Impulse buys are bad, we all know, but what was an impulse buy that proven to be a really good decision to you?

Bidet hands down no question. The world is missing out.

I was in Hong Kong and after a glorious day sightseeing and walking around it suddenly started to thunder. Rain everywhere. No shelter in sight. People slipping down the stairs running through the streets. Cars splashing puddles everywhere. Bus and tram stops full of people trying to avoid the rain. I quickly ducked into a department store before I was fully soaked but thought, "fuck I have another twenty minutes walk to get back to the hotel". So I looked around the store for a few minutes and found the accessory section where they keep the umbrellas. Perfect! This was going to be the best impulse buy of my life.

I picked up a designer leather belt that I had been searching years for online. There it was, right in front of me, at a decent price. So I bought it.

A house. It was 2017 and I wanted a place to getaway to in the weekends. Went to look at one and didn’t like it, but there was another nearby that I looked at and called up a realtor to represent me.

A month later I was a homeowner with a low interest loan.

2017-2019 was rough as I was paying for a mortgage and rent.

Housing costs then exploded, I moved into it full time for COVID, refinanced for an even lower interest rate.

No One Lives Forever

I bought it right after it was released and I don't know why. I'd usually only pay full price for a game if I had obsessed for months over it. It ended up being a favourite game of mine.

Aldi rice cooker. $18 and the most used tool in the kitchen

A cheap Chinese bluetooth speaker. I bought it due to its great price without any specific idea how to utilize it. Years later I ended up in relatively cramped conditions without the hi-fi equipment I used previously, using this bluetooth speaker as my main audio device for long months.

Moving to California Bay Area. Decision literally happened in about three hours.

A cat. In line at the pet store for kitty litter and saw a literal pile of kittens near the check out. Turns out that the local shelter was having an adoption day and my partner found a black cat that immediately nuzzled into her shoulder and the little kitten motor purred so loud it sounded like snoring. They bonded in that moment and have been best friends for the last 14 years.

I'm not normally a junk food guy, but I bought these just because the color scheme appealed to me, and they were the best Cheetos I've ever had: Cheetos Flamin' Hot Tangy Chili Fusion.

I bought Minecraft on an impulse. I'd heard people talking about it but didn't know much. Looked it up, and it was going to enter Beta in twenty minutes. Bought it on the spot, installed it the next morning, have logged untold thousands of hours ever since.

A bidet. Once you're comfy with it there is no going back.

Guitar. It's the most fulfilling hobby I've ever picked up. Music is in our genes, letting it out is a fantastic feeling.

I bought some professional art which was nearly £300. It's brought me so much joy 😊

Girl I was dating liked Resident evil games. I bought a GameCube because 4 was an exclusive. It became my favourite game and console of all time.

Then I got put on anti anxiety meds that gave me awful insomnia, so id be playing games like Starfox Adventures all night.

"I should probably buy another box of nitrile gloves." excellent decision.

I bought a weight set, barbell and dumbells on impulse because it was really cheap at a local flea market and I use it every day and am in the best shape of my life now

I picked up a $10 cane at random last year and it helped me walk enough to realize there was a chronic issue at play. Definitely worth trying if it seems like something that might help, worst case you have a walking stick.

Bedding. I stayed at a hotel in Baltimore earlier this year and I loved the pillows so much a bought a set as soon as i got home. They weren't cheap and I didn't need them. But wow my bed is so cozy and comfy now.

A can of white lithium aerosol grease with a spray nozzle. Squeaky doors, drawers, and stuck locks can no longer hide!

Getting the lemon poppyseed scones at Fresh Market yesterday

The more affordable soundcore version of those Bose clip on ear headphones. I thought they looked cool when I saw one of my colleagues come into work with them so I ordered them that same day. I now have two pair, bought my girlfriend a pair, and can't think of how I lived my life with headphones actually going into my ear lol.

Link for clarity.

Edit: *lived not loved lol gotta love autocorrect

A car. I was planning to buy a house but my old car annoyed me so much I bought a new one on the next day. Two weeks after, my team lead let me know that I was lucky I didn’t buy a house since the company was going under

OLED gaming monitor. After I got it I was like "well, this is great and my TV is redundant" so I sold my TV and made a profit

Bought a Hyper X headset when I was drunk one time. Solid purchase, still have it 8 years later. Only stopped using it because I wanted wireless.

A house back in 2017. I really had no business buying a house, financially speaking, but I was getting fed up with renting land under a trailer I owned. They kept raising the price significantly every single year. Turned out to be a great decision since I was able to get a good interest rate and a good price. Of course there are downsides, like when the water heater flooded my bottom floor. Still worth it though.

I impulse bought a kinda fancy, huge dish drying rack at the beginning of March 2020. It was a little pricey. And seemed larger than I’d ever need since I had a dishwasher. But it was there, and it was so convenient to not go to another store. Pandemic commenced, dishwasher broke, appliance shortages. Big old dish rack saved my sanity. I don’t think I’ve made a good impulse buy since

There were games on sale I bought on impulse that I’ve dumped plenty of hours into.

Super Mario Odyssey - bought it while I was waiting for Tears of the Kingdom to release, replayed it at least three times. Same with Mario + Rabbids.

Lots of indie games - Slime Rancher, Cat Quest II, both Cattails games, Sprout Valley. All in the replay pile and some of my favorites.

Got my money’s worth and then some, plus I wouldn’t have given them a chance if I was hesitant ¯_(ツ)_/¯

My car. I got it right before the prices went haywire, 3 years ago. Currently I can sell it for more than I paid for it new.

dinner at local chinese buffet it was soooo yummy

Barbeque, one summer day when it seemed perfect to have a barbeque. We were both like "this will be a fad" but it's been used SO much over the years.

There was a small amount of thought put into it, but my official refurbished Steam Deck. Fairly impulsive of me to have gotten it. Love it.

Also, if you look at the majority of the stuffed animals in my room besides a couple, they're kinda impulse buys and a couple of them have been amazing because I can just cuddle with them while watching videos on my phone in bed or hug them when I'm excited or stressed or bored or whatever I'm feeling. They make for great companions for me.

I spent $3500, which I did not have at the time, to buy the vision pro. I really suffered trying to make up for spending so much money that I do not have. However, I knew it was a dumbass decision. But I still sent it because I know everything works out in the end. If I could go back in time, id buy it again. Between entertainment and my work flow I love using it. Though I primarily use it for work. As someone with severe and violent adhd it helps me stay focused very well

PC upgrades, I was labouring along with my 15yo desktop for too long, one day I thought it was time to treat myself, it runs so much cooler and with less wasted power.

Koss PortaPro headset. Always wanted one as a kid, saw them again and bought them.

Lockpicks. One day the bathroom door somehow locked from the inside without anyone in there, and I really needed to pee. Really came in handy. Turns out you could just use a flathead screwdriver, there wasn't an actual lock cylinder, but don't take this from me!

A Tilley hat.

I'd been wanting to give sampling a shot for a while, so I bought an EP-1320 Medieval. It was a sizable adjustment from "traditional" music making, but I've been having a ton of fun!

I got my tongue split on impulse about 8 years ago. Zero regrets, turns out it's very handy to have as a sideshow performer

Terraria, btd6(twice)

3L glass of pickled cucumbers, an electric lantern, oversized terrycloth towel

No, I am not ready to take a picture of what you have in mind.

My robot vacuum. I have named him Lenny. As is tradition with all non real creatures.

My floors are now clean. And I don't need to sweep. As much. My days are changed.

I bought a collection of Dreamcast bits, Sonic Adventure and Powerstone (yes I know they're easy to pirate, but the ✨vibes✨) a while back on a whim without owning the console and now I've got a whole setup with a CRT. Living the retro dream(cast).

I was shopping for a new vacuum cleaner when a saw a portable carpet cleaner. Basically a vacuum with a precision nozel bolted to a water sprayer. It has been a complete game danger for cleaning up the mess my cats would sometimes leave. Although it is still not as effective as the course of dewormer their vet prescribed.

A Les Paul Studio, and a good amp and cab ( H&K Grandmeister 40 paired with a Mesa 2x12). Went in the shop to buy new drum sticks for my son, walked out with about 4 grand worth of gear. Never regretted it. It's glorious!

Bought a pair of Rab Torque pants on my way to meet up with a buddy before a Roadtrip.

That’s around 5 years ago and those pants are still going strong after hours on the climbing wall, at crags, on the trail, an ice climbing trip, shoveling snow, on stroller walks etc. only real damage is a hole from snagging on a crampon that’s since been fixed.

I like these pants.

I had been working for only a few months at my first job and it was the first time I could buy a desktop PC without very tight budget constraints. So I thought I'd look for a more midrange GPU for once. I wasn't convinced it would be worth it but I said fuck it what's the point of working and making money if I'm scared to spend it on something I want? So I bought an AMD Radeon 5700XT for ~400€ sometime around Christmas 2019. If you've been following PC hardware prices in the COVID era you know I'm extremely happy with my decision.

My last mech he keyboard.... God I love that thing

Nuphy HE Field75

Random african bag for $3

Some shorts with my favourite number on them I got from Kmart for like twelve bucks. That was eight years or so ago, they still have my favourite number on them.

I don't really impulse buy...anything. Anticipation is a true pleasure, gotta milk that for all it's worth!

Kunitsu-Gami. Never heard of it before, never even saw an add, just popped up on the storefront one day. I fucking loved that game.

Also, PSP. My friend at the time was able to "adjust" it and I love/loved it.