When I moved out on my own in Dec 2024 I basically had to rebuild my life. The only things I took with me were my clothing, Finn's bed, the massage chair, and my computer/tech stuff. Since then I made a pile of purchases to backfill my life again and here a year out its clear to me what really helped me in my new phase in life and what didn't. Sometimes I think I am a little too materialistic, but I think reviewing what worked for me and what didn't helps me be honest about where I am going in life going forward. So here is a list of my best and worst purchases, leaving out some obvious ones (like the Vitamix I knew I would use that every day).
My top 5 best purchases since I moved out:
1. My Coleman tent and its rainfly. When I moved out I bought two tents. My backpack tent was nice, and has been used twice when I have gone primitive camping. But my Coleman tent is a complete home run, it was the tent that took Finn camping for the first time in his life and got him into camping. I already have so many good memories tied to this tent, if it ripped I would get another one immediately because I got more plans for it this year (heck this weekend). Also loved my knock off Jetboil, my clearance sleeping bag liner, and my hiking backpack.
2. My Roborock vacuum robot. It was expensive, but its been worth every dime. I haven't mopped the floor downstairs since I got it, and its also done most of my vacuuming. The preparation for getting it to run helps put my life together, and its been pretty cheap replacing its parts that wore out in the first year. Also Finn has personified this robot (he named it Caiden) and is a fan of it. I remember taking two weeks to research for this purchase, reading 3rd party comparison Google Sheets and all. In the end I nailed it.
3. My Coleman Blackstone grill. I got this for super cheap (like $35) for camping, but I have used it more at home. This allowed me to make "dad burgers" aka the first real food thing I cooked for Finn that he loved. Excited to use this more this year, but overall it gave me hope I could be a better cook and I could find an angle to finally get me into grilling. This barely got the spot over my coffee maker which I super love because its made mornings so much better, mostly because Finn is so excited about my burgers.
4. My Mac Mini. I bought this on an impulse, but it allowed me to clone a computer I haven't run in a decade. On this computer was a pile of older stuff (like digital pictures from 20 years ago) I was happy to see again. In a way it tied together a good 20 years of my technical life, that alone made this a home run. Hackintoshes was a fun era of my life, and this got me tied back to them (and allowed me to throw away a pile of older computer parts).
5. My Saints hat. Its the best hat I have ever had for fitting my head, it looks good, and its a great memento from what was an amazing trip with my mom and Finn. I will never forget going through the whole shop to find this one, and how it was basically a mistake (the size is larger than what the label says).
My worst purchases since I moved out:
1. My inflatable kayak. I got it to put in a lake with Finn last summer and its still in the box. Hope to finally use it this summer.
2. My workout bench. Last Spring I got all excited about improving my health and I took some good steps in that direction (like all my walking and hiking). But I haven't even put this bench together almost a year later. Luckily it was cheap, but it shows me I am not going to be a whole new person in this new era of life.
3. My Lenovo laptop. It bailed me out for some of my Linux work so its not all bad, and I love its screen. But the device has real useability issues. Plus I don't really need a laptop in this current life, maybe that changes if I lose access to an office.
4. My Nintendo Switch 2. I am disappointed with the Switch 2. The launch titles weren't that exciting (minus one), the screen is so-so, its a little too big to take on trips compared to the Switch 1, and most of its games are "key cards" which are bullshit. BUT and its a big but, the Switch 2's main launch title (Mario Kart World) was huge for me this year because it FINALLY got Finn into Mario. Every other Mario Kart game all he wanted to do was drive off the track into the stage around him, in Mario Kart world he finally could. But outside of that one highlight the Switch 2 sucks compared to the Switch 1.
5. My water backpack and water bag. I HATE HATE cleaning it and drinking out of a hose. In retrospect its designed for people who are more hardcore than me. Going to clean it up one last time and let Finn have it.
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