Believe me, having durable goods is one of the few material things that have brought me lasting happiness (or at least made me avoid chronic unhappiness). It r

Believe me, having durable goods is one of the few material things that have brought me lasting happiness (or at least made me avoid chronic unhappiness). It really depends on the class of goods. I enjoy high-quality audio, so I made the effort to do some research and spent decent money on a good sound card and two high-end headphones. End of story; it's unlikely that I'll need a replacement for those things for a decade. Thankfully there are tons of good products in the area and it makes little sense to sweat it once you're found a dozen good choices. As far as furniture goes; it really depends on how obsessive you are on design and interior decoration. There's a healthy compromise to strike between utility, cost, and aesthetics, and my experience is that once you have a solid idea for your interior decoration (which is not easy, mind you) you're probably good to go; minor blemished and defects should not detract from your satisfaction. In kitchenware, solid and cheap is a good combination. Apart from knives, the most important thing is build quality, but a cheap cast-iron pan is good as long as you're not burning stuff.