What’s your top BIFL purchase, that might not in itself has been all to frugal, but long term, will be?
After having 5-6 different office chairs over the last 10 years, none of which I liked. I went and bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair. It’s ridiculously expensive, but I’m so pleased with it and hope to keep it for well over 15-20 years. If that actually succeed, I will have spent less money one chairs than if I hadn’t bought it.
What similar items (cheap or expensive) do you feel the same about?
A bidet.
I’ve saved a ton on toilet paper.
In Indonesia, 99% of toilets have Bidets. Whenever I go abroad, it’s always annoying that it is the opposite, like 99% of the toilets do not have bidets. I’ve got so used to using bidet all my life and I wish every toilets in the world have it installed.
I got a backpack from LL Bean over 10 years ago, and I use it for everything. Like, walking a few blocks to the grocery store to get groceries everything. I use it so much. Aside from one zipper on one pocket going weird, nothing has worn out/through.
And although I got a new bag, I still find myself going back to the LL Bean one.
Unfortunately–and I just checked their site–they don’t seem to make the backpack I have anymore. It was about $100 when i got it, but on their site all I see is cheap-looking LL Bean-branded school backpacks, or Osprey-branded high-tier hiking backpacks. And mine was LL Bean branded, but closer to the hiking daypack sort of thing than an ordinary cheap school backpack. It was perfectly positioned in the middle.
Edit: It was the “Escape” daypack.
LL Bean is not the same company they were a couple decades ago. Most of their stuff is made over in Asia now. It is still high quality vs competition, but it’s nowhere near as awesome as it used to be. I used to be a “true fan”, right down to the rewards card. Now I’m just a fan.
I still have a day pack I got in the nineties, and it’s like new. About half that time it’s been in storage. My son will probably use it next.
LL Bean was a true BIFL company for everything they sold. Their lifetime no questions asked return policy was trashed as soon as it was no longer family owned. Their stuff was expensive, but you knew that you had that stuff forever. They grew into a huge company because of that policy along with their reputation for being the highest quality. Getting hand me down stuff that was LL Bean was a big deal. Now it’s just a run of the mill Corporate BS Bean.
Yes, an example of the enshittification of commerce. However, they do remain better than average.
Maybe not literally for life, but having family that’s into the whole thrift store thing is pretty decent. Got a big honkin’ cast iron skillet and a stainless pan for super cheap, easy to fix and they’re likely to last a long damn time at least.
The last couple years, I’ve mostly switched over. After yet another over-priced set of non-stick “good” cookware started peeling, and now that I’m the one in control of the kitchen ….
- set of Kirkland (Costco) stainless 5-ply, for less than a similar set of non-stick, it should last forever
- set of cast iron skillets. Lodge is a great bargain, should last forever, and is frequently on sale.
- a couple ceramic knives. Cheap ones are much sharper than steel, stay sharp longer, and can go through the dishwasher without fear. While good steel knives might literally last forever if you give them the attention they deserve, this is last much longer than standard, without any attention
Quick note about cast iron, they are great on induction stoves, but if you have an induction stove and you want to get cast iron for it, before you buy the cast iron put it on a flat surface and see if it wobbles.
If the cast iron has a warp to it it will not be ideal for an induction stove and the only way to fix it is to Mill it out which costs more than buying a high quality piece of cast iron.
Something that I’ve not seen a lot of people talk about is a good lidded kitchen trash can.
When I moved out I picked up the best looking option from Lowes, figuring maybe something marketed as meant for use by tradesmen might hold up. Hinge broke in the first month. At the end of the day all you need is a bucket with a lid, but when this cheap plastic molded crap is being sold for ~$60 I wanted better.
Picked up a SimpleHuman bin on sale a few years ago and haven’t had any issues. Think it was around $200, so stupid expensive for a kitchen trash bin, but it looks and works just as good as the day it came out of the box. I would have easily spent more by now on the cheap Lowes bins.
Never had any escaping smells (which can cause quite a surprise on trash day when you pull the bag out and get hit with what it has been hiding in there). Easy as hell to change bags, no fussing with stretching the bag around the top to get it to stay or hoping the first few things don’t pull the bag down into the bin with them. If you slam down on the foot pedal the lid doesn’t go rocketing up and slam against the cabinet it’s stood up against, it still opens nice and smooth. The lid doesn’t slam shut when you’re done either. Iirc they’re also warrantied for some outrageous amount of steps on the foot pedal mechanism.
It sounds stupid to be so obsessive about such a minor household object, but if your kitchen trashcan is the central trashcan in the shared space of your home like mine is, then it’s something everyone in the house is going to interact with at least once a day. If it’s shit or lets smells out then it’s going to do that right in the middle of the most used spaces of my home. Similar to a good mattress, bedsheets, a good pair of shoes, for me this falls into the category of something I use often enough where it makes sense to spend a little extra.
I’m sure there’s more cost effective solutions for good lidded trash bins that keep the smells locked away, but for something that was me taking a chance with some gift money I’ve been impressed.
Something that I’ve not seen a lot of people talk about is a good lidded kitchen trash can.
I accidentally did the reverse of your BIFL with my trash can.
I was at IKEA, and went, “Cool! A retro trash can!” And I got it. Because it looked retro. It’s the type that looks like a stereotypical trash can, round lid and all.
…the materials hold up, but it sucks. There’s a reason the general design of trash cans changed from this type to the ones with the step-pedal.
Yeah we have kitchen and bathroom simple human trash cans that are all 10+ years old. I buy rubbermaid for the office though, people are rough on them.
BIFL isn’t usually really ‘for life’ since we buy practical stuff as adults.
But… when I was born in the '60’s someone gave me a simple, elegant little steel cup and plate, with cartoon bears engraved in simple lines for decoration.
The plate is still in the cupboard with the general plate population, and the little cup is perfectly sized for a double shot, so it lives on top of the espresso machine and gets used daily, adding special value each time because it’s a joy to use, and old like me.
my futon mattress. got it close to 20 years ago, moved with it 4 times now - it’s a custom size, 6’ wide, 7’ long, 6" thick. $400 when I got it.
my computer table. it’s a handmedown from my folks, but growing up it was in the basement, I used to do chemistry experiments on it. it’s got to be 40+ years old and the top has been replaced twice now but the drawers in it are super sturdy, as are the table’s legs.
my kitchen cookware set - got it about 15 years ago, All-Clad brand. stuff is solid, I use it daily, and unlike some other stuff I’ve purchased since then hasnt broken, fallen apart, or dented. was like $500 or so.
electronics related? I have two laptops that have stood the test of time - an hp 9480m, got it in… 2013 I think, still works fine though its starting to develop some wear on the ports - might have to replace it in a few years. also a lenovo t470, got that in 2018 I think? its solid, really great platform, that’s my main laptop.
Arkel bike panniers.
Expensive (like most high-quality panniers are), but they are built solid with repairable/replaceable parts, lifetime warranty that can be transferred*, and they are highly functional.
Adding these to my bike has saved money by not having to use the car as much, and i don’t have to worry about replacing them every year.
*The transferable warranty also means that if you buy one used, you’re covered! Ultimate frugal win.
Those look nice!
I bought a pannier backpack from Two Wheel Gear a couple of years ago, it’s been through so many miles both on the bike and on my back. Really sturdy.
Can’t go wrong with a great pannier!
Purchased a Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 convertible shoulder bag/backpack in 2015. BIFL as BIFL gets. This bag has flown 100k+ miles, bi-monthly transcontinental flights and multiple trips to Europe. Massive YKK zippers, bulletproof waterproof shell, sensible compartments, multiple sturdy handles, fits underneath airline seats, and in cramped overhead bins, looks like the day I got it. If you occasionally get off the beaten path, place a high value on mobility, find roller bags silly and wasteful for anything but pure urban airport-to-hotel travel, and adhere to the one-bag school of travel, make this your one bag. At $330, it’s spendy, but my cost per mile/hour/level of satisfaction approaches zero.
They also make a 30L Aeronaut bag that fits smaller bodies and goes in European budget airline overheads with no trouble.
Disclaimer: maybe Tom Bihn has been acquired by another company? so cannot speak to current-day manufacture standards. I can’t verify from the website if this is true. You should check it out for yourself, though. It’s pretty cool. Going purely by the “about us” section I can’t believe a single thing has changed.
I’m definitely “that guy”, but chairs are hard to BIFL, as your body’s needs changes. Kinda like asking for a BIFL mattress. You can do it, but not recommended.
My hiking boots.
Scarpa full leather, purchased in 1999 for ~USD300. They have been on 3 different continents, covered thousands of kilometres.
They turned 24 a few weeks ago, I still wear them a couple of times a week and they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.
All for the cost of about $1 per month.
Money well spent.
That’s awesome! Do you know if the brand is still as great, or have the quality changed?
Mine were made in Italy (home of the brand and where they started).
Quote:
Luckily, Scarpa has made it easy to find out which of its products are made in Italy. All of Scarpa’s hiking boots have a country of origin section in the specifications of each product. So each of Scarpa’s Italian-made products are clearly labeled as such.
I would assume the quality is still there.
Thank you! Seems like a great company. Always wanted a decent couple of boots, and Italian made has also been something I’ve looked for.
Be warned, they took a long time to break in. Like a few months as the leather is top quality and takes a while give (which is why they last for so long).
What do you do when you wear through the outsole? Can these be resoled?
I don’t know if they could be resoled. I haven’t worn though it yet. The sole has worn down but there is still plenty of grip.
I’ve been wearing the same Sorrel coat every winter for twenty years and it’s still like new.
Just wanted to let you guys know that Bifl sounds a lot like “Bifle”, a unique french word. It’s a quite precise verb that means “slapping someone with a dick”. It merges the words bite (= dick) and gifle (= slap).
That’s all folks
I always knew there was a reason I was drawn towards BIFL
I was just about to intervene
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Can I BIFL a bifle? Asking for a friend.
It’s a subscription service Sir.
Doc Martens. But not your Doc Martens. I was lucky enough to get in to the For Life program before it closed. Anytime my boots wear out or are damaged I send them in and they send me a new pair. I usually have to do an exchange about every three years.
Big fan of Osprey packs, they also do free lifetime repairs.
Also I hear Aerons can be had for 1/4-1/3 of MSRP if you buy used.
Used office chairs can be a pretty good deal, esp if you’ve got a used office furniture dealer nearby. I got a used Haworth chair for a bit over 1/4 of the price new and is way more comfortable and well built than the crappy gaming chair i had.
Also, those higher end chair manufacturers have very long warranties, so if you check the manufacture date before you buy, you may find that its still got some warranty left in it.
Another recommend of Osprey packs. I lived out of one for two years straight.
Love my aeron chair, luckily I was able to steal it from my old job during a buyout.
That’s great! I was able to get one overstock for half price. It’s still expensive, but it’s made working from home so much nicer, should last a long time, and I feel like a scored a great deal. Not as great as your deal, but still a thing
