Home Assistant is fantastic and here's how it improved my life

Home Assistant is a deep rabbit hole that can consume a lot of time and money, depending on how far down you wish to traverse. I've used it for many months now, configuring custom integrations with HACS, using Nginx for a secure method to access all the functions when outside the internal network, and adding everything I can to the platform. Throw in Zigbee and you've got a powerful hub for turning your house into a truly smart home. Here are some rather unexpected ways Home Assistant improved my life.