What’s your top BIFL purchase, that might not in itself has been all to frugal, but long term, will be?
After having 5-6 different office chairs over the last 10 years, none of which I liked. I went and bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair. It’s ridiculously expensive, but I’m so pleased with it and hope to keep it for well over 15-20 years. If that actually succeed, I will have spent less money one chairs than if I hadn’t bought it.
What similar items (cheap or expensive) do you feel the same about?
Used office chairs can be a pretty good deal, esp if you've got a used office furniture dealer nearby. I got a used Haworth chair for a bit over 1/4 of the price new and is way more comfortable and well built than the crappy gaming chair i had.
Also, those higher end chair manufacturers have very long warranties, so if you check the manufacture date before you buy, you may find that its still got some warranty left in it.