What’s your top BIFL purchase, that might not in itself has been all to frugal, but long term, will be?
After having 5-6 different office chairs over the last 10 years, none of which I liked. I went and bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair. It’s ridiculously expensive, but I’m so pleased with it and hope to keep it for well over 15-20 years. If that actually succeed, I will have spent less money one chairs than if I hadn’t bought it.
What similar items (cheap or expensive) do you feel the same about?
Just wanted to let you guys know that Bifl sounds a lot like “Bifle”, a unique french word. It’s a quite precise verb that means “slapping someone with a dick”. It merges the words bite (= dick) and gifle (= slap).
That’s all folks
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I was just about to intervene
Can I BIFL a bifle? Asking for a friend.
It’s a subscription service Sir.
My hiking boots.
Scarpa full leather, purchased in 1999 for ~USD300. They have been on 3 different continents, covered thousands of kilometres.
They turned 24 a few weeks ago, I still wear them a couple of times a week and they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.
All for the cost of about $1 per month.
Money well spent.
That’s awesome! Do you know if the brand is still as great, or have the quality changed?
Mine were made in Italy (home of the brand and where they started).
Quote:
Luckily, Scarpa has made it easy to find out which of its products are made in Italy. All of Scarpa’s hiking boots have a country of origin section in the specifications of each product. So each of Scarpa’s Italian-made products are clearly labeled as such.
I would assume the quality is still there.
Thank you! Seems like a great company. Always wanted a decent couple of boots, and Italian made has also been something I’ve looked for.
Be warned, they took a long time to break in. Like a few months as the leather is top quality and takes a while give (which is why they last for so long).
Big fan of Osprey packs, they also do free lifetime repairs.
Also I hear Aerons can be had for 1/4-1/3 of MSRP if you buy used.
Used office chairs can be a pretty good deal, esp if you’ve got a used office furniture dealer nearby. I got a used Haworth chair for a bit over 1/4 of the price new and is way more comfortable and well built than the crappy gaming chair i had.
Also, those higher end chair manufacturers have very long warranties, so if you check the manufacture date before you buy, you may find that its still got some warranty left in it.
Another recommend of Osprey packs. I lived out of one for two years straight.
Love my aeron chair, luckily I was able to steal it from my old job during a buyout.
That’s great! I was able to get one overstock for half price. It’s still expensive, but it’s made working from home so much nicer, should last a long time, and I feel like a scored a great deal. Not as great as your deal, but still a thing
A bidet.
I’ve saved a ton on toilet paper.
In Indonesia, 99% of toilets have Bidets. Whenever I go abroad, it’s always annoying that it is the opposite, like 99% of the toilets do not have bidets. I’ve got so used to using bidet all my life and I wish every toilets in the world have it installed.
Maybe not literally for life, but having family that’s into the whole thrift store thing is pretty decent. Got a big honkin’ cast iron skillet and a stainless pan for super cheap, easy to fix and they’re likely to last a long damn time at least.
Quick note about cast iron, they are great on induction stoves, but if you have an induction stove and you want to get cast iron for it, before you buy the cast iron put it on a flat surface and see if it wobbles.
If the cast iron has a warp to it it will not be ideal for an induction stove and the only way to fix it is to Mill it out which costs more than buying a high quality piece of cast iron.
The last couple years, I’ve mostly switched over. After yet another over-priced set of non-stick “good” cookware started peeling, and now that I’m the one in control of the kitchen ….
- set of Kirkland (Costco) stainless 5-ply, for less than a similar set of non-stick, it should last forever
- set of cast iron skillets. Lodge is a great bargain, should last forever, and is frequently on sale.
- a couple ceramic knives. Cheap ones are much sharper than steel, stay sharp longer, and can go through the dishwasher without fear. While good steel knives might literally last forever if you give them the attention they deserve, this is last much longer than standard, without any attention
Osprey backpack
Zwilling and wüsthof knives
De Buyer carbon steel pans
RM Williams boots
Dynaudio speakers
Thinkpad laptop (on Linux)
Doc Martens. But not your Doc Martens. I was lucky enough to get in to the For Life program before it closed. Anytime my boots wear out or are damaged I send them in and they send me a new pair. I usually have to do an exchange about every three years.
Purchased a Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 convertible shoulder bag/backpack in 2015. BIFL as BIFL gets. This bag has flown 100k+ miles, bi-monthly transcontinental flights and multiple trips to Europe. Massive YKK zippers, bulletproof waterproof shell, sensible compartments, multiple sturdy handles, fits underneath airline seats, and in cramped overhead bins, looks like the day I got it. If you occasionally get off the beaten path, place a high value on mobility, find roller bags silly and wasteful for anything but pure urban airport-to-hotel travel, and adhere to the one-bag school of travel, make this your one bag. At $330, it’s spendy, but my cost per mile/hour/level of satisfaction approaches zero.
They also make a 30L Aeronaut bag that fits smaller bodies and goes in European budget airline overheads with no trouble.
Disclaimer: maybe Tom Bihn has been acquired by another company? so cannot speak to current-day manufacture standards. I can’t verify from the website if this is true. You should check it out for yourself, though. It’s pretty cool. Going purely by the “about us” section I can’t believe a single thing has changed.
My aeron is 20 years old and still good. The mesh is a little looseer, giving a bit less support, but I’m still happy. You made a good choice.
I bought a used aeron a few years ago after using them at work forever. A few weeks after I bought it i turned it over to replace the pad on the front of the chair and saw that it was manufactured over 22 years ago. I would have never thought it was older than a couple years by how good of shape it was in but these things are built like a tank.
I bought a vanquest backpack about 5 years ago. Bullet proof. Mine is gen-2. The shoulder straps do not tear - ever. They’re expensive, but the craftsmanship earns the price. Their other products are good, too. This is just one type of backpack they make.
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LL Bean is not the same company they were a couple decades ago. Most of their stuff is made over in Asia now. It is still high quality vs competition, but it’s nowhere near as awesome as it used to be. I used to be a “true fan”, right down to the rewards card. Now I’m just a fan.
I still have a day pack I got in the nineties, and it’s like new. About half that time it’s been in storage. My son will probably use it next.
LL Bean was a true BIFL company for everything they sold. Their lifetime no questions asked return policy was trashed as soon as it was no longer family owned. Their stuff was expensive, but you knew that you had that stuff forever. They grew into a huge company because of that policy along with their reputation for being the highest quality. Getting hand me down stuff that was LL Bean was a big deal. Now it’s just a run of the mill Corporate BS Bean.
Yes, an example of the enshittification of commerce. However, they do remain better than average.
Arkel bike panniers.
Expensive (like most high-quality panniers are), but they are built solid with repairable/replaceable parts, lifetime warranty that can be transferred*, and they are highly functional.
Adding these to my bike has saved money by not having to use the car as much, and i don’t have to worry about replacing them every year.
*The transferable warranty also means that if you buy one used, you’re covered! Ultimate frugal win.
Those look nice!
I bought a pannier backpack from Two Wheel Gear a couple of years ago, it’s been through so many miles both on the bike and on my back. Really sturdy.
Can’t go wrong with a great pannier!
I’m definitely “that guy”, but chairs are hard to BIFL, as your body’s needs changes. Kinda like asking for a BIFL mattress. You can do it, but not recommended.
Years ago I bought an insulated coffee cup and water bottle (klean kanteen) that get used every week, especially if I travel. When I get iced coffee and I can walk around sipping it and there’s still ice floating around hours later. Plus I can avoid single-use plastic cups if the coffee shop fills personal ones (some even give a discount!). The water bottle has saved me from having to buy overpriced bottled water dozens of times over.
Another one is my bike. I bought a used Marin Muirwoods commuter bike from a local co-op and it’s saved from having to drive to any place less than a few miles away, like the gym. Less gas burned and wear & tear on my car. Plus it’s fun cruising around and is great exercise.
