Hey folks,
I’m curious – is there anything you've bought in the past few years (since 2020) that really changed something in your life? Could be anything, like a gadget, a course, a subscription, even a massage or some random item you didn't think much of at first.
Let’s split it up in...
I’m curious – is there anything you've bought in the past few years (since 2020) that really changed something in your life? Could be anything, like a gadget, a course, a subscription, even a massage or some random item you didn't think much of at first.
Let’s split it up into two categories:
- Under $100 - Under $1000
What did you get? And what was the impact? I’d love to hear the stories – big or small changes, whatever made a difference for you.
Thanks in advance for sharing!
Comments
Under $100:
1) A bidet! Got one in the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce and I wanted to be more efficient, but now I'll never go back. The Tushy ones are good.
2) A safety razor & accessories. I get a cheaper, closer, less irritating shave, and I get to customize every part of it. This can certainly be a rabbithole you spend a lot of money on, but you can get a solid customized starter kit for under $100 that will be totally solid, and from then on you're saving money over cartridges and gel unless you really want to splurge.
I'll second the electric toothbrush suggestion too, its great having my teeth fel clean and smooth.
Safety razors are amazing and life changing. Even if you have something basic it's better for your skin than a cartridge razor, plus it's better for the planet (way less plastic), plus it's way less expensive! I don't know how they are still a niche item.
For anyone who wants to get started, I recommend (no affiliation): - the henson razor for those who want something on automatic. It's less efficient (worse at cutting long hair) but it's basically impossible to cut yourself with it due to the small blade gap - the rockwell 6s for tinkerers. It has 6 different settings for blade gap so you can choose your favorite, switch it up if you skipped shaving for a day and have longer hair, etc
By tomcam 2024-11-1213:26 I abandoned safety razors because the handles are minuscule. Never found one that didn’t cramp up my big farmer hands.
Yesss bidet post upvote!
Seriously, whenever I stay somewhere without a bidet I feel like a caveman. It's just such a quality of life improvement, it's crazy.
Under $1000: My 3D printer. I just super love 3D printers.
Same for me. The bidet is absolutely a life changer.
And the BambuLab's A1 3D printer (and mini-AMS) was by far my favorite under $1000 purchase. I've already printed some fidget "tools", toys for the grandchildren, toys for the children, and even a couple of useful tools for me. As a bonus I get some more experience in CAD and other 3D design tools. It's turning into quite a hobby for me.
Hell, the A1 mini is something like $199, it's such a steal I'm thinking of buying some to gift to friends.
For me P1S hits the soft spot: it's not terribly expensive, and it just works out of the box, is closed so the temperature is well-controlled (plus a carbon filter to keep the fumes down), you can add AMS easily. With 0.2 nozzle you can basically print figurines with almost resin quality.
By stavros 2024-11-0812:58 I love my P1S. Maybe not a great starter printer, if you don't know if you like printers or not, but definitely the best bang for buck if you know it's not going to be a "let's try 3D printing and see if I like it" purchase.
I do recommend a small length of foam tape for the left side of the door, though, the hinge is not lined and some fumes come out. Putting some foam there greatly improves that.
By jorisboris 2024-11-087:441 reply What do you use the 3D printer for?
By stavros 2024-11-087:57 I get this question a lot, and I never have a good answer. The best way to describe it is that it's a tool, so it unlocks a whole solution space that wasn't there before.
Before, I used to live with random little annoyances so much that I couldn't even see them as annoyances. After you get something that can solve all of them, your mind just unlocks.
Toilet seat won't stay up? Print a hook. Taking my glasses out of the glove compartment takes too long? Make a custom glasses holder. The cat eats too much? Print a cat feeder. My USB hub slides around too much? Print a bracket to hold it down. Too many devices on my desk? Print under-desk mounts for them.
The list just goes on and on and on, I've printed probably thousands of useful things, especially for my hobbies.
By cameronh90 2024-11-0720:132 reply For anyone in the UK interested in getting a bidet: most normal bidets are illegal due to our water safety backflow prevention regulations. As a minimum you need a break tank - a double check valve isn’t sufficient.
By ohnoitsahuman 2024-11-0720:57 Secret bidet is secret.
I know this applies for bumguns —various water boards have published guidance— but a lot of the under-seat bidets retract [without positive water pressure].
There's no risk of the spout sitting in and siphoning dirty toilet water it back into your supply. I'm neither a lawyer or a plumber but these seem like they might be okay.
> There's no risk of the spout sitting in and siphoning dirty toilet water it back into your supply
In many places in Europe tap water is safe to drink. However, hot tap water is not.
The regulations mentioned by GP might protect safety of the cold tap water from intake of hot tap water. Which is easy to do unintentionally when mixing hot and cold water.
Oh so that's why the Brits all have this crazy setup with separate cold and hot taps! I was always wondering why - I'm from a country where you can mix water easily.
By mattmanser 2024-11-0822:51 Nah, in the UK it's now fairly uncommon to still have a hot water tank. Most houses have mixer taps, and new fittings for bathrooms or kitchens will have mixer taps unless the home owner is masochist.
The separate taps thing is more because it costs to replace a sink. So even if you put a new boiler in an old houses lots of people aren't going to replace the fittings in the kitchens and bathrooms at the same time.
By theFlamewithin 2024-11-1119:14 "Bumguns" -Lol - I love it :-)
By gwbas1c 2024-11-0817:19 I bought some Tushies for my house and they were awful, they were so thick that they broke my toilet seats. I then bought new toilet seats and little stick-on bumpers, but they fell off.
I then visited a friend who had an older Tushy and it was thin enough that he had no problems.
It's like they switched to a cheaper version without testing it, and then marketed the hell out of it.
I ended up replacing all my Tushies with Amazon's toilet seat with a built in bidet. It's decent.
My parents in law lived in the middle east for a long time, and we all got used to bidets over there. I've had a "mini shower head" version next to my toilet for the last 15 years or so. A bit afraid that it'll start leaking at some point, but so far it's holding up great. I would never go back to TP only.
By al_borland 2024-11-0820:371 reply Without meaning to get too personal, what is the technique for using those? When I took a work trip to India the office had what I think you’re talking about. In the US, it’s like a sprayer on a kitchen sink. I didn’t dare try it out, as I couldn’t think of a scenario where I tried it for the first time and didn’t soak my clothes. I didn’t want that to be my reputation at the office.
By jtwaleson 2024-11-0821:45 You hold it relatively close to the area that needs cleaning. Adjust the pressure as needed using the control on the handle. Then use TP (just to dry), in my experience this is optional in warmer climates.
By HenryBemis 2024-11-1022:231 reply I have seen that 'mini shower head' in multiple homes and hotels in Finland and Russia (but not in Sweden or Denmark). It is amazing!!
A side-hack for that matter is to switch from plain-TP to wet-wipes. Some time ago I visited a friend who had younglings, and treated myself to a pamper-wet-wipe and it was amazing.
By jtwaleson 2024-11-1219:35 The sewage system won't be happy with wet wipes. Caused huge problems in some areas as it doesn't break down.
By dangus 2024-11-080:34 I would asterisk the bidet suggestion just to say that higher end bidet seats that cost starting around $400 are wildly better the cheap ones, especially the unseated ones.
I’ve bought the cheap kind, got tired of it and tossed it, then years later went with a more expensive Toto (around $400) and it’s like a completely different experience.
The Toto keeps itself and the toilet cleaner for longer, it has options for gentle spray and oscillating movement, it’s entirely controlled by electronic remote rather than a crude manual knob, the water and seat are heated, it detects when you are sitting down and operates accordingly, and it even has a warm air dryer.
All bidets I've looked at including Tushy seem really complicated to install (basically having to redo the plumbing) and I don't understand how so many people can just buy and install one like it's nothing. Am I imagining things?
Edit: Not in the US and the plumbing looks a bit like this, but without the nuts so you can't easily disconnect a part of it: https://static.byggahus.se/attachments/images/large/341/3416...
If you can handle putting the nozzle on your garden hose, you should be able to handle it.
In the US, the water pipe almost always connects to the toilet through a small shutoff valve. After the valve, it connects to the toilet through a "supply." The supply is basically a short garden hose, with screw-on connections at both ends.
Shut off the water at the wall. Flush to empty the toilet tank. Unscrew the hose at the toilet, and screw that end into what amounts to a y, or splitter that comes with the bidet. From the splitter, screw one side back into the toilet connection; the other goes to the bidet itself. Turn back on the water at the wall.
(This is for a simple cold-water bidet. If you need heated water or electricity, it can be more complex.)
I mean, but don't you need warm water and/or electricity? I can't see liking a bidet if it's basically just cold tap water shooting up my bum. Not sure that's going to do it for me.
I've always thought that both hot water and electricity would be a minimal barrier to entry for a bidet. And that neither of these exist in a typical toilet closet. Am I fundamentally wrong about this??
Whether you need it probably depends on your climate and your house.
Water in pipes inside a house's "thermal envelope" is presumably around 72 deg. F. I wash my hands with "cold water" without wincing. Tap water strikes me as tepid if I drink it without ice.
If your pipes run through an outside wall in Canada, it might be a different story.
If you do need warmer water, and the bidet heats it, you probably just need an electrician to fish a wire and add a receptacle. That's not outrageously complex, usually, but I tend toward calling a professional for anything behind the walls.
> Water in pipes inside a house's "thermal envelope" is presumably around 72 deg. F.
The pipes in my house are in the crawlspace underneath the house, which is definitely nothing like 72F this time of year. Any hot water more than 10 feet or so away from the water heater runs pretty cold for several gallons.
By Digory 2024-11-1220:28 That sounds like a good weekend project, putting split foam insulation around your pipes. 8' runs are a couple of bucks at the big box stores.
It's not quite as efficient, but I put in a recirculation pump and a timer to keep the water warm throughout the pipe during the day. The clothes washer was never getting warm water, and we wasted a lot at the shower waiting for warm water to reach it.
it's really not that cold. i can't do cold showers at all and tap water bidet feels nothing like it.
By jdyer9 2024-11-0723:34 Same, I don't even like washing my hands with cold tap water, but cold bidet water is no issue.
By fiatpandas 2024-11-0723:04 The bidet heats up the water instantly, there is no requirement for a hot water supply. Just connect it to the existing water supply the toilet uses.
You do however need electricity. I had to run an extension cord for mine, which I tucked away in low profile conduit to keep things tidy looking.
By raphaelb 2024-11-0720:51 It depends on what your toilet supply lines are like and if you use a cold water only or a cold/hot water bidet, but a cold water only one (not nearly as uncomfortable as imagined before trying it) is very easy to install as long as your supply line has a shutoff valve and is relatively flexible.
It takes 15-20 minutes and it basically consists of unscrewing a few things and screwing them back together again.
I bought a Tushy during the pandemic, it took about 10 minutes and a flathead screwdriver.
I liked it so much that when I had a new bathroom installed a year later I put in a Toto Washlet.
By 7373737373 2024-11-0721:353 reply I feel like Toto is failing with their marketing, since people are not really aware of their products outside of Japan. No good and cheap alternatives either
Toto is failing with their prices. I know they can print money in Japan, but it looks like they don't really want to be competitive elsewhere. Sooner or later someone will persuade the right influencer to start a bidet craze and they will get 10x bigger than Toto overnight.
By 7373737373 2024-11-088:13 Yep, this is what I've been thinking!
Is Toto really that better than others? I have both (very old Toto vs Chinese no-name) and I see no difference.
By fellowniusmonk 2024-11-0817:00 You can pry my toto drake 2 from my cold dead hands.
Duravit aren’t cheap, but are much cheaper than Toto (at least in the UK) whose pricing is kinda outrageous.
By its_down_again 2024-11-0819:18 I’ve got a Duravit toilet here in the US, and I'm on the hunt for a compatible cold-water bidet seat under $300 on Amazon. I originally went for a Brondell, thinking it would match the shape and dimensions. But halfway through the install, I realized it wasn’t going to fit around the seat connectors. Duravit's own bidet seats are around $1,000-- I'm tempted, but they look like a lot of work to install. I’m starting to wonder if I should just upgrade the whole toilet to a model that comes with a bidet.
By MisterTea 2024-11-0722:18 Those are compression fittings which we also use in the USA for sink and toilet connections. Standard size here is 3/8 inch which is the outer diameter of the tubing. They are easy to work with as you only need a tube cutter (or hacksaw with fine tooth pitch) and a wrench. You cut the tube, slide a compression nut over, slide the ferrule(s) on, insert the tube into the fitting, finger tighten the compression nut, make sure everything is aligned then tighten nut with wrench. No solder, no fancy crimp tools. You can disassemble and reassemble without leaks. The only issue is the ferrule winds up becoming swaged to the tube after wrench tightening so you have to cut the tube end off behind the ferrule if you want to replace the nut.
However, instead of using rigid metal or plastic tubing you commonly find a flexible hose assembly[1]. Only fancy installs use custom formed polished rigid tube for the look. We also tend to leave most of the plumbing in the walls and only the shut off valve protrudes from the wall. Maybe there are flexible hoses available in your region.
When I installed my bidet all I needed was a 3/8 compression tee[2] which they make specifically to tap shutoff valves. The bidet came with a 3/8 connection hose so that went to the tee and I was up and running. The big issue was electric - no outlets in the bathroom. So having seen how Japan loves extension cords I too used one, ran a 12 AWG cord out to the hall to a GFI adapter plugged into a socket. Jank but highly unlikely to cause a fire.
[1] https://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Plumbing-Parts-Supply-L...
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Breezliy-Lead-Free-Compression-Outlet...
By mikestew 2024-11-0720:45 To follow on to user infecto’s sibling comment, for most U. S. homes, it is probably fifteen minutes of work. Shut off water, connect t-line, bolt down new toilet seat, sorted. It shouldn’t be complicated for most installations.
I ended up buying a travel bidet because I couldn’t install one at our house for various reasons. It’s basically just a squeeze bottle with an angled head. Works great!
By roland35 2024-11-0819:57 Just don't get it mixed up with your water bottle!!
US based plumbing. You are imagining things. Most/all resi toilets in the US use a flex hose to connect the toilet to your water supply. Its usually a threaded connection. All these style of bidets simply have a T off of this connection.
Not in the US. The pipe just goes straight into the toilet. When googling around seeing articles about installing Tushy when you have rigid pipes they are still much more flexible than mine, with separate parts you can disconnect and replace.
By syntheticnature 2024-11-0721:091 reply I was in the situation you describe when I got a bidet. It's possible to replace that pipe -- a little more work of course, but it's still turn off water, replace pipe with flexi-hose, connect bidet.
By Kiro 2024-11-0721:16 I posted a picture in my original comment. Was it in the same ballpark? The difference with mine is that there are no nuts on the pipes next to the wall. It's one solid construction going from the sink through the toilet to the shower.
I’ll Third a bidet. Once you experience the exhilarating bliss of cleaning your nether regions with fresh, clean water, you’ll never willingly go back to smearing excrement around your fiddly bits with the dry paper.
Sorry if this is getting into TMI territory but how does the bidet avoid dissolving the unwanted material and spraying it all over everywhere? And how does one dry this without toilet paper?
By BurdensomeCount 2024-11-0720:37 It works under the same principle as pressure washing, as long as the water pressure is high enough the final result is completely clean. Too high pressure can lead to material flying around everywhere but there's a very large range where the pressure is high enough to clean you but not enough to spray things around.
Drying is a personal preference and isn't as important anymore as you're clean down there now. Toilet paper is one option but you don't have to do it (I don't dry for reference) as it'll dry out by itself in a few minutes once you put your underwear on to absorb the water (which is fine because you're completely clean down there so it really is just clean water left).
By wingerlang 2024-11-127:16 > And how does one dry this without toilet paper?
Normally you still use some small amount of toilet paper to dry away most of the water.
By Cyph0n 2024-11-0720:33 By controlling the water pressure.
By mlsreality 2024-11-1412:16 $79.95 on Amazon: RinseWorks- All Brass Aquaus 360 Handheld Bidet Sprayer for Toilet - NSF Plumbing Code Certified Legal Installation Ergonomic Dual Thumb Pressure Controls- 3”-11” Spray I just spent 6 weeks in Japan, where EVERY toilet had some version of the Toto bidet toilet seat. And while I appreciated that it was everywhere, whereas in every other country bidets can barely ever be found; I was happy to return to my Bidet Sprayer, with a MUCH stronger adjustable spray, that cleans me out, and leaves no brown on the single swipe of toilet paper.
By iKlsR 2024-11-0722:01 I'd add a cheap hand massager to that list, just basic compression and some heat with vibration can do wonders for your hand after a day of coding, bonus if it kneads as well.
By declan_roberts 2024-11-0720:02 Second a bidet. Used one in Asia and bought one immediately on returning to the USA.
By scruple 2024-11-082:43 I've had my safety razor (a Merkur) since 2008 or 2009 and I am still working through the original pack of 1,000 razorblades that I got with it. I keep a beard year-round so I don't really shave much. Incredible value purchase, with very minimal effort it has remained practically as good as new.
By theFlamewithin 2024-11-0821:46 I am so glad you mentioned this. My son is intellectually challenged, and teaching him to wipe himself is . . . challenging. A bidet seems like an excellent game changer. Cheers!
Is there a travel bidet that falls into the same category in terms of the quality ? I have tried many but nothing works at the same level as tushy and thought i would make one myself! Would anyone from this community buy one if I made a very strong force bidet thats portable ?
By bidet_user 2024-11-092:17 You’re looking for a culo clean:
https://www.amazon.com/CuloClean-Portable-Compatible-Discree...
I have the high-end Totos installed at home, and occasionally still revert to this. It’s the best.
Have one in my travel bag, car, backup in luggage, briefcase. All you need is a cheap water bottle.
Test it at home so you know how to use it. Keep it in a tiny ziploc with extra tp (for drying in a public WC)
I can’t live without a bidet but the Tushy ones are no good - tight knobs and awkward spray angle.
By dmckeon 2024-11-0721:12 Luxe Neo bidet attachment - easy to tee into supply, fits under toilet seat, options for rear/male only, or both rear/front male/female separate spray nozzles.
By telcal 2024-11-084:25 Yes for a bidet! My wife wanted one, I thought I'd hate it but it really is fantastic. We have a Toto Washlet C5. Heated seat, heated spray, warm air dryer. Had to cancel the Amazon toilet paper auto-delivery.
By jklinger410 2024-11-0720:28 +1 for the bidet
By HellDunkel 2024-11-087:261 reply A bidet for under 100$?
By dole 2024-11-0812:17 Luxe Neo bidets are like $40-60, sturdy, easy to install and yes, rather life-changing.
Under $100:
- A dumbphone. Even if I’m not using it anymore, it has shown me what life I could be living without distractions. My anxiety and stress levels went down from about the second day using it, I became much more aware of my emotional state and the environment around me, it was a noticeable shift.
I no longer buy the arguments that we can control our smartphone addictions with will. The technology is too optimised for most of us to break free. And the addictions — too subtle for most to notice.
It may simply be a physiological addiction to checking email or for notifications every now and then. If you feel like you’d be missing out unless you check your phone several times a day, you have it. If you reach for your phone without thinking when you’re bored, you have it. It’s all about compulsive action.
I think much of the population is addicted. Certainly most of the online types.
Every interaction with your phone pulls you out of being present!
By shiroiushi 2024-11-081:284 reply I really don't see the point of a dumbphone: it seems a lot like buying a ham radio and trying to use that for your daily life. Who am I going to talk to with a dumbphone? No one actually does "phone calls" any more using voice calling, at least in my corner of the world. (They do for work, but I'm not in a customer-facing job so I don't.)
There seems to be a hole in the market for a dumb phone that does sms well. Perhaps we can even get rid of phone calls entirely and just have an sms device with a camera.
I would suggest an eink phone if this is what you're looking for. I, for example have the Hisense A5. Can do everything a regular android phone can it's just less effective
By 6510 2024-11-0821:32 Then you end up doing all kinds of android things. I don't want a toaster that is also a casino and a web browser. It needs to be a thoughtless process between the idea of having toast and eating it. "lets have toast", "ahh, nice toast"
These are a good example
https://www.tripsavvy.com/best-digital-translators-4154191
They just translate, no candy crush, no angry birds, no hero wars, no facebook, no push notifications how you've spend 123 minutes per day using your phone. You can take it to the pub and not end up playing hayday, doom scroll twiiter or hey, I can spend the night reading hn, and ohh is it closing time already? Did anyone else have a good time?
The assumption one can be strong enough to not do that isn't supported by the data.
By al_borland 2024-11-0820:41 Something like the Light Phone?
The iPhone has a mode, meant for older or less tech savvy people, but could also be used as a means to turn it into a dumber phone.
https://support.apple.com/guide/assistive-access-iphone/welc...
By Izkata 2024-11-0917:43 That's pretty much what the Sidekick was: https://www.t-mobile.com/devices/sidekick
It was branded as a smartphone but it was from around 20 years ago and it's unlikely anyone nowadays would call it such.
In the USA -lots- of people use SMS only, and it’s their main communication. You can do that on a dumb phone, and if you tend to get into doom scrolling or TikTok dance scrolling it can allow you to recover a lot of free time back. No SM? Count me in.
By shiroiushi 2024-11-113:48 >In the USA -lots- of people use SMS only, and it’s their main communication. You can do that on a dumb phone
This is unique to the US (and probably Canada); elsewhere, everyone uses various chat apps to communicate.
Regardless, if we just ignore everyplace else, the main problem I see here is that texting on a dumbphone is really painful once you're used to typing out messages on a modern smartphone's touchscreen. Sure, they had that T9 system back then, but compared to typing on a modern phone it's a huge step backwards in typing speed and usability. On top of that, the tiny screen size makes it much harder to follow a conversation.
By schwartzworld 2024-11-1319:19 Flip phones now have apps, but very limited. You can totally get a modern flip phone to check your email or play Spotify if you need to, but web browsing and doom scrolling are pretty tough.
By whitehexagon 2024-11-0721:32 Agreed. Only stupid thing is that my dumb phone comes with fb that cannot be deleted, but I have no data-plan. Oh and some games that apparently auto-bill your phone account if you start using them, also cannot be deleted. Still it was the best tech purchase in a long time under 100e for quality of life improvement, and helped me finally escape the depressing 'news/propaganda' streams.
under 1000e: I am still experimenting with, but a water distiller and some glass bottles to try and escape the plastic water bottle madness.
By doublepg23 2024-11-0721:28 I think I like the “dumbify” apps better. You can install them on a regular smartphone and make it a bad experience for doom scrolling but still have conveniences like MFA apps, Password Managers, audio books, music streaming, etc. that are hard to come by on true dumb phones.
By sotix 2024-11-0814:03 I switched to an iPad plus cellular Apple Watch, and I’m finding it more convenient than a straight up dumb phone. Biggest downside is no ride share apps work on it, but otherwise it has everything I need.
By idontwantthis 2024-11-0720:411 reply I’m thinking about getting a cellular apple watch and not carrying around a phone most of the time. Can still get critical messages without being able to check the news when I’m bored or anxious.
By Always42 2024-11-0720:47 i did this for some time. I'm probably due to again as I check my phone often. Apple watch does have standalone navigation which is a win. It got annoying not being able to do things sometimes, such as checking a groupme etc.
By caseyy 2024-11-083:55 Sunbeam is a popular one. Also a bunch of Nokias should work.
There is also the Xiaomi/Qin/Duoqin F30. It’s a T9 phone with Android 11. But the “Westernized” version with Google Play Store has tampered with software (hacks applied) as the original Chinese software doesn’t have Google stuff nor is the phone Play verified. Then there are questions about the Chinese software itself. I’ve gone deep into the rabbit hole of trying to verify it’s secure but couldn’t to a satisfactory standard.
The F30 is still considered a dumbphone for how limiting the T9 keyboard and its tiny screen are. You won’t enjoy consuming or searching for any kind of content on it. But you can install many modern Android apps if you are comfortable with the security situation. And that’s quite important sometimes to not get isolated from people, to bank, for 2FA, streaming music, and a few other things. It’s basically then a capable but highly inconvenient phone, which I think is excellent.
Still, if you want privacy and security, how many days are you willing to sink into tinkering with these Xiaomi/Qin/Duoqin devices? You will need at least a few, possibly more.
It’s much less hassle to just get whatever dumb phone with a feature OS you can get on Amazon or Walmart.
I think about this a lot! How did you overcome the compulsion? I quickly revert when I try to ween off any tech.
What do you do instead?
By caseyy 2024-11-0721:51 That’s why it’s important to have tech that serves you, like a dumbphone. You throw your smartphone away (leave it in your car, leave it at work, throw it in the deep end of your attic, etc), make it really inconvenient to act in these compulsions.
And then you just suffer through it for a few days. It gets better very quickly.
By al_borland 2024-11-0820:46 Delete the stuff you’re compulsively checking. Turn off notifications, so you need to make the intention to check things, rather than the phone calling for attention. Spend some time now trying to ween, but going told turkey. Go for a walk, leaving the phone at home. Leave it in another room when doing things around the house. Don’t take it with you into the bathroom. Get comfortable with boredom. Allow your mind to wander and see where it takes you.
Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism is pretty good for stressing the importance of spending time in thought without the influence of the internet, podcasts, audiobooks, or anything else. This used to be the norm for large sections of the day for people… now it’s rather rare.
By shepherdjerred 2024-11-0723:391 reply I wrote about my approach here: https://sjer.red/blog/2023/screen-time/
By caseyy 2024-11-083:41 That’s a nice compendium of methods. I tried almost all of them, they all work to an extent.
I now use a smartphone again, as practicalities of life demand it. But I am switching to an old sluggish iPhone with a 4.X inch screen to hopefully put frictions in my use of it. I will see if that helps.
You can disable Safari in iOS. Search for “Content & Privacy Restrictions” in Settings. Then turn Safari off in “Allowed Apps & Features”. The app will disappear after a few minutes.
You can also turn off the Fitness app this way, even if you have an Apple Watch, and Car Play if you don’t like it for some reason, such as your car auto-connecting.
By wonger_ 2024-11-0722:02 Remember to replace the bad habit with new activities, filling the void
By el_benhameen 2024-11-0720:401 reply Mind sharing the one you bought?
By caseyy 2024-11-083:43 I bought a rare one that I needed for a very specific reason. It was difficult to get it imported.
Try one of the mainstream ones. There is a dumbphone finder website online to see what’s generally available, though no such website is exhaustive.
Under $100 Wireless cooking thermometer https://store-us.meater.com/products/meater-plus Since I'm blind this allows me to cook with out worrying I'll eat under cooked food. Under $1000 Meta Ray-ban glasses. https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses I find using them as headphones to be a better option then transparency mode when using my phone. The Meta AI is also pretty good at recognizing flavors of bottles and types of food in packaging.
Even for people with good eyesight, an instant read thermometer is a game changer. Completely takes the guesswork out of cooking meat perfectly, also excellent for cakes, potatoes, and more. There are very decent ones for less that $20.
I would add an immersion circulator to cook food sous vide as similarly impactful here, though getting a good thermometer is more necessary.
It's made meal prepping incredibly easy and food is always perfectly cooked. You never have to eat a dry or overcooked piece of meat again.
By jareds 2024-11-0721:14 I have one of those but don't use it that often. I tend to cook burgers which work better on the grill. While I could cook sausage with it it's easier to do it on the grill to get a char. I do like it for chicken and stake though.
By askvictor 2024-11-0723:55 Agree; though I've gone for an instant pot with a sous vide mode. Temperature controlled cooking is something of a revolution.
The advantage of this one is that I know it works with an app on my phone. ALso it's my understanding that instant read ones can't stay in the food while it cooks? This one can handle temperatures over 500 degrees farenheight.
By askvictor 2024-11-0723:54 For oven cooking I have one with a probe and a display that's outside the oven; though I rarely use that, and just open the oven and stick the instant-read. I can't say I have any interest in stuffing around with my phone while I'm cooking.
By Izkata 2024-11-0918:36 Related to this, I bought an oven thermometer a while ago - turns out my oven claims it's done pre-heating about 15 minutes before it actually reaches the target temperature. And it's a pretty new oven so this isn't an age thing. Food has come out more consistent since I've started giving it more pre-heating time.
By theossuary 2024-11-1016:51 Recommend combustion.inc, their app is the best and they're opening up the Bluetooth based protocol they use for their hardware
