What is something relatively inexpensive (or even something free) that has changed your life for the better?

Question

Elaine F · Answer

Adult recreation sports or Community college sports classes: Joining an adult softball league post-Covid helped me learn to be social again after a lonely year and half of WFH. After I moved and had to quit the team, I took a tennis class at a community college. Learning solo or team sports with people of all ages and backgrounds was a fun experience, and it made me appreciate my body and take care of myself.

mxw · Answer

Water before coffee: Making a rule that I have to have a glass of water before I can have coffee in the morning! It just makes me feel better.

Catherine Davis · Answer

Volunteering to teach kids to read: You can help a child learn to read! childrenrising.org is the one I volunteer for but there are many.My org goes into Title 1 schools and we help kids who are 2 or more grade levels behind.Truly the most rewarding and impactful volunteer work I’ve ever done.

Maryn · Answer

LectroFan White Noise Machine: Having relied on white noise for sleep/focus/regulation all my life, I'm not sure how it took me so long to get an actual white noise machine. I love it already. New bestie.

Karen Fischer · Answer

A rice cooker: This may sound strange, but I didn't have a rice cooker for 3+ years in my current house, and finally retrieved mine from storage earlier this year. Game changer. So worth it. I love rice, and hate when it's all soggy and soft. Cooking rice in a rice cooker for a nice dry consistency is 10/10 worth it, even for the weird looks I got bringing it on a plane. It wasn't even expensive. It was like $15 when I first bought it.

Clara · Answer

Hang-dry (most of) your clothes: I started doing this when I studied abroad in Europe during college, out of necessity. Over a decade later, I still have many of the same delicate cotton tees from back then going strong. (I darn holes as soon as I notice them, for what it’s worth.)

I don’t do it for everything - just shirts, socks, leggings, and synthetic materials. I still machine-dry towels, sheets, jeans (controversially), and chinos/slacks, because I find those often are too thick to fully air-dry and things can get musty if they take too long.