There are lots of things to buy - lots of things we need to buy - lots of things we want to buy - lots of pressure to buy lots of things. All this to say learning to buy well is an important skill. But it is not as easy as it sounds. I like many other people have often fallen victim to the purchase that I believed would be useful and enjoyable, helpful, stylish, or whatever... only to have it sit on a shelf, wind up in a box, be sold or given away... I try and think about what it is that makes something a good purchase in order to maximize those things and minimize the other kind.
The two main criteria seems to me would be value: both financial, emotional, or whatever... and use: which relates to value but is also separate and self explanatory.
Top 10 best/favourite Purchases of my life:
1. A 1971 VW van - $600 dollars. I only slept in 3 or so times and it caught fire while I was driving. However, between the joy of driving it all summer in 2010 and the insurance settlement it ranks the best financial investment of my life.
2. Turbo Longboard - $100. Staying on the transportation theme this skateboard was more fun and got more use in the coarse of a couple of years in Abbotsford than the majority of sporting goods purchases I've made in my life. While I haven't used it much recently it remains near the top.
3. Hiking Boots - $100ish. Bought at Sport Check (I think...) with a staff discount from a generous employee I did not know. I no longer have them but I bought before leaving for Scotland took me nearly everywhere for a few years. They were excellent boots and excellent travels.
4. Aldo Sneakers - $12. Bought at Value Village. These were great sneakers until they became my primary walking shoes in Israel when my Teva sandals ($60) didn't work out... I also spilled some paint on them, but they are still my favourite.
Time Out: I am noticing the them of travel and transportation develop here... this was unanticipated. Pilgrim has become an important word in how I understand my identity perhaps this is related.
5. SX-70 Polaroid - $50. Retailing for $150 - $200 on Ebay this was a great find and had been a super fun hobby through which to explore photography and to do some art projects. This camera is the beginning of my relationship to Polaroid. cf: Polaroid is Time Travel
6. Pork - $50. I bought a big piece of pork for slow cooking into pulled pork for a BBQ. It was awesome and fed everyone at the party and then Amy and I for a week.
7. Flat Cap - $5. Bought at Value Village: a hand woven, tweed flat cap, made in Ireland. It's brown, its perfect, I wear it all the time.
8. Monsoon Balti - $5. A spice mix bought on our honeymoon from the market. A mixture of 14 different spice by Monsoon Coast has been a favourite to add to a variety of dishes. We were so sad to finish the jar but found it again and bought the larger jar.
9. A Bread Affair Bread - $5-6. This is my favourite bread. Possibly beaten by The stone oven baked bread we bought on Saltspring but it would be a tough call. I currently have a loaf made with Okanagen apples and sunflower seeds. SO GOOD! I applied to work there last summer and would not have come to Regent if they had hired me.
10. Typewriter - $20. A great 1960's Brother typewrite that I bought as gift for Amy. This purchase has yet to be truly tested but if Amy's output of letters and creative writing this past week are any indication this will definitely be up there.
This is an odd mix of things. And it is not a list of my favourite things. Well it is... but I have excluded gifts obviously. Also the order is pretty loose... It was difficult to order them as I am drawing from a lot of different categories. I also have hope that my most recent camera purchase of a Canon 60d will make this list in the near future. It could trade places with the type writer, which is also untested in longevity. Perhaps my backpack that I bought a few years ago should be added. Its excellent. I don't remember what I paid for it. Calvin Peters might know... That brings us back to the them of travel.
What are some of the great purchases of your life and why?
My first "real" mountain bike would need to go on a list if I made one. Bought in 2003, I poured a good chuck of my soul into that bike, not to mention my hard earned money at that time, $1050 in grade 9 was a duzy. But it has served me well, I still ride it to work most days. There are very few original parts left, only the cranks, the frame, the handle bars, and the seat tube. I don't know when she will finally give up the ghost, but it will be a day of mourning when it happens.
ReplyDeleteMy accord was a good purchase @ 2,000
ReplyDeleteMy B.A. was a good purchase @ 50,000
Marriage Licence 100
and my laptop at 600