I once saw a thread like this here for tools, but now I'm wondering more generally:
What have been your best purchases? The things you use all the time and it made a significant improvement in your life. It could be anything - like a bag, a flashlight, a computer, etc.
On the other hand, what are the things you bought and then didn't use? I find that sometimes when I buy things I really think it's a good idea, even after waiting a while, and then it still turns out to be something that I don't use. I can't always tell whether it's going to be something I always use or never use.
Also, I don't mean hierarchy of needs stuff like home, furniture in general, appliances in general, car, clothes, food, or even phone/computer, etc.
For me, I bought a cooler which I thought we were going to use a lot to go to the beach and for picnics. Before I bought it, I was feeling like I was missing out seeing everybody else with their coolers at the beach. Then, after I bought it, I realized that we weren't having any problems with our stuff getting warm and I like the simplicity and freedom of going with fewer things. So, we've never used it.
Other things here include a rarely used food processor and flat screen TV. They're in storage and we don't miss them.
OTOH, I love little flashlights like these to keep on my keychain http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-E01-Compact ... 934&sr=8-1 I find I use it surprisingly often and just got one for my girlfriend and she's using it, too. I also love my shoulder bag and my duffel bags. They were really good purchases and I use them a lot. And I like my projector, and our food storage containers.
So, the much anticipated cooler never gets used and the flashlight is an every day carry. I don't use the TV but like the projector. I never use the food processor but often use the food storage containers.
I've also discovered that I prefer high quality inexpensive items to high quality expensive items. I'm more likely to use it if I know it cost less and is good quality than if I know it was expensive or if I think it is not a good product.
What about you guys?
Me - often used:
notebook computer
projector
keychain flashlight
food storage
duffel bags
shoulder bag
golf umbrella (not for golf, but as a big umbrella)
fan (instead of AC)
printer that prints for $0.011/page
rice machine
frying pan
Me - bought and ever or rarely used:
cooler
handheld computer
flat screen TV
food processor
packable raincoat
your good and bad purchases
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jacob
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A good purchase: A $4 sprayer thingy for the garden hose. I had resisted it for the longest time under the theory that I could just use my thumb. This thing is much better than my thumb and make watering my [now] 25 pot/container strong garden much easier.
A bad purchase: My ps2 which I thought would make for a relaxing (non-learning, non-exercising, non-productive) hobby but which turned out to be quite uninspiring. I guess I'm not a console gamer ... (anyone wanna buy it?)
A bad purchase: My ps2 which I thought would make for a relaxing (non-learning, non-exercising, non-productive) hobby but which turned out to be quite uninspiring. I guess I'm not a console gamer ... (anyone wanna buy it?)
I don't own a console -- it's not the initial cost that bothers me, it's the $50+ per game (and sometimes a subscription!) that really irks me. And I was a Nintendo kid growing up.
I find that my best purchases tend to be utilitarian and my worst tend to be decorative/conspicuous consumption. In the past, I've spent money on things that I only really wanted to impress other people. Now I think about who I'm trying to please/impress with my purchase, and if the answer isn't "me" then I don't buy it.
This is somewhat similar to an earlier discussion of what you would want if you lived on a desert island.
I find that my best purchases tend to be utilitarian and my worst tend to be decorative/conspicuous consumption. In the past, I've spent money on things that I only really wanted to impress other people. Now I think about who I'm trying to please/impress with my purchase, and if the answer isn't "me" then I don't buy it.
This is somewhat similar to an earlier discussion of what you would want if you lived on a desert island.
Good purchases that were used often and have lasted:
$2 bamboo back scratcher
northface solaris 35/40 backpack
LG LX150 cell phone
Levi's authentics blue jeans
1994-1998 gen. Honda Accord 4 cyl. / 1998-2001 gen. Toyota Camry 4 cyl. etc.
Bad purchases:
"pro"-grade camera equipment
full sized truck
movies and cd purchases
dining out
etc.
$2 bamboo back scratcher
northface solaris 35/40 backpack
LG LX150 cell phone
Levi's authentics blue jeans
1994-1998 gen. Honda Accord 4 cyl. / 1998-2001 gen. Toyota Camry 4 cyl. etc.
Bad purchases:
"pro"-grade camera equipment
full sized truck
movies and cd purchases
dining out
etc.
Good:
* Notebook computer (I had resisted and stuck with a desktop until about a year ago)
* Safety razor
* Pyrex glassware
* My first (and current) cellphone. Been using it for 8 years.
* Rice cooker
* Sansa mp3 player. 4 years old, $30, as good for me as an iPod. I keep dropping it, no problems
Bad:
* Car (Not necessarily a bad purchase - I got a lot of use out of it. But I'm glad I no longer have it)
* 90% of my DVDs
* Assorted gym/martial arts memberships
* Guitar
* Several computer games
* Used Gamecube ($25, still not worth it)
* Blender, rarely used
* Notebook computer (I had resisted and stuck with a desktop until about a year ago)
* Safety razor
* Pyrex glassware
* My first (and current) cellphone. Been using it for 8 years.
* Rice cooker
* Sansa mp3 player. 4 years old, $30, as good for me as an iPod. I keep dropping it, no problems
Bad:
* Car (Not necessarily a bad purchase - I got a lot of use out of it. But I'm glad I no longer have it)
* 90% of my DVDs
* Assorted gym/martial arts memberships
* Guitar
* Several computer games
* Used Gamecube ($25, still not worth it)
* Blender, rarely used
Good purchases:
- bicycle. I use it Apr-Oct every year in lieu of public transport tickets (which I force myself to stop buying every spring). Has paid for itself many times over.
- walking & everyday office shoes.
- my bed. 10+ years and still putting out a good night's rest most nights.
- dishwasher. I used to wash dishes by hand and it has been such a delight to not have to do them anymore.
- washing machine. I've done my share of hand washing as a dirt-poor student. This is like my dishwasher #2.
- iron/stem-press. Cheapo from walmart but just keeps going.
- sandwich maker (similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Maxi-Matic-ESM-90 ... 0006A305Q/). Every now and then I make a bunch of filling and freeze it. This 10-euro-wonder does wonders when I am feeling lazy yet hungry.
- pedometer. Nothing like a cold LCD screen pointing out I haven't got my 10k steps today.
- backpacks and most luggage.
- laptop & mobile phone.
- rain jacket.
Bad purchases:
- fancy dishes and glassware I bought in my last life because they were on sale and I thought I'd need them "some day".
- tumbler dryer. Line drying works just fine.
- expandable dining table with 8 chairs. 4 get used, rest have been in storage most of the time.
- bicycle clothes.
- camping gear.
- music CDs & books, books, books.
- .com stocks. Yup, I still remember that one.
I have been close to buying a blender/food-processor many times over. Thanks to this thread, I think I'll forget that one!
- bicycle. I use it Apr-Oct every year in lieu of public transport tickets (which I force myself to stop buying every spring). Has paid for itself many times over.
- walking & everyday office shoes.
- my bed. 10+ years and still putting out a good night's rest most nights.
- dishwasher. I used to wash dishes by hand and it has been such a delight to not have to do them anymore.
- washing machine. I've done my share of hand washing as a dirt-poor student. This is like my dishwasher #2.
- iron/stem-press. Cheapo from walmart but just keeps going.
- sandwich maker (similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Maxi-Matic-ESM-90 ... 0006A305Q/). Every now and then I make a bunch of filling and freeze it. This 10-euro-wonder does wonders when I am feeling lazy yet hungry.
- pedometer. Nothing like a cold LCD screen pointing out I haven't got my 10k steps today.
- backpacks and most luggage.
- laptop & mobile phone.
- rain jacket.
Bad purchases:
- fancy dishes and glassware I bought in my last life because they were on sale and I thought I'd need them "some day".
- tumbler dryer. Line drying works just fine.
- expandable dining table with 8 chairs. 4 get used, rest have been in storage most of the time.
- bicycle clothes.
- camping gear.
- music CDs & books, books, books.
- .com stocks. Yup, I still remember that one.
I have been close to buying a blender/food-processor many times over. Thanks to this thread, I think I'll forget that one!
Best Purchases:
- electric beard trimmer used for painless perma-stubble shaving
- home hair cutting kit
- small AC for summer, good space heater for winter
- magic bullet blender
- big DJ style headphones for work, they don't sound any better but they repel coworkers
- ice cube trays
- north face backpack with packing cubes
- used furniture
- rice cooker
- good frying pan
- good tupperware
- pretty much all the plane tickets I've ever bought
- Garmin car GPS
Worst Purchases:
- $17,000 brand new car when I was 23
- $1,000 brand new king-sized bed when I was 23
- pressure cooker (don't use)
- microwave (rarely use)
- 50% of the times I've gone out to eat
- 90% of the times I've gone to a bar
- internet at home, this is expensive and I mostly just waste time on it. I'd be a lot better off if I only used the work internet.
- electric beard trimmer used for painless perma-stubble shaving
- home hair cutting kit
- small AC for summer, good space heater for winter
- magic bullet blender
- big DJ style headphones for work, they don't sound any better but they repel coworkers
- ice cube trays
- north face backpack with packing cubes
- used furniture
- rice cooker
- good frying pan
- good tupperware
- pretty much all the plane tickets I've ever bought
- Garmin car GPS
Worst Purchases:
- $17,000 brand new car when I was 23
- $1,000 brand new king-sized bed when I was 23
- pressure cooker (don't use)
- microwave (rarely use)
- 50% of the times I've gone out to eat
- 90% of the times I've gone to a bar
- internet at home, this is expensive and I mostly just waste time on it. I'd be a lot better off if I only used the work internet.
Good products in this thread have two qualities: durability and use.
Unfortunately, use is personal. Like in the "advice I wish I knew" thread, other people's experience might not match your own (eg some people use their pressure cookers and others don't)
Even durability is suspect. For example, someone listed Pyrex as a "good" purchase. However, you can't buy real pyrex in the store these days. The brand was licensed to some crap company who no longer uses borosilicate glass (it's still available in the labaratory line). You can get it at a garage sale, but you'll have to figure out when it was made. Similarly, some old cars are great, like Hondas. But I tend to think their quality is decreasing -- my 2003 accord ex has a lot more problems than my 1984 accord ex. It also has a much larger engine, is bigger, etc. It's really a completely different car. So it's hard to know a priori how long a given model will last (although you pays your money and you takes your choice)
Unfortunately, use is personal. Like in the "advice I wish I knew" thread, other people's experience might not match your own (eg some people use their pressure cookers and others don't)
Even durability is suspect. For example, someone listed Pyrex as a "good" purchase. However, you can't buy real pyrex in the store these days. The brand was licensed to some crap company who no longer uses borosilicate glass (it's still available in the labaratory line). You can get it at a garage sale, but you'll have to figure out when it was made. Similarly, some old cars are great, like Hondas. But I tend to think their quality is decreasing -- my 2003 accord ex has a lot more problems than my 1984 accord ex. It also has a much larger engine, is bigger, etc. It's really a completely different car. So it's hard to know a priori how long a given model will last (although you pays your money and you takes your choice)
@dragoncar
Agree with decreasing reliability of newer Honda/Toyota Accord and Camry lines, respectively, in general.
Primary suspect, IMHO is the computerization of nanny electronics and sensors that is prone to failure and are very expensive to repair.
The generations listed were from my own personal experience of owning those vehicles since new, well over a decade, each. (Honda 15+ years (lost due to accident, otherwise would still be running today), Toyota 11+ years, still running)
Both are on 4 year production cycle so it's better to own the later year model in the same generation to avoid being a beta tester.
Agree with decreasing reliability of newer Honda/Toyota Accord and Camry lines, respectively, in general.
Primary suspect, IMHO is the computerization of nanny electronics and sensors that is prone to failure and are very expensive to repair.
The generations listed were from my own personal experience of owning those vehicles since new, well over a decade, each. (Honda 15+ years (lost due to accident, otherwise would still be running today), Toyota 11+ years, still running)
Both are on 4 year production cycle so it's better to own the later year model in the same generation to avoid being a beta tester.
Anything you have to hook to a trailer hitch and move it to mow underneath it is a bad purchase.
My very best purchased vehicles:
1989 Subaru Station Wagon (sold) 329,000 miles and trouble free.
1993 GMC Stepside Pickup (sold) 250,000 miles and trouble free, however I sank thousands into customizing it. In retrospect, I sold it this year for $10,550, and shed my tears and went on with my life.
2003 Tahoe (still got it). Great car, originally bought and depreciated through my business. Now, at 80,000 miles it is like (really better than) a new one. This is a long time keeper. These go for 200,000 miles with normal care. Yes, it's a big SUV, but cost wise, I am really ok on it. I wanted a Honda Pilot SUV, but I cannot wear out the Tahoe. I am not one to release a perfectly good vehicle for just the fact of another one. You don't recover that way.
2004 Chevy Silverado Extended Cab. Originally a $36,000 truck new, but I got it from my banker for $11,000 this year. This truck is booked at $19,450 retail. This will most likely take me on in to the finish line on having a truck. The miles on it are 55,000.
1992 Honda Accord. This is kind of sad. A great car, but needs an electronic control module for the transmission. Since I neither need or drive it, I have not fixed it. I will probably sell this out to a used dealer this fall. Sad, because it could be a car that would easily get you 300K miles if you fixed it, and the current clock shows only 101K now. I may kick my own butt and get it fixed, as it would actually be worth it.
Under the heading of bad:
2005 Coachmen Travel Trailer. (This would be under the heading of "move to mow", but I store it at the lake.) I have already made a long long thread about it on the forum, so I will not make myself mad by talking further about it.
Everything else I have bought is good. No regrets.
My very best purchased vehicles:
1989 Subaru Station Wagon (sold) 329,000 miles and trouble free.
1993 GMC Stepside Pickup (sold) 250,000 miles and trouble free, however I sank thousands into customizing it. In retrospect, I sold it this year for $10,550, and shed my tears and went on with my life.
2003 Tahoe (still got it). Great car, originally bought and depreciated through my business. Now, at 80,000 miles it is like (really better than) a new one. This is a long time keeper. These go for 200,000 miles with normal care. Yes, it's a big SUV, but cost wise, I am really ok on it. I wanted a Honda Pilot SUV, but I cannot wear out the Tahoe. I am not one to release a perfectly good vehicle for just the fact of another one. You don't recover that way.
2004 Chevy Silverado Extended Cab. Originally a $36,000 truck new, but I got it from my banker for $11,000 this year. This truck is booked at $19,450 retail. This will most likely take me on in to the finish line on having a truck. The miles on it are 55,000.
1992 Honda Accord. This is kind of sad. A great car, but needs an electronic control module for the transmission. Since I neither need or drive it, I have not fixed it. I will probably sell this out to a used dealer this fall. Sad, because it could be a car that would easily get you 300K miles if you fixed it, and the current clock shows only 101K now. I may kick my own butt and get it fixed, as it would actually be worth it.
Under the heading of bad:
2005 Coachmen Travel Trailer. (This would be under the heading of "move to mow", but I store it at the lake.) I have already made a long long thread about it on the forum, so I will not make myself mad by talking further about it.
Everything else I have bought is good. No regrets.
Best purchases:
Shun Knives - They're becoming overpriced now, but I bought a paring knife, a 6" utility, a 10" chefs, and a bread knife a few years ago. They will last me the rest of my life.
Cuisinart stainless steel pan set from Sam's Club - $150
2 Calphalon non-stick frying pans - $35 for set at outlet store.
Wii - it's much cheaper than the other consoles, but takes up much less space and is just as fun. I like playing the old Nintendo games I grew up with too. It's been very durable.
Refurbished Dell PC - I got a top of the line PC for about $700. It will last us about 10 years based on previous experience. It's in continuous use for about 16 hours a day.
Worst Buys:
Custom Couch. Don't get me wrong, I love the couch, but I spent way too much for it. I'm too embarrassed to say how much, but let me just say that I could have bought the same couch with a different color of leather for $1400 less.
two PS3s - I bought the first one when it was released. Three years later it broke. It was not repairable and I used it for more than just games so I replaced it. 8 months later the second one broke. I've had video game consoles since I was 13 and I've never had one break. Three of the $50 controllers broke too. Big waste of money. Shoddy workmanship.
Rocking Chair - I thought I wanted a rocking chair to nurse the baby in. I love rocking chairs in general. The only place we had room for it was in the nursery. I never go in there. I nurse the baby on the couch or in the office chair in front of the PC. I think I've sat in that chair 5 times in the last 1.5 years.
Shun Knives - They're becoming overpriced now, but I bought a paring knife, a 6" utility, a 10" chefs, and a bread knife a few years ago. They will last me the rest of my life.
Cuisinart stainless steel pan set from Sam's Club - $150
2 Calphalon non-stick frying pans - $35 for set at outlet store.
Wii - it's much cheaper than the other consoles, but takes up much less space and is just as fun. I like playing the old Nintendo games I grew up with too. It's been very durable.
Refurbished Dell PC - I got a top of the line PC for about $700. It will last us about 10 years based on previous experience. It's in continuous use for about 16 hours a day.
Worst Buys:
Custom Couch. Don't get me wrong, I love the couch, but I spent way too much for it. I'm too embarrassed to say how much, but let me just say that I could have bought the same couch with a different color of leather for $1400 less.
two PS3s - I bought the first one when it was released. Three years later it broke. It was not repairable and I used it for more than just games so I replaced it. 8 months later the second one broke. I've had video game consoles since I was 13 and I've never had one break. Three of the $50 controllers broke too. Big waste of money. Shoddy workmanship.
Rocking Chair - I thought I wanted a rocking chair to nurse the baby in. I love rocking chairs in general. The only place we had room for it was in the nursery. I never go in there. I nurse the baby on the couch or in the office chair in front of the PC. I think I've sat in that chair 5 times in the last 1.5 years.
I need to post about game consoles since others have. I got the XBOX early on as I wanted to play "Midtown Madness 3" which went XBOX from PC. I also loved the WWII shooters and other racing games. The XBOX hit the skids and went dying cockroach about a year ago. I decided to upgrade and "almost" went PS3 for the blueray player, but decided on the XBOX360. Microsoft put out a "backwards compatability" for their games when PS3 did not. I could therefore play most of the original XBOX games on the 360. My all time favorite shooter is the "Serious Sam" series. Now I get those from XBOX Live Arcade at very reasonable prices. Just hook the 360 to the incoming DSL line and your on.
I really did not have to pay for the XBOX360 per se. It seems I had done a big favor for one of my suppliers a couple years ago by giving them a large Heat and Air contract for the apartment complex. They had come around to sort of "soap me up" and look for more business. I had mentioned my old XBOX had failed and the guy showed up at my office with a brand new 360 in a couple of days!!! This was a very nice soaping up indeed!!!
Anyway, I am set to rock and roll with the new 360.
I really did not have to pay for the XBOX360 per se. It seems I had done a big favor for one of my suppliers a couple years ago by giving them a large Heat and Air contract for the apartment complex. They had come around to sort of "soap me up" and look for more business. I had mentioned my old XBOX had failed and the guy showed up at my office with a brand new 360 in a couple of days!!! This was a very nice soaping up indeed!!!
Anyway, I am set to rock and roll with the new 360.
-
ICouldBeTheWalrus
- Posts: 130
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 3:00 am
Good:
- Cast-iron skillet I bought 12 years ago.
- some tools: good screwdrivers, a used brace and auger bits, cheap cast-aluminum rafter square, diagonal cutters (electronics sized, not the big ones), most of the woodworking tools I've bought one at a time.
- All of the mac computers I've purchased (2001 iBook, 2006 Macbook - which lives on as a spare for my technophobe sister, late-2009 Mac mini)
- nice Dell 24" 1920x1200 monitor.
- Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 (actually I have two of these I've used for 5+ years and a couple spares I bought more recently)
- little ceramic cutter gadget for cutting things open: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... 51222&ap=1
Bad:
- some old keyboards and synths I never use. Came to the conclusion that I want to get back into a musical instrument, but screwing around with technology at the same time is actually not enjoyable for me. Fortunately I bought them used and probably will recover much of the cost in selling them.
- the iPad I bought and then promptly sold on ebay a month later.
- at least 2 extra PCs I'm not currently using.
- Cast-iron skillet I bought 12 years ago.
- some tools: good screwdrivers, a used brace and auger bits, cheap cast-aluminum rafter square, diagonal cutters (electronics sized, not the big ones), most of the woodworking tools I've bought one at a time.
- All of the mac computers I've purchased (2001 iBook, 2006 Macbook - which lives on as a spare for my technophobe sister, late-2009 Mac mini)
- nice Dell 24" 1920x1200 monitor.
- Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2 (actually I have two of these I've used for 5+ years and a couple spares I bought more recently)
- little ceramic cutter gadget for cutting things open: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... 51222&ap=1
Bad:
- some old keyboards and synths I never use. Came to the conclusion that I want to get back into a musical instrument, but screwing around with technology at the same time is actually not enjoyable for me. Fortunately I bought them used and probably will recover much of the cost in selling them.
- the iPad I bought and then promptly sold on ebay a month later.
- at least 2 extra PCs I'm not currently using.
-
Beaudacious
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:59 pm
- Contact:
Good Purchases:
Pyrex bowl. Daily usage. My brown bag equivalent.
$5 Insulated Coffee Mug. Originally for the dollar refills at the gas station, until I ended up acquiring a coffee maker for free.
Samsung Rugby Cell Phone. Has been the only phone through my entire contract (which I signed into before ERE... and am now free of) and then some. This phone has seen war and still keeps going.
Slow Cooker. Has brought my food bill down to $60 a month.
Bad:
Ab Wheel. Never use it. I stopped caring about ab centric exercises when I started doing full body kettlebell workouts.
Pyrex bowl. Daily usage. My brown bag equivalent.
$5 Insulated Coffee Mug. Originally for the dollar refills at the gas station, until I ended up acquiring a coffee maker for free.
Samsung Rugby Cell Phone. Has been the only phone through my entire contract (which I signed into before ERE... and am now free of) and then some. This phone has seen war and still keeps going.
Slow Cooker. Has brought my food bill down to $60 a month.
Bad:
Ab Wheel. Never use it. I stopped caring about ab centric exercises when I started doing full body kettlebell workouts.
JoeNCA: I hear you on the model years. I didn't mean to imply that my 2003 Accord is a BAD car, but it was first in its generation and had two repairs under warranty (fuel injectors and radio) and three recalls (transmission oil jet, ignition lock, and windshield wiper motors). Nevertheless, there have been no problems in the 5 years out-of-warranty (infant mortality failures?), and my out-of-pocket expenses have been minuscule. I definitely shouldn't have gotten the V6, because it needs an expensive timing belt replacement every 7 years, and apparently this is NOT a repair you can do yourself (about a 5 hour job with all the right equipment). Nevertheless, I'm very happy having purchased it new, and expect to keep it for many years to come (unless I ERE in a place where no car is needed).
Good:
Leatherman Charge TTI: Expensive, yes. But amazing. Oh so amazing.
Ninja Master prep professional: For $50 you get a blender that can turn ice into snow, plus a variety of food processors. Made to last.
Amazon kindle 3g: Lifetime unlimited free 3g wireless internet for $140...It's also good for reading books on.
Dell Laptop(s): These get used constantly.
House: Cheap house in foreclosure. It's already paid for itself just in rent savings alone.
Bad:
Various GM vehicles: I'm a big fan of products made in America (which is why I bought them), but our vehicles are so unreliable that you have to be a mechanic or a doctor in order to own one, IMO.
Large collection of technical computer books and college textbooks: I spent thousands of dollars on various technical books and college textbooks that I kept because I "might want to reread them someday/use them as reference". In reality, Google has the best reference material. Anyone want to buy some old textbooks? Case in point.
Cheap wal-mart blender: It was cheap, so I bought it. It takes several minutes of stopping, pushing the material down, starting again adjusting the speeds so it doesn't burn up, etc, to blend a smoothie. I can blend the same smoothie - and this is not an exaggeration - in 5 seconds using the Ninja.
Expensive desktop computer: Don't ever invest a substantial amount of money into something (technology) that will be broke, useless, and obsolete in 5 years.
Fast food: While I don't regret all the times I've eaten out, there is certainly no long term benefit to eating fast food.
Engagement ring: Diamonds tend to last a long time...They also tend to be very expensive and have zero practical functionality outside of saying, "hey, look at my big rock!"
College education: Yes, I got a free ride via grants and scholarships, but my time itself spent at college was worth more than the degree, imo.
Leatherman Charge TTI: Expensive, yes. But amazing. Oh so amazing.
Ninja Master prep professional: For $50 you get a blender that can turn ice into snow, plus a variety of food processors. Made to last.
Amazon kindle 3g: Lifetime unlimited free 3g wireless internet for $140...It's also good for reading books on.
Dell Laptop(s): These get used constantly.
House: Cheap house in foreclosure. It's already paid for itself just in rent savings alone.
Bad:
Various GM vehicles: I'm a big fan of products made in America (which is why I bought them), but our vehicles are so unreliable that you have to be a mechanic or a doctor in order to own one, IMO.
Large collection of technical computer books and college textbooks: I spent thousands of dollars on various technical books and college textbooks that I kept because I "might want to reread them someday/use them as reference". In reality, Google has the best reference material. Anyone want to buy some old textbooks? Case in point.
Cheap wal-mart blender: It was cheap, so I bought it. It takes several minutes of stopping, pushing the material down, starting again adjusting the speeds so it doesn't burn up, etc, to blend a smoothie. I can blend the same smoothie - and this is not an exaggeration - in 5 seconds using the Ninja.
Expensive desktop computer: Don't ever invest a substantial amount of money into something (technology) that will be broke, useless, and obsolete in 5 years.
Fast food: While I don't regret all the times I've eaten out, there is certainly no long term benefit to eating fast food.
Engagement ring: Diamonds tend to last a long time...They also tend to be very expensive and have zero practical functionality outside of saying, "hey, look at my big rock!"
College education: Yes, I got a free ride via grants and scholarships, but my time itself spent at college was worth more than the degree, imo.
I'll second college textbooks. I should have sold each and every one of them as soon as I was done with them, and bought used. That's part of the problem of rolling textbooks, housing, food, etc. into student loans -- you lose perspective.
My one excuse on the textbooks is that Wikipedia was not around back then. It was not obvious how much free information would be out there.
My one excuse on the textbooks is that Wikipedia was not around back then. It was not obvious how much free information would be out there.