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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)

#601

Post by kulahan »

Octplane wrote: post #252

(lovely thread!) Under $100 - Ember Mug, same as many folks here: 4 years of service, 2 use of their customer service, bought another one for my wife. 100% will reshop when my current mug stop working or is not replaced anymore by their amazing support. - A memory foam pillow: Had to iterate to find the right one, but once you've it, you know it. You sleep better, less pain in the back/neck/shoulder - A vasectomy: ju…

…a vasectomy is under $100? That is absolutely mind blowing. What other surgery is that cheap???

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

#602

Post by kulahan »

selimthegrim wrote: post #596
dyauspitr wrote: post #536

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because why would you do something essentially irreversible when the other party has a temporary solution. I’ve changed my mind about things plenty of times, why would I do something I regret 20 years from now.

There are reversible vasectomies.

*usually reversible

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

#603

Post by purple-leafy »

mettamage wrote: post #580
purple-leafy wrote: post #256

Under $1000: - coffee machine: coffee has now become part of our morning routine (coffee dates) where we sit and talk over coffee with the dog in our laps. Play around with different beans and blends. Saves money, fun to clean. - proton mail/pass: I now have a super private email, and I spin up aliases when I need to sign up for something. 400+ aliases later and I get less spam, that I can destroy instantly. - Hoka w…

What kind of stuff did you automate? I also automate stuff with chrome extensions (chrome extensions makes for easier personal scraping)

Nothing in the end, but I made a few chrome extensions to block ads etc

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

#604

Post by petabyt »

- portable Camera lighting (doubles as a general purpose floodlight) $30

- Literally any tool that improves productivity/quality (impact wrench, ifixit screwdriver set, also applies to software)

- high quality furniture/desk/tables. Not the cheap Walmart stuff that falls apart. Can be hundreds of $ but I've been lucky enough to find good stuff for free often.

- 4k display ($300)

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

#605

Post by wingerlang »

foobarian wrote: post #125
K0balt wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ll Third a bidet. Once you experience the exhilarating bliss of cleaning your nether regions with fresh, clean water, you’ll never willingly go back to smearing excrement around your fiddly bits with the dry paper.

Sorry if this is getting into TMI territory but how does the bidet avoid dissolving the unwanted material and spraying it all over everywhere? And how does one dry this without toilet paper?

> And how does one dry this without toilet paper?

Normally you still use some small amount of toilet paper to dry away most of the water.

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

#606

Post by tomcam »

fnimick wrote: post #342
miloignis wrote: post #29

Under $100: 1) A bidet! Got one in the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce and I wanted to be more efficient, but now I'll never go back. The Tushy ones are good. 2) A safety razor & accessories. I get a cheaper, closer, less irritating shave, and I get to customize every part of it. This can certainly be a rabbithole you spend a lot of money on, but you can get a solid customized starter kit for under $100 that wi…

Safety razors are amazing and life changing. Even if you have something basic it's better for your skin than a cartridge razor, plus it's better for the planet (way less plastic), plus it's way less expensive! I don't know how they are still a niche item. For anyone who wants to get started, I recommend (no affiliation): - the henson razor for those who want something on automatic. It's less efficient (worse at cutti…

I abandoned safety razors because the handles are minuscule. Never found one that didn’t cramp up my big farmer hands.

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

#607

Post by jtwaleson »

HenryBemis wrote: post #579
jtwaleson wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My parents in law lived in the middle east for a long time, and we all got used to bidets over there. I've had a "mini shower head" version next to my toilet for the last 15 years or so. A bit afraid that it'll start leaking at some point, but so far it's holding up great. I would never go back to TP only.

I have seen that 'mini shower head' in multiple homes and hotels in Finland and Russia (but not in Sweden or Denmark). It is amazing!! A side-hack for that matter is to switch from plain-TP to wet-wipes. Some time ago I visited a friend who had younglings, and treated myself to a pamper-wet-wipe and it was amazing.

The sewage system won't be happy with wet wipes. Caused huge problems in some areas as it doesn't break down.

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

#608

Post by Digory »

ac29 wrote: post #598
Digory wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whether you need it probably depends on your climate and your house. Water in pipes inside a house's "thermal envelope" is presumably around 72 deg. F. I wash my hands with "cold water" without wincing. Tap water strikes me as tepid if I drink it without ice. If your pipes run through an outside wall in Canada, it might be a different story. If you do need warmer water, and the bidet heats it, you probably just need…

> Water in pipes inside a house's "thermal envelope" is presumably around 72 deg. F. The pipes in my house are in the crawlspace underneath the house, which is definitely nothing like 72F this time of year. Any hot water more than 10 feet or so away from the water heater runs pretty cold for several gallons.

That sounds like a good weekend project, putting split foam insulation around your pipes. 8' runs are a couple of bucks at the big box stores.

It's not quite as efficient, but I put in a recirculation pump and a timer to keep the water warm throughout the pipe during the day. The clothes washer was never getting warm water, and we wasted a lot at the shower waiting for warm water to reach it.

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

#610

Post by dr_kiszonka »

PotatoPancakes wrote: post #250
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…

I want to second the recommendation of MyNoise.net. It's phenomenal. Especially at work, it's perfect for getting in the zone. I pay for it even though I mostly stick to the free ones. If you're working at a computer, I recommend opening multiple tabs at the same time. For example, one with some relaxing white noise, one with a music-adjacent one like Mr Rhodes or 88 Keys, and maybe also a crackling fire for cozy vib…

My favorite one is Gregorian Voices : - )
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