Key questions for me

Do I need it?

Is there an alternative that will do the same job for less?

The first question is the tough one, since technically we don't "need" anything other than food clothing and shelter.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

"need" is such a funny word.

When it comes to subscriptions, how much you use the service will define the value to the user.

As far as coffee, we have Costa & Starbucks concessions at work, and I reckon I use them single figures a year (always Costa as they're UK company). We have a 'tea club' in the office, for a fraction of the cost....leaving more money for other stuff. When I weigh-up certain lower value purchases, I think of it in terms of "tanks of fuel" which in the UK makes many other things seem good value :-)

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29 years and counting

This is such a moving target. In terms of triathlon, I originally thought spending 2k on a bike was insane, then got interested and crossed that bridge......twice in a year. I thought the price of a power meter made it something I'd never invest in, but here I am with P1 pedals which aren't even the best price point. Race wheels, done. So I'm not going to say I'll never spend that much as my interest and income always change.

But I am typically willing to spend money on most stuff if it's a good deal and has a used market. I think I could sell a lot of items for 60-70% of MSRP value and the only thing I oaid MSRP on was my head unit. Bikes, wheels, PM, watch etc were all at steep discounts.

Things like Zwift are only going to stick if it really helps me train. And zwift just doesn't motivate me like it does some. Rode last night on Zwift and could easily have watched TV instead.

 I it sort depends on whether I can convince myself that there is a reasonable ROI.

I have a Jura expresso machine that was 1000$, but I don't buy coffee at a restaurant or coffee shop. I look at what my wife spends on tea at Starbucks and I figure it paid for itself in a year. I have solar panels on my house because nobody competes with free when it comes to energy.

I tend to buy things that I am pretty sure I can sell later. Every fall I go through my stuff and can generally sell stuff off for 1000$, which I put to a purchase of next year's big ticket item. This year I sold a set of 404s and handlebars and bought a used Speed Concept 7.5. The SC was 400$. Basically I lease bike equipment.

I spent