To ask what the best money you ever spent was?

[ILoveBray]

I was using my hair straighteners today, and realised that it's been 15 years since I purchased them. They are GHDs and I bought them in 2004. Used almost daily and they were £100. At the time I thought this was quite expensive. But working out cost per usage it's pretty amazing! They're still going strong.

What was the best money you ever spent on something and why?

I asked a friend, and she said it was the registration fee on a dating site, as she is now married with 2 children

Menstrual cup
Pitrok deodorant
Bean to cup coffee machine
Heat pump tumble dryer
Dishwasher
Amazon fire stick
Miele washing machine
Parlux hairdryer (gave it away when bought a £300 dyson and then swapped it back)
House deposit

I'm hoping my new shark hoover (hated the dyson handheld and it cost me £350. It finally died a death last week)

Which? Membership. Most of the things I've bought have been best buys after falling for fake reviews online and being disappointed, I learnt my lesson!

My bed.
And my cleaner.

Thinking about it, probably my taxes.

Powerblock dumbbells.

Weight training changed my life.

50p on my son's top and tail bath. Used it nearly every day for the last year

Not my money, but a gift of a £25 tennis lesson to get me back into playing. That was three years ago and I've become fitter, more active and have loads of new friends.

Paying off all my (our) debts when I split with my ex. It meant I started over completely afresh, which was a wonderful feeling. (Okay, one or two things came up afterwards, but I was in a position to handle it.)

My pets without a doubt (we have a lot of them 😂) Collectively they must have cost thousands over the years including all the vets bills 🤦🏼‍♀️ but honestly worth every penny. They bring so much happiness, routine and love into my life that I couldn’t live without them.

I paid for a hire van to move my ex and all his stuff out, plus half his deposit for a flat. We'd split months before, he was seeing someone else who he'd now got pregnant and he was still claiming he was too skint to move out (hadn't paid a penny towards my house while he lived there either). Best money I ever spent

My wood burner!! I hug it on a regular basis

Either my adoption fee for my cat or buying my car. Everyone told me not to spend as much money on my first car but I did, it's now 3 years in and still worth it. I love my car!

Money spent on a councillor which gave me the personal strength to ditch my controlling husband and move back home (we were living abroad) with the kids. Ex-h decided to stay there.
Me and the kids are so much happier, calmer and generally better. Me and ex-h even get on better when he comes over to see them and it was genuinely the best thing I have ever done. The last 20 months of my life have the been the happiest for a long time. I knew I was unhappy but I didn't realise quite how bad it had got until the source of it was only around sporadically.

And on an ongoing basis? Decent Wifi. I’m probably not on the cheapest plan, but we all use it every day, we all stream, the dc game, and I can’t imagine not having it.

Our motorhome. We bought it nearly new in 2007 and it's given us so many weeks of pleasure visiting countries and places with our then growing family that we'd not have been able to afford paying for hotels, etc. It's showing its age now (as are we!) but we've never regretted scrimping for the money it cost us.

OP I saw the thread title and came on to say my GHDs! Bought in 2003 with Christmas and birthday money and still going strong. Transformed my life as a teenager from frizzy mess to something approaching cool. Still use them every day!

@ILoveBray I also have had my GHDs 10+ years. My first boyfriend bought them for me for my 18th birthday and I am now over 30.

I've been waiting for them to die so I can replace with more modern ones but they're still going strong!

Also, do you love Bray as in Bray, Maidenhead, home of the Fat Duck?

Lots of people saying their GHDs too!

HarrietM87 Wow, 2003.....Yours are doing even better than mine!

Wedgiecar58 That was a nice boyfriend you had! I have heard that modern GHDs aren't as effective or powerful as older models due to regulations restricting the maximum temperature they can reach. If this is true, I'll be a bit stuck once mine finally give up.

Re my username, it's referencing a very dishy character in a TV show called The Tribe which I used to watch about 20 years ago. Nothing to do with The Fat Duck, although I have always wanted to go!

My daughters education. From reception to uni and on. A lot of money but worth every single penny of it.

Aveda products. The smell is incredible and I feel a gazillion quid every time I use them.

Yoga. I've been practising for 18 years, and I never stop learning or appreciating my body during the classes.

Bloody fabulous tread OP. It's brought me all the joy and cost me zero ££'s.

gustofwind

Bloody fabulous tread OP. It's brought me all the joy and cost me zero ££'s.

Happy to help!

It's been so lovely to read people's responses and see that some of the smallest least expensive things can give the most happiness.

@Furryslipper boots - various things. Not sleeping in our room, using a sleeping bag. No crying it out involved, we used a 'gradual retreat' method and first night she slept 12 hours broken by one feed halfway through, we could not believe it!

My horse, she costs me a fortune but is worth every penny. Buying her was a lifelong ambition fulfilled and hugely exciting/stressful/nerve wracking.

She makes me so happy and we have so much fun together. No other purchase I have made has ever plastered such a big cheesy grin on my face! Whether it is galloping at top speed, or just the lovely velvety softness of her muzzle when she nuzzles me goodnight she makes my heart sing!

I spent £18k on an MBA with the Open University - massively paid off.

LASIK. Wake up, open eyes, see clearly. Bloody marvellous. 2k well spent

Remington hairdryer bought July 1998 before heading to Uni. Still going strong.