Robot vacuum. Used to drown in collie fur and the constant angst of vacuuming.
Requires a fair amount of maintenance but still a massive time saver.
Did you go with a name brand? A refurb? I hope this is my next luxury purchase.
We’ve had both a Roomba and now a Bissell thinking that the longtime vacuum company would be a better choice.
I’d give the roomba a 4.5/5 and the Bissell a 3/5 at best.
Stick with the robot companies.
Still gotta empty the thing quite often
The dock has a decent size bag. The long hair is the maintenance killer, have to pull the rotating brushes and cut off the hair regularly.
Not specifically mine but definitely that of my wife: a company called Beurer in Germany makes this little tool with a small ceramic plate that you can heat. Press the hot thing against a mosquito bite and not only does the itch go away, the actual inflammation is diminished. For 20 euros one of the best impulse buys I ever did.
We’ve also put in an order for an electric bicycle which I think will lead to us leaving the car now often.
Using a hairdryer really helps do this en masse
I just bought one of those as well. It works!
This is probably going to be life changing for my wife and daughter. They’re both super reactive to mosquito bites to the point of not wanting to be outside. Luckily, we live where there are only flies and moths so most of the time at home this is literally not a problem. However, when camping in the mountains it can be. Thanks for the tip!
You can achieve the same thing with a metal spoon dipped in hot water, like after stirring a fresh cup of tea. It should be hot enough to hurt but not to burn/damage your skin. I’ve been doing this trick for ages and it works every time :)
My partner is also allergic to mosquito bites and he got a HeatIt and it was life-changing. He previously had to stay home and permanently ice his bites to not get blood poisoning and was in huge pain, but now since it’s always with him on his keychain, he can treat the stings right away before they get too bad and can go out and do pretty much everything now. He still needs to treat the stings regularly, but it’s so much more portable and accessible than the ice packs he used before.
Compared to the larger devices like BiteAway, it performs a bit worse and it’s a bit pricey and the durability is kinda shit, but the fact that it’s always on him and ready to use (as long as you bring your keys and phone), he can treat the bites right away on the go, which makes a huge difference in effectiveness.
Over many years, I’ve settled on hydrocortisone cream followed by an ice cube. Those little buggers love me.
I suffer from eczema pretty badly so I always have some sort of cortisol cream nearby. They clear up any bug bites quickly. Luckily, mosquitos prefer my wife’s blood over mine.
You can also run a spoon under hot water for a more improv tool. Works great.
It’s the same principle, true enough. But this tool I think reaches higher temps which makes it more effective.
I looked up the bug bite thing. Im glad that someone paid attention to the way most proteins in bites/stings break down if heated. I bet it works pretty good
I doubt that you can get your skin hot enough to denature those proteins without damaging yourself. I’ve given myself a blister before trying.
it says it gets to 170F. thats hot enough to get shallow stuff like mosquito bites and most stings.
That temperature is dangerous, will burn you, and the mechanism of action for these things isn’t denaturation.
Hire hot does it need to be?
im not sure and it would vary from protein to protein but the thing says it gets up to 170F which is probably enough for a fair few
A semi-professional portafilter espresso machine paired with a great grinder.
I can make coffee at home that’s better than what’s being served in most cafés and I can just have that for breakfast every morning. Felt like quite the quality of life improvement.
For me Bazzera Magica and Baratza Vario grinder some time back. Better coffee than most cafes.
You and me brother.
Which machine did you choose? I went for the Lelit Bianca, never regretted it.
I don’t do the espresso machine, but the Baratzza Encore for my pour over or Aeropress has been one of my best food/beverage investments. Between that and a bag of different single origins beans a month almost makes getting up for work bearable! 😄
My style, exactly! But even my $20 grinder works wonders compared to pre-ground coffee. I’ve thought about updating that component but I make pretty good coffee as is.
got the breville bambino and its awesome. drip coffee maker has gone into the garage now, and every morning is coffee christmas.
Electric wheelchair.
Pretty much been housebound since 2018. I can walk short distances, but large stores like a grocery store or a Home Depot were out of reach unless they had their own scooters available, which were often broken, or un-charged.
Malls were out entirely. City centers? Not a chance.
The wheelchair opened all that back up to me!
Tough comment to follow
Yet angry downvotes? Some people on Lemmy just plain suck.
Thank you for warming my day, friend.
Ultimately trivial cost-wise and to install, but game-changer:
I highly recommend one with a heated seat if you’ve got a reasonably accessible power outlet nearby. Just be aware that it will totally spoil you and make pooping away from home even less fun than it already is.
I’m an electrician in the PNW, and that plug will usually run you $750 to move one close to that spot, just for a price point.
butt game changer.
That would have made my post so much butter.
What I was about to post, too. It’s ridiculous how much better something as simple as taking a shit can be.
Furniture of proportionate scale to my body.
To all you fellow deviations from the average height: look up the ratios of how your body is supposed to relate to chairs, tables, counters, and screens and search for ways to make that happen. These things are not supposed to cause you inevitable pain.
You can’t make everything perfect, especially if sharing spaces with people who don’t match your scale, but do what you can and it will make a huge difference.
Also this is good advice for the regular-sized, the problem is just less pervasive for them.
Interestingly, a good pair of noise canceling in ear headphones. I have ADHD, and being able to block out the world to focus on what I need to do is a godsend.
Can you share which one you are using? I am looking for good ones.
Tech to make day to day chores easier have had the largest impact for us. The automated self cleaning liter box for the cats, the cordless vacuum, the cordless electric mop (such as Tineco), electric lawn mowers (no maintenance), smart outlets and automations via home assistant.
Another big one is the RO water filter at the kitchen sink. No more bottled water. Bonus points if you get one that tells you when fillters need to be changed. So nice.
I live in Finland and so the seasonal daylight varies from almost none in winter to always in summer. I got a smart socket connected to my grow lamps for all my plants. I used to have an analogue timer that I would have to keep changing the times on as the season progressed. The smart one now turns on when my alarm goes off in the morning and turns off an hour after sunrise, turns on again an hour before sunset and turns off at bedtime.
No messing about anymore, it’s one less thing to worry about.
I have heard nothing better than mediocre reviews of any of the robotic litter boxes. May I ask which you have, and what you like/don’t like about it?
We have the litter robot. It was pretty expensive, and can be a little quirky at times, but for the most part it’s been a real time saver.
The biggest problem is that it can get stuck while doing it’s rotation, which then requires you to intervene. It really doesn’t happen often, though. It’s had errors similar to that around 5 times or so in the past couple years. Not too bad.
We change out the turd bag around once per week. 2 cats have access 24/7, and another cat has access 12-15 hours per day.
I got the new Litter Robot 4. I was worried about the price, but after 5 months with 2 cats, I love it. It scoops the litter 15 minutes after they go and keeps the smells contained really well. We change the tray about every 5 days and it takes a regular kitchen trash bag. So it’s just as easy and taking out the trash. No regrets, money well spent
I got a Litter Robot 3 a couple years ago and its the best money I’ve spent in a long while. Super convenient and I haven’t had any issues with it even with 2 cats.
Aer Daypack 2 work backpack. I replaced my older should bag with that and it’s so much easier to carry around my work laptop, etc.
Things I love:
- Protective fleece sleeve that protects the laptop
- Pocket for a tablet and/or pad of paper in front of that
- Plenty of smaller pockets in a separate compartment for pens, mouse, keys, etc.
- Small fleece lined pocket up top to hold sunglasses, wallet, etc.
- Bottle holder on the side that fits a 24oz Thermoflask with rubber bottom.
- Zippers can hide in bottle pocket for security
- Made out of Cordura ballistic fabric (had it on my last bag that still looks brand new after 20 years)
- Shoulder strap holders
- Removable sternum strap.
- Top handle is made out of multi-layered silky seatbelt fabric. It’s the most comfortable handle I’ve used.
- Strap on the back that can be slipped over carry on luggage handles.
- Built to stand up on its own even when loaded
I freaking love the thing. Unfortunately, they no longer sell it as there is a newer model, the Day Pack 3; it adds a few things like an AirTag pocket and side handle but removes the removable sternum strap (according to one reviewer, the picture looks like the buckle can slide up and off the new strap rails), and changes the inner pocket fabric.
I will sound like a shrill, but I love everything they make. Even though the City Pack Pro X-Pac became, accidentally and relative to initial cost, the single most expensive bag I own due to my stupid brother.
I live in Europe, and you have to pay big taxes on any imports by mail. So I asked my brother if I could mail to him and he’d mail it to me, like in the old days (20 years ago or so). Sure, he says no problem, when do you need it? I say not in a hurry but leaving for a trip in like three weeks, so if it made it here by then that would be nice.
Two weeks later he texts me saying I owe him USD 120 for shipping. I said WTF? He sent it express, like an idiot. The bag costs about USD 239. So, ok fine it least I’ll have it for my trip.
Nope. Three weeks later I call the UPS center. They got my bag, all right, but I owe EUR 135 in taxes and duties. My brother - who used to know how to do these things, insured it for USD 400 and wrote on the item description “brand new back pack.” That fuckwad (whom I love, but damn bro, you grew up stupid sometimes).
Anyway even at that price it’s worth it, and it too has all the features you mention above + in X-Pac + with a contrasting interior color. I may have gone to their flag ship “store” (a tiny, tiny little store front) in SF and fanboy’ed for an hour or so before buying a small inside bag. And I may or may not have ordered two of their computer peripheral storage bags, one for me and one as a bribe/tribute to our head of IT…
Anyway, ahem. It’s the ultimate combo between a carry on bag and an (largish) urban commuter bag. /Shrill, and if anyone from Aer is reading this, a discount code maybe?
I prefer working from home, but if anything changes in looking into it!
I have their duffel pack 2, I’ve had it since 2018 or 2019? Great for a gym-going office worker who packs lunch, doubles as a good personal item for flights. Love that bag.
Electric bike, 95 Ford Ranger, camping gear, garden cart, gardening supplies and plants, cat tree, ebook reader
Recently loaf of bread.
A good loaf is a good loaf
Alcoholism.
Oh wait…
I believe in you
Samsung S6 lite, the notes app and pen are amazing for work. And its price got slashed aswell. Also buying lots of vegetables during shopping, lets me eat more while staying the dame weight.👍
A good shower head with better pressure and spray pattern. The one I got was Oxygenics, hopefully they are still good.
I went down a rabbit hole of shower head research recently and ended up with a Hammerhead. Been pretty happy with it.
Reusable, vacuum sealable ziplock bags. Cuts back on waste & lengthens the shelf life of most foods.
It’s also really nice to be able to buy bulk meats & be able to separate them into vacuum sealed single servings.
And last but not least, it really helps with using the sous vide. I like being able to separate a bulk package of chicken into individual meals with different marinades. Just pull a bag out & defrost it, then it’s 90 seconds a side to gourmet meals midweek.
What brand did you get?
Just went with a generic option. I have some that have blue zip tops & some with gray.
The one big recommendation I can make is to get one with a battery powered suction pump. They’re little bit more expensive, but the handheld pumps have broken on me in the past.
Thanks!
How reusable have you found the bags to be? I recently (as in, just today) started looking into getting one, but I don’t want to be constantly throwing out bags.
I’ve found that with proper care & paying attention to what I use each bag for helps.
If I use a bag say for tandoori chicken sous vide…
When the chicken’s done, I rinse the bag thoroughly, fill it to ¼, add a lil soap, seal it up, & put it back in the sous vide bath, while it’s still warm.
Let it cool off & then give it a rinse & scrub, before drying.
It’s gentler on the bag than the dishwasher, but still gets it sanitary & clean.
I’ll try to continue using that bag for chicken, if not specifically tandoori chicken.
This is where having two different colors can be helpful. I use gray for meat & blue for everything else.
Blue bags obviously last a bit longer, but this current batch of gray is a year old & still in decent shape.
