Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life? • Hacker News Board

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

#471

Post by mleonhard » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 5:25 AM UTC

windowshopping wrote: post #229

Nextgrid wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

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…

Asking for feedback is crucial. Before I did that, I performed many iterations of buying some items I think look good on me, wearing them a few times, and getting rid of the ones that don't get any compliments (most of them).

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

#472

Post by mleonhard » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 5:34 AM UTC

michalf6 wrote: post #134

A motorcycle. Traffic is a non-issue now, in addition to the loads of fun I get from it.

Do you have a proper muffler? If not, your noise diminishes quality of life for everyone around you every day.

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

#473

Post by mleonhard » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 5:38 AM UTC

B5C8ECB24DB47D1 wrote: post #181

A dynamo hub for my bicycle. I don't have to worry anymore about charging battery packs. I always have the lights on, no matter what. I just don't think about it now, I know it's on. Decent quality wet trousers, overshoes and jacket are also a great addition. I don't mind leaving home or work when it's raining and I know I will be dry enough at the end ; apart for face and hands. Which makes me think that a proper pa…

Would you please share the names of the wet trousers, overshoes, and jacket that you use?

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

#474

Post by aerovistae » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 5:43 AM UTC

mleonhard wrote: post #470

Nextgrid wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

My friends say I dress nicely. Here's what I wear: Volcom, Men's Frickin Modern Fit Stretch Chino Pant, Charcoal Heather. They look dressy. They are 40% synthetic so sweat/rain dries quickly. They're a bit stretchy which is comfortable. I own 4 pairs and have washed each one about 75 times. The color has faded a bit, but evenly. There is little visible wear. TCO ~$0.75 per wear. Wear with a simple brown leather belt.…

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed looking through all your links. Amazed you found amazon links for all of it.

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

#475

Post by mleonhard » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 6:08 AM UTC

davidedicillo wrote: post #13

A Xiaomi Mi Pocket Magic Massager which I use almost daily. Because of decades of bad posture, I often have crippling tension in my neck muscles. After I discovered acupuncture, I realized that this small tens unit could provide a similar effect more conveniently.

I've had neck muscle tension that was due to emotional distress. I went to the free 10-day Vipassana meditation course (the Goenka one) and learned how to relax my neck muscles and process the emotions so my neck stays relaxed. After learning to deal with the root cause, my quality of life has improved. Therapy also helped.

Most neck tension, migraines, headaches, and lower back pain are from emotions. If your neck tension is due to emotions, I hope you can learn to deal with them and find long-lasting relief.

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

#476

Post by SecurityMinded » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 6:25 AM UTC

An Acer chromebook from Staples. I paid less than $200. It is new, it has 15 inch tocscreen and a celeron CPU, passmark score of which blows almost all other chromebook computers that I have seen advertising in the price range double the price of mine.

I use it to work with my company provided Amazon Workspaces windows virtual desktop. It has a client for chromebook. It is sitting next to my Core-i7 dell laptop and I only use the dell for video conferencing as the voice and video doesn't translate well over virtual desktops. It is the best computer investment I made, in the sense of bang for the buck. By the way, when work is slow, I can minimize the AWS client and do my daily surfing reading HN etc on the same computer.

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

#477

Post by ivan1783 » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 7:27 AM UTC

For me, having a workshop in which I can do any automotive, house, electronics build or repair and keep all of my stuff working and remove costs for replacing items which can easily be repaired. Same goes for car repairs and house repairs/remodels - having all of the tools available is worth the up front investment. I've never once been to a car mechanic (15 years of car ownership), have the same laptop I got in university (12 years old at this point), and have done mostly all of my own repairs on my house - with one structural issue that I didn't trust myself with...Also have a sewing machine (which I'm not that good on, I mostly leave it to my GF) to repair clothes and make adjustments. Ah and one more thing: a fully stocked kitchen with all of the tools you need to cook.

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

#478

Post by majewsky » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 8:18 AM UTC

veddox wrote: post #418

majewsky wrote: post #387

I have a "BahnCard 100" [1], the German national public transit flatrate. My employer pays for it in lieu of a company car. I only have to pay income taxes on it, which comes out to about 170€ (200$) a month. For that price, I can use all trains across Germany as often as I want and also get free local transit (busses, subway etc.) in 120 cities, including the one where I live. 2020 is my first year with a BC100, so…

A BC 100 is a pet dream of mine :D Unfortunately, as a student, the price tag is still quite a bit beyond me...

When you graduate and get a job, try asking for a BC100 in the salary negotiation. Roughly 4000€ per year is not that big of a price tag for the company, esp. since they don't have to pay Sozialversicherungsarbeitgeberanteile on it. And you only get to pay the taxes.

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

#479

Post by ghunjan1 » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 8:34 AM UTC

To be very honest, a diary. I’ve always viewed diaries as pointless items until I was enticed by one simply due to its aesthetic and ended up making a purchase. It’s quite convenient to have something available to just scribble ideas in and declutter your mind. Of course, I don’t use it in the traditional sense for reflecting everyday, however once in a while, I jot down goals and future plans, as well as accomplishments. And this offers a peace of mind, increasing daily efficiency, which is great for my startup.

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

#480

Post by gadders » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 9:08 AM UTC

chubot wrote: post #58

High quality floor standing speakers, although I would say the average person can get almost the same QOL improvement from $500 bookshelf speakers. I use them for music, movies/TV, watching videos on YouTube including technical ones, and even occasionally video conferencing. Wearing headphones for more than 30 minutes is fatiguing and uncomfortable for me. Listening to people's voices on tiny laptop or iPad speakers…

If you object to headphones, and don't want the expense of floor standing speakers, the Jabra Speak 510 has been handy for me when WFH. Great audio and mic.

https://www.jabra.co.uk/business/speakerphones/jabra-speak-s...