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[James70]

I've been really pleased with the stability and features of modern home server operating systems for self-hosting. My setup is based on a Proxmox VE 8.2 hypervisor running on a used HP Z440 workstation with 128GB of RAM, located in a home office in the Midwest, primarily to host services like Nextcloud, Home Assistant, and a few game servers for friends. The virtualization layer works flawlessly, but I'm now facing a significant challenge with storage performance and organization as I've expanded to over 20 Linux containers and a couple of VMs; my current setup uses a mix of SATA SSDs and hard drives in a ZFS pool, which is causing I/O wait issues during backups and when multiple services are active. I'm considering a storage overhaul with a budget of roughly $800. For those managing similar hyper-converged home labs, what's the most cost-effective storage configuration you've found that balances speed for VMs and capacity for backups—should I invest in a used SAS HBA and a shelf of enterprise SAS drives, or is moving to a dedicated NVMe pool on PCIe cards the better path forward? Also, how do you handle backup strategies for such a mixed workload, particularly ensuring quick restoration of individual containers without needing to recover an entire massive disk image?

[AbigailQR]

I started with a ruthless pass at apps and subscriptions and kept only what I actually used daily. Emails go to one inbox with strict filters, files live in one tidy cloud folder, and I cancel services the moment they stop serving a real need. The result is calmer screens and better focus.

[NicholasTM]

Be careful not to swing from owning nothing to feeling trapped by way too many manual rules. If you prune hard you might lose tools you rely on. Have a simple replacement process and a quick rollback plan for critical workflows so you dont break your day.

[Natalie.W]

Try a 30 day trial of trimming then re add one thing at a time. Start with email and cloud storage and keep only what you actually touch. This helps uncover what each tool really costs in time and attention.

[Patrick.L]

What exactly helped you most in your cleanup journey Do you track time spent on apps or do you do a periodic purge The thread could use a concrete checklist that people can follow.

[Alexander_T]

Consolidate accounts whenever possible and enable local backups for essential data It makes moving between devices smoother and reduces the risk of data loss during a purge You can pair this with a simple folder structure and a weekly review.