That's pretty heavily dependent on where you live, isn't it?
I think my 75 year old tractor I purchased for $1100, sunk $600 into this year, and am probably dropping another grand on next year (new tubes/tires/wheel rims and some starter/governor work) is a pretty sweet deal for dealing with snow and cutting firebreaks, but that's not terribly useful for most people...
Our bread machine is awesome, we haven't bought more than a loaf or two of bread in the past year or two. I'm certain store bought el-cheapo bread is better, but we know what's going into our bodies and it's tons tastier.