Random Observation/Comment #720: My new favorite thing to do is visit neighbors and look for cool gadgets I can buy. I totally want that Dyson lamp. Yea, they make lamps.
Why this List?
I don’t like expensive things, but I do invest in awesome things that bring me joy and perceived luxury. The most expensive thing on the list is probably the couch. Here’s stuff I have that I’m so glad I invested in. These certainly elevate my house into my home.
If you want to see all of these, I’ve created an Amazon buy list.
- Bidet toilet seat – I have both the Korean Lotus ATS-908 ($599.00) and lesser known cheaper Inus brand ($194.99). We’ve been spoiled with heated toilet seat with a bidet since our first place in NY. If you don’t have one, it’s truly a game changer.
- Aeropex Aftershokz bone conductor headphones ($129.99) – I forget I have these on anymore, but I use them all the time. Bluetooth and long battery life to last a whole day.
- Oculus quest 2 ($250) – Recent purchase, but I love the flexibility without the wires. Still getting my table tennis fix and trying out some really great ideas.
- Gas fire place ($$$ + labor) – One button turn on and off is super convenient. This is added in the mortgage and not sure how much it would cost to get it wired up.
- Nice chef’s knife ($250) – Just did an upgrade to a beautiful piece recommended at a local shop. I’m also thinking about a Chinese meat cleaver-like blade.
- Scotch set with decanter and bar cart ($99.95) – I don’t have this particular model, but look how cool this looks. doesn’t need to be super fancy, but I do take pride in a well stocked liquor selection
- Me undies underwear ($24 per month) – I’ve done a full conversion of all my underwear to me undies after a year-long membership and I’ve never been happier.
- Long sleeve comfy sleeping shirts and comfy sweatpants ($30) – I have about a dozen of these breathable long sleeve shirts that I love. I believe they’re the knockoff Costco version of the underarmor winter running shirts. Highly recommend the uniqulo sweatpants which got a lot of wear throughout this pandemic.
- Good hiking boots ($150) – I’ve been wearing the same Salomons since August 2020 from REI. Good traction and easy to put on. I’ve removed tying shoelaces from my life.
- Warm slippers ($23)- I rotate out slippers every 4 or 5 months because I’ve worn them all the time through the pandemic. These $23 ones on Amazon are super comfy.
- Comfy throw blanket ($30) on a comfy couch ($7k+) – This just makes my day. Get the biggest size. I can always rely on sitting on a comfy couch (which we got from Arhaus and just love it).
- Silk pillow cases ($16.99) and pillow with the cold gel ($34.99) – Great for breathability and always love sleeping on a slightly cooling pillow.
- Body pillow ($23.99) and weighted blanket ($39.99) – Just got the weighted blanket recently and you either love it or you hate it. I personally love it. I have always used a body pillow as a blanket.
- Sonos arc and sub ($1498)- I’m not an audio snob, but it’s never a bad idea to invest in a nice sound system.
- High quality mic setup – Not only is this a great conversation starter, but it improves my voice quality with all these zoom calls
- Good coffee and Jura A1 coffee machine ($799) – Part of the pandemic improved skills is brewing better coffee. Choosing high quality beans and grinding them fresh. We have a ninja coffee machine that I use daily. I just bought the Jura A1 coffee machine which grinds the coffee beans fresh.
- Fake plants ($100+) – Only because I can’t take care of real ones. I think plants are so underrated for liveliness of a space. Even a few air plants hanging up will tie it all together. We bought these locally instead of everything from Amazon
- Hammock ($100)- My wife was right – I can fall asleep immediately with this hammock and it has served me well for multiple naps
- Weekly cleaning crew ($140) – I’m so happy for splurging weekly on getting a dusting and vacuuming. We still put things away, but this is worth the cost
- Herman Miller Sayl chair ($700) – I spend enough time at my computer to have a comfortable chair in my life
- Snow blower – I don’t have this yet, but I don’t know why I don’t because it could have saved my back and wrist with the big snow storm we had earlier in the year.
- Power gate for car – Out of all the features, this is the one that makes me the most happy. Yes I can auto-start from my phone, but the trunk opens at the touch of a button.
- True sight cruise control – I have gotten so lazy with driving that I literally use cruise control all the time. The Subaru has True Sight which will set car speed and distance with the car ahead of you.
- Central cooling and heating – Growing up in a small house with Asian values of not using an air conditioner, I can’t tell you how awesome it is to have climate control. This is a luxury for a majority of people.
- Bath tub and bath salts – I get it now. It’s nice to just soak a bit and listen to an audiobook.
- Second fridge ($1000s) – This is my beer fridge. I love my beer fridge.
- Smoker/grill ($600-1500) – This will be an upcoming purchase as I realize all Dads will eventually get into some type of meat smoking and grilling phase. BBQing is peak Dad. I’ll probably get an alternative to a Traeger like a Camp Chef or Rec-Tec
- Instax film camera ($119.95) – The camera is not expensive, but the film is where they get you. I think it’s an incredible (and quickly expensive) party gift. I get infinitely more joy looking at a physical photo then just a digital one.
- Order a chef ($250 per person) – Relatively inexpensive for the per person cost and great for special occasions. We did a 10-person party for less than $2500. 5 hours covering 4 appetizers, 2 main dishes, dessert, and wine/beer pairings. Full clean up and everything.
- Daycare in walking distance – If this isn’t a luxury, I don’t know what is.
~See Lemons Like Nice Things
