Author Topic: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?  (Read 24953 times)

Shropskr

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #50 on: February 19, 2015, 09:57:57 AM »
A pair of tongs for the kitchen.  They open and close.  They really do work like a pair of hands in my pans.  Lol.  I got the ones recommended on Good Eats, but with plastic ends, nonstick pans. 
No more forks for flipping bacon.  Fewer pan scratches.  No more holes in my meat for the yummy juices to run out of.  Soooooo worth the $10 bucks. Wish I'd done it sooner.

HenryDavid

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #51 on: February 19, 2015, 10:03:45 AM »
Merino wool long-sleeve tops from Costco. TrueNorth brand, made in Canada. No link.
Made by lumberjacks. (well maybe.)

Anyway, $20 Can. per, you can wear 'em for days without getting stinky, makes Real Winter (-20) more comfortable indoors and out.
So much better value than Icebreaker, the brand sold in specialty shops.
I got 3, should last for years.

Beridian

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #52 on: February 19, 2015, 10:09:13 AM »
The best thing I bought last year was a $10 apple slicer:

http://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-International-Wedge-Slicer/dp/B00EZQQO8M/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1424365602&sr=8-5&keywords=apple+slicer

I am trying to eat more fresh fruit and I don't like the mess (or apple skin between my teeth) when chomping on a whole apple.
This simple device neatly cores and slices an apple in two seconds, rinse it off and its ready for the next one.
 

mrsggrowsveg

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #53 on: February 19, 2015, 10:21:47 AM »
Our tortilla press.  Every time we make fresh tortillas I appreciate it and it impresses all of our dinner guests.

ShaneD

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #54 on: February 19, 2015, 11:15:05 AM »
It's expensive but...our weber grill (bought with discounted gift cards and a coupon).  We bought a house at the end of 2013 and that was the top purchase for it we were looking forward to.  And omg, this means DH now helps cook dinner.  So amazing.  It helps to wean him off the "restaurant = better" attitude.

I'd love to BBQ.  ...Sigh.  My apartment doesn't have a balcony.  The apartment next door (with a balcony) has come up vacant a few times over the years but everyone who lives there says it's drafty and the door leaks in winter.  BBQs (in my mind) can have lots of frugal benefits.  Besides the obvious, even a grilled tomato or green pepper tastes amazing.  Now I'm craving shish kebabs.  So easy to make!

We've been using a George Foreman grill in our apartment for over a decade now. NOT the same results as an outdoor grill, but really convenient. And like CommonCents's husband, mine now feels comfortable cooking thanks to it, making the food prep duties more equitable. I often (mostly) joke that the George Foreman grill saved my marriage.

[ETA: Not advocating for GF specifically; just have yet to find an alternative that fits our needs. When this one conks out, we'll be on the lookout, though.]

My purchase: closet storage bins. We don't own a ton of stuff, but those bins have made such a huge difference in optimizing our small space for the stuff we do have.

The Cuisinart Griddler is pretty awesome. I was skeptical when my husband wanted it for Christmas two years ago, but it has been tremendously useful. It makes great paninis as well.

https://www.cuisinart.com/products/grills/gr-4n.html

Costco has it on sale for a very good price.

Oooh, thank you, justajane! Great to know.

SF Semi-Mustache

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #55 on: February 19, 2015, 11:26:23 AM »
A french press and coffee bean grinder.  I went kind of high-end for both, using an Amazon GC I received from SO's parents for Christmas, but my total outlay was still less than I had been spending each month at Starbucks and fancier coffee places.  I still get the occasional cup of coffee out, but my spending is down at least 75%.  And the coffee is so much better!  (Costco Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf beans FTW.) 

Kaspian

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #56 on: February 19, 2015, 11:33:12 AM »
I always think about buying one when I am trying to mash potatoes with a fork.  Going on 7 years of making mash potatoes I have yet to remember to actually buy one.  I can imagine your excitement.

It's the bomb, Cromacster!!  Mashed potatoes, carrots, turnips, and what have you...  I also use it when I'm making pea soup to mash up some of the soup and thicken it.  ...Also for refried beans.  As a minimalist, I hummed-and-hawed for years but now I'd hate to lose that simple tool.  :)

BTW, is memory foam hot in the summer?  I was interested in those mattresses 'til somebody told me they're crazy sweaty to sleep on in August.

We've been using a George Foreman grill in our apartment for over a decade now.

I have been curious about those and do plan on picking one up if I ever see one at a reasonable price used in Value Village.

Roomba!  $350ish from Amazon (pre-MMM, don't kill me for not knowing the exact price!).  So much less snark in my house

My dad has one of those....  Or some type of circular robot which vacuums on a schedule.  He loves it.  Me?  I'll hold off.  A one-bedroom apartment I can manage myself.  :)

$30 on a microplane grater.

That's a cheese grater, right?  It's actually on my list for the next time I'm at the Dollar Store.  I usually buy bags of grated cheese, but I've found lately the same volume for a small brick of cheese is much cheaper than the pre-grated.  (They used to be about the same price where I live.)  So, I'm snagging a grater if I can find one under $3.

A pair of tongs for the kitchen.
The best thing I bought last year was a $10 apple slicer:

Thanks for that!  I now feel far less the weirdo for my masher happiness knowing I'm in good company with kitchen utensils!

Our tortilla press. 

There's NO WAY in hell I'd get one of those!!  I'd be eating tortillas every single day.  I'd eat them every night until I was in pain and couldn't move on the couch.  And I'd get SO fat.  Yes, I love tortillas but a press would be like having a free chocolate bar machine in my living room.  :X 



« Last Edit: February 19, 2015, 11:34:47 AM by Kaspian »

Kaspian

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #57 on: February 19, 2015, 11:41:14 AM »
A french press and coffee bean grinder.... but my spending is down at least 75%.  And the coffee is so much better!  (Costco Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf beans FTW.)

I actually have a bean grinder but never use it.  The closest Costco is sadly over an hour and a half away.  I've checked around town for reasonably priced beans but nobody sells them.  ...And if they do, they're more expensive than the pre-ground Folgers or Maxwell House for the same volume.  (Yes, I know those coffee brands aren't all that good.)  My brother does runs to Costco so maybe I'll tag along with him sometime to check out the situation.  (I'm firmly convinced that the amount he spends on gas there and back is greater than the saving he gets from his groceries.)

Cromacster

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #58 on: February 19, 2015, 12:18:35 PM »
BTW, is memory foam hot in the summer?  I was interested in those mattresses 'til somebody told me they're crazy sweaty to sleep on in August.


I'll let you know, I've only had it since December.  I've read the same things and so far I tend to agree that it does sleep warmer than a standard coil mattress without a pillow top.  The model I have has a "cooling gel" layer.  How much will that actually alleviate the heat issue? Who knows.

CommonCents

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #59 on: February 19, 2015, 12:20:41 PM »
It's expensive but...our weber grill (bought with discounted gift cards and a coupon).  We bought a house at the end of 2013 and that was the top purchase for it we were looking forward to.  And omg, this means DH now helps cook dinner.  So amazing.  It helps to wean him off the "restaurant = better" attitude.

I'd love to BBQ.  ...Sigh.  My apartment doesn't have a balcony.  The apartment next door (with a balcony) has come up vacant a few times over the years but everyone who lives there says it's drafty and the door leaks in winter.  BBQs (in my mind) can have lots of frugal benefits.  Besides the obvious, even a grilled tomato or green pepper tastes amazing.  Now I'm craving shish kebabs.  So easy to make!

We've been using a George Foreman grill in our apartment for over a decade now. NOT the same results as an outdoor grill, but really convenient. And like CommonCents's husband, mine now feels comfortable cooking thanks to it, making the food prep duties more equitable. I often (mostly) joke that the George Foreman grill saved my marriage.

[ETA: Not advocating for GF specifically; just have yet to find an alternative that fits our needs. When this one conks out, we'll be on the lookout, though.]

My purchase: closet storage bins. We don't own a ton of stuff, but those bins have made such a huge difference in optimizing our small space for the stuff we do have.

The Cuisinart Griddler is pretty awesome. I was skeptical when my husband wanted it for Christmas two years ago, but it has been tremendously useful. It makes great paninis as well.

https://www.cuisinart.com/products/grills/gr-4n.html

Costco has it on sale for a very good price.

Oooh, thank you, justajane! Great to know.

ShaneD, do you live near Boston?  If so, I have a George Foreman (free from my brother) that I was going to donate that you can have instead.

Metta

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #60 on: February 19, 2015, 12:31:44 PM »
Our tortilla press.  Every time we make fresh tortillas I appreciate it and it impresses all of our dinner guests.

What makes a tortilla press better than rolling them out? I ask because I had a cast iron one many years ago and couldn't get it to work properly. The tortillas always ripped apart. So I must have done it wrong. But I'm fairly handy with a rolling pin.

Kris

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #61 on: February 19, 2015, 12:33:57 PM »
$25 bomber jacket from Costco.  I love that thing. Fits me perfectly, looks great, fashionable and warm enough for MN winter down to temps in the low 20s.  Beyond that, I have to go for my "serious" winter coat. 

vagabond

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #62 on: February 19, 2015, 12:44:51 PM »
Our tortilla press.  Every time we make fresh tortillas I appreciate it and it impresses all of our dinner guests.
Any links please about which one you got , i am on the lookout for one

Astatine

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #63 on: February 19, 2015, 12:58:48 PM »
I'm torn between the hoodie and the t-shirt I got from the op shop (filled a big hole in my wardrobe) and Tupperware storage containers. We waste a lot less food now and there's less annoyance in running out of containers or lids breaking etc.

mrsggrowsveg

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #64 on: February 19, 2015, 01:03:20 PM »
Our tortilla press.  Every time we make fresh tortillas I appreciate it and it impresses all of our dinner guests.

What makes a tortilla press better than rolling them out? I ask because I had a cast iron one many years ago and couldn't get it to work properly. The tortillas always ripped apart. So I must have done it wrong. But I'm fairly handy with a rolling pin.

We use a cast iron one and always make tortillas with masa.  Mine rip apart if I don't have the liquid/masa ratio right or if my water wasn't hot enough.  I also add a bit of lard which helps.

Our tortilla press.  Every time we make fresh tortillas I appreciate it and it impresses all of our dinner guests.
Any links please about which one you got , i am on the lookout for one

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00164T384/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

SK Joyous

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #65 on: February 19, 2015, 01:12:26 PM »
A heated mattress cover!  It is SO cold up here in the winter - snuggling into an already-warmed up bed at bedtime is just the most amazing feeling and leads to a much better sleep for us!

malligator

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #66 on: February 19, 2015, 01:19:10 PM »
I didn't start my journey to Mustachianism until this year so my purchase was anti-mustachian but it indirectly led me here. It was my 11" Macbook Air.

Why? First, I was using an old iPad as my "computer" until I got it. That means I'd have had no way to use YNAB when I discovered it in November if I'd not bought the Macbook in October. YNAB has improved my finances leaps and bounds since November which brought me to MMM in January. Second, it's the absolute best computer I've ever owned.

tarheeldan

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #67 on: February 19, 2015, 02:10:00 PM »
Brookstone stair climber, $5 @ Goodwill. Takes up very little space, 30mins (~1700 steps) works up a good sweat.

Kaspian

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #68 on: February 19, 2015, 02:39:23 PM »
Brookstone stair climber, $5 @ Goodwill. Takes up very little space, 30mins (~1700 steps) works up a good sweat.

Great price! 

Though I get plenty of exercise walking every day, I could always use some more.  I was looking at exercise equipment on Kijiji the other day (we don't have a Craigslist for my town) and people here are delusional.  They want a small fortune because their used stuff is made of gold because it was blessed with their sweat.  You know those people?  The ones who want an amount for a used item which they would never pay themselves?  Even up until last year, folks here used to think they could still get $80-100 for their shitty old 26" tube TV because they bought it originally at Walmart (10 years earlier!) for $500.  Now I imagine those TVs are all just sitting in garages taking up space because the sellers were so greedy.

I read a cool article awhile ago which explained why people thought if they owned a used item and were selling, it was valuable.  If somebody else was selling the same used item, it was worthless.

Glenstache

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #69 on: February 19, 2015, 02:44:28 PM »
Probably the chipper shredder I purchased for $175, used to take down some big piles of brush, and then sold 2 weeks later for $200.

ShaneD

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #70 on: February 19, 2015, 03:33:39 PM »
It's expensive but...our weber grill (bought with discounted gift cards and a coupon).  We bought a house at the end of 2013 and that was the top purchase for it we were looking forward to.  And omg, this means DH now helps cook dinner.  So amazing.  It helps to wean him off the "restaurant = better" attitude.

I'd love to BBQ.  ...Sigh.  My apartment doesn't have a balcony.  The apartment next door (with a balcony) has come up vacant a few times over the years but everyone who lives there says it's drafty and the door leaks in winter.  BBQs (in my mind) can have lots of frugal benefits.  Besides the obvious, even a grilled tomato or green pepper tastes amazing.  Now I'm craving shish kebabs.  So easy to make!

We've been using a George Foreman grill in our apartment for over a decade now. NOT the same results as an outdoor grill, but really convenient. And like CommonCents's husband, mine now feels comfortable cooking thanks to it, making the food prep duties more equitable. I often (mostly) joke that the George Foreman grill saved my marriage.

[ETA: Not advocating for GF specifically; just have yet to find an alternative that fits our needs. When this one conks out, we'll be on the lookout, though.]

My purchase: closet storage bins. We don't own a ton of stuff, but those bins have made such a huge difference in optimizing our small space for the stuff we do have.

The Cuisinart Griddler is pretty awesome. I was skeptical when my husband wanted it for Christmas two years ago, but it has been tremendously useful. It makes great paninis as well.

https://www.cuisinart.com/products/grills/gr-4n.html

Costco has it on sale for a very good price.

Oooh, thank you, justajane! Great to know.

ShaneD, do you live near Boston?  If so, I have a George Foreman (free from my brother) that I was going to donate that you can have instead.

Goodness, CommonCents, how incredibly generous of you! I'm further south in NJ (soon to be PA), so too far, I'm afraid. But thank you so much for the offer!

ShaneD

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #71 on: February 19, 2015, 03:45:20 PM »
For any Paleo/Primal/ancestral/low-carb/veggie-loving folks in the house:

I also picked up last year an incredibly silly little vegetable spiraling device that has brought an incredible amount of pleasure: http://www.benriner.co.jp/benriner_en/products/products05.html . It's quick, easy, much simpler and cheaper than the Rolls Royce-type models, and produces very little veg waste. (Some of the big ones leave you with a massive core left over.) It's also faster and less-hand-crampy than the hand peeler models (which are great for small amounts, but a literal pain when noodling 5 large zucchinis).

The craftier MMM forumers could probably build one of these things from scratch, but for the less crafty among us who are trying to find fun new ways to incorporate more vegetables in their diet, I highly recommend it. I particularly like using it to make non-pasta noodles for soups. I think I picked mine up for $30.

justajane

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #72 on: February 19, 2015, 04:57:03 PM »
For me it would probably be the base layers I bought at Costco on sale. They were under $10 each and have kept me much warmer this winter. I like how thin they are, although they have gotten pretty unattractive after washing them a few times. But it doesn't matter so much, since they are under several layers.

We also bought solar panels that I hope will provide a good ROI for many years to come.

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #73 on: February 19, 2015, 05:03:05 PM »
We didn't buy a ton of memorable stuff last year. I'll go with the bikes we bought. 3 of us got upgraded bikes, my wife got her first bike since childhood. All of them were new-to-us at a fraction of the new price yet needed no (or very little) reconditioning.

zinethstache

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #74 on: February 19, 2015, 05:12:49 PM »
I thought and thought what the best purchase we made last year was... and you know what? It ends up the item was not a purchased item but rather a hand me down. Our friend got married, and ended up with three of these and they gave one of the extras to us (I guess they were not big on returning for cash which was to our benefit). A slow cooker! We love it! We can buy a HUGE pot roast, put one half in the oven and the other half in the cooker. We've made ribs, roasts and soups in it. We have LOTS of leftovers in the fridge, so now when the leftovers get low, its time to cook up a bunch more "stuff".

DH did buy a kitchen aid mixer, the bigger one. So it would be second best. We've had it on our wish list all 24 years we've been married. No real reason why we didn't buy it, I guess we didn't know what we were missing (like the slow cooker)No more grabbing the drill from the garage to mix up 30 pounds of mashed potatoes (we host very large dinners here). In the mixer they go. We've also discovered much love for snickerdoodle and sugar cookies, so easy to make and very tasty! 

Both of these items are real life changers for us when it comes to cooking. We eat out even less than before (and we hardly ate out at all) there's no need when you can slow cook the best BBQ ribs ever right at home!

Definitely will have to consider the tortilla press as we eat alot of mexican dishes rolled up in soft tortillas. The notion of making them fresh is very interesting...

horsepoor

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #75 on: February 19, 2015, 07:53:29 PM »
For any Paleo/Primal/ancestral/low-carb/veggie-loving folks in the house:

I also picked up last year an incredibly silly little vegetable spiraling device that has brought an incredible amount of pleasure: http://www.benriner.co.jp/benriner_en/products/products05.html . It's quick, easy, much simpler and cheaper than the Rolls Royce-type models, and produces very little veg waste. (Some of the big ones leave you with a massive core left over.) It's also faster and less-hand-crampy than the hand peeler models (which are great for small amounts, but a literal pain when noodling 5 large zucchinis).

The craftier MMM forumers could probably build one of these things from scratch, but for the less crafty among us who are trying to find fun new ways to incorporate more vegetables in their diet, I highly recommend it. I particularly like using it to make non-pasta noodles for soups. I think I picked mine up for $30.

Oh yeah, I bought one about two years ago and love it.  The small spiral cuts raw beets thin enough that they make a nice slaw, and since it's springier than regular shredded slaw, it doesn't get all soggy and gross in the fridge.  I just wish it was easier to find big, fat carrots to spiralize.

pancakes

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #76 on: February 20, 2015, 05:59:51 AM »
$30 on a microplane grater.

That's a cheese grater, right?  It's actually on my list for the next time I'm at the Dollar Store.  I usually buy bags of grated cheese, but I've found lately the same volume for a small brick of cheese is much cheaper than the pre-grated.  (They used to be about the same price where I live.)  So, I'm snagging a grater if I can find one under $3.
It is a grater but not really a cheese grater. It is brilliant for hard cheeses like parmesan but also great for citrus rind, ginger and chocolate. I use it in my preparation of almost all meals now. I never would have purchased it unless I had the gift card but I'm not embarrassed to admit that I love it.

I have a regular cheap box grater which was passed down to me from a relocating family member which is great for all my regular cheese grating needs.

plainjane

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #77 on: February 20, 2015, 06:11:30 AM »
$30 on a microplane grater.
That's a cheese grater, right?  It's actually on my list for the next time I'm at the Dollar Store.  I usually buy bags of grated cheese, but I've found lately the same volume for a small brick of cheese is much cheaper than the pre-grated.  (They used to be about the same price where I live.)  So, I'm snagging a grater if I can find one under $3.

Buying cutting implements at the Dollar Store is just asking for trouble.  What you want is a good second-hand box or flat grater.  Goodwill or Value Village or a garage sale or flea market.  Preferably from someone who is moving into assisted living.  Don't worry if it has a bit of rust, that will come right off with a bit of steel wool.

A microplane grater is a specialized tool for small amounts of harder cheeses, not to replace big bags of cheddar/mozzarella.

Kaspian

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #78 on: February 20, 2015, 10:23:35 AM »

Buying cutting implements at the Dollar Store is just asking for trouble.

Didn't I learn that the hard way?  The blades make a "ping" and then fly off sharp knives.  (Almost took my eye out.)  But our Dollar Store chain has gone a little more upscale than it used to be--very little is $1 anymore.  The potato masher was $2 or $2.75 or something and it was a Betty Crocker brand name.  No way I'm going to buy a cheese shredder where the metal bends and dents on first use.  ...And yeah, I want one of those old-school, tough ones our grandmas all had.  The one where the cheese grates into the centre of a rectangular box shape.  They take up awkward space in a drawer, but it'll last forever.

Strabo

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #79 on: February 20, 2015, 11:07:52 AM »
Since I discovered MMM only last year I bought far too much stuff of course. Some of it was more than worth it though. It's a three-way tie between:

- Bike. Of course because of this blog. Haven't had one in 20 years, but it turned out I really love riding it not only to and from work (only 2 km, so not even necessary), but also around town and for getting in some kind of fit state after years of accumulating fat.

- New LED lights. I had already some for several years, but I never was quite happy with the light colour (since they were very early models they weren't perfect). The new ones finally are exactly looking like incandescent lights and I additionally got a few low-powered (7 Watts/350 Lumen) with a light colour very similar to candle light for low light situations. Old ones were given to family or went to less-used rooms/cellar, since they have at least another 15 years in them.

- New winter coat. Very warm, made from recycled material/sustainable material and in Portugal without exploiting labour. Expensive (400 €) but warm, durable and very much worth the frivolous expense. Replaced my old wool coat, which was at the end of its life after 10 years of faithful service.

AvisJinx

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #80 on: February 20, 2015, 11:28:43 AM »
I bought a 7-cup Kitchenaid food processor. Normally they retail for $100, but I happened across a sale at Target and got it for $74. It's more than paid for itself in homemade tomato sauce and hummus.

Dexterous

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #81 on: February 21, 2015, 02:04:58 PM »
BTW, is memory foam hot in the summer?  I was interested in those mattresses 'til somebody told me they're crazy sweaty to sleep on in August.


I'll let you know, I've only had it since December.  I've read the same things and so far I tend to agree that it does sleep warmer than a standard coil mattress without a pillow top.  The model I have has a "cooling gel" layer.  How much will that actually alleviate the heat issue? Who knows.

I've also slept on memory foam and it was indeed too hot for me.  I found an extremely expensive alternative several years ago, which was a latex mattress.  It had the same comfort as memory foam and transferred heat out much better.

However, after 4 years that mattress was sunken in at the middle rather badly and I sold it.  The switch to a regular mattress is cheaper, nearly as comfortable, and sheets are MUCH cheaper due to the latex mattresses mostly being super thick.

ender

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #82 on: February 21, 2015, 02:15:19 PM »
Engagement ring :)

MLKnits

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #83 on: February 22, 2015, 08:27:26 AM »
A $15 coffee maker. It's such a cliche, but making coffee at home (or, more often, at the office, where I don't directly pay for the fancier machine or the nicer coffee!) saves me ridiculous amounts of money, makes me happier to wake up, and generally improves my life.

Second place, though, I'd have to give to an indulgence--I bought my first guitar in November, for $300. I anticipate decades of enjoyment with it, but I'm not going to pretend it was a very Mustachian purchase, especially as I was too nervous of getting cheated (I know basically nothing about what makes a guitar good or bad*) to buy anything but new.

*I also plan to try to avoid learning this, which I know sounds counter-intuitive, but I've found that there's a danger for amateurs in learning how to identify the best. Amateurs rarely need the best, and usually don't need to upgrade--at least, I certainly don't. I didn't need a super-fancy Nikon to take shots of my friends in university, and I sincerely doubt I'll need an incredible guitar to haltingly strum out One Direction songs. What I *will* need is to avoid the temptation to find flaws in the lovely workhorse guitar I already own!

PMG

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #84 on: February 22, 2015, 08:55:08 AM »



$30 on a microplane grater.

That's a cheese grater, right?  It's actually on my list for the next time I'm at the Dollar Store.  I usually buy bags of grated cheese, but I've found lately the same volume for a small brick of cheese is much cheaper than the pre-grated.  (They used to be about the same price where I live.)  So, I'm snagging a grater if I can find one under $3.


I have a flat grater on a handle. It takes up just a little more drawer space than a knife. I found it in the $1 section at the grocery. Thought I'd buy a bigger one eventually but it turns out that's all I need. Just one grate size option.  I wouldnt want to grate 10 lbs of cheese... But it's great for topping pizza or salad and so easy to clean and store. all I need.

I am also a (semi) minimalist.  I live in about 400sq feet.  Tiny kitchen, 3 separate 12 inch sections of counter.  I thought I didn't want or need a dish drainer.  I always just stacked on a tea towel at my old place, then put it away.  After about a month here I bought a dish drainer that fits in the second bowl of the kitchen sink... Life changing.   Now my counters can actually look clean!  Dishes don't fall over.  They get airflow and dry quickly.  Yeah.  That's perhaps my best material purchase in the past year...  Seems silly but everything started to feel cleaner and out together when I got that!

crazy jane

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #85 on: February 22, 2015, 09:35:26 AM »
I got a salad spinner. Life changing since I make jar salads for the two of us for lunch during the school year. In the summer I take the basket out to the garden, harvest some lettuce, rinse and spin. Dinner salad. It has saved me from using a ton of paper towels to dry the lettuce and it's super quick.

Zamboni

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #86 on: February 22, 2015, 10:04:34 AM »
I was going to say probably my slippers.  They are warm and comfortable.  But then I realized that is only because it is cold today, because by far my best purchase last year was a new outdoor volleyball. 

Albert

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #87 on: February 22, 2015, 10:09:09 AM »
Amazon Kindle. I read a lot more books now.

damize

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #88 on: February 23, 2015, 12:56:44 PM »
Bicycle....definitely the bike.

kiwigirls

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #89 on: February 23, 2015, 01:42:13 PM »
$30 on a microplane grater. I got along fine without it but I don't regret purchasing it for 1 second, it is a seriously amazing grater. That said, I only bought it because I had a gift card.

I doubt anything will top the fancy Joseph Joseph garlic press that I bought for this year. I think it was $40 (again using a gift card) and I see no reason for it not to last forever.

I've been thinking about getting a robot vac but I'm concerned that I'll be disappointed and I do already have a very good regular vacuum cleaner.
I love my microplane.  MIL bought me one for my birthday a few years ago and it remains one of the all time best gifts ever!

MishMash

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #90 on: February 23, 2015, 01:58:16 PM »
LASIK, best thing for me EVER. 

My thieving cat who steals all my stuff while catterwalling like a dying beast, routinely would nab my glasses in my sleep and stash them someplace you'd never think, behind a toilet, under the bed, in the guest room shower (along with my 10 missing sweaters and a few pairs of underwear by the time I found them) etc.  So here I am, blind as a bat, groping around for said missing glasses or the mysterious back of the drawer contact lenses, in the dark, cursing the furry hell beast, when the final straw of breaking my toe on the bathroom door occurred.  I went in for LASIK 3 weeks later and have never looked back.  At least now I can wake up and see the path of nightly destruction without risk of bodily injury....

RootofGood

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #91 on: February 23, 2015, 03:27:37 PM »
$400 gaming PC.  I use it a lot for games and other non-game ventures and pastimes.  I already had dual monitors, but they are pretty awesome too.  I put together a list of my top ten expenditures for 2014, and the gaming computer was the most expensive material good after routine maintenance and home renovation type expenses. 

Our new king size mattress at $318 appeared on the top 10 list too, and it's pretty awesome for my wife since she was uncomfortable on the old mattress. 

MLKnits

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #92 on: February 23, 2015, 05:30:07 PM »
Amazon Kindle. I read a lot more books now.

Yes! I'm a Kobo user, but the ebook revolution brought pleasure reading roaring back into my life several years ago. And with Overdrive, there are more appealing, instant-download options than I could ever read, even if I spent eighty years in ER.

partgypsy

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #93 on: February 23, 2015, 06:25:19 PM »
We have a good upright vac but it is a pain to use it like hand held.  Finally broke down and got : LACK + DECKER CHV1410L 16 volt Lithium Cordless Dust Buster Hand Vac when I could get it for 60. We have 2 furry pets and it is so satisfying using it for that or any ol spill.

Also bought a hot water bottle this winter. Youngest loved being tucked into bed at night with it warmed up this cold winter, plus when people have been sick with tummy aches was very therapeutic. .

Bob W

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #94 on: February 23, 2015, 06:54:36 PM »
Moto x phone,  Roku,  Viagra. -- in that order.

southern granny

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #95 on: February 23, 2015, 08:12:56 PM »
hand held immersion blender that has a chopper attachment.  I love it.  Probably the most cost effective thing I make with it are black bean veggie burgers.  They turn out very good.

devan 11

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #96 on: February 24, 2015, 02:49:46 PM »
  Gas fireplace.  It went into the space that the fireplace was in, replacing a net energy loss with a high efficiency gainer.  Because of allergies, the wood fireplace could not be used so it was always a loser.  Now, we can use our basement as our main living space, use the fireplace as a room heater and run the upstairs with less heat.  And there is the ambiance factor.  Lights low, playing music, watching into the fire, reminds me why I need to get my backside out and reclaim my life.

KD

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #97 on: February 24, 2015, 03:49:00 PM »
LASIK, best thing for me EVER. 

My thieving cat who steals all my stuff while catterwalling like a dying beast, routinely would nab my glasses in my sleep and stash them someplace you'd never think, behind a toilet, under the bed, in the guest room shower (along with my 10 missing sweaters and a few pairs of underwear by the time I found them) etc.  So here I am, blind as a bat, groping around for said missing glasses or the mysterious back of the drawer contact lenses, in the dark, cursing the furry hell beast, when the final straw of breaking my toe on the bathroom door occurred.  I went in for LASIK 3 weeks later and have never looked back.  At least now I can wake up and see the path of nightly destruction without risk of bodily injury....

Stop, Stop, I'm gonna pee my pants!!  Sorry to laugh, I feel bad about your toe, but take up comedy writing!!!

trailrated

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #98 on: February 24, 2015, 04:18:11 PM »
I spent $180 on a knife.... Lifetime warranty, military grade, and I have used it every day. Love the thing. I looked into it after my third $20 knife broke and I decided to "buy one for life" another coworker has had the same model for a few years.

MoneyRx

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Re: Your Best Material Good Purchase Last Year?
« Reply #99 on: February 25, 2015, 02:07:36 PM »
A french press and electric coffee grinder, it was a gift for my wife. I guess I purchased it with amazon gift cards earned through my work's wellness program. Man I am a cheap ass lol.