There’s 3 things that really stand out for me that I would say made a massive difference to my life:
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Cordless screw driver. Bought the day after building a flat pack bed with a crappy screw.driver that just shredded my hand. Thought it was frivolous at the time, but I’ve used it so much since. It’s light, small enough to fit in my pocket and good for 90% of DIY tasks.
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Tassimo coffee machine. Bought it 9 years ago, use it every day. Nice quick easy coffee. What’s not to like.
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My first DSLR camera. It was a Nikon D50 back in 2005/6 and it sparked my interest in photography to this day. It gave me a hobby I can take lots of places and do it alone or with others. I never loved the D50 camera itself, but I did get some really nice shots with it
- vasectomy
- divorce
- campervan
Although I can’t say these are the best purchases in my life, I have also purchased all three, and can attest they were money very well spent. Very. Very. Well. Spent.
A computer — no other item I own has changed the course of my life as much as owning my own computer has.
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A plot of land in a place I like. Nothing fancy or huge, just a place to be by myself and enjoy a nice bonfire away from people.
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Headphones. The old clunky ones that cover your whole ears. I love them! They feel like a hug and I use them all the time while listening to spooky stories. Bought them in a sale about four years ago.
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A hello kitty backpack. Bought it as a birthday gift for a friend’s daughter, we had a fallout and I kept it. One day I needed a clean backpack and this was on hand so I grabbed it in a whim and have been using it ever since. I have a pair of Columbia, silver ridge and tetons laying around but this fluffy cute backpack makes me so happy and has the perfect size.
You seem like a cool person.
I don’t get that compliment a lot lol, so thank you.
Well, of course not; you’re on your land away from people! 😂 But seriously, I mean it! Take care…
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- Back in 2017 while stationed in AZ I adopted a dog who was the cutest little Blue Heeler, for $5 we have been inseparable since and she is the single greatest thing that’s happened to me.
- Last year in April my Powerstrokes transmission failed and on a whim I bought a 98’ 4 runner with 245k miles. We have now built the hell out of that little rig and have put 15k miles on it in 11 months
- 100 pairs of socks on Amazon. This sounds nuts but, I got 100 pairs of black socks 2 years ago for $60 because I was tired of my socks always missing. I still have 50 socks I haven’t touched.
Is AZ Azerbaijan?
Arizona
How was anyone meant to know that? Why use 2 random letters to refer to a state in a foreign country?
I didn’t. I used to letters commonly associated with the state in my country. Sorry that you don’t live here and sorry I wasn’t more descriptive. Honestly even if I had adopted Mercy in that country she is still the best purchase
Steam Deck - since having kids I was really struggling to play games at all. I had gotten to where I was only playing phone games and switch games, but the Steam Deck has really enabled me to start enjoying my steam library again. If it broke I would buy another one instantly.
Bone-conductive headphones - I wear these all day. I listen to audiobooks, take calls, have them read out notifications, etc. It’s also great to know that if I open a random meme video on my phone, I don’t have to worry about the sounds of the video being inappropriate for my surroundings. They’re so much more comfortable than traditional headphones.
My house - I got an insanely good deal on my house, less than what many people pay for cars. It’s not the fanciest house, and it needed some fixing up when we bought it, but it’s enabled me and my family to live with extremely low bills which has made my life very low stress. Houses are generally cheap where I live, but I lucked out and got the best house deal I’ve seen, and it’s made everything so much easier.
I’ve been looking into bone conduction headphones, but I’ve has trouble choosing a model. Which ones do you have?
I started with some cheaper ones off Amazon to see if I liked using bone conductive, and after using those for a year or so I upgraded to Shokz Openmove, which I have been using for a few years now.
If I break these I’ll probably upgrade to a nicer Shokz product, but I’m not sure which one. I’ve been really happy with the Openmove though.
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My horse, Lola. She’s an amazing 9yo grey quarter horse mare. “Retired” barrel racer, she’s the perfect trail/ranch horse. She’s got the best quirky and silly demeanor, she loves to hang out, and she’s playful, but never gets crazy under saddle.
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My guitar. 2012 PRS 513. I absolutely love that guitar, and it got me back into playing after almost 20 years off. It’s my “do everything” guitar, and the difference in sounds between pickup combinations makes it incredibly versatile.
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A good mattress. I spend a solid 1/3 of my life sleeping (or trying to) and a great mattress helps so much.
Oh do you have any Lola pictures?
Of course! 😁
Oh she’s a beauty! Nice tack too.
Thanks! That’s an old Bob Marshall. It’s been replaced by a new one at this point.
Lolaaaa
Nice guitar. I’d love one of them. I have an SE Custom 24 in bright pink that is fantastic. PRS just make so many wonderful guitars.
I also have a CU24 SE. It’s an incredible instrument! I’m down to 4 guitars these days, and two of them are PRS. 😁
I have 4 also, but 4 separate manufacturers. I’ve run out of wall space to hang them so I have to think quite carefully about my next move as one will have to go.
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Smart vacuum cleaner - you pay a reasonable amount once and don’t have to vacuum anymore
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Vaporiser - switched to vaping weed instead of smoking joints which is not only nicer in many ways but also allowed me to quit smoking cigarettes
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PlayStation - after sitting 8h by the desk moving a mouse for work, I didn’t want to sit in the same position another few hours playing games. With PS I can comfortably sit in my armchair and play on a big tv scrreen using a controller
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Ergonomic mattress - healed my hurting back. This should be on the top of this list.
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My vasectomy. Hands down the best ease-of-mind investment ever
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My computer. Easy choice, I use it daily, sometimesmore than 8 hours
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Good, high quality spices
My vasectomy.
Paying for that? That’s weird.
I wanted to do it myself but my doctor advised against it.
I’d advise against it too! That should only be done by a qualified professional.
Pfff sounds like big surgeon propaganda to me
Is other birth control free?
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Boring answrs but… A computer. It’s the 2nd most expensive thing I own and it’s provided me thousands and thousands of hours of entertainment and use as tool.
A car. The most expensive thing I’ve brought and very useful. I’ve been able do a lot more with my time and get into many new hobbies.
Power rack. 3rd most expensive. Having a power rack in my garage allows me to safely lift heavy by myself which is awesome.
Bonus cheap thing. Screw driver set. Allowed me to fix many things around my house and easily saved me 10x the cost.
- A bicycle. I have saved so much money over the years on cars, gym memberships, and therapy. I ride every day for most destinations, and I think that getting regular exercise has saved me from the aches and pains of middle age. I still haven’t experienced the horrors that await (if Lemmings are to be believed) of turning 30. And it makes getting places enjoyable.
- My first computer, an Amiga 500. I learned so much about software, IT, and human nature by persevering with an oddball (for the U.S.) computer.
- A trailer sailboat. Aside from the hours spent on the water, along with it comes a whole raft (hah!) of hobbies/side pursuits: Marlinspike work, sewing, electrical wiring, navigation, weather forecasting, fiberglass repair, radio communications, and such. Strangely enough, it also served me well through years of low income, by providing a lot of hours of enjoyment for the money.
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Electric toothbrush. When I don’t have it with me, brushing manually is such a chore. A device performs better than I do and I embrace it.
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Prescription glasses. I remember getting to look at a tree with improved sight, and it was wonderful.
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Air purifier. Has really helped my allergies.
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Roomba. That is all.
I’m sorry but your roomba has decided to stay with me for a while
- E-reader. I’m not reading 4-5 books a month as I did before but it reignited my desire to read after losing it in college (plus: it’s way cheaper).
- Chemex. I was used to burnt gas station coffee and it gave me a new hobby.
- First DSLR as well. Helped me think about composition more in my paintings, as well as contrast. I haven’t touched a camera in years though. Little opportunity or desire.
1: My motorbike - hands down my best purchase. That has single handedly done more for my mental health than the last 9 years of various anti depressants.
2: My PC - the same as others. It’s just nice to be able to have the option to do just about everything.
3: A car - I didn’t really buy this. My mum gave it to me as a first car. It’s not the flashiest. It’s just the most basic type. But I love it. I spent 23 years just putting off getting my licence until I just decided to get it just to get it out of the way. And I have missed put on so much by it. The sense of freedom, not having to rely on getting lifts, or getting public transport. (Not opposes to public transport. It’s just that where I live, it’s a pain for commuting)
Out of curiosity, how does the motorbike help your mental health? Is it having transportation in general, or the feeling of riding a motorbike specifically?
I’m gonna be honest. I find it really hard to describe the feeling. I’ll try, though, but I’ll try. Sorry if it doesn’t make sense.
It’s not just a mode of transportation to me, at least. There’s an insane sense of freedom to it. The adrenaline from having sports car acceleration speeds just straight between your legs. It’s like when people say to play music as a coping mechanism. Only this mechanism isn’t just sitting around. It actively forces your mind off those things. Like, yeah, you’ll think about it. You may still have those megatove thoughts. But they just sorta melt away and get blasted away, almost. The raw sounds of the engine, only adding to it. Ot drains it all out, (If you like the sound, I personally have a stock exhaust, as thays more than enough, I really enjoy the sound of just amy exhaust, well, except the shitty tinny ones thay oiss everyone off. Or the unnecessarily loud ones)
And the fact that you are sat on top of a solid block of steel, with thousands of explosions happening right there. Woth a fuel tank just above it. Kicking out insane power, even a 67hp 650cc. With pretty much nothing protecting you. One slight mistake, and it all goes tits up. But you’re in control of it. And it’s gonna keep you upright if you handle it. It’s relaxing. I also think it helps because you can feel what the bike is doing. Even with slight inputs.
Keanu Reeves said, “If you ride a bicycle, you can kind of understand.”
Sorry if thays too long and doesn’t make sense. And sorry if it’s kinda cringe. But, I truly do love the bike.
(Also, from what I’ve seen, the biker community is insanely inclusive and nice. Even just riding past another rider. Just that simple gesture of “Hey man,” it makes you feel like you’re somewhere you belong)
I think you described it very well! Thanks for that. It makes me want one. Sometimes you just want ant to zen out and it sounds like it’s perfect for helping with that.
Oh, good, I’m glad it helped.
I will always suggest that if it’s not gonna cause other issues, get a bike.
I won’t lie, I’m one of the types that does little dances on ot when the right songs come on. And singing. But somehow, I can still concentrate on it, it is really relaxing.
You don’t even have to jump straight to the big ones. Even a 125, whilst it won’t give the full experience, will be more than enough to see if you can get on with them.
Straight up miss my bike. I like backpacking on a bike just because the freedom of it is an allure in itself. Still recall the days when I would just wake up on the weekends and decide on a trip for two days to some place unknown. The journey, the part of exploration and the freedom that you feel when you’ve the wind blowing through that is not describable. It needs to be experienced. Now the part where I miss it. I moved between countries and where I am now I don’t (haven’t still) felt safe enough getting a bike and riding in the highways.
Haha driving a motorbike is very different in your country :D
Here I average 15km/hr or less, due to heavy traffic. It’s fairly stressful, and it sucks in the monsoon. I’ve got scars on both legs where I’ve been burned by unprotected exhaust pipes. You can smell the meat cooking when it happens. All working class people here have these scars. When I need to relax, I take the bus – it’s a luxury!
Still, it beats not having a motorbike by a lot, so I can still relate :)
Oh damn, yeah thats a lot different here. Especially the monsoons. This may sound dumb, but how does the bikes hold up in that weather condition? And another dumb one, how do you get burnt by the exhausts?
Thay sounds peaceful though, with the bus. Especially compared to the bike.
Bikes are just wonderful, stay safe, man.
Well, we don’t have winter – so very well! It’s not unusual for bikes to last 15 years or more. In the big cities, the condition of the roads is also surprisingly good in Viet Nam (countryside…depends). Road work is bizarrely efficient and happens overnight, only closing as much of the road as they need to work on in 1 night, then opening it up again in the morning. So my bike doesn’t accumulate much wear and tear.
We also get floods. Driving some bikes in 40cm of flowing water is possible, but difficult. Sometimes there is no choice. If the water blocks the exhaust that’s obviously not going to function, but barring that you can slowly drive. It doesn’t wear down the bikes much either though, surprisingly!
The exhausts have a metal radiator that gets very hot, especially in traffic when there’s little airflow and you’re not using your engine efficiently (accelerate, stop, repeat) . Usually there is a temperature resistant plastic shield to stop inadvertent contact. However many people remove it, or it breaks and they don’t replace it (…pretty universally regarded as a dick move). The traffic is so dense, you’re physically pressed up against all the other bikes. So if someone decides to be a jerk and muscle through, they will burn many of the people they pass as their exhaust pipe presses against their legs. Feels easily over 100 degrees and will sear your flesh in an impressive manner. Like, you can hear it before you feel it.
Most people are not jerks, but due to population density, there’s always a jerk present. So we all have 3-4cm oval scars on our legs, unless we are ultra rich so don’t need to drive a bike – these are the scars of the working class. Colloquially, it’s known as a “Saigon Kiss”. Although you’ll get them easily in Ha Noi too, haha.
On the bright side, nearly everyone obeys the speed limit, which is 50km/hr, and the majority of the people drive on the correct side of the road and wear a helmet. On the other hand, there’s always someone doing none of these things. Impacting the road hurt less than I thought it would, I’m thankful for the low speed limit. Although I still very much do not recommend it getting in a motorbike accident here. The number of tourists with no license on the road is an increasing problem, too. They also tend to run home when they hit someone.
HP48GX scientific calculator, damn old, still works great still use it a lot
Steam Deck, handheld gaming computer, barely use PS5 anymore, this one is so quick and convenient to just pause and resume games and take gaming everywhere and the SteamOS Linux is awesome. I use the desktop mode with full KDE Plasma desktop as my portable computer a lot when on the go. Also with the dock station I can use it as a gaming console when going on holidays.
And the flat I live in. Good thing as I bought it quite a few years ago since the home prices are just criminal and highly unjust now. This stuff does not belong on markets to be sold for profits or some criminal short-time renting crap like AirBnB