What are some good things to spend money on to improve the quality of one’s life? Here are some things I’ve found useful or am considering buying myself, many of which are based on suggestions I’ve seen on FI.
Induction microwave: I’ve seen this recommended. I got a microwave from Costco by Panasonic and it turned out to be an induction microwave (I got lucky). Definitely have not taken advantage of microwaving things for longer on lower heat though. I will need to test it out more.
Vertical Mouse: I’m considering getting a vertical mouse since it seems to be more comfortable according to Justin and I am concerned long-term about RSI since I spend 12-16 hours a day on computers basically every day.
NVME SSD and big HDD: I recently ordered an NVME 2TB SSD that seems like a massive upgrade in speed over SATA SSDs. I also ordered a 4tb HDD that has been a massive relief because I no longer have to worry about deleting stuff every time I download something big. Juggling storage space was more stressful than I realized until that stress went away. Haven’t installed the SSD yet but the HDD has been great for me.
SSD: Amazon.ca
Massive Water Bottle:
I noticed I was spending a lot of time repeatedly refilling a ~700ml water bottle so I looked for a bigger one and ended up getting this:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0881M9F1J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Much better than what I had previously and I basically only have to fill it once a day.
Password Manager: I don’t actually spend money on this as the free tier for Nordpass fulfills all my needs but it’s been such a massive upgrade. I used to reuse passwords or forget the variations I made of them all the time and it was annoying. Now I just autofill passwords with one click and I don’t get any anxiety when registering for new accounts and having to create and remember a new password.
Second Monitor: I got a second monitor a while ago and it was a big upgrade for me. Having a dedicated screen for media or discord while I’m working or gaming on the other one makes things much easier. Also a lot easier to compare two web pages or pages of text.
Trying out new foods: I’ve been getting groceries delivered for a few months and it’s been convenient for me. It’s allowed me to try out new foods without much risk. I’ve tried all sorts of frozen products including new ice creams and stuff, as well hard candies, mints, different kinds of chips and snacks, and bakery desserts like cakes and puffs. There was a post curi wrote somewhere about how wasting food is OK to some degree and shouldn’t be considered a problem. Just found the post and actually he says it isn’t even really a waste:
this is all to be expected. you shouldn’t be upset in the slightest if 10% of the food you buy isn’t eaten. more if you are young, or have young children, or have many children.
and none of these things qualify as “wasting” food.
My dad is like the extreme opposite and will go to great lengths to avoid wasting food, even when the cost of the waste is <$0.50. It’s a cultural thing for him and how he grew up but I hate it when he pressures me to avoid wasting food when it’s just food I tried and discovered I dislike, so I have no qualms throwing it out to eat something better.
Buying Books: It’s also fine to get them from a library but if that’s inconvenient there’s no issue just buying whatever books you’re interested in. I’ve been buying books more rather than hesitating, especially ebooks, and I find that it’s worth it even if I don’t read the entire book.
Buying Video Games: I’ve gotten much less strict about buying videogames where now I’ll buy anything I find interesting without worrying about wasting the money. Steam also has a very generous refund policy that many other platforms generally copy or honour (no questions asked if refunded before 2 hours of play and before 2 weeks of ownership time).
Doing more investing: FI actually got me into my first investment with a Vanguard Index Fund. Since then I’ve been putting more money into investments and just forgetting about them (not tracking them and trying to daytrade). It’s great to have something dedicated to growth long-term and not have to worry about the dollar amount at any given point. In terms of present value I think I just feel more secure and stable knowing that I have something growing towards the future