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

- a non-stick pan (Tefal) - makes cooking much more enjoyable and likely, due to much less hassle while doing it and afterwards when cleaning up.

- a search engine subscription (Kagi). No more bullshit results. It's nice to feel that your search engine isn't working against you!

- a U-shaped pregnancy pillow - ideal for side sleepers

- a preconstructed deck for a trading card game (Magic the Gathering Commander). Bought and started playing it in the local game store. Now addicted.

Under $1000:

- a cordless, bagless vacuum with a light to see dust (Dyson) - it makes such a difference to effectivity and especially motivation if you are actually seeing what you are changing!

- noise canceling headphones (Bose) - invaluable, especially in the vicinity of uncontrollable noise, such as near worksites, in public transport or coworking spaces

- a telescope (Orion) - initiated a years-long and enduring fascination about and activity in astronomy and astrophotography

1) Kitchen dish towels. The white with blue herringbone kind you see in restaurants or cooking content creators. I bought two dozen of them (~$1.65/each) and keep them all around the kitchen and use them with reckless abandon (some for drying, some for wiping spills, etc.). Having plenty of them means I can use one per day for general use and not run out by the time laundry day comes.

2) Deli containers. Picked up 48 in 8 oz, 16 oz, 32 oz sizes with airtight lids. Completely changed how I prep food and save leftovers. Almost entirely I've switched to using these over what hodgepodge of tupperware I have accumulated over the years.

Used it to assemble and repair my desktop computer, swap laptop SSDs, deep clean my mouse after my cat puked on it, and completely disassemble and reassemble an entire printer for a school project. It has easily paid for itself several times over, and is still in near perfect condition after 4 years of use. Invaluable for any computer, electronic, or right to repair hobbyists.

Barely Under $1000 - a Sebo E3 Premium canister vacuum ($950 after using resellers 10% off offer)

Our family's traditional standup vacuum (I forgot which brand but they're almost all identical) died after a few years of use and we were fed up with having to replace it. Most consumer vacuums available in the US suffer significantly from planned obsolescence, so I did some research and came across this German import Sebo e3 canister vacuum. Previously I had never heard of canister vacuums, they're literally never advertised in the US. Apparently Shark makes a few, but I had to specifically google "shark canister vacuum" to find them as there is no mention of them on their official website. It only took a couple raving reviews of canister vacuums to convince me of their potential, so I took the plunge with the Sebo.

I can safely say that this vacuum is a complete gamechanger. It is so much quieter, lighter, maneuverable, easy to use, and cleaner. No longer do floating dust particles cloud the windows' sun rays. No longer does my cat appear covered in dust because she found a spot I neglected to clean. No longer do I have to worry about breaking a weakening but crucial plastic clip or retainer when emptying the vacuum. Every part that experiences stress is metal and designed for longevity rather than aesthetics. Dare I say I even enjoy vacuuming now! It used to be a pain to lug around an entire upright vacuum over every square inch of the floor. Even the bags are better than emptying a canister. The bags are biodegradable and seal inside the vacuum, meaning dust never has a chance to escape. I used to have to empty the canister vacuum outside because of how much dust it released. Yes, the high price tag is rather intimidating for a vacuum purchase, but it's well worthwhile as it's been going for four years strong with absolutely zero issues. Also, most US resellers offer 10% off if you just call them to order it.