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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?

#431

Post by amerkhalid »

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.

These are among my top favorite purchases too. I love my Kindle, along with QC35 headphones, I can find oasis anywhere.

And YouTube Premium is awesome, it actually makes watching YouTube a pleasant experience and it comes with YT Music.

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

#432

Post by amerkhalid »

For me,

QC35 - I had cheaper 100$ noise cancelling headphones but Bose is another level. Way more noise cancelling and 10x more comfortable.

Kindle PW - I said this in another thread with QC35 and Kindle, I can find oasis anywhere.

Nest Thermostats - I resisted these but they really made life easier. So much easier to ask Alexa to make it cooler than waiting until I get one more thing done before I get up to change thermostat.

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

#433

Post by therealdrag0 »

scns wrote: post #373
therealdrag0 wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Re headphones: is it possible you haven’t found a pair that fits well? I’ve tried many many (highly rated) cans over the years and most hurt my years after some time. But now I have Bose QC and the way they fit around my ears without touching them is awesome. I wear them constantly even without audio playing. It’s almost a comfort object now lol.

Try comfy over ear half open cans like the DT880 i linked in my reply to GP

My friend has those. I haven’t tried them for extended periods, but I remember the material being soft to touch. The thing that gets me about the Bose, I think, is the cups are ovular which matches the war better. But maybe that’s corrélation not causation.

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

#434

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS »

kittko wrote: post #424
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…

In Switzerland we have the equivalent called "Generalabonnament" (GA), which is quite a common thing for people to have. It's steep in price, but often time it evens out pretty quickly if you travel by train often - I have my GA since my apprenticeship about ten years ago. I looooove it, just a bit sad that during Covid train travels weren't possible as much.

One time train tickets were hideously expensive last time I was in Switzerland so this makes total sense if you live in the area.

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

#435

Post by elindbe2 »

bloody-crow wrote: post #367
todaysAI wrote: post #195

Squat cage, good bar, 220kg weights, bench press, farmer walk bar. 12 years ago. Best $2,500 I've ever spent.

Where do you keep it? I've been thinking about getting a squat rack into my garage, but it's gonna be a very tight fit, and I'm not sure I'll be comfortable having 45 lbs plates around my Tesla.

If you have a yard you could potentially keep it outside. It's can be a bit invigorating during the winter though.

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

#437

Post by avenger123 »

This sunlight alarm [1] has made a big difference in my sleep quality. I am a heavy sleeper and have a hard time waking up sometimes even if I get the right amount of sleep. I have been using this now for over five months and it's brought great stability to my sleep. I workout in the morning and now I can consistently wake up.

A set amount of time before the alarm is to go off, the alarm simulates a sunrise and can play FM radio, a repeating sound (ocean waves, Nepal bells, etc.) and at the alarm time can do your typical loud alarm. I have this set for 20 minutes before I wake up to start the sunrise. By the time I am ready to wake up, its full brightness and I am ready to get up.

There is also a sunset feature for going to bed.

I also never thought that having an alarm being controlled by my smartphone would be such a great convenience feature but with this type of device it's a perfect match. I don't know how someone could use this device to it's full potential without the app.

This model is the most expensive but I have seen baser models with the core features. I do see a model now at Costco. I would recommend trying it out if you're struggling with bringing consistency to your sleep.

I used to feel these types of devices were a gimmick but for me it's been worthwhile.

[1] https://www.philips.ca/c-p/HF3670_60/smartsleep-connected-sl...

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

#439

Post by throw51319 »

voisin wrote: post #89

Spin Bike. Unbelievable how much my life has changed by being able to exercise while I take calls (at low speeds!), read, watch Netflix, etc.

Which one did you get? I just want a barebones one for exactly what you're saying.

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

#440

Post by jeegsy »

dusted wrote: post #422

In order of impact I noticed: 1. A condensing dryer (used to hang washed clothes on a line and have to take them down again when dry) 2. An extra car, old station-wagon with trailer hook + trailer. It's nice that it's old and crappy so I don't care when it's getting dirty, scratched or dented, it will be decommissioned when it breaks down (used to borrow car every time we needed to transport something larger than fit…

These are all simple and very practical things. I might look into getting some of these
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