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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)

#211

Post by wonger_ »

DarmokJalad1701 wrote: post #203

Under 1000: - Robot vacuum (with mapping+LIDAR): Major game changer. I should have bought this years ago! The tech is now good enough that it basically never gets stuck unless you leave cables lying on the floor. It costs about as much as it would to hire a cleaning crew for a day. And this will do clean your house every single day! - Bidet Seat (Heated) - Chest freezer: Unlike the anti-car people on Reddit, I don't…

Electric toothbrush on the list? And possibly over $100?

What benefits have you experienced? Just curious, asking as a lifelong boring toothbrush user.

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

#212

Post by smeej »

mbrameld wrote: post #107
smeej wrote: post #53

Under $1,000, but just barely over $100: Semi-recumbent stationary bike that fits under my standing desk. I've never been coordinated enough to get the hang of walking on the treadmill and typing, but pedaling slowly all day I can do! I've lost 45 lbs so far this year, and adding up the calorie estimate for each day (I've been tracking) and dividing by the 3500 calories people say are in a pound, about 20 of them hav…

> (The rest have been from hard work with a dietitian who helped me solve some longstanding issues, but that was more expensive.) Just a heads up, if you're in the USA I believe all health insurance plans must fully cover dietitian visits if you have certain conditions, obesity being one of them. Hypertension and pre-diabetes are a couple other common ones.

Yeah, they have to cover at least some generic ones. They don't have to cover every weird little specialty.

Now that I'm in more of a maintenance mode, I'm working with one who's in-network and free. It just cost more than $1k to get to this point.

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

#213

Post by azundo »

madamelic wrote: post #38
mikestew wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see that the cheapest Ember is now $130. My first-gen is about six years old, and the battery is about shot. I hesitate to drop another $150-ish on a new mug, but OTOH, is consistently hot coffee worth $25/year? Yeah, it probably is to me, so I'm going to have to suck it up soon.

Oh, I wasn't even aware they were that much. I could've sworn they were like $70 - $90 last I saw. That sucks.

They're often much cheaper at Costco if that's an option and you don't care about a specific color. They are a complete game changer though, especially if you're a new parent.

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

#214

Post by memset »

caseyy wrote: post #94

Under $100: - A dumbphone. Even if I’m not using it anymore, it has shown me what life I could be living without distractions. My anxiety and stress levels went down from about the second day using it, I became much more aware of my emotional state and the environment around me, it was a noticeable shift. I no longer buy the arguments that we can control our smartphone addictions with will. The technology is too opti…

I think about this a lot! How did you overcome the compulsion? I quickly revert when I try to ween off any tech.

What do you do instead?

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

#215

Post by jtwaleson »

Under $1000: an oscilloscope, 4 channel 100MHz for about 500 EUR. I've been wanting to learn more about electronics but I learn best by doing and getting a feedback loop. What didn't work was reading books, watching tutorials on Youtube etc. Seeing the actual voltage change on the screen helped me understand circuits much better than before. I've since debugged amplifiers, i2s protocols, IR transmitters. Every time I use it I have a lot of fun!

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

#216

Post by laweijfmvo »

MrMcCall wrote: post #210

( Legal doctor-prescribed pharmaceutical cannabis bud. Home cooked between 200-250F for an hour or so -- no smoking, only eating. Got highest grades (24-28% IIRC); eat only three fingertips pressed into very finely cut buds (pieces the size of a small peppercorn) -- so not very much. Dosage is not precise but close enough, and good for design and programming, for quite few hours, and can re-up after 4-5 hrs and have…

any links you can suggest on the practice of cooking and eating buds? its new to me.

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

#217

Post by Octplane »

mikestew wrote: post #197
pammf wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can buy only a replacement mug (without coaster/charger). Also, get in contact with customer support mentioning the battery, they usually offer a discount code.

Thanks, I’ll try customer support and see how it goes.

I had to deal twice with them: coaster stopped working 2 years ago and more recently paint inside the cup came out. Both time, they replaced the broken part at no cost. Probably the first time in my life I'm using and happily recommending customer support of any kind.

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

#218

Post by thebruce87m »

theshrike79 wrote: post #64

AirPods Pro Max I've had two Sonys (XM4 and XM5) and a bunch of Boses (QC 1x something, 25, 35II). These are by far the best ones for me. The fabric on the ear cups doesn't get sweaty, I have tactile buttons for every function (unlike the Sonys), ANC works even when the mic is on (Bose can't do this). And the best feature: I can charge them while I'm using them. Neither the Sony or Bose can do that, they just go offl…

> And the best feature: I can charge them while I'm using them. Neither the Sony or Bose can do that, they just go offline.

I find this amusing considering this is the opposite comment that you see when the apple mouse comes up.

Note: I know the mouse charging is a non issue in reality

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

#219

Post by hangonhn »

supahfly_remix wrote: post #145
manmal wrote: post #75

Under $100: A used Instantpot, ideally the Duo Crisp if you can get one. The normal one can also make yogurt though, which might also be interesting. The great thing about these is that you don’t need to babysit them. Have a call or wanna go for a walk, and then eat? Just turn it on and come back anytime after it’s done. It will keep food warm until you turn it off. Bonus tip: Buy two and/or an air fryer to get more…

> Get a CGM for two weeks and find out what foods spike your blood sugar the most Are you in the US, and is it possible to obtain a CGM without a prescription?

Yes! Abbott Lingo (iPhone only for now) and Dexcom Stelo. They go for about $45 per sensor that last for 2 weeks.

I second the OP's suggestion. It's completely changed my eating habits.

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

#220

Post by oregoncurtis »

sjg1729 wrote: post #115

Under $1000: A road bike. I live in LA (county) and the default is to drive everywhere, but here's the thing: driving sucks. We famously don't have great bike infra, but I thought, would I go more places if I didn't hate getting around? For trips up to a couple miles, biking is faster than driving, and I never have to worry about parking. Ergo stuff. A kinesis keyboard, a logitech ergo mouse, a standing desk and mat.…

I'm in Portland and I say that anyone that lives on the Eastside within 82nd and works within those bounds should just get a bike, it's sooo much faster to get around the city. We have infamously small city blocks so all those intersections make driving a car very slow through the city and for good reason as it's safer. If you hop on a bike and take a greenway that has all the stop signs facing perpendicular traffic you can zoom around the city no problem. It's the exact same amount of time (from door to desk) for me to drive to work as it is to bike to work (including the shower). It's just shy of 7 miles. No brainer.
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