The rental costs are high, pick-up and return are a pain (and risky to one’s back) and with the roto-tiller around, you can do it often enough (beginning of season several times, end of season to turn in some mulch (leaves and grass you saved)) to make the garden an incredible growing space. It even allowed us to extend the bed, and to create new flower beds (when we put up a fence later around the rest of the “main” yard and essentially blocked the spring daffodils in the woods).

I have to also agree with the Cuisinart, and would add:
a Kitchen-aid Mixer (decent size, which I think is middle size now – tho perhaps even industrial/restaurant size would be worth it for a larger family – perfect for kneading dough).

I would also second, third, and fourth the good (very costly) kitchen knives – have two I cannot live without.

….and then there is the “Onion chopper” from Pampered Chef. It does other things, but everyone who’s gotten one agrees that just for the ability to chop onions quickly and without the stinging tears, it’s worth it (was about $25 at the time).

I am glad to hear about the vacuum – I will look into that as I also am burning up a vacuum now (within 2 years) and have an Old English Sheepdog.

Airport Express can connect to a stereo via optical or a 3.5mm audio minijack. If your stereo has the red and white colored inputs, you should be able to use this cable.

I’ll also add — our annual passes to disneyland. For about the price of two days at Disney we got to go as much as we wanted during the year. The kids had a blast, and we didn’t have to feel rushed to try to do everything. Next time I’d add the prepaid parking onto one pass.

I agree on the Harmony Remote, Tivo, and Roomba also.

What I don’t agree on are the Bose headphones. Bose makes lousy quality stuff and charges a premium for it because they have brainwashed the public at large into believing that their equipment is first rate and better than competitors. Every double-blind test I have seen between Bose products and any other products has shown that Bose makes an inferior product for 2-3 times the price. Have fun with that. Consider this: Bose has made it “normal” for people to pay $350+ for a clock radio. Give me a break.

Lastly: hearing protection — I am never without my Earlove earplugs that offer flat response attenuation (so it sounds like someone turned down the volume rather than getting all “thuddy”). Earlove also makes what is essentially an earplug that doubles as a headphone. This means that rather than having all that technology to cancel out the noise, it just blocks it in the first place.

http://earlove.net/index1.html

vh: I don’t know. We have ours hooked up with an optical cable, which obviously wouldn’t work with an older receiver (and yes, it runs through the receiver). But I’m not sure if you can make it work with standard audio hookups.

1. don’t need it, maybe if I had a family 2. I always plan amazon purchases 3. may consider 4. don’t need 5.am considering buying a cheaper model.

My list – cleaning lady (didn’t get around yet, though, can easily afford but need to find someone I can trust), good opera/broadway tickets, Europe/Caribbean vacation, health club. DSL goes without saying as it enables me to work from home when I need to/want, cell for emergencies (cheapest service). My new HDTV.

tivo – what little we watch is on our time, not the networks so we miss nothing.

netfllix – same idea.

computer – entertainment, education, communication – does it all

1) Owning a trailer. That actually makes perfect sense. Thanks!!
2) Amazon is pretty much my one destination for shopping too, but I don’t think I buy enough books to justify the $80 fixed cost in shipping.
3) Check.
4) Check.
5) Seriously considering getting some. OTOH I don’t fly that often anymore.

If I may add…
6) A good casual goretex jacket
7) A pressure cooker

My things worth the money:

1. iPod–it’s the only thing that gets me through my gym workout.

2. Second on Dyson. I have 2 dogs and the Dyson has been terrific.

3. A good pair of tweezers. It’s an investment.

4. DSL or Broadband–I know people still using dial-up. Yikes.

5. Organic milk. I think regular milk tastes horrible. Some organic milk tastes horrible too (safeway and costco–yuck), but I like Trader Joe’s and Strauss’s Organic milk. Organic Valley is okay too. Horizon is hit and miss so I don’t drink it anymore.

2. Harmony Remote. This thing is the gadget of all gadgets. It’s programable to control nearly everything. We went from having a dozen remotes to just this one and it is easy enough even my in-laws can watch TV at our house. It currently controls not only the TV, Stereo, DVD, DVR, XBox, and our iMac w/ Front Row, it also changes all the inputs on the receiver for each activity. Worth every penny.

Those two items I would buy again in a heartbeat.

link

I do this already for my yard work. I can listen to books on my MP3 player while I mow the lawn without blowing out my ear drums. IN my opinion, a lawn mower is much louder than an airplane (though I’ve never flown on a turboprop).

I like my set-up but I might seek out a less conspicuous looking pair of headphones for travel (like the ones in the video clip). I don’t need to look like the ground crew outside on the tarmac.

Yes, I know it’s not fancy “active” noise-canceling, but if you’ve never put on a pair of these for working with loud power tools (saws, sanders, mowers, etc.) you don’t know just how much they silence things, even though they are “passive”. And for only $20 or so, they are much cheaper and probably perform as well, if not better, than the fancy ones.

I’ve got a 6′x12′ trailer and I agree they are a lifesaver, especially for those of us who can’t afford a huge, $20k truck. We recently helped some friends buy new mattresses from Sams, and without the trailer I don’t think they could have got them home.

5 out of 5 items I own as well and fully agree that they are worth the expense. Especially the netflix and amazon prime accounts.

My wife says that she’d give up cable before giving up the cleaning lady.

I’ll agree the covenience of a noise-free flight is worth the money, but those bose things are an extravagance.