[MetalManCPA]

Can you name one material item you've purchased in your lifetime that has completely changed the way you thought about something or affected your life forever going forward? My only rule in answering is not to include what I consider two main major ticket material items - a house and a car. And other more obvious things (like a diamond engagement ring, etc) isn't what I'm thinking about. I guess maybe a more subtle material item that really did have an effect on you.

For me, I'd say my most life changing material item I've purchased was my first boombox which enabled me to begin to enjoy music beyond the little AM/FM radios I had with the single speaker that sounded like crap. I'd say it was the birth of my audio/video disease.

And I happened to find a picture the exact one, although I can't remember the model #:

"Important" here is a relative thing, but overall I believe this one single piece of equipment truly changed the direction of who I was and introduced me to the world of music and all he peripherals that go with it.

An honorable mention goes to my first computer, the Commodore Vic 20.

 

[dan1son]

I'll cheese... my wifes engagement ring.

 

[RYCeT]

The first gadget is easy, Garmin GPS make travelling, vacation & roadtrip so much easier.
My other gadget doesn't seem so much life changing compare to my Garmin.

 

[rsaavedra]

Probably my first PC, which had an intel 386, I think 4mb of RAM, and an 80mb hard drive

. That was back in 1991 iirc. This allowed me to work at home developing software while studying computer science. Before that I never worked at home. It was my main means of production, as well as my entertainment center. Did change the logistics of my whole life from then on.

 

[Mrvile]

Either my first Nintendo or my first computer.

 

[Squeek]

Good call on the GPS, that is a life changing gadget. It saves so much time and effort and lets you just relax and enjoy your trip. I have had the NUVI 350 for a couple of years.

Broadband modem would be up there too...it has introduced so many things into my life in terms of sheer educational value. So much information right at my fingertips. Obviously, a PC falls in here too.

PVR is another BIG timesaver. No more commercials, no watching crap just because it is on. I set it up to record what I want to see and that is that. I haven't watched a bad television show or a commercial in over 2 years!

The first real thing I bought when I got my first real job was a pair of Polk Audio bookshelf speakers. They cost me ~$500 which was a lot of money for me at the time, but man were they awesome!

 

[MuZI]

I'll cheat a bit here and mention 3 things:

Me First Cellphone: I have no idea how many times this thing has helped me out yet it has also been a pain at times.

My First Computer: Windows 98 and Britannica taught me alot.

Ochem and Physics books: I used these books for a majority of my waking hours during Sophmore year and if I wasn't in the library for all those hours I would be as stupid as I was in Freshman year.

 

[Klarus]

My first cellphone, bought after two years of college (hooray for being a bit old-fashioned!). Initially bought it because I thought it was a cool phone (Kyocera Koi), and I pretty much cannot live without it anymore. Being able to communicate immediately with friends from anywhere in the country even while not at a computer has definitely changed my life.

 

[jolly j]

Thats a deep question (now you've made me think

)
For me the most important material thing I've purchased would have to have been Dido's Life for Rent C.D .
I bought it for my sister shortly after her husband died (I heard the song and somehow knew and felt that I had to buy the C.D for her, it was a weird feeling). Her and her kids listened to it in the car every where they went (they live in a remote area and do a lot of driving).
I don't know how to put it into words other than to say it really helped her.

 

[MetalManCPA]

As I start reading these responses, so many other items come to mind (mostly electronic, of course):
Cell phone
PVR - or maybe VCR (I never had BETA, only VHS. IF I remember correctly, BETA was mainly a west coast thing)
Cassette tapes - my first dive into archiving my music. Man, it took weeks to complete one cassette off of the radio.
A $100 Texas Instruments calcualtor with green LED that only did add/subtract/multiply/divide
My 1st mechanical pencil

The more I think about, I'll find more things. It's absolutely amazing what, in my 47 years of life, have seen. Progress is mind boggling.

 

[lmilhan]

One item? No. Many items, Yes.

In no particular order:

First record player.
First cassette player.
First cassette (Gene Simmons Solo album)
First CD player.
First CD (Joe Satriani, Surfing with the Alien).
First DVD player.
First PC.
First Guitar.
First Concert Ticket (Twisted Sister, Dokken, Y&T)
First pair of decent Headphones (KOSS Portapro)
First pair of Grados (SR-80s).
First box of condoms.
First college book.
TIVO
HDTV
Atari 2600
Contact Lenses, and then later on, Lasic corrective vision/Eye surgery


And the list goes on...

 

[lmilhan]

Do pets count? If so, my dog "Weezer".

 

[Wmcmanus]

My contact lenes when I was 17. That totally changed my life. I hated wearing glasses and getting them crushed all the time playing football, bsketball and baseball. It made a big difference in terms of my self perception and seemed so totally cutting edge at the time since they were new on the scene and quite expensive. Wow! The world was new.

My first computer was probably the best investment I ever made (a dual 5 1/4" floppy drive IBM PC). It was hot back then! I was about to enter a Ph.D. program that fall, but took the entire summer to outline what later became a published textbook that is now going into its 8th edition.

Being able to write and rewrite with a word processor was amazing! No need to crumble up paper (and start that page over!) or to use gallons of white out anymore. This totally freed up my mind to be much more creative than I would have otherwise had the focus to be. The concept of "personal computers" was a big thing in those times (circa 1985).

Yet, sometimes I don't really think it's the "first" item of this or that which makes you pause to take notice. Rather, I think it's when you're obtained something (however big or small, however expensive or inexpensive) that gives you a complete mind buzz about how great your life really is and how utterly amazing it is to be living in these times.

For some people that could be a totally unnecessary and terribly expensive 'cosmetic' item such as the watch of their dreams, or maybe what seemed to be an unobtainable rare object like an old LP that you've been searching for a long time and finally found! It doesn't even need to be technologically based. It could be anything, it just has to have great meaning to you, even if it means absolutely nothing to anyone else. That's the beauty of "stuff" in my view. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

 

[aluren]

my first pair of IEM - Shure e3c.... ever.... since.... then.... well... you get the picture...

 

[saturnine]

That I've purchased? My car. Otherwise, the Apple IIgs my parents bought me when I was 5. Started me on a long road of computer knowledge and addiction