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Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
233 points by legrande on Aug 9, 2021 | hide | past | favorite | 419 comments
What cheap yet very useful things have made a substantial change and improvement to your life?

For me it has always been USB flash drives. I'm scared of getting ransomware'd one day, but I am safe in the knowledge that I'd have to have every thumbdrive I own plugged into my PC for some real damage to happen. They are a lifesaver, and they get cheaper every year too!




A Fujitsu S1500 ScanSnap, dual-sided, document scanner (now discontinued, replacement might be the iX1600). Completely changed how I manage my personal documents (e.g. financial, invoices, receipts, product manuals, medical info, business docs, recreation and hobby stuff, etc). Anything remotely important, I scan to PDF, which triggers automatic OCR that is reasonably accurate, then I upload the PDF to Google Drive, which is organized into a hierarchy of folders.

Google Drive's internal search is not good enough when there are 100s of documents with similar titles, so I try to maintain a consistent naming convention "{yyyy-mm-dd} {summary of document}". Electronic documents (e.g. bank and credit card statements) are downloaded as PDF and uploaded to the same Google Drive folder hierarchy.

The originals go into a set of 12 file folders labeled "Jan" to "Dec". The folders become a ring buffer. Every month, I empty out the upcoming month, by shredding the originals from 12 months ago. I got rid of a 4-drawer filing cabinet by incrementally scanning the original paper documents over several weeks.

(Edit: fix typo)


How does it compare to smarthone camera + one of hundreds of scan+ocr apps like Adobe Scan? For me the smartphone solution is supereasy, basically it takes n seconds to scan a n-page booklet for example.


I find the quality of the photos from my phone to be terrible: wrong brightness, wrong color balance, wrong focus, wrong contrast, wrong orientation, motion blur, etc. The quality of the documents from the Fujitsu scanner is top notch. And the feeder is amazingly fast, specs say 20 ppm, which I think means 20 sheets, or 40 pages/minute. I also hate typing long file names on a phone keyboard. But if it works for you, then it works for you.


Actually the scanning apps like Microsoft Lens are quite good.

During the WFH situation, I've used it extensively to scan kids homework almost on an everyday basis, to send it to teachers.

I've used it for documents too. And it works just fine.


I use M.S. Office Lens at work every week. You can free-crop photos, compose into PDF, reorder pages, etc and save to OneDrive which quickly gets a phone PDF onto my desktop. Brilliant!

OfficeLens also had an app you could load on desktops. I’m sure it was for tablets, but the ability to take a photo, free-form crop and save to PDF was fantastic. Alas, my old install of the app still works, but won’t convert to PDF anymore.


Have you tried these apps? It corrects for white balance, contrast, orientation, etc.


The ScanSnap is a business quality scanner.You can put in a stack of documents into the sheet-feeder and you will get high quality scans out as fast as a printer.The smartphone scanner app are like an emergency workaround in comparison.


Agree here. I have a capable scanner with document feeder, ocr, export to FTP etc.

But I can also just open Prizmo on my iPhone, photograph 15 pages in 45 seconds, export as PDF and be done with it.

In both cases the end result is a readable PDF, which serves its purpose.


I love the feel of a physical scanner though, especially the process of aligning the paper. I suppose the difference is like a phone camera vs a DSLR.


If you’re processing volume, the scansnap is magic. 1-2 pages at a time, the phone is better.


I have precisely that scanner! I totally agree, I love that it's double sided and comes with really good OCR (ABBYY FineReader). And that it's an auto sheet feeder – I have terrible memories of flat bed scanners from the 90's that took a minute to scan one page but this only takes a few seconds per page.

Like you I put the documents in a hierarchy of folders and mix with downloaded "official" PDFs, and I use yyyy-mm-dd in the filenames and folders. But, I must admit, a big part of my filing system is often a pile of physical papers stacked up next to the scanner that I haven't got around to yet... But I'd still recommend it.


I've used Google drives 'Save as pdf' feature where you can take a photo with your phone and it will be turned into a pdf. Prob lower resolution that yours but it's been working for me for a while.

But other wise...follow the same process.

Almost 99% paper free, no filing cabinets, no losing papers.

Awesome stuff.


The monthly filing makes so much sense, great idea. Implementing this immediately. I like to keep the last thing I got (e.g. most recent insurance policy docs, last 12 power bills, etc) but very rarely for more than a year. Reminds me of the tickler file from GTD.


Does anyone have a suggestion for a dual-sided feed scanner like this which can be used to semi-automate document scanning and which is not discontinued? I've been thinking about this for a while but I don't know enough about the market


I have a Brother ADS-2400n[0]. For me the killer feature was wired Ethernet connectivity to upload scans straight to my file server w/o a PC being involved. It's on the counter where I process mail so I can just throw stuff in it, scan, and dump the originals into a box for eventual disposal.

I have been meaning to get around to trying Mayan EDMS[1] to ingest, OCR, and categorize the scans but that still hasn't happened... >sigh<

[0] https://www.brother-usa.com/products/ads2400n

[1] https://www.mayan-edms.com


Panasonic has duplex document scanners in various price ranges, starting from about 300 €, and they are all Linux compatible with one sane SANE driver. They scan super quick and easy and work very reliably.


I really like https://www.brother-usa.com/products/ads1700w -- scans and OCRs docs lightning fast. Has great Mac support.


Discontinued does not mean abandoned. I have a Fujitsu iX500 that has current drivers and (most importantly OCR) software for Apple and Windows. The iX500 is available on ebay for much less than new models. These machines are beasts. First maintenance is at 200,000 pages. I've had mine for years and am not quite to 100,000 pages. If I were to buy a new model, I'd look at Epson. In fact, I have looked at Epson but can't bring myself to pull the trigger when my iX500 remains Mary Poppins-ish "practically perfect"


The Epson FastFoto series is really good and comes with OCR software (but the install procedure can be a pain). (They basically modified their duplex workforce series). The latest (680?) Is also wifi ready. Ignore the misleading "direct to Dropbox/cloud" marketing as it still needs a host computer middle man.

It's super fast for documents and the bonus is that it's great for photos (600dpi dual sided feed scanner).

Epson has a super portable (battery too) workforce that folds up small (Es-300 I think.) Wifi capable but the connection process is a bit cumbersome.

I run a photo/document scanning service between Toronto/Montreal and am currently getting rid of some duplex high speed scanners for cheap if by chance local.


FWIW I also wanted something that was not discontinued, but I heard so many recommendations for this exact device that I eventually picked a used one up on eBay, and I've been quite pleased. Currently hooked up to an old RPi running Ubuntu 20.04; scans directly to a syncthing folder. Works like a charm.


I just ordered the Brother - DS-740D duplex scanner. Hoping to do the same as OP and scan/organize my life.


+1 Also interested


Very much this.. I don't use it now as much as I used to, but this workflow simplified my life for taxes, record keeping and organization. In my case everything flows to Evernote for simplicity and search-ability, when I'm at my accountant for tax season if I missed something I can AirPrint it on their printer in minutes.


I followed the techniques in Marie Kondo's book "The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up" and shredded most of my documents. It was satisfying and I haven't missed any of them.


Opinel #8 pocketknife. Inexpensive. Timeless design that was last tweaked circa 1960's.

Entry-level hardtail mountain bike. I understand more of my geographic area than ever before, and am in moderately better shape, to boot.

Old comfy secondhand leather chair. Have my personal PC hooked up to a cheap old flatpanel TV. I've had many productive weekend hours working on personal projects in comfort. There's something about not sitting at a desk that really helps me feel like I'm off the clock, even when I am being productive.

Super cheap keyring that my car key fell off of on one of my first dates with my wife. We spent the rest of the date looking for my key in the park and enjoying conversation. It worked out.


If you ask me today What's the greatest invention of mankind, I wouldn't say a wheel or toilet U-bend or antibiotics but these Ear Hooks[1] for spectacles which keep my loose spectacles from falling every time I bend down.

A truly tiny purchase of disproportionately high value!

[1] https://imgur.com/gallery/p0zvbQU


TrevorJ says>"Opinel #8 pocketknife. Inexpensive. Timeless design that was last tweaked circa 1960's."<

It shows! The Opinel has a lousy locking mechanism, is clumsy to open (especially if you're left-handed) and the wood swells if wet making it stiffer to open/close. This is a knife worth passing up unless you want to cut yourself.


And it looks like a butter knife.


No, it has a pointed tip unlike that of a butter knife, which usually has a dull and rounded point.

An Opinel knife appears in the movie "Paris, Je t'aime". In the segment ("Place des Fetes") an unnamed assailant draws his knife, clumsily unlocks it and turns away from the camera to stab his victim.


While more expensive, Leatherman Charge.

I have this on my belt and it comes out multiple times a day. I felt a bit silly at first having it on my belt but now I feel naked without it. Incredible handy to have + have to call out good replacement policy as I broke pliers once and they sent a replacement easily and no questions.


An electric toothbrush and floss. Brushing with a regular toothbrush doesn’t give me the clean/fresh feeling my electric toothbrush does. The model I have was maybe $25 or $30.

Using the electric toothbrush and flossing before bed every night, I feel like in my morning my mouth actually still feels fine. Of course I would never start my day without brushing, but my mouth doesn’t feel icky when I wake up in the morning. Sorry if that’s TMI.


A plastic tongue scraper. Just brushing my teeth didn't provide the satisfactory result until I started to also brush my tongue. And the scraper does a much better job of it.


Brushing after breakfast, rather than before, is recommended for maximum cleanness.

If you only brush once a day, brush last thing before bed.


I remember hearing a long time ago that brushing before eating is better. Sugar reacts with plaque to form acids and brushing temporarily removes plaque. So eating straight after brushing doesn't really do anything.


I've heard this also but it doesn't make much sense to me. If you brush after you eat, wouldn't it remove the plaque, sugar, and any possible acid? Any plaque that remains will have little to nothing to eat.

If you brush before eating, there will still be some plaque left and once you eat there should be copious amounts of sugar and food for it to snack on and quickly multiply + produce acid.


The way I understood it the acids in the food make the enamel softer. Brushing while the enamel is softened can result in brushing away the outermost layer of enamel. Waiting until 45-60 minutes supposedly allows the saliva to normalize the pH level so that the enamel is at full strength again.


Brushing after you eat is not recommended because you're a lot more likely to damage your enamel that way, especially if you've eaten anything acidic.

Acidic foods temporarily weaken your enamel to the point that even light brushing can damage it.


It’s the other way around. Food doesn’t make your teeth bad. It’s bacteria in your mouth, eating your food and shitting out enzymes that soften and damage your teeth. So before you eat, make sure those bacteria are wiped away by brushing your teeth.

If you brush immediately after eating, you’re partially brushing their enzyme shit into your teeth…


It is, however, disgusting.


I'm the opposite: I think it's disgusting people brush before breakfast, just to dirty their mouth right up again with breakfast and walk around un-brushed afterward


Do you brush your teeth after lunch?


Yes, why wouldn't I? I brush at least 2-3 a day, with flossing, after every meal. I've never understood people who can't afford 6 minutes a day to properly care for one of the most important parts of our bodies (ie teeth).


I was interested in a Waterpik but I thought it would be too difficult to maintain. I found out about both a toothbrush and an oral irrigator that you hook up to your shower which are really cool.

There are also some tricks for oral hygiene that you don't get traditionally or when you go to the store for toothpaste. You can try putting a drop of Dragon's Blood on the toothbrush or brush with a bit of ozonated oil to help gum issues.


I purchased a generic water flosser from Amazon. Works great. I put an ounce or two of mouthwash in the reservoir when I fill it and I occasionally clean it by washing the reservoir. Very simple to maintain and an extremely effective oral hygiene tool. I have many teeth that are very close together and floss just breaks constantly (I can use those floss tools but don't like throwing them out each time).


Alright I'll bite, what brand does both? And more importantly, what in the world is Dragon Blood in this context?


Croton lechleri! It's been used traditionally for a lot of stuff and the active constituent is in an orphan drug to help GI issues with cancer. It helps wounds of all sorts and gum issues.

You can find the oral irrigator/toothbrush combos for looking for faucet oral irrigator on amazon. Maybe I'd misremembered the shower ones that are harder to find for the combos of both, but they're easy enough to find for a faucet adapter.


What electric floss do you use?


Some that come to mind.

__Health__

Melatonin. There is no other way for me to go to bed and this knocks me right out (I use 0.2 - 0.4 milligrams).

Sleep mask (no more waking up because a stray light hits my eye)

I'd say sleep earplugs but I have a sound in my ear, but otherwise earplugs

Mosquito repellent scent (for sleep as well).

Silicon earplugs when going out, I never thought I'd get ear/hearing damage because I didn't go out a lot. I was wrong. They protected my ears after I noticed I got some ear damage.

A dumbbell (used at times between breaks to move a bit)

__Other__

Fuet (another HN'er once posted this as such at some thread years ago I can't remember, and I agree). It's a sausage and IMO too good as a snack.

LG 4K monitor for about $350

Moving labels. Got a bunch of moving labels for a few bucks, and slap them whenever I need to label something. Apparently, I tend to label my external HD's mostly and a few boxes that have specific items in them (e.g. only USB cables or power cables, etc.).

Not a purchase but a lifehack and since I see many responses are about cables I guess it's relevant ;-) Instead of spinning your cables in a circle, spin them in a figure 8 (two circles). Somehow it's harder for them to get weirdly tangled when you store them like that. See: https://youtu.be/buVUvnM_AzU?t=104 (I don't use the other life hacks :P)


For some people, me included, melatonin can cause an uptick in very real feeling and (depending on mental state) very weird dreams. Do be mindful of that. On the other hand if you're practiced at lucid dreaming this can be a real trip.


If you are sleep deprived, anything that helps you sleep better can result in an uptick in very vivid, strange dreams. It is a common side effect of quitting caffeine and any number of other things.

Anything that suddenly and dramatically improves your sleep quality can potentially have this effect.


I've found that the "weird dream" side effect is very dose responsive. Most melatonin supplements I see include doses much higher than are required, in the 3-5 mg range. Very small doses (as the OP mentioned, in the 200-400 microgram range) should be plenty as a sleep aid and (for me anyway) avoid the enhanced dreams.

I will sometimes take 5 mg when I wake up in the middle of the night in an attempt to induce lucid dreaming, although since I've fallen off of my dream journal my LD abilities are diminished (even with the melatonin).


>very weird dreams.

Verified. By me.


If you have trouble sleeping have you tried a weighted blanket?

My girlfriend brought one recently and it’s weirdly relaxing having something so heavy resting over your body. I’ve found it helps me with just lying still and I think the weight subconsciously makes my body feel heavier and more tired than I actually am.


What about the warmth? I've thought about getting one of these, but what worries me is that it will be too hot.

My problem is that I can barely fall asleep if it's too hot, but I also need to have some weight on me, so can't sleep with the blanket cover only, either. Summers are a nightmare..


> Instead of spinning your cables in a circle, spin them in a figure 8

Also known as "butterfly coiling" rope, cable or hose. The alternating turns mean that every twist has a counter-twist, so you don't end up with the tension that causes cables/ropes to tangle up.


Melatonin is not recommended for sleep. A better combo to take would be 200mg L-theanine and 500mg Magnesium Threonate. Melatonin can disrupt your natural melatonin production and those supplements are also notoriously inaccurate in terms of dosage some containing anywhere from 0.2x to 2x the amount listed. Melatonin is probably acting more as a placebo for you now.


Melatonin also works in low dose. You don't need the popular 3mg pills. After nearly 20 years as a night owl and struggling to retrain myself to sleep at night, I finally managed when I followed the advice from this article https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/10/melatonin-much-more-th.... Every night I'd take between 0.1mg and 0.3mg. It worked flawlessly for 3 weeks. I didn't experience any sort of adaptation. After 3 weeks I tried to stop. Although I could sleep well without it by then, I noticed that my night sleep was still too sensitive and prone to interruption, at the slightest disruption. I ended up taking it for 6 months. It never failed. I eventually managed a proper sleep without it and completely became a night sleeper.


I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone but we blind tested it for my wife. Nights with no melatonin, but an identical pill, meant no sleep.


For those, like myself, where Melatonin doesn't work well. Try 'Calm' brand magnesium drink it relaxes me and keeps me asleep, without the need for ear plugs. I've tried the magnesium pills and they don't seam to work, the drink mixture does.


I have written down a recommendation from somewhere to take Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6, 30 minutes before bedtime.


> sleep earplugs

Not the best practice to insert stuff inside the ear. Instead, there exist pretty flat and efficient earmuffs, e.g. from 3M, comfortable for bedtime.


Couldn't find comfortable ones for bedtime (The Netherlands doesn't have a lot of earmuffs offerings I feel), but I bought some 3M earmuffs anyway because I didn't really know about them.


Libby - I used to buy so many Kindle books and had an expensive Audible subscription a year ago but all that stopped when I discovered Libby. I can read ebooks and audiobooks right in the app using my local public library card for free and the entire UX of the app is just beyond awesome. I can now read/listen to 5-7 books a month using Libby.


The winning combo for me is Libby + Hoopla + Library Extension for Chrome. Anytime I see something I'm interested in on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. - I immediately see (and can store for later reading/listening) if it's available via my local library. Can't count how many books I got this way, totally free.


This is a cheat code. Well done. Well done.


I do this with the Overdrive app and my local library. I think they have Libby also. I prefer the audit books during my commute to work.


Libby is pretty much same as Overdrive just in a nicer package. In fact it's developed by the same company that created Overdrive so you can easily switch from OD to Libby. And I'm sure you won't regret as Libby has such a great polished UI compared to OD.


Does this work with the eink Kindles?


You can transfer your ebooks you borrowed from Libby to Kindle eReader for sure but you can't do that with Audiobooks though.


Yes. You check out a book in Libby and tap “read with kindle.” Then it shows up in your kindle library like any other book.


The e-ink eReaders from Kobo have an integration with Overdrive, which is by the same company as Libby. Kindles are designed to sell you more books from Amazon.


I buy high mileage Honda minivans for no more than $3000 because they're dependable and cheap at high mileage.

I generally get 100,000 miles out of them, so 4 mostly dependable vans and 400,000 miles for about $12,000. You'll lose $12K in depreciation alone just driving a new car off a lot.

I've lived in them safely and comfortably for a total of about 3 years, living all over the western US from New Mexico to Montana. Rent $0. Rent saved? $40,000.

(There are costs, fuel, tires, etc., but negligible compared to rent (i.e. paying someone else's American dream).


Awesome! How long do you plan to live that way? Do you work out of your van as well?


Not sure. I love the fact that I can travel with the weather. Too hot? Go where it isn't. Too dry, go to beach. Forest fire surrounding your van in Northern California? Freak out for a couple minutes, and then drive to another forest. ;)

The temptations of the lifestyle are many; but, be careful. That much freedom can ruin. You might not be able to return to “normal life", where people supplicate themselves to unbelievable amoralities. Ex. "Two weeks vacation".

Two weeks? Sir, can I have some more, Sir?

I'm a chef. I wasn't always. I can find work anywhere as a chef. I guess that helps.


Also, re: lifestyle. You can live the van life like it's portrayed in Nomadland, but if you do it the woodsie way, you need to be comfortable in the woods. It's a cavernous silence, and you're often all alone for days at a time. You do, however, sleep the sleep of the dead because it's so quiet.

If you're comfortable with solitude, if you actively seek it out, you can be a rubbertramp, woodsie, etc. If you need people around, you better bunk up or get a dog, because it can be mighty lonely.

And if you know how to search carefully, you can put your camp right on top of great beauty, freely and legally.

I once camped for a month only a mile up a gravel road from Dunton Hot Springs, where big money pays really big money for food and glamping, surrounded by scenery that almost defies believability. I saw bear, elk, marmots (awesome little animals) and ate fresh trout every day from the river next to my camp. Cost. $0. Next door they were paying $5000/day.


I lived with that freedom and had that exact same thought. “3 weeks vacation… wait… that’s like 40 weeks of work…”

And yeah, I always miscalculate that joke to further distance the normies.


It's ruined me to such an extent in that regard that I can't do 9 to 5 at all. I'd just be staring at everybody in disbelief - You work how many hours a week? I don't work that many hours a month! - and would probably be burned as a heretic.


Where do you park in the night?


I find a spot in a national forest and make it my home for a week or seven. If it has decent cellular reception, I can stay there indefinitely, until I run out of supplies, usually water.

No one messes with you in the forest. We woodsies know every Honda minivan also has 12-gauge shotgun inside, for squirrels, tasty, tasty squirrels, and errant humans crazy enough to walk up to your van at night.

:)

Just stay out of the city and you'll be fine. Every square inch of the city is owned by someone, so you're never comfortable. Not so the forest. All Americans own the national forest. We can all use it responsibly and for free.

<smokey_the_bear>

No campfires, please. No fires period. We're running out of trees to burn in the west.

</smokey_the_bear>)


Apparently not 100% of National Forest is freely usable. I learned this lesson painfully not long ago. I planned my overnight campout "carefully"... but there were still things I didn't know, even after reading everything I could find online. Namely: there are "pay to stay" campgrounds. You are not allowed to camp within the perimeter without a temporary permit. And even if you try to simply drive through, you might find gates closed.

Somewhere, people have collected this wisdom, I'm sure. Any pointers?


I keep it really simple. I look for a national forest on Google Maps and drive there, adapting as needed. I'm generally looking for one sign: Welcome to X National Forest, and then I'm woo hoo! Home sweet home.

I don't drive deep into the forest (couple miles max), as cell service drops precipitously the further you are from main roads.

I do follow the signage. I want to sleep without worry, and rangers will not hesitate to wake you up at 3 am to move your car.

When in doubt, visit the website for whatever national forest you're in. Most of the information you need will be right at your fingertips, including important warnings like weather/fire risk.

Most national forests have what's called dispersed camping. Those are areas specifically reserved for camping and are almost completely unimproved, but I often find they're too deep in the forest for my liking. Just because there's a dispersed camping area doesn't mean you can camp only there.

Is national forest? Yes.

Is campsite? Yes, but doesn't even need to be a campsite. Park anywhere that's safe and doesn't obstruct, unless restricted.

Is empty? Yes.

Is unrestricted? Yes.

If restricted, abide? Yes.

Is safe? Yes, mostly. Remember bears and bear etiquette. Remember the zero-worry rule: If you're worried about where you're parked, leave. Don't assuage your worry as paranoia, listen to it and find another spot. Even if you unpack your whole van and setup camp. If you're worried, pack up and go find another spot. Peace of mind, especially if you're alone, is worth the aggravation.

Internet? Two bars. Woo hoo!

Trees/shade? Yes.

Score!

Is mine for now, so don't burn it down.

When I exit, not so much as a toenail do I leave behind.

If campgrounds are what you want, the online reservation system for USGOV campgrounds countrywide is here: recreation.gov. Off season you can snag a campground reservation same day sometimes; not so on-season.


Logging roads in the national forest are usually fair game, unless otherwise restricted.

Those intimidating signs that say “Logging Permit Required” are meant for loggers, so try not to get caught with an industrial chainsaw in your van.

Loggers wake up too damn early. Prepare for (what sounds like) a military invasion at 4 AM when the equipment shows up to turn beautiful, innocent trees into money.


We have 188,336,179 acres of national forest in the US, most of it a short drive from Metropolis metropolis.

That's about 1.5 times the size of France.


> If it has decent cellular reception

How much are you paying the cell companies to live their American dream on your dime?


Down by the river, of course.


Could you show an example of the minivans that you mean? Or are all Honda minivans the same?


Honda Odyssey minivans that are about 11-15 years old, give or take. An arbitrary range, but that's where I roam.

I buy them up to 225,000 miles on the odometer, depending on the condition. Less is generally better. Prices start to jump a lot below 200,000 miles.

Also, my post makes it sound like I drive them to dead and then get another. Not so. I generally sell them and go back to being a muggle with a real life for a bit, then buy another. I've never actually killed a Honda. Haven't tried either. Got one to 357,000 and was still going strong. Zombie cars. Made to last. The older they get, the more character they have. Almost as loved as the Volkswagen van and far more dependable.


Where do you look online for minivans like you describe?


Craigslist, eBay, used car dealer, etc.

Good luck finding one for $3K right now. Used car prices are silly inflated, and people are starting to realize they make dependable homes on wheels, once you take the seats out.


This must be some rich person definition of "tiny purchase"...


Fair enough, but I mean tiny relative to the purchase of a new car. That is, a new car is disproportionately more expensive than 4 used vans at 3k each. And the vans will collectively provide more mileage than one new car. Why are you making me explain this? I must dispatch George the Rottweiler on a contempt charge. Old Honda vans need love too. There.


When it’s your house that you own outright, I’ll allow it.


Mail processor. I spend $20/month, they receive all of my mail, open it, and digitize it. They discard the junk mail if I want. I never have to visit a mailbox again. I can even register it as my address on my driver's license and for my vehicles.

EDIT: The service I use is https://www.sbimailservice.com/.


Wow I’d be far too paranoid about them leaking things


They have controls as most of these folks have to have (background checks, access controls, physical security, etc [1]). Still better than randos pulling your mail out of the mailbox in front of your residence imho. Its a shim until the last of need for paper mail gets deprecated, as I still need to receive correspondence of importance via snail mail (business filings, IRS, etc).

[1] https://www.sbimailservice.com/security/

(all commercial mail processors you consider should have similar controls in place, make sure you ask!)


Some people in my area use these services and I've considered it because mail theft is a big problem in my area. Organized rings doing package theft, identify theft, and all that. So for us at least, it seems significantly safer than having it delivered directly. Personally I just go paperless as much as possible and have the post office hold my mail (another popular response).


If you want a less expensive 'lite' option, you can sign up with the USPS and they will scan your incoming envelopes and email you the images. This at least alerts you when something that should have made it into your mailbox, doesn't.


PO box?


The problem with PO boxes, besides being in short supply, is all the places that can't accept or ship to PO boxes (DMV, voter registration, private parcel services, insurance companies, ...)


While it cannot be used as an option for "your physical residence.... in legal documents" -- voter registration or the DMV -- the USPS does offer "Street Addressing Service." It provides a street address you can use with UPS, FedEx, and others. P.O. Box 59 would be 500 Main Street #59 (for a Post Office located at 500 Main Street). The service is free. (I just filled out the form two days ago.)


Why? That's a federal offense in the USA at least. If you're afraid of that, you may as well fear any mail delivery person.


The fear is understandable, as mailmen don't open and digitize your correspondence. It's a new risk, however small, that you have to consider.


Yeah, I use the same. Super convenient for when I work on the road, never have to worry about not getting my mail. For those who are asking I use TravelingMailbox.com, it was recommended by people when I moved onto my boat years ago and even now that I'm back on land I still keep it up.


I've never heard of this kind of service. It sounds like something I want ASAP. Any downsides?


With any mail processor, you're sort of married to them once you start giving out the address. I spent months agonizing over who I was going to tie myself to (and did quite a bit of research from HN folks [1] [2] providing their recommendations). In the end, I picked the vendor I did because I only get a few pieces of mail a month, they're responsive, and I can use them for residency purposes [3] (as my long term plan is to bounce from the US and be an expat). And unlike a startup, they have some longevity track record and are likely to continue to exist into the future, which is important when everyone is going to have them as your mailing address.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5822052

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19076624

[3] https://theboatgalley.com/establishing-residency-at-st-brend...


I had such a service for a while. The only two issues I ran into was:

- Getting the physical mail out of them was hard. In theory they kept main for some number of days if I needed it physical for some random reason, but the two times I needed to have them forward me some important document, it had already been shredded. All in all, this was a minor edge case really.

- One company, All State, could not for the life of them realize that I did not live in some PO Box in a different state. They kept changing my rates to the state of the service, and I had a confusing call with a CSR each time where I tried to explain my mailing address and my residential addresses were unrelated. All State was the only company I ever encountered with this issue, everyone else that needed my home address had no trouble with this concept. I solved this by ditching All State.

I only stopped using them because they got bought out and only kept business accounts. I should look for a replacement company, it was very useful.


From what I’ve heard the addresses for these services are being tagged as “not a residence” in some database. Then some services aren’t accepting them as a valid address.

Similar to how phone numbers can be tagged VoIP and won’t be accepted for 2-factor authentication.


Can you share the mail processor that you use? Or how you went about finding one?


https://www.sbimailservice.com/

Found them because they cater to the RV and cruising (sailing/motoring around the world) folks, and that's my circle of friends.

(no affiliation other than as a customer)


what happens when your bank sends you a new atm card when the old one expires?


They priority mail me the envelope, international mail if out of the country.


I tried to priority mail the keys to a mailbox slot back to someone last year so it would go to their doorstep and not the mailbox slot. Post office put it in the slot anyway ostensibly due to covid. Had to get new keys made. I should have pushed for a refund.


That's interesting. Seems like an expensive /dev/null


I might need to do this when I start my vanlife. What service are you using?


I use VirtualPostMail and like them for a couple of reasons: - Easy to set up autoscanning so I just get PDFs with all incoming email. - Easy to get things mailed to me. - Can be a registered agent for my business (at least in CA). - Can handle check deposits for me.


Wow, I never knew this was a thing.


A webcam I bought for a girl who had no money to spare and lived abroad, so that we could see eachother regularly. We eventually became a couple and moved together.


I have a similar story about buying a parking space in a garage near my place when I lived downtown because my then girlfriend was always bothered by trying to find parking. It worked pretty well, now she's my wife.

Best $40 / month I ever spent.


AWW


Dextrose. You can't buy it in grocery stores, but it is available online. Don't pay more than $2/lb. It is sold most cheaply labeled "corn sugar", marketed mainly to home beer brewers. There is only one actual supplier in the US, who ships 50 lb bags. Others break it up and sell 10, 5, and 2 lb bags. Some relabel it "dextrose" or "glucose" and jack up the price. I get mine 10 lb at a time from "Homebrew".

Regular sugar (sucrose, fructose) is poison without accompanying fiber, and is the cause of the US's (and India's and Pakistan's) epidemic level of "metabolic syndrome", liver disease that, indirectly, kills way more than COVID. Your liver can neutralize small amounts, as it does alcohol, but Americans take in way more than it can process. When your liver is impaired, you die from things a healthy liver would have prevented. (Really, nowadays people who don't drink are dying from cirrhosis!)

So, you can use dextrose anywhere you would have used table sugar. It has the extra advantage over table sugar (besides not being poison) that it does not make you more hungry after you eat it. Note, it is on you to ensure there is fiber in whatever you take in at the same time; without fiber it (like table sugar) causes insulin excursions you are much better off without. Coffee and cocoa have surprisingly large amounts of fiber.

For more about metabolic disease, the best place to start is youtube vids of presentations by Robert Lustig, a respected endocrinologist specializing in liver disease. He has several books out, most recently "Metabolical", that you probably can get from your local library.


Do you have any references to support your assertions around the differences between glucose (aka dextrose) and fructose, please?


Robert Lustig lecture videos are a good place to start. Anything 60 or 90 minutes will not waste your time. (I run them with captions at 1.5x-2x speed, so 30-60 minutes.) His books have complete references.

Robert Lustig is the very best kind of scientist: he never claims anything without a dozen peer-reviewed double-blind controlled trials to back him up, many of which he supervised personally.

To be an endocrinologist, you have to be twice as smart and careful as any other sort of medical doctor just to be able to do your work. Another is Robert Sapolsky, who also writes exhaustively supported books. Anybody who says they understand some metabolic process and is not an endocrinologist with 30+ years work behind them is a liar.


Any brewery can get you dextrose much cheaper than $2/lb. I think we are paying around $0.55/pound or something close to that in my area (Texas) for a 50lb bag.

Note this is a shortage currently on dextrose because of all the hard seltzers appearing in the market so quickly and using it all up, so it will probably go up as these keep growing.


A dedicated tool created to cut through cardboard boxes, roughly $20-30. When you have gigantic boxes to break down, using a straightedge or knife isn't going to "cut" it. Saves a LOT of time for me as it's significantly faster to use.

Using cooking vinegar in place of liquid softener in the clothes washer to remove moldy / gym sock smell from the drum and clothes. Only need to apply once every few washes and is less than $1 worth of vinegar to do the trick. I just fill the softener compartment with it. I've spent a lot of money on products that claim to remove the smell, but vinegar has consistently done the trick.

If your car's AC also smells moldy / gym socky, you can buy a foam spray that's designed to remove it that you put into your AC vents for around $35 that will clear it up immediately. I've watched youtube videos suggesting lysol but it did not work out for me on two cars. This did.


Can you share the name of the tool for cardboard boxes? I would love to buy, I've damaged many surfaces trying to cut down a box using a box cutter.


I used to be a kitchen manager and we would break down hundreds of boxes in addition to our regular duties. I would knuckle-punch (frog?) the tape, rip the flaps, and fold a box in one motion. These would be stacked in the recycling dumpster. What is the knife used for?


Cutting can save a bit of the space that the fold adds to the stack.

If you don't need the extra space, probably not worth the effort.

Is also nice if you are dealing with mixed sizes of boxes. Cut them to roughly the same size for stacking.

(Not the op, so I could have the wrong motives...)


I got one too and love it. CANARY Corrugated Cardboard Cutter from Amazon.


I got one called "Worx ZipSnip Cordless".

Pretty happy with it.


What is the name of this foam spray and/or what should I search for?


Vinegar works great on gym clothes! I just discovered that too.


what type of vinegar do you use on laundry?

For cars, sometimes it is as easy as changing the cabin air filter.


I'm not them, but I use distilled white vinegar. You just want mild acetic acid with no contaminants.


A dog.

Overall for around 100 bucks a month in food/trifexis the value a dog brings to your life is massive.

People will constantly talk to you so youre socializing.

There's a creature that loves you unconditionally which is a really cool feeling.

Theyre a ton of fun so it's hard to be bored.

They're good for getting exercise as they always want to play.

And more.

Theres studies that say owning a dog increases your lifespan as well.


I get what you're saying but quite a few of my neighbors have dogs that they leave to roam the garden during the day whilst they're out... And said dogs will bark at everyone and everything, which causes me stress (noise pollution). Please only get a dog that you can spend a lot of time with.


Yeah, dogs are pack animals.

If the owner has to leave every day ,they should be bringing their dogs to doggy day care or have another dog to keep it company.

I personally view leaving a dog alone all day as abuse.


God, I've low-key been wanting to adopt a husky...


They were bred for pulling a load for many hours, day after day for hundreds of kilometres. So, they need a lot of exercise or they get bored and will find their own way of getting stimulation (i.e indulging in what we could consider mischief). They are also excellent diggers and can jump over surprisingly high fences/walls. So, they are excellent escape artists too.

If you are experienced with dogs, it shouldn't be an issue and it will be a lot of fun as they are clever and to a degree independent too. On the other hand, if you aren't really clear about what you are getting into, it might spell trouble.

In any case, I wish you luck and hope that you find a suitable canine companion.


Huskys are awesome. I see them at the dog park. They're gorgeous dogs and have a ton of personality.

I don't know if I would get one if I lived in a tropical climate though. Like the southern U.S. states.

West Coast or New England...hell yes!


I've read they adapt okay to tropical climates!

I live in PR and I know quite a couple husky owners, the key according to them is to just try to keep them hydrated, cool and off hot pavement.


Yeah I live in Louisiana in southern U.S. and see tons of huskies at the dog park and they're playing as hard as the other dogs and seem very happy so they're probably fine!

I read the double coat protects from the cold AND the heat.

I shave my Aussies top coat every spring just for posterity and he does fine in the summer.

You should get one! Huskys are totally zany wonderful critters!


What breed of dog? How much is the insurance?


I got an Aussie. No insurance.

I would just pay the 40 bucks for the vet visit if I need it which I haven't in two years of dog ownership so far.


Not sure what your financial situation is, but emergency procedures at the vet can get very expensive very quickly. I would very much recommend insurance even if it is hardly ever needed. Also, starting with insurance later will get you exclusions on the policy for age related issues.

I'm paying USD600 a year per dog in insurance. It already paid for itself for several years with one stomach bug gone bad that needed somewhat intensive care at a vet hospital for several days.


Thanks for the tip. I have to think about it. I don't know anyone who has gotten it out of a handful of people. But it's def f something to think about.

Glad your pooch is ok!


As someone with experience in the veterinary industry I highly recommend pet insurance unless you can afford paying out-of-pocket for surprise procedures. It can be expensive.

Also, be sure to take your pet to a vet at least once a year for annual checkups and preventative care. Do not wait for a reason to go in. So many people call in to have their pet looked at when some weird symptom appears, only to discover that their pet now has an issue that could have been prevented if they had been visiting regularly.


Maybe the most impact day-to-day is splurging ($10/mo) on the 2TB iCloud storage plan for the family. It's pretty much replaced Dropbox, One Drive, scp-ing files around, etc. I even use it on Windows.

Cheap Panasonic Ergofit earbuds. They fit my ears well and isolate me from a good bit of noise. With a Lightning adapter and some sleep sounds / music, they usually get me through any night noises. My Airpods Pro are much better for this but the battery can't get through the night.

I got a 45-watt Nekteck USB-C car charger which helps top off my laptops or iPad when I'm out roaming and working from different places. Had previously used an inverter and the normal charger but this is small and easy.

Little nondo USB-C to USB-A adapters. I'm up to either 6 or 8 of these now. It's just handy to keep them on USB-A devices and no noticeable 2.4GHz interference like other brands.

I got lucky on a $99 black friday deal on a Dell color laser a couple years ago. It's been almost perfect. No more dried out ink. We just finished the last original toner cartridge and can probably get 2+ years out of a $24 knockoff set and that's with a teacher and high schooler in the house.


I've been using jottacloud.com for backups for a while now. The amazing thing is that EUR 8/month gets you unlimited storage. I'm currently at 3 TB of raw photos. Supported by rclone, which makes it really easy to set up a cron job.


Bolt-on forks and trailer ball receiver for front loader bucket. I use these just about everyday, to lift, move, and position stuff. Would not be able to live where I live at my age without them.

Wood door shim to scrape food cooked onto pans. Free and gets off stuff scrubbies won't, without scratching the s** out of a pan using a metal one. Saves ruining wooden spoons doing the same thing.

Battery powered, brushless motor chain saw: i'm worn out before using up two lithium batteries, and get a lot more done with not expending energy pulling on a 2 cycle engine. Same for weedwacker, brush cutter and pole saw. Keep it sharp, works fine for this semi retired farmer, even after sitting idle all winter.


I agree about the battery powered lawn devices. I started with a lawn mower and a string trimmer, graduated to a chainsaw, and finally ended up with a leaf blower. I love them all!

You don't realize how much time and attention you give these small gasoline motors over the years. It's soooo much easier to slap the battery in for the first cut of the season and just go. No more winterizing. No more checking/changing spark plugs. No more pulling starter cords until my arm falls off. No more loud stinky exhaust.

These are by far the best purchase I've made in a long time.


Is it Ryobi? I'm looking into buying the set of weedwhacker, hedge trimmer ect.


I just got the Ryobi 40v weedwacker and leaf blower. I did my 1 acre lot and it still had one bar of battery. I even did some thicker brush areas to put it to the test. Would definitely recommend!


A really nice paper planner that works for the way I think.

For years I was around developers a lot and so they tend to push the mentality that the best tool for organization must be digital. So I tried Trello, google calendar, various habit tracking apps, etc. None of them really had everything I wanted...

Finally I am happy with a paper planner, sticky notes, wet-erase markers that make the laminate cover into a go-anywhere brainstorming tool, pretty pen colors and even stickers as a rewards for hard tasks.

You can get a "masculine" planner like they have at Levenger or Golden Coil, or a more "feminine" planner from Erin Condren, Emily Ley, Plum Paper, Limelife or Northfolk.


I'm a convert into paper as well, I used to use google calendar, trello, various todo list applications. Paper just seems to win out because of its flexibility.

The best thing is you discover/invent more ways to use it as you use it more. You can't really add new features to an app so easily, but with paper its just a matter of writing it down. You can also break rules everywhere and your paper planner will not crash.


Yes! You don't have to wait for your planner to boot up, you don't have to have a special pen, you don't have to worry about charging a battery....plus you can doodle.


Most developers I know are obsessed with paper planners and carry their preferred model everywhere.


This is good to know! Maybe it's because I worked with mostly 20-something's in my last job, and they were always obsessed with the newest tech fad.


Do you happen to know what models these are?


Would you mind sharing which brand / model you went with? I spent too much time looking for a more masculine planner last year and finally settled on something that looks like it belongs to a teenager over something that belongs to my wife.


I went with an Erin Condren vertical layout coiled planner, which is very colorful and pretty, so I don't think that is what you are looking for ;-).

However, the same brand has a line of neutral & undecorated planners with blue/black/grey covers. This one seems like it would raise no eyebrows at work: https://www.erincondren.com/camel-customizable-vegan-leather... .

However, they offer fewer layout options in this line than they do in their more popular offerings.

Levenger, as I mentioned, also has some good options, although they are pricey. ARC (I think that's Staples' store brand?) has a line a lot of people buy. Both of these are discbound, which is a choice you either really like or don't.

Filofax & its ilk also have a lot of options that would look fine in a professional setting.


They sell "writing tools". I'm old enough to remember when those were called pens.


A quick glance at the Levenger website leads me to conclude that if you call it a "writing tool," you can add $30 to the price.

Similarly, if you call the planner cover "vegan leather" instead of "plastic"...


This but building your own ala bullet journal.


I LOVE bullet journals, and all of the youtube videos on different layouts are a wonderful rabbit hole to fall into! However, I'm finding that I like a daily layout and at present I don't have the energy to re-draw 365 days.

Also I like to write in appointments months in advance and I can't do that if I'm drawing just a few weeks ahead.


For this I have the months written on 2 pages where I can set appointments. I also dont write out daily things in advance. Just the date and what i have to do that day


App "Scanner Pro" - feels like a professional scanner, always available on the go and auto-uploads to GDrive. Use it extensively.

Google Voice (until it stopped working well) - I could not have lived overseas for 3yrs w/o Google Voice. An absolute lifesaver while I was making 12-15 transnational trips a year doing both business and grad school at the same time. Google Fi would have been great, but the overall system degraded by then. Concept is amazing and i'd pay big $ for this, I imagine most high end consultants would also.

Apple Music - Seriously, I feel like a thief -- all this music for $10/mo? This should cost $100/mo. I'm on it at least 10-12 hours a day, sometimes even sleep to it. The catalog is extensive. I cross-cut across artists, decades, genres, sub-genres, associated acts, everything.

The Kindle - because I ran out of space for books and never had the book I wanted to read when I was traveling.

Electric Kettle - I make tea 3x as much now because boiling water is so fast and easy.


Microsoft Lens is very good document scanner too, and is free, and directly uploads to OneDrive if need be.


I'm using "Genius Scan". Seems it has the same functionality but costs only 7,99€ once.


I've found the extended features of paid Lose It, mainly protein tracking, to be worthwhile but I wish it wasn't a yearly subscription.


Go to your account and tap on "Switch to lifetime".


$150 is obscene, I remember when an app like this would cost $10


Varying length of phone charging cables.

Bought a couple of bundles of iPhone charging cables from Amazon that were 3ft/6ft/10ft in length with charging attachment from my old iPhones.

It's such a great feeling to use the phone from any part of my place without having to worry about length of the cable.

I keep a couple of the longer cables in my car too just in case someone wants to charge on a long trip.


> Varying length of phone charging cables

For me it's Varying lengths of USB-C charging cables, and a bunch of USB-C -> Micro and USB-C -> Lightning adapters so no more looking for the right cable.


I remember buying two of these https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12016 thinking I would never need to buy another cable/adapter ever again

ha


I have some with Apple 30-pin, micro-USB, and mini-USB.


Same, but Anker cables with lifetime warranty. One dies and without much more than an email and I get a replacement.


Oh yeah. My friends really appreciated it when I upgraded to two 10ft cables snaking out from behind the couch. Finally they could charge while lounging anywhere.


Ditching my laptops for desktop workstation.

Got rid of all my USB C dongles, no concerns about heating, amazing performance, and I'm not the type who codes from a cafe.

Work from cafe is for light chats, emails and occasional writing / jotting down of ideas.

It's trivial to keep things synced between devices, even without using proprietory software.


A headlamp. Allows me to hike in the evening or night. Super useful to hike in the winter when it gets dark early. It never crossed my mind that hiking in the night was a thing but it's pretty cool and I now do it all the time.

Then maybe my commute bicycle that I bought for $200 and that I've been using almost daily for 15 years. So much better than a car or public transportation (at least where I live).

Then we're getting a bit specialized, but as a guitar player, a Yamaha THR (amplifier for playing at home). Tried many solutions and settled for this many years ago.


I use my headlamp for so many things. I can't recommend a good one enough for anyone who spends much time outdoors, or even as a handy thing to keep in the car or shop or anywhere you might end up doing something with low light.


Headlamp makes life much easier when I inevitably forget to take the trash out in the winter.


which headlamp do you use? I bought two years ago from EMS, but they always end up draining the battery super quick when not in use.


I'd recommend a Zebralight one (I like the H600Fc), as they're small, light, and much brighter than most headlamps you'll find. I've also had good luck with Armytek (Wizard Pro Nichia), though people say their reliability is lower.


I'm a long-distance hiker, and this is the one I recommend: the NiteCore NU25 is super light (you can make it lighter with the minimalist strap option), is 360 lumens bright, has 3 LEDs including a red one, and is USB rechargeable. https://www.litesmith.com/nitecore-nu25-triple-output-usb-re...


not OP, but I'd recommend Black Diamond or Petzl. I use the Black Diamond Spot 350. Three AAA batteries, 3oz, and it has a button lockout so it doesn't get activated when packed or stored away.


Prescription glasses optimized for the distance to my computer screen. I was getting eye strain after even a short time in front of the computer. The new glasses completely solved the eye strain. I highly recommend it for anyone who is near sighted and uses a computer.


There's a change you have astigmatism.

I purchased cheap glasses online and intentionally turned down the astigmatism correction. Significantly reduced eye strain.

* During the day, I use my "correct" prescription. Even though it gives me a bit of eye strain.

* At night, I switch to my adjusted prescription. Not as visibly clear, but significantly less eye strains.

It's nice having a clear separation between "focus" glasses and "relaxing" glasses.


How did you find the adjusted prescription numbers?


My benefits package pays for a pair of glasses every year, and my prescription doesn't change much. One year I get a "free" pair of progressive bifocals (with an upcharge of $100-200), the next a "free" pair of prescription sunglasses ($100-200 upcharge) or computer monovision glasses (really free).

So I budget $100-200 from my HSA per year for glasses, and have spares at home, the office, and in the car. When they're 5-6 years old, I donate them to a charity that redistributes them.

Not "tiny" I guess, but surprising luxury for $16/month.


Did you go to your optometrist and ask for this specifically? I've been struggling with this a lot, but figured if my prescription and glasses are what they are, this strain is maybe just a fact of life. I'd love to get rid of it.

I'm so near-sighted that I need my glasses to see the screen, but just barely. In some situations I can take my glasses off to work and it makes such a difference - there's no strain at all.


Yes, I specifically asked the optometrist for this. I measured the distance to my computer screen and they were able to give me a custom prescription. My near-sightedness is not even that bad. But switching from my regular glasses to my computer glasses feels refreshing. Do it!


Thank you, I definitely will. I wasn’t aware it was an option.


Not a tiny purchase, but I use this 250W corn bulb lamp all the time for lighting up my office room in the winter months: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W5DGBJZ/. Amazing amount of light (35k lumens) and does not overheat.


Which fixture do you use for the corn bulb?

I use $30 "FEIT" 55W PAR38 5000-lumen flood lamps, pointed toward the ceiling in $10 "IKEA NOT" floor lamp stands. I also use multiple $11 "FEIT OM200" 25W 3050-lumen LEDs in a ceiling fixture. Since brightening my workspace, my productivity and mood have been better and more stable.


Totally agree. I have a 300W equivalent attached to a $10 IoT plug that turns on when my alarm goes off in the morning.


Food scale I got at Target for like $20.

Over quarantine, I started getting fluffier than I'm comfortable with and reached my highest weight ever. I eat healthy, so my only guess was that I was eating too much. Simply adding a food scale made me cut 15 pounds in a couple months.


How do you know how much you should eat?


(Not OP, but went through a similar process)

The best way (for me at least) was to track my calories, using the food scale to weight things and nutritional labels (or looking things up in Google) to figure out the calories. MyFitnessPal for logging everything.

If you're asking how to know how many calories you need - search for TDEE calculator online, which will give you an estimate number of calories needed for maintenance, or how much for weight loss, given your height, bodyweight and activity level. But - these are just estimates! Track food intake for a month, see if you went down, if not, start targeting fewer calories (or more if you went down too quickly for your needs).


1. If you don't do any sports, you need 50 grams of protein daily (roughly, you can adjust somewhat if you are taller/shorter). If you do some sports, 100 to 200 grams of protein daily. Those are numbers from scientific papers, do your research if you don't believe me. Fats and carbs can vary and you can experiment depending on how you feel.

2. Start to measure and write down the weight and macronutrients of everything you eat.

3. Measure your weight every morning and adjust calories every week by 100-200 depending on your weight gain/loss. But do not fall below the desired protein amount. You should learn to do it reliably within a month.

4. Take your average daily weight every week and try to not lose more than 1-1.5% of your body weight weekly (increase calories if losing faster).

5. When you reach your desired weight, start increasing by 100-200 calories daily, until you reach equilibrium for your weekly average weight. That is your optimal calorie intake.

6. Start learning patterns and you'll figure out how (what and how much) to eat in order to maintain your body weight. After several months of daily calorie tracking, you should be able to eat within reasonable margin of error without measuring anything. At this point you can stop measuring calories.

7. Every now and then, when you gain several extra kilos, repeat the above process for a month or two.


This is a great question! This was something I was stuck on for a long time.

I used to think this would be an extremely time-consuming thing that would be very annoying to learn. What really struck me is how easy this actually turned out to be. In fact tracking what you eat will save you time. Here's how.

People talk about "counting calories". But here's the problem with that: you can eat nothing but donuts throughout the day and stay within your calorie limit, yet it's still unhealthy. What gives? How do we know what is healthy and what isn't?

Enter macros. Calories in food are made up of three "macros", which are: fat; carbs; protein.

So just forget about calories. What you want to know is how many macros you need per day; how many grams of fat, grams of protein, and grams of carbs. The calories will work themselves out.

Okay, how do you find out? Super easy. You can use a calculator like this one: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.h...

For me, every day I aim for:

154g Carbs

150g Protein

32g Fat

Now you might be thinking "Wow that sounds like a pain in the ass to track. How is it even possible to track that?"

There are apps that do this for you. My favorite app is called "Macros" https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.josmantek.... and there are a lot of other good ones out there.

Here's how it works:

1. Look at your food nutrition label (for example, fat-free Greek Yogurt)

2. Find the serving size (170g) and enter that into your app.

3. Find the macros grams (0g Fat; 7g Carbs; 17g Protein) and enter those into your app.

That's it. Your app will now have the nutrition facts of that food item saved forever and you only need to follow this process for new foods / new ingredients. Over time, you will gradually build a library of foods you like to eat.

Whenever you're ready to eat, you select one of your saved food items like "Greek Yogurt", and it will simply ask you the weight of your food. Enter in any weight you want, and it will automatically calculate how many macros/calories it will provide you. If it's too much, adjust the weight down, and if it's too little then adjust the weight up.

Once you decide on the perfect weight / macros, then you use your food scale to get exactly what you need.

To wrap things up, this also saves you time because now it enables you to plan ahead exactly what you want to eat and how much you want to eat. When it's time to eat, you just open up your plan and follow the instructions, no more staring blankly into the fridge.


Modern pressure cooker saves 50+ hours of my time per year in cleaning and cooking time, not to mention gas costs.

Not "tiny," but the cost/benefit ratio is significant.


My wife and I got one this spring and use it for most dinners now and love it. Quick, easy to clean, and the kitchen doesn't get near as hot as compared to the oven.

One of my favorite things we make with it is refried beans. Makes canned refrieds taste like dog food.


I don't know what it is but I find pressure cooking brings out the good flavour in beans, and less of the flavour people describe as "beany" - like a raw bean from the pod would taste.

They also have a smoother texture than cooking in a pot. It's my favourite way to cook them too.


Oh man, lots of things. I have sensory processing disorder so I have a good kit for going out. That includes noise reducing headphones, both bluetooth and physical ones just to dampen the noise.

This neurofeedback device for sleep and other issues, super interesting science behind it: https://mindalive.com/products/david-delight-pro

And a PEMF device for chronic pain.


Console Tape as an alternative to masking tape for labeling things. It's faster than prints for simple labels, and unlike masking tape you can remove it years later without knives or scrapers. It's a low-adhesion paper tape often used by gaffers and such for sticking temporary labels on things, with the canonical example being to label tracks on mixing consoles. That and professional quality Gaff tape. Buy the Pro Tapes brand.


A sous vide circulator. $100-200. Never eat dry chicken again, extremely consistent results, flexible (I'm making yogurt in it right now), and stupid easy.

I got this one (https://www.chefsteps.com/joule) but Anova is much more popular (https://anovaculinary.com/anova-precision-cooker/)


I got a deal on one with WIFI and I love it. I use mine in a insulated cooler with a hole in the lid. I usually don't know what time I will get home till after lunch. I can throw in frozen meat before I leave for work, and then start the thaw and cook process whenever. If its going to be a long day I will add ice to the water bath.


Love my Joule. Been using it for years now it feels like for an amazing amount of things. Also the size and waterproof aspect of it is unbeatable. Good customer service too now that breville owns em.


I am not sure if cooking food inside a plastic bag is healthy.


For what it's worth, you can get reusable, resealable silicone bags which work well and are less likely to leach into your food.


A bottle of isopropyl alcohol. I did not own any until I was well into adulthood, and am continually amazed by how well alcohol cleans almost everything. (Barkeeper's Friend and copper scrubbing pads are a close second, for kitchen cleaning duties.)

For woodworking -- a pocket hole jig. Around $50, with only that, a drill, a saw, and (optionally) wood glue, you can make a ton of useful and sturdy stuff, with minimal training. A chisel and mallet are similarly surprisingly useful.


It's also great for killing wasps. You can squirt the high-concentration stuff all over as you flinch in terror of the winged interlopers, and it evaporates safely off any expensive electronics that get caught in the crossfire.


You know what else is even better for wasps? A shop vac!

They don't survive the trip through the hose. Often you can get the nest, too, although some might survive inside.

If you have ground wasps (which are the worst because they chase you until they get you!), you just lay the big end of the pipe next to their hole for a few minutes, morning and evening, until you have got them all.

So, in answer to the original question: a shop vac!


Amazfit Bip watch. Consistently 23 +- 1 day of battery life, 20,000 watch faces at `amazfitwatchfaces.com`, shows me all my notifications, tracks my heart rate and sleep patterns, has GPS. I paid $60 for Bip in 2018, and after it broke after 2.5 years (design flaw fixed in later production units), I bought used Bip Lite as replacement since I always use the GPS on my phone, not on the watch itself.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. I fall asleep while reading this in bed. Almost every US library offers Overdrive ebook service which is integrated into Kindle; basically, any book I see interesting, I can search for it, check it out (or put myself on the hold list), and have it auto-sent to Kindle, all within 30 seconds. I can't tell you how nice it is to always have the various books I'm currently reading at the moment on hand, and to be able to switch between them as I feel like it.


Amazfit Bip also does not leak your data when used with Gadgetbridge.


A vacuum insulated water bottle. It reminds me to drink more water and it stays cold the entire day.


I was chronically dehydrated for much of my life because I can't tell when I'm thirsty - my mouth doesn't send me the right signals. About 8 years years ago I bought a 48-oz Nalgene bottle which I fill up in the morning. It's big so I have a constant visual reminder right there on my desk in front of me, and I have no problems finishing it off and often refilling it in the early evening. It's absolutely improved my health.


Came here to post this. Also, vacuum insulated mugs and tumblers for hot/cold drinks as well.


Thermos sells a $30-33(?) one in two different shades of silver — the one with with green rubber(silicone?) grommets.

After performing the research, I can confirm you'll struggle to find better in any category you've been disappointed in previously.


I remember leaving mine in my car in the middle of summer. After work, I tried to pick it up, but the metal on the outside was so hot I couldn't. Inside, though, the water was cold and there was still ice sloshing around. It really impressed me.


Target sells a Zulu Ace water bottle that I really enjoy. The bottom screws off, so it's incredibly easy to clean.


Agreed entirely. Mine is a Yeti Rambler with the "chug cap". Absolutely amazing and indispensable.


I don't know if I'd call it cheap, but more a great value. My Aeron chair. Had it for 7 years now, bought it new for about $1000. Best chair ever and has helped with a lot of posture problems.


Remember Billy Bob Thornton's character, in Pushing Tin? He was onto something.

I used Aeron chairs for decades. Now I use a lightweight, rigid metal chair, with no cushion, and am happier. I get up and walk around at least once an hour, which is Good. It is easy to get stuck in an Aeron chair all day, which is Bad.

Sometimes I just use a stool.


Agreed! I bought mine >10 years ago and it still looks/works great. I got it back in the "crash" of 2008 when everyone was trying to unload them so it only cost ~$750. I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of it.


Light sensor outlet covers! They're pretty handy for walking around the house at night and not stubbing a toe.


Seconding these. I put them in the hallway between my bedroom and bathroom. They automatically shut off when it gets light.


For voice recordings - Izotope RX8 elements. Found it for $9 right now. Aggravating mouth noises be gone.

Magnetic charging cables. Some can't take advantage of the higher speed charging (only connecting V+ and ground), but it's unreasonably nice to have cables throughout the house that can support all of your devices.

A comfortable mouse with enough buttons. A comfortable keyboard that just works, even if you don't have the driver software.


Any good mice you could recommend? I used to use a Razer Naga during my MMO days and I've really missed the side button array, but I found myself replacing them way too often (they'd wear out and start double clicking in just 6 months on average).


I tend to prefer gaming mice, simply for their long-term comfort, lots of buttons, and precision. I'm still holding on to a Logitech G9, it's one of the best mice I've ever had. Discontinued, sadly.

The Logitech MX series is pretty decent, though I've had to start fighting with uneven mousewheel acceleration. Corsair makes decent mice, and Razer as well.

The double click issue I've had happen with a couple of products. A Razer opto-mechanical keyboard had this crop up, a previous Logitech MMO mouse did this (double left click as well), and even a "Topre" switch keyboard had this happen. I haven't had it happen with cherry switch keyboards (yet), but I'm sure it will.

It almost seems like an industry-wide problem that combines less-expensive switch components and debouncing tolerances that are set too tightly - it's like none of the newer products are set up to handle aging switches. Just a guess though.


What sort of voice recordings? Like voice notes in chat apps or voice overs?


where can I get Izotope RX8 elements for $9 ? that is a really good deal


Well, hell. Apparently I got in on a sale. I just purchased it directly from Izotope's store. It's not showing the discounted price for me now.

Sorry about that.


I was able to find it for $19 now. Do you know if you can buy additional plugins for it?


So far as I've found, they only sell the individual tools in the "Elements", "Standard", and "Professional" bundles.

The other tools I use in my FX chains are all reaper built-ins and plugins.


What are some of your most used plugins for reaper?


Cheap attachable toilet bidet


I've had the Tushy bidet for a couple years now and it's great! Overall it has made me feel a lot more hygienic and I only use a small amount of TP to dry off now.


Seconding this. I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/Greenco-Non-Electric-Mechanical-Toile...

Works great and doesn't require electricity. Previously had an expensive one that had extra features like water/seat heating, but honestly the cheap one is fine.


Squatty Potty is good too and has hilarious ads :)


How is that any better than just spreading the cheaks before sitting and resting the elbows on the knees?

Serious question. I just think good toilet etiquette/hygiene is not being taught. For example, wipe any sweat and hairs off the seat before putting the lid down (or seat up if no lid) before flushing.


Upvoted. It's the only way to go for me now. I got the $37 model. You can buy direct or from amazon.

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=luxe+bidet&ref=nb_sb_noss_1


Is there some issue with the cold water? If you live in a cold climate? Asking for a friend :D


You can just ask for yourself, this is HN not Reddit. You get used to the cold after a few uses, but there are luxury models that allow temperature control.


Where I live, the ubiquitous variant is attached to the faucet on your washbasin, so you get to set any temperature you want. (Most lavatories have the washbasin close enough to the throne that you only need to lean forward a bit; can get awkward in handicap toilets though.)


You would think having cold water applied to your underside would be uncomfortable, but it's not really. Sure, its a bit of a shock sometimes but you get used to it. And honestly, not having to wipe (and wipe and wipe) is 100% worth it.


This is kind of a combo... a wallet case for my iPhone plus coded door locks on my house. Now when I go out, I don't have any reason to carry anything beyond my phone and I never have to worry about keys. If I forget something at home, I can send the neighbor a temporary code to get into the house.


Have you checked whether your coded door locks have ever "starred" on the LockPickingLawyer YouTube channel?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9K6rby98W8JigLoZOh6FQ


He has convinced me that really nearly all consumer oriented locks are easily picked.

According to cops that did a talk in a neighborhood I lived in though, usually criminals just kick in the door anyway. To be skilled in lockpicking probably means you are skilled enough in life that robbing houses isn't going to be your major vocation.


which model do you use?


- A sneaker cleaner kit, to keep my sneakers clean with no effort.

- A 15000 lux day lamp, because my apartment is pretty dark, why causes some sort of depressing feelings over time

- A Brita Water Filter Pitcher, which replaces all the bottles of water I needed to buy and carry.

- Magnet app (mac OS) to organize windows quickly with keyboard shortcuts.


Ex-Magnet user here, try Rectangle. It's faster than Magnet, doesn't cause weird bugs, free, open source AND has more features.

It's the whole package.


These were all a bit limited for me. I've settled on yabai[1] (window manager) and SKHD[2] (hotkeys), cannot recommend it enough. [0] https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai [1] https://github.com/koekeishiya/skhd


I've never understood why Apple doesn't make the features Rectangle offers native to macOS. Snapping windows shouldn't require a third-party app, but yet here we are.


Microsoft patented it


How come most Linux desktop environments have it?


MSFT patented snapping windows?


Nice, thanks! I’ve been using SizeUp for a few years but it has an annoying nagware pop up. I’ll definitely look into rectangle


What's the lamp model?


A personal planner, every year.

I have always struggled with bursts of hyper-productivity and then bursts of burnout and developed a problem with getting motivated. A friend gave me the advice to get a notebook and write down what I did every day in broad strokes and if I had some particular mood swings or other mental health-related struggles.

It helped me develop good habits as I am awful at repetitive stuff and sometimes I even write down my short term plans ahead of time to just have a framework to keep to day to day. I abhor planning every moment of my life to a strict schedule so this is isn't an hour-to-hour plan but a list of activities and keywords, basically. It also assures that I don't get so deep into something that I just shut the outside world out.

I've been doing this for four years now and I have never missed a day of writing things down. I don't know why but "manifesting" plans into the physical realm just makes them more... real? The added benefit is that I can tell anyone what I did each day and what I struggled with / was happy to experience at any given day of those 4 years.


What a great question!

* A very long USB-C cable from an Apple store. I get jealous looks when I break it out to charge my phone.

* Scented candles from Aldi. It's such a quality of life boost to have the place smelling nice. They last ages and cost nothing.

* A creme brulee hand blowtorch. Surprisingly useful! Excellent for lighting aforementioned candles instantly, without burning your knuckles.

* A real P3 respirator with replaceable filters. I've seen the rate that people go through disposable masks. Replacing the filters every few months is vastly cheaper than that! And bonus, it's at least an order of magnitude more effective.


> Scented candles

Generally candles emit fine particulates which is unhealthy.


That's not a problem as long as they're wearing the P3 respirator!


If you're really concerned, just use a candle snuffer to blow it out and don't huff the fumes


> A creme brulee hand blowtorch.

Seconded. It's absurdly nice to have a focused torch when you need one. And most are refillable, making them better than most lighters.


Could you make s’mores with that ?


Yeah without a doubt


Often a real P3 respirator has a valve to prevent fogging with doesn't filter what you exhale though so you're not helping the pandemic.


It's not ideal of course, but I don't think it's fair to say I'm not helping. Almost nobody wears a mask that truly filters what they exhale - their main functions are to trap moisture and stop you projecting droplets with your voice. My mask does capture a lot of moisture, as evidenced by the condensation inside, and the valve redirects my exhalation sideways, so I think that's likely at least as good as the cheapy surgical-style masks which are common.

Also, I tend to take the view that the best tool available to me to not spread Covid is to not catch Covid. It's apparent to me that relying on the people around me to wear masks and be sensible is not a viable strategy for avoiding transmission events. When the prevailing attitude is that the pandemic is over, I do not feel it is selfish to protect myself to the best of my ability.


3M is now making a high-quality respirator that has an optional exhalation filter attachment. I forget the model number but you can find it on the grainger website.


Eye Mask - I sleep so much better and longer with one on. I recommend one that doesn't sit on your eyes directly (has a bit of concavity).


same here - first I used it for travelling, now I can't sleep without it.

tried several models and the Ohropax Schlafmaske 3D is the best. has concave eye patches - so, maybe you already use it. also washable and quite sturdy.

https://www.shop-apotheke.com/arzneimittel/9667846/ohropax-s...


I second this. I sleep so much better with it on. But I do need one with concavity, otherwise it hurts my eyes after a while.


I strongly recommend the Manta Sleep mask (no affiliation, just really like them). Adjustable non-contact eye cups, plus you can get different eye cup "mods" like cool (keep in freezer) or warm (microwave) cups that feel amazing. Amazon, or mantasleep.com.


Can second this, I got a Manta a few months ago and I love it. I sleep better when it's pitch dark and the sleep mask helps ensure that it is.

The only nitpick is that if you're a side sleeper (I am) it can be a little uncomfortable depending on what kind of pillow you use. I use shredded memory foam pillows and they're pretty firm.


The Manta has thicker materials compared to other masks, so when I turn my head on my pillow, the mask is often pushed off my face slightly. You can tighten it of course, but then its a comfort tradeoff. I wouldn’t recommend manta for this reason.


May I ask why you don't manage to make your room completely dark instead of wearing a mask?


Eye masks are far cheaper than new black-out curtains.


Room air purifier ten years ago. Knowing the health impacts of indoor air, and the effect of prolonged exposure, it has been a huge relief knowing the family is sleeping in more safety in a home that we spend 20+ hours a day in (during the -20C winters).


Not cheap, but the Austin Air bedroom machine is incredible. It's the best HEPA filter I've ever bought by far.


Robot vacuum: Ecovacs Deebot T9 Plus, paid about USD1300. Not a minor purchase, but if you've got hardfloors and no clutter in the floors: get a robot vacuum!

I for one have been really really happy with the Ecovacs Deebot T9 Plus. It even mops the floors in the same operation and doesn't get easily stuck due ti AI and LIDAR scanning.

So far it has worked for about 50 hours. That is time I have gotten free up to do other things, which is the essence of why I recommend it. Also, my place has never neen this clean consistently over time :)


I got a used Roomba 614 for $135. It has worked well for 8 months so far. In the future, I will purchase only furniture which the robot can clean under.


Blue light blocking glasses. I work on computers a lot and usually ended up feeling fatigue by the middle of the day. When wearing blue light blocking glasses, I don't feel tired anymore :).

I've had them for about a year and a half now.


Would you mind sharing which brand?


Not OP, but I've bought a dozen different blue light blocking glasses, including the fancy $100 ones from Gunnar Optiks. Gunnar had good performance, but no better than the $12 cheapo pair I got off Amazon (no doubt from a reseller of generic Chinese wares). Save yourself the money and go with a cheap pair to see if you like it. You can always invest more later if you find it to be worthwhile, but in this case price did not yield any appreciable difference to me.


You can use an app to do this as well. f.lux was the first app in this category I think and is still a great choice. I run it on a Macbook. There are similar apps for phones as well. Some phones now include built-in functionality to do this as well.


My optometrist added the blocking into my standard glasses. I know not everyone wears glasses, but for those who do, just pay the extra charge to have it included in your lenses.


I use a blue light blocking screen on my monitor to get the same effect.


A white noise machine -- our bedroom overlooks a busy street, so there's constantly random noises in the middle of the night. Big improvement in sleep quality!

We got a Dohm Classic, but you can just get an app for your phone if you like.


I've been using an app (Noisli, before that it was White Noise Generator) on my iPad every night for the past 6 years.

Works great and you can customize the white noise. At first I was concerned that running it continuously for 8-9 hours every night would wear out the speakers on the iPad, but that was an unfounded worry.


Living in CA, I bought a big air purifier last year. I found not only did it help my breathe better, if I left it on medium or high, it's a good white noise machine too.


Seconding the white noise machine. It helps me falling asleep and staying asleep.


I’ve used an $8 gerber shard keychain tool for over 10 years.

It opens cardboard boxes, pries open covers, cuts strings, and drives the occasional screw. All without worrying about losing a Swiss army or leatherman, and it’s airport and government building friendly which is big for me.


I carry a Nite Ize Doohickey but it's 90% box tape cutter and 10% bottle opener. Not sharp at all but I haven't tried flying with it.

https://www.niteize.com/product/DoohicKey-Multi-Tool.asp


For the clueless like me, it has nothing to do with baby food (https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/multi-tools/all-multi-...)


> opens cardboard boxes [...] cuts strings

How does that work? I looked it up and it doesn't seem like it has a knife. (Not that you'd want something that sharp in your pocket unprotected anyway.)


The little “v notch” that they call a wire cutter is sharp enough to go through packing tape. Not sharp enough to bother you though, any more than a house key on the same ring.

It’s not a tool I’d use to break down 1000 boxes a day, but it’s fine for an Amazon box or two.


For the same reason I keep a Swiss+Tech ST53100 Multitool on my keys. It's as long as a key, and like your tool it doesn't have a blade so is airport- and government building-safe.


this isn't super cheap, but relative to the competing products, it is very cheap - A 43" 4K monitor from TCL is ~$300 (they used to be like $220, but I think a new model has supports 120Hz instead of just 60Hz).

It's the equivalent of having 4, 23" 1080p monitors, all smooshed together with no bezel. You can see sooo much. It's not as high of a dpi, but I switched to it from a 39" ultra curved widescreen that was over $1000 and I can see even more.

Another tiny set of purchases that makes life easier - buy different colored and patterned cables instead of just black. I can actually find what I need so much quicker instead of trying to trace a single black cable through the rat's nest.


I bought a little Epson label printer, and I print tags for both ends of a cable. Same idea, but sometimes it's hard to get a variety of colors, depending on the cable.

Also works magnificently for trying to figure out what's plugged into the multi-outlet next to the entertainment center. "This is the TV plug. This is the amplifier. This is the NAS. This is the switch." It's so much easier when the switch's power adapter has a big "SWITCH" label on it.


I used to do the same thing for years until I got tired of Windows' horrid handling of a mixture of 4k and HD monitors (I thought they would fix it but things just got worse). I went with an AOC 2560 32" curved gaming monitor...zero issues.


you're talking about the DPI scaling between the TV and a laptop monitor? I agree it's annoying. I've solved it in two ways - I got a second 43" "montior", the other is I just keep my laptop closed. I feel you though.


> I can actually find what I need so much quicker instead of trying to trace a single black cable through the rat's nest.

Another way I've solved this with standard black wires is to get multi-color tape and then put tape around both ends of the wire. You can get a 10 pack of assorted colors for like $10. It's handy if you have a rats nest of black computer wires.


Clothespins, carabiners, tiedown straps, and S-hooks. They are all physical fasteners. My apartment and equipment are littered with them. Any thing that has a loop can thus be attached to any other thing with a loop. Any cable can be simply knotted once to hold a carabiner, thus any cable can be attached to any loop.

It feels like adult Lego. Just wish more things had loops.


An ostrich feather duster. People ridicule it for only spreading the dust around. That's the point! It spreads to the floor where it's eventually sucked up by the vacuum cleaner.


Silver and Gold ink Markers - When you purchase a device with a wall wart charger, write the device name on it. Labels peel off, the ink tends to stay forever. Now when I move/pull something out of storage/my bag I know exactly what adapter goes to what.


Paint pens. Available in many colors.


Hue Ambiance light bulbs with OEM switches. Being able to dim without buzz, and change color temperature (Blue/white/red) is a game changer for my circadian rhythm and overall feel of the apartment.

This may be prohibitively expensive for people who live in large places.


When you say OEM switches, what exactly do you mean?

I've been trying to get the perfect setup and the Lutron LZL-4B was pretty close, but they've been discontinued and are hard to find for under $100 / switch.

The RunLessWire switches don't use batteries, which is a negative for me. To use them you have to push the switch oddly hard, so when visitors don't press it hard enough they assume the lights are broken.

The Philips Hue Dimmer would be *perfect* if it fit a standard light switch opening. But it doesn't, and I'm not going to stick an extra fake-looking outlet to my walls.


The official hue ones with buttons for power, brightness, and temp. (Maybe the same one you mentioned?) I'd prefer one with analog knobs, but that doesn't exist AFAIK.

I went through a period where I'd use home assistant, the phone app, and Google Assistant (voice), but ultimately, this setup with the physical switches is easier / fewer hassles.


Yeah. I just wish I could get those to fit in with the rest of my light switches.


Not exactly tiny, but life-changing: A treadmill desk. Get healthier while you're working or playing video games instead of getting fatter. You can get an under-table model for about $200 that works with a table you already have.


Huge water bottles- mine is 40 oz.

I figured out that I pretty much always drink 2 or three bottles of water per day, no matter what size of bottle I use. So a big old water bottle doubles the amount of water I drink in a day


I just borrow the kids' used softdrink PET bottles for a while. No need to wash them out or anything, just rinse out the few leftover drops of Coke or 7-Up first time you fill it up, and switch to a fresh one after a while, let them recycle the old one.


Bareroot native trees and fabric pots.

A watering can.

Now I collect seeds and nurse baby trees to plant out. It takes hardly any time from day to day, and I always have something to look forward to. It's the only activity I've found that perfectly embodies the "think global, act local" ethos.


My favourite of all the posts here. I would love to read a how-to for ignorant techies, describing all the details and how it takes hardly any time.


For me it’s been a carbon steel wok.

I cook fried rice a few times a week so recently I decided to upgrade my non-stick wok with one made from carbon steel as I’ve heard good things about them and the non-stick coating of my wok had started to wear away.

I’ve been really impressed with how much better it is to cook with and honestly given how often I cook rice I couldn’t live without it anymore. I’ve found it has far superior non-stick properties compared to my old wok, it can be used at extremely high heats, and it’s basically indestructible. It also gives my rice a much stronger fried taste which I personally love. I wish I’d brought one years ago now. Would definitely recommend if you enjoy fried rice as much as I do.


I use an outdoor propane stove with massive BTUs from Camp Chef for my wok. You need big heat for a wok. Makes all the difference, you just have to get used to cooking really fast under really high heat.

https://www.campchef.com/cooking-systems/14-cooking-systems/...

This stove is only about half as powerful as one in a Chinese restaurant. Those things are rocket engines.


If you live in a place where black ice is a thing: Icebug shoes / boots.

They are very comfortable and supporting shoes with metal studs so that you don’t slip on that black ice patch ever again.

Not exactly cheap but totally worth the price.


20$ nokia 105 that replaced my smartphone.


Smartphone and internet addiction?


Why did you choose this particular model?


20$.


AfterShokz Aeropex ("Bone conduction" bluetooth headphones)

Lets me listen to audiobooks and pod casts while still being aware of my surroundings and not having to jam things into my ear canals....


A shower curtain rod. My HOA doesn't allow clothes lines. My family has a lot of clothes that might shrink, air dried clothes smell better, it's all we used growing up and it saves money. I have a nook on my 2nd level deck between the chimney and the door where I hung a shower curtain rod. My house has woods behind it and this nook hides it from the side. It pays for itself with each use and let's me thumb my nose in a small way at the HOA and actually do something constructive for ecological stewardship.

Every self-proclaimed environmentalist (I consider myself a steward and ecologist not an environmentalist) trying to change entire global economics should just try drying their damn clothes with the sun, and push for laws that allow it akin to right to repair.

I also don't use a dishwasher. Utter waste of energy and water. And guess what? That pot you're going to boil water in next time doesn't need to be sanitized. Wipe it out with a dish rag and put it away. The boiling water the next time you cook your specialty frufru pasta flown in from Italy will kill any germs.


> I also don't use a dishwasher. Utter waste of energy and water.

If you run it for a plate or two, sure. If it's even remotely full, it uses way less energy and water than you do washing in the sink.


You can force anything past a HOA by threatening to put up a big ham radio antenna if they block you.

They cannot by law (AIUI) forbid you from putting up a ham antenna!

BTW, dishwashers use way less water than most people do washing dishes by hand.


Ear-plugs for when I sleep. I used to wake up at the slightest noise, which made me extra groggy the next day. Now I can sleep soundly.


Also unbelievablely great for air travel*. You will be a lot less exhausted after your journey just by wearing earplugs.

NOW BOARDING FLIGHT 1345 SREEEEEECH TO LONDON HEATHROW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT! BEEP. BOOP!

NOW REPEATING WHAT I JUST SAID IN 6 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES!

AHHHHHH!

Do make sure you're at your gate before inserting. Trust me.

*Air travel really was a thing before the spring of 2020. I swear it was.


Which ones?


The ones that are shaped like a butt plug. Not the ones shaped like a bullet. Those get stuck in your ear hole. :)

31 to 33 decibel NRR, not the 20 NRR ones. Human speech is ~55 decibels.


Have used industrial ear plugs for years. Great for traveling.


A mini-tripod for a camera phone. It is one of the cheapest things I've bought (<£20 I think), but I've got way more value out of it than most purchases. It can hold a phone vertically or horizontally, and the head and feet are very adjustable. Perfect for joining work/social video calls, recording videos, or taking photos, I just love it.


Mentioned it before, but I started with ClassPass (on Android) right before the pandemic started. Tried a few gyms and workouts, found some I enjoy, and now sticking to a routine of five HIIT / spinning workouts per week, albeit as direct gym memberships. I'd say I'm the fittest I've ever been, and improving.


Really good heaphones. It's been years since I bought them and I'm still amazed almost daily just how good music can sound.

I'll admit that the cost upfront was not exactly cheap, but if you divide the price by the useful lifespan (my previous headphones lasted for 8 years) it becomes a no-brainer.


Sony WH-1000XM2, M3 and (I assume) M4 are some of the best and most comfortable headphones I've ever owned. My current M3s are going on 3 years old and plan on getting M4s when it kicks the bucket.

The only pair I've loved more were Sony MDR-XB500. I would kill for them to come back and especially in wireless.

I am not an audio snob but these sound great and most importantly, are extremely comfortable for long periods.


Or the good enough classic Sony 7506s.

Studio mainstay of the last 30+ years. Comfy as hell. Accurate enough, if flattering. <$100. I have a 20 year old pair that got a few new sets of earpads but sound as good as day one.


PI for a pihole was the best investment.


The $7 lightening to headphone converter. Restores your good headphones to iPhone compatibility.


Sansa Sandisk - Bought it for 25 USD ten years back. Listened hundred of audio books. I am still using it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SanDisk_Sansa

Edit: Updated wiki link


I bought a Sansa Clip+ (or some Clip) about 10 years ago. Its insistence on scanning every file on it every time I started it was annoying. Then I discovered Rockbox and it made everything about the Clip awesome.


Just had flashbacks to my Sansa Fuse loaded with RockBox.

The whole Sansa line was pretty awesome.

Thanks for that.


Not that small but my Bose NC 700's ($399)

They drove me mad until maybe the last 6 months, the firmware was atrocious but recently it has much improved, I also bought the USB link for times that there is a lot of interference.

What most people dont realise is that yes they have noise cancelling for you (e.g, they reduce the noise you can hear), but they also use their external microphones to cancel the noise in the room for the people on the call, you can be in a noisy room / office and it sounds silent on the call - crucial when working at home with other people during lockdowns or in noisy open plan offices.

The best purchase I have made in the last 2 years by far


Amazon's Echo, I use it every day. It cost me less than $100 in 2014 and so far it's given me 7+ years of constant use. I never thought it would be so handy. I've bought lots of 1st generation devices and most of them get used for a bit and end up in the closet just before they get taken to the recycler but my 1st generation echo is still running strong.

I listen to streaming radio, music, podcasts. It reads my kindle books. I can ask it for the time, news, timers and to turn lights on. The list goes on and on. Yup, Amazon is the current boogey-company but they sure know how to keep a customer happy.


Adjustable laptop stand (I've one with 2 legs - 3 joints each) plus Ikea bed tray - both combined

laptop stand is to adjust eyes-display level (no more neck pains) and bed tray allows me to switch between regular and standing desk


Replacing my TN monitor with an IPS monitor.


Zojirushi water boiler! No more waiting for the kettle. Instant boiling water.


Cheap massage gun - it helps relieve the muscle tension after sitting all day


Wireless phone charger in the home and in the car. My phone usb socket is really unreliable and this seems to happen with every handset I've had so rather than worry about that you just put the phone down on the charger. So much easier!

Guitar. Not a tiny purchase but I realised that my last one costing about 100 pounds had lasted for nearly 30 years of heavy playing, so I bought myself a new Mexican Strat as a treat.

Kayak. Can be had cheap and if you live near the river it's a great activity, especially as we couldn't go far from home in lockdown.


(grand)kids toys especially large cumbersome play center type ones free off Craigslist. Also kids books cheap at garage sales and goodwill. And for grandpa two buck chuck and box wine :-)


Two things:

1. Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 Bluetooth speaker.

Compact and very loud, also has good battery life. Handy on hikes and similar. The waterproofing is excellent and I use it in the shower to listen to podcasts, etc.

2. Sony WH1000MX4 Bluetooth headphones.

I was skeptical in getting a full set of headphones as I always preferred earphones. These things have amazing sound quality and noise cancelation which means you don't have to listen to music as loud when outdoors. Battery life is extremely good also. Pricey, but well worth it and highly recommended.


> Handy on hikes

Are you aware that other hikers hate you for this? I suppose you don’t care.


Given the response, I probably should have clarified that this was meant more for camping not hiking per se. I wouldn't use it walking an actual trail with other hikers as that would be rude (and also what the headphones are for anyway) .


I can see a use-case for scaring off predators, but the time tested 'bell on a walking stick' sure is more polite to other hikers.


If predators are bears then the U.S. National Parks Service cautions against this method, at least in Yellowstone. They claim it’s ineffective as they aren’t loud enough.


Good to know!


It's disappointing that the lack of self awareness translates so faithfully from the trail to HN.


Not all! On my last hike we ran upon some folks with a Bluetooth speaker blasting music.

I started dancing and having fun with the hikers...


While everyone else cringed, and was angry.

You may not understand this, but most other people go out to nature to enjoy nature. Blasting music kills the experience.

I'm guessing both of you are just kids whose parents missed this particular lesson.


I also go out to nature to enjoy nature. I also enjoy silence outside. You mind hikers with music and I don't.

You may not understand this, but there's such a thing as disagreement and preference.


I absolutely understand differing preferences.

The difference is that someone blasting music is IMPOSING their preference on everyone else.


Do you really go hiking with a ‘very loud’ Wonderboom speaker?


> Bluetooth speaker.... Handy on hikes

Noooooooo. PLEASE enjoy nature and let others enjoy nature. You are missing out (and cheesing off everyone else)


My big gripe with Sony headphones is the touch interface. It's just not very good, triggers accidentally and is awkward to use intentionally (and gloves are out). I wish I'd bought the equivalent Bose headset (they cost the same) with physical controls. Sound and NC wise they're great though, I've never slept better on a flight.


Yes I agree the touch controls are rubbish, and I ended up turning them off. I see where they were going with it, but it's just too unreliable.


a weighted blanket. now i sleep like a baby :)


I got my wife one of these and was surprised when she was away how well I slept under it


For me it’s three things:

* B2 storage: instead of throwing away anything on my computer because the HDD is filling up and being anxious because I might need it in the future, I just dump it on B2, which stores it forever for cents per month.

* Wireless charging stand: now I can see my phone and notifications while working, and it’s charging, and I never forget where I left it.

* Victorinox Outrider pocket knife: always have a knive, scissors, Phillips screwdriver and bottle opener handy.


Casio $12 & $22 watches. I get to choose which watch I wear, no battery problems, not heavy, simple resin black straps, rather smaller face.

$4 Car Lighter USB Charger from Walmart auto elec section with two ports. One for my phone, cable always attached, one for occasional passenger. Same in Electrical section is $11.

$20/year Google One storage 100GB. $120/year Dropbox 1TB. Finally having a offsite backup.

$2.04 Pen & Gear paper journals from Walmart with Magnetic closure flap.


which casios? I have a silver F-91W, swapped out the strap for an 18mm grey NATO, it's been superb.


F W-96M with default straps. & The other famous cheapest casio. Gonna look into nato straps.


Velcro Cord Wrapping Tape: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002433097616.html I bought 4 different colors for wrapping different wires that go to different kinds of devices.

Magnetic chargers for all my devices: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002239613192.html For context, I never transfer data through cords for my devices. I have semi-permanently affixed these chargers to my devices and now I have chargers that work for all of them. Life-changing purchase.

Cheap Earbuds: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000507169624.html I bought 10x of these for ~1 USD each, and it put a pair in every bag, box and jacket I traveled with so I'd always have a set with me no matter what. Very convenient.

Metal card wallet: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32808543399.html Going on 3 years, fairly durable for the price. Reduced wallet size by forcing me to discard (pun intended).

Sleep mask: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KC5DWCC Also life-changing. I have 16 windows in my room and this allowed me to finally sleep past daybreak.

Ear protection: (not exact pair, but similar) https://www.amazon.com/12010-34dB-Highest-Safety-Muffs/dp/B0... Combined with the aforementioned cheap earbuds, these replace 200+ USD noise cancelling headphones for ~15 USD total and allow me to concentrate at work.

Rechargeable batteries (AAA and AA), and recharger: I use these for everything that requires batteries.

The Phoenix Project (Book): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1942788290/ This book helped me change my career trajectory in a positive way.


My marriage license. My wife enriches my life immensely.


As an adult with braces, the enpuly waterflosser from aliexpress has been hugely useful.

Most waterpiks are super huge, but with the portable waterfloser, I can bring it in a restaurant with me and clean my teeth after I eat.

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005001441763647.html


My second hand Netgear Nighthawk router is the best $100 I've ever spend. Never had connectivity issues ever again.


Model would be nice, I have Nighthawk too - R7960P - and it's buggy as heck, refuses to upgrade and very flaky. Very disappointed.

Upd: I see you specified the model below, didn't notice that, sorry. Will check that one out, maybe it's better?


Which model? Did you get it from eBay?


I have the netgear nighthawk r7000. It's a legendary model and has passed the test of time.


Giant, double-handled roll of stretch wrap.

Me and one of these come moving time is a sight to behold.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/IPG-20-In-X-1000-Ft-Stretch-Wrap-...


Wooden "bow" hammock. These sell all over the place, and I got the cheapest I could find at NZD ~300 including transport. The "bed" is easily detachable so I can store it out of the weather, and the hammock itself is holding up excellently.


A large (135cm diameter) umbrella. It cost just under £30 and I love using it.

I've always had a good outdoor coat but my legs and feet would still get wet. With the umbrella, only my toes get wet in a downpour. It's large enough for my two kids and I to get under!


SwiMP3. It's a music player for underwater activities. It enables me to listen to audiobooks and podcasts while I swim, which makes this workout much more enjoyable and fun, as swimming can become boring once you do it every day for an hour.


SodaStream...I just love that I can have a slightly carbonated water when ever I want without having to drag bottles, having to return them ect. When I move to the new house I will get one of those attachments and refill the canisters myself.


Not a tiny purchase, but small compared to things like houses and cars, is Lasik. Giving myself sharp distance vision and eliminating the need to wear glasses was simply the best money that I've ever spent on improving my life.


A dehumidifier. We lived in London,until a few weeks ago, and it has absolutely saved us without a slightest exaggeration. We kept humidity at bay it was super handy when drying washed clothes. Couldn't recommend high enough.


Condoms :-)


Tongue scrapers (after coffee)

Nail brush (for when you really get our hands dirty)

Good spray bottles for household cleaners

Lanyard and Otter case for my iPhone—never drop your phone out of the house.

Eye protection/face shield for when working on machinery

Calfamo desk fan

Second monitor

Bamboo (free from a neighbor’s yard)

I could go on…


Dollar store spray bottle for staying cool when camping on hot days.


an instant thermometer I bought online for $11

I don't have to cut meats open to see if they are ready.

Also useful if you are making certain chocolate recipes or other candy recipes where temperature matters.


Microsoft Sculpt Keyboard, Amazon Basics monitor arm, Electric Kettle, insulated coffee tumbler thing, leather jacket, coiled springy keychain to affix my house key to my pants.


What's the discovery with the jeather jacket? Other than being a jacket, an outer layer, what is good about it?


It looked good and fit well for quite a few years and for not a lot of $$. Lots of pockets too. Nothing else more interesting than that :)


Having inside pockets in a jacket was the best thing I discovered in my adolescence. Never turning back. Not having inside jacket pockets are a deal breaker for a jacket.


I think that's the big thing for me as well. Slim fitting not shiny leather blazer style jacket with inside pockets is the best. $200 new


Custom fit earplugs that even allow sleeping on your side. They don't pop out by themselves and greatly reduce traffic noise (and fan noise during hot summer nights).


The biggest disappointment with my OnePlus Buds was the inability to listen to music while laying on my side. That, together with how buggy bluetooth is everywhere besides Apple products, makes me really hate the technology of wireless headphones/earphones.


Could you recommend some? This would be very useful inside a motorcycle helmet.


I bought some for the motorcycle called eardial, about 30 bucks and come with a Keychain case.

They reduce volume but you can still hear pretty well. I use them to reduce wind and road noise, but still hear music through my Sena.

I'm very pleased with them.


Do you have a brand you recommend?


A Tenergy infrared indoor grill. Add some liquid smoke to food with seasonings and shake it up in a Ziploc bag prior to grilling. Very easy to clean. Heats up fast.


A co2 tank and 5gal keg to make seltzer. My wife drink 5gal a week and it’s easier, cheaper, and as far as I can figure better for environment. Seltzer on tap!


Electric Cardboard cutter. I get most of the stuff delivered, which results in a giant amount of time wasted cutting cardboard for recycling


A Koshi chime. It makes a simply lovely sound.


Blue light blocker glasses to wear at nigth.

Changed my life in so many ways. I thought I slept well before, but boy I was so wrong!


An electric toothbrush, it's faster and cleans better. Just don't apply any pressure when using it.


Having extra laptop or phone chargers so you never have a situation where you have forgotten your charger.


10ft charger cables (laptop and phone)


Electric toothbrush, Oral-B Smart Clean 360. My teeth have never been so clean.


Sounds very cliche, I bought a manual heigh adjustable desk.


D65 bias lighting.


A robot vacuum! The Neato D7 to be exact.


a phone case wallet, I love having one less thing in my pockets

back in the day it used to be

1) phone

2) small digital camera

3) keys

4) wallet

Now it's just phone & keys. Lovely!


I also love minimal stuff in my pockets.

In addition to the phone wallet case, I installed electronic locks on my home, so I could stop carrying keys around.


On a similar note I can recommend a key case. I have a model that is a leather pouch with a zipper and a small key chain inside (I think I tried one with hooks before but the hooks broke quickly). Much more comfortable than having keys in my pocket. No more holes either.


Link? I'm curious to see what yours looks like.


Tesla even has a key card

https://shop.tesla.com/product/model-3_y-key-card


a rebounder, little trampoline great for moving lymph

Yoga mat

Bike


Two things:

A Bella 5.3 qt air fryer. The basket is one piece, ridiculously easy to clean:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HRTWZJN

This has completely simplified my eating, but it's not for everyone. I'm not interested in cooking, and I'm able to eat the same things every day without issue. Right now I have a few burger patties, a chicken thigh or two, and a pork chop every day, and once in a while, salmon. Plus I cook my dogs food too, mostly ground beef and burger patties, and pork loin.

When I say this simplified my life, I no longer use a stove top, induction cooktop, frying pans, or oven, ever, and got rid of most of the cookware. If I want a different meal, I can always order out, or when it's safe, go eat out somewhere, but that's rare for me anyway. I just drop in what I want, spices as desired, turn it on and come back and eat. It will also cook vegetables, and when I used to eat them, I liked them better this way as it gave them an oven-like caramelized flavor.

Here are two different vendor/models that have the exact same basket:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MR3KWSL

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WBSVH33

My original Bella still worked, but after using it between 3 and 6 times a day for over a year and a half it was time to retire it as the front had warped. I think it was $85 at the time. Couldn't buy it again as it said and still says not in stock at the link. So I searched for ones that had the same basket, and bought one each of the other two. Before the Bella, I had a much more $$$ Philips XXL, but that was a pain to clean because you had to take the basket apart etc. so I gave it away.

One tip: I don't go above 340 in temp, though they can go to 400 -- it'll warp the front a bit over time at the high temps, and fat can get into the element and make it smoke. Usually it's 280 deg for an hour with still frozen chicken thigh, and 280 deg for 20 mins for a thin burger, 30 mins for thicker. You'll have to experiment with temps and times until you find what you like with each food.

The second thing that has simplified my (cooking) life is a hard boiled egg maker:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTJQN2X

Makes it a snap to get the cooking done right for soft, medium or hard boiled eggs, every time, very quickly. Just over $20 and I use it to hard boil 6 eggs every other day.


um...no on the USB flash drives.

These days, hackers stays in a computer system for 5 or 6 months before making their move. So they can destroy your backups and put their virus on USB flash drives, and you won't know until that day comes. So if you re-use your USB flash drives, they can be bricked.

However, if you get a brand new USB drive for every backup, then that would probably work. Are do you purchase 365 USB flash drives per year (or however many backups you do per year)? But then, you will have to buy a new computer because if you try to use that backup on the old computer that is hijacked, that backup is compromised as well.




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