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

My dog

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.

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.
- Ah yes I was about to do the same myself! And it turns out it's maybe the worst possible time for it!!

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 had radiant flooring piping explode so.. I feel you

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

Guitar. It's the most fulfilling hobby I've ever picked up. Music is in our genes, letting it out is a fantastic feeling.
- After playing guitar for many years, I impulse bought a bass and it's been a game changer. I found my instrument.

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.
- I assume youve been exposed to the mod scene?
  
  I played FTB in its glory days. Not sure what's good now, but I miss Thaumcraft and Xycraft.

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.

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 was really trying to rack my brain for this question but, you helped me.
  Mine is a pet too. A dog. I have a Dalmatian and there was one up for adoption at a local shelter.
  I went to meet him, and the shelter sort of pushed him into me right then. It was more expensive than it should have been also.
  In the end, I’m glad I brought him home. My first dog loves to wrestle with him and the shelter ended up getting shut down for violations with the state. I’m so happy he got a good home with me and didn’t get sent to who knows where when the shelter closed.
- Wow, glad it worked out! I'd say impulse buying a pet is usually not a good idea!
  But I see you already had cats? (Or you wanted kitty litter for... something else?) And adopting a shelter pet... worst that happens is it goes back to the shelter I guess! So maybe not so risky in your situation.
  
  We had one cat and didn't expect a second but it was a conversation that we had started and expected that maybe the first cat was alone and sad when we left for work (in the long ago era of 2013, a pre pandemic life). Given that the shelter was locally well respected we took a look and, yeah, it's risky but that's the nature of impulse purchases!

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).

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

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.

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.
- Alright hit me with the names
  
  Damn we are all snuggle bugs

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

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.

Bidet hands down no question. The world is missing out.
- I've had the same experience. I splurged a bit and got one with all the bells and whistles (warm water, heated seat, etc.). It's such a shockingly significant improvement to something I do daily. Couldn't imagine going without it now. I can't believe they're not more common.
  
  Yup. I'm going to get the full warm water, bells and whistles version.
- I feel so dirty when I come back to a country without bidets.
- I have been shopping for one for a while, but overwhelmed by how many brands and stuff there are. Is Toto the best choice? Or would an off brand be better value? There’s just so many options. (I do want all the bells and whistles, warm water and warm air, etc)

Steam deck. OLED. Linux. Not locked down to hell. Nuff said.
- I bought a Steam Deck with my first paycheck ever, and it was more expensive than my salary. Zero regrets.
- I am planning to buy a Deck when I can afford it. I've been a PC player all my life but this is going to be my way of supporting Valve for all the good things they have done for Linux gaming. I mostly play Paradox strategy games, so I'm not sure how that will work on the Deck without a mouse. But maybe Terraria and Stardew Valley might be playable using controller style keys.
  
  You're in luck, the deck runs those fairly well in my xp.
- Preach. I do couch gaming, so this machine is unbelievably nice.
  
  What games can one actually play on such console. I mean it surely can't run triple A games right?
- arent you locked down to Steam now? ie the games you buy are only through steam
  
  Nope. Runs Linux and there are launchers for pretty much all the other games stores. It's just a significantly smoother process for things you have in Steam because of the work Valve has done on Linux compatibility.
  
  You can pirate on the deck. It's like two extra steps compared to PC, but you can.
  If you're not a Linux weirdo there are subreddits and people have made it easy, though you do have to use desktop mode to download games afaik.
  If you're already a big linux weirdo, just ssh in and look at htop while playing any steam game in deck mode and figure out how the magic works yourself, trust me it's a lot of fun and the thing is really nice to explore because it's not locked down at all.

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.

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'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!

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!

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
- I saw your comment just after the "A cat." one, and did a double take!
  
  Well I also impulsively got a cat and he is awesome, albeit a pooper
- That's brutal. Did you get back on your feet?
  
  Well this happened a month ago, the situation is still uncertain but I’m in a better situation than my coworkers. If I had bought a house I would be fucked though

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.
- hong kong do be like that a lot of the time

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.
- Congrats!

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!

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.

Moving to California Bay Area. Decision literally happened in about three hours.
- If only I had the money I’d live and die in the PNW
  
  Do it! You can make $75k even just as a waiter here. I moved here from Colorado and will never leave.
  
  Take my place please, I want to back to Cali lol

Aldi rice cooker. $18 and the most used tool in the kitchen
- I opted for an automatic pressure cooker instead.
  You want to talk about most used kitchen appliance? It's a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sous vide machine, bread maker, pressure cooker, and induction cooktop, all in one!
- Mine is also my cheap £20 rice cooker. Found out I can make Quinoa in it recently and very happy

picked up this wacky thing at the thrift store while goofin around with the boiz, mainly to make them laugh. it's actually a really good phone holder that doubles as a dash mount for the rare occasion that I need to drive a car

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.

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.

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

Random african bag for $3

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.
- Oh fuck those are really good, but it's a toss up between those and the jalapeno cheddar ones for me.

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.

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

Getting the lemon poppyseed scones at Fresh Market yesterday

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
- You are literally the only person I've ever heard of who uses the vision pro after the first week
  
  if that was true then you should he able to buy a used one for dirt cheap.

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

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.
- Sadly, HP bought them in 2021 and the quality of HyperX is way worse! My old HyperX stuff is amazing. I've recorded audio professionally with the headset, used it for gaming and webinars, and love it.
  The newer versions of the same models are worse.
- I did the same, only I got the 2.4ghz wireless one, it's solid for shore

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

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
- The Soundcore C30i?
  Clip-ons are super cool, heaps of companies jumping on them now. I found the C30i super uncomfortable though, didn't flex enough. More like slide-ons.
  Some cool ones coming soon from other companies, will be heaps to choose from.
- Maybe I need to look into these, or something similar. I've tried all the earbuds: different sizes, compressible ones, stabilizing fins, "sport" designs, etc. Every single one falls out of my ears! Can't even imagine what it's like to just stick them in your ears for an extended period of time and not have to worry about them...
  
  Look up bone conduction headphones. I think Shox is the main brand. I bought them since I ride a bike a lot so earbuds would mess with my situational awareness. You hear everything around you which is the best and worst part about them.
  
  Yeah I get that. The clip type are pretty easy. I know the more expensive ones can be kind of wrapped over part of your ear which may be even better, these ones just go over your earlobe and they work for me but I could see how they could be too loose or tight for people
- can't think of how I lived my life with headphones actually going into my ear lol
  Do you mean that you find these more comfortable than traditional in-ear headphones?
  
  Yeah lol super comfortable. Also no ear infections this fall/winter lol
  
  I have the jlab version and they're comfortable enough, but they're pinching the side of your ear so they do get uncomfortable after a while. I still prefer them to standard earbuds, but I'm also prone to ear infections so...
  Keep in mind sound quality probably isn't quite on par with similar priced earbuds, but they're great for podcasts. +1 for these being a "glad I bought them" impulse buy.

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)_/¯
- For me that was dwarf fortress. Insane game bought on a whim!
- have you played super mario galaxy?
- I got a silly Dutch game called Wuppo: Definitive Edition on sale for £1 a few years ago. Not sure why I impulsively got it but I ended up loving it so much

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!~~

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
- Mine def. was not an impulse, mostly because I had to make an appointment several month in advance. Brian Decker travels, but it ended up being easier to go to NYC rather than wait for him to come near where I lived at the time.
- has it raised your dating prospects?
  
  I've been with the same partner for most of those years

Koss PortaPro headset. Always wanted one as a kid, saw them again and bought them.
- I love the porta pros. If they break you can replace the drivers with the koss ksc75, they're cheaper and sound slightly better imo and they clip right on to the porta pro headband.
  Also, I highly recommend replacing the stock ear pads with yaxi pads, they're super comfortable and definitely worth an extra $12 if you wear them a lot.
  
  Ty for the driver recommendation. Kid destroyed their pair almost instantly. Still dunno how.
  Yes, the pads were totally worth importing from Japan through Austria to Germany, and only a bit over $12 then!
- For me it's the Superlux HD681. Audiophile-quality sound for $25.
  The deep bass, neutral mids, and near-perfect imaging and sound staging makes them ideal for games, movies, and music. It has an excellent pinna-related transfer function, so everything sounds like it's coming from in front of you and all around, rather than inside your head. Like being surrounded by speakers. In games you can pinpoint sounds with millimeter precision. And since they're so cheap, they don't have to be babied; when they break you just buy another pair and go about your day.
  No joke, I've bought and returned $500 planar magnetic headphones that weren't as good as these. The only issue with them is that the highs can be a bit siblant, leading to harshness, but that can easily be EQed out or permanently fixed with a mod.
  Seriously, just go buy a pair. I mean everyone reading this, even if you're not an enthusiast. They're so cheap, it's all but impossible to regret it.
- The ones with the thin metal band that your hair always get caught in?
  I remember the sound being worth the pain. Good looking too.
  
  Yup, got not so much hair left now :-). Added some Xaxi pads for them, really worth the hassle getting.
- TY for the recommendation!

dinner at local chinese buffet it was soooo yummy
- Nothing like a succulent Chinese meal...
  
  RIP LEGEND 🙏

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.

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.