Asklemmy @lemmy.ml

1y ago

What single item improved the quality of your life over you got it? (Buyed it/got as present/made it)

538 comments

A bidet.
- Japan has ruined toilets for me.
  
  I can ruin toilets just fine myself, thank you.
  
  Bidets are from Italy though.
- I'm too intimidated to try one despite staying in hotels round the world that usually have them. What if it goes wrong? How bad much shitty water do I and the bathroom end up covered in? How do you know if it's clean? Doesn't other peoples shitty water end up on the same appliance that you're now using? Does that mean I end up with other peoples shitty water being jet streamed towards my anus? So many questions, so much doubt. Similarly for those handheld nosel things popular in the middle East and parts of Asia.
  
  Italian here. Get a bidet, nobody died or took any infection from them. Your brain is over thinking it. Get a bidet. Thank me later. Go get a bidet.
- I'm gonna use a bog roll like a caveman until the day I die

does stealing it count? because that would be a boxed copy of redhat linux from best buy in the late 90s/early 2000s. yes, i found a way to steal linux

Building and running my own server for self hosting multiple tools for my home.
Bitwarden Password manager, now sharing logins/passwords for stuff my fiance and I both use is easy, and every single website we use has its own unique randomly generated password so when one site gets breached, our logins aren't compromised anywhere else
Plex, it's like your own self hosted Netflix. My file copies of any movies/TV shows go on here and it parses em all, keeps it all grouped together, streams in 4k.
Shinobi, for my security cameras. Self hosted free CRTV application, works with any open spec cameras. Has movement detection and tonnes of other open source options for plug-ins.
Deluge, handy UI for downloading torrents onto my server. Conviently added presets to it that let me download to the very folders Plex scans... cough cough.
Kavita, self hosted server for books/pdfs. Some e-readers can even connect to it. A couple popular manga reading apps also work with it. Can also just use its own browser web interface as an e-reader, it has multiple options for styles (infinite scroll, page swiping, left/right click, and even supports right to left mode for manga!)
Nextcloud, pictures/document storage. Sort of like a selfhosted filesshare/file backup. Has a mobile app that can automatically backup every picture/video you take on your phone!
Gogs, open source super lightweight git repo. Has only the bare minimum of features, basic web hook, authorization, permissions, simple web ui to edit. It does the job I need it to and that's good enough.
OpenVPN, self hosted VPN so I can securely access all the above stuff without exposing it to the internet.
Also I host my own websites on it, publicly exposed. Blog, a writing project, nothing terribly fancy.
Eventually I plan to add some more stuff to it. Migrate my smart home dependencies over to Z wave and install Home Assistant, so I don't have to rely on sending my info to google/amazon/etc to do basic smart home stuff.
- Plex
  You should check out Jellyfin
  Plex is getting shittier by the minute, and this is a good alternative.
  
  I havent had any issues with Plex so far, so I continue to use it. Ive definitely looked into jellyfin and it doesnt seem painful to swap over, but at the moment there hasnt been a compelling reason to make the switch.
  I put media in my folder, plex scans it by the time I sit on my couch, I click button, show plays. No issues to speak of so far.
  
  While Plex has moved towards the "free" content, it still does remarkably well with apps on all devices. It also makes user management extremely easy without having to manage yourself. Password resets aren't your problem if you share with others.
  It has its limitations and it's development budget isn't in the self hosting space as much. But for what it is, it's still a good value.
  
  Have been using Plex for years, thought I’d give Jellyfin a shot but my god how ugly it was 😩
- I personally would never recommend someone to self host a password manager. There’s a lot of things that can go wrong, and any number of them could cause you to lose your passwords or at least access to them when you need them. There’s a lot of value in paying $10/yr for Bitwarden, to have a clear mind, and know that your information is safe, and accessible.
  
  The value in self hosting is your passwords aren't exposed to the internet at all, and can only be accessed over VPN from outside the house.
  If you care about security and you know how to run a network properly, then it's definitely worth doing.
  In terms of things that can "go wrong", the first rule of homelab is "Back your stuff up", and the second rule of homelab is "Back it up again"
  
  I've used Keepass along with dropbox/onedrive/nextcloud (changed over the years) for a decade now and never had a problem. I keep a backup copy of my database on a flash drive in case I somehow lose all my devices. Takes like 5 minutes to set up.
  
  I would not self host a password manager, simply because I don't want running something like that on a 24/7 online server.
  Still, if I needed to run a password manager on a server, I would rather self host it than use a hosted service from someone else.
  In my opinion, running such a service commercially is a much harder problem than self hosting it and has a much bigger attack surface.
  This is IMHO what many people do not understand about hosting as a service vs. self hosting: The full time DevOps/Admins etc. people who work at the hosting service are hopefully better than me at hosting stuff. At the same time the problem they have to solve is so much harder than self hosting, that even if they are 10x as good as me, running my own little service with a firewall, rate limiting and monitoring should at least not be less secure.
- Shinobi is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the suggestion
  
  I was using Shinobi for like a year, but I'm enjoying Frigate so much more now. Shinobi is definitely more feature rich though.
  
  You may also want to take a look at zoneminder. I've had great luck with it over the years.
- Shinobi
  If starting from scratch - what camera recommendations would you give to connect to Shinobi?
  
  I honestly am not sure I would recommend shinobi at this point, it seems to be very unstable and has a lot of issues with randomly failing.
  Im not sure if its my cameras or shinobi's fault, but Im gonna try out a few other FOSS options.
  I use Reolink cameras personally.
- Excellent choices. Might I hint towards lovely alternatives?
  Emby instead of plex (cheaper, and equally capable (use jelllyfin for really free but less reliable))
  AgentDVR. Super reliable, mega flexible PVR totally free for private use. Even got options for AI-motion detection and stuff.
  And especially: KeepassXC. You'll never regret switching in time.
  
  All the stuff I listed is also free for personal use. But yeah, all those are solid alternatives as options.
  
  I used emby briefly after ditching Plex then settled on jellyfin. It's been over a year and I've had no issues with reliability.
- Thanks to you I have today discovered Kavita. It's excellent!
- That was a fair bit of scrolling to find the homelabber. Thanks

A Kobo e-reader. I now read much more than before because of the convenience, and I also became a book pirate. It has paid itself multiple times on the money I've saved in physical books.
- I found a picture of you.
  
  Everywhere I go suggests Lemmy returned the pictures feature, but then I try it and it still won't work. What's going on here?
- Is it something specific about a Kobo e-reader that is amazing or would any e-reader have turned you into an avid bookworm you think?
  
  I have a Kobo and my wife has a Kindle - I like the Kobo way better, primarily because the Kindle is trying to sell me stuff all the time.
  
  It's likely because kobo's can be flashed with a custom OS https://inkbox.ddns.net/, which can sync with https://calibre-ebook.com/
  
  I have a kobo as well and I I did a lot of research before selecting it. Imho it's the best on the market for my personal needs and that definitely changed how often I use it vs an alternative. Some of the things I like about it are direct integration with the library and the ability to do audiobooks. I also like that it is only an ereader and I can't play games or surf the web on it. I think knowing what's gonna help you as an individual is the most important thing. If you're more likely to take a fully fledged tablet with you somewhere because of the versatility, and would otherwise leave a plain ereader at home, then a tablet is better because if you decide to read at least you have it with you. Like a lot of tech, I think it really depends on the user.
  
  For me it's the ability to read outside in bright days, so I can take care of kids in the beach/pool.
  I went for a boox since it's an Android and can run not only my favorite e reader app but also dictionary, browser for Wikipedia, and any apps for Android such as news Guardian, DW etc.
  Obviously it also runs official apps such as Kobo, kindle etc, so I can try/ buy the book wherever and later I de DRM it and upload epub.
  Oh also I have severe dust allergy from physical books, and moved countries a couple times leaving behind lots of unread stuff.

A dog.
Have had a dog most of my life. Hard to imagine living without one. They're better than people, fantastic companions, and the entire relationship is based on each other trying to make each other happy.
- How do you deal with losing them? It's as hard as losing a loved one imo
  
  It's very hard. I cry for days and drink a lot. It is a huge piece of life suddenly gone. But, like my last dog, I see all the things we did, so many adventures, and how many people are upset—even strangers at my climbing gym reached out because they knew him but not me; someone even drew an amazing portrait of him for me and it's on the wall. That made me realise how awesome a life he had and how many people loved him. A truly good boy that got a hell of a life.
  I know I'll be sad, but it passes and I'll be very happy with what I did for my dog and what they did for me. Then I'll get another dog and they'll get an awesome life too.
  
  take peace in knowing that i gave him a good life, and i got to share it beginning to end. it's nice to know i could do that for him.
- I lost my first dog last week. He was a great friend.

I love my airfryer and may upgrade it to a larger one. I've started making my own food again instead of eating fast food every day (depression sucks).
- I almost bought an air fryer, but ended up with a convection toaster oven. Does everything an air fryer does and much more. I bought the Gourmia one from Costco and would buy it again in a heartbeat.
  
  What's the difference between an air fryer and a convection toaster oven. Everybody's so excited for air fryers but AFAIK, both just blow air around.
- What are some food recipes you recommend?!
  Any subs you posted on or learned from that you would advise others to follow, curious.
  Thank you!
  
  Not OP, but we make roasted carrots with garlic, Italian spices, and parm cheese sprinkled on top.
  Be sure to use avocado oil instead of olive.
  They’re fucking delicious.
  Edit: 325 for about 18-20 minutes. Just check for tenderness that you prefer.
  
  I bought a Philips device and installed the companion app (Kitchen+). It has a decent selection of recipes that you can filter by appliance and other stuff. You can add your own recipes too.
- Game changer. We love ours.
- We have two different Ninja air fryers. One that’s the bin/grill style and the flip version that can be used as a toaster oven as well.
  They get used in one form or another almost daily.

Glasses.
Now I'm addicted.
- As in lenses for your face, or drinkware?
  Either way, yes.
  
  Just any kind of glass.
- I went through a glasses addiction myself as well lol. I found an eye-care clinic where they would cut the lenses and have them ready within 3 hours.
  I would go to garage sales, thrift stores, and swap meets to find glasses to put lenses on. They were like $60 for the lenses and I never spent more than $10 on frames.
  I ended up with 3 seeing glasses and 4 sun glasses before I realized it was going to be unsustainable to get new lenses for my new prescription every year.
- Addicted is a good way to put it. I suffer withdrawal symptoms like dizziness and nausea when I go more than a few waking minutes without my glasses.
  
  Just say no to glasses kids, or you'll end up like this guy.

Bidet. Amazing for a North American, I know RoW has had them for eons. You are so clean that a couple of squares of tp to dry off and you are golden. No more endless wiping.

Noise cancelling earphones.
Oh man. Just not having to listen to my dishwasher, clothes machines or vacuum cleaner run their mouths while they're in service is live improvening.
- That's no way to talk about the women in your family /s

Bicycle. No gas expenses, no tabs, no loan, free parking. I understand how it works and can mostly fix it myself for very little money. I can take quiet side streets and arrive in a much better mood, plus my fat lazy ass gets some exercise.
- It also transformed my feelings about winter, which is long, gray and mostly charmless here excepting the occasional blizzard, but commuting by bike warms me and gets me fresh air and exercise. It makes it much more tolerable. I actually enjoy my commute and look forward to it.
  So many people I work with insist biking is unappealing or borderline impossible while complaining almost daily about their commute. Obviously for some people and some commutes it really is impossible, but I'm not talking about those situations.
  
  That thing that transformed winter for me was skiing and winter hiking. Now that we're getting into shoulder season I can't wait to hit the trails/slopes!
  
  Where do you live?
- I wish there was infrastructure for them where I live, I hate driving and I like cycling
  
  You'd be very surprised at the impact one person showing uo to every town hall to complain or even just frequent letters can make. I know that can be harder than it sounds, but it is super worth it.
- I'll add on and say upgrading to an ebike (and specifically a cargo ebike) really made the difference to me. One would think that it would reduce the exercise, but for me the fact that it allows me to use it in far far more situations meant that I actually get more exercise overall. I consider the faster acceleration to be a safety feature for when the bike lanes run out, and it makes red lights, heavy loads and steep hills less of a mood killer.
- Absolutely life changing once you get one and go!

In the early 2000's, I bought a 1986 Honda XL250R. Just an old dirt bike.
The motorcyckle shop was across the road from the pawn shop I was originally going to buy a gun from, for the express purpose of taking my own life, for reasons that made sense at the time.
Since I bought that bike, I've made friends, learned a lot of new skills, and I met the best person in existence, who I am now married to. I passed on a final exit, and ended up with a pretty great life.

Smart vacuum cleaner. You pay once for not needing to vacuum your house anymore - best deal ever.
- I had a very different experience with mine. I bought a middle range one, not the cheap one, with very good reviews at the time. I absolutely cannot trust it. It's always getting stuck, getting lost and not able to go back to charging station, or say that it's "finished" and leav obvious spot of dusts.
  My living room is indeed a bit cluttered as it's not that big, but there is still enough space for it to move....
  
  My experience is very similar to this. Sometimes it can go a full week or two with no interaction, but mostly it needs a bit of prodding and helping
  
  I have a thousand wires hidden under my couch, my rug, my chair, and anywhere else I can hide them. Chargers, home theater, other chargers, smart-ish devices, and whatever else that I don't even want to go look at.
  I'm terrified it'll eat all my cables because that's what my last one did.
- Can I ask which one you use? I've heard such horror stories
  
  I got Xiaomi Mi vacuum cleaner 4 years ago.
- If it's so smart, why does it clean for you?
  
  I passed an Intelligence check and outsmarted it.
- Looks like a great thing to have indeed. I’m a bit too worried about the personal data harvesting.
  
  You can always just not connect it to the internet. Always an option.
- I absolutely love my Dreame L10 Pro.
  I also installed Valetudo Cloud on it to self host.

First place, aSmartwatch.
I all but stopped checking every fcking notification, my life has become peacefull and tranquil.
Second place, my 4yo daughter. Achieved the exact opposite.
- How does a smartwatch get you to stop looking at notifications?
  
  Before, I picked up my phone at every ping or vibrate.
  When I wear the watch, all phone notifications are automatically muted and the watch is set to only notify a few apps (Whatsapp, phone calls, calendar). No emails, no kik, no games nothing.
  
  Besides the other answers, it trivializes them while making you put forth the tiniest effort towards one you might care about while you can discard the rest. The trick with phones isn't in picking it up to look, but rather on putting it back down.
- With a smart watch (I've owned a few over the years) my phone has been on silent for years. No more dings, beeps, or rings especially in meetings or with other people. I set it to vibrate only for text and calls. Game changer. I wish those in sales would use them more.

A house. My mortgage is cheaper than rent, and now I get to actually address annoyances with my living conditions.
It's almost 100 years old, and a bit of an fixer upper, but the important stuff is solid. Last summer I invested in proper drainage around the foundation so that I can start making the basement livable. This year I invested in a proper bathroom. Next year it's a new kitchen. And if time allows I'll start rebuilding the basement mainly for one extra bed room and an office.
- God I wish my mortgage was cheaper than rent lol.
  
  Hold onto it long enough and it will be eventually. Home ownership is the only real cheat code we have against inflation.
  
  Depends on market. In Vancouver existing rentals are controlled until you move, the house sells, or you are reno-evicted. This involves evicting the tenant to "fix up the suite" and then renting it out at a much higher rate.
  There is also the move to evict for a " family member" to move in but often this is abused to get low paying tenants out.
  New mortgages are much more than existing rent here. As much as renters go through credit checks, I think landlords should too as you don't want to rent a place where they can't afford the interest rate increases. Often they cheap out on repairs and usually sees the place being sold or one of the above abuses of the evictions to get a higher paying tenant in.
  The market is really tight in places like Vancouver and Toronto. The interest rate hikes will eventually catch up to most renters as properties are moved/sold.
- This is a good one. I finally teamed up with family to invest in a house last year. I've found a lot of issues that I've since fixed, especially with the electrical. There's still a lot to fix, but I'm elated that I can actually take action to fix stuff.
  While renting, my hands were severely tied. The only benefit with renting was that if anything was literally broken, it would be fixed by the landlord, free to me. "Fixed" is subjective, usually done as cheaply as possible, which is often making things less convenient.
  Now I can have things fixed correctly, making things more convenient overall for me and my family.
  Long term, we're planning on renovating and adding another kitchen and bathroom, possibly another entrance and I'm considering splitting the HVAC for one portion of the place and almost splitting it into two independent homes that are conjoined.
- Same, cut my monthly housing cost by almost $1000 two years ago. So many good things have happened as a result as well, because it was a move between regions and opened up alternative employment options not previously available. As a result I also doubled my income.
- My mortgage is cheaper than Rest
  That doesn't make any sense. Unless the market at your country is completly broken, that simply does not happen.
  
  Australia checking in: mortgage repayments are absolutely cheaper than rents. Especially if you bought pre-pandemic.
  Source.
  
  Often rent covers the owner's mortgage plus their benefit, so yes, it's easy for your mortgage to be cheaper than rent.
  
  Mortgage cheaper than rent here - just outside of Washington DC. (Only true when comparing like for like living spaces, same bedrooms, square feet, etc)

Synology NAS (basically a hard drive always connected to the home network and internet) - has been amazing for auto-backing-up photos from the family phones and for running Plex run my own personal streaming service for the whole family around the world. Has been great for file transfer too. I can easily move files between my phone, PC, Steam Deck, etc and all the USB memory sticks I had have been sitting in a drawer ever since.
Exercise compression thermals - wear these is super comfortable and really warm. I wear them constantly at home and can have the heating off almost all winter (UK). Saves tons of energy and money.
Electric blanket - another great low energy purchase for relaxing under when watching TV or warming up the bed before sleeping. Gets super hot while hardly using any energy at all.
Split unit air con installation - this was expensive and I thought it would be unnecessary in the UK, but it seems to be used more and more every summer as we get more heatwaves and summers are becoming unbearable.
Safety razors - I have really thick facial hair and the multi-blade razors from big name brands would dull really quickly and cause tons of shaving rash. These razors are sharper, last longer, are recyclable and much better for my skin.
Liquid ink refillable rollerball pens - I tried fountain pens after seeing the online communities that are crazy about them, and really didn't like them. I found rollerball pens I like that take fountain pen ink and have been super happy with them. I write a lot at work and this has gotten rid of the plastic waste of throwing away used disposable ballpoint refills every couple of weeks.
Hitbox controller - I've been playing Street Fighter 6 since release and I made a leverless controller box myself and I've loved using it to play SF6. Managed to make it for one third the price of what these things sell for and completely customised it.
- More info on the homemade controller?
  
  Yes please
  
  https://imgur.com/a/JSlkNy4
  My DIY controller made from scratch. It has a built in USB c hub so when I use it with the Steam Deck I can connect the charger cable to the controller. If someone is playing locally with me their controller just plugs into the side of mine and works with the Steam Deck. Made the footprint as small as I could. It's 21 x 15.3 x 3.6 cm Seimitsu buttons. Raspberry pi controller. 5 additional side buttons for navigation and shortcuts.
  I made this post as well: https://lemm.ee/post/9700155
  The whole collection: https://i.imgur.com/nB1Mfa9.png
  There's a community for this but it's pretty dead: https://lemmy.world/c/arcadesticks
  I can make a detailed guide if anyone is interested. And I'm looking to sell the black and white controller with the integrated hub. Maybe even the one with the keyboard buttons if I can fix the firmware annoyance in it.
- I really need to finish building my NAS. You just reminded me of that.
  And the other tips are good as well. Thanks.
- 2 years ago I bought an electric mattress pad. My wife gave me a hard time about it at first, didn't think we'd ever use it.
  But wow. Nothing better than climbing into a preheated bed on a cold night. I always set it to high about 20 minutes before we actually go to bed, then turn it down to the lowest setting. When it's cold out, every single time we get into bed, we both let out a sigh of comfort. Can't recommend it enough.
- Congrats fellow hitbox user. Btw the Norelco one blade works better on my thick facial hair than a straight Razer does with less hassle and they are pretty cheap to try out. I'm still debating that split ac for the upstairs office....

Chemotherapy absolutely changed my life, does that count?

An E-reader. There's no more space in my house for book shelves. I've a ton of books stored inappropriately in a bunch of cabinets and on top of furniture, that I hope to find new homes for before irreparable damage is done to their spine.
Having an e-reader also helped me in the gym. Instead of doomscrolling on lemmy or tiktok, I read between sets. Helped me regain my reading habit and kick my social media habit. Also, helped my social anxiety of having to rest longer than half a minute when other people might want to use the iron I'm using.
- What? You bring your ereader to the gym and read between sets? That's a new one...
  
  Massive chad energy right there tbh, supersetting with brain reps
  
  Don't knock it! I know it's weird, but if you need to improve your reading, it really helps.
- This is a great shout. Since I stopped commuting 6yrs ago my reading is almost entirely non existent. Doing it between sets means I can give my brain a workout while the guns get one :D

A dishwasher... For a family, it saves a huge amount of time and water.

I have always hated bath mats. Especially being in a fairly large family, by early afternoon it seems like the bath mat is always saturated and useless; slipping around the floor if you're trying to use it to dry your feet, or soaking your socks if you happen to step on it in the course of other bathroom business.
I recently got a bath stone made of diatomaceous earth and it has erased all of the annoyance. It pulls the water right off you so I always feel safe stepping onto my tile floor after just a few steps on the bath stone, and it dries freakishly fast, like basically in front of your eyes.
I've only had it a month so I don't know how durable it is over the long term, but so far it has been $40 well spent.
- I've never understood why more people don't dry themselves in the shower, and dry their feet on the way out. Why use the bath mat as a special communal foot sole towel? It's much nicer when it's just a comfortable dry mat for standing on with bare feet.
  
  This is the first I'm finding out that anyone doesn't do this.
  
  My SO doesn't even do that.
  I have two bath mats and two large rugs leading out of the bathroom.
  He still manages to leave foot prints everywhere.

As someone with waxy ears, an ear pick with a wifi camera built in. Would get blockages, cotton buds just pushed it back, olive oil or peroxide would get air locked. The webcam ear pick was super cheap and makes it easy to scoop out any lumps of wax.

Sunglasses and UV-blocking clothes.
With the first I discovered that I have a high sensitivity to light, now I can see much more during the day.
And the second is very useful, protecting me from sun without the need to worry about sunscreen (except for the face)
- Most clothing is UV blocking. That’s why farmers tans exist.
  
  Do not trust that close to the equator. It will not work.
  
  Not as much as you would think, and especially less nowadays with companies cheapening out on quality.
- I have the same issue with light, had prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses, and had to switch between the two frequently. Finally got prescription transitions and they're incredible, I no longer have to think about my glasses at all. Just put them on and go.
- i was looking for rx sunglasses before posting. single greatest gamechanger in the last 15 years of my life.

TOP OF THE LIST: bidet (duh),
electric water kettle (fuck gas stoves and also faster),
$3 metal tongue scrapper (clean ass mouth),
noise cancelling headphones (it's amazing not going back),
slow cooker (it's impressive how lazy i am. spend an hour cruising slow cooking recipes on reddit/chaptgpt, pick out 10+, set for life),
piratebay
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
50+ pack of small white rags and using those instead of paper towels. simple washer after all used to reuse
cheap air purifier in room @ night, clean air and dual white noise maker.
small $10 desk usb fan. fuck running the A/C just turn this guy on.
electric space heater. depending on your climate, you don't need central gas heat just get space heater and shut the door to the room you're in.

In last 5 years for me:
a pair of decent (second hand) speakers
a cheap (blue switches ftw) mechanical keyboard
a standing desk
an ergonomic chair
(sorry it's not single item...)
- What keyboard did you get? I'm searching for a good ergonomic one that won't break the bank
  
  I've been using Microsoft natural ergonomic keyboards for years. They are a split keyboard (one piece) and I use the corded version.
  Everything else just seems insanely expensive.
  
  You might want to join the !mechanicalkeyboards@lemmy.ml
  I personally haven't tried the ergonomic keyboards yet, have been using Ducky One 2 for a few years and recently got KBDcraft Kit Adam (Lego keyboard) and I'm enjoying this one, super soft and nice sounding switches. From the ergonomic keyboards I've seen Keychron K11 Pro as an interesting one, but you'd have to see if it fits you, I can't really recommend any myself.
  
  i got a cheap gamer's keyboard that happened to have blue switches, the cheapest i actually found with Cherry MX Blue (so, some mechanical keyboard nerds will say this is sh*t and they'll probably be right). It's an "HyperX Alloy". it has these annoyingly red LED, but i don't really care. I recommend it for the price though (I paid around 90 buck back then)
- Sit stand desks change your life
- Even just a sit stand converter like Varidesk sells is a game changer. I lost 5 lbs the first week I got it at work.
  
  You lost weight just by standing?
- Could you tell me about all of them? Which model, what do you like about then etc?

Self hosting. I’m still a beginner on this but Nextcloud and plex made me way richer than before both economically and mentally

A dildo. Get to know yourself and what you like a little and it's legitimately brain melting. You don't have to be gay to enjoy em, I'm glad I gave butt stuffing a try.
Just make sure whatever you get is actually body safe. Silicone is generally the only good soft body safe material, look for medical grade or platinum cure.

An electrical sit/stand desk

A ceramic non stick pan.
Nothing ever burns and cleaning even when frying something with cheese in there is just a scoop of hot water and ten seconds with the soft side of a kitchen sponge.
- Honestly, this is my experience with my stainless steel pans too.
  
  Carbon steel gang here.
- I bought a 5 piece set of these at Costco a few weeks ago and they are amazing.
- What's amazing is the misinformation spread by marketing departments over the years making people think they need these elaborate pans. I have a decent set of cookware I've acquired over the years but ultimately I use my twelve year old 10" carbon steel pan 99% of the time (I cook almost every meal every day so I use it a lot). It's unfortunate that basic home cooking skills aren't something that's handed down over the generations. I mean, feeding yourself should be pretty high on the list of things to learn before you leave home.
  What they never tell you in cookbooks is how to manage heat and mentally calculate how much and for how long to apply to an ingredient. It's difficult to put into print but, suffice to say, once you "learn this one simple trick", cooking with any cookware is trivial.
- These last maybe a year even if you use gentle low heat. But that depends how often you cook. I only use my nonstick for pancakes (very rarely) but everything else is stainless steel, just heat it up then add oil after, food goes on when the oil is shimmering and flows easily (not viscous)

Anything that takes away shitty chores. People take washing machines for granted these days, but a decent dishwasher is a godsend. Modern ones don't need anything more than a basic scrape of the dishes as "prep" and loading it before bed to then wake up to a load of sparkling clean dishes is amazing.
In a similar vein we've just got a robot vacuum cleaner that we've set to run every night. The amount of dog fur in its bin every morning is eye opening, and other than for the stairs there's almost no need to do vacuuming ourselves now.

CPAP.

My fileserver. I have more media than I could ever need and plenty of room for more.

Bidet, heated mattress pad, shoehorn.
- Plus one for shoehorn, underrated and my friends always make fun of me for using one for some reason. Meanwhile I'm standing with my shoes on comfy while they tear their fingers up trying to slide their shoes on
  
  Literally never "torn my fingers up" while putting on shoes, and I'm the kind that ties them once when I buy them and never again. Either your friends wear iron shoes or this is a really extreme exaggeration.
  
  For extra dork points I get on marketed for geriatrics that's a full meter long so you don't have to bend down to put your shoes on.
  
  Shout-out to Kiziks. Never tying my shoes again

Wireless JBL earbuds. I mainly use them while doing housework or listening to something in a way that won't bother other folks in the house.

~~Zoloft~~ Lexapro aka escitalopram. I thought everyone had the anxiety voices like I did. I told myself I was just a worrier. Then it got REALLY bad in my 30's and even I thought it was getting absurd. My doc asked me "how are you feeling" and I just broke down, spilled my guts. He said "let's try a small dose." and after a couple months adjustment, the crazy voices went from 4/5 to a 1/5. They're still there, but they're WAY more quiet. I had no idea that this is what normal people think like.

I guess these first three are kind of limited scope improvents.
Fountain pens. Got me writing notes for work which has helped me stay more organized and on the ball and able to remember more. And with the right pen it makes note taking enjoyable.
Cast iron skillets have improved my enjoyment of cooking.
Portable jump starter has saved the day multiple times since I got it (me, friends, etc)
ADHD diagnosis late in life prompted by career-limiting struggles with a type-A boss. The diagnosis explained so many things about me, my behavior, my struggles in work and relationships, my self image, etc. Therapy helped develop better coping mechanisms and the meds help a lot with focus and motivation. All told, things are better with relationships and other areas of life, I turned around the boss's opinion and got my career back on track.
- Thank you for reminding me that my dad keeps telling me to get a portable jump starter
  
  The big advantage over jumper cables (especially if you're a woman) is that you don't have to wait for anyone, or deal with a take-charge guy who has cables but doesn't really know how to use them and won't let you do it. Same reason I used to keep a wire clothes hanger in my bumper, back in the days when it was easy to lock yourself out of your car.
- How did you get your doctor to test you for adhd? I'm in USA, and my GP is not understanding my situation.
  
  I went to a therapist who specialized in adult ADHD. I wouldn't trust a GP to understand ADHD well enough to diagnose it.
  
  See a psych, not a GP. If necessary, get the rec. But don't trust the GP for this. Use them to push you to a psych. A lot of times, you don't even need a rec from a GP to see a psych.
  
  My girlfriend got a recommendation from her therapist. Her GP was also useless.

CPAP
- YES!
- Holy fuck yes.

we were picking up some free boots for my partner off of facebook marketplace when i asked about the weight bench that was also in the yard. the owner said "someone said they were coming for it, but they were supposed to be here 2 hours ago. you want it?" I disassembled it in the yard and ruined my folding knife trying to use it as a screwdriver, but it was the best decision I've ever made. Grabbed some adjustable dumbbells from amazon, have been hitting up marketplace for plates people aren't using ever since, and I've now got a full-body 5x/week workout routine that is 100% the key to my mental and physical health. Best thing I've ever done for myself, and getting every piece of equipment that I use today cost about $100 total.

Blackout curtains, they are the only reason I'm surviving working nightshift

Wheelchair :)
That and medication. The two changed my life completely.

Very small quality of life increase, but I got the Scrub Daddy Soap Daddy. Makes life a bit easier and tidier for cleaning up in the kitchen.
- Scrub Daddy is a weird product in that it seems a bit silly, but it's ridiculously well designed.
  I can only agree fully with this, get one asap. It costs essentially nothing anyway.
  
  The mechanism that dispenses soap or what exactly?
  Sorry, am lost when lookimg at all products...
  
  Can you give me a link? Seems like scrub daddy has many different products.

Recently? A cordless stick vacuum. My wife has wanted one because ours was too heavy and she figured she would vacuum more often if she had a lighter one. Of course that turned out to not be the case and I am still doing the vacuuming but it is a heck of a lot easier to maneuver around and bring it to other areas of the house.
Previously? Wireless ear buds. Loved those. Unfortunately my dog ate my first pair and I left the second pair on a plane. My next pair will be cheap ones.
- I vacuumed so much more when I got a shark, then more recently I got a roomba and now I just carry her from room to room and go watch TV, amazing life improvement.
  
  I also have a Roomba. But I also have young children and there is roughly a 0% chance that it will make it through a cycle without getting stuck while chomping on something. I also have a corgi-husky and few Roomba is pretty useless for getting up her hair in the carpet. It was good at sweeping though.
- I bought a Dyson upright ball which was an expensive purchase at the time. I thought it would cover everything needed. What a pain in the ass to use the hose and attachments.
  Great if trying to reach the ceiling but tedious to use and put away. Not easy to use near the vacuum either.
  I have a ryobi cordless vacuum that I found was being used more often as it was a easy pickup and vacuum on the go especially for small jobs. I bought an adapter to allow it to use the Dyson attachments so now it looks like a stick vacuum without the fuss of the Dyson ball. Game changer now I'm told.
- I would t vacuum nearly as much if I didn’t have a cordless stick vacuum. Works well enough between deeper cleans with the upright.

Glerups. Greatest slippers I have ever worn.

A knee pillow. I have always struggled with the occasional back pain because I would sometimes twist my legs/back at night and be in pain the next day(s). A knee pillow has massively changed that for me. I pretty much never have issues with my back caused by sleeping weird now.
In a similar vein, nasal strips. My nose often gets obstructed at night and it caused a ton of sleepless nights because I had a hard time breathing. Finding the strong nasal strips I'm now using pretty much eliminated that problem.
- I've tried strips, but they're not strong enough. Do you mind sharing what brand or type you use now?
  
  I was in your boat, and the strips just dont cut it for me.
  I bought a cheap pack of "nasal dialators" on amazon (tried a variety pack first to find the size that worked best, now settled on 'large'). They're basically plastic cones that force your nostrils open. They hurt a little at first, but now im used to them and breathe SO MUCH better.
  
  I've been using the Breathe Right "Extra Strength" ones. They are the only ones that have reliably stayed stuck to my skin overnight and strong enough to keep my nose open.
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07F4B4HQL

Baby Brezza formula machine.
Pre-heats the water and has a hopper for the powder. You can have a bottle of formula ready to go in about 10 seconds. Wifi with an app too.
- As a father of two bottle fed kids, I whole heartedly agree.
- Why downvotes?
  Seems like an awesome machine!
- Such a great appliance! Saved so much time and effort, especially when sleep deprived and screaming babies waiting for food.

A projector. Watching movies and playing games is now a cinematic experience.
- Don’t you have to be in an almost pitch black room for it to look decent though? I also heard there can be pretty bad input lag?
  It was quite a few years ago that I last looked into a projector so maybe they’ve gotten better, but these days massive TVs are so cheap I don’t know if it would even be worth it.
  
  Depends on lumens for brightness and there are plenty of projectors with good refresh rate.
  I use a epson home cinema 4k and it's amazing.
- Same for me! It’s an awesome way to watch movies and tv shows
  
  Any devices y'all prefer than others?

Chef's knife. Mountain bike (a "real" mountainbike) Gaming Laptop
- Which knife? I'm still stuck on deciding between expensive Wustoff vs cheap Mercer and boutique Japanese knives.
  Except that my cooking is absolutely horrible so I'll probably go get the cheapest thing anyway
  
  Vinctorinox is generally accepted as the best "starter" brand, and is the end game for a lot of people
  
  Let me start out by saying that I am by no means an authority on the matter.
  First was some generic brand 7" chef's knife. I think I paid around $40 for it. It did alright for a while, but what I noticed about it was that the ergonomics and fit/finish were (just slightly) lacking. Unrefined edges made it a bit uncomfortable to use.
  My next knife was from Zwilling. It's another standard 7" chef's knife with the hollow cutouts on the blade. This one was much better quality wise, the fit and finish and balance are all there.
  The next one after that is a 5" Chef's knife (with hollow cutouts) from Wüsthof. This is my current everyday knife, and I like the size of this one much better. I got this one because I really needed something more compact, and it's been great for mostly everything I use it for right now.
  The next knife I want to get is a Nakiri style. Wusthof is sold out of their more affordable line, and the Zwilling one doesn't have the hollow cuttouts on the blade. The Zwilling brand doesn't look quite as good as the Wusthof, in my opinion, but it may still function great.
  The last thing I'd like to mention is a knife sharpener. When I got my Zwilling, they also threw in this little keychain Wusthof sharpener, and as long as I give my knife a few swipes every couple of times I use it, they stay pretty sharp. Definitely don't overlook this detail, because even a lower quality knife will benefit greatly from a consistent sharpening routine like that.
  Good luck, and I hope that helps. Let me know what you end up going with if you do decide!

Bone conducting earphones, my stupid tiny ear canals mean I can't get any ear buds, to stay in my ears, the bone conducters have changed my life....
my custom made silicon ear plugs are a close second, sweet sleep when I'm on night shifts

Motorcycle. If I'm going to be forced to drive to and from work, I might as well enjoy it.

A foam/gel pillow that allows me to sleep with my neck at the proper angle so my degenerating disks don't keep me up all night. A literal lifesaver.

If we're talking about obvious things, getting a washing machine and kitchen with all that comes with it is a tremendous improvement in a new apartment.
If I had to pick something less obvious, I'd say for me it was an e-book. It's hard to measure the effect, but I mostly read non-fiction and knowledge creates a lot opportunities over time in private and work life.
- Oh, would like to hear more on details, if you can!
  Specific Kitchen stuff and e-book details.
  
  Specific Kitchen stuff
  Oh, you know, the basic stuff. The oven, cooking surface, microwave, an area to work and cupboards to store dishes. It's just that when you're waiting for the kitchen, cooking is miserable and some dishes are out of question.
  e-book details
  I got a Kindle Paperwhite 10 years ago. I've been reading a lot since then because it's a small device you can carry anywhere and read in public transport, for example. With paper books, it's not always as convenient. They can be too big and heavy to carry with you and you can't regulate lighting, etc. Of course, it's subjective. But for me, that was the turning point.

Slip-on shoes, these specific ones are so well designed I can put them on in a few seconds while standing. They basically have loops for fingers on the tongue and pull/heel tab, I wish there were better quality shoes with the same design though as these have very specific cleaning instructions.
- Could you provide a link please?
  
  Not the person you responded to but you can turn any shoe into this. Lock laces. Instead of tying my shoes daily you can slip them on and off and they always stay exactly perfect. I adjust them mayyybe once a year. They're like 10 bucks and make my shoes feel amazing.
  
  I forgot to respond to you, these are the ones I have, they were gifted to me so idk about their availability outside of my country.
- Keen Newports have the finger loops on tongue and heel. I think Blundstone boots do, too? I’m sure someone with Blundstones can confirm or refute that.
  Those loops are so handy, I agree.
- Definitely recommend Kiziks for this!

Blundstones. I live in a coastal city that's wet (but rarely snowy) the vast majority of the year. Having rain-resistant shoes that are comfortable AND durable has been a game changer.
And if I can mention a second: A proper, long raincoat. Combined with good shoes, I'm able to tolerate the weather here much better than when I'd first moved to this city and relied on sneakers + regular jackets.

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