Really Expensive Stuff that is Definitely Worth the Money

Marriage; the wife has proven repeatedly handy to have around.

No way you can really consider marriage expensive. Average cost of a marriage ceremony was £18400 a couple of years ago. Given that a well maintained marriage can last for over 30 years or 10958 days that’s a daily cost of under £2 .
That is so cheap you can’t even buy a bland tasteless coffee.

Divorce on the other hand.

No way you can really consider marriage expensive. Average cost of a marriage ceremony was £18400 a couple of years ago. Given that a well maintained marriage can last for over 30 years or 10958 days that’s a daily cost of under £2 .
That is so cheap you can’t even buy a bland tasteless coffee.

I fear you have completely disregarded the very significant ongoing running costs.

Chris King headsets and bottom brackets

I have a real weird love/hate thing going on with CK, I’ve a headset running in one bike and its an amazingly well put together thing, and runs so smoothly…Every time I build a bike I put one in a shopping basket and there it sits as I struggle to bring myself to pay the stupid amount of money they are. The last time it happened, I eventually screwed up the courage to buy it, and it was out of stock as I’d waiting too long, I’ve never been so releaved.

Is it weird to say – food ingredients? (as opposed to ready made, or processed foods…) It seems I buy stuff to make food with, and I reckon I could save myself £££ every week just by buying a pre-made version of it. Which seems wrong.

Arai are perfectly good helmets (with great marketing) but I don’t see how they are significantly ‘better’ than a lot of other brands.

They may well not be for you but as you say helmets are a very personal thing. When I was first riding I’d buy any old crap, Frank Thomas, bieffe, etc my first quality lid was a shoei for work but I then found the Arai to be much better for me. Comfortable, quiet and light. I was reminded of all this when going on my first long ride in years and years, London to Ireland this year, using a cheap Frank Thomas lid. I almost stopped in Swansea to buy a new helmet it was so bad (  if I’d had more time I would’ve). I’ve now replaced it with an Arai.

Mission Workshop rucksacks, well made, nice design, and last forever.

Footwear/shoes. I find getting quality shoes infinitely outlast any cheap fast fashion junk and well worth the extra money. My Gran used to say you could always tell the cut of someone by looking at their shoes.

Second a decent pen. I happen to like a Parker Jotter but with a Fisher cartridge. The Parker is nice but the Fisher is worth the extra expense.

Shoes. See Vimes’ Boots.

Tools. Good tools are always worth having.

Work stations. Having a decent setup will result in a happier day.

Mattresses. You spend a good third of your life on one, make it count.

Meat
Mattresses
Taps
Tools

Laptops

Marks & Spencer prawn sandwiches 🦐

No way you can really consider marriage expensive. Average cost of a marriage ceremony was £18400 a couple of years ago. Given that a well maintained marriage can last for over 30 years or 10958 days that’s a daily cost of under £2 .

I had 41 years with my partner without a marriage ceremony.  cost zero.  Marriage sounds awful expensive to me 🙂

monkeysfeet
Free Member
Coke and Hooker’s

Hmmm, but he didn’t specify what.

I fear you have completely disregarded the very significant ongoing running costs.

I’m a cost centre in my marriage. I can confirm that the running costs are high.  

Wellies.

Not bloody coffee!

monkeysfeetFree MemberCoke and Hooker’s

……

Hmmm, but he didn’t specify what.

Well not cherry or classic, and nothing to do with fishing equipment 😉

Jeans. Shit jeans rarely fit nor last , and make you look like Jeremy Clarkson

Good jeans (note I don’t say expensive jeans as there are some very poor quality expensive jeans) fit well, last and picked well are not Clarksonesque.

Good jeans are rarely cheap

Time is the ultimate luxury so it’s the NetJets membership.

I had 41 years with my partner without a marriage ceremony.  cost zero.  Marriage sounds awful expensive to me 🙂

I’m at 27 years and only cost was the registry office fee of £150. Rational was tax but I totally get your sentiment with regards the whole pantomime.

Exposure lights. Worth every penny.

Good quality sleeping bags with a high fill power down and good materials otherwise (no particular brand, lots to choose from)

Vallorbe files. Specifically a half round 2nd cut tapered file that was £40 but it just does the job and has done for years.

Di2.

YMMV but you would be wrong, sorry.

also +1 to exposure lights and good bread

also

a proper slow grown, decent breed, free range chicken. £10-£15 for a chicken? Bargain

OMM, Patagonia 

a hand shaped surfboard 

“a proper slow grown, decent breed, free range chicken. £10-£15 for a chicken? Bargain”

Absolutely!

Stamps

I get that you might not want one, but surely it doesn’t take much imagination to see why others might like to own nice things?

I can see why people enjoy buying nice things, like a fancy notepad or fountain pen but that doesn’t make it worth the money, which was the OP question. Some things are simply indulgent.

Surely an expensive notepad is the opposite of something that is ‘definitely worth the money’ as it serves no purpose other than to show to other notepad fans how much you’ve spent on a notepad?

Especially when you’ve got notepad.exe notepad++ for free.

Pans
Chef knives
Speakers
Power tools
Chainsaws
Beer

All of the above are available in large price brackets. All will do the same job from lowest to highest. However, the user experience and outcome is directly proportional to the money invested

Fairy Liquid.

A good pair of shoes.

I’m talking OTT hand made shoes but in my experience you just can’t beat a pair of Docs for long lasting comfort that can be worn anywhere and fit in.

I used to buy cheaper shoes for work, perhaps a third to half the price of a pair on 1460’s but they just don’t last and were never so comfortable.

A good fountain pen is another choice. A Montblanc is a work of art and beauty to write with but even my TWBSI eco go to pen is a delight to use.

Meindl walking boots

Meat

Bordeaux red wine

I’ve heard you can spend thousands on bicycle brakes

Another vote for mattresses.

Good denim (selvedge).

Good wellies (Aigle and Grubs, La Chemaux didn’t last me particularly well).

Good walking boots that are worth a re-sole.

Good shoes/boots. Redwing or Fracap that can be re-soled. Like a Loake dress boot.

Watches.

I’ll have a pair of PMC BB6S XBD-A loudspeakers please, hard to find a price but they’re over 100k

I’ve heard you can spend thousands on bicycle brakes

And cranks. And hubs. And rims, And gears. And various other trinkets.

Nobody is saying they are, objectively, worth it though.

Good jeans are rarely cheap

As pointed out numerous times, Uniqlo Japanese selvedge denim jeans for £35/pair are as good, if not better than jeans costing well north of £100, if not more.

 Japanese selvedge denim jeans for £35/pair

They bleed like a swine though.  I like to imagine an unsuspecting Tesla owner hopping into that white leather interior with their spangly new selvedge denims for a long drive… Because I’m twisted like that.

As pointed out numerous times, Uniqlo Japanese selvedge denim jeans for £35/pair are as good, if not better than jeans costing well north of £100, if not more.

Kaihara denim is decent, but the last time I looked, they were produced in Bangladesh and Uniqlo has questionable history of forced labour practices.

All of the above are available in large price brackets. All will do the same job from lowest to highest. However, the user experience and outcome is directly proportional to the money invested

I can’t think of anything where it’s directly proportional. Diminishing returns applies almost everywhere.

Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. I ordered them and sent them back a couple of times before opening the box (sorry amazon). They seemed way way more expensive than I perceived myself being worth…

More than happy to spend  a mint on my kids, but generally less so on myself. The hazards of parenting

As pointed out numerous times, Uniqlo Japanese selvedge denim jeans for £35/pair are as good, if not better than jeans costing well north of £100, if not more.

As I said good jeans are rarely cheap.another clue to them being any good is when they have stretch in the title.

Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones

These are really good and worth the cash imo. First quality pair of headphones . Wish I’d had them years ago when I traveled long haul regularly. But they would have been stolen multiple times

Toilet paper, unless you are a fan of running sandpaper across your holy rose.