2008 Top 10 Purchases

I spent way too much this year. I’ve bought some great things, and some less than smart things. As I looked back on my contribution to the economy and came up with the best purchases I made in 2008.

1. BMW 328i – Really, do I need to say anymore? I traded in my 2002 BMW 530i for the 328i. It’s amazing similar in size they are. The new 3 series platform is so much larger than the previous platform generation. Given that I use the car, nearly every day, I’d say the ROI is fantastic.
2. Tickle Me Elmo Live – Perhaps the best $60.00 I’ve ever spent. Cora loves the new Elmo. I’m amazed with how smart they’ve made these toys. It has a sensor in the doll that indicates when Elmo has fallen over. The sensor triggers Elmo to ask you to please stand him up. Are you kidding me?
3. iPhone 3G – This is a funny purchase given I don’t actually own the 3G. My wife does. The reason this purchase made the list, is because looking at her iPhone 3G makes me feel really good about NOT upgrading. There just isn’t anything in the 3G that I wish the first generation had. Seriously. The 3G speeds aren’t legit and all the problems people have had with the 3G just reinforce my decision not to upgrade.
4. Apple Macbook Pro 15″ – I’m typing this post on the Macbook Pro right now. It’s been reliable as hell. The battery life rocks. The screen is bright. And…I can run Vista on it.
5. Apple TV – The Apple TV has changed the way I think about music and photos. Being able to sync all my music and photos and watch them on a 50 inch TV is just amazing. I wish my car had an Apple TV like device. It would make my life so much easier. Imagine driving into your garage and having the car sync automatically with the files in your house.
6. Yard Machines 8HP – First time owner of a snow thrower. It’s worth it’s weight in gold. Why I never had one in the past is beyond. Talk about being stubborn and thinking shoveling was manly.
7. Nike Hatphones – Why Nike discontinued this item is beyond me. It’s amazing. The Hatphones are a warm Nike Thermafit hat that has headphones embedded into the hat. This let’s you keep your ears warm and listen to music at the same time.
8. Nike Lunar Trainer Shoes – Without a doubt the best running shoes I’ve ever owned. Light, durable, stylish, and they work with Nike+.
9. Tivo HD – After having a Comcast DVR for about 3 months, we realized how much we missed Tivo. A quick trip to Circuit City took care of that longing. The Tivo interface is still the gold standard for DVRs.
10. Nikon D700 – It’s Nikon. It’s digital. It’s full frame. It’s an SLR. It’s basically perfect. Image quality is amazing. I thought my D2Hs was great, but the D700 takes things to another level.