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Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

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Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#11

Post by gnu8 »

I’d like to be contrarian here and suggest that if you happen to be possessed of a sudden impulse to buy something, but you can’t identify any particular thing that you need, consider putting that amount of money into an investment or retirement account instead of searching for a trinket to buy. That way you are scratching the itch and you’ll be better off later on.

In other words, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#12

Post by nnf »

I got an Ember mug and use it every day and love it. It keeps my coffee at a set temperature (controllable via my phone over Bluetooth) so it doesn't get cold right away, and I can take my time drinking it. I've bought a couple more as gifts since, and the people I gave them to say they like them a lot. The impact on my life isn't anything to get excited about, but it's been positive nonetheless. I don't feel rushed when I drink my coffee anymore, and I'm able to concentrate on my work without that nagging "my coffee is getting cold" feeling.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#14

Post by rdoherty »

Under $100 - Ember mug. No more reheating coffee a few times/day or trying to drink cold coffee. I was surprised at how much I enjoy it. A nice napkin holder that is easy to pull napkins from. Vertical magazine/tablet organizer. Whiteboard next to my desk. Anything simple that makes a frequent chore or task 50% easier.

Under $1000 - Twice/week 'house helper' who does dishes and laundry. My wife travels a few weeks/month and we have 2 kids. Having someone do all the dishes and laundry saves me at least 5hrs/week.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#17

Post by morkalork »

I used to be utilitarian and had the minimal amount of everything around the house but I caved in and started buying duplicates. 1/2 cup measuring cup for pet food? I no longer use the same one as baking, I just bought another and now it lives in the container/bag of food. Measuring spoon for supplement powder? Same thing, it lives in the jar now. For under $100 you could buy every duplicate you'll need around your house. Never look for that "thingy" again, never think about what you last used it for or if it's dirty or in the wash again. It's small but it's worth it.

Along the same lines, Spotify. Could I torrent all the music I want, manage a library and set up streaming around the house, sync the files with my phone, etc? Yes. I used to do it too but now I just don't want to even think about it. $15/mo and it's solved. Forever.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#18

Post by ekkeke »

Under $100: Electric toothbrush: Always hated having to brush my teeth and this makes it so much less tedious, also supposedly better for your teeth, from 1-2 times per day to 3 times every day.

Under $1000: Nespresso machine, was using a mocha pot before but the coffee is much easier to make, no cleanup, and tastes better.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#20

Post by binalpatel »

Under $100:

The heat gun mosquito things that some tech folks were mentioning on Twitter. Always get quarter sized terribly itchy bumps for each mosquito bites and using it makes them essentially itch-free immediately.

Under $1000:

Weekly house cleaning. Such reduced cognitive load/increased free time to not have to clean all the time, think about cleaning, etc especially with a toddler.

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