The Best Long-Lasting Purchases That People Swear By: 50 Products That Are Worth The Investment
Interview With Author
In our consumerist society, our minds are always looking for something to spend our money on.
Whether we need it or not, it’s here, it’s half-price, it’s the last one available. We make a purchase and get a quick dopamine release only to realize whatever we just bought is a questionable, often poorly made, and short-lived deal we won’t get far with. A couple of months, at best.
But the corner of Reddit known as “Buy It For Life” shows that not everything is meant to stack up in the landfills that are already polluting our planet. On the contrary, some things, like that baby crib in which you spend your first years in this world, or your dad’s belt you'll never remember him without, are meant to last what seems like forever.
Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting examples of things people bought for life, so scroll down. And after you’re done, be sure to check out our previous features (here, here, and here) with more posts from “Buy It For Life.”
This post may include affiliate links.
Old Wooden Furniture Lasts Many Lifetimes
This Cradle was used by my grandfather and his 5 siblings 115 years ago. Then my father and his 5 siblings. Then me, my two brothers and 13 of my cousins. And lastly many of my cousins children and here, my third child
My Wife Isn’t A Jewelry Person But Loves To Cook. I Wanted A Forever Gift For Our Engagement So I Got Her These. I Get Them Sharpened For Our Anniversaries. Today Makes Ten Years
That is a really lovely gift. She thinks about you every time she cooks, and she curses you, when she cuts herself.
Authentic 1910 Singer Sewing Machine Inherited From My Great Grandmother. Still Works
Bored Panda reached out to the moderator of the Buy It For Life subreddit, who goes as Robot_ninja_pirate on Reddit, to talk about their awesome community that unites 1.4M people who share practical, durable and quality-made products made to last. Created back in 2011, the group is more than a decade old, but has managed to stay as relevant as ever.
With the world turning towards a more sustainable way of living, and people rethinking their values about consumerism and spending, Buy It For Life (BIFL) stands as a strong community with an important mission.
Bought Those Haglöfs Boots On My 18th Birthday. This Week I Celebrated My 50th Birthday
I Have Bought So Many Beanies In My Life That All Eventually Rip But This Pokémon Beanie Has Been A Regular Wear Since I Was 3
It has no rips or discoloration. They don’t make them like they used to.
Vitantonio Pizzelle Iron (Italian Cookie Maker) From The 70s Or 80s
The moderator Robot_ninja_pirate believes that the BIFL community sits at an odd crossroads for these [sustainability] trends. “On one hand, we want to promote sustainability and buying higher-quality products, which means buying things less often.”
“But since we have 1.4 million subscribers, it means new people are sharing new products every day. The products that many people never knew existed and might then want to go out and buy. It can almost conflict with the point,” the moderator explained.
Since I Saw The Other Old Stove, Thought I’d Post Mine
I Brought A 1920s Perfection Heater Back To Life. Now It's Ready To Last Another Few Lifetimes. It Will Be Mostly A Display Piece Now, But It Does Still Work And Will Be Handy As An Emergency Heat Source
1934 Chicago Mansion Still Has Its Original Jewett Custom Built-In Refrigerator
Moreover, the moderator explained that they “have to be quite vigilant to promote grassroots efforts from the real users sharing items with real-world use. But advertisers see this as an easy place to advertise their products and pretend to be real users.”
When asked whether the moderator sees any signs of the cost of living crisis in the community, the Redditor said that “it has certainly made people become aware of their purchasing habits and what is and isn't frivolous spending as budgets get tighter.”
1956 Frigidaire Range
I Heard We Were Posting Vintage Cast Iron
World's First Automatic Coffee Machine. 1952. Been In The Family For 70 Years. Still Works Perfectly
“However, it might also cause people to have to skimp on things and really evaluate what truly is BIFL and what they are just overspending on. Channels like Project Farm, for example, do an excellent job showing where spending more money does not always mean a better product,” the moderator said.
He added that he worries “about BIFL becoming trendy and that people will hop on the bandwagon and then jump off when it's not as current anymore rather than committing to the ideology (an extreme example, but think like the miniature pig trend for a few years).”
Since We Are Doing Clocks. Here Is Mine From The 90s
I begged my parents for one of these as a child, got told Santa "struggled to find the parts to make it in the UK" guessing it was hard to find in the Uk that year (which how I never questioned why he couldn't make it in his shop in the North Pole I don't know) I'm now going to send this to my parents to show them it would have been a worthwhile investment!
My sister had this alarm clock when we wre kids and I was so jealous!
Had a love/hate relationship with the alarm: the bugle part always shocked me out of bed!
My sister had this alarm clock growing up. And we found it one day years later. Still working. Wonder what ever happened to it
My Grandfather's Laundry Bag From Ww2. I've Been Using It For The Last 15 Years Or So And I Used It Through My Military Career Too
Does My 1993 Volvo 240 Count? Odometer Broke A Few Years Ago At 346k. Runs Like A Champ Still
BIFL had a large influx of new users at the start of this year (throughout Jan and Feb) but the moderator said that it has normalized to its regular growth rate again this month. “We let our community sort of dictate the flow of the subreddit rather than us, however, we are always looking for feedback and how we can improve the subreddit if your readers think we could be doing something better,” Robot_ninja_pirate concluded.
My Wife's Whirley-Pop That Her Grandmother Used. Still Makes Perfect Popcorn Every Time
Greek Tortoise. A Little Pricey At ~200-500$ But Will Last You Around 125 Years If Well Cared For
This Camera Has Been Going Strong Since The 1960s - Everything Still Works Flawlessly
I Refurbished A Henry! These Things Are Indestructible
Bolesławiec Pottery/ Polish Pottery. The Left One Is 50+ Years From My Grandma. The Right One I Got For Christmas. Still The Same Design! Even Found A Replacement Lid For My Teapot That Was Broken 20 Years Ago
My sister and I have some of these. We each took some of our mom's collection after she passed. They are gorgeous and well made for sure!
L.l. Bean Duck Boots From 1939
Fellow Teachers Need A New Stapler Every Couple Of Years, But My Ace Pilot 404 Endureth Forever!
1936 Ge Quiet Blade Fan
Elegant classic ... I guess from a time when people didn't need to be told not to stick their fingers in moving blades...
44 Years Old And Still Going Strong
My Mom’s 1982 Ge Toaster. Same Age As Me. Used Every Day
My Bike Just Turned 28 Years Young. I Still Ride It To Work Every Day, Rain Or Shine
Just Picked This Baby Up. With A Little Work This Thing Will Outlast Me. 185j 1954
Looks like the Singer I learned to sew on in 7th grade Home Ec class. 1972-1973. Exactly the same green color too.
My Dad Wore This Watch Daily For 44 Years
I Inherited This Blender From My Grandmother. I Have No Idea How Old It Is. Still Runs Like A Top Though
My mother still has her mid 60s Kenwood, a few chips from all the moves, but works perfectly
This 1985 Spirit Of St Louis Field Radio That I Got From My Grandpa
This Scissors, Over 50 Years, Belonged To My Grandmother. No Idea The Brand Tho
Was Handed Down My Late Uncle's 80s Stand Mixer, Still Works Like A Dream
It’s no wonder the design hasn’t changed much - hard to improve on such a great piece of hardware
18 Years Later, Thinking This Catfish Will Out Live Me
My 2001 First Gen Ipod, Still Going Strong
the good old times, when apple made durable applications with a great design, for a respectable price
My Mom’s Tupperware Brand Pickling Container Used Continuously Since 1979. This Thing Is A Beast
This exact one is currently in my mom’s fridge, been happily keeping her favorite condiment fresh since before I was alive!
Fender Stratocaster - A True Buy It For Life
My Mom Gave Me This Mini Oven 30 Years Ago. It’s From The 60s. I Can’t Count How Many Times I’ve Used It. It Now Lives In My Rv, And Is Definitely My Favorite Appliance!
My Dad Was Gifted This Radio When He Was 13, Still Uses It During His Morning Shower Every Day
My Dad Is So Excited About Having His Carhartt For More Than 20 Years Now!
Japanese Scissors. Daily Use For 7 Years. Inherited From My Late Grandpa. Carbon Steel - Bluish Tint
Finally Did Some Retail Therapy. $80 At Walmart. Told My Mom That These Would Outlast Her, And Me, And Anyone Else Who's Going To Get These
My Rival Crock Pot 3150. 50-Ish Years Old And Still Cooking Family Dinners Without A Hitch
Hand Me Down Name Tag Trail On This Child’s Jacket
Ray-O-Vac Sportsman Red Flasher Lantern Circa '72
My Son’s Towel Is An Heirloom
Solar Calculator Bought Circa 1985. Needs Brighter Light Now, Otherwise Works Perfectly, Even In Hexadecimal
"The Longest-Lived Micrometer Than Can Be Bought." J.t. Slocomb Micrometers And Stand, All Fully Restored By Myself. Each Mic Is Between 70-120 Years Old, And They're All Still Accurate
Got This Backpack When I Started High School In 1997
That backpack was allll the rage in 1997. You were a nobody if your didn’t have that leather bottom hanging low, bouncing against your butt 😂 memories
I’ve Had This Texas Instruments Scientific Calculator Since 6th Grade, It’s Now Getting Me Through Finals In My First Semester Of College
My Old Sony Mp3 Walkman From 2008 Still Works And Is Filled To The Brim With 00s Greatest Hits
Note: this post originally had 83 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Planned obsolescence is one of the biggest root causes and issues of the climate and environmental crisis we're. This is a good reminder that things breaking after a few years or less is a manufacturing choice, costing people incredible amounts of money and destroying our planet
My awesome grandpa got us a North Face VE25 tent for a wedding present. 32 years later, still take it camping and backpacking regularly. It's holding up much better than my back! DSCN5253-6...8c9dce.jpg 
My dad still uses his John Deere 430 circa 1984. I've done some work on it, but most of the parts are original. Nothing Runs like a Deere.
My 40 year old Zippo. Has had two hinge pins replaced free by the factory.
I have a very good chef's knife that I bought as a university student. French. 53 years old. Used every day. Handle fixed multiple times.
Still have a clock radio from the 80's that's still going strong. My aunt has an ancient microwave from possibly the 70s that still works.
My backup car is an old Ford Crown Victoria LTD. It can sit for two years (not recommended) and when any of my newer vehicles don't agree with their computers the old thing fires right up and drives away. I have literally fixed it with a hammer. It has a 351ci motor and my new V6 truck full of electrical made to be more efficient gets the same milage. The big car is far more comfortable with velvet seats as well.
We've got our own little treasure from the past that will not die: an O'keefe and Merritt double oven from 1978. It is rock-solid!
My mom gave me a Lady Remmington electric razor for my 13th birthday. It will be 30 years old this year. Still works perfectly and haven't ever needed to replace the blade.
I have le cruset cookware from the 1960's that I use every day, a singer sewing machine from 1915 and my violin that's about 140 years old. I love that I get to use and enjoy things like my silver teaser dated 1912 that have passed through many hands.
My laptop is about 13 years old. Apple MBP. Upgraded the HDD to SSD, put in more RAM, replaced DVDR with SSD, beautiful, still works fine.
I have my Asus laptop i bought when my first child was born. He's 15. Still works, but i use it for simple things, as it's a bit on the slow side
Load More Replies...
I have jockey underwear that's lasted me 8 years and 6 years of 8 was while living in the jungle.
Not one Malt machine? Dang, I'm disappointed. I have 2 from 1940s, both still making fresh malteds and shakes.
Wasn't my purchase. My grandma got a knife in the late 1930s when she married. Made of one piece of steel. It remains the best knife in 2023. Now THAT was made to last. Pretty sure my cousin's kid will be using it when the day comes to pass it down.
I still have my Sony stereo that I got when I was nine. It's a radio, CD and cassette player and still works like new. I have had this thing for 27 years and counting. Also, my parents still have a toaster they got as a wedding present when they married in 1978. The toaster is from the mid-to-late 1940's and it's still used daily. I also have my great grandmother's dresser and vanity set that also includes a curio cabinet. The entire set is probably over 110 years old and still being used. The finish definitely has some dings and scratches in it by now, but overall they still look fantastic.
Currently typing on a 15-18 year old HP pavilion g-series laptop (don't exactly remember the date, got it as a gift). They don't make them like this any more - it's 17 inch, but doesn't have a 10-key - which I don't need or like - and as a result, the trackpad is in the center. And has right and left buttons below it, unlike many/most current models.
When I was a child in the 50s my mom used the same Easter basket every year. Then when I had a child in the 80s I began using it for her. This April I'll use the same basket for my granddaughter. And we don't even celebrate Easter!
My Kenmore mini refrigerator I bought in 1979 just died. I am heart broken.
I'm using an electric rice cooker and stove top non electric pressure cooker that we got in 1967. Still using most of my stainless steel pots and pans from the same year, with a few replacement pieces because a handle broke or the lid gave up the ghost. 56 years old all. The pots that lost their handles have been used as dog food and water dishes since. I have the bottom halves of pyrex casseroles same vintage but the lids broke years ago. The bowls are clouded but still useful when cooking to hold things. Two are white with turquoise patterns so nice as decorative bowls. Still using some pillow cases I embroidered in 1964. And a candlewick aka chenille bedspread from the same year. They don't make them like they used to isn't overused, it's true. I could have added more to the list but I'll run out of space. 😊 One more, wind up teak framed table clock from 1964, keeps on ticking. Wedding present. 💖
I don't know about the ancient appliances though. Thriftyness is good for the planet, sure, but those must be energy slurpers... Someone has probably calculated what is most earth-friendly in these cases?
I feel like planned obsolescence sadly balances that out, environmentally speaking. Either use up a bunch of energy operating the old reliable things that last forever or keep replacing new, but sub par quality things that end up in our landfills. It would be great to have both benefits of longevity+energy efficiency, but we, unfortunately, don't.
Load More Replies... Planned obsolescence is one of the biggest root causes and issues of the climate and environmental crisis we're. This is a good reminder that things breaking after a few years or less is a manufacturing choice, costing people incredible amounts of money and destroying our planet
My awesome grandpa got us a North Face VE25 tent for a wedding present. 32 years later, still take it camping and backpacking regularly. It's holding up much better than my back! DSCN5253-6...8c9dce.jpg
My dad still uses his John Deere 430 circa 1984. I've done some work on it, but most of the parts are original. Nothing Runs like a Deere.
My 40 year old Zippo. Has had two hinge pins replaced free by the factory.
I have a very good chef's knife that I bought as a university student. French. 53 years old. Used every day. Handle fixed multiple times.
Still have a clock radio from the 80's that's still going strong. My aunt has an ancient microwave from possibly the 70s that still works.
My backup car is an old Ford Crown Victoria LTD. It can sit for two years (not recommended) and when any of my newer vehicles don't agree with their computers the old thing fires right up and drives away. I have literally fixed it with a hammer. It has a 351ci motor and my new V6 truck full of electrical made to be more efficient gets the same milage. The big car is far more comfortable with velvet seats as well.
We've got our own little treasure from the past that will not die: an O'keefe and Merritt double oven from 1978. It is rock-solid!
My mom gave me a Lady Remmington electric razor for my 13th birthday. It will be 30 years old this year. Still works perfectly and haven't ever needed to replace the blade.
I have le cruset cookware from the 1960's that I use every day, a singer sewing machine from 1915 and my violin that's about 140 years old. I love that I get to use and enjoy things like my silver teaser dated 1912 that have passed through many hands.
My laptop is about 13 years old. Apple MBP. Upgraded the HDD to SSD, put in more RAM, replaced DVDR with SSD, beautiful, still works fine.
I have my Asus laptop i bought when my first child was born. He's 15. Still works, but i use it for simple things, as it's a bit on the slow side
Load More Replies... I have jockey underwear that's lasted me 8 years and 6 years of 8 was while living in the jungle.
Not one Malt machine? Dang, I'm disappointed. I have 2 from 1940s, both still making fresh malteds and shakes.
Wasn't my purchase. My grandma got a knife in the late 1930s when she married. Made of one piece of steel. It remains the best knife in 2023. Now THAT was made to last. Pretty sure my cousin's kid will be using it when the day comes to pass it down.
I still have my Sony stereo that I got when I was nine. It's a radio, CD and cassette player and still works like new. I have had this thing for 27 years and counting. Also, my parents still have a toaster they got as a wedding present when they married in 1978. The toaster is from the mid-to-late 1940's and it's still used daily. I also have my great grandmother's dresser and vanity set that also includes a curio cabinet. The entire set is probably over 110 years old and still being used. The finish definitely has some dings and scratches in it by now, but overall they still look fantastic.
Currently typing on a 15-18 year old HP pavilion g-series laptop (don't exactly remember the date, got it as a gift). They don't make them like this any more - it's 17 inch, but doesn't have a 10-key - which I don't need or like - and as a result, the trackpad is in the center. And has right and left buttons below it, unlike many/most current models.
When I was a child in the 50s my mom used the same Easter basket every year. Then when I had a child in the 80s I began using it for her. This April I'll use the same basket for my granddaughter. And we don't even celebrate Easter!
My Kenmore mini refrigerator I bought in 1979 just died. I am heart broken.
I'm using an electric rice cooker and stove top non electric pressure cooker that we got in 1967. Still using most of my stainless steel pots and pans from the same year, with a few replacement pieces because a handle broke or the lid gave up the ghost. 56 years old all. The pots that lost their handles have been used as dog food and water dishes since. I have the bottom halves of pyrex casseroles same vintage but the lids broke years ago. The bowls are clouded but still useful when cooking to hold things. Two are white with turquoise patterns so nice as decorative bowls. Still using some pillow cases I embroidered in 1964. And a candlewick aka chenille bedspread from the same year. They don't make them like they used to isn't overused, it's true. I could have added more to the list but I'll run out of space. 😊 One more, wind up teak framed table clock from 1964, keeps on ticking. Wedding present. 💖
I don't know about the ancient appliances though. Thriftyness is good for the planet, sure, but those must be energy slurpers... Someone has probably calculated what is most earth-friendly in these cases?
I feel like planned obsolescence sadly balances that out, environmentally speaking. Either use up a bunch of energy operating the old reliable things that last forever or keep replacing new, but sub par quality things that end up in our landfills. It would be great to have both benefits of longevity+energy efficiency, but we, unfortunately, don't.
Load More Replies...