1. vasectomy
2. divorce
3. campervan

Kindle - all the books, all the time.

Sony WH1000-XM3 (I guess newer models are still good) - excellent noise cancelling, perfect for flights

Steam Deck - play almost any games, anywhere, and with a full desktop mode too.

In the past I’d have put the Acer Aspire One, I loved the netbook form factor, now I use either the Vivobook or Steam Deck like that.

The Aeropress is also great for quick, simple coffee.

I bought a 97 Ford Taurus off a friend for $800 back in 2008. Her dad thought it was on its last legs at 155k miles so he wanted to sell it. I drove it for four years. It was running fine until someone blasted it out in front of my girlfriend’s house and drove off. At the time it had 206k miles. 50k miles for $800 was certainly one of my best purchases.

A computer — no other item I own has changed the course of my life as much as owning my own computer has.

1. Back in 2017 while stationed in AZ I adopted a dog who was the cutest little Blue Heeler, for $5 we have been inseparable since and she is the single greatest thing that’s happened to me.
2. Last year in April my Powerstrokes transmission failed and on a whim I bought a 98’ 4 runner with 245k miles. We have now built the hell out of that little rig and have put 15k miles on it in 11 months
3. 100 pairs of socks on Amazon. This sounds nuts but, I got 100 pairs of black socks 2 years ago for $60 because I was tired of my socks always missing. I still have 50 socks I haven’t touched.

1. A plot of land in a place I like. Nothing fancy or huge, just a place to be by myself and enjoy a nice bonfire away from people.

2. Headphones. The old clunky ones that cover your whole ears. I love them! They feel like a hug and I use them all the time while listening to spooky stories. Bought them in a sale about four years ago.

3. A hello kitty backpack. Bought it as a birthday gift for a friend’s daughter, we had a fallout and I kept it. One day I needed a clean backpack and this was on hand so I grabbed it in a whim and have been using it ever since. I have a pair of Columbia, silver ridge and tetons laying around but this fluffy cute backpack makes me so happy and has the perfect size.

My recliner that I bought with one of the first Covid check. I have horrendous back issues (3 major surgeries and constant pain) and having another resting/sleep area has been a lifesaver many times. Currently pregnant and it’s one of the only places I can sleep.

This set of 2 grabbers from Amazon. They weren’t super expensive but nicer than other grabbers commonly bought by others. They have been used daily by me, my toddler plays with them, they get dropped, etc. and they perform so well. I can pick up the tiniest item off the floor, a piece of paper, etc. with no issues. Had them 3 years. I keep one on each floor of the house and they save my back so much. It’s one of the only ways I can do chores and keep the floor clean from a toddler.

Silly, but this last year I really appreciated having a laminator at home. It’s nothing fancy- just a simple one from Scotch from the store. I’ve laminated different rules for games (card games where we wrote out the rules) and my son absolutely LOVES when I draw him characters and items from his favorite shows, laminate them, and then he plays with them for months. It’s saved us a ton of money buying toys he doesn’t need, stores easily, and he loves it. It also gets out some of the creative side that I kind of lost the last few years.

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1. Smart vacuum cleaner - you pay a reasonable amount once and don’t have to vacuum anymore

2. Vaporiser - switched to vaping weed instead of smoking joints which is not only nicer in many ways but also allowed me to quit smoking cigarettes

3. PlayStation - after sitting 8h by the desk moving a mouse for work, I didn’t want to sit in the same position another few hours playing games. With PS I can comfortably sit in my armchair and play on a big tv scrreen using a controller

4. Ergonomic mattress - healed my hurting back. This should be on the top of this list.

1. My horse, Lola. She’s an amazing 9yo grey quarter horse mare. “Retired” barrel racer, she’s the perfect trail/ranch horse. She’s got the best quirky and silly demeanor, she loves to hang out, and she’s playful, but never gets crazy under saddle.

2. My guitar. 2012 PRS 513. I absolutely love that guitar, and it got me back into playing after almost 20 years off. It’s my “do everything” guitar, and the difference in sounds between pickup combinations makes it incredibly versatile.

3. A good mattress. I spend a solid 1/3 of my life sleeping (or trying to) and a great mattress helps so much.

Steam Deck - since having kids I was really struggling to play games at all. I had gotten to where I was only playing phone games and switch games, but the Steam Deck has really enabled me to start enjoying my steam library again. If it broke I would buy another one instantly.

Bone-conductive headphones - I wear these all day. I listen to audiobooks, take calls, have them read out notifications, etc. It’s also great to know that if I open a random meme video on my phone, I don’t have to worry about the sounds of the video being inappropriate for my surroundings. They’re so much more comfortable than traditional headphones.

My house - I got an insanely good deal on my house, less than what many people pay for cars. It’s not the fanciest house, and it needed some fixing up when we bought it, but it’s enabled me and my family to live with extremely low bills which has made my life very low stress. Houses are generally cheap where I live, but I lucked out and got the best house deal I’ve seen, and it’s made everything so much easier.

1. My vasectomy. Hands down the best ease-of-mind investment ever

2. My computer. Easy choice, I use it daily, sometimesmore than 8 hours

3. Good, high quality spices

Boring answrs but… A computer. It’s the 2nd most expensive thing I own and it’s provided me thousands and thousands of hours of entertainment and use as tool.

A car. The most expensive thing I’ve brought and very useful. I’ve been able do a lot more with my time and get into many new hobbies.

Power rack. 3rd most expensive. Having a power rack in my garage allows me to safely lift heavy by myself which is awesome.

Bonus cheap thing. Screw driver set. Allowed me to fix many things around my house and easily saved me 10x the cost.

By order of lasting positive effects,

1. First vape (a cigarette-shaped item from the corner store, cherry flavor). I had been smoking with suicidal enthusiasm for 18 years. I was out of breath, coughing, stinking, and (at $7 a pack) broke. A decade later, I still vape, but I can breathe now.

2. First not-fully-depreciated used car (3-year-old 2012 Focus SEL hatch with 30K mi). Apart from warranty transmission work, the car’s been stable, and pretty. The real change was introducing me to finance and lending. I grew up poor with a debt addicted dad. At 32, I had never had a credit card. I’ve still never given the bastards a dime, but I’ve pulled in thousands in rewards and have an outstanding credit score.

3. Passport / first international airline ticket. I mean, yeah. I hadn’t had any desire to leave my state, let alone see the world. At 20, I grudgingly flew to Europe to visit my girlfriend who was studying abroad. We didn’t last, but the travel bug did.

Honorable mention, only because it isn’t technically a purchase would be my first union payment. Best deal ever.

Edit: how do you add line breaks? It worked, magically, when I made the list heading bold, but that was hella annoying.

1. Dog.
2. Dog.
3. A really beautiful handmade necklace with a piece of glass salvaged from the waters of Charleston harbour. It’s gorgeous.