The "Money well spent" thread. NO INVESTMENTS ALLOWED.

[RetiredAt63]

All my dogs and cats. 

[Tinker]

Brand toilet paper and kitchen paper towels.

tried various generics. They can't keep up with Hakle, Zewa.
Not even close.

And i use so little of the stuff... i might spend an additional 1500€ on that throughout my life, and every penny is going to be worth it

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Brand toilet paper and kitchen paper towels.

tried various generics. They can't keep up with Hakle, Zewa.
Not even close.

And i use so little of the stuff... i might spend an additional 1500€ on that throughout my life, and every penny is going to be worth it

Yep. Totally agree. Bounty in the US is worth every extra penny to me.

[Chris Pascale]

Had a driveway put in when the lockdown started. It's gray rock, bordered by cobblestone and can fit 6 cars. $4400.

When we bought the house in 2014 it was just muddy dirt with deep ruts.

How long? We have an asphalt driveway near the end of its life.

Not very, but fits 6 vehicles. 3 across and 2 deep.

[vand]

I've enjoyed reading through this thread and what others have had no regrets about spending their money on. I agree with all those who say money on their pets is well spent.. our 3 cats have not been cheap to own, but I don't regret a single penny of it. It reminds us that money is just an means to an end and there to serve us to make out lives better.

I will throw in a shout for my hair clippers here. There's something rather satisfying about being your own hairdresser, not just the money saved, but the time efficiency.. not having to go to the barbers, then sit and wait for a slot to become free, and then after that walking around uncomfortably all day with bits of hair down the back of you neck until you next get the chance to jump in the shower. Doing it all at home makes everything so much simpler.

[2Birds1Stone]

One thing that I purchased a few months ago that I'm delighted with are some quality blutooth headphones.

For the last few years I kept buying the in-ear earphones but they always kept dying after a few weeks/months as the wire in cable would eventually get too flexed and break inside. They were usually in the region of £15 a pair, but I reckon I have gone through at least 7-8 pairs in the last couple of years, so easily over £100 on them.

Then last Christmas I got a pair of these:


They've served me perfectly since. They're robust, and the battery life is excellent (30+hrs, compared to 6-7hrs on the in-ear earphones).

Buying the cheaper in-ear earphones was an exercise in false economy. These headphones were £40 and I consider it the best £40 I've spent in a long time!

Would you mind sharing the exact model? I'm in the market for a pair.

Would these be suitable for active listening (running, hiking, etc)?

[habanero]

High-end-outdoor clothing (I have mostly Arc'teryx stuff). Pricey, but lasts for years and years and sooo nice when weather is or turns bad.
Good running shoes, I chew through 2-3 pairs per year.
A light Windstopper running/cycling jacked. Found it bit on the expensive side despite being on sale, but almost daily use outside winter season for 3 years now.
A 1-man jetboil personal stove. With regulator, weights in at 360 grams + gas bottle and gives option of hot food or drink while hiking.
A really, really fancypants Festool Domino joint router. Used it to build a fair amount of bookshelves in the house and makes it easy to get very good results.
The Festool vacuum to connect power tools to, great when working indoors.
My main bike. A mid-range cyclocross. Easily pays for itself in avoided public transport fees / car costs.
Wood fired pizza oven. Professional results at home.
Good chef knives. Found a type I really like and can be had for 50 bucks on regular sales.

[bloodaxe]

One thing that I purchased a few months ago that I'm delighted with are some quality blutooth headphones.

For the last few years I kept buying the in-ear earphones but they always kept dying after a few weeks/months as the wire in cable would eventually get too flexed and break inside. They were usually in the region of £15 a pair, but I reckon I have gone through at least 7-8 pairs in the last couple of years, so easily over £100 on them.

Then last Christmas I got a pair of these:

They've served me perfectly since. They're robust, and the battery life is excellent (30+hrs, compared to 6-7hrs on the in-ear earphones).

Buying the cheaper in-ear earphones was an exercise in false economy. These headphones were £40 and I consider it the best £40 I've spent in a long time!

Would you mind sharing the exact model? I'm in the market for a pair.

Would these be suitable for active listening (running, hiking, etc)?

Looks like they are these: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-WH-CH510-Wireless-Headphones-WHCH510/dp/B07WSKKYPR

[vand]

One thing that I purchased a few months ago that I'm delighted with are some quality blutooth headphones.

For the last few years I kept buying the in-ear earphones but they always kept dying after a few weeks/months as the wire in cable would eventually get too flexed and break inside. They were usually in the region of £15 a pair, but I reckon I have gone through at least 7-8 pairs in the last couple of years, so easily over £100 on them.

Then last Christmas I got a pair of these:


They've served me perfectly since. They're robust, and the battery life is excellent (30+hrs, compared to 6-7hrs on the in-ear earphones).

Buying the cheaper in-ear earphones was an exercise in false economy. These headphones were £40 and I consider it the best £40 I've spent in a long time!

Would you mind sharing the exact model? I'm in the market for a pair.

Would these be suitable for active listening (running, hiking, etc)?

I have 2 models: Sony WH-CH510 which is the one pictured, and Sony WH-CH700 which is a noise-cancelling version. TBH I much prefer the WH-CH510 - it's lighter on the ears and very comfortable to wear for long periods. I use mine for running all the time, so no problems there.

[Trifle]

Running family here.  We run outside of course, but also do quite a bit of indoor running.  Our Landice treadmill has been worth every single penny of the $3000 we spent to buy it.  It's coming up on 14 years old and ~ 30,000 miles.  DH maintains it, but it doesn't need much.  He replaced one electronic part about five years ago (sent for free by Landice because it has a lifetime parts warranty) and we just flipped the reversible deck for the first time last year, meaning the deck is only halfway through its life.  I think we could get at least another ten years out of it.  VERY well made. 

Also, my $120 Dovetail women's overalls (my FIRE present to myself last year).  Total game changer if you work outside doing lots of bending, kneeling, etc., plus all the usual tool pockets of overalls.  So freaking comfortable.

[Freedomin5]

Spent $50 on a taxi yesterday. We went for a picnic with several friends whom we haven't seen since before the pandemic hit (January). It was nice to have a chance to catch up and enjoy the lake and nice weather. There have been no cases in the city for the past several weeks, so we didn't need to wear masks or social distance while at the park. We still wore masks in the taxi.

[imadandylion]

A water fountain for our cats with a filter. Now the most persistent one stops jumping up on the sink every 5 minutes, drinking from our glasses, and doesn't paw the water bowl around - making a mess and dirtying the water. It's great.

[jeninco]

A water fountain for our cats with a filter. Now the most persistent one stops jumping up on the sink every 5 minutes, drinking from our glasses, and doesn't paw the water bowl around - making a mess and dirtying the water. It's great.

We put the cat's water bowl in the bathtub. Paw away in the water! Someone will notice that it's empty within a few hours if you actually manage to empty it, as we only have two bathrooms anyhow.

A fountain sounds entertaining for other reasons, though.

[DeskJockey2028]

Well hmm. We just spent about nine grand on new kitchen counters and cabinets. Totally worth it. Our kitchen was built in 1986 and hasn't changed (other than some paint on the cabinets) since then. We increased our storage space by nearly 50%! We removed an old 'peninsula' which was really just a wall with a cheap countertop on it. We opened up our kitchen and added a new counter with storage underneath to boot. New sink, new dishwasher - totally worth it! The kitchen is now functional and we've added value to our home.

We originally did it because we were thinking of selling. We've got a small home and 2 kids. However, with the new kitchen, looking at prices around us and realizing that within the next 5 or 6 years we'd most likely have at least one kid moving out... we decided to stay put.

In order to do this though, we've got a few projects lined up that will be fairly expensive. The first is to add a 3 season, windowed, insulated 'porch'. We just had the general contractor and architect over today. Our old deck is quite literally falling apart. We've decided to keep it 3 season and not add heat (although we will have electrical out there). The tax burden is a lot lower and we'll have it well insulated. If we plop an electric fireplace out there we're thinking we can use it 10 months out of the year at least.

We'll also be redoing all of the floors in our place. The downstairs is cheap laminate that looks awful and is coming apart. We can do this ourselves for a few grand. The stairs and upstairs are all carpeted with circa 2000 white carpet. That's gotta go for both allergy reasons and it just looks awful.

Once we've finished up all this, we figured it'll have run us about 50 grand. Spent over about 4 or 5 years. Totally worth it. Increases the value of our home and makes it a place we want to keep calling home. And since we budgeted for everything and have been saving in different buckets, we'll have the whole thing paid off (or paid for up front) in 5 years or less. And it won't affect the money we're putting into our retirement savings and investments.

After the porch is done, we may also contact a local lender or three and look into refinancing. We may be able to roll in the costs, increase our mortgage a slight bit and reduce the years we still have left on it.

[PMG]

A water fountain for our cats with a filter. Now the most persistent one stops jumping up on the sink every 5 minutes, drinking from our glasses, and doesn't paw the water bowl around - making a mess and dirtying the water. It's great.

We put the cat's water bowl in the bathtub. Paw away in the water! Someone will notice that it's empty within a few hours if you actually manage to empty it, as we only have two bathrooms anyhow.

A fountain sounds entertaining for other reasons, though.

Our cat loves water.  At our old rental with the dripping tub spigot he was always in the tub playing.  I got him the fountain when we moved in to the new house, expecting that he would play and make a mess, but I guess, part of "being clean" for him is not playing in the water you drink?  Survival instinct, moving water is fresh water. He loves the fountain, drinks a lot.  I'm not sure I would put it as my final answer for this thread, but if I had known how much he liked drinking from the fountain I would have bought it much sooner!  It's good knowing he's drinking enough and he's so flipping cute... He still loves to play anytime there's water anywhere else, and sometimes we put a little bucket of water in the tub and just let him splash it around.  But that drinking fountain is great, and the boot tray I put under it for messes has been unnecessary.

[Just Joe]

Had a driveway put in when the lockdown started. It's gray rock, bordered by cobblestone and can fit 6 cars. $4400.

When we bought the house in 2014 it was just muddy dirt with deep ruts.

How long? We have an asphalt driveway near the end of its life.

Not very, but fits 6 vehicles. 3 across and 2 deep.

Thank you. More affordable thank I expected.

[Just Joe]

Well hmm. We just spent about nine grand on new kitchen counters and cabinets. Totally worth it. Our kitchen was built in 1986 and hasn't changed (other than some paint on the cabinets) since then. We increased our storage space by nearly 50%! We removed an old 'peninsula' which was really just a wall with a cheap countertop on it. We opened up our kitchen and added a new counter with storage underneath to boot. New sink, new dishwasher - totally worth it! The kitchen is now functional and we've added value to our home.

Congrats! A kitchen refurb is on our want list. Just had a glass cooktop eye die which makes it seem more urgent. Its not. ;)

We want to get rid of the island which is just in the way. The rooms needs to be more square to have an island. Will start looking for new scratch and dent appliances. That has served us well in the past.

Where did you buy your cabinets? Flat pack? Hardware store? (which is still flatpack I think) Or did you use a local custom cabinet shop?

[Missy B]

53 tomato plants for $7.92

Color me jealous :)

[Missy B]

Kitchen-Aid mixer blade with rubber spatula edge, 15.99 on reduced.

The stand-up mixer itself I got for a price that I've never seen lower, plus I got an extra, smaller metal bowl when I bought the mixer as a promotion. That smaller bowl is the one I mainly use.

My mixer is yellow, I think it is beautiful and it makes me happy to look at even when I didn't use it much. (Of late, it has been busy).

[Missy B]

Does this count?  After living in my house for 15+ years with a dusty, weedy backyard, I finally had enough money to have it professionally landscaped.  Life changer, especially after the small trees matured.
I also wanted to have it done so I could enjoy it after retirement, and boy has that been true.  Last few years I've loved gazing at it, putting up bird feeders, watching the flowers bloom on the shrubs, etc. 
And now with the shutdown I'm enjoying the results of that decision even more.  Present Me is thankful that Me of 8 years ago spent the money.

Oh, yeah. I spent $2K to get my yard on my rental landscaped (idiot previous owner had completely f-d up the drainage by adding soil so that the grade sloped towards the house) and removed an entire rotted fence, all the concrete supports that would have been hell to remove, and a mass amount of perenials that took two-three full days to prune each year. (And that was only part of the yard).

[Laura33]

New one:  I bought a Beetle Bits cutting tool for my new stained glass hobby.  OMG does that make the straight/square/angled cuts easier.  Long-term I'm going to more than make up for the purchase price in glass not ruined.

[DeskJockey2028]

Believe it or not, we went through IKEA.

They came in at a goood $5-8k less than many other local contractors/companies and sometimes $15-20k under! The Demo we did ourselves. Bought all the stuff at the local IKEA where they have an employee go through the planning with you. Had an online session after they measured everything to design the kitchen.

It took their contractor 2 days to install everything. The countertops took a little longer because the material was backordered, but once it was in, took about 6 hours for them to install.

In our family we have a carpenter and a few contractor friends who've all commented on the quality of the hardware used and the quality of the installation. 20 year warranty on the cabinets/storage and 10 year warranty on the counters.

Well hmm. We just spent about nine grand on new kitchen counters and cabinets. Totally worth it. Our kitchen was built in 1986 and hasn't changed (other than some paint on the cabinets) since then. We increased our storage space by nearly 50%! We removed an old 'peninsula' which was really just a wall with a cheap countertop on it. We opened up our kitchen and added a new counter with storage underneath to boot. New sink, new dishwasher - totally worth it! The kitchen is now functional and we've added value to our home.

Congrats! A kitchen refurb is on our want list. Just had a glass cooktop eye die which makes it seem more urgent. Its not. ;)

We want to get rid of the island which is just in the way. The rooms needs to be more square to have an island. Will start looking for new scratch and dent appliances. That has served us well in the past.

Where did you buy your cabinets? Flat pack? Hardware store? (which is still flatpack I think) Or did you use a local custom cabinet shop?

[partgypsy]

I'd love to see a pic of new kitchen. If I was starting from scratch I would seriously consider Ikea kitchen products (cabinetry and countertop).

[Dicey]

IKEA is a two-edged sword, IMO. Because they mass produce, their prices are good, their consistency is great, their quality is high, they keep up with style trends, and their staff is reasonably well trained, because they do so many kitchens. There's no arguing that you get a lot of bang for your buck there.

BUT, it will always look like an IKEA kitchen. I look at a LOT of houses and I can usually spot an IKEA kitchen without even opening a cabinet door. I suspect that matters more if you're doing a remodel with the intent to sell. If you like the look and you're creating your forever home, I'd definitely strongly consider IKEA. I might put some creative thought in to make it a little less cookie cutter/trendy. For example, source the hardware somewhere else or be creative in how you plan the space, don't use the obvious IKEA accessories like those little bars with hanging buckets, utensils, or both.

A functioning, solidly built, efficient kitchen (especially if your current one is not) is definitely money well spent.

[Sandi_k]

Our cat loves water.... He still loves to play anytime there's water anywhere else, and sometimes we put a little bucket of water in the tub and just let him splash it around.  But that drinking fountain is great, and the boot tray I put under it for messes has been unnecessary.

Ha! Sounds like our cats are "birds of a feather." Our tiger tabby loves playing with the gravity water reservoir, as well as hopping in the tub and playing in the shower puddles. In regards to the reservoir: she plays in it, sticks her elbow in while she lounges, *and* she tries to tip it over...which would cascade a half gallon of water all over our laminate floors.

So we wedged the water "tank" into a 9x13" cake pan. It means she cannot get her paw underneath the reservoir apparatus to flip it. She can occasionally tilt it, but the cake pan captures the leakage without overflowing.

Cats, man....

[Loretta]

I'm pretty darn pleased with my bidet purchase.  I have had raging stomach issues on and off 2017-2020 and this thing makes me happy and less inflamed.  I had the maintenance dudes at my building connect it for me for about $45 if memory serves.  The bidet concept is also helpful during visits from Aunt Flo.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ZLRSJ6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[OtherJen]

A $15/month Zoom license. It’s been useful for hosting both meetings with my community volunteer groups and for virtual happy hours with friends.

[Steeze]

Stainless wire shelving with a custom xtra thick cutting board top - bought all the pieces individually from a restaurant supply to get three deep shelves on bottom and three cantilevered shelves above which is 8 ft tall. Had the cutting board cut to fit by a friend in exchange for beer money. Holds all of the pots, pans, and small appliances. Fits perfectly in the space intended, almost exact dimensions. All in around $200 and makes me smile every time I look at it.

[MudPuppy]

The Ninja Foodi combo pressure cooker and air fryer.

[dizzy]

I dragged my feet but finally bought a car.  I moved to suburbs where there public transit to my main work is unreasonably long, and this also gives me the opportunity for further work in non-transit friendly places.  It's a 2014 mitsubishi mirage, the color is plasma purple which is amazing.  It gets like 40 mpg so I'm pretty stoked. 

I also am going back to work soon at one place and looking for additional work.  My boss is now requiring scrubs for work.  I invested in 4 sets of new Figs scrubs, I read they are worth the cost, tho I negotiated the price down to $32/piece (usually $46) including shipping.  I'm an acupuncturist and typically we don't wear scrubs, but with COVID and everything it's necessary and probably not a bad idea from here on out.  I recently went through and got rid of falling apart clothes or ones that don't fit (also they are a biz expense) so don't feel as bad about getting them.

[DeskJockey2028]

Ha! I have seen those bars and hanging plastic buckets but we decided they were not for us. We got some nice, glass front cabinets, gorgeous quartz countertops and the slow close/no slam latches for everything! We also got a bunch of the 'hidden' drawers that fit inside other cabinet drawers. Very good use of the empty space at the top of some drawers that just aren't holding big items.

For this first time in... well ever, we've got all of our tupperware type products organized WITH THEIR LIDS. We also have our blender, slow cooker, rice cooker and all of our pots, pans and whatnots stored away and off the counter.

The one exception is my cast iron skillet. We like the way it looks on the stove.

IKEA is a two-edged sword, IMO. Because they mass produce, their prices are good, their consistency is great, their quality is high, they keep up with style trends, and their staff is reasonably well trained, because they do so many kitchens. There's no arguing that you get a lot of bang for your buck there.

BUT, it will always look like an IKEA kitchen. I look at a LOT of houses and I can usually spot an IKEA kitchen without even opening a cabinet door. I suspect that matters more if you're doing a remodel with the intent to sell. If you like the look and you're creating your forever home, I'd definitely strongly consider IKEA. I might put some creative thought in to make it a little less cookie cutter/trendy. For example, source the hardware somewhere else or be creative in how you plan the space, don't use the obvious IKEA accessories like those little bars with hanging buckets, utensils, or both.

A functioning, solidly built, efficient kitchen (especially if your current one is not) is definitely money well spent.

[firstmatedavy]

-Good shoes. For me that's been Red Wing, Keen, and Clarks.

I'm amused that we have exactly the same taste in shoes. Wearing Keens right now, have had pretty good luck with Clark's in the past, looking forward to trying Red Wing when it's safe to go shopping again (since my most recent Clark's died too soon).

[Fishindude]

For a small item - Our Alexa music machine.   That little device is great and we use it all of the time.   So nice to be able to verbally request anything you want to listen to and your wish is her command.

Big item - Buying a brand new 85hp John Deere tractor.   Worked my way up through several used tractors, used, repaired and maintained them and spent a fair amount of time on the repair / maintain program.   The new JD unit has had zero issues, does everything I want and I now spent my time working with the tractor instead of working on it.

[talltexan]

In January we were already mostly settled into our new house, but still carrying out repairs and moving items out of the old one. Our realtor told us we'd better get in gear and list the old house, so we rented a storage unit, and hired movers to get every last stick of furniture out of the old house. Got it on market, and managed to get under contract within a few hours.

The closing happened just as we descended into lockdown, and--even though things are opening back up now--I cannot help but think we were able to save ourselves at least two mortgage payments and a lot of stress because we got that storage unit when we did.

[simonsez]

Engine air filters and cabin air filters for the car

Garden herbs

Toiletries

Patio furniture

Grill

Kitchen knives

Garage door opener

Air mattress with headboard (could pick from a lot of camping supplies/tools but this is the best, allows my wife to be excited about camping and float trips again, and also is used occasionally at house)

Deck of cards

Hydration backpack

[CRG]

I’m doing online language lessons with private tutors and it’s so cheap and effective, I’ll never study with formal group classes again.

Do you mind sharing some details on this? Where would one go to find tutors?

[CRG]

1Up USA bike rack and hitch mount. This thing is built like a tank and so easy to use. Probably not totally necessary vs. less expensive models, but I can't imagine this thing ever breaking. I even bought an extension to hold an additional bike and the storage rack for the garage. Love it.

[MrThatsDifferent]

I’m doing online language lessons with private tutors and it’s so cheap and effective, I’ll never study with formal group classes again.

Do you mind sharing some details on this? Where would one go to find tutors?

Italki dot com

[Fomerly known as something]

My new Kayak, even though it now means I also need a roof rack (on order) and possibly a Kayak cart.  I Need the rack in order to explore all the rivers and I am debating the cart to get to the access point 1 mile from my house.  I’m not sure even with it so close I want to add on another 40 minutes to take it out vs, the 10 minutes total with loading it up on the car.

[Panly]

a cable enabling me to connect a second monitor to my WFH equipment as the original wiring failed.




 

[Steeze]

53 tomato plants for $7.92

Color me jealous :)

@Photograph 51 what do you do with that many toms?

[moneypitfeeder]

Was just getting ready to buy a new Hoover Floormate hard surface scrubber/vacuum/cleaner. My old one's tank broke and my first search came up empty, but a later search gave me the replacement part to fix it for $26 bucks shipped.

[jeninco]

Ha! I have seen those bars and hanging plastic buckets but we decided they were not for us. We got some nice, glass front cabinets, gorgeous quartz countertops and the slow close/no slam latches for everything! We also got a bunch of the 'hidden' drawers that fit inside other cabinet drawers. Very good use of the empty space at the top of some drawers that just aren't holding big items.

For this first time in... well ever, we've got all of our tupperware type products organized WITH THEIR LIDS. We also have our blender, slow cooker, rice cooker and all of our pots, pans and whatnots stored away and off the counter.

The one exception is my cast iron skillet. We like the way it looks on the stove.

Ha, 15 years later, I am still so tickled that when we remodeled our kitchen we set up the corner two-tiered lazy susan so that it holds (almost) all the pots and pans NOT NESTED. The pots sit in order (with their lids on) from smallest to largest, and the pans more-or-less do too, on the lower shelf. There's a giant stock pot and a couple of dutch ovens that live elsewhere, but if I needed to I could get every pot and pan in that corner cabinet, and they'd be neatly organized.  I still love it!

I'm off to check out the Ikea countertops -- we put laminate on 15 years ago (because we have, er, "a lot" of countertop) and we've re-glued the rolled edges several times.

[DireWolf]

I’ve only made a handful of purchases since I FIREd last summer:

- some relatively cheap AirPod knockoffs, around $35 off Amazon. These have been fantastic. I’m sure the expensive Apple ones are better, but I couldn’t justify the price. During the shutdown, I’d go out for 2 hour walks and listen to podcasts (mainly Last Podcast on the Left) the whole time.

- a used Kickr Snap (and a Zwift subscription). I paid around $250 for the Kickr smart (bike) trainer, and then paid like $15/mo for Zwift thru the winter. Normally I suck it up and ride in the cold all winter, but this time I did a structured training plan that made me a much stronger ride. This is a way better option than Peloton if you already have a bike and plan to ride it outdoors, too.

- a new road bike - this was a big splurge (about $3k). Made possible by my stimulus check, a cancelled spring trip to Arizona, and no beach rental this year. All Covid related. My previous bike can now become a winter/backup bike, which should help me keep at least one operational at any time. (I ride fairly often, maybe 8-10 hours a week).

- The new Animal Crossing game for the Switch. Worth every penny for the many, many hours Of gameplay during the shutdown.

[Monerexia]

Don't know if this is money well spent but maybe by posting this I can convince myself it was.

Got hurried call from my niece yesterday--20 y/o, never had a job, high school drop out, both parents on disability, no driver license, etc etc. Relationship good because I keep my mouth shut--haven't seen her in three years maybe? Had a great relationship when she was just a kiddo.

She says her little dog has been hit by a car and my sister has given $2000 to keep dog stable but they need another 3K for surgery. Begging begging and so forth, surgery needs to happen today, and you know how vets are--they live for these moments. I told her I would call her back in half an hour.

Stopped my bike ride one mile in, turned around and called the vet. They said they need another 5K surgeon said prognosis guarded at best, bad neurological damage. Get a text from her that another relative kicked in some money and they only need $2500 from me to start the surgery.

I told her I might need a favor or two in the future, and I expected her to pay me back $100/month starting this December.

Paid the vet, dog was dead less than eight hours later.

I'm not sure what i bought? Maybe an indebted family member? Someone to clean my house? Someone who owes me a favor? Loyalty? The political pressure to kick the rest in was intense, because dog's death would have been on me in their minds had I said what i wanted to say, like, "honey nobody pays $7000 for a dog. Death is a part of life, you need to say goodbye to your little doggy." So yeah.

[Kris]

I’ve only made a handful of purchases since I FIREd last summer:

- some relatively cheap AirPod knockoffs, around $35 off Amazon. These have been fantastic. I’m sure the expensive Apple ones are better, but I couldn’t justify the price. During the shutdown, I’d go out for 2 hour walks and listen to podcasts (mainly Last Podcast on the Left) the whole time.

- a used Kickr Snap (and a Zwift subscription). I paid around $250 for the Kickr smart (bike) trainer, and then paid like $15/mo for Zwift thru the winter. Normally I suck it up and ride in the cold all winter, but this time I did a structured training plan that made me a much stronger ride. This is a way better option than Peloton if you already have a bike and plan to ride it outdoors, too.

- a new road bike - this was a big splurge (about $3k). Made possible by my stimulus check, a cancelled spring trip to Arizona, and no beach rental this year. All Covid related. My previous bike can now become a winter/backup bike, which should help me keep at least one operational at any time. (I ride fairly often, maybe 8-10 hours a week).

- The new Animal Crossing game for the Switch. Worth every penny for the many, many hours Of gameplay during the shutdown.

@DireWolf  , would you mind sharing which knockoff airpods you bought? I’ve been looking at some on Amazon but haven’t pulled the plug.

[Weisass]

We booked 3 nights in a beachside apartment on a resort with our Quarantine friends and are splitting the cost. Worth every penny to get away from the home we have been stuck in for three months, and out near the water.

[zolotiyeruki]

I spent $50 to upgrade to an SSD on my desktop computer. Such sweet speed!

[DireWolf]

@DireWolf  , would you mind sharing which knockoff airpods you bought? I’ve been looking at some on Amazon but haven’t pulled the plug.

I got the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 53. 4.5 stars on Amazon (although their current price is a bit higher than I paid).

[Kris]

@DireWolf  , would you mind sharing which knockoff airpods you bought? I’ve been looking at some on Amazon but haven’t pulled the plug.

I got the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 53. 4.5 stars on Amazon (although their current price is a bit higher than I paid).

Thanks!