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Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

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Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#291

Post by aerovistae »

angrais wrote: post #263
windowshopping wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, absolutely! Let's see. I experienced the same thing with paradox of choice. Unfortunately the solution was just to spend a lot of time on it, trying different things and researching options by asking people and doing internet searches and browsing malls and outlets. Going from "no good clothes" to "all good clothes" took me a full year of off-and-on effort. Most important thing is finding things that fit. I did…

A TL;DR of OPs post: start simple. Visit /r/malefashionadvise and follow the basic starter guide, i.e. chinos, white oxford shirt, and leather shoes. You DO NOT need to spend 2.5k to look good: aim for 100-200 from ASOS.com and you'll look fabulous! You can order multiple sizes of the same product and return those that don't fit. Fit is key! Check eBay for good quality shoes if cost is an issue (e.g. Meermin, etc) as…

I think a lot of that $2500 for me came from mistakes, especially with jeans. It took so long to figure out the jeans.

That amount is what I spent, but in the end now that I know what works I could burn it all and repurchase for probably $1200.

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#292

Post by sidpatil »

Sceptre 27" 4K monitor for $200 on Amazon. It's the cheapest 4K monitor I've found so far.

I wasn't even looking for a 4K monitor when I bought it, and didn't think it would make a big difference, but I was very wrong. It's made a huge difference in my day-to-day computing experience.

Reading ebooks and papers on screen is actually bearable now; previously I'd prefer to print documents out or purchase/borrow physical books for reading.

I can also now use antialiased vector fonts for programming, though I still use Terminus in the terminal emulator.

https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#293

Post by eigenvalue »

martindbp wrote: post #178

Kindle - had one or another model for many years, but in terms of utility to price ratio, it's still one of the highest. Youtube Premium - I realized I was spending a ton of time on Youtube, both for education, entertainment and podcasts. Removing the annoyance of ads and not being able to just listen to a video while out walking is worth it to me.

Totally agree on both. If you're going to get a Kindle, I recommend the Oasis--it's so much better than the other ones and worth the money if you read a decent amount. The yellow backlight is much easier on the eyes than the blue one.

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#294

Post by explorigin »

gotem wrote: post #101
explorigin wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My forearms get tight when I'm stressed or sleep deprived. I have one of those large "thumper" massagers (like the "Hangsun Handheld Neck Back Massager" on Amazon). When you use them, find the sore spot in your muscle very close to your elbow. Work that out with the massager.

Does it ever lead to tingling sensations in your hands? I was dealing with what I thought was cubical tunnel and noticed my forearms are always so tight

All sorts of vibrating things will make your hands go tingly after a while. But if you're talking about your hand on the arm receiving the massage, you should probably see a doctor about that before you cause yourself nerve damage.

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#295

Post by eigenvalue »

Nextgrid wrote: post #168
windowshopping wrote: post #113

Extra device chargers. Now wherever I sit around the house I have a cable nearby, I don't have to be lugging them around everywhere. So worth. A power tower. Simple, doesn't take up much space, but lets me do a variety of upper body exercises on-demand without having to set anything up. A great way to fit exercise into the day without friction. A good rice cooker. Makes the rice perfectly every time without me having…

> A good wardrobe. Started getting compliments on how I dress all the time. I never cared about this very much, and that made me unaware that other people did care. Any advice for someone that doesn’t care about this? I’m currently in this boat - I dress “fine” in the sense that it’s functional but is otherwise pretty plain and boring. Every time I try to improve on this I give up after being overwhelmed by the parad…

Get the Lululemon ABC pants in a couple colors (e.g., grey and dark blue). They are the best pants I've had and they work in the office and for sports. I also recommend dress shirts from Charles Tyrwhitt and casual shirts from Uniqlo.

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#297

Post by [deleted] »

meesterdude wrote: post #204
vijay_nair wrote: post #99

Supplements, especially L-DOPA (amazing mood improvement and libido boost), L-citrulline (libido and energy boost) and niacin. There are other supplements¹ in my stack but these three stand out as the effects are near immediate, measured in mere minutes/hours. ¹zinc methionine, L-taurine, Ashwagandha, Boswellia serrata, fish oil, cod liver oil, vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, B12, C , D, K, calcium, resveratrol.

Do you just eat a plate of supplements? That seems like a lot to take every day.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#298

Post by abraxas »

lupinglade wrote: post #84
cinntaile wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A $5000 mattress for someone that can afford it really won't make a big difference compared to a $500 one. What mattress you sleep on doesn't really matter as long as you sleep well.

Yes, diminishing returns eventually. But you don't want a very cheap one either.

It depends. I can only get a good night sleep on a hard like a rock 100$ mattress that has zero frills. I'm also in my mid 40s and I have zero back issues which I suspect has something to do with the fact that I never got to sleep on a plush, soft mattress.

I think y'all are being taken for a ride by the mattress industry and are paying for it not just with your dollars but also with your back health.

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#299

Post by kull »

sidpatil wrote: post #292

Sceptre 27" 4K monitor for $200 on Amazon. It's the cheapest 4K monitor I've found so far. I wasn't even looking for a 4K monitor when I bought it, and didn't think it would make a big difference, but I was very wrong. It's made a huge difference in my day-to-day computing experience. Reading ebooks and papers on screen is actually bearable now; previously I'd prefer to print documents out or purchase/borrow physical…

Agree with large monitor - game changer. But Amazon shows only 3/5 stars for Sceptre 27" 4K monitor.

Re: Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?

#300

Post by TheAdamAndChe »

cjauvin wrote: post #47
ir123 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could I use them to cut off external noise that keeps me awake when I am trying to sleep?

I would recommend a white noise machine for that, I haven't been able to live without mine for many years now: https://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Classic-White-Noise-Machine/dp...

There are also a million white noise apps on the play store. I like Noice, its in the f-droid repository.
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