- Fruits
- Meditation training
- Books
- Head phones
Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
21–30 of 68 posts
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#22Sending the kids out of the house for a day. Best investment ever.
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#23Trips to the coffee shop with the wife for 'work dates.' Winter accouterments (good parka, gloves, hat, snow tires). My accountant, and any way I can trade money for time.
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#24For me I would say travel increases my quality of life above all else. Being able to go somewhere even for a weekend and being able to clear my mind and relax is one of my greatest investments. Other than that saving up for quality products (computer, monitor, bed, etc.) greatly benefits my quality of life since I don't have to replace things as often, still using a keyboard I bought 10+ years ago.
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#25I've noticed that I'm the happiest when I have a sense of being intensely alive. Therefore investing in experiences has a compounding effect where you gain triple-pack utility from the experience itself, the memories it grants you, and the satisfaction of having the personal impression of a life being well lived.
Regarding material possessions, simply follow the rule of use. The more you use an item, the higher its quality should be. Computers and its peripherals, bed and bedding, shoes, glasses, audio equipment, e-reader...
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#26first: savings
second: food - go plant based
third: all those tai chi classes which grew into a lifelong daily practice for health
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#27Anything that lasts beyond the moment.
Food, sex, alcohol, etc... all that stuff can be the greatest high for a very short amount of time, and then I tend to experience some sort of depression after. Overall, with those things the net balance is pretty even and it's not worth the headache. Though fighting those impulses is not easy.
The things that last beyond the moment take both money and effort, usually. Creative projects, improving relationships, education.
Sometimes there's a bit of crossover. I'm planning to do a creative film+vr project so I am investing in some gear and new toys... within that I'm playing some stuff and having a bit of fun though I know it will pale in comparison to the happiness that comes from creating something.
I agree with some of the other answers here vis-a-vis tools and utilities (headphones, grill, etc.)... not for exactly the same reason, e.g. a grill might just be for cooking food (let's ignore the community-party aspect of it), but those things keep bringing back returns so it's like an investment in many short-lived moments which is worthwhile too.
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#28Working four days a week. Effectively I pay 20% of my salary to buy an extra non-working day every week. This is a massive QoL improvement (a) because it keeps my RSI from being unbearable and (b) because of all the fun stuff you can do with that extra day...
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#29- Savings: a few months' living expenses in a readily available cash account. What happens when you suddenly finding yourself having to pay a few hundred or thousand bucks for an emergency? Not having savings means "Panic mode / scrimp and save / have to get credit". Having savings means "a number in my back statement changes, but does not really affect me"
- Access to experts: anything from doctors to lawyers or accountants to a bike mechanic or plumber. When you're faced with a hard problem, it's really comforting to know that you can get expert help rather than having to meddle through yourself.
- Time: Could be hiring a cleaning lady, so you don't have to spend time on your weekend cleaning your house. Or daycare for the kids, so you can get a break from watching the kids and do grown-up things for a while. Or just taking an extended unpaid vacation to unwind for a bit.
Re: Ask HN: What do you spend money on that greatly increases your quality of life
#30Work-life balance and choosing employment based on colleagues, sensible pace of work, sense of doing good and interesting tech instead of paycheck.