The first luxury item you bought?

[dodge man]

Luxury item isn’t the right word but I didn’t know what else to call it. The first thing you ever bought that made your life easier, had an impact you remember. Maybe it’s a chainsaw, tractor, house etc.

For me I was about 27 and renting a house. Up until this time I had been going to laundromats since I was 21. This rental house had a washer and dryer hook up and I bought a used pair. I don’t remember the exact cost but probably $200 for both. If you ever had to do laundry at a laundromat on a regular basis you understand. For me that was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

[flyerdan]

I did the same thing when I bought this place, didn't take long to get a set, and they were $200 as well, out of the IGA shopper as the internet wasn't a thing then.
First thing I got for the shop was a parts washer.

 

[anomad]

Luxury item isn’t the right word but I didn’t know what else to call it. The first thing you ever bought that made your life easier, had an impact you remember. Maybe it’s a chainsaw, tractor, house etc.

For me I was about 27 and renting a house. Up until this time I had been going to laundromats since I was 21. This rental house had a washer and dryer hook up and I bought a used pair. I don’t remember the exact cost but probably $200 for both. If you ever had to do laundry at a laundromat on a regular basis you understand. For me that was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

My story is like yours, kind of a combo. I rented a nice trailer house with a garage-like structure around the same age when I first got a decent job (Lakeview Oregon). Had it all to myself! Saved up for a few paychecks and drove 2.5 hours one way (Bend Oregon) to buy a washing machine. No roommates, no lavanderia. I didn't get a dryer till I go married later. I was happy to use a clothes line outside or drying rack by the stove in winter.

So yeah, having my own rental place and being able to wash my clothes with no shared laundry was a big deal.

 

[JasperFrank]

Luxury item isn’t the right word but I didn’t know what else to call it. The first thing you ever bought that made your life easier, had an impact you remember. Maybe it’s a chainsaw, tractor, house etc.

For me I was about 27 and renting a house. Up until this time I had been going to laundromats since I was 21. This rental house had a washer and dryer hook up and I bought a used pair. I don’t remember the exact cost but probably $200 for both. If you ever had to do laundry at a laundromat on a regular basis you understand. For me that was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Having your own washer/dryer was the greatest. No coins, no being around drunk people. No pack it up, and drive and then get home an un-pack. Or dealing with, "What the hell was in there the last time."

 

[BravoXray]

When I was first married, back in 1970, we bought a good quality mobile home from a local manufacturer. It was insulated pretty well, but the first summer was pretty warm, and I don't tolerate heat very well, can't sleep and get really cranky. We went to a local appliance dealer and bought the largest capacity window A/C unit they had and installed it in a window in the living room at the front of the unit. I slept a lot of nights on the couch that summer in the cool air and was a lot more rested to go to work in the mornings. I don't remember what it cost, but was worth every penny.

 

[tacticalturnip]

As a young soldier at my first duty station I purchased an iPod, one with the scroll wheel, and it was amazing. An absolute luxury for me.

 

[Oaktree]

Having your own washer/dryer was the greatest. No coins, no being around drunk people. No pack it up, and drive and then get home an un-pack. Or dealing with, "What the hell was in there the last time."

I've been a homeowner for almost 50 years, and still don't have a dryer but agree a washer is a must, and was one of the first things I got when I bought my first house (yard sale buy). Had to use a laundromat for about a month this past summer due to the well being low. $3.50/load goes thru a LOT of quarters in a hurry!
Still just use a clothesline or wooden rack for drying.

Bought my first chainsaw around the same time (then, as now heated with wood), so it's kind of a tie.

 

[Rockbadchild]

My first truck felt like luxury, my first big chainsaw, my first flat screen TV and the first time I own a dishwasher ho boy when I got these I knew I made it in life.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My first major expense or luxury item if you will, was a 5 acre parcel of land in the Pocono Mountains of PA. I bought a used mobile home and put it on the property while I built my house.

The property has since expanded to 25 acres but I'm still working on the house. They're never finished you know.

 

[ponytug]

Getting out of laundromats was a big deal for me as well.

The first item that I vividly recall buying and improving my life was a Patagonia Arctic storm rain jacket. I was living in the northeast at the time, near the coast, and the damp, rainy weather was going right through my other clothing. I had no car, and was walking or biking to and from work, shopping, everywhere. With the jacket, I was warm and dry. It was a huge difference in daily quality of life. Decades later, I still have the jacket, though it did go back to Patagonia twice early in its life to get the seams resealed. It might have been one or two paychecks, so it was a memorable expense, and a memorable improvement in my quality of life. It is still my go to jacket for being out in wind and rain.

I think it was also a life lesson about when to go cheap, and when not to.

All the best, Peter