Being debt free.

Holy shit, are you me?

Can't really justify the Frame, but will do anyway, when buying mail comes around.

Also got into 40k lore recently, but that is easier to withold, as I have no time and patience whatsoever to paint minis rn (especially not if the Frame comes around 😅). Books do it now, I suppose.

More professional Bosch tools (Blue ones) for personal use. Maaaaybe I can justify a new drill, drillbits and a multicutter. Bosch professional tools are a true pleasure to use. I cant go back to cheaper consumer grade tools.

RTX 3090 for local LLM. I just pay for european hosted inference instead.

A FUCKING HOUSE

Retiring

I kinda want a true cargo bike. Not anything branded, I'd want to be able to replace electronics, but just having a huge box on an e-bike would be nice I imagine.

I rarely need to move more stuff than fits in a backpack, I have 2 big bike bags as well, and if it won't fit in any of these, chances are it's furniture that won't fit in a cargo bike either. I simply do not need it.

I thought about the Steam Frame, and can definitely afford it, but I just can’t see enough VR software I’m interested in. I’ve played through HL:A, and most everything else is very short experiences. Or beat saber, which is too fast for me.

I wanted to upgrade the RAM and maybe the storage in my laptop, but I kept putting it off because I was being cheap.

Getting my dryer fixed.

😭 i want so bad but these times it makes no sense

Healthcare

Upgrade my server/storage. I only have 1.5tb of storage total for everything including my music, shows, etc.

But I am able to manage it, so I can't really justify buying more storage for it when I technically don't need it.

A couple days vacation to go hiking. I haven't had a vacation in years, and I desperately need a break from my life. I'd be thrilled if I could just get on a plane, go across the country and see some mountains for 2-3 days and then come home, but I just can't afford it. Maybe next year, she says, for the 3rd year in a row...

A pair of 20TB HDDs. My NAS is a janky RAID0 setup of a Raspberry Pi and 2x 12TB external WD HDDs that are about 3 years old at this point. I want a backup at this point but there's no way I'm paying for something that ridiculously expensive at the moment.

I also should've gone for at least 32GBs of RAM for my PCs but my cheap ass thought prices would never explode.

I put off buy new hard drives for my NAS. I have an 8 bay and slowly filled it over the years with 6tb drives since they were about $200 at that time. Now that I ran out of that space I started replacing the 6tb one by one with 12tb which at the time was around $200 as well. Ive needed a new HD for years now but couldnt really afford it, but now I really need a new one and I REALLY can't afford it... this hobby is essentially dead at these prices. Ill continue to purge data and hope in a few years some miracle happens and prices drop again. I also hope these current drives hold out without issues...

A virtual tabletop setup for D&D. A tv cut into a large table with space for players to have some food, drink, their sheets, and dice while putting their minis on an animated map in the center

A camera for bird watching, a new PC for playing games and VR, a second pad for stepmania, and more thing I can't think of right now.

The thing is that it is not as much that I can't justify those expenses as that the older I get, I realise that I'm fine without them, I don't need any of those things, so I keep postponing them.

Certain games, for example, Metaphor ReFantazio. Expensive even on sale and the whole "you do not own it despite paying for it" thing. Books and manga; I truly want to purchase a lot of books and manga, but it is just so expensive. Even on sale or secondhand. For example, I would love to purchase: No Game No Life, Smoking Behind the Supermarket, Witch Hat Atelier, and Hey Boy! Let's take a break? Manga/light novels.

I really want to do an electric conversion of a Geo Tracker.

One with a blown engine showed up on Craigslist for $1k two weeks before my daughter's due date.

Next time.

Two 8TB HDDs to finnish my NAS....

The new Framework Desktop with 192GB unified memory, specifically for LLM inference. I've looked at the numbers and there's no scenario for me in which it's economically sensible to upgrade from 20GB gpu vram + rent EU API inference for larger models. Even if the tokens became more expensive by factor of 10 overnight, by the time the hardware paid for itself it would already long be obsolete.

It's an impressive machine, but I just can't justify the purchase.

In 1995: a virtual boy

In 2015: an Oculus Rift

In 2026: a Steam Frame

A new bike to replace my 8 year old one. I can afford it, but I can't justify it. I will probably cave once winter boredom sets in or there is a black friday discount. I've been sitting on it for about a year.

Also a new car. Also sitting on that, waiting for the price to drop to 25K or less, probably next year. my current car needs tons of work, so I have been stretching it out because I didn't want to drop 5K on a 10 year old car that I was going to replace soon anyway. It's great, but I just want something that's quieter and more comfortable for long highway driving, which my current car isn't. after about 2 hours the seats in my current car start hurting my back and the noise from the roadway hurts my ears.

So many fountain pens.

A new NAS.

A new keyboard (my wife took my mechanical board so maybe I'll actually get this. The keyboard maxes at three simultaneous keys and it's killing me).

Everything to make my basement game room a reality.

A desk (currently using a borrowed old folding table from the in-laws).

Several books (like the annotated Lord of the Rings).

Resin 3D printer.

Instead of any of those I'm saving for an anniversary gift for my wife and to replace our cutting board which is about to split.

Solar everything.

I want a new gaming computer and a gigantic monitor/tv to plug into. I'm broke to the point of skipping meals currently.

Talkbox.

I'm decent with a synth (and bass guitar) but never really leaned into vocals. I would surely never use it once the novelty wore off.

but they're just so. damn. neat.

Nobody did it better than the late, great Roger Troutman (of Zapp and/or Roger):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq62sqYZEK8&t=5m26s

A new bicycle. But I can fix the one I've got for now.

The list is long and varied.

Can't afford: New floors and AC in my house (~$20K)

Can't justify: a XGIMI Aura 3 Max 4K 120Hz UST Projector ($2K)

Can't afford: A camper van (~$60K)

Can't justify: A new PC (~$3500)

One thing I did justify recently was $2K on a new bed. My old bed was over 20 years old.

I have been putting off buying new SSDs to replace internal HDDs that I've had for at least 5 years. They're starting to fill up with crap I've been hoarding over the years and quite frankly, I don't want to pay x3 or x4 times the amount for something I know doesn't cost that much.

It's all just flash NAND. That shit is everywhere. They can't tell me it costs $400 to make one 4TB 'cause I know it doesn't. That's utter BS price fixing.

I'm praying to Primus that my HDDs can outlast this hell hole we're in rn and at least give me the chance to replace just one of them.

Don't even get my started on NAS like Synology. That's a whole different rage bait.

A modern PC build. Can’t afford a new GPU or RAM. Mainly so I could actually get some use out of a monitor that isn’t fifteen years old.

An EV. I have a relatively new gas car that is fuel efficient and fully paid off. I work from home so really only use it maximum 3x a week for errands and extra curricular activities. Ironically an EV would be perfect for my use-case.

To: Santa

A VR headset, an AMD GPU for my PC, a 4TB SSD, an electric car, my own house, a clothes dryer, a dishwasher machine, a recumbent exercise kit, a pull up bar, new shoes that aren't falling apart and don't hurt my feet, a bedframe for my floor mattress, an electric blanket for winter, my $700 per month medications I had to give up, and a partner (they love me).

Kind Regards, Zarobi

Motorcycle. I had my previous one for 17 years and travelled many kilometers with it. However, it has worn down up to the point of the replacement parts being more valuable than what the bike would sell for. In other words, it was a write-off. As I ride my bicycle to work and I have too little leisure time already, I simply cannot justify buying my own motorcycle again.

Fortunately, my FIL has several and will lend me one if I want to.

A Fairphone when I have a fully functioning but old crappy Samsung phone.

Plenty of things, but the first that came to mind was the same as OP. The Steam Frame looks really cool, but at the price it's a whole thing.

Same for other electronics - a Framework laptop, building a new desktop (good luck to me there), a Steam Deck.

Lots of newer video games. It's easy to turn down some of them, because I know I haven't made time to play a lot of what I already have. Likewise for books in general, where money isn't a bottleneck but time and space are.

Pokemon cards - just recently had a mini-convention day here in town with a bunch of collectors/vendors selling. Made me really want to go back and fill out my weak collection of WotC classics, but the price (vs how much I care) is a bit prohibitive.

I have no disposable income. the list is long. name brand soda. little plastic doodad so it keeps a toilet puck from dissolving in the full tank between flushes. on the high side an electric bike. honestly even when I had income coming in the steam frame is to rich for my blood. I got a steam deck after a year or so when the price decreased and that was when tech part prices went down over time.

Buddy, I think the fact that you forgot the ‘t in your question means you’re asking the exact opposite of what you intend.

I want to spend $120 on glass Christmas ornaments.

I wanna go to Japan and do the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage. D:

Hope you get your steam frame and get to play 40k soon. :)

I'm lucky enough that I can afford some nicer things for myself, like a new ebike. Metallica is one of my favorite bands and I'm looking to go visit the Sphere in Las Vegas one day.

But with all of that said, I can't justify paying a minimum of $500 a ticket to go see Metallica at the sphere. I get the spectacle and Vegas setting brings the price up, but most live music seating to me is not worth more than $200-300 tops per ticket.

I have big plans to do a performance build on my fun car, a 1977 Cadillac Fleetwood. The old Cadillac big blocks are well known for shitting out good power and torque without much effort and I just want to see this 19 foot land yacht do stupid speeds.
But I do not have the space or equipment yet to be able to do a full engine-out job, and I'm about to move, and I have 14 other projects lined up in front of it (half of which are projects to keep my daily drivers running). So it sits, still a running car but so leaky that I try not to drive it.

A new roof. Our shingle roof is 18 years old and leaking. Which in New Mexico is not the end of the world. But as we have been having rain every other day for 2 weeks, it has become an issue.

There is no way I can afford it right now, so I will have to continuing I patch it.

First world problems entirely, but I can't justify any of the below:

A UV printer a metal lathe a 20yr old 2nd hand kit car.

My own rocket ship and a yacht that's so big it has another smaller yacht that can fit inside it in case I need to sail into any tight spots.

Nah, just kidding. Could you imagine?

Get into HAM radio. I have wayyyyyy to much hobbies as is.

5 years ago, I'd be out every night systematically removing flock cameras. I have the skills, the tools, and the experience avoiding getting caught. Instead I told myself these things weren't going to happen and these skills will ever bring me joy. So I cleaned up, got married, finally went to college. I have a career I'm dedicated to and it isn't even dubiously legal.

I see why we aren't out burning things in the streets now. I can't drive 5 over without worrying that a traffic stop will land my wife in alligator Auschwitz for being the wrong color. I can finally afford to buy food for my kid and it's subject to the whim of people who want my kind dead. I don't care about everyone else enough to risk what little I actually have.

Literally anything. Clothing. A bed. A UPS so I can safely update my six year out of date BIOS that is causing issues snd the constant, random power outages here don't make me feel safe enough to just do it whenever. A car. Insurance for a car. (Or being able to afford to live in a city with good public transit) Gender affirming care. A place to live. Privacy. Safety.

Oh yeah and my cancer meds that I am forced to live in poverty for and the threat of losing then dangles over my head if I lose my medicaid. Which is possible now.

Buy a classical guitar.

I've been eyeing them for about ten years now but I don't play enough guitar to justify the cost just yet. At some point I'll probably just wake up one morning and buy one and play it plenty and wonder why I waited so long.

I want to upgrade my DSLR into a mirrorless (that weighs less) but lo and behold I’m on an extended sick leave after I dislocated my shoulder and my employer doesn’t pay a cent after the first month.

Very little. I've obtained most of my material desires and what ever I still want I could techically afford but can't justify it - like a quad bike.

I didn't ask for much to begin with and I'm satisfied with what I got. Not wanting a thing is as good as having it.

A piece of land to have a garden. If it's big enough, I could even live there

I keep a whole list and get one item after another, when money allows and priority demands it. Currently looking for new shoes and a specific Laptop

I want a pair of Asics 727s but for whatever reason this particular pair of shoes is annoying and expensive to get outside of Japan.

I intended to buy a server for my game dev stuff like my locally hosted ForgeJo, file server, etc. I currently have a scrappy little box made from spare parts.

But they're so expensive now and I don't want to blow my entire budget on a new one when the current one "works".

Oh hundreds of things.

A car. I live a few kms away from the nearest town and drive a borrowed one (with a horrendous gas mileage...)

New front porch, ours is rapidly deteriorating.

Most of the most frustrating things I want are home renovations. I wish we could do them & get more years with them, but it's way out of reach at the moment.

I've wanted to visit Italy for about 20 years now. Maybe some day. There's always some other need for the money and time.

SOLAR 50 | eltamusic https://share.google/X4cDsGSD1z6ZRDXmr

One of Fuji's medium format cameras.

I'd also need to upgrade my storage if I got one. Just way too expensive.

There's a chinese version thats half the price and produces 50% more power by revving to 16K and costs like half as much, but for some reason nobody imports them. If I buy the Honda I just know the chinese bike will show up.

I was supposed to take my first real vacation with my wife. We had a honeymoon, but it was mostly going to the US for her to meet my family in person. I am almost certainly losing my job, so even a hot bath (many in Japan take one every night) and heat/AC have become a luxury now. The problem is, I need the vacation because my mental state is bad, but I can't take it because I need to save all of the money I can to hopefully not lose the house. If I lose the house, I die.

A fighter jet would be really cool for bringing to the daycare

I'd kind of like to get a pen plotter that can use fountain pens.

The problem is that I don't really want to spend a lot of time callibrating and tinkering with it or deal with devices that phone home. Bantam Tools makes some, but they're substantially more expensive than similar devices.

And I'd kind of like to have one with a pressure sensor that can automatically callibrate draw height for a given run. And an automated tool switcher with some kind of standard attachment to stick on various pens. Not really commercial, off-the-shelf stuff for that. People engineering their own DIY stuff with 3D-printed parts, yes.

And I don't really know whether I'd use it much or if it'd just wind up gathering dust. In all honesty, I have three existing alternative options, all of which are cheaper:

• Write software to generate plot, get digital output. Doesn't have the neat look physical pens produce.

• Same, but print output. Same drawback.

• Generate image, print, manually trace with fountain pen using light tablet. Have done this, but it's tedious and time-consuming, and my human hands induce imperfections.

I certainly do not need one. But dammit, I'd like to play around with one.

EDIT: Oh, and one with an automated paper feeder would be cool too, but that immediately sharply limits options and increases price.

Home assistant setup.

We have a few Alexa and a ring camera, neither of which I trust but dont have the money or wherewithall to replace with something closed