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Ask HN: What are the purchases under $300 that have improved your life?
Usually people ask similar question for $100, but I wanted to change that to $300 for two reasons:
1. Inflation.
2. I was just gifted $300 for my birthday.
Feel free to share small things, but also don't shy away from sharing the big purchases. Thanks a ton in advance.
- dervjd 5y agoIf you don't already have them: noise cancelling headphones. If you like earbuds, the AirPods Pro are great. For sitting at a desk, over-ear headphones are extremely comfortable and have enough battery life to go all day. You can get a refurbished pair of Bose QC35 II's for $259.
- rasulkireev 5y agoCompletely agree, noise cancelling headphones can be a great improvement to ones life. I got a pair last year and strongly recommend to people who don't have one.
- lelandfe 5y agoThey’re a pricey gift but this is also a wonderful thing to get for a loved one. It’s a nice feeling to be reminded of someone every time you use a long-lived item like that :)
- barrad0s 5y agoBugassualt
- e-pelaza 5y agoA laptop (I'm from a 3rd world country, so yeah it's a big deal).
- leephillips 5y agoI’ve bought books, each for less than $300, that have changed my life. Can’t get a better bang for the buck than a good book. I recently bought a used Microsoft Surface Pro 3 from ebay for around $200, and installed Debian Linux on it, with a special kernel for the Surface. It runs Linux really well, and is now my main computer. I hate Microsoft as much as any normal person, but this hardware is excellent. I can use it as a tablet (the touchscreen works well) or with a wireless keyboard. Having a keyboard detached from the computer is far better than any laptop, for ergonomics and flexibility. It came with Windows 11 installed, and I even kept it on a small partition that I boot into sometimes for Zoom meetings, as Zoom doesn’t work well on Linux—and for testing websites. The machine was in absolutely perfect condition. The only issue is that the battery life is pretty bad (couple of hours at most), but I don’t know whether that’s because the battery is in bad shape or because of Linux power management.
- rasulkireev 5y ago100% agreed. A few years back, a friend broke my macbook and gave me his surface to use for a few weeks. The hardware is great!
- pettycashstash2 5y agoBooks comes to mind: some quick examples - I learned to do my own electrical work, a-z from a book from Home Depot, just by reading it on my daily train commute . - Learned to sail, and received required certification all from a book. Books really do open your world up.
- rasulkireev 5y agoI love that books is the most popular answer, so far, and will probably stay that way.
- cableshaft 5y ago> - Learned to sail, and received required certification all from a book. Which book allowed you to do this?
- pettycashstash2 5y agoHere it is... This is the latest edition, I used the prior editions The Complete Sailing Manual Hardcover – Illustrated, June 1, 2021 by Steve Sleight (Author), Ben Ainslie (Foreword)
- cableshaft 5y agoThank you!
- jdmoreira 5y agoCould you please name both these books?
- pettycashstash2 5y agoElectrical - The Black & Decker Complete Guide to Home Wiring: Including Information on Home Electronics & Wireless Technology, Revised Edition Paperback Sailing- I used prior version, but here's the latest The Complete Sailing Manual Hardcover – Illustrated, June 1, 2021 by Steve Sleight (Author), Ben Ainslie (Foreword)
- Clubber 5y agoSave it for a rainy day. Having a good rainy day fund helps take the edge off day to day living.
- rasulkireev 5y agoI already have one, and addition of $300 is not going to change it much. Plus, this gift was given with direct orders to spend it on something nice. That said, I totally agree with you, contributing to a rainy day fund can totally improve one's life.
- Clubber 5y agoWell in that case, get yourself a nice home decor piece. That way you can remember the gift whenever you walk by it.
- somebodythere 5y agoA garlic press.
- acmegeek 5y ago+1! After trying several much more complicated options, I now give the Ikea Koncis [0] as gifts. Quite durable, easy to clean, and pretty inexpensive should it ever fail. [0] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/koncis-garlic-press-stainless-steel-00089163/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/koncis-garlic-press-stainless-s...
- snissn 5y agoany sort of sport that you've been looking to get into.. to suggest for me, buying a yoga mat and starting ashtanga
- rasulkireev 5y agoI was actually thinking of doing some Brazilian Jiu Jutsu. Good idea.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- tevon 5y agoA jacket that you feel good in. Nothing makes me feel more confident than leaving the house in my favorite jacket.
- rasulkireev 5y agoGood one. I have 3 jackets, but wear only one of them all the time. Even if it inconvenient for the weather.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- HellDunkel 5y agoNintendo Switch + Ring Fit Adventure. Great if you have kids and find it difficult to make up time for sports.
- rasulkireev 5y agoVery interesting, was looking into Nintendo Switch lately, I just don't do gaming all that often.
- cheeko1234 5y agoOculus Quest 2 Buttkicker (used from Amazon) and installed it to my chair with an amp. Now playing games and watching movies has an extra Oomph. An Ender 3 3d Printer I got years ago and use it everyday (it's even paid for itself selling stuff on Ebay)
- rasulkireev 5y ago1. Nice. 2. First time I'm hearing about something called butt kicker. Looks interesting. 3. This is awesome! I was thinking of getting a 3d printer for a while now, I thought that they were much more expensive.
- rasulkireev 5y agoThe 3d printer you mentioned is on sale right now, for $189! https://www.creality3dofficial.com/products/official-creality-ender-3-3d-printer https://www.creality3dofficial.com/products/official-crealit...
- spicybright 5y agoWhat are you printing every day?
- gaws 5y ago> Oculus Quest 2 Don't give Meta your money.
- rmivdc 5y agoAn SDR radio. I can now spend hours listening to HF radio and discovering more about signal processing in a funny way. It feels like being connected and listening to another wireless transmissions world, no need for metaverse uh :-D
- thorin1 5y agoDishwasher - saves so much time.
- rasulkireev 5y agoHaha, nice, mine came with the apartment. It's funny how quickly we take things for granted. It does indeed save a lot of time.
- artificialidiot 5y ago1. Air filter 2. Dehumidifier
- rasulkireev 5y ago1. Air filter totally agree! 2. Dehumidifier strongly depends on where you live, cause, in my apartment we can't live without a Humidifier, for some reason it always get so dry!
- 331c8c71 5y agoOverhead noise-cancelling headphones
- legitster 5y agoHere are all of my favorite sub-$300 purchases: - A Moccamaster - A really nice electric kettle - A set of Insta-crates from Costco - A crokinole board. - A nice set of power tools (Makita, Dewalt, or Milwaukee). - A REALLY nice steak dinner. - A used T450s
- rasulkireev 5y agoThanks for this, great suggestions! - I recently got an AeroPress, love it! - Electric Kettle is basically the first thing we bought when we moved in, so useful! - How are instacrates useful to you? Just general purpose storage? - Crokinole, very intersting, looking into this. - Agreed, power tools are a must! - I actually got a Butcherbox subcription, and am so happy about it. Good thing I like to cook. - A good laptop is a must also.
- legitster 5y agoWe use instacrates instead of shopping bags. They pack flat then stack nicely in a car/shelf. I love homecooking, but there is something very special about a quality steakhouse where the chef handpicks the meat and knows exactly how to cook it.
- treis 5y agoPineapple corer. Think I got one for $5 off aliexpress years ago. Didn't think it would work, but it's super easy to take a pineapple and get almost all the fruit out. Pineapple's are good winter fruits since they are shipped in from the tropics regardless.
- rasulkireev 5y agoNice, thankfully my spouse likes to prep pineapples and does it in like 2-3 min.
- hddherman 5y agoMaking the assumption that you work at a desk all day, and ignoring the good recommendations of a solid pair of noise-cancelling headphones, I'd recommend an ergonomic mouse and a nice keyboard. Personally I'm really into Logitech MX Vertical and MX Keys, but MX Master 3 is also very nice to work with. Has resulted in issues with wrists and hands reducing a lot. Your mileage may vary, though.
- rasulkireev 5y agoGreat and totally correct assumption. Love those suggestions! I got MX Master and a Keychron keyboard expensed at work last year. Great improvement to my workflow.
- rmk 5y agoGroup Exercise. You can easily get yourself a few (perhaps six) months of group exercise under a trained instructor.
- twalla 5y ago- Linen sheets - nice and cool in the summer, cozy in the winter, only get softer with each wash and I prefer the texture over cotton or silk. - Bidet, seriously no idea how I lived without this for so long. - Standing desk, ranges in price, standing obviously has its benefits but also just being adjustable so that your arms are in the correct spot while sitting is huge. - A nice (big) enameled dutch oven, le creuset and staub are both good choices - more versatile than a cast iron pan, less maintenance, will last forever. - Mobility, stretching and self massage tools: yoga mat + foam roller + lacrosse balls + theracane + resistance bands + some sort of routine (joe defranco and kelly starrett come to mind), spend the extra cash on a deep tissue massage and some yoga classes
- lelandfe 5y agoAgreed on the Dutch oven! For cookware like that, the second hand marketplace is the way to go. You can find them in excellent condition quite frequently as they’re so heavy that people sometimes won’t move with them.
- guilhas 5y agoSoup maker Put everything inside, hit play, it will heat, blend, and stop automatically It is basically a pot with a timer you can use to cook/heat several things, and not worry about forgetting you left something cooking
- mstaoru 5y agoA nice estate (pipe lingo for "used") smoking pipe + a tin of Presbyterian tobacco. A bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail with change.