Purchases that turned out to be really, really great

[ergative]

As some of you may have observed on other threads, I just bought my first home, and I've been thinking deeply about those types of purchases that turn out to have been such a great idea. The things that, as Marie Kondo would say, spark joy.

I bought a couch as a post-doc. Went to the local furniture store, sat on it, liked it, bought it. Inexpensive, as I recall--something like $600 or $800. I even debated not bringing it with me when I moved, but eventually took it. It is such a wonderful couch: wide enough to sleep on comfortably, wonderfully springy, comfy. I fricking love that thing. Last month I turned all the local furniture shops to buy a new couch for my new home office, and I could not find anything I like as much: twice the price, three times the price, and nothing had that glorious springiness of my local bargain basement furniture couch.

These don't need to be big purchases! Something like five years ago I bought a lampshade off Amazon, super-cheap, but it's got this wood effect layered with some black bird-shaped cut-outs. So when you turn it on you've got birds silhouetted against a tree-bark like background, and when you turn it off you can still see the bird shape in the cut-outs. Such a great lampshade! I fricking love that thing.

What are some purchases you made that turned out to be really, really great? Bonus points if they're unexpectedly nice home goods, since I've got this new home to furnish. But really, I want to hear about any successful purchases that exceeded expectations. I'm really sick of being disappointed with the things I buy and then making do because they're good enough and I hate shopping.

[mamselle]

Often it's something I debated about because of the cost, and then have ended up getting so much good out of it that it paid for itself many times over.

I can think of the Italian songbook I bought when I moved to a new area with a large Italian population; I learned, played (and got tipped for) SO many songs from that thing, and they're still in my repertoire.

The old 1976 Encyclopedia Britannica set (the last before they went to the macro/micropedia nonsense); it was 65.00 at a library sale and I debated a whole day whether to spring for it or not; while the articles are often now outdated, they give a firm basis in the understanding of the topic as it was globally at the time; offer forgotten nuances to be researched further; and give an excellent basis for going on from now.

A dress I performed in for something like 20 years that I thought might be over the top as an expense when starting out.

Books bought while traveling that had to be shipped home so my luggage wouldn't be overweight--still worth every penny.

I did have a couch like the one you describe, ergative, as well; it lasted one large move and several smaller ones, but finally bit the dust after--hmmm....27 years, I think?

Oh, and the self-assembly bookcases bought around the same time that are still with me now--so they've made it to 42 years and counting, don't expect them to go anytime soon at all.

M.

[traductio]

Occasionally I score a really great pair of wing-tip shoes at the thrift store. My latest pair has foam on the bottom, rather than a hard leather sole, and they're great for standing in while I teach. I put bright blue shoe laces on them, and they make me happy.

[ergative]

I need to remember to scour thrift stores more thoroughly. I have a thrifted Ikea Poang armchair in my office, and I love it, too.

[ciao_yall]

My Ninja Foodi. The exact model isn't listed but you can get close.

I went to Target because my slow cooker finally died. Found a slow cooker for $20. Then for $40, there was one with a pressure cooker. For $80 I could get an air fryer. For $160 I could get a gizmo that did all three, but...

Anyway, $320 later it does All The Things. I can roast a whole chicken in an hour and it is so moist and crisp and tender. While the chicken rests I roast vegetables and we have a great meal.

My kitchen is small but I managed to find a spot in one of the cabinets for it. Gets used once or twice a week.

[apl68]

Not exactly a purchase I made myself, but when I went to college in 1986 I received a General Electric clock radio as a high school graduation/going to college gift.  Except for several spells in summer storage, it has been in continuous service ever since.  It has survived being reset after innumerable blackouts and brownouts, and still keeps time just fine.  I've gotten little use out of the radio, since I'm just not a radio listener, but every so often I test to see if it works out of curiosity.  It still does.

Four years later, I received a clock lamp as a going-away-to-grad-school present.  It too still works.  It serves as my bedside clock, while the clock radio sits in my den.  My two principal clocks at home are both digital models that have been in service for well over thirty years and counting.

As a bonus, I kept the clock radio's box for some years so that I'd have it for whenever I moved.  Early on I got into the habit of using the handy box for wrapping a Christmas present.  I used it for that purpose for over a decade.  It got so that family members looked each Christmas to see who would get their gift from me in "The Box" that year.  Then one year I somehow failed to salvage it for reuse. 

[AmLitHist]

A big ol' vinyl tote/book bag from Target that I bought in 1997-98 while in grad school is still in daily use.  It cost something like $24.95 on sale and I felt awful for spending so much money, which was very tight, what with only ALHS working and me having an adjunct class or two, plus two girls in grade school at the time.  I load it down with my work laptop, a big thermal bottle (or two) of iced tea, my lunch bag, wallet, and other things every day, and it still looks new, aside from a bit of wear starting where one of the straps attaches.  I'll take it to a leather shop/shoe repair when it gets bad enough. Easily the best bag or purse I've ever had, and amazing for a "cheapie"!

I've made some great buys for my hobby of crocheting:  a set of 3 thread/yarn snips, a great zippered hook case, a set of 8 retractable measuring tapes, a Clover tapestry needle threader, and a cheap box of stitch markers, all from Amazon. Also, after years of telling myself I didn't need to spend the money, a couple of years ago on Christmas/my birthday, I used a 50% off coupon and bought myself a set of Clover Amour crochet hooks--pure heaven!

[nebo113]

Barbed plastic snake sink declogger, sometimes labelled Cobra.  Skinny little thing that slips easily into sink drain pulling out yucky clogs of hair and occasional dead bugs.  Cost me about $1 a few years back but gone up since. 

[dismalist]

A  long, long time ago, in a place far far away, with my low income, I had use for some small tables, you know, to put the wine glasses on. I found a store selling such, furniture of rattan, including little tables. These were made in a further far away country. I purchased three little square tables that store under each other, and one circular table. They have proved so useful, I moved them across continents. Purchased maybe ca. 1975, and I still have and use them.  I'm looking at the round one right now;  it has a vase full of flowers on it.

Luck matters.

[Parasaurolophus]

The main items that leap to mind are books.

My first tent, too. It was a used Tarn 3, and it lasted forever. I still have it, but it got hit with mould a few years back and now I'm not so sure about it. What a fabulous tent that was, though. Alas, MEC stopped making them a while ago.

Come to think of it, the first pair of hiking boots I bought for myself, too. MEC brand and discontinued as well, unfortunately. But cheap, and so, so durable. I had them for at least ten years, and took them all over the world.

[Hegemony]

I loooooooooove my chopper-dicer. It's like a box with a grid on it, and you put the onion (or whatever) on the grid, then you bring the top down on the onion. Crunch! Diced. It seemed like a gimmick, but it works so well.

The other thing I sprang for and love is one of those things that looks like a car seat, that you sit on and it massages you. I waited years to buy one of those, because I was sure they were a stupid gimmick. Then I hurt my back and got desperate and bought one.  It cost around $150. Fabulous! I use it almost every day.

The final things on my list are almost all item of clothing made by L. L. Bean.

[lightning]

a flashlight that doesn't use batteries (powered with a hand crank)

[ergative]

I loooooooooove my chopper-dicer. It's like a box with a grid on it, and you put the onion (or whatever) on the grid, then you bring the top down on the onion. Crunch! Diced. It seemed like a gimmick, but it works so well.

Huh! I remember those slap-chop infomercials. Good to know they actually work.

The final things on my list are almost all item of clothing made by L. L. Bean.

Oh, god, yes, LL Bean. I live in my slippers, and their pyjama pants are the only ones I buy now.

A  long, long time ago, in a place far far away, with my low income, I had use for some small tables, you know, to put the wine glasses on. I found a store selling such, furniture of rattan, including little tables. These were made in a further far away country. I purchased three little square tables that store under each other, and one circular table. They have proved so useful, I moved them across continents. Purchased maybe ca. 1975, and I still have and use them.  I'm looking at the round one right now;  it has a vase full of flowers on it.

Luck matters.

Those nesting tables are really, really common where I live. Whenever I see them at a vacation let or something, I'm always struck by how handy they are. I've been looking at coffee tables for a little while now, and I'm thinking that a nesting set might be just the thing. Really, though, what I want is a floor lamp that has shelves on it. Reading light + coffee cup perch all in one. There's exactly one design that is everywhere, but it's kind of ugly.

My first tent, too. It was a used Tarn 3, and it lasted forever. I still have it, but it got hit with mould a few years back and now I'm not so sure about it. What a fabulous tent that was, though. Alas, MEC stopped making them a while ago.

Our first tent, which Absolutive had had since he was a teenager, was also great: roomy and light. It sprang a leak, though, and we replaced it with a fancy modern tent that is both heavier and smaller. Doesn't leak, though, but, again, it's good enough.

Come to think of it, the first pair of hiking boots I bought for myself, too. MEC brand and discontinued as well, unfortunately. But cheap, and so, so durable. I had them for at least ten years, and took them all over the world.

I have never managed to luck out with hiking boots. They're always good enough, but never cheap and durable and comfortable and waterproof. I've given up on cheap, but my current ones are a little bit iffy on the waterproofing, and I do get blisters on lnoger hikes. (Although, to be fair, that could be because longer hikes are so rare now that my feet are tender beyond the ability of the boots to protect them.)

[AJ_Katz]

OXO brand handheld mixer.  It sells for less than $25 and has virtually replaced my grandmother's old power mixer.  Super easy to use and clean.  Takes up very little space.  Love it.

Wolfpak meal prep management backpack.  My recent splurge that I am very happy with is a new backpack with an enclosed, insulated lunch "box" section.  It is made by a company called Wolfpak and they call it a "meal prep management" bag.  I got the 25L bag.  The reason I love it is because I used to be leaving the house carrying my laptop bag, my lunch bag, and two bottles -- one insulated coffee and my water / cold drink.  Now everything gets neatly organized into one bag -- even the two drinks fit and I walk out the door hands free!  It's a joy.  The materials and zippers are very high quality and seem very durable.  It cost almost $200 and was very hard to decide to buy, but I am glad I did.

Phillips Sonicare toothbrush.  I had my first one for years and it never really died, but the on/off button was falling apart, so I upgraded to a new one.  Ever since I got the toothbrush my visits to the dentist have been better than a regular manual brush could do.  I will use one of those brushes for the rest of my life!

Garden weasel cultivator!  I use that thing for almost every garden project.  It is excellent for loosening up soil.  I've used it to dig big holes, transplant plants, so much and everything. 

That's all I can think of for now but will add more as I think of it. 

[nebo113]

Via AJ Katz:  Garden weasel cultivator

Will look into this...Thanks.