Your Favorite 2023 Purchase?

[TrvlBug]

Our solar system...panels + battery. We overbuilt so that we'll be able to run the A/C during multi-day outages during fire season.

 

[Sunset]

Our new phones: Moto G Stylus 5G , that I got for $37 & $45 , each with 1 year of service (light use, which is all we do).

From a QVC deal.

 

[Andre1969]

Is that red/white 2-door a late 50's Chrysler New Yorker? Or perhaps a DeSoto? I love the looks of those cars.

Yep, '57 DeSoto Firedome. I've always had a thing for old cars, and when the movie "Christine" came out, I think it got me a bit extra-infatuated. A couple years later, Mom bought me a book "The Complete History of the Chrysler Corporation: 1924-1985" for Christmas, which had a lot of old factory photos in it, and that's when I think I really became aware of what a '57-58 DeSoto/Chrysler looked like, and became obsessed with one day owning one.

In the fall of 1990, when I was in college, I found this one for sale in York PA, and bought it. Probably a dumb financial decision for a college kid, but I never once regretted it!

 

[disneysteve]

I'm a lousy consumer. I buy very little stuff. Most of what I buy is consumable (groceries, dining out) or experiential.

I guess I enjoyed our membership to the Franklin Institute in Philly. We attended the Disney 100 exhibit twice which I really enjoyed. I think membership was $89 and exhibit tickets were $16 each.

But when I saw the question, I immediately thought in terms of my ebay business. What were my favorite purchases for resale this year?

I got a set of MCAT study guides free from Marketplace that sold for $108.80.
I got a Danbury Mint football figurine for $50 that sold in under 24 hours for $499.00.
I got a 1961 government 16mm film for $8 that sold at auction for $477.77.
I got 2 bottles of vintage perfume for $5 each that sold for $107.95 and $119.95.
I bought a vintage baseball glove for $3.40 that sold at auction for $187.50.
I bought a 24-piece set of Lenox spice jars for $15 that sold for $529.00.

I realize that isn't exactly what you were asking but that's the spending that I'm passionate about and that gets me fired up. And that's just a sampling from the year. There were lots of other great ROI purchases.

Happy New Year to all!

 

[4legsgood]

This year I gave away, threw away or sold almost everything I own. I sold my cabin, and my house is set to close in March, and the house is mostly empty.

So...I bought myself a life reset in exchange for my worldly possessions, oh except my money.

 

[JohnDoe]

After 25 years, a new dishwasher and refrigerator.

 

[Qs Laptop]

2023 Ford Maverick Lariat package

That's a nice little truck. My friend got the same thing. Gray exterior with the two-toned brown/gray interior. He let me drive it and it's surprisingly fun to drive.

 

[REWahoo]

DW's two new knees. Really nice that's she's back to pain-free mobility.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

The new rungs on my bond ladder.

 

[Toast]

This old girl, adopted from the local animal shelter.

Money very well spent. She looks like such a sweetie!

 

[Teacher Terry]

It’s a tie between the 11 day trip I took to Europe and having my balcony enclosed in glass. Before it got too cold I spent about 4 hours a day sitting on it reading with a beautiful view of the courtyard. When it’s nice outside I can open the big windows. I can use it 7 months of the year.

 

[Scubamax]

It is always interesting to see what people have appreciated over the past 12 months. And for this cohort it has a great balance of experiential pursuits as well as healthcare related "upgrades" and such, along with toys and pets etc.


Keep them coming!


Scubamax

 

[1242Vintage]

Last Spring I picked up a very nice gravel race bicycle.

Best purchase ever!!! Makes long days in the saddle so much better. Bike is in the shop now getting a much needed annual overhaul. Can’t wait to break her out of bike shop jail and saddle up late January for the first race of the season.

 

[DJRR]

$400 for my first grandchild's first birthday with Chef Mickey. Yes, I know it was too much, he won't remember, and I am wrapped around his finger, etc.
but I loved it

 

[finnski1]

$400 for my first grandchild's first birthday with Chef Mickey. Yes, I know it was too much, he won't remember, and I am wrapped around his finger, etc.
but I loved it

I'd say that smile is worth a whole lot more than $400!

 

[Ronstar]

I'd say that smile is worth a whole lot more than $400!

+1

 

[Taco]

Wedding rings.

 

[athena53]

It is always interesting to see what people have appreciated over the past 12 months. And for this cohort it has a great balance of experiential pursuits as well as healthcare related "upgrades" and such, along with toys and pets etc.

I agree- when I think of actual THINGS, I got a couple of nice pieces of jewelry this year that I enjoy, but not as much as my travels. Although I enjoyed my two major trips (South America and E. Europe), it was so much fun to take my grandson to the local Embassy Suites with his sisters for the first time. We've been doing a hotel overnight for years when I visit and the girls loved the pool, the glass elevators, the breakfast, ice cream treats after dinner, etc. Little Brother is 4 1/2 and took his time getting potty-trained but now he can go with us! I'm taking the whole family to Chicago for a couple of nights in early April and it will be his first plane trip.

Totally agreed on the health-related things, too. Not glamorous, but I've got another dental implant coming up next year. (I have not beaten the record of one of my oral surgeon's patients who has 16 of them.) A lot of my diet includes crunchy things like fresh vegetables and nuts, so good teeth mean a lot for my quality of life.

 

[Major Tom]

Unless I'm forgetting something (which is entirely possible), I don't think I made any out of the ordinary purchases this year. I did spend close to $10K on dental work. It consisted mainly of an extraction, bone graft, and tooth implant; a procedure which began in 2022 and ended in 2023. I'm not sure that I'd classify it as a "favorite purchase", but it does feel good to be able to afford to perform the continued maintenance on my body!

In the next year or two, I'll probably be replacing my current camera, and that may well count as a favorite purchase. I'm already anticipating it, and am enjoying doing the reading and research on what model to get.

I'd say that smile is worth a whole lot more than $400!

+1, most definitely!

 

[Calico]

$400 for my first grandchild's first birthday with Chef Mickey. Yes, I know it was too much, he won't remember, and I am wrapped around his finger, etc.
but I loved it

As others have stated, you can't put a price on that smile!

 

[Koolau]

Goats.


I purchased goats through a well-known charity to help change the lives of folks born into something worse than we here in the USA call "poverty." A single nanny goat can eat trash vegetation and produce a liter of milk per day. Her droppings can fertilize a vegetable garden. The symbiotic relationship between her, the vegetation, the land and the family can make a real difference.

I wish I could see where "my" goats are right now. I hope I would be encouraged and amazed. I'm thinking about a cow for next year. YMMV

 

[Andre1969]

$400 for my first grandchild's first birthday with Chef Mickey. Yes, I know it was too much, he won't remember, and I am wrapped around his finger, etc.
but I loved it

Even if the grandkid doesn't remember it, you will. And as others have said, I'd say that smile is definitely worth it!

 

[brett]

10 days at a high end oceanside resort.

 

[joesxm3]

1) 2023 Tesla RWD

2) "77 LG Oled TV

2023 Tesla Model Y LR

 

[rwdflynavy]

Mavic 2 Pro drone converted to full spectrum for infrared drone photography.

I've been into infrared photography for a while and being able to do drone shots in infrared is a blast!