Cliff notes: I fancy myself as an amateur wood worker. I've built some ok things (entertainment center, subwoofer enclosures, jelly cabinet for my wife, etc) and made due with a good ol' Home Depot table saw, a dremel, some other random tools. But, a few years ago my wife's uncle (who is approaching 80) decided to sell his woodworking equipment. He made me a deal I just couldn't pass up on a Shopsmith Mark V, a Shopsmith band saw, and a Shopsmith belt sander. For those of you who don't know what the hell that is, here's the basics on a Shopsmith: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.shopsmith.com/markvsite/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.shopsmith.com/markvsite/index.htm</a> Now, mine is an older model, but it has every damn attachment ever. Ever. Ev-er. Brand new, it's a $3000 machine. The attachments are probably another grand or so. The bandsaw is $500. The belt sander is $400. Basically, I got $6k worth of woodworking equipment for $1k. I bought it two years ago. Know how many times I've used it? Yep. Zero. First, I'm a bit intimidated by it: It's an amazing machine. Second, I just haven't wanted to bother. It's a lot easier to yank out my circular saw than drag that thing out, read the 300 page instruction manual, and get to work. However, he gave me some books with it, and there are some cool toys (like an all wooden hook and ladder fire truck, or wooden train) that I know I could build my kids, and they would hand down to their kids someday. But frankly, I just don't feel like breaking it out. Which pisses off the wife a bit. I can't turn around and sell them, but I just can't be bothered to use them. We do karate as a family. I went out and bought a leg stretching machine so I could increase my flexibility for kicking. After using it religiously for two weeks, it's down in the basement next to the Shopsmith. Focus: What have you bought because you just had to have it, but barely (if ever) use? What the fuck were you thinking?
A long time ago I spent some bucks on a computer that could do video editing. I edited like one video with it. Now you can buy a dongle for your computer for like $20 that will capture high def video off a camcorder and let you edit it. Sometimes I hate technology.
About 3 years ago I spent an obscene amount of money on a Gibson Les Paul custom. At the time I thought it was the epitome of guitar tone and quality and could not think of an objectively better guitar in existence. After maybe a month or so I started to change my opinion. I grew frustrated with its thick neck, how I have to change my hand position to play lead past the 14th fret and most surprisingly, how clean the tone was. Though I do love that guitar, the main reason I'm keeping hold of it is because it will always hold its value, and hopefully may be worth more in the future. Maybe my opinion of it will change along with my playing style, but for the moment playing mainly lead/metal, I'm more than happy with my SG.
I guess you can't really use baseball cards, but I bought tons and tons back in the day. I didn't even really care for baseball, I thought they'd appreciate in value. WRONG
I need a vacation. I want a vacation. I've already paid for the vacation, yet I'm still here instead of there. Maybe 2011 will be more forgiving.
I can't be the only one that used to buy boat loads of porn before it became readily available on the internet, can I? Hopefully I can sell it to a museum some day.
A Nintendo Wii. I really wanted to play Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros, so I dropped around $500 on the console, accessories and games. I've played Smash Bros 4 times. I almost never have people over, which is the whole purpose of having a Wii. I've played Wii Sports Resort with other people maybe 20 times, and half of those were w/ a fuck buddy at like 4am. I also own a 360 and PS3, but those get used maybe once per week each.
A few years back I bought an HD-DVD player. Dunno why. Never used the damn thing, luckily I managed to offload it on some poor sap for $10 less than I paid for it before everything went Blu-Ray. I dunno why the hell I even bought the thing. Another one was the BBQ that is currently sitting in my storage room. I live in an apartment that doesn't allow BBQs. Don't ask. The thing is still in its box, untouched.
I have a sewing machine but can't even figure out how to get the needle threaded and all that stuff. Sucker is complicated. I got a small case of notions along with it though, and taught myself how to do a basic stitch and sew on buttons. But the damn machine...I may never figure it out. Completely unrelated tangent; I bought the machine on Amazon, and it arrived about 12 hours later. Damn fast delivery.
I'm typing this on a MacBook Pro. Everything I've done on this thing in the last year probably could have been done just as easily on a computer that cost 75% less. But hey, at least the keyboard lights up, thats kinda cool.
God I spent 130 some bucks on one of those leather Franklin personal organizers thinking that with a big investment I'd be more willing to put time into something I desperately need help with anyway. This was after the whole blackberry/iphone revolution too. I even dropped 25 bucks on a Cross pen, I really do like the feel of their pens. I brought it home from the mall and my roommate's girl came in and recognized what it was, "Wow those things are nice... But... Awww sweetie you are never going to use that thing!" She was basically right. I took the thing to class, maybe three times. Said hell with the system of organization it used and went back to my usual totally unorganized life. It sat on my desk collecting dust and Ive carted it around to each place Ive moved. Fuck. I also inherited a shit ton of gun reloading equipment I have wanted to start using. Even being home without a damn job for a year after I graduated I never got past skimming through a few of the beginner manuals I have. Ive probably got 10 thousand bullets of various calibers waiting to be reloaded.
Re: I had to buy it! Now, how do you use it? I got married 10 years ago, and I barely even use her anymore.