Ask Lemmy

• Toyota RAV 4 ($18,000)
• 2013 Apple Macbook Pro (still looks and works like new $3,700)
• Rancilio Silvia ($450)
• 2001 Chevy Prizm (at >200k miles, I actually had to scrap it even though it still ran perfectly due to sensor issues $1800)
• iPhones (absolutely flawless hardware which keeps getting better with each iteration (~$1,000)
• Canon 5D MKIII ($3,000)
• Kemper Profiler (still getting free software updates 12 years into its lifespan $1,800)
• Fluke 87V (the best meter on earth $400)
• Synology NAS (though I hear they have been enshittified $2,000)
• Airizer Argo (still going $300)
• Nvidia Shield Pro ($300)
• Aeropress ($30)
• Orphan Espresso LIDO 2 (will outlast me $195)
• Warmoth guitars ($5,000 for five guitars)

Home, Education, Full 6" latex memory foam mattress, Quality sheets, Blackout Curtains, Thinkpad laptops (T series and X1 series; don't game), WD red drives, VPN access (port forwarding; needed for hosting), FIOS (1gb asynchronous; no data cap; they don't care), Brother laser printer/scanner, Email account on secure server (they take care of business)

Roland TD-07KV electronic drum kit. I've played 15 years of death metal on this thing and it's still going strong!

For time used over price it must be minecraft and my kindle, so many hundreds of hours on both of them.

Hands down a raspberry pi 4. It's a perfect example of why "maintain is more important than obtain" -- what is the point of buying something that I can't "really" use?

Audible. I used to pirate audiobooks and get them transferred to my phone and then use a glitchy audiobook app to listen to them which semi frequently lost my place.

Audible just made my life easy. The 1 credit a month is a bit shit but I listen to long ass books anyway (30+ hours) so I haven't really noticed.

A MMO mouse. All the keybinds allow me to have an incredible workflow with everything I do on my PC including browsing.

Likely my school/training which did cost a bit but enabled me to create a career.

The good windshield washer fluid. The stuff that's a dollar or two more expensive. Rain basically jumps off my windshield, and I don't need my wipers above 50 unless it's really raining hard. When I actually do use my wipers, they work so much better.

For me it has to be my tools. I'll go back to sleeping on the floor, counting pennies for gas fir my commute, get rid of everything else before my tools. Specifically my thin snap-on 3/8th ratchet and socket set and my cheap it tool kit. With those two sets alone you can fix a lot of things.

Though one of my best deals ever was a pretty good stove for $30, it mightve been damn near new. I bought from some young guy who looked like it was his first house, probably military by appearance and location, and they wanted their own appliances not the landlord grade stuff that was there. 8 years later, or whatever, and it's still great.

To go along with the mattress theme, and since I’ve had two back surgeries (in my 30s after a car wreck), my sleep number mattress was a big expense but I was miserable and could never get a good night’s sleep before it. It’s been a game changer.
The other is a little more niche, but I’m a runner/endurance sports and my Balega socks have been incredible. They are $14 a pair (yes, $7 a sock), but they are easily worth every single penny. I’ve done 30 hour hiking/running events and my feet were the only thing still dry on my body thanks to those guys.

The first thing that comes to my mind is an e-reader: always having my books with me encouraged me to read more. Following its purchase I read more books than I ever did since my teenage-hood (I'm close to 30).

Scarpa Hiking boots. 24 years old, 20,000km walked and still worn every week.

• tempur mattress (got them on the used market, for 20% of the cost)
• a key organizer that looks like a swiss army knife
• a slim wallet that also unfolds
• a good pair of audiophile headphones
• a dishwasher

Electric toothbrush.

Invest in your teeth. Trust me.

I would love to hear some watch stuff, I've started getting into watches lately and have a Casio Duro on the way as my first collection.