and when it's gone, I'm done. Makes you really stop and ask, do I want this coffee or do I want to save for a movie later?

Watched my neighbor try to open a paint can with a kitchen knife last weekend. He put all his weight into it, the thing slipped, and he nearly took a chunk out of his cabinet door. He just stood there holding this bent knife, paint splattered everywhere. I had to lend him my actual pry bar to finish the job, and now he says he's buying his own. Some lessons you gotta see happen to someone else, I guess.