Ask HN: What do you perceive as worth spending money on?

ditto on the craft beers and non-fiction books. I spend money going out with friends every weekend to have a great time. I guess it's just a gut feeling, if I believe something is worth the price, I'll spend the money on it. Sometimes I'm wrong and pay too much for something that's not that valuable, but other times I feel like I purchase things at a great price that offer me a lot

I think it’s worth spending money on travel, but the amount is determined by how long I have to stay in one place to afford a trip. If a trip to Europe means I have to save up for two years beforehand, chances are I’ll take it off my priority list in favour of less-costly trips that mean I can take time off my job every three or four months.

Other things I believe in spending money on include education (although I do think that my university fees are unfairly high), good food, make-up and shoes (makes a big difference to how I am treated by others, unfortunately), kitchenware that lasts forever, a laptop and phone that work without causing me to stress, and bright, colourful things that make me happy. I also like shiny things but the price is normally too high compared to how much I like them.

I've discovered that opting for higher quality foods (not gourmet or a 100% organic diet, just slightly better than spam/ramen) is well worth the results in regards to short term energy and health. Let alone long term health. I just feel better with fresher fruits and vegetables and quality grains and meats. I used to swear by ramen, but buying cut rate flour noodles and stock separately is nearly as cheap, and I'm noticeable healthier. GIGO for meatspace, essentially.

Rent - I need a great place to come back home to. Food - fresh, high quality food improves my life a lot. Car - my 30 30 square feet of personal space that I can transport to wherever I want.

Spend money on things you need. If you want it, and need it, w00t!

Travel. Going out with friends and dates. Fresh, locally raised food. A good pair of leather shoes.

Oh, and that copy of Snow Leopard required to grab the iOS SDK. =/

Good food, good neighborhood, books, hobbies. Or put another way - health, mental health, personal development, and fun.

1) Tools -- must have a high ratio of time or annoyance saved vs. cost. For example, quality kitchen tools that will make cooking easier every day for the next 20 years are worth spending a bit of money on.

2) Games/entertainment -- must give me a lot of hours of fun for a low hourly cost (like 50 cents an hour or better.) Video games that I'm going to play to death fall into this category; movies at the theater do not.

3) Family -- I'm willing to give up an awful lot of money so my son can grow up with his grandparents (and great grandparents) around, and so I can hang out with my brothers and sisters as they all grow up and start families.

1) Gifts for loved ones 2) Things that make my life easier 3) Things that bring me joy

Roughly in this order of priority ...

1) Technology - Quality speakers, nice monitors, computers, etc

2) Good pair of running shoes and a tennis racket

3) Food - Not often, but nice restaurants when I can

Other then that, I don't care as much about what I drive, what I live in, etc. I do care - but as long as I'm living in an interesting city I'll be fine.

For anything that you spend more than an hour per day doing, get the very best that your money can buy you. This probably includes

- your bed

- your desk setup if you work at one, including the chair

- food

- the people closest to you (roommates, family)

First, I really (really) enjoy spending money on other people, especially those important to me (friends and family). When it's a surprise it's even more fun! I love to see their face light up when they least expect. Great feeling.

Now, if we are talking about items for myself, not necessarily of great importance, I do indulge on certain things, but I have rules.

I have no problem spending money on well designed items that look, feel, and function properly with the quality I desire. Examples include Macbook Pro with Mac OS X, Apple Cinema Display, Water Field Designs Muzetto and I'll tell you why.

First, the Macbook Pro. I used to do Linux as my platform of choice, loved the whole idea of open source, freedom, the platform, the options, and it's abilities. However, I would spend countless hours gettings thing like sleep / hibernate working on my laptop, wireless card setup correctly, tweaking my Fluxbox settings, among other things. It got the point I started to really value my time spent working (this was before I actually had a career) and doing other things I enjoyed. I didn't have much desire to use Windows for my main system, so I grudgingly invested in my first Apple, a Macbook Pro v1. It was hotter than heck, but I loved it. Things worked! Wireless! Video! And most important to me was sleep and hibernate were flawless! it was amazing.

For the Apple Cinema Display, you wouldn't think it would be that big a deal, but it made my desk nearly clear of cables now and the extra power connector made it worth every cent. This is the 24". Since I have this nice display now, I had now qualms purchasing the 13" Macbook Pro this time with it's smaller screen (and price). I love the portability of this little guy and not having to take out the power supply and just keep it in my bag, pure luxury. The screen is gorgous too!. My other display is a Dell U2711, I have delegated it video games.

Finally, the bag, as many call it, a nearly $300 man purse, the Water Field Designs Muzetto (with sleeve of course). Quite simply the most beautiful bag I have ever owned or seen. I love it to death. It looks great, feels like a tank, is easy to just pick up and go. It gets a little cramped with my iPad, power supply, and Macbook Pro, but that's good otherwise I would jam it full of excess items. It forces me to travel lite. I got the cream. It attracts all sorts of people and I get comments almost everytime I'm out and about with it.

That got a little long, so I'll leave it at that.

Health insurance, and life insurance (I have dependents).

I personally enjoy collecting scientific gadgets that fascinate me like a child. I have an IR thermometer, pocket microscope (might get a USB one soon), range-finder, digital caliper (measuring the height of a piece of paper is surprisingly gratifying), altimiter, multimiter, scale (not as precise as I'd like [10mg]), and weather indicator.

Eventually, I want a collection capable of measuring any attribute of anything I come across. On my list: lightmeter, wetness-ometer, electron microscope (when I hit it big), soundmeter, and smelloscope.

For me my health (both physical and mental) is the most important thing so i spend money on things that make me healthier and happier.

Food: meals and snacks.

1) Books. A number of years ago when the startup I worked for got acquired my wife suggested that I go out and buy myself something nice to celebrate. After wandering around looking for something fun to buy and not finding anything that excited me I eventually bought myself a $10 book.

2) Things that save me time and make my life more convenient. Often this means services vs. products e.g. paying someone to do work around the house I don't want to do. I'm a sucker for convenience.

3) Good food. Because I love to eat.

4) Experiences e.g. travel. For some reason paying for something that will provide a lifetime of memories always seems worth it.

I'm not particularly price sensitive. If I perceive what I'm buying as worth it I'm happy to pay. For example, if I'm buying a steak at the butcher I'll pay more to get a really good ribeye vs. a cheaper cut.

In general I'd rather have less stuff but really enjoy what I have.

Books.

Still a fan of the dead-tree variety. It's not so much paper vs e-ink, more that every new book is a new physical object with its own size, shape, weight and (sometimes) smell.

I enjoy spending money on things that will help me make more money or save money. Home entertainment saves me from spending money out and good computer hardware helps me develop faster, dual monitors, test hardware all help me make money.

I have a real hard time buying stuff that doesn't fall into those two categories for myself.

Friends, food, travel.

I spent either money on good memorable experiences (dinners, traveling, friends etc), entertainment (movies, games) or investments in products/services which will earn back their value (books, courses, hosting etc)

1. experiences--vacations/trips 2. quality food 3. house/apartment 4. possessions I enjoy having nice things, but fewer of them. I like to spend my money on things that I imagine my grandkids would fight over. But really, I think vacations and memories are a much better investment in the long haul. I don't buy things unless I think it's something I will still want in another year, or hopefully two or more. Eating healthy costs more, but without a doubt I think it's worthwhile to pay more to eat organic/local foods. Living in a place you feel comfortable and happy to be at is also very rewarding, just do the extra work to find a deal.

Experiences and adventure: Blowing a pile of money to go somewhere new is always worth it. The memories are priceless and occasionally the experience helps me redefine what I thought possible for myself. The right price is whatever I can scrape together to make this happen. (Trip to Europe, basic gear for camping, a tank of gas or two for a roadtrip.)

Plus standard geek staples: iPhone, solid computer for coding, writing and designing. Nothing surprising in the tools department.

A Pagani Zonda.

I see a trend here. Good food. On loved ones. Gadgets.Books.( All same for me too). Wonder what people here would spend on if they had 10 times the money they have now.