What things actually PAY for themselves?

[contrary1]

After reading the article Jeffrey posted this AM, I have been trying catalog any purchases I have here that really have paid for themselves. (I confess, I've bought a few things that haven't)

I will prime the pump here with some I can see around here:

1) my sewing machines
2) All of my food preservation eguipment (canners, dehydrators, juicers, etc)
3) Big freezer
4) wood stove

Anyone else have items they have purchased where you can actually see on paper, that they have paid for themselves in savings??
(another thread might be purchases that you've been able to MAKE money with)

[acezz4e_tish]

my front loading washer is paying for itself. id love to invest in a sewing machine. one with the programs to sew items on my kids clothes, like embroidered look of thier initial on the collars of thier turtlenecks and socks. spice up kids clothing. thats just out of my reach right now, but on my wish list.

[sweeps]

Great topic.

1. My bachelor's degree. (Too soon to see whether my master's will pay off.)
2. My house.
3. My furnace.
4. My investments in my 401(k).
5. My Tivo.

Something that would've paid for itself, but I never bought them: new windows.

[nanamom]

I was a bit taken aback by the realization that very little if anythign we have pays for itself. If you figure the cost of a laundrymat then my washer and dryer (yard sale 75.00) have paid for themselves and my sewing machine does easily. I have a personal DVD player and a VHS TV that were gifts which save us lots of money in movie and cable fees, especially since we get movies at the library not the video store. I think that's it though. I have a freezer (yard sale 50.00) but it's unplugged.

[Ima saver]

The switch and wiring that my husband put in, so we can shut the hot water off constantly has paid for itself a million times over. My priceless puppy Holly has paid me back in love and happiness. My water distiller has been used 4-5 times a week for the past 11 years and has paid for itself.

[Lemony]

My house
My internet connection
Water saving shower heads

[miclason]

our VHS (bought it on sale for $59, and then bought a ton of movies at half.com for $2 or $3 a piece....I then canceled our cable service, which was $23/month!....that was almost 4 years ago!)
my new cellphone - canceled the plan that was $35/month and am now using $15/month pre-paid service
a navy blue dress - bought on sale at Express, 40% off in 1998 - I still get compliments on it 8 years later!!
long black skirt - bought at Marshall's for about $20 - is already 10 years old and looks brand new!

[acezz4e_tish]

i got my dvd/vcr combo for 100 dollars at aldis

[Ima saver]

Not much really pays for itself. The deck we built over the creek has paid us back in enjoyment!

[Lostsoul33]

Woodstove (it's our sole source of heat)
Internet (I've found a lot of freebies this way)
Library (saves me on buying books and movies)
Clothes hanger in laundry room (not using dryer as much)

[nixuzer]

Originally Posted by contrary1

After reading the article Jeffrey posted this AM, I have been trying catalog any purchases I have here that really have paid for themselves. (I confess, I've bought a few things that haven't)

I will prime the pump here with some I can see around here:

1) my sewing machines
2) All of my food preservation eguipment (canners, dehydrators, juicers, etc)
3) Big freezer
4) wood stove

Anyone else have items they have purchased where you can actually see on paper, that they have paid for themselves in savings??
(another thread might be purchases that you've been able to MAKE money with)

My kids: I realize that it doesn't matter how much I've spent...every time I look at them it is all worth it.
Money we set aside to help others: when you give and see the benefits it just can't be compared to anything else you would benefit from. It is like the old Winston Churchill quote, "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

[PrincessPerky]

My washer and dryer, cept I didn't pay for the dryer, (handme down)

umm...internet? maybe? cause I found this site and am back on track to financial maturity?

Thats it really.

[Fern]

I chose to interpret this question as asking, what things have you really gotten your money's worth out of?

I can remember a number of things over the years that really paid back big in terms of use and enjoyment.

The $160 i paid for a Schwinn bike when i was in my teens. I rode it everywhere.

Certain articles of clothing or shoes that are, of course, counterbalanced by certain OTHER articles of clothing that were a waste.

The $18/month i spend on basic cable. Certain shows i really do enjoy.

My $80 annual dump sticker. Not only do i drop off trash, but demolition debris from home maintenance, stumps and unwanted, unburnable wood, etc.

My car. It's a honda, was cheap and will run forever.

My kayak: the kayak and related equipment (roof rack, PFDs, etc) cost $1300, but took it out 16 times in first season already and so much fun. That comes out to a cost of $81 per trip, but with future use i hope that come out to pennies per trip.

My house: it has appreciated about 100% in the past 10 years.

My cat

A Yardman lawnmower that cost $130 new which i have used for 10 years to mow an 1.5 acre lawn. I think it's dead now though.

[sweeps]

I took the question as financial reward only. Unless your kids are the Olsen Twins, I think you'll find they're a serious drain on your pocketbook.

I agree about their intrinsic value though... they're priceless.

[him&her]

Health club membership. We actually go 3+ times a week. The healthier we are now, we won't have to pay hundreds and thousands of dollars of medical bills in the future.

DSL/Internet. There is so much we do on the internet to save time, money, and frustration.

[Ima saver]

My house has doubled in value since we built it 10 years ago, so it has paid for itself.

[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...

[Ima saver]

All of my husband's tools cause they make us a living.

[mom-from-missouri]

The beef in the field, that will soon be in the freezer and on the plate.

[CJsoccerchic]

Internet - just cause you find the freebies and can sell stuff yourself!!!