Under $100 - a gently used bike from the local thrift shop. Added a rack and crate and use it for local errands such as grocery shopping, dentist visits, mailing stuff at the post office, all within a 3-mile radius. Saves driving a car and I get some exercise.
Under $21 - a refurbished Thinkpad T520 with SSD, also from a thrift shop. Not life-changing but I've always loved the keyboard and it works fine for web browsing.
Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
71–80 of 618 posts
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#72I used to be utilitarian and had the minimal amount of everything around the house but I caved in and started buying duplicates. 1/2 cup measuring cup for pet food? I no longer use the same one as baking, I just bought another and now it lives in the container/bag of food. Measuring spoon for supplement powder? Same thing, it lives in the jar now. For under $100 you could buy every duplicate you'll need around your h…
I won't argue that Spotify isn't a fantastic value, but the price has gone up and will continue to do so (especially if artists are ever going to make anything meaningful from streams), and nothing lasts forever..
I find that online services in general degrade and become worse values and experiences for users over time, nearly inevitably. In many cases because initial funding can help to support the early unsustainable pricing.
I guess I'm saying it's good to have a downloaded backup of the all-time favs while using spotify for convenient listening.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#73It wasn't under $1k but you can do some options for close-ish to that: a cargo e-bike.
It's been amazing and has let us remain a one car family despite two kids with a lot of activities. I adore it. About to hit 2k miles on it.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#74Under 1000:
- robot vacuum. Now my house gets vacuumed (that should tell you how much I hate doing it.)
- the bidet seat is not tremendously life changing but it's very helpful.
Under 100:
- a quality probe thermometer. I use it for everything baked and most ways of cooking meat. Nothing is over~ or undercooked anymore. I do have another one with 2 probes for bbq/smoking -- you can use the two in the point and flat of a brisket, which tend to cook to different temperatures, or use one to monitor temperature of the grill and the other for the meat. It's also bluetooth so I can monitor temps from the comfort of my computer desk.
- a good rice cooker. Frees up a burner, rice is done when you tell it to be done and it's always perfect.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#75Under $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 options, eg veggies in one and protein in the other.
Under $100 #2: Get a CGM for two weeks and find out what foods spike your blood sugar the most. Or what supplements can help keep it steady (eg vitamin B1, inositol, or Chromium). Say goodbye to food coma and likely improve your long term health.
Under $1000: Get a second freezer. From that point on you can buy frozen veggies etc during sales, and prep meals during the weekend, for the whole week. I don’t know how we got by with just one tiny freezer section in the fridge.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#76Under $100 - Ember mug. No more reheating coffee a few times/day or trying to drink cold coffee. I was surprised at how much I enjoy it. A nice napkin holder that is easy to pull napkins from. Vertical magazine/tablet organizer. Whiteboard next to my desk. Anything simple that makes a frequent chore or task 50% easier. Under $1000 - Twice/week 'house helper' who does dishes and laundry. My wife travels a few weeks/mo…
Who does the dishes? Do you mean cooking? Dishwasher should take care of all dishes.
I mean washing pots & pans and things that can't go into the dishwasher and loading and unloading the dishwasher.
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
Okay, this is the fourth Ember recommendation I've seen, so I'll bite. Why is it better than an insulated carafe and an insulated mug?
It keeps the drink at a specific temperature indefinitely. With an insulated mug, you aren't putting more heat into the drink but just trying to keep it for longer. In my opinion, insulation works great for cold drinks (I use a giant insulated cup for my cold drinks) but not so much for warm drinks.
The old (maybe incorrect) advice I was always told was that continuing to heat the coffee fouled the taste, hence the recommendation to use an insulated mug/thermos as opposed to a Mr. Coffee style warmed carafe. What makes this gadget different/better?
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#78Under $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…
What bike did you get?
> The rest have been from hard work with a dietitian who helped me solve some longstanding issues
Deficiencies or simply realizing certain intake was higher calories than expected?
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#79Under $100: Electric toothbrush: Always hated having to brush my teeth and this makes it so much less tedious, also supposedly better for your teeth, from 1-2 times per day to 3 times every day. Under $1000: Nespresso machine, was using a mocha pot before but the coffee is much easier to make, no cleanup, and tastes better.
At least in France you can get a Nespresso machine "for free" of you buy enough coffee for a year (a very reasonable amount).
Otherwise you get promotions at 20 or 30€
Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)
#80Under $100 - Ember mug. No more reheating coffee a few times/day or trying to drink cold coffee. I was surprised at how much I enjoy it. A nice napkin holder that is easy to pull napkins from. Vertical magazine/tablet organizer. Whiteboard next to my desk. Anything simple that makes a frequent chore or task 50% easier. Under $1000 - Twice/week 'house helper' who does dishes and laundry. My wife travels a few weeks/mo…
Okay, this is the fourth Ember recommendation I've seen, so I'll bite. Why is it better than an insulated carafe and an insulated mug?
It will hold my coffee at the perfect temperature all day. Also if the battery runs out I can put it on its charger and after ~5 mins it will start heating my now cold coffee back up to temperature. I thought it was kinda gimmicky too before I bought it but I am surprised at how great it is to have perfect temp coffee all the time.