I wrestled with the same dilemma, but very little impresses my wife. She continues to consider my tractor (L3010, FEL, BH, RFM, winch, blade, rake) my personal "toy," despite all the work I've done with Clementine over the years. I can do a great job transplanting trees, crowning the road, leveling the driveway, removing stumps she has long complained about, etc...and all she remembers is the time I hit the house, the time I ran over her apple tree, the time I mowed her flowers (no blooms at the time, the iris looked like fat grass to me), and the time I removed a huge boulder leaving a hole into which she drove the Pathfinder.
Can't win, so just have fun.
Pete