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

[RetiredAt63]

GreenSheep, to add to the treats, Costco sells dried liver treats at a reasonable price.  When we trained our first dog dried liver was the preferred training treat, but making it myself stank up the house.  Dogs just love the stuff.

One toy mine loved was a puppy "frisbee" - it has another name but it is a frisbee meant for dogs.  The adult one is hard plastic but the puppy one is soft plastic, easier on the dog's mouth.  Missy loved hers, she wasn't all that interested in fetching balls but she would play frisbee until she was exhausted.

There is a name for the fancy obedience manoeuvres, just escapes my mind at the moment.  Yours may be a bit large for flyball, I noticed the dogs who seemed to enjoy it most were border collie size, but you could try it.   She would probably love agility.  It needs good teachers, because some of the equipment can be scary at first if introduced badly, especially the see-saw.  Missy was intrepid but I saw others get spooked.  What she liked was perching at the top of the A frame to survey the crowd.  And tunnels, oh she loved the tunnels.  ;-)  She really loved it, she got her first CKC agility title at one show - 3 trials, 3 qualifications.  A lot of the competitors were surprised to see us get the big rosette that day, we were beginners and a lot of dogs can take several trials before they get that 3rd qualifier.  Aah, memories of days with my dog - hope you have many days like that with yours.

[GreenSheep]

GreenSheep, to add to the treats, Costco sells dried liver treats at a reasonable price.  When we trained our first dog dried liver was the preferred training treat, but making it myself stank up the house.  Dogs just love the stuff.

One toy mine loved was a puppy "frisbee" - it has another name but it is a frisbee meant for dogs.  The adult one is hard plastic but the puppy one is soft plastic, easier on the dog's mouth.  Missy loved hers, she wasn't all that interested in fetching balls but she would play frisbee until she was exhausted.

There is a name for the fancy obedience manoeuvres, just escapes my mind at the moment.  Yours may be a bit large for flyball, I noticed the dogs who seemed to enjoy it most were border collie size, but you could try it.   She would probably love agility.  It needs good teachers, because some of the equipment can be scary at first if introduced badly, especially the see-saw.  Missy was intrepid but I saw others get spooked.  What she liked was perching at the top of the A frame to survey the crowd.  And tunnels, oh she loved the tunnels.  ;-)  She really loved it, she got her first CKC agility title at one show - 3 trials, 3 qualifications.  A lot of the competitors were surprised to see us get the big rosette that day, we were beginners and a lot of dogs can take several trials before they get that 3rd qualifier.  Aah, memories of days with my dog - hope you have many days like that with yours.

We did use freeze-dried turkey liver treats when potty training, and she learned fast! I've read that too much liver can be bad for them, and I like to use teeny tiny treats but don't have the patience to cut the liver that small -- but you're right, she'll do just about anything for that stuff! I still get some out when I'm trying to teach her something new and difficult.

Dogs sure do give their humans a lot of good days. I have so many good memories of adventures with my little old lady dog who is now almost 15. And more to come with the new addition!

[RetiredAt63]

GreenSheep, to add to the treats, Costco sells dried liver treats at a reasonable price.  When we trained our first dog dried liver was the preferred training treat, but making it myself stank up the house.  Dogs just love the stuff.

One toy mine loved was a puppy "frisbee" - it has another name but it is a frisbee meant for dogs.  The adult one is hard plastic but the puppy one is soft plastic, easier on the dog's mouth.  Missy loved hers, she wasn't all that interested in fetching balls but she would play frisbee until she was exhausted.

There is a name for the fancy obedience manoeuvres, just escapes my mind at the moment.  Yours may be a bit large for flyball, I noticed the dogs who seemed to enjoy it most were border collie size, but you could try it.   She would probably love agility.  It needs good teachers, because some of the equipment can be scary at first if introduced badly, especially the see-saw.  Missy was intrepid but I saw others get spooked.  What she liked was perching at the top of the A frame to survey the crowd.  And tunnels, oh she loved the tunnels.  ;-)  She really loved it, she got her first CKC agility title at one show - 3 trials, 3 qualifications.  A lot of the competitors were surprised to see us get the big rosette that day, we were beginners and a lot of dogs can take several trials before they get that 3rd qualifier.  Aah, memories of days with my dog - hope you have many days like that with yours.

We did use freeze-dried turkey liver treats when potty training, and she learned fast! I've read that too much liver can be bad for them, and I like to use teeny tiny treats but don't have the patience to cut the liver that small -- but you're right, she'll do just about anything for that stuff! I still get some out when I'm trying to teach her something new and difficult.

Dogs sure do give their humans a lot of good days. I have so many good memories of adventures with my little old lady dog who is now almost 15. And more to come with the new addition!

The liver breaks into really small pieces easily just with hand pressure, no knife.  I bought a bag for my cat, she loves it, and she has to be a lot smaller than your dog!  Fortunately freeze-dried meat lasts almost forever, or I would have to throw most of it out, because we are not going through it fast (tiny cat means 3 pieces a week max).  I have also bought her freeze-dried shrimp and chicken and salmon - the salmon is amazingly stinky.  Most dog and cat treats are full of filler and I won't buy them.  So in terms of "Money Well Spent", healthy treats for our pets.

[GreenSheep]

Most dog and cat treats are full of filler and I won't buy them.  So in terms of "Money Well Spent", healthy treats for our pets.

Totally agree. There's as much junk food out there for dogs as there is for humans!

[Dicey]

GreenSheep, to add to the treats, Costco sells dried liver treats at a reasonable price.  When we trained our first dog dried liver was the preferred training treat, but making it myself stank up the house.  Dogs just love the stuff.

One toy mine loved was a puppy "frisbee" - it has another name but it is a frisbee meant for dogs.  The adult one is hard plastic but the puppy one is soft plastic, easier on the dog's mouth.  Missy loved hers, she wasn't all that interested in fetching balls but she would play frisbee until she was exhausted.

There is a name for the fancy obedience manoeuvres, just escapes my mind at the moment.  Yours may be a bit large for flyball, I noticed the dogs who seemed to enjoy it most were border collie size, but you could try it.   She would probably love agility.  It needs good teachers, because some of the equipment can be scary at first if introduced badly, especially the see-saw.  Missy was intrepid but I saw others get spooked.  What she liked was perching at the top of the A frame to survey the crowd.  And tunnels, oh she loved the tunnels.  ;-)  She really loved it, she got her first CKC agility title at one show - 3 trials, 3 qualifications.  A lot of the competitors were surprised to see us get the big rosette that day, we were beginners and a lot of dogs can take several trials before they get that 3rd qualifier.  Aah, memories of days with my dog - hope you have many days like that with yours.

Agility Training? So much fun to watch!

[talltexan]

When David Bowie died in 2016, I realized that I didn't know enough about his music, so I bought a "Greatest Hits" album of his. Those songs turn out to be everywhere!

[MudPuppy]

I bought the cobra head gardening tool that all my favorite seed catalogs feature. Tested it out today on one of the raised beds that got infested with crab grass. It was $27 dollars well spent.

[Kris]

We had a very simple coffee maker, and we recently purchased a Breville espresso maker with built in steamer for making lattes/ cappuccinos for around $500. It is an absolute freaking JOY to get up every morning now and have a latte that is better than most places I could get in the city for $4, and it only takes 3 minutes to make. So much pleasure. So worth it (because we have the money thanks to mustachian principles and spending mindfully).

[RetiredAt63]

GreenSheep, to add to the treats, Costco sells dried liver treats at a reasonable price.  When we trained our first dog dried liver was the preferred training treat, but making it myself stank up the house.  Dogs just love the stuff.

One toy mine loved was a puppy "frisbee" - it has another name but it is a frisbee meant for dogs.  The adult one is hard plastic but the puppy one is soft plastic, easier on the dog's mouth.  Missy loved hers, she wasn't all that interested in fetching balls but she would play frisbee until she was exhausted.

There is a name for the fancy obedience manoeuvres, just escapes my mind at the moment.  Yours may be a bit large for flyball, I noticed the dogs who seemed to enjoy it most were border collie size, but you could try it.   She would probably love agility.  It needs good teachers, because some of the equipment can be scary at first if introduced badly, especially the see-saw.  Missy was intrepid but I saw others get spooked.  What she liked was perching at the top of the A frame to survey the crowd.  And tunnels, oh she loved the tunnels.  ;-)  She really loved it, she got her first CKC agility title at one show - 3 trials, 3 qualifications.  A lot of the competitors were surprised to see us get the big rosette that day, we were beginners and a lot of dogs can take several trials before they get that 3rd qualifier.  Aah, memories of days with my dog - hope you have many days like that with yours.

Agility Training? So much fun to watch!

The dogs just love it - well, like any sport, the ones who don't drop out early.  ;-)

In Missy's classes we had really big dogs (think Belgian Malinois) and really small dogs (think Yorkshire Terrier) and everything in between.  Such dash, energy, verve.

[dandypandys]

I bought an orchid, then killed it, then felt bad. Next I trained myself up on everything houseplantish on Youtube and bought 4 more orchids and a lovely array of Trader Joes low light house plants, grow bulbs, and LED strip lights (that are so good!) for a little bookshelf of plants. JOY!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093SMQCF2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So far my plants are happy- fingers crossed.

I'm still trying to save the dead orchid, it has zero roots but is resting on top of a glass of water.

[Dr Kidstache]

My Vitamix FoodCycler. Love that thing! I have essentially zero food waste now and a bucket of "foodilizer" (aka electric compost) for my vegetable gardening in my new backyard. I'm constantly telling everyone about it in my mountain town where it's too cold for composting/vermiculture much of the year. Plus the FoodCycler can chomp almost any type of food waste (exclusions are meat bones and hard pits) so it's not as restrictive as composting.

[zolotiyeruki]

My Vitamix FoodCycler. Love that thing! I have essentially zero food waste now and a bucket of "foodilizer" (aka electric compost) for my vegetable gardening in my new backyard. I'm constantly telling everyone about it in my mountain town where it's too cold for composting/vermiculture much of the year. Plus the FoodCycler can chomp almost any type of food waste (exclusions are meat bones and hard pits) so it's not as restrictive as composting.

An interesting idea.  I know we generate a fair amount of food scrap waste in our house.

For those looking for a link: https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/shop/foodcycler-fc-50

[Dr Kidstache]

My Vitamix FoodCycler. Love that thing! I have essentially zero food waste now and a bucket of "foodilizer" (aka electric compost) for my vegetable gardening in my new backyard. I'm constantly telling everyone about it in my mountain town where it's too cold for composting/vermiculture much of the year. Plus the FoodCycler can chomp almost any type of food waste (exclusions are meat bones and hard pits) so it's not as restrictive as composting.

An interesting idea.  I know we generate a fair amount of food scrap waste in our house.

For those looking for a link: https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/shop/foodcycler-fc-50

Vitamix sells them now but the parent company, Foodcycler www.foodcyler.com, is a Canadian company that does large-scale municipal electric composting projects too. I wanted to make sure that the electricity use of the Foodcycler didn't outweigh the methane/waste reduction benefits before I bought it (on sale for $299) but thankfully a compost blogger had already done the math in detail: https://www.mywastewell.com/unpaid-review-of-the-vitamix-foodcycler-fc-50/
Love my Foodcycler!

[jnw]

Been thinking about spending $1500 to extend my patio. I know it doesn't add any resale value to the home, but love BBQ and my garden out back.  My existing patio is only 10x12 feet, I want to double that with an extension.

I don't believe I'll ever be moving.  So maybe it would be tasteful consumption and worth it?   But this is only after I get my home paid off in a couple years and much more saved.

[mspym]

@Dr Kidstache I am adding that to my list of things to think about buying some time.

[insufFIcientfunds]

Got a mini Bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cake (classic vanilla) and it was amazing. Best $3 I spent this week.

[Dicey]

Got a mini Bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cake (classic vanilla) and it was amazing. Best $3 I spent this week.

A stack of three NBC minis makes a great gift for the hard-to-shop for person.

[jinga nation]

Got a mini Bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cake (classic vanilla) and it was amazing. Best $3 I spent this week.

A stack of three NBC minis makes a great gift for the hard-to-shop for person.

The three-minis are absolutely wicked!
Did this once for wife's birthday, kids picked flavors after some free tasting in the the store.
Wife was grumpy when kids gave her the gift, one bite and her mood changed.
Mrs. Healthy Eater did a 180... there was a lemon, marble, and a carrot cake.
Made her day and the weekend.

[pasadenafr]

It's only been a few weeks but I think my vacuum sealer is jumping right up to my top 5. I'm single, and I only have a small top freezer that isn't always cold enough, so I've been throwing away a lot of stuff over the years - either because I was unable to eat or freeze fresh food before it spoiled, or because of #%$@^$ freezer burn.

But now, now, my freezer is full of vacuum-sealed veggies and meat that I prepared in advance so I can thaw something good and healthy whenever I don't want to cook instead of ordering crap or eating not-so-healthy snacks and getting fat. It's all prettily arranged, all those little packets of goodness not taking NEARLY as much space in the freezer as they normally would, allowing for much better air circulation.

And no freezer burn. Win.

So my current top 5 :

1- LASIK - nothing is ever going to take the #1 spot from it
2- Yogurt machine
3- 2 robot vacuums
4- Vacuum sealer
5- Hmmm, still thinking about that one?

[AMandM]

Got a mini Bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cake (classic vanilla) and it was amazing. Best $3 I spent this week.

Around here, they're $5.75 apiece, not $3!

[AMandM]

Dorm fees so our kids could live on campus freshman year, even though we're only 3 miles (bikeable, or 20 minute bus ride) from the university. It's a big expense that we deliberately saved for, and it is paying off in just the way we hoped. The kids have repeatedly expressed their appreciation for being able to develop deep friendships with their dorm-mates, fostered through events and opportunities that they would not be involved in if they lived at home.

[mspym]

Dorm fees so our kids could live on campus freshman year, even though we're only 3 miles (bikeable, or 20 minute bus ride) from the university. It's a big expense that we deliberately saved for, and it is paying off in just the way we hoped. The kids have repeatedly expressed their appreciation for being able to develop deep friendships with their dorm-mates, fostered through events and opportunities that they would not be involved in if they lived at home.

Our eldest just moved into the dorms for first year and it is playing out the same way. It's providing a great transition to independence. Worth every penny.

[stoaX]

I paid less than$10 for a sprouting jar over a decade ago. It's been in continous use ever since.

[YttriumNitrate]

Ethanol-free gasoline made it to my list of money well spent.

I've got a few acres of land of rural land that I maintain in a rather futile attempt to grow fruit trees. Normally, a Ryobi brushcutter engine will last me a couple years, but this weekend I realized that as I enter year three with my current one it still starts up like a dream. By this time with the previous ones, starting them usually involved about five minutes of swearing. The main difference is that I decided I would only use ethanol free gasoline in them. It might cost $1 more per gallon (so I've spent maybe $3 more), but I'm not having to buy a new $100 engine quite so often.

[Dicey]

Ethanol-free gasoline made it to my list of money well spent.

I've got a few acres of land of rural land that I maintain in a rather futile attempt to grow fruit trees. Normally, a Ryobi brushcutter engine will last me a couple years, but this weekend I realized that as I enter year three with my current one it still starts up like a dream. By this time with the previous ones, starting them usually involved about five minutes of swearing. The main difference is that I decided I would only use ethanol free gasoline in them. It might cost $1 more per gallon (so I've spent maybe $3 more), but I'm not having to buy a new $100 engine quite so often.

Giving this post the side-eye. Seems totally practical to me. Isn't there another thread for this? Frugal wins, perhaps?

[Bateaux]

Our lastest big expense was bail money after a Mardi Gras night in New Orleans.

[iluvzbeach]

@Bateaux, you can’t just dump this here and not give details. Must share story behind the bail.

[Bateaux]

@Bateaux, you can’t just dump this here and not give details. Must share story behind the bail.

Last week was a crazy one.  Everyone is safe.  Have an emergency fund in cash at all times.

[kanga1622]

Convinced my husband to get me some Bluetooth headphones for Christmas. Mpow Flame https://www.newegg.com/p/0TH-06P3-00020?item=9SIB28HFG00228. Paid a whopping $17 for them then (price is higher now) and they work amazingly for me. The case recharges them so I can use one in my ear at the office for meetings or podcasts and switch to the other ear if I run the battery low on the first. Used them for over a month at work (obviously not all day) before I had to plug them in to charge. Pretty good sound quality for an average user and easy to swap between my phone or work iPad as needed.

[Kris]

Convinced my husband to get me some Bluetooth headphones for Christmas. Mpow Flame https://www.newegg.com/p/0TH-06P3-00020?item=9SIB28HFG00228. Paid a whopping $17 for them then (price is higher now) and they work amazingly for me. The case recharges them so I can use one in my ear at the office for meetings or podcasts and switch to the other ear if I run the battery low on the first. Used them for over a month at work (obviously not all day) before I had to plug them in to charge. Pretty good sound quality for an average user and easy to swap between my phone or work iPad as needed.

I have some Mpow Bluetooth earbuds (not those) and I love them. Great sound, inexpensive, plus they are the first and only earbuds I have ever used that actually comfortably stay in my ears without me worrying they're going to fall out.

[Just Joe]

Ethanol-free gasoline made it to my list of money well spent.

I've got a few acres of land of rural land that I maintain in a rather futile attempt to grow fruit trees. Normally, a Ryobi brushcutter engine will last me a couple years...

Next time you purchase, change brands. I went through several Ryobis. They are good for a residential user who runs it 20-30 light duty minutes a couple times per month. One I owned broke it's crankshaft right after I started it. Others just failed - ignition failures, carb failures. I think I tried that brand about 4 times. They also build for other brands - maybe Craftsman.

Then I switched to Poulan from a big box retailer. Carb problems. Chainsaw and leaf blower.

Then I traded up to Husqvarna after that and never had another problem. Going on a decade plus with two of their machines. No problems. I don't think I've done anything to those machines. Trimmer and leaf blower.

https://www.husqvarna.com/us/

[By the River]

Our lastest big expense was bail money after a Mardi Gras night in New Orleans.

Good thing it was the first weekend of Carnival.  The New Orleans courts close on Friday this week and reopen on Wednesday.  If you get arrested on Saturday or Sunday, you stay until the bond hearings return on Wednesday. 

[LennStar]

Ethanol-free gasoline made it to my list of money well spent.

I've got a few acres of land of rural land that I maintain in a rather futile attempt to grow fruit trees. Normally, a Ryobi brushcutter engine will last me a couple years...

Next time you purchase, change brands. I went through several Ryobis.

I'm totally not into this, but I think Ryobi comes in 2 variants (blue and red?) one is for Americans (and the rest), one for Japanese market.
You get what you pay basically.

[Nickyd£g]

A granny trolley - a wheeled shopping bag, fits loads of shopping, cuts out plastic, is red and white polka dots and cost under £10

My new Swan teal and wooden microwave, toaster and kettle set. I recently moved house, I had wanted this set for ages, it was on a groupon deal for £120 [usually over £100]. They make me smile whenever I am in my kitchen, they're so pretty!

I bought a treadmill recently, as I am on a mission to lose weight and get fit again. £220, but I love it.

[zolotiyeruki]

Ethanol-free gasoline made it to my list of money well spent.

I've got a few acres of land of rural land that I maintain in a rather futile attempt to grow fruit trees. Normally, a Ryobi brushcutter engine will last me a couple years...

Next time you purchase, change brands. I went through several Ryobis.

I'm totally not into this, but I think Ryobi comes in 2 variants (blue and red?) one is for Americans (and the rest), one for Japanese market.
You get what you pay basically.

Cordless Ryobi tools in the US are fluorescent green nowadays. They used to be dark blue with orange accents.

[GreenSheep]

$7.50 lunch out with a couple of neighbors, one new. We have the best community in our neighborhood, and somehow each new arrival is also awesome. Bonus... they both speak Spanish, so I got to practice! I don't like most restaurant food, and I hate wasting money on it, but $7.50 to "rent" the table for a couple of hours was worth it.

[LennStar]

A granny trolley - a wheeled shopping bag, fits loads of shopping, cuts out plastic, is red and white polka dots and cost under £10

And you can park it wherever you want, nobody is going to steal it!

[BikeFanatic]

@JenniferW I would just get that patio extension if you love to BBQ and party on the patio, why wait 2 years?
Personally I can be cheap with myself, but I have come to realize a little giving in that department doesn’t break the bank or change my financial future. I still know the value of money.
Example, went out to eat with 2 potential good friends, spent more than I would like but the food was awesome and we bonded, now they are helping me move a couch, and invited me over for a night of TV with free snacks. I do not like going out to eat, but the food was good and was an investment in friendship.

[GreenSheep]

Sent a couple of care packages to a friend several states away who is having a hard time. At first, I didn't want to send something frivolous, but I wasn't sure what might actually help (cleaner for the house, meal delivery service, dog walker, etc.) and what would be welcomed versus an invasion of privacy. So I just asked her, and she was surprisingly not opposed to help but was also at a loss as to what might be helpful. So I ended up just sending some fun things that I hope will brighten her day. I never spend that much even on Christmas gifts for people very close to me, but she really needs a mood lifter, really deserves something fun, and after decades of friendship, I can't imagine anyone more deserving.

[TomTX]

Cordless Ryobi tools in the US are fluorescent green nowadays. They used to be dark blue with orange accents.

The Ryobi color change happened with the shift to Lithium batteries. Dark blue/orange was NiCd batteries.

You can interchange batteries and tools, you can't charge the Lithium batteries on the old NiCd chargers.

[Dicey]

Sent a couple of care packages to a friend several states away who is having a hard time. At first, I didn't want to send something frivolous, but I wasn't sure what might actually help (cleaner for the house, meal delivery service, dog walker, etc.) and what would be welcomed versus an invasion of privacy. So I just asked her, and she was surprisingly not opposed to help but was also at a loss as to what might be helpful. So I ended up just sending some fun things that I hope will brighten her day. I never spend that much even on Christmas gifts for people very close to me, but she really needs a mood lifter, really deserves something fun, and after decades of friendship, I can't imagine anyone more deserving.

Awww...I'm sure she'll love getting love bombed by you.

[Just Joe]

Ethanol-free gasoline made it to my list of money well spent.

I've got a few acres of land of rural land that I maintain in a rather futile attempt to grow fruit trees. Normally, a Ryobi brushcutter engine will last me a couple years...

Next time you purchase, change brands. I went through several Ryobis.

I'm totally not into this, but I think Ryobi comes in 2 variants (blue and red?) one is for Americans (and the rest), one for Japanese market.
You get what you pay basically.

Might be true. I discovered back in the 1990s that discount stores sold varying quality lawn mowers with the same size and brand engine. The difference was whether the crankshaft was thick or thin where it exited the motor and the blade attached. The difference in price wasn't much but the difference in durability was significant.

For me the Ryobi weed trimmer crankshaft (in the 1990s) had one bearing at the engine end of the throttle handle and the crank journals extended beyond that. And one of the crankshafts sheared at low rpms right at the bearing. After that I bought lawn equipment with proper two bearing engine designs. 

[LennStar]

Ethanol-free gasoline made it to my list of money well spent.

I've got a few acres of land of rural land that I maintain in a rather futile attempt to grow fruit trees. Normally, a Ryobi brushcutter engine will last me a couple years...

Next time you purchase, change brands. I went through several Ryobis.

I'm totally not into this, but I think Ryobi comes in 2 variants (blue and red?) one is for Americans (and the rest), one for Japanese market.
You get what you pay basically.

Might be true. I discovered back in the 1990s that discount stores sold varying quality lawn mowers with the same size and brand engine. The difference was whether the crankshaft was thick or thin where it exited the motor and the blade attached.

Yes, somthing like that. It was a drill they analysed in what I had watched. The Japanese sold tool had a better grip and transmission/stability of the axis (and was less noisy). The motor was the same, but the result quite different.

[vand]

Last Spring we spent a considerable amount of money on having an extension built onto our house. Additionally we (I) built a new patio & steps into the garden. we are in a HCOL and all in was about £80k or $110k at prevailing exchange rates - a serious chunk of dough for us, and we paid from cash savings.  Cost by area was about £4700/sqm.

Worth every penny, because it completely transforms the house and the living area, and I regard it as some of the best money I've ever spent.  I have no interest in how much value it added to the house as this is my forever home.  Does it set my FIRE timeline back? absolutely... but it doesn't derail it.  It's what money is for - spent to raise my quality of life. I need to work an extra year to pay for it? No problem, I'm getting 45-50 years of usage out of it, exactly how I want it.

[Just Joe]

New roof. When we bought our current house a while back the roof facing the west was leaking over the porch. Drip-drip-drip.

We had the roof inspected and only that side was ruined b/c it was installed incorrectly. Rotted decking too. Replaced and repaired. Now years later, the rest of the roof is starting to have issues so we'll do the rest. No leaks at least but more decking issues.

Since we've lived here we've focused on catching up on the maintenance of the home. Previous owners were either unaware of some of the issues, or just were bored with it. Home inspector missed some of these same problems. Either he was working for them or not paying attention as he was paid to do.

Anyhow, new roof now, new heat pump for upstairs, gutter work, and we're moving towards a kitchen reno. Also need to paint the interior. Whoever painted the interior last didn't even move heavy things like the fridge, just painted around them. -eye roller-

Details, details, details. Rest of what needs to be done isn't expensive for DIY types like us. House just needs to be properly detailed. Its worth much more than when we purchased it. However it would never bring top dollar in its current condition. Too much corner cutting by folks prior to us.

[Money Saver 1]

Tired of reading about people getting excited because they slashed their comms bill by $5?
Tired of discussion about where to stick the emergency fund?

Use this thread to shout about any particular purchase you recently made.

But no INVESTMENTS allowed.

I don't care if you bought Tesla and tripled your money, or if you extended your kitchen for a hundred bucks.

This is about consumption.. but tasteful consumption. Tell us about a thing you spent money on that you really got your money's worth from. Maybe it was a great value meal out, or a great little gadget that does exactly what you've been looking for.

Shopping on Amazon can save you money on bulk items and specialty items such as electronics and beats the selection you'll find at the store.

[Tigerpine]

I got a one inch putty knife at an estate sale some years ago.  I'm pretty sure we got it as part of a bundle, so its individual cost was negligible.  However, I've used that putty knife on so many projects since then!  It's so small, but it turned out to be pretty significant to me.  I wish we could get so much use out of everything we get.

[Metalcat]

So I have one that started as an investment but now belongs in this thread. I bought a house that was supposed to be an AirBnB, but we love it too much, so we're just keeping it for ourselves.

It's a stunning little 110 year old house on the edge of the world, in a remote coastal village in Newfoundland, which happens to be one of the most beautiful locations in existence.

If you don't know anything about Newfoundland, start googling, it's a "bucket list" destination for a lot of people. It's the kind of place people wait until retirement to travel to and then spend a few months there. And the people are, well, very different from typical North Americans, but in a very good way.

Newfies are OG, generational mustachian folks who are obsessed with nature, very anti keeping up with the Joneses, and generally very happy and generous to the extreme.

So yeah, I bought there because it's a good location for investing in a tourist rental, but we fell so in love with it that we want to reserve it for personal use. And once I'm done with school and surgeries here in Ontario, we will likely relocate there.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that my view from my new house is icebergs and whales? No big deal.

Best 86K I've ever spent.

[GreenQueen]

Newfies are OG, generational mustachian folks who are obsessed with nature, very anti keeping up with the Joneses, and generally very happy and generous to the extreme.
Best 86K I've ever spent.

Everyone I know is in love with Newfoundland. I am personally enamored with the accents and all the different idioms, and how they differ village to village. I love meeting Newfys here on the mainland.

Our money well spent is definitely purchasing our mini-splits/thermopump system for our recently purchased 3 story house, with its many south-facing windows. We got some good rebates and it is so energy- and cost-efficient. The air-conditioning makes an enormous difference in our summertime quality of life and sleep.

[Metalcat]

Newfies are OG, generational mustachian folks who are obsessed with nature, very anti keeping up with the Joneses, and generally very happy and generous to the extreme.
Best 86K I've ever spent.

Everyone I know is in love with Newfoundland. I am personally enamored with the accents and all the different idioms, and how they differ village to village. I love meeting Newfys here on the mainland.

Our money well spent is definitely purchasing our mini-splits/thermopump system for our recently purchased 3 story house, with its many south-facing windows. We got some good rebates and it is so energy- and cost-efficient. The air-conditioning makes an enormous difference in our summertime quality of life and sleep.

Yeah, I had never even been to Newfoundland when I bought the house , it was kind of an impulse buy, but with solid investment principles behind it as a backup.

I was secretly hoping to go, fall madly in love, and never want to leave, which is exactly what happened. It's not a normal place. I've never felt more detached from the rest of the world.

Where are you on the mainland? We have family in NS and NB, and another property in NB. I love the east coast, I'm having serious difficulty being back in Ontario.