What are some of the best purchases of your life?

Not to sound like one of those people, but a bidet. It hasn't eliminated my use of toilet paper, but certainly has reduced it, while leaving a squeaky clean feeling. I miss using it while away from home nowadays.

Other things are eye masks (I have sleep quality issues) and ereaders (never moving with ten boxes of books again).

Electric toothbrush.

Invest in your teeth. Trust me.

Kitchen stuff:

1. A good chef's knife. It'll run you around 200-300 bucks, but if you treat it with respect, it will last you forever
2. A mortar and pestle. They're big and heavy, but grinding your own spice mixes is something that will absolutely change the quality of your cooking. A mortar and pestle used to be super cheap, I bought a huge one for 20 bucks a few years back, but they're kind of expensive these days.
3. A decent cast iron or stainless steel pan. Learn how to use it and maintain it, and it will last you forever.
4. Nice dishes. Spend a little more to get something decorative for hosting. People coming together to eat is one of the most ancient social traditions we have. Make it your own experience. I don't even spend that much, I just raid places like Homesense when they're changing their inventory and have bought all my bowls and dishes for around 50-70% off. Sure I only have two units of most of them, but I'd rather have a bunch of cool high quality dishware, than a bunch of boring looking, feels like it'll break while I'm washing it garbage from Ikea.
5. Get some glass tupperware. I have something like 10 pieces that I've picked up over the years and now I barely use plastic wrap. They're great for prepping, they're great leftovers, they can be used in the oven (not all of them, double check what you're buying) and they're freezer safe.

Clothing stuff:

1. One nice black suit. You can go to a shop like Banana Republic and get one of theirs and take it to a tailor to get it adjusted. A custom made suit is prohibitively expensive for a lot of people, and the ones that aren't are usually made from polyester bullshit. Make sure it's a classic fit, don't go for skinny or wide anything as those go in and out of a fashion, but a proper fitted suit will always look good. Make sure it's made from wool, a wool/cotton blend, or linen if you live in a warm climate.
2. A couple of nice fitted dress shirts. 2 white ones, and then the other three can be your choice of color. Before you start going crazy on patterned shirts at Dan Flashes, make sure you have your bases covered. I say this as someone who wears a lot of patterned shirts.
3. 2 pairs of quality jeans. One black, one dark blue. Don't skimp out here, check the stitching, check the quality of the material. Cotton only, unless it has like maybe 5% spandex for extra stretch. Just like the suit, get it with a regular fit, no weird carrot shape, wide leg, bell bottom or anything else.
4. If you live in a cold or rainy area, get wool underlayers. It stays warm when it's cold, stays cool when it's warm, dries out on its own, and is naturally antibacterial.
5. Never buy anything made from synthetics except for a windbreaker or a raincoat. They feel like shit, they make too much noise, they look like shit, they have garbage insulation properties, they straight up melt from heat (I watched someone's $1000 Arcteryx coat melt to a chair that was too close to a space heater; the nearby wool coat was completely unaffected), they pollute the environment through microplastics and by taking forever to biodegrade, they trap your sweat (the wicking away moisture thing is complete 100% marketing bullshit), and if you have sensitive skin they are prone to causing outbreaks and other dermal irritation. Stop giving your fucking money to those planet destroying criminals at DuPont and say no to synthetic fibers.

My rice cooker. Doesn't really matter which one. If you like rice, this will make your life better

A couple of years ago I bought a 3d printer for 400 dollars and it is now my primary hobby. Turns out that having a hobby that you enjoy is super important to your mental health.

E-Reader, I've put hours and hours into that thing and it's still going strong. Maybe I'll upgrade it at some point, but it's showing no signs of ageing yet. I love reading, but I don't have space for a huge library of books (believe me I wish I did).

A $100 brother laser printer (2280dw but it has been discontinued). It's like a printer from an alternative universe where printers aren't evil.

Had it for about 6 years now. Printed thousands of pages and only needed to replace the ink cartridge a few times. Had no issues with 3-rd party cartridges. Surprisingly never required any maintenance.

Other laser printer brands that can probably perform similarly, but I can only vouch for this one.

Electric kettle. Saves so much time and energy boiling water with electricity in a couple minutes vs 10min of burning natural gas. Hoping to get a new one during prime days this week since my wife put it on the gas range this weekend due to motor muscle memory taking over during multitasking. Luckily she didn't burn the place down.

Rescue dog $60-$200. Older is even better. Best investment in your mental health.

An e-Book reader! IDK which model would be best for you since mine is an old Kindle, but being able to take SO MANY books wherever I go is a godsend. Way better than reading on my phone or laptop.

Probably a bidet, I hate going to the bathroom at other people's homes now.

I think my trusty Pinecil soldering iron has got to be one of my best value purchases ever.

$25 for a tool that can compete with or surpass many other soldering irons that cost many times as much.

And the convenience of USB-C means you can use a portable battery without sacrificing any wattage. The heating element is also extremely efficient and can easily handle large pads that many others would struggle to heat effectively.

It's also got some fancy features like an accelerometer (used for display orientation and sleep timer) and a fully open-source OS.

Truly a steal for $25

Air fryer

Although it's slower than deep frying, you don't need to babysit the food and can use the time to do something else. It also much easier to cleanup

Instant pot/air fryer combo - I like that I can make one-pot meals in it as I really don't like cooking, and anything I make in there cooks fast. Pasta, rice, meats, there's so many recipes.

Bissell Green Machine - it can wash furniture/carpet. Great for spills, if you have pets. Wash the upholstery in your vehicle. Small and compact. I use it a lot.

Large Honeywell air purifier - my husband smokes a fair amount of pot. I really don't enjoy my space smelling like it all the time. This thing sucks up the smoke and I don't have to deal with it. I buy the replacement air filters on Amazon.

Steam Deck - I love this thing. I love gaming but I'm tired of sitting at my desktop. It's like a small handheld computer too, so you can do other things on it besides run Steam. Right now I'm using it to stream CraveTV to my TV since my Raspberry Pi streaming box isn't working.

Both specific and in general 1.) Nectar mattress. The only mattresses i'd ever bought were from amazon and very on sale. Important Life Advice: whatever you have to do to make i happen, get a good mattress. Even my bed approves and it thinks everything is beneath it, including me.

2.) My bed.

Oh boy, here we go. This goddamn bed.

I bought it roughly twenty years ago and it literally took my entire tax return at my first job and then some to get it and the very first piece of furniture I personally picked out and bought for myself which may explain absolutely nothing about how I ended up like this.

It's fairly straightforward, plain four poster queen bed but so incredibly melodramatic no matter the room I put it in, this thing will dramatically not fit and carry on like it's actually in a castle tower in 1700s Frances waiting for a princess to sleep in it (it did not act like this at the store, okay). It has an unnecessary number of parts (some really could have been consolidated and a couple I'm not sure even have a function other than to add time to assembling it) every piece of it is awkward to move, even the parts that have no reason to be and don't look like they are, and every single piece is ten times heavier than than look or is reasonable, sane, or really should even be possible. The wood is dark and does a very cool dark gleaming thing, and it takes hours to clean and oil it to a soft gleam (so. goddamn. many. parts). Twenty-four hours later it's sitting there dull and dramatically telling everyone who sees it I never clean it and also use substandard wood oil

It takes a very base minimum of two people to even attempt to put it together and you better not have plans for the rest of the day because it doesn't matter how many times you have done this, somehow, you will always get six parts wrong because whoever designed this has another job making complicated puzzle locks that you will never solve and will die mad about it (this person is a sadist). Just looking at it in any given bedroom I live in, it makes me feel I should be wearing something long, white, and flowy while waiting for my angsty vampire lover to visit me in the dead of the night and not taking my night's sleep shorts and a tank top.

This bed is a snobby, judgemental asshole who acts like I didn't buy it at the goddamn Roomstore at ten percent off because it was a floor model.

But. it's a goddamn tank that's been in substandard moving vans and the backs of multiple trucks and dropped down stairs and sometimes forgets to at least look scuffed. It will survive all the wars and still give its occupants a great night's sleep. Those deceptively slim posts are strong enough to joust with a burglar, beat him to death, and then put back and rehang my very melodramatic bed curtains on them (though I'll need a little hysterical strength to hold them up for very long; I am not kidding how stupid heavy those thing are and should not be). I love this bed, it is my soulmate, and it is where I will sleep until I move to a convenient grave. I hope all of you are able to have one of these in your life and if you already do, you have my condolences; but it's ride or die now.

3.) The best headphones I can afford and a budget for potential upgrade/replace every two years (you don't have to use that timeline,but it works for me). Related: Sonos speakers. No, they are not the best in any class but they are good to really good in multiple speaker classes and are affordable--if you budget strictly and buy a piece at a time or watch for amazon sales like it's your job--for normal people.

4.) Kindle may actually be the most important single decision I have made in my life. I like books; I didn't want to use a screen. I did it and a decade and change greater with slowly degrading eyesight I bless the day I decided to try it every day. Currently on an Oasis.

5.) Giving up and budgeting specifically to pay a ridiculous amount of money for my jeans. Sure, the receipts legit horrifies me, but they fit perfectly,, are crazy comfortable, can pretty much survive anything I do to them (and I am hard on my clothes) and some have been with me since before the Obama administration and don't even have a loose thread on them. I have literally every single pair i ever bought and they still look great (and I never add up the cost of them all and what thing I could have bought with that much money, God).

House in 2017

TSA Pre-check.

Yes, it's fucking obnoxious that it exists at all, given the "security theater" of it all, but man... being able to breeze past the super long lines at the airport is such a better experience.

sync for reddit was

€1.5 for 10 years of joy

I bought a house 11 years ago

10h a week of my life back. It cost me about 500€ a month, but it improved my mental health immensely.

I went 6 days a couple weeks ago without power due to a massive storm. After a few days I purchased a small solar panel that has a USB port in it you can plug in anything that needs a charge. Works really good! It’s only 10 watt so charges pretty slowly but when you’re fully cut off from the grid, it’s a life safer. Definitely my most worthy purchase in quite some time.

Factorio. $40 for 800 hours of entertainment and counting. I doubt I will ever get such good value out of a purchase ever again.

If you don’t have a cordless vacuum yet, it’s an awesome investment. Got one from Costco that has a smart setting for sucking up pet hair and other detritus that typically lives deep in the carpet. I have no problem vacuuming daily now because it’s so easy to just pick up and go. I’ve also heard people with wood floors say that roomba has made it so they never have to swiffer a day in their lives and that sounds pretty rad.

Adjustable bed platform has also changed my life. Don’t wait until you’re 50, get it whenever you can afford it. I swear to god it’s a game changer.

Tea from a now-defunct tea store called Teavana. The woman who would become my wife was working the counter there and gave me her number.

Office chair - Steel case leap V2. Great back support, so many adjustment options. Bought one back in 2016 and it is still great.

Bidet - be civilized and keep your butthole clean.

All Clad pots and pans - if you are into cooking, invest in these. Amazing to cook with and will last a lifetime if you take care of em.

Espresso - Lelit Glenda. During the pandemic my wife and I decided to get an espresso machine. Feels good to make some decent coffee.

Zojirushi rice cooker - If you like to eat rice, get one. It makes amazing rice.

Nest pillow - I love these pillows from Nest. Extremely comfortable.

Nest bed

Can't believe I haven't seen "3D Printer" on here yet!

A serial hobbyist, with a lot of my interests waning in weeks to months after getting into them. But 3D Printing? I've been loving it for 10 years and there's no signs of that slowing down.

Sure there's goofy stuff you can make with it, but 95% of what I print are functional items. So often I need something for around the house and I can just print for cheaper and faster than ordering one online. Examples:

• vaccum hose adapter
• desk grommet
• custom clamp for a bike light
• small L-brackets for cupboard shelves

There's thousands of things out there you can just download and print, or you can get into designing your own. It's very rewarding to design a physical object and then upload it for others to use too!

Here's some examples of some things I've designed or remixed from other designs: https://www.printables.com/@Foreverwinter_223629

The two printers I recommend are the Prusa Mk4 (~$1,000USD) or the Creality Ender-3 V2 ($225USD). The Ender print quality is very good, it just doesn't come with several of the very nice features the Prusa has - if you can afford it get the Prusa! You won't regret it.

Purple mattress. Don't remember what I paid but it was discounted because it was open box. Best sleep I've ever had and no waking up to back pain. I even bought a Purple pillow and rarely have neck pain.

Raspberry Pi. I got one before prices shot up. If I didn't have one already I'd go with one of the cheapest alternatives. I haven't done anything super crazy like a doorbell cam or magic mirror but it's been a ton of fun.

Similarity to the Pi my favorite laptop purchase has gotta be my Acer Aspire One netbook. It's noticeably slower than any other device I have but I'll still use it because I just love the form factor. Super light and easy to use anywhere and unlike a tablet it's got a built-in keyboard, several ports, and runs Docker (seems like it's possible on Android but very laborious).

Android phones because of their open ecosystem and customization. Very easy to get all forms of entertainment for free.

My 512GB Steam Deck, easily. I've used it almost every day for going on a year now, and the novelty of playing things like Witcher 3, or Mass Effect, or a fully modded Skyrim anywhere I want still hasn't worn off.

Homeowner's insurance, hands down.

I used to bitch every time I made a payment and then one day my house burned to the ground. The insurance payout for the house itself was twice what I paid for the house, and then they paid more to cover the contents of the house.

Yeah, I don't complain about paying that bill anymore :)

Bidet, don't poop like a neanderthal

1. My PC. It's not a beefy system by any means... it only has an i3 8100, a 1060 6GB, and 16 GB RAM, all bought for about $600 in 2018, but since then this has been generally the best thing that's ever happened to me coming from a low-income household. My family lost a lot of financial and emotional stability over the past few decades so as a person growing up I always felt like I was going to stumble. Thankfully this little big thing has provided that stability for me as a troubled individual. As I get older it's allowed me to catch up on my traumas and build my own life out of it on my terms. It may not see use forever, but some part of it (no pun intended) will always be a part of my life.

2. My and my wife's rings. We've given ourselves to each other so much and while it was always a given that we would spend the rest of our lives together, it unexpectedly strengthened these feelings when we made it official. We're each other's pillars.

3. My coffee grinder. Hehe.

E-reader. I agree that nothing beats the smell and feel of an actual book but e-readers are incredibly convenient and comfortable to read from. Definitely one of the best things I own.

Rowing machine. I use it Monday-Friday before work. Puts me in a good headspace and makes my workday feel less stressful. I’ve lost a bunch of weight also. I like that I can workout hard multiple days in a row without risking injury.

A good coffee setup. I dearly love coffee and espresso, and making espresso at home can pay for itself quickly if you'd otherwise buy a latte every day. It's also delicious!

Sync for Reddit.

Cast iron skillets ($10-$35 each). My kids joke that they don't know whether I'd save them or the skillets in a fire.

Smartwool socks. I do not understand - all other wool is hot & itchy but these socks, I can be sweaty all over but my feet stay dry. I just bought my second round, looked at purchase history, my old ones were twelve years old before they started getting holes.

Linen clothing for hot weather, it provides shade and I am cooler wearing it, than not. (Moisture wicking fabric doesn't work where I live.)

Metal roof (20 thousand dollars) on both the houses I have 'bought' (mortgage) over my life. Not quite 2x the cost of shingles but never have to think about it again. The first one was 30 years ago and still absolutely solid no maintenance yet.

So when does Lemmy get its own HailCorporate?

1. Anbernic RG35XX handheld emulator ($70). So much fun and nostalgia playing the Sega and PS1 games I loved as a kid.

2. Hakko soldering iron ($~120). This plus good solder & flux makes anyone a soldering expert.

3. Electric leaf blower ($150). Clears the deck & patio in 2 minutes vs 30 minutes of sweeping. Also fun for cranking a campfire up to 11.

Sleep Number mattress. Yes it’s gimmicky and expensive, but the ability to adjust softness/firmness according to how my back feels is priceless

iPad. A long time ago when I was an IT drone the boss dropped a 1st gen on our desks and said, “set it up and figure it out, you’ll be supporting it.” 2 weeks later I told my husband he was off the hook for Christmas, I wanted one of these. It’s been my most used entertainment tech since through multiple generations

Good áss socks, life is too short to wear crappy socks

Filco Majestouch mechanical keyboard.

I code all day every day. I would burn through a cheap OEM keyboard in a year, and the keys would get stiff and cause massive hand strain.

$200 on one good keyboard. You're set for life.

A Zojirushi rice cooker. For years, I had been using the crappy $20-30 ones, and they just don't make rice as well. And they tend to break. The Zojirushi makes perfect rice every time and I've had it for more than a decade now.

As someone who lives in an apartment, whatever noise cancelling Headphone I use at the moment (Bose QC right now). These things changed my life for the better.

A $100 brother laser printer (2280dw but it has been discontinued). It's like a printer from an alternative universe where printers aren't evil.

Had it for about 6 years now. Printed thousands of pages and only needed to replace the ink cartridge a few times. Had no issues with 3-rd party cartridges. Surprisingly never required any maintenance.

Other laser printer brands that can probably perform similarly, but I can only vouch for this one.

Battery backup for network equipment. Having your router stay on when the power drops for a few minutes is the best.

Hands down a raspberry pi 4. It's a perfect example of why "maintain is more important than obtain" -- what is the point of buying something that I can't "really" use?

cafelat robot lever espresso machine

• $320 USD
• makes espresso as good as a +$1k machine
• doesn't need descaling
• looks cool
• takes up hardly any bench space
• simple, well engineered, will outlive me

steam deck prob, works good as a tablet for watching movies and youtube, great for gaming, i can hook it up to a screen and keyboard to have a quick easy pc setup, etc

Not a physical item, but LASIK, I got it done a few months ago and oh boy I should have done it a lot sooner.

Otherwise a PS Vita with an SD2Vita, it has given me countless hours of on the go entertainment.

A hat against the sun ( 30 € ). It makes me want to go out more because I feel so much better when the sun doesn't burn my head. I should have tried this earlier in my life. It is also better to have shade on my face through the hat than to wear sunglasses which make the colours look weird and were expensive because I needed a subscription.

A good kitchen knife and a sharpening stone (€80 knife / €15 stone). Makes cooking so much better.

A hand fan. ( 3 € ) At first it was strange to use one, because in Germany they don't use them like in Spain for example. It is light, fits in my pocket, I can use it anywhere, it does not need batteries and everyone who tries mine buys one afterwards.

My cat. Best $150 adoption fee ever spent.

most recent purchase was a resin 3d printer. Now i can make figurines for my bf and i have something to play with. win win

A sewing machine, for sure. The amount of clothes I repaired, the amount of creativity I release after buying it makes it absolutely worth it.

Good headphones is a must for me. The Koss Porta Pro are awesome for a prize of only 30 bucks.

I absolutely love my induction stove. I've been Wanting one forever, can't justify the price to run upgrade my electrical panel and run a 240v line (I have gas now). Finally decided to get a cheap countertop model (duxtop). It's night and day. Holy shit. It boils water faster than I could imagine. It's Hotspot is a little small for a cast iron pan, but works perfectly with steel pans. Gets hot very quick, cools off quick. Way easier to clean. I absolutely love it.

Eventually I'll get a full sized one, but for now, 2 burners is enough.

A computer. Not necessarily a high end one, but at least a decent one. So much opportunity in such a little machine

Bidet. Telescoping shoehorn.

I somehow managed to buy a house last year. Idk how I did it, but it's the best purchase I've ever made.

My Prius. Best car I've ever owned. I love it.

1. An office chair not a gaming chair.
2. A reciprocating saw and having multiple blades is a lifesaver. You will always need a fresh blade in an emergency when the store is closed.
3. Cast iron pan
4. Bidet has been life changing

Edit:

5. A multifunctional pressure cooker like an instant pot or ninja
6. Air fryer

With the last two and a pan you can cook some good food for 1-2 people very easily and they are relatively cheap appliances you can use even in a college dorm or apartment.

Definitely my iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit. Cost like 70€ but I've repaired dozens of devices with it which otherwise would've gone to waste. Based on that it easily saved me more money than it cost :D

One of those "portable AC" units.

My home office gets up to 85° at minimum during the hot summer days. Having a tech come in and fix my entire HVAC setup is too rich for my blood. HOA won't allow window units... Finally caved and got the more expensive "portable" ac system that sit on the floor and have tubes that go out the window.

Room can get down to 73° during those same hot days and I am so happy with it.

I love my Kobo! I'm a big night reader and I hate book lights... My Kobo has made it so convenient and I have access to sooo many books. Libby lets me take advantage of my library membership, too!

A yubi key for my online accounts. ($45)

A layer 3 POE switch, no more dual wires for power and data ($800)

Stainless steel pan, can cook anything and scrub it hard without worrying about non stick coatings ($75)

Proxmox (free) best hypervisor I've used that's free

Framework computer. Modular and upgradable laptop ($900)

Guild Wars 2 game for PC. 10.000 hours in (yes, I’m addicted!), and still rocking. Thousands of players, new expansion next month, and the base game plus the 3 first expansions only cost 33€, no subscription fee.

For me it was a generator. Moved in to a new neighborhood and discovered that the power goes out frequently here. Mostly because all the power lines are above ground and old trees keep falling on them. It was during covid and my kids were remote schooling through zoom. Went and bought a 3500 watt generator to keep the internet and refrigerator and freezers running. Its been the most handy thing I got since we moved in.

• Coffee grinder. Much better coffee at home
• Nintendo Switch. Hundreds of hours of entertainment.
• SwitchBot. $30 or so to remotely push a button for you. I use it to turn on my espresso machine remotely to let it heat up before I go use it.

A Kawasaki ninja 650. It might not sound like much. But, its given me something to look forward too. Before I was really lost. I thought life just isn't worth living. But now? I still feel like that. But, its given me such a sense of freedom, and, whilst I haven't actually met any other bikers yet. It just feels a lot nicer. Like, when I'm out and I see another, its just a simple not. But, I feel apart of something now.

I've been riding around 2 weeks now. But I still get giddy when I ride. I love it. More than anything I've had before. And I haven't felt like this since I was with my first gf.

This became quite long. Sorry.

Hands down it has to be my prescription sunglasses. I need to wear glasses all the time and after years of messing around with clip ons that didn't feel quite right I decides to treat myself and bought a pair of Ray Bans and prescription lenses to go with them. I think it was around $350. 3 years later the frames were broken so I went and bought the same one and had my old lenses put in. I will be investing in a new set soon because the UV coating is all chipped and whatnot. But as a quality of life upgrade for a glasses wearer I struggle to think of anything that has been better.

• Toyota RAV 4 ($18,000)
• 2013 Apple Macbook Pro (still looks and works like new $3,700)
• Rancilio Silvia ($450)
• 2001 Chevy Prizm (at >200k miles, I actually had to scrap it even though it still ran perfectly due to sensor issues $1800)
• iPhones (absolutely flawless hardware which keeps getting better with each iteration (~$1,000)
• Canon 5D MKIII ($3,000)
• Kemper Profiler (still getting free software updates 12 years into its lifespan $1,800)
• Fluke 87V (the best meter on earth $400)
• Synology NAS (though I hear they have been enshittified $2,000)
• Airizer Argo (still going $300)
• Nvidia Shield Pro ($300)
• Aeropress ($30)
• Orphan Espresso LIDO 2 (will outlast me $195)
• Warmoth guitars ($5,000 for five guitars)

My Italian five-ply stainless steel frying pan was a game changer for me. Mountains may crumble, but that pan will be with me forever and making cooking in a pan an absolute joy.

1. Kitchenaid! I bake bread every week and it makes it so much faster/easier. Also good for mixing stuff and making fancy whipped creams
2. Double full motion monitor arm. This helps me save desk space and allows me to move my screens around depending on what I'm doing. For example when I play FPS games I move the main one from the left to the center (closer to my face)
3. Battery powered air compressor and jump starter for my car. No need to be stranded waiting for a jump or have keep quarters for low tires.
4. Weber kettle and WSM, very solid grill and smoker. I use em all the time.
5. A good mattress! I bought one made locally in Texas, so comfy

Endometrial ablation. No more, pain, periods...free! Free! Free!

XBox Game Pass. Saved me literally hundreds of dollars on games I'd buy otherwise, and avoids bad purchases like Redfall.

Complete set of bedsheets in 100% bamboo.

Tempur mattress

Laser hair removal for my full legs, armpits, bikini line and upper lips

Blackout blinds for the bedroom

Raw food subscription for my dog

For me it has to be my tools. I'll go back to sleeping on the floor, counting pennies for gas fir my commute, get rid of everything else before my tools. Specifically my thin snap-on 3/8th ratchet and socket set and my cheap it tool kit. With those two sets alone you can fix a lot of things.

Though one of my best deals ever was a pretty good stove for $30, it mightve been damn near new. I bought from some young guy who looked like it was his first house, probably military by appearance and location, and they wanted their own appliances not the landlord grade stuff that was there. 8 years later, or whatever, and it's still great.

I do a lot of firewood processing, so the DeWalt battery powered 8 in. chainsaw has been great. Don't need to spin up a big gas saw for little branches.

A more general answer: used cars. My most recent two car purchases were off craigslist and have been great bang for the buck. I see no reason to buy a new car ever again.

The first thing that comes to my mind is an e-reader: always having my books with me encouraged me to read more. Following its purchase I read more books than I ever did since my teenage-hood (I'm close to 30).

A $100 brother laser printer (2280dw but it has been discontinued). It's like a printer from an alternative universe where printers aren't evil.

Had it for about 6 years now. Printed thousands of pages and only needed to replace the ink cartridge a few times. Had no issues with 3-rd party cartridges. Surprisingly never required any maintenance.

Other laser printer brands that can probably perform similarly, but I can only vouch for this one.

A set of glass pyrex measuring cups in different sizes (2 cup, 4 cup, etc). I used to use the cheap plastic measuring cups from the dollar store that maxed out at one cup and it’s amazing how handy these things are in comparison. I often times use the bigger ones as mixing bowls. I’ll combine ingredients in them by topping off the different measuring lines. It’s hard to imagine cooking without them now. I also use them for watering house plants.

Tom Bihn Pilot. This was my go to work bag for several years. It still looks brand new. The color options are great. Organization is great. It has a dedicated water bottle holder. Sadly the laptop given to me for my new job is too big for it. I’m probably going to switch to a backpack, but highly recommend the Pilot as an EDC work bag if it fits.

Nikon D90. I think I bought it in 2010 or so? It’s still flawless after all of these years and thousands of photos. I had it out a month ago taking photos for someone’s graduation and it’s still great. There are a lot of newer cameras on the market that are undoubtedly better, but I’m totally impressed by the longevity of this camera and if/when I buy another it’ll probably be a Nikon again because of it.

Honda self-propelled lawnmower. I live in FL and in the summer mowing is a once-a-week job in brutal heat/humidity. Half the time the grass is wet but I only have small windows of time to mow so I don’t have much choice. I do not baby this lawnmower- I basically abuse it. Grass is too high? Push that bad boy along popping a wheely. Tree branches? Mangos? Chop em up. This thing just takes it and keeps kicking. I do use ethenol free gas in it. Gas never sits in it because mowing is year round here. Also a shout out to Echo brand weed eaters. Once you get the hang of it, line is easy to add and it’s also been rock solid.

Brother laser printer. I run a side business that involves printing a lot of black and white documents. 100% rock-solid workhorse: I even use random toner from Amazon in it.

Vivo brand monitor arms, the simple pole clamp ones. 40 bucks give or take, I've had them for 6+ years and they should last for another 10+ I would think, awesome value.

Sennheiser Momentum 3 wired headphones. Used and abused, replaced the cord and ear cups after about 3-4 years for 35 bucks total and they work as well now as they did brand new. Sound is great, they are comfy too.

Sony A6000 camera. Works great, awesome pictures.

IFixit multi-bit screwdriver set with the hard case. Had it for around a decade so far. Nothing broken, nothing worn out. Use it all the time on computers, furniture, electronics, etc. Plan on having it for another 10 years easily.

Steam Deck. Best general purpose gaming handheld out there. Moddable, repairable, high quality, super fun, runs everything I want.

my sleep 8 heading/cooling bed last year. was tired of sleeping crappy, had tried just about everything from supplements to saunas, exhausted all other ideas ... out of desperation decided to throw down for it.

seriously life changing. no matter what temp the room is at the bed is always perfect. takes a while for the auto pilot to learn your likes but when it does ... oh man.

much love for my smart mattress ❤️

A Fumoto oil drain so I can do oil changes myself, my local shops quote me $90, $100 to do oil changes. No more of that ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

Very specifically, my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro headphones.

I was lucky enough to go to a retail store with plenty of display models and I tried headphones that cost €2000 and up. They were so cheap for what they were (€139), I'm probably going to buy an extra pair in case they stop making them. Too good to be true. Use them everyday, and still surprised at the new things I'm hearing in songs played a thousand times.

Corded dyson from 20! Years ago. Still sucks, in a good way!

65” LG CX OLED. Absolutely gorgeous TV. Beats the theater honestly.

Infrared grill. Zero flare ups ever.

Pellet grill. Effortless smoked meat, etc.

Sony MDR-7506 headphones. Fairly flat and EQable +12dB without distortion. Built like a tank and parts are still accessible. Threw some lamp skin ear pads on and they’re heavenly.

Brother printer. Don’t ask, just buy it. Way better than the rest.

Rotary sprinkler heads. Windproof.

Klein precision driver and bit set. Lifetime warranty and it’s a great bit set. Super useful.

Sonos Arc+sub+surrounds. Expensive but fantastic system. That sub is something else.

AppleTV. Zero ads. Clean interface. Works extremely well.

Mason jars. If you know, you know.

For me it has to be

my Sebo E3 canister vacuum. This thing changed my life living with a cat, dog, and two kids with full carpet. It just works and works well. Comes with a 10 year warranty as well.

My Lg C2 oled tv. Like someone else said, once you go oled you don’t go back. It’s a joy to watch every day.

Larger but worth was my 20 yr old Land Cruiser. Got it for cheap, did some preventative maintenance and have not had to do anything major since. Took multiple 3,000 mile trips including off-roading and she keeps on going.

Safety goggles (don’t remember how much) oh boy I would blind by now if It weren’t for those

To go along with the mattress theme, and since I’ve had two back surgeries (in my 30s after a car wreck), my sleep number mattress was a big expense but I was miserable and could never get a good night’s sleep before it. It’s been a game changer.
The other is a little more niche, but I’m a runner/endurance sports and my Balega socks have been incredible. They are $14 a pair (yes, $7 a sock), but they are easily worth every single penny. I’ve done 30 hour hiking/running events and my feet were the only thing still dry on my body thanks to those guys.

A good headlight. I lend it to a friend for the last 2 weeks, and now I realize how much I use it.

Also my penny skateboard. This thing is light, small, and doesn't fear the rain. Being forced to walk because I don't have a skateboard is so frustrating to me!

Nugget ice maker. All the chewy ice you can dream of.

I bought a height adjustable office desk specifically for home office, great purchase.

So far:

• Aeropress. Extremely convenient, easily replicable coffee making. I use a Timemore C2 grinder with it, and buy coffee from local roasters.
• Nintendo Switch. I've played more games on it than any other console, it's just so convenient.
• Zojirushi Rice Cooker. Best investment into daily living I've ever made. It makes the best rice, bar none.

Squatty Potty

Vivobarefoot shoes! Bought the geo racer, my feet feels so light and good! Stretches the hamstrings as well.

When I was learning to drive, I bought a steering wheel for PC/PS3. It helped so much, it's pretty crazy.

6 years ago, a 110 € Android phone. What an absolute beast for that price. Had the USB connector not failed, I'd be using it still honestly.

A good pocket/utility knife and sharpening set. You don't need to spend hundreds, but my favorite is my Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight. It has a 3 inch blade, weighs 68 grams, and it's made of BD1N steel which keeps an edge very well.

K240 studio headphones and a Samson Meteor mic. Doesn't have to be these specifically, but switching from headsets to decent studio headphones and a decent mic is a gamechanger. Sound quality is way better and good build quality makes them last longer. The only thing breaking in years has been a cable (kind of my fault as well) and they can be easily replaced, unlike most headsets.

An Anker powerbank 20000mAh. Couldn't for the life of myself go to a time before having it.

My Steam Deck. I regularly refer to it as the single greatest video gaming purchase I've ever made. I got spoiled for a while by a Switch so i stopped playing PC games because there was no handheld option I liked. The SD gave me convenient access to almost my entire Steam library.

My iPad Pro. I'm normally not an Apple person because I'm so rooted in the Android ecosystem but for my purposes, it's an excellent little toolbox for sketching up writing ideas and as a little music production machine.

Andaseat Kaiser 2. I spend all day working out of my chair and a considerable amount of my free time there, too. Really sturdy, large, comfortable chair. I'd estimate I've got at least 5-7 years before I start thinking about a replacement. The fake leather will probably start to go well before that but I don't care.

I'd say probably a Kindle and an electric toothbrush:

1. Kindle Paperwhite (~130 USD) - Was addicted to social media for a while so I decided to get into a healthier hobby, and I'd wanted to get into reading for quite some time. Instead of a tablet or an actual physical book (I have nothing against it; I actually prefer it but I have storage issues), I opted for a Kindle cuz it has no intrusive notifications, and I can bring it anywhere, at different times and lighting situations.

2. Oral-B Electric Toothbrush (~25 USD) - One of the best purchases. I like brushing my teeth in general, but having an electric toothbrush feels even better cuz it makes my mouth feel cleaner than before without having to exude much effort, and the strokes are not inconsistent.

A powerful hairdryer. At one point we had 5 people in the house with long hair, some washing it daily. One day I was away from home and the place I was staying at had a large, professional looking hairdryer. I didn't know that you could dry long, thick hair in just a few minutes. I bought one for home immediately!

• A cast iron pan and paraphernalia. Not cheap, but it's great to cook with.
• Books. Never regretted buying those.
• Purchase art from artists.

The good windshield washer fluid. The stuff that's a dollar or two more expensive. Rain basically jumps off my windshield, and I don't need my wipers above 50 unless it's really raining hard. When I actually do use my wipers, they work so much better.

Likely my school/training which did cost a bit but enabled me to create a career.

Bought a lot of CDEV (Now PR) stock at 50 to 75 cents in March 2020.

The profit when it rebounded Post-COVID paid off my student loans and covered the down payment on my condo.

100% the best purchase I ever made.

Refurb 13” 2020 M1 MacBook Pro. Best computer I’ve ever owned - it’s been my daily driver for two years and it’s been a joy to use every day.

My AirPods Max

I commute daily on the central line in London at an extremely busy part and loud part and I’d go absolutely fucking mental if I had to listen to it all daily.

That noise cancellation is worth the absurd price it’s the 2h in my day where I can just completely zone out and not think.

• I bought a TI-86 graphing calculator for $10 new in 2004. That was two years before it was discontinued, so that was an awesome price. I absolutely love that calculator. It's so easy to program for, it has custom shortcut keys, fantastic battery life, and has a super convenient multi-unit converter. The Casio FX-9750 GIII has a similar conversion feature, but it requires like, two extra button presses per conversion. I still use this calculator all the time.

• Programmable gaming mouse. I have so many key combos and macros on my mouse, I could do most of my job one handed now if I had to. It's been so helpful for things like holding the baby when I'm working and my wife is unavailable.

• Steelcase Leap V2. I can put in a 70 hour work week with no back pain now.

• A fountain pen. Doesn't even have to be an expensive one. Some of my best memories can be tied to cheap pens. Signing for my house with my Kaweco Sport. Or signing my marriage license with my Jinhao x250. I feel like I just appreciate what I'm writing more with a fountain pen.

• My PS2. Well, it was a gift. But still, I've had it since launch and it's only gotten better with time. Free MCBoot, hard drive, Noctua fan mod, Brooks PS3 controller adapter.. It's basically the only console I play anymore.

I will second the Bogleheads book, which you is online for free by the author. Really simplified investing into a 2 or 3 fund hands off portfolio. I've had great success with it and I never have to worry about financial news.

Ontario Rat pocketknife replaced my Benchmade I sadly lost. 90% as good for way less money. It hurts losing an expensive EDC item.

Add on bidet. I didn't know why baby wipes are so popular when this is cheaper and won't mess up plumbing.

Aeropress and pour over cone with Trade coffee subscription. With my medication I didn't drink much liquor anymore. Coffee tasting has all the fun of trying single origins without interfering with my meds and is probably cheaper and healthier.

Musical instruments. My guitars were fairly cheap and require little maintenance costs. I got my electric piano for free. Hundreds of hours of creativity and expression I can use for the rest of my life that is essentially free at this point. I'm not even very good at music, but it's a fun creative outlet.

Good pens. Don't have to be expensive. Pilot V5 and Uni Jetstream are my cheap go to, but they write so much nicer than super cheap ones. Once you appreciate those, check out JetPens and enjoy yourself.

A Hydro-Flask brand water bottle. It makes the contents immune to all delta T. Very solid product, highly recommend.

1. Whirley Pop: if you enjoy popcorn/like to have a movie theater experience at home, get one! I love to use the "Real Theater" packets but you can make your own as well.

2. Air Fryer: we have the Ninja brand and I love it. It doubles as a dehydrator as well, so quick and a million times easier than heating.

3. Litter Champ/Litter Genie: We have the litter Champ brand. Great for disposing of soiled cat litter without having to use grocery bags every time. They are biodegradable with zero smells.

4. Nintendo Switch with BOTW and TOTK. Hundreds of hours of entertainment!

Can you expand on the whole gym stuff?

If you like flower at home, you need a ball vape.

My first house. I got it for a song thirty years ago, bought it from a friend who had been renting me a room. It needed a lot of work and was in a city nobody wanted to live in. I rented a room to a friend, fixed it up and later my girlfriend/later wife moved in after he moved out. Yadda, yadda, yadda the neighborhood went upscale and now I rent it out. Now we live in the outer burbs in a house we got during the housing bubble bust fifteen years ago.

For time used over price it must be minecraft and my kindle, so many hundreds of hours on both of them.

The herman miller aeron is the best chair ever. other chairs I've tried all feel so much worse, and ventilate terribly. I recommend removing the back support to make them even more comfortable.

Also, Patagonia backpacks are really nice. I used one for 9 years of daily heavy use for school, but they also work well for laptops and travel if you get the right one.

The real question is 300 one dollar whores or one 300 dollar whore?

Aftershokz Aeropex bone-conduction headphones. Wear them all day, every day.

A pair of good boots will outlast 4 pairs of sneakers.

I used to have noisy neighbors who would party until very late at night with loud music. In addition, my apartment only had one room towards a big road.

Often, I couldn't sleep until 2 or 3 AM when parties ended and would be waking up around 6 or 7. Ear plugs didn't help since the sounds were too loud.

This lead to me constantly being tired and overall made everything else in my life more difficult. I lived like this for years.

Then, one day I saw an ear protection gear (the type that construction workers normally use) in a store for only $5. I decided to buy it, thinking that it might help me relax but that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep with them.

Well, it turned out that I was able to sleep with it and I started to consistently get 6 or 7 hours of sleep. Best purchase of my life.

TLDR Lived in a very noise environment and couldn't sleep. Bought an ear protection gear for $5 dollars and slept like an angel.

A passport.

recently? hawkins 3L stovetop pressure cooker - I use it at least twice a week, mostly with beans, rice, root vegetables. been using for about 18 months. no issues whatsoever.

historically?

• ecco shoes, the pair I had for 9 years just wore out last week so I decided to try a different brand.
• filson coat (double mackinaw), it's a beast, but I only wear it 5 months out of the year - in the late fall/winter/early spring
• hp 9480m laptop, have had it for 10 years now, daily use, had no issues at all. no changes, other than updating it to win10 5 or 6 years ago
• all-clad steel cookware (pots/pans/skillets), had the set for around 15 years, works really well.
• futon mattress, custom made, 6' wide, 7' long, 6" thick, had it for 20 years now. super comfortable

just about everything else wears out, breaks, or in the case of most electronics, has planned obsolescence built in after 3 or 4 years.

Home, Education, Full 6" latex memory foam mattress, Quality sheets, Blackout Curtains, Thinkpad laptops (T series and X1 series; don't game), WD red drives, VPN access (port forwarding; needed for hosting), FIOS (1gb asynchronous; no data cap; they don't care), Brother laser printer/scanner, Email account on secure server (they take care of business)

A rice cooker, and a pair of clip-on earphones that I bought specifically because I like Persona 3, but turned out to be a really good pair.

I ended up buying a rice cooker, and plan on buying an e-reader. Thanks, everyone.

• New bed for me and fiancée. Locally made and great quality.
• My first coffee grinder. Got me into coffee and it has been amazing.
• Latest pc upgrade was great, getting so much more out of it now.
• e-reader (kobo) though I still read often from phone screen.
• Our two cats. Cost basically nothing because both are rescue cats but they give so much.
• First batch of liquid fertilisers and a bucket got me into hydroponics. So much fun to grow stuff!

Next big thing is probably going to be 3D printer. I know I'll love it (been doing some at work) but haven't pulled the plug yet.

My home. Bought it back around 2013. It was a short sale so I got it for cheap and at a great rate. Home prices in my neighborhood are now more than twice what they were back then and during COVID I got my rate even lower while keeping the term the same (so not resetting it back to a 30 year term). So much winning!

• sennheiser hD598 - ~$150, had them for 7 years, rock solid, sound great
• elgato HD60 w chinese HDMI splitter - ~$150 lets me record anything from an HDMI, blur out channel logos, etc
• j mascis sig jazzmaster ~$500 used - best guitar i ever played

A display unit LG C1 that only had 36+ hours total usage for like $650. It's true that once you go OLED, every other screen looks mediocre.

Bambu lab 3d printer (~1600 usd). I have managed with other much less expensive printers but they give so many headaches. This one is almost idiot proof and i dont even wink about leaving it on over night anymore. Clearly one of my best purchases as it has engaged me into what i actually want to do which is 3d design, not constant maintenance.

Rescue dog $60-$200. Older is even better. Best investment in your mental health.

Robot vacuume Good running shoes A good pair of headphones

Also want to say that home gym equipment a fantastic investment if you have the space.

It might take a few years to pay for itself, but a good bar and squat rack will last forever. And the commute out of the equation means you're probably more likely to use it.

• tempur mattress (got them on the used market, for 20% of the cost)
• a key organizer that looks like a swiss army knife
• a slim wallet that also unfolds
• a good pair of audiophile headphones
• a dishwasher

$20 rice cooker back in 2020. It’s no longer made unfortunately. It makes rice perfectly every time. The best part is that I don’t have to worry about lining up the timing of other things I’m cooking. The rice cooker keeps the rice warm for 2 hours if necessary, so there’s plenty of wiggle room if I completely underestimate how long something else will take to prepare and cook.

We got lasik for my fiance and that was hands down the best money we ever spent. Life changing really.

Dentist, not one of those thirty chair operations either. One dentist with one or two hygienists. Twice a year

Jura F50 coffe machine - 18 years and still strong.

This kraken like head massage thing for about 10 €.

All the super cheap < 15 € PC games which are endless fun (Minecraft, Vampire Survivors, Raft, Terraria, ...)

Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro kitchen knife 90 €, Navaris Iron pan 40 € and YumAsia rice cooker 115 €.

iPad Pro with Apple Pencil for drawing, watching shows, meetings on the go, taking notes, annotate eBooks, .... second hand ~700 €

1. B&W DM601 loudspeakers brought with me from the UK, now nearly 20 years old and still sounding excellent (with a cheap Polk subwoofer to fill out the bottom end down to 25Hz maybe).

2. Monitor Audio Bronze 2 loudspeakers (current main system) - again, with a subwoofer to extend the bottom end.

3. Stents (still alive 8 years later)

4. My computer - initially in 2013, upgraded until now - runs all my media (Music, TV and movies) living in Thailand. Also, I must add, 4.1 channel class-D amplifiers (ZK-TB21 for 2.1 channels front, plus another 2 channel amplifier for the rear - together costing around $25 and running off an old laptop PSU, now driving those old B&W DM601's VERY nicely indeed).

5. Casio Tough Solar watch - the cheapest I ever bought, and likely the one that'll last me until I die (goes in shower and swimming with me, still running perfectly after 9 years, needs adjusting 2 seconds each year, never changed a battery...)

6. Kindle Paperwhite in 2018 - the best version (better contrast than newer models) - infinite supply of books at Annie's Archive (like The Book Thief)

Diva Swan speakers - they were one of the early internet speaker companies. They had a deal if you bought 2 floorstanding and 2 bookshelf speakers they threw in the $500 center channel for free. I've upgraded receivers with newer surround processing over the years, but the the core 5.1 holds up great for 20+ years now. https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_2/diva-swans-41-speakers-5-2001.html

I bought a mobile AC unit that renders my apartment survivable during summers. Prior to it, I'd have all the windows open and it would still reach 35-40 degrees C when the sun was at it's highest point, now I'll keep it at around 21 degrees and love life.

I bought a Sebo X1.1 vacuum cleaner when i moved into my own place in the late 90s.

I have had all sorts of dyson models and bagless & cordless is very convenient, especially for stairs. But nothing beats the brute force suction of that Sebo. Its still going strong today

Electric toothbrush.

Invest in your teeth. Trust me.

A really good pillow... Reduced my snoring, increased my wife's ability to sleep because less snoring.

We got a Litter Genie for our two cats and I have never regretted it even once. We had an automatic litter box but it did nothing to trap the smells, and was a much bigger pain in the ass to maintain and clean. Now, we just have a regular litter box with a top-cover, and I scoop it out every other day and take out the litter genie bag once a week, easy peasy.

A shower chair. I find hot water soothing, but I dont have a tub that I cam sit in. The chair lets me just relax under the shower. It's a great place to brush my teeth, so my dental habits have improved.

Breville Espresso Machine: never would have bought one but we ended up with a bunch of gift cards. If you like coffee this makes such a difference.

Lynda.com/LinkedIn learning account: Keeping with your $0 library theme. Most libraries have had a partnership with online learning services. Used to by Lynda.com but is now LinkedIn Laarning. Search your library + linked in learning for login. I use it to learn so many skills!

Wusthof Knives: I like cooking. These aren’t the fanciest knife by far but they are solid. Combine them with sharpening stones and a honing steel and it is such a treat to cut the things you cook.

New socks: I don’t buy them as often as I want, or should have you ask my wife but, if I won the lotto my rich guy asshole Move would be new socks each week.

5th Wheel: I don’t have it anymore but when we moved out of one state we sold everything and bought a used rv (only after ensuring the espresso machine fit) and fixed it up. We traveled for 10 months around the US with two kids and two dogs, just to do it. We worked as we went. It was crazy and chaotic and wonderful and I cherish all the moments. I love the small nested world it becomes. We finally settled down and sold it but I still think about doing it again.

Thanks for sharing yours!

Scarpa Hiking boots. 24 years old, 20,000km walked and still worn every week.

Laser eye surgery $3500 -getting rid of the glasses was a life changer, at work they fogged up all the time and got dirty, at home it was great to see my partner and they weren't blurry during fun times.

CPAP $1100 - sleeping properly was literally a lifesaver. The amount of times I got home from work and couldn't remember the 35 km commute was scary. Also helped me out of an abusive relationship.

Tiger 5 liter water heater $200 - always having as much hot water as I want is amazing for making tea or hot beverages. I keep it just below boiling all the time and use it multiple times a day even in summer. The 5 liter model is great because it is taller and even my 750ml thermos mug fits under it.

Our most used item at home. Nespresso machine.

• A good ergonomic office chair.
• A sit/stand desk.
• Heavy duty wire shelves from Costco.

And because I drink coffee and I'm a total klutz...

• Contigo Auto-seal travel mug. These things are practically bomb-proof and prevent spills!
• a stainless steel double-walled french press. Also bomb-proof and retain heat really well.

Roland TD-07KV electronic drum kit. I've played 15 years of death metal on this thing and it's still going strong!

One of my best purchases was an Omnium Mini-max cargo bike. It covers so many trips where I felt the lack of a car was a hinderance, and provides a ton of fun besides. Just wen't bike touring with the thing, and the volume advantage compared to a regular bike setup allowed me to bring such luxuries as an actual, real, authentic pillow.

Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z I got at Fry's electronics for $24.99...Now I've spend more in audio equipment so it balance out

My list is close to yours. Definitely a workout machine. Costco FTX inspire for $1200. Lot to drop but I feel better and as someone in his 40s, I have more money than time which is running out. I'm the youngest I'll ever be from here on out so today is a good day to take advantage of health and fitness.

I have an erearder but use the library for it

I won't buy Sony stuff anymore but the steam deck has been an amazing purchase. Same with retro handhelds (RG35XX, RG353m)

1. Atolla 5v 4a usb hub ($30.00) power really helped with my cable management problems and power up my PI from there

2. LS 50x headset ($250.00) mainly cause it's triple connectivity ( Wired , BT , 2.4Ghz )

Robot vacuum. I got the Eufy Robovac on a black Friday sale and have never fucking looked back. Those things are magic, especially if you have a kid or a pet.

An ereader that supports the epub format. Getting all my books from Anna’s Archive saves me hundreds of dollars each year. If I absolutely loved the book, I buy the ebook to support the author after all.

A Leatherman Squirt PS4 (keychain multitool). I think I only paid about £20 for it back around 2010 (give or take a couple of years). Endlessly useful & still fully functional.