The shortlist is based on the following criterias:
- Annual subscriptions/purchases
- One time purchases and lifetime licenses are preferred
- Learning materials or resources
Books, Ebooks, Audiobooks
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Audible Premium Plus Annual | Unlimited audiobooks | learning, audiobook | US$149.50 | Great if you enjoy listening to audiobooks on your commute or when you are multi-tasking. Not great for deep technical books that require referencing, but wide selection allows for great variety to keep things interesting |
| O'reilly Individual Annual | Tech learning materials | learning, tech, books, videos | US$499 | Has huge selection of books, and DRM-free downloads means you can keep and refer to them even after you have stopped your subscription. Very good for niche technical areas, and has great selection of highly rated books. |
E-Readers
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Amazon Kindle Paperwhite | Wifi-enabled E-reader | e-reader, physical | US$125 | Reading ebooks on an e-reader beats a digital screen any time of the day, especially out in the sunlight. The battery life of eink readers beats digital devices hands down. Only drawback is limited screen size of a Kindle Paperwhite. |
Courses
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Pluralsight Personal Annual | Video Courses | learning, tech, video, courses | Standard - US$149
Premium - US$224 | Has good selection of tech beginner-intermediate courses, great for diving quickly into a topic or subject. Poor selection in highly niche areas, preferrable for broader learning scopes. |
| Coursera Plus Annual | General learning courses by companies and universities | learning, tech, video, courses, certificates | US$399 | Has wide certification selection, fantastic for breaking into industries that need proof of skill. Consider this if you are a beginner in the tech industry and need some proof of work. However, certification has a diminishing returns, so this is only recommended if you had forgone a college education, as the only value it provides is the certificates, since most courses can be audited for free. |
| LinuxAcademy Thrive One Annual | Linux Foundation Courses, materials, and exam | learning, tech, backend, devops, sysadmin | US$499 | Great for the exam certification voucher, and the all access works great for supplementing your linux knowledge. Not recommended if you aren't delving into infrastructure work. |
| Frontend Masters Annual | Frontend development courses and materials | learning, tech, frontend | US$390 | Good if you're interested in a guided journey into JS-land. Great if you work in a frontend related role and want to learn the ropes. Breadth of learning is quite wide, though what is taught may get outdated fast so this shouldn't be your only learning resource. |
| DataCamp Premium Annual | Data analytics courses and materials | learning, tech, data-analytics, data-science, beginner | US$149 | Hands-on learning experience for learning data analytics. Courses are quite broad, works well if you're looking for a breadth of learning instead of depth. |
| Codecademy Pro Annual | Programming courses specifically for beginners | learning, tech, development | US$191.88 | Hands-on programming courses, great for beginners breaking into the tech industry and junior developers that do not have any formal training or mentorship. Wide breadth of courses of tops that are the bread and butter of every development job. |
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Mullvad VPN Annual | VPN service | vpn, devtools | US$65.76 | Solid privacy-focused VPN, with a list of policies that blows other VPNs out of the water. Change your country and take advantage of price discrimination! |
| Backblaze Computer Backup Single User Annual | Computer backup service | backup, devtools | US$99 per computer | Reknown storage provider with encrypted backup service, for when you accidentally drop your laptop in water while working poolside. |
Workspace
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Logitech MX Ergo Trackball | Mouse | mouse, physical | US$99.99 | Wireless ergonomic trackball, to minimize wrist and hand movement for reduced fatigue. |
| Logitech MX Master 3s | Mouse | mouse, physical | US$99.99 | Wireless ergonomic mouse, fully customizable directional shortcuts, great for mutli-desktop switching. Cross platform, and works well for Windows and MacOS alike. |
| CalDigit Thunderbold 4 Docking Hub | Docking Hub | peripherals, physical | US$399 | Single cable docking hub, allowing for mutliple desktops and a dizzying number of ports. Highly reviewed and raved, though applicability and level of usage depends on your individual workflow. Allows multi-display connectivity. |
Tables
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Uplift Desk | Standing desk | desk, physical | US$599 | Standing desk, fully customizable to your liking with many choices for the desk surface. |
Chairs
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Herman Miller Aeron | Ergonomic chair | chair, physical | US$1,805 | Extremely famous ergonomic office chair. Mesh design means additional ventilation for long sitting. Very durable and has large selection of OEM add-ons. |
| Herman Miller Embody | Ergonomic chair | chair, physical | US$1990 | One tier higher than the Aeron, with less breathability but great for taller people. Just as much customizability, and design aesthetic fits creative workspaces. |
| HÅG Capsico | Saddle chair | chair, physical | US$1,088 | Saddle chair that is great for dynamic workspaces or for individuals that don't sit still while working. Allows for multiple sitting directions and positions. |
Living
| Name | Description | Tags | Price | Notes |
|---|
| Spotify Premium | Music streaming | music, podcasts | US$10.99 per month | Popular music streaming service for hassle-free entertainment and focus music. Educational podcasts are also great for general learning. |
| Purple Mattress | Mattress | physical, mattress | US$1995 and above | Having a good nights sleep is a great productivity booster, and a quality mattress would last you many decades. |
If you have a question or would like your favourite allowance pro-tip listed here, contact us!