10 Things You Should Buy For Life

Stepping away from the vitriolic news of the day (namely anything that has to do with school shootings and Mueller/Manafort/Trump), lets look at things you should buy that will last a lifetime (plus be very useful in a SHTF situation).

1. Good knives.  You don't need to buy a $5000 chef's knife but something in the range of $100 plus is going to perform infinitely better than a $10 bargain bin knife.  Ditto a good pocket knife, a good serrated knife, and a good utility knife.
2. Cast iron pans.  These will last a lifetime, or several lifetimes if you take care of them well, and wear, um, like iron pardon the pun.
3. Good tools.  You don't need every tool ever made (I keep reminding myself of this when I step into a really good tool store with every tool ever made on display), but buying a high quality set of tools you can use for nearly everything (hammers, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, etc) is well worth the investment.
4. Items with a lifetime guarantee that generally last a really long time.  Sadly these items are becoming fewer and further between thanks to people who take advantage of such warranties, but there are several brands I choose over others simply because their products are made really well and they have lifetime warranties (like Darn Tough socks, Osprey backpacks, and several other companies).
5. Contigo insulated bottles.  These things never leak and can be dropped, kicked, and tossed and still not fail.  Plus they can keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours (I've tested it).
6. Guns.  Good guns not cheap crappy guns.  Brands I favor include Glock, Sig Sauer, and H & K as well as Remington, Weatherby, and Savage.  If taken care of these can be handed down to your kids and grandkids and will hold their value (or most likely increase in value in the coming years).
7. Quality shoes and clothing.  Since I don't really follow fashion, I tend to buy clothes and shoes that will last a good long time.  High quality shoes like Keen and Brooks are good for your feet plus last quite a while (the caveat is that if you run you will want to replace your running shoes about every 400-500 miles), wool socks, down jackets, quality rain jackets (Marmot and Patagonia are favorites)...basically brands known for their quality and clothes that won't wear or fray after a few washings.
8. The best quality tech you can afford then keep these items for a few years or more.  Unfortunately there is no such thing as buying tech "for life" but I think I am on year four with my Dell XPS and this small laptop shows no signs of stopping.  There are early adaptors who buy the latest tech as soon as it comes out just to be stylish or the first on their block to have a new tech item but if you buy good quality (Samsung IMHO, I'm not an Apple fan) with specs that aren't likely to be replaced anytime soon (i7, 512 SSD), these items can perform for more than a few years and be well worth your money.
9. Items that you use Every. Single. Day.  If you use your blender everyday, the astronomical price of a VitaMix or Blend Tec doesn't seem so unreasonable.  Ditto coffee/espresso makers, Kitchen Aid mixers, cameras that cost in the thousands, a $500 hard-wired dash cam if you are an Uber driver...basically if you will actually use the item instead of letting it sit on a shelf most of the time it is worth investing extra money for quality and ease of use.
10. Items that will pay you back many times over.  Over the air antennas if your area has many stations available (saves the cost of cable TV), a wood stove if you have a woodlot on your property, canning equipment if you grow a large garden, a Speed Queen washer, a high quality bicycle if you can use it for most of your transportation needs, a fire resistant gun safe instead of the cheap metal kind, etc.