[jodi]

Hmmm...I guess I interpret this question a little differently than most. I consider it to mean what things I have bought over the years that if I had NOT bought, I would have spent more money in the long run. There are a lot of things I enjoy (Dish tv, digital recorder, internet) but considering the cost of these services each and every month, I don't think they are paying for themselves.
My immediate thought: my garden. The investment (maybe $10 on seeds) has saved us so much more over the growing season and in what we freeze.
Maybe my breadmaker - although I would really have to look at the price of ingredients versus how often I use it to see if the purchase price is covered.
Definitely the crockpot - cheap item, but since we use it at least once a week over many years, it has saved us money in our electric bill by not using the oven. I don't know specifics, but I do know that even running for hours, they save so much energy.
I'm sure there is more, but that's all I can think of at the moment...