Based on experience, stick to conditions: New, Like-New, and Very Good. I've had mixed experience with Good, and never tried anything below.
The Wish List's ability to target format and condition is great.
There are other posts / threads on NH for book suggestions. I would recommend "The War of Art". It's not just for artists.
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-war-of-art-break-through-t...
I got tired of Spotify raising their fees without much quality improvement. YouTube had a really good algorithm for music discovery, to the point I was discovering music on YouTube and copying it over to Spotify, which often didn't have the same covers I liked. At some point, it made more sense to switch over. Being ad free was just a side feature.
Also there's some preview stuff that only Premium subscribers get. It's not worth getting for itself, but it's a nice touch.
- Glass tea pot with filter for loose tea leaves. Also machine washable.
- Tower fan. Cools and provides white noise.
- Gym membership (50 a month)
- Earplugs (Tinnitus is life-changing, and not a good way)
- Running shoes
- Pillow
The items are not by themselves life-changing, but they can be life changing if they make you change your habits, like they did for me. For instance, by replacing sugary drinks with tea.
If I'm allowed to up the budget a little bit I would include noise-cancelling headphones. Dual 4k monitors. Mechanical keyboard. Countless books. Prescription eyeglasses (+ sunglasses).
Au is hilarious - most of the country is under harsh drug warrior laws except for ACT (Australian Capital Territory), which is where the bulk of the politicians are.
I forgot whose quote is that.
--
I am an hardcore atheist, and on Wikipedia I read that many people experience God on shrooms, which convinced me to try them out. I didn't see God, but I learned that my brain is doing a LOT of sensory filtering behind the scenes [1], and when you lift that screen up, the world is mind-blowing in its complexity and beauty.
The most beautiful things I've experienced with them are trees. It's like they grow a fourth dimension, and their fractal design is better than anything humans can create.
Damn, I haven't had any hallucinogen in 13 years, and I'd love to chance to peer through the curtain once again. Hallucinogens simply offer a perspective, a vantage point unreachable while sober.
1: years later I learned that we have more green cones in our eyes than red and blue, to better distinguish shapes in nature. Made me smile, because I experienced that during one of my trips: I was totally mesmerized by green things because they appeared so vibrant, with much more resolution than any other colour. I remember spotting a person with green shoes from very far away, like I grew a superpower. I always had it, but in my sober life it's filtered otherwise it would be overwhelming. Many people go through their life without having had the chance to see the unrefined, raw signal of reality.
EDIT: geez, tough crowd in here.
Ordered fresh light roast coffee from Happy Mug and it's like a whole new world. I'm getting Cherry, Blueberry, Coconut, Raspberry flavors in my latte every morning that I didn't even know were possible.
And since I smash the heels of my shoes putting them on, I am fairly sure this has already paid for itself.
My list below:
- ikea desk lamp Tertial (one you can clamp)
- moleskine pocket soft cover blank notebook
- Grab Eats/Deliveroo Plus for free delivery
- A discounted top game from 2-3 years ago (which usually is discounted below $50 on epic gog or steam)
- Youtube premium
- 2-3 casio f91w watches (one in home, in office and in backpack)
- adopting a kitten (been 5 years and best investment for emotional support!)
Don't get me wrong, cats are great. (Work from home, getting paid, with a cat on your lap... that's just amazing.) But they aren't as cheap as $50.
In the same vein, a simple pin cha set (porcelain gaiwan with a few tiny cups) and some Fenghuang Dancong "Duck poop" tea (鸭屎香). This can be expensive, but $20 for gaiwan and $30 for tea should be enough to taste it.
Singapore? A one-way flight to Thailand! :-) What else you can buy in Singapore for $50, a subway ticket? :D
As I pace on my many work calls from my home office, I absent mindedly use this to wipe dust off the blinds, off the tops of paintings, books, clocks, webcams etc. My office is perpetually dust free because I married a doodad with an obsessive behavior and I couldnt be more pleased.
A second doodad is a wooden knobby foot roller for under my desk. It helped me with my blood pressure. I can be on a call, barefoot, and grinding my stress into this wooden knob thing, and a 12 dollar carpet square underneath it, and conduit all of my negative energy into the floor instead of onto the call. It's just a stress relief toy but one that none of my coworkers or customers can see. It makes me feel like a four limbed creature instead of two limbed and gives me more sense of control. I dunno. I like it
[1] Or still are, Gayle is 19, playing stadium shows, and can't play guitar for shit -- her voice is the showstopper. It's kinda inspiring seeing her just playing chords and being like wow that's so attainable.
I have been listening to foreign radio stations and my language skills have gone up considerably.
Better than shovelling sugar down your neck all day, full of nutrients, saves money over snacking, saves time over making a pack up.
It's a small change that makes a big difference, or has to me.
I could put my referral code here, but I'm not shilling or trying to make money, I genuinely eat "hot and savoury" or "Instant Meals" as they rebranded to recently, most days.
https://huel.com or for me uk.huel.com.
I really want to understand the value of this product.
They say one meal a day which is fine, if you only ate this product you would miss out on leafy stuff and various micronutrients for sure.
The price is still not too bad if it delivers as promised but most of these kinds of these instant meals are low fibre, low calorie, and not satisfying.
Good: Eyemask for sleeping
Twice a year, should cost less than $50.