What was your largest single purchase of the last 12 months?

[trailrated]

What was your largest purchase of the last 12 months and was it "worth it"?

Mine would be $2,500 deductible for medical bills for my son being born...needless to say it was totally worth it haha.

[warfreak2]

About £700 for a return flight to Sendai, Japan, to play in an international Go tournament. The rest of my expenses there were generously covered by the Japanese Go association and their sponsors, so that was the entire cost of the trip.

[taekvideo]

Bought a house for 60k in February... totally worth it :)

[Emilyngh]

I cruise with my parents and siblings at the end of July.   It is costing us $2000 (total for our family of 4 people is almost $4k, but my parents paid the rest).

Don't know if it's worth it, I'll tell you after going on it.

[arebelspy]

Hmm, largest purchase of the last twelve months.  It depends on what counts as a "purchase" (as opposed to "expense" or "investment" or...)

1-5 - would be multiple pieces of real estate.  (Investments?)
6 - Giant tax bill (Expense?)
7 - Insurance bills (Expense?)

If none of those count as a "purchase," I guess plane tickets for a few hundred bucks, or Camp Mustache tickets, or an iPad for like $200?

(I tried looking back the last five years or so, but there was nothing that topped those above items; apparently taxes are my biggest expense every year - the April line on my spending graph looks bad - and I don't spend more than a few hundred on anything, ever.)

EDIT: Actually we did buy motorcycles and had them for a few years.  But then we sold them for more than we paid, so it ended up being a net profit, even with the registration, insurance, etc.. so again, I don't know if that counts.

[Erica/NWEdible]

Solar panels. $28k. Worth it.

[DocCyane]

I bought a new iPad and case for about $900. I'm on this thing nearly every waking moment, so it was worth it to me.

[RFAAOATB]

Dual iPhone contract family plan from AT&T.  Not worth it.  Tempted to break contract and go to a cheaper provider. 

[geekette]

New windows - 29 of them. The house is more comfortable, but that was a huge expense.

[Rezdent]

2012 Honda Fit $14K.
I'd hoped to put off buying a car for at least a couple more years but mine was totalled (aargh. it only had 232K and ran great).
Paid cash.  Had this happened 5 years ago I would have bought a brand new SUV with financing.
Thanks MMM and Mustachians!

[WonderingAgain]

A 10 yr old Subaru to replace my disintegrating 17 yr old car.

I figure if I get another 5 years out of this one it'll be good. Seven more years would be really good.

[SMP]

A used car for my wife. It is a Volkswagen Golf Mk6 with 1.6l Diesel engine: 50 - 52 MPG

[sol]

$68k out of pocket for a new house and $32k for solar panels to put on the roof of that house.  Do I "win"?

[Michread]

Solar panels. $28k. Worth it.

Yup, us too!

[MrsPete]

Car for our college daughter so she can begin student nursing in the fall. 

[Cwadda]

My used '07 Mazda3.

$6650, $7100 after tax, and $7900 after all repairs.

[trailrated]

$68k out of pocket for a new house and $32k for solar panels to put on the roof of that house.  Do I "win"?

Yessir, my hat is off to you. Congrats on the new home!

[Cassie]

$16,000 for a 2010 Honda Accord.  I was planning on driving my 14yo Volvo a few more years but then it needed a $4,000 repair about 6 months after I spent $2,000 so decided it was time for it to go. 

[rocketpj]

Not much this year, but we did spend about $2500 on a vacation in Hawaii.  I wouldn't have, but it was an extended family thing and our flights and hotel were paid by family - so it was just the meals, recreation, passports, car rental etc.  We probably could have done it cheaper, but again, it was a rare extended family thing.  The kids loved it.

[mustachianteacher]

We replaced our sewer line for $6,500. *sigh* I try to be happy every time we flush the toilet or drain the tub and the water drains as expected, but it really feels like one of those things where a huge chunk of money is gone and we have nothing to show for it.

[lb]

$2780 on birth center fees. Don't know if it was worth it yet, the big event is in late August! Would have been cheaper to go to the hospital I work for but I just couldn't handle the idea of giving birth at my workplace.

[ketchup]

Unnecessary luxury vehicle (by my standards anyway: 1996 Volvo 850 wagon) for $2000.  Bought last July, sold two months ago for $1750.  Nice car, but thirsty with expensive maintenance parts.

[lifejoy]

Flight to visit family tied for first with a wedding band. Win then fail. I'm still learning from my mistakes (and trying to sell the ring, I have a cheaper one instead).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Rural]

A little over $1,500 of lumber, but we didn't buy it all at once, so if that doesn't count...


$700 on a plane ticket for a business trip to Boston, but that will be fully reimbursed, so if that doesn't count...


$502 to the vet on Wednesday for a year's shots and flea treatment for five and heartworm tests and four month's treatments for the  two biggest of those five.

[sol]

$68k out of pocket for a new house and $32k for solar panels to put on the roof of that house.  Do I "win"?

I'd be interested to hear about the payback period for an investment that large.

I'll start a thread with pictures and math sometime soon.

[Erica/NWEdible]

$68k out of pocket for a new house and $32k for solar panels to put on the roof of that house.  Do I "win"?

I'd be interested to hear about the payback period for an investment that large.

Since Sol and I are both in the same general area, I'm guessing we have similar numbers on payback and incentives, etc. You can see details of our system here if you are interested: http://www.nwedible.com/2014/05/solar-in-seattle.html

[Nudelkopf]

$1200 for a bike, to replace my one which got stolen at Easter.

[slugline]

$41K to become a homeowner with a mortgage balance. It doesn't feel completely "worth it" yet, to be honest, but it should a decade from now, I'm guessing.

[MoneyCat]

I bought a new house and property for $320,000.  That is very, very inexpensive for the state I live in.  My friends were shocked that we were able to get a house that cheaply.

[121 Seconds]

Aside from bills, the money spent on the materials for this deck project that I have been working on.

http://www.thedirteffect.com/the-latest/category/deck

[nikki]

This month I paid $1,424.83 for roundtrip tickets to get hitched to dude in California in August and return to Korea. "Worth it"--yes. We could have just had him come to Korea and gotten married here, but this way his family can be involved.

Second place goes to tickets I bought last November to go to Texas this past January: $1032.70. That trip wasn't worth it considering the main goal was to have a nice visit with my family. Fail there. However, I got to spend time with dude while there, which was lovely.

Definitely getting tired of America this year. Twice in one year after not going at all in two years feels totally excessive. At least this second trip is for a good cause... ;-)    And we won't have to go back for at least another two years! Yay!

EDIT: Posted early oops! Finished now.

[pka222]

6K For a 2003 Toyota Ist.  But then we sold the Gas guzzling 4X4 for 5500.  I figure in 5 months the gas savings alone will make the purchase a wash and then its 100+ per months in reduced costs..

[Zombie Burger]

About 6k spent last summer on maintenance free decking. I'm still trying to install all of it. Ask me in ten years if it was worth the premium over wood.

[iris lily]

2 surgeries within 6 weeks for my dog. But that rivals a short vacation we took last summer and I don't remember the cost of that vacation, but likely the dog surgeries trumped it.

[Bateaux]

Certainly insurance.  With home owners, car and health insurance I'm paying over $10,000 a year for insurance alone.

[Strawberrykiwi75]

House- 265k. Worth it. If I sold now (and I've barely spent a thing- YET) I'd make 40k fairly easily.
Car- 9500. Worth it. Bought a Swift which is mustachian and awesome. Saving about $50 a week in petrol and registration and servicing fees. Win!
Furniture- about 4000. My back thanks me everyday. And I can have people over so that saves money on going out! It just isn't that fun sitting on the floor all the time

[geekette]

About 6k spent last summer on maintenance free decking. I'm still trying to install all of it. Ask me in ten years if it was worth the premium over wood.

We have Timber Tech that was installed 2 years ago.  Don't believe the "maintenance free" part, but it is a lot easier and quicker to maintain.  No power washing, no bleaching (and no staining needed).  We've used Corte Clean (their website is poor, but the product is good).  Mix it up, spray it on in sections, keep it wet for at least 5 minutes, rinse off after 20 minutes.

I mention this cleaner because we've had very good results with it (the only thing we've used to clean ours). A friend hates his Trex decking because even with a power washer and bleach he can't get the black spots out.  I'm going to take some of our leftover Corte Clean next time we visit to see if it'll fix the problem.

[secondcor521]

Assuming you don't count "taxes" as a purchase...$1,437.35 to the orthodontist for phase two of my daughter's braces.  Totally worth it -- her mouth was a train wreck worth of teeth and with the braces she's going to have a fantastic smile.

[mpg350]

$5,500 for a used 08 Kawasaki jet ski.  Totally worth it living in florida, was a great deal.

I bought the ski from the type of person that buys a jet ski and it sits in the garage all the time ha

[libertarian4321]

1.  Taxes (Federal)
2.  Taxes (Property)
3.  Taxes (FICA/Medicare)
4.  Taxes (Sales/Gas/etc)
5.  Taxes (Local- city, county)
6.  Insurance

But my largest discretionary expenditure was probably a $1,200 computer.

[soccerluvof4]

Re-Modeled 2 of the bathrooms in our house and this was under contract before MMM BUT once i got on here I was able to shave some money off with the contractor. Spent about 45k but it was complete gut Job of the Master and 80% gut of the 4 kids large bathroom.  Also alot of the money came from the 5 snowmobiles, 1 4 wheeler and 3 boats I sold as I started immediately selling stuff we dont use. I still have the damn Vacation home for sale which will be a big bump in out retirement so being patient.

[Nancy]

$25k to pay off my degree. (does crazy dance of joy)
Otherwise, $188 bought a used phone for ting plan.

[teen persuasion]

New metal roof on two wings of the house and porch, and all new gutters.  Definitely worth it to prevent water getting inside the house at the front door and a few windows.  Also hoping that the lifespan of the metal roof is longer than asphalt roof.

Tie for second place - the replacement car I got Friday, and our annual oil prebuy for heating.

[RetiredAt63]

First, unexpected taxes (long story).
Second, lawyer fees.
Once I get this mess settled, my expenses will be low. 

Oops, forgot, will be getting the roof re-shingled sometime over the summer.  There are new shingles out, 180km/h wind guarantee (we are windy here), 20 year full guarantee, another 20 years pro-rated.  Good investment.  But another $5000 or so out of the budget.

[Kaktus]

800 euros for handmade suit (trousers, skirt, shirt and jacket, wool crepe fabric). I don't like shopping clothes and wanted to get something I can wear every day to work and look good.  I'm very satisfied with my purchase. And no, one doesn't  have to wear different clothes each day to office. I got through one winter with black trousers, grey cardigan and two t-shirts.

[daverobev]

Certainly a rental property. About $40k with the new roof.

After that, hmm.

Flight to the UK $1k but that's business. $750 home insurance?

[Blindsquirrel]

Agree with the Libertarian.
1.  Taxes (Federal)- I think I probably bought part of a missile to kill some brown guys on the other side of the world that I have never met (GD I hope no kids got it by accident) but other folks decided that they should die and I should pay for it. Maybe I paid for something more worthwhile like a Pell grant to a deserving student but I really doubt it.
2.  Taxes (Property)- Great piles of loot for a school system that graduates about 66% of HS seniors and received an F from the state board of education.
3.  Taxes (FICA/Medicare)- At least this went to someone in need I hope.
 Feeling Snarky.- just paid property taxes for second half.
   

[warfreak2]

To those who don't like paying so much tax: here's more from my list (counting individual transactions).
#1: £700 plane ticket.
#2: One year of Council Tax.
#3: One year of Income Tax.
#4: Monthly rent payment.
You, too, can have tax bills as low as mine, simply by working less and earning less money. If that sounds like a good option, then I'm pleased to have presented it to you. If it sounds like an inferior option, then perhaps you would like to pay more for the superior option. Like flying to Japan instead of to Birmingham. Nobody gets upset about what exactly Lufthansa do with the £700 for a ticket to Japan, they just accept it costs more to fly further. On top of that, Lufthansa don't even let me vote on their prices.

(Also, tax and rent aren't really "purchases" in the spirit of the thread.)

[Rural]

Agree with the Libertarian.
1.  Taxes (Federal)- I think I probably bought part of a missile to kill some brown guys on the other side of the world that I have never met (GD I hope no kids got it by accident) but other folks decided that they should die and I should pay for it. Maybe I paid for something more worthwhile like a Pell grant to a deserving student but I really doubt it.
2.  Taxes (Property)- Great piles of loot for a school system that graduates about 66% of HS seniors and received an F from the state board of education.
3.  Taxes (FICA/Medicare)- At least this went to someone in need I hope.
 Feeling Snarky.- just paid property taxes for second half.
 

Put tht way, my order changes, too. I just don't know if I consider the taxes a purchase. One gets something for a purchase, and while there could be an argument made that taxes go to something other than waste, there are plenty of good arguments the other direction, too.


My personal single largest expense is FICA, so maybe I'll get something out of that eventually. Then sales tax, then federal, then property tax, then last week's vet visit. Federal comes so late because all of my salary for the academic year goes into tax deferred retirement accounts, leaving only summer pay to be taxed by the Feds (now, anyway). If you look at household, though, then the federal taxes my husband pays push that up to #1.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

I've spent $15,000 on medical bills for my son in the last year. But that's not really a single expense. Besides that, the biggest expense was $1500 for 450 square feet of oak flooring for our living and dining room. Totally worth it. I love our new floors.