I generally try to live a decluttered life and minimize the number of "things" to deal with as I value my time above anything else.
That said, here are some things I value:
- Spotify. At ~$10/month, a great deal that makes listening and discovering music really easy. Have a shared account with my wife.
- Gaming. While gaming hardware isn't cheap these days (~$2k for a decent build) games have incredible value. Playing competitive online games once a week with friends kept me sane through the pandemic. Incredibly immersive experience.
- Guitar and Rocksmith. At ~$300, let's you hook up an electric guitar to your computer and learn how to play the guitar in a fun way. Really elevating experience.
- Electric Bike. These aren't cheap either ($2k+), but this purchase made commuting by bike exclusively (pre-pandemic) practical (cutting down my commute from ~55min by regular bike to about ~35min).
- Climbing gym membership. About $70/month. Such a fun way to stay in shape and socialize while doing so.
- Wired headphones that work well while biking. Let me keep in touch with aging parents on daily basis. Never need to worry about charging.
- Relatedly, Pixel 4a. Comparatively cheap ($400) phone with a headphone jack. Camera is great. It's very light which makes reading before sleep pleasant.
- Books. Unbelievable value. Authors' life's insights distilled into something you can buy for ~$10. The hard part is finding good ones, but lots of good recommendations on HN.
- Good food.
Other things that I don't have yet, but am considering:
- Mail forwarding service (~$30/month). We've been moving around a bit since the pandemic started. These services let you maintain a permanent address, scan or forward mail if needed. Still deciding which one to get since it's not an easily reversible decision.
- Fiber. Not offered yet where we live, but would get it in a heartbeat.
This may sound cliche, but luckily some of the greatest things in life are free (spending time with family and friends, playing volleyball on the beach, going for hikes in nature and all the great content online such as on HN).
While they are nothing special and aren't expensive (~$30), their shape keeps noise levels from airflow low while biking. I've owned them for about 3 years now and they are still going strong.
That said, here are some things I value:
- Spotify. At ~$10/month, a great deal that makes listening and discovering music really easy. Have a shared account with my wife.
- Gaming. While gaming hardware isn't cheap these days (~$2k for a decent build) games have incredible value. Playing competitive online games once a week with friends kept me sane through the pandemic. Incredibly immersive experience.
- Guitar and Rocksmith. At ~$300, let's you hook up an electric guitar to your computer and learn how to play the guitar in a fun way. Really elevating experience.
- Electric Bike. These aren't cheap either ($2k+), but this purchase made commuting by bike exclusively (pre-pandemic) practical (cutting down my commute from ~55min by regular bike to about ~35min).
- Climbing gym membership. About $70/month. Such a fun way to stay in shape and socialize while doing so.
- Wired headphones that work well while biking. Let me keep in touch with aging parents on daily basis. Never need to worry about charging.
- Relatedly, Pixel 4a. Comparatively cheap ($400) phone with a headphone jack. Camera is great. It's very light which makes reading before sleep pleasant.
- Books. Unbelievable value. Authors' life's insights distilled into something you can buy for ~$10. The hard part is finding good ones, but lots of good recommendations on HN.
- Good food.
Other things that I don't have yet, but am considering:
- Mail forwarding service (~$30/month). We've been moving around a bit since the pandemic started. These services let you maintain a permanent address, scan or forward mail if needed. Still deciding which one to get since it's not an easily reversible decision.
- Fiber. Not offered yet where we live, but would get it in a heartbeat.
This may sound cliche, but luckily some of the greatest things in life are free (spending time with family and friends, playing volleyball on the beach, going for hikes in nature and all the great content online such as on HN).