What's the stupidest thing you're lusting after right now?

[Luke Warm]

The stupid thing I'm lusting after right now is a new road bike.  I've been riding and racing bikes pretty seriously since 2002, and while I've had mountain bikes and gravel/cx bikes come and go, I've always had a road bike or two with enough working parts on it to ride.  However, last year during covid, my last road frame cracked and rather than replace it, I decided to strip down and sell the parts on it to try to make my gravel bike into a dual purpose bike. I used the funds from the parts sale to pick up a spare set of wheels, and I put a set of road slicks on. 

It works, but now that group rides have started back up again, I'm finding that my road-ized gravel bike just isn't as good as a real road bike at riding on the road.  The gearing is a smidge short, the handlebars are a smidge high and the handling is a smidge slow.  What I have works...but its just not the same.  I've been sweating this thing pretty hard, but its a hard thing to justify, I feel like I'd be spending a lot of money to be a small amount better than my current state:

that's a pretty bike!

[Taran Wanderer]

A real road bike is so much better than a mountain bike with slicks. You won’t regret it.

[Sugaree]

A puppy.  Well, I would actually prefer a dog that's between 2.5 and 3 years old and already housebroken and had some manners training.  But I'm not sure that my girl is going to accept another adult dog.  I'm not really sure she'd accept a puppy either, which is why this is a stupid want.

[Askel]

It works, but now that group rides have started back up again, I'm finding that my road-ized gravel bike just isn't as good as a real road bike at riding on the road.  The gearing is a smidge short, the handlebars are a smidge high and the handling is a smidge slow.  What I have works...but its just not the same.  I've been sweating this thing pretty hard, but its a hard thing to justify, I feel like I'd be spending a lot of money to be a small amount better than my current state:

I'm hardly the one to encourage austerity in all things bikes, but if you need some assistance in backing away from the ledge- it's quite possible to change the gearing, bar height, and handling meters a smidge for less than a SuperSix. 

I haven't done any road racing in ages, but wasn't the dark horse move to show up on 105 Aluminum CAAD and obliterate all the carbon fiber fred sleds?   

[Luke Warm]

i'm lusting for a nice backpack. at the beginning of the year i planned to take a roadtrip up to birmingham to the rei store to get fitted for a nice backpack so i could get some nice weekend hikes in the springtime. spring is here and the weather is perfect but i've yet to make the roadtrip. by the end of may it's way too hot to do any camping.

i just went ahead and bought one. rei had an online sale and i was having a bad day so i bought a deuter 65+10. no regerts.

[rothwem]

It works, but now that group rides have started back up again, I'm finding that my road-ized gravel bike just isn't as good as a real road bike at riding on the road.  The gearing is a smidge short, the handlebars are a smidge high and the handling is a smidge slow.  What I have works...but its just not the same.  I've been sweating this thing pretty hard, but its a hard thing to justify, I feel like I'd be spending a lot of money to be a small amount better than my current state:

I'm hardly the one to encourage austerity in all things bikes, but if you need some assistance in backing away from the ledge- it's quite possible to change the gearing, bar height, and handling meters a smidge for less than a SuperSix. 

I haven't done any road racing in ages, but wasn't the dark horse move to show up on 105 Aluminum CAAD and obliterate all the carbon fiber fred sleds?

Yeah, I can change that stuff on the gravel bike but the gearing change is surprisingly expensive and the bar height change would make it worse for riding off road. And it would still have a long wheelbase relative to a regular road bike.

As for the CAAD, I’ve had two of them, a CAAD8  and a CAAD10. I got a team deal, so mine had Dura Ace and Ksyriums on it. Things have really changed in the cycling world over the past several years though, especially with the advent of Zwift and smart trainers, everyone is potentially super strong. Bikes are also astronomically expensive and pretty good, so experienced riders are showing up to group rides with 105 equipped CAADs. Realistically, that’s all I need, but this is the lusting thread, right?

Shit, all I really need is a better set of wheels on my gravel bike and more time in my schedule to ride. And maybe a Supersix Evo?

[mm1970]

An electric bike.

It's stupid.  I WFH 3 days a week, and at the office 2 days.  It is switching to office 3 and home 2.

There's really no reason for me to buy a $1500 electric bike to commute to work 1-3 days a week.  Even at $6 a gallon gas, my 20 miles round trip in a Matrix isn't a lot of gas.

I've also looked at the kits to add to your current bike.  My current bike is a 1998 Schwinn hybrid - the 7 back (?) gears still work but the front (?) gears (3 of them) don't - you can change them to easier, but you can't change them back to harder while you are cycling.

MM, you have a FT job and 2 kids at 2 schools, are you REALLY going to bike to work??

[Arbitrage]

An electric bike.

It's stupid.  I WFH 3 days a week, and at the office 2 days.  It is switching to office 3 and home 2.

There's really no reason for me to buy a $1500 electric bike to commute to work 1-3 days a week.  Even at $6 a gallon gas, my 20 miles round trip in a Matrix isn't a lot of gas.

I've also looked at the kits to add to your current bike.  My current bike is a 1998 Schwinn hybrid - the 7 back (?) gears still work but the front (?) gears (3 of them) don't - you can change them to easier, but you can't change them back to harder while you are cycling.

MM, you have a FT job and 2 kids at 2 schools, are you REALLY going to bike to work??

It's not stupid!  After I got mine, I just found myself finding more and more reasons to ride it, more and more trips to convert from car to e-bike...until I ditched the car altogether.  It was like solving a puzzle for how I could make a trip by bike instead of car.  Sometimes it required buying something else (trailer, rain gear, whatever), but it was always gratifying to ditch more car miles. 

[Luke Warm]

i want a cabin in the woods. i keep looking on zillow for these remote cabins in the middle of nowhere.

[zolotiyeruki]

I want 10-20 acres of farm land near a city so I can establish my own cut-your-own Christmas tree farm.  There was one in our area several years ago--the owners had every tree pruned and shaped yearly, so it was acres upon acres of gorgeous trees.  The owners had been there for decades, and their tree farm had become surrounded by commercial and residential development.  When they passed away, their kids decided not to continue the business, and sold the land to developers (I'm sure for a LOT of money!).  There's nothing else like it (beautiful trees, big selection, good prices, nearby) in our area.

Even worse, I want the tree farm so I can have a really long, narrow parking lot that I can use as my own personal airstrip, for an even stupider item: an airplane.

[Taran Wanderer]

I want 10-20 acres of farm land near a city so I can establish my own cut-your-own Christmas tree farm.  There was one in our area several years ago--the owners had every tree pruned and shaped yearly, so it was acres upon acres of gorgeous trees.  The owners had been there for decades, and their tree farm had become surrounded by commercial and residential development.  When they passed away, their kids decided not to continue the business, and sold the land to developers (I'm sure for a LOT of money!).  There's nothing else like it (beautiful trees, big selection, good prices, nearby) in our area.

Even worse, I want the tree farm so I can have a really long, narrow parking lot that I can use as my own personal airstrip, for an even stupider item: an airplane.

That actually sounds like a great idea.  Just be ready for all the tree trimming, mowing, and weed-eating.  And of course the 3-4 weeks of interfacing with the general public to brighten up your holidays!

[zolotiyeruki]

I want 10-20 acres of farm land near a city so I can establish my own cut-your-own Christmas tree farm.  There was one in our area several years ago--the owners had every tree pruned and shaped yearly, so it was acres upon acres of gorgeous trees.  The owners had been there for decades, and their tree farm had become surrounded by commercial and residential development.  When they passed away, their kids decided not to continue the business, and sold the land to developers (I'm sure for a LOT of money!).  There's nothing else like it (beautiful trees, big selection, good prices, nearby) in our area.

Even worse, I want the tree farm so I can have a really long, narrow parking lot that I can use as my own personal airstrip, for an even stupider item: an airplane.

That actually sounds like a great idea.  Just be ready for all the tree trimming, mowing, and weed-eating.  And of course the 3-4 weeks of interfacing with the general public to brighten up your holidays!

That's what power equipment and employees are for!  I think I could handle working three weeks of the year, when the weather's too cold to go flying anyway :)

[Askel]

That actually sounds like a great idea.  Just be ready for all the tree trimming, mowing, and weed-eating.  And of course the 3-4 weeks of interfacing with the general public to brighten up your holidays!

And the tree painting. 

Grew up near a bunch of christmas tree farms.  Usually about once a summer, all the trees about ready for harvest would all spontaneously achieve a green color that didn't look quite right compared to their non chromatically enhanced brethren.   

Never actually saw this process done though, so maybe it's just some kind of christmas miracle?   

[GuitarStv]

That actually sounds like a great idea.  Just be ready for all the tree trimming, mowing, and weed-eating.  And of course the 3-4 weeks of interfacing with the general public to brighten up your holidays!

And the tree painting. 

Grew up near a bunch of christmas tree farms.  Usually about once a summer, all the trees about ready for harvest would all spontaneously achieve a green color that didn't look quite right compared to their non chromatically enhanced brethren.   

Never actually saw this process done though, so maybe it's just some kind of christmas miracle?

Maybe they just water them with some sort of dye?  I seem to remember some grade 1 experiments changing the colour of celery this way.

[TreeLeaf]

A newer used smartphone, something in the 50-100 dollar range.

Mine is 6 years old. It still works great, I just wonder how long the apps will keep working since it is running android 8.0. Maybe it will last a couple more years, or maybe not, it's hard for me to say. How do you guys determine it's time to upgrade a smartphone?

[SquarePeg]

How do you guys determine it's time to upgrade a smartphone?

For me it would be some combo of:

• App support (related to Android OS version number, as you note)
• How long has it been since the OS got a security update from the manufacturer
• Does the battery still hold enough of a charge
• Is my storage full or close to full
• Is the phone physically broken or worn, or functionally not 100% in some way
• Does the newer phone in question offer improvement in some area I care about
• How much would that newer phone cost

I hung onto my Galaxy S6 for 6 years (bought right at release in 2015). It had been many years since an OS update and it was getting kind of quirky, plus the battery wasn't as strong as it had been. A good deal caught my eye and I upgraded to a new Galaxy S21 last year. Not maximally mustachian but for a once-every-six-years expense, close enough.

[zolotiyeruki]

A newer used smartphone, something in the 50-100 dollar range.

Mine is 6 years old. It still works great, I just wonder how long the apps will keep working since it is running android 8.0. Maybe it will last a couple more years, or maybe not, it's hard for me to say. How do you guys determine it's time to upgrade a smartphone?

For me, it was when AT&T shut down the 3G network.  FWIW, I've decided to upgrade to a Pixel 3a.  Readily available for well under $100, upgraded all the way to Android 12, with official LineageOS support.

[Sugaree]

I've got an S8 Active that I've been very happy with.  I bought it maybe a year ago.  It's probably 5 years old, but came with the Android 9.0 Pie version installed. 


Speaking of which, I think I've figured out what we're going to do about the kid wanting a phone (stupid thing that he's lusting for, maybe?).  The background here is that my 8 year-old has been asking here and there for a phone since he was about 5.  I don't want him with a full cell phone for a few more years, but do admit that it would be nice for him to have *something* since we don't have a landline and he's getting to the age where he's away from mom and dad more often.  I found a standalone smartwatch that is designed especially for kids.  It can only call/receive calls/text to and from a limited set of numbers, which are controlled by an app on my phone.  No camera, no games.  It's about $100 new ($200 for the Disney version) and Verizon offers a data line for $10/month even with no other lines on the plan.  I think he's going to get this for his birthday this summer and see how he does.  If he can keep up with it and/or not abuse it then we'll consider upgrading to a better smartwatch in a couple of years and then to a simple phone a couple of years after that.

[Just Joe]

A newer used smartphone, something in the 50-100 dollar range.

Mine is 6 years old. It still works great, I just wonder how long the apps will keep working since it is running android 8.0. Maybe it will last a couple more years, or maybe not, it's hard for me to say. How do you guys determine it's time to upgrade a smartphone?

When all the service providers tell me I need an LTE capable phone. Had to retire a perfectly good phone. I mean I use it to stream music in the garage now via wifi but whatever still hated having to buy something newer. Bought something nicer, lightly used, and that works with current tower tech. The camera is as important to me as the rest of the device. I use it alot.

[Askel]

i want a cabin in the woods. i keep looking on zillow for these remote cabins in the middle of nowhere.

I lived in one for 17 years. 

You will definitely learn a new appreciation for stick built houses and square corners. 

In theory anyway.  I didn't learn my lesson.

I've upgraded to a round house in the middle of the woods.   :facepalm   

[joe189man]

A new vehicle, trying to decide between which is the least stupid option. leaning towards a truck with 0% interest for 72 months or maybe a jeep cherokee 4xe

Also some free time would be nice or at least time to work out a few times a week, but with job, DW's job, two little kids, new puppy and life its not happening

[Sailor Sam]

Currently lusting after a dog/kiddie pool and 1000 balls to fill it.  Totally cost would be around $500.  Pool could also be used for water in the hot summer.

Of course, if I did buy this, there is every possibility my dogs wouldn't like being in the water or would be scared by the ball pit, or some other option that meant both things would be sniffed a few times and then ignored.

@Villanelle, are you looking at one of the fancier inflatable pools? If so, you could consider getting a regular wading pool as an entry level test to see if your pups are interested in a ball pit. I'm only mentioning, because I didn't think of using a cheap wading pool until I saw it at Gabe's daycare. On investigation, the total cost of set up is around $150 for wading pool and balls.

I've attached a pic, which is for reference and not simply because my adorable doggy-o is featured.

[Villanelle]

Currently lusting after a dog/kiddie pool and 1000 balls to fill it.  Totally cost would be around $500.  Pool could also be used for water in the hot summer.

Of course, if I did buy this, there is every possibility my dogs wouldn't like being in the water or would be scared by the ball pit, or some other option that meant both things would be sniffed a few times and then ignored.

@Villanelle, are you looking at one of the fancier inflatable pools? If so, you could consider getting a regular wading pool as an entry level test to see if your pups are interested in a ball pit. I'm only mentioning, because I didn't think of using a cheap wading pool until I saw it at Gabe's daycare. On investigation, the total cost of set up is around $150 for wading pool and balls.

I've attached a pic, which is for reference and not simply because my adorable doggy-o is featured.

Squeee!  Gabe is so... squeeeeeee!

I'm looking at the non-inflatable kind because I'm afraid a dog nail, or even just a vigorous dog pounce, might pop an inflatable.  They make some that are dog-specific, aka "more expensive", that seem to be made of super thick, stiff cardboard wrapped in plastic.  But I'm waiting to hear back on someone selling a plastic kiddie pool--much like the one you posted but larger because my beasties are about 17 times the size of yours--on Marketplace for $8.  At least that way I can see if they like it before spending more on a better pool, if I end up think there is some need.  I'm also stalking marketplace for ball pit balls, which I can get on Amazon for just under $1/ball, but hopefully can do better on marketplace.  Larger pool=a lot more balls. 

[Luke Warm]

i want a cabin in the woods. i keep looking on zillow for these remote cabins in the middle of nowhere.

I lived in one for 17 years. 

You will definitely learn a new appreciation for stick built houses and square corners. 

In theory anyway.  I didn't learn my lesson.

I've upgraded to a round house in the middle of the woods.   :facepalm

the cabins i've seen are about half finished which appeals to my sense of diy adventure but they are about 8 hours away from where i live. plus i have no idea of the cost of finishing the project. i actually like living in the city and being close to all the stuff i need but for some reason the idea of isolation is appealing.

round house? like a yurt?

[Askel]

round house? like a yurt?

A two story yurt!  :D

[Luke Warm]

round house? like a yurt?

A two story yurt!  :D

nice! don't be scared to add a little color.

[GuitarStv]

round house? like a yurt?

A two story yurt!  :D

nice! don't be scared to add a little color.

Not too bright though . . . in bright sunshine it might yurt the eyes.

[partgypsy]

Nothing specific but I want to shop out of boredom. I know, sad. I did buy a lightweight comforter for myself. Almost bought a twin xl size comforter for dd in college but I messaged her and she says the full sized one she already has is working ok. I want to buy random Easter decor. Other than buying my daughter a school Tshirt for her Easter basket may make notes but not buy anything (other than essentials) for rest of month.

[TreeLeaf]

A newer used smartphone, something in the 50-100 dollar range.

Mine is 6 years old. It still works great, I just wonder how long the apps will keep working since it is running android 8.0. Maybe it will last a couple more years, or maybe not, it's hard for me to say. How do you guys determine it's time to upgrade a smartphone?

For me, it was when AT&T shut down the 3G network.  FWIW, I've decided to upgrade to a Pixel 3a.  Readily available for well under $100, upgraded all the way to Android 12, with official LineageOS support.

So, as a follow up, I was going to wait and upgrade to a pixel 3a next year, but found a pixel 4a on eBay in mint condition for 99 dollars and bought it. I already have it and it works great!

I do feel guilty, in a way, because the LG g5 still works great but I'm not sure what to do with it. Normally I give these things away to friends and family but no one seems to want a six year old phone. I may just find a charity to donate it to.

[Gone_fishing]

A Steinway grand piano.  And guess what, I spent $40,000 on one today.  😩

[Taran Wanderer]

A Steinway grand piano.  And guess what, I spent $40,000 on one today.  😩

Awesome!  I'd love a Yamaha.

[partgypsy]

A Steinway grand piano.  And guess what, I spent $40,000 on one today.  😩

. Wow. I don't play well (or often enough) to make that a wise purchase, but maybe it is for you.

[zolotiyeruki]

A Steinway grand piano.  And guess what, I spent $40,000 on one today.  😩

I would LOVE to have the time to play enough to make such a purchase worthwhile. Maybe in retirement...

What size did you get?

[lemanfan]

A Steinway grand piano.  And guess what, I spent $40,000 on one today.  😩

Yowsa!

[Dicey]

Nothing specific but I want to shop out of boredom. I know, sad. I did buy a lightweight comforter for myself. Almost bought a twin xl size comforter for dd in college but I messaged her and she says the full sized one she already has is working ok. I want to buy random Easter decor. Other than buying my daughter a school Tshirt for her Easter basket may make notes but not buy anything (other than essentials) for rest of month.

When I get that itch, I go to one of my fave discount grocery provisioners and stock up on well, provisions. It totally helps and we can consume the evidence. Hard to get into too much trouble at the 99 Cents Only store.

[Roadrunner53]

I have been debating whether to grow green beans this year. One day yes, yes, yes and then it was no and today I bought green bean seeds thru Burpee. I bought 4 packages. A few years back I said no more green beans. Not worth it for the yield but I saw these, new to me, beans called dragon tongue that people seem to rave over. I also bought Blue Lake green beans too. They are both the bush variety, so they won't grow too tall which is what I want. I am growing them in a 5 gallon pails on my deck. I have done it before and other than small yields, it worked out nicely. So, I spent around $15 for 4 packages of seeds and shipping costs. So, I guess I am growing green beans! On my deck I normally grow rosemary, basil, lettuce, scallions, now green beans. I have tried to grow more fragile herbs like cilantro but not happy with the results. They end up scraggly and I don't end up using them. Then I have ugly brown, dried up mess. For me, it is better to buy that. My basil has been a very good grower and I have found that if I keep them partially shaded under my awning they grow without getting burned. My deck is outrageously hot and plants sometimes fry out there. I have 3 galvanized planters I grow tomatoes and peppers in. I usually buy 6 tomato plants and have had such good luck that I have tomatoes to freeze for winter and we eat fresh ones till they come out our ears until early October. Looking forward to planting season!

[Villanelle]

Currently lusting after a dog/kiddie pool and 1000 balls to fill it.  Totally cost would be around $500.  Pool could also be used for water in the hot summer.

Of course, if I did buy this, there is every possibility my dogs wouldn't like being in the water or would be scared by the ball pit, or some other option that meant both things would be sniffed a few times and then ignored.

@Villanelle, are you looking at one of the fancier inflatable pools? If so, you could consider getting a regular wading pool as an entry level test to see if your pups are interested in a ball pit. I'm only mentioning, because I didn't think of using a cheap wading pool until I saw it at Gabe's daycare. On investigation, the total cost of set up is around $150 for wading pool and balls.

I've attached a pic, which is for reference and not simply because my adorable doggy-o is featured.

$12 at Lowes.  It is smaller than I'd like for my 2 girls, but this will at least tell me if they are even into the concept at all, before I spend even more money. 

[Villanelle]

round house? like a yurt?

A two story yurt!  :D



Nah, it will be fine.  It is starts to bother they eyes, they can ayurt their gaze. 

nice! don't be scared to add a little color.

Not too bright though . . . in bright sunshine it might yurt the eyes.

[partgypsy]

Nothing specific but I want to shop out of boredom. I know, sad. I did buy a lightweight comforter for myself. Almost bought a twin xl size comforter for dd in college but I messaged her and she says the full sized one she already has is working ok. I want to buy random Easter decor. Other than buying my daughter a school Tshirt for her Easter basket may make notes but not buy anything (other than essentials) for rest of month.

When I get that itch, I go to one of my fave discount grocery provisioners and stock up on well, provisions. It totally helps and we can consume the evidence. Hard to get into too much trouble at the 99 Cents Only store.

I have a love hate relationship with the dollar store. I love shopping there (it makes me feel rich because I can do a bunch of frivolous shopping, and it's like $29. But a bunch of made in China stuff).

[Dicey]

Nothing specific but I want to shop out of boredom. I know, sad. I did buy a lightweight comforter for myself. Almost bought a twin xl size comforter for dd in college but I messaged her and she says the full sized one she already has is working ok. I want to buy random Easter decor. Other than buying my daughter a school Tshirt for her Easter basket may make notes but not buy anything (other than essentials) for rest of month.

When I get that itch, I go to one of my fave discount grocery provisioners and stock up on well, provisions. It totally helps and we can consume the evidence. Hard to get into too much trouble at the 99 Cents Only store.

I have a love hate relationship with the dollar store. I love shopping there (it makes me feel rich because I can do a bunch of frivolous shopping, and it's like $29. But a bunch of made in China stuff).

The bad news is that's true everywhere. Less so at the grocery store, but prevalent in a lot of other places.

[parkerk]

Nothing specific but I want to shop out of boredom. I know, sad. I did buy a lightweight comforter for myself. Almost bought a twin xl size comforter for dd in college but I messaged her and she says the full sized one she already has is working ok. I want to buy random Easter decor. Other than buying my daughter a school Tshirt for her Easter basket may make notes but not buy anything (other than essentials) for rest of month.

When I get that itch, I go to one of my fave discount grocery provisioners and stock up on well, provisions. It totally helps and we can consume the evidence. Hard to get into too much trouble at the 99 Cents Only store.

I have a love hate relationship with the dollar store. I love shopping there (it makes me feel rich because I can do a bunch of frivolous shopping, and it's like $29. But a bunch of made in China stuff).

The bad news is that's true everywhere. Less so at the grocery store, but prevalent in a lot of other places.

Try hitting a thrift store instead of a dollar store - no new waste created and you can either sell things along again or just donate them back when you're done with them.

[Dicey]

Nothing specific but I want to shop out of boredom. I know, sad. I did buy a lightweight comforter for myself. Almost bought a twin xl size comforter for dd in college but I messaged her and she says the full sized one she already has is working ok. I want to buy random Easter decor. Other than buying my daughter a school Tshirt for her Easter basket may make notes but not buy anything (other than essentials) for rest of month.

When I get that itch, I go to one of my fave discount grocery provisioners and stock up on well, provisions. It totally helps and we can consume the evidence. Hard to get into too much trouble at the 99 Cents Only store.

I have a love hate relationship with the dollar store. I love shopping there (it makes me feel rich because I can do a bunch of frivolous shopping, and it's like $29. But a bunch of made in China stuff).

The bad news is that's true everywhere. Less so at the grocery store, but prevalent in a lot of other places.

Try hitting a thrift store instead of a dollar store - no new waste created and you can either sell things along again or just donate them back when you're done with them.

Haha, I volunteer at one of those.  My reply was in response to @partgypsy's urge to shop out of boredom. Please note that I suggested "discount grocery provisioners" first, lol.

[314159]

I want 10-20 acres of farm land near a city so I can establish my own cut-your-own Christmas tree farm.  There was one in our area several years ago--the owners had every tree pruned and shaped yearly, so it was acres upon acres of gorgeous trees.  The owners had been there for decades, and their tree farm had become surrounded by commercial and residential development.  When they passed away, their kids decided not to continue the business, and sold the land to developers (I'm sure for a LOT of money!).  There's nothing else like it (beautiful trees, big selection, good prices, nearby) in our area.

Even worse, I want the tree farm so I can have a really long, narrow parking lot that I can use as my own personal airstrip, for an even stupider item: an airplane.

That actually sounds like a great idea.  Just be ready for all the tree trimming, mowing, and weed-eating.  And of course the 3-4 weeks of interfacing with the general public to brighten up your holidays!

Congrats @Taran Wanderer on making this forum's 3 millionth post!

[Taran Wanderer]

I want 10-20 acres of farm land near a city so I can establish my own cut-your-own Christmas tree farm.  There was one in our area several years ago--the owners had every tree pruned and shaped yearly, so it was acres upon acres of gorgeous trees.  The owners had been there for decades, and their tree farm had become surrounded by commercial and residential development.  When they passed away, their kids decided not to continue the business, and sold the land to developers (I'm sure for a LOT of money!).  There's nothing else like it (beautiful trees, big selection, good prices, nearby) in our area.

Even worse, I want the tree farm so I can have a really long, narrow parking lot that I can use as my own personal airstrip, for an even stupider item: an airplane.

That actually sounds like a great idea.  Just be ready for all the tree trimming, mowing, and weed-eating.  And of course the 3-4 weeks of interfacing with the general public to brighten up your holidays!

Congrats @Taran Wanderer on making this forum's 3 millionth post!

@314159 - thanks for the heads-up!

[Glenstache]

I want 10-20 acres of farm land near a city so I can establish my own cut-your-own Christmas tree farm.  There was one in our area several years ago--the owners had every tree pruned and shaped yearly, so it was acres upon acres of gorgeous trees.  The owners had been there for decades, and their tree farm had become surrounded by commercial and residential development.  When they passed away, their kids decided not to continue the business, and sold the land to developers (I'm sure for a LOT of money!).  There's nothing else like it (beautiful trees, big selection, good prices, nearby) in our area.

Even worse, I want the tree farm so I can have a really long, narrow parking lot that I can use as my own personal airstrip, for an even stupider item: an airplane.

You can also have trees, semi-private airstrip and no retail business in a beautiful area: https://www.redfin.com/WA/Decatur-Island/0-Decatur-Head-DR-98221/home/175594936

[NorthernFire]

A lake house. Doesn't need to be huge or 4 season. Just a nice small place on a lake with a view.

[Loretta]

I have a Tesla on order, but patience is not a virtue in my personal toolkit.  I'm considering getting my current Prius' windows tinted and new rims/an alignment to make it more comfortable and luxurious in the meantime. 

[Taran Wanderer]

I’ve found that when I’m itching for a new car, a few deep interior and exterior cleanings of my current car (armor all, seat treatment, windows, etc.) can buy me several years of satisfaction before I have to go through with the big purchase of a new car.

[Sandi_k]

A lake house. Doesn't need to be huge or 4 season. Just a nice small place on a lake with a view.

[zolotiyeruki]

I want a little cottage outside the city, to which DW and I can escape on Friday evenings for a date.  At the end of the week, we're tired and don't want to go/do stuff.  We'd rather snuggle up on a sofa at home, watch a show together, and get to bed early.  But we have kids--kids who go to bed around the same time we do.  Or even later.  And a date is just not the same when the kids are around, even if they're not in the same room.

Or maybe a garage apartment.