I hate buying cheap junk. The kind of stuff that looks good for a month and then ends up in the trash. The problem is, I also don’t have a ton of money lying around. So I’ve gotten really good at hunting down deals on quality things that will outlive me.
My favorite hunting grounds are Facebook Marketplace and the subreddit BuyItForLife. Marketplace is where I score most of my local finds. BIFL is where I learn what to even look for in the first place. It’s basically a community of people who share products that have lasted them decades, sometimes generations. And once you get into that mindset, it’s really hard to go back to buying disposable stuff.
One of my best finds came after reading a post about double-edged safety razors. Most people think of them as old-fashioned, but once you try one, you realize just how bad modern cartridge razors are. The replacement blades for a safety razor cost literal cents. You can buy a hundred-pack for the price of a single pack of those plastic-handled cartridges.
I managed to snag a vintage safety razor off Marketplace for $10. It’s solid metal, perfectly weighted, and somehow still looks like it just came out of the factory even though it’s older than me. It won’t rust, it doesn’t clog, and it gives the closest shave I’ve ever had. And yeah, it works perfectly for shaving legs too. It’s one of those things where you realize the “innovation” in shaving has mostly just been a way to get people to buy more plastic.
Another favorite of mine is my keyboard. I got lucky and found an IBM Model M, the holy grail of mechanical keyboards, sitting in the electronics section of Marketplace for fifty bucks. It weighs around 40 pounds, which is probably not an exaggeration, and it’s built like a tank. It uses buckling spring switches, which make this sharp, satisfying click every time you press a key. People who type on one for the first time either love it instantly or think it’s obnoxious.
The thing is, this keyboard is older than I am and still works flawlessly. It will outlast every modern $200 gaming keyboard, no question. There’s no LED light show, no macro keys, no plastic “gamer aesthetic.” It’s just a solid piece of engineering that does its job better than anything else.
I’ve realized over time that when you buy something that’s built to last, it’s not just about saving money. Sure, it’s nice that I’ll never have to buy another razor or keyboard again, but it’s also about the way those things feel to use. There’s a certain satisfaction in holding something and knowing it’s the same design people have been using for decades because it didn’t need to change.
The tricky part is, good stuff isn’t always cheap upfront. You have to be patient and know what you’re looking for. That’s why BIFL has been such a godsend. It’s basically a shortcut to figuring out what’s worth hunting for. I’ll see a post about a cast iron pan someone’s been using for forty years, and it sends me on a mission to find one. Or someone will post about an old leather wallet that’s still going strong after decades, and I’ll start scouring Marketplace for something similar.
It’s become this game for me. I’ll take the time to dig, wait for the right deal, and then pounce when I find it. And when I finally get it, I know it’s not just another thing I’ll replace in a year. It’s something I can actually rely on.
If I had the money, I’d probably skip the waiting and just buy all this stuff new from the start. But honestly, I think I’d miss the hunt. There’s nothing like finally finding that perfect, indestructible piece of gear, knowing it’s going to be part of your life for the next few decades.