Metafilter's Favorite Things Show!!! You get a pony and You get a pony and YOU GET A PONY!!! *eeeee*

November 7, 2008 9:58 AM

What was the last, or best thing you bought, made, or put money into as a result of Metafilter?

Shill for some of the awesomest WANT items, financial allocations, or gift ideas you've gotten from reading Mefi/Askme, etc. They seem to appear across sites for me, can we create a mini-compendium for the moment, here? The book sought after in the post below this inspired me to ask.

Don't forget to include links to the posts they come from, for maximum Mefi-licious context.

posted by Ambrosia Voyeur to MetaFilter-related at 9:58 AM (161 comments total)

I buy albums on iTunes whenever someone posts "What new music should I get? I like A and B and C" and I recognize bands in the A, B, and/or C bracket. Usually the comments are filled with a bunch of awesome suggestions I've never heard of.

Also, any question about documentaries that I haven't seen I usually try and pick up on netflix or the internet.
posted by mathowie at 10:03 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Well, my sweetheart got me this t-shirt, which we found out about thanks to this Vancouver meetup MeTa.

I'm sure there's more stuff I'll think of.
posted by rtha at 10:04 AM on November 7, 2008 [4 favorites]

As Christmas time approaches, once again I will treat this and this as the only gift guides I need. I still hold that that second link is Metafilter's greatest thread ever.
posted by Bookhouse at 10:04 AM on November 7, 2008 [10 favorites]

I only needed it for cheap temperature logging but I've since done many projects (self-link). I also bought another one and a relative bought me a third, because they are so awesome.
posted by DU at 10:10 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm pretty sure the only thing I've bought as a result of reading MeFi is the MeFi T-shirt. That, and the many, many sock-puppet accounts.

Oh. And the pony.
posted by trip and a half at 10:12 AM on November 7, 2008

Quite a bit of music. I keep meaning to find books that people recommend but I've been kind of lazy about it unfortunately.
posted by backseatpilot at 10:13 AM on November 7, 2008

I bought a handgun.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:13 AM on November 7, 2008 [3 favorites]

Bought a couple hundred shares of HPF based on a comment from someone in Ask (can't find it at the moment, though). Not only am I getting a sweet dividend of ~15%, the shares are up 18% since I bought. It's basically one of a tiny number of securities I own that are doing well...
posted by kindall at 10:19 AM on November 7, 2008

The Orange Box, thanks to MeFight Club.
posted by BeerFilter at 10:19 AM on November 7, 2008 [5 favorites]

iPod Touch, because enough people were asking, "How can I get the most out of it," type questions, that it seemed a great purchase for the odd web browsing and Gmail. Reading MeFi users' comments is miles above a huge marketing campaign, in my book. One Ask I remember.

Oh, and the MeFi Tshirt, as well.
posted by fijiwriter at 10:20 AM on November 7, 2008

I stayed overnight in a caboose.
posted by jessamyn at 10:23 AM on November 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

Spreadshirt has a t-shirt design tool, which lets you make custom t-shirts which you can then ship to other people. It is teh awesome.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:28 AM on November 7, 2008 [3 favorites]

I bought a hooker.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:32 AM on November 7, 2008 [3 favorites]

I bought the neocube as a gift (best toy ever) after hearing about it in #mefi.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:33 AM on November 7, 2008

I think the only thing I've bought on MetaFilter recommendation is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, thanks to this post by nickyskye (plus the fact that I was shopping on Amazon in a different tab when I saw it, and have very poor impulse control).
posted by jack_mo at 10:38 AM on November 7, 2008

Oh, and I may well have first read about The Wire here, which I will buy in its entirety at some point, having naughtily downloaded it.
posted by jack_mo at 10:40 AM on November 7, 2008

I base about 75% of my book purchases on the results of other people's "please recommend a book to me, here's what I like" AskMe questions, where "here's what I like" corresponds to what I like.

I also became a huge Arduino geek due to AskMe, which continues to inspire an ongoing trickle of resistor purchases, but has also led to my office becoming a graveyard for broken to-be-scavenged personal electronics. I think post-consumer trash intake may be the opposite of a purchase.
posted by Your Time Machine Sucks at 10:41 AM on November 7, 2008

Many, many things. Books, DVDs, a Seagull guitar, etc. I hardly buy anything without first consulting AskMe.

The most notable thing was taking my wife to dinner at the top of the Newburyport lighthouse. It was a foggy day, so we didn’t get the stunning views to Plum Island, but it was still pretty memorable and my wife was floored, especially since I somehow managed to keep it a surprise until she poked her head through the hatch at the top and saw the set table.

Jessamyn: Where / what is that caboose? Can any schmoe spend a night or do you have to be an internet rock star? My son would pretty much think I was cooler than Santa Clause if I could arrange this for him.
posted by bondcliff at 10:44 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

chococat's CDs are among the best music purchases I have made in quite a while.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:53 AM on November 7, 2008

love
posted by Eideteker at 10:53 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I've paid $5n (where n = the number of sock puppets I own), and feel that it has been money well spent.
posted by blue_beetle at 10:55 AM on November 7, 2008

The recommendations for Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth in this thread made me spring for it. Haven't read it yet though, so I've no idea if it's any good or not.

I've never read anything else by Follett either. His war stories aren't really my thing. But according to the foreword, this is his word-of-mouth blockbuster.

Written against the advice of his publisher, it did nothing at first. It's not in his usual genre. But he went against their advice and they wouldn't spend any money on promotion, so at first it did nothing at all. Then started to sell in Germany -- where they don't usually read his stuff, which is normally WW2 war fiction, I believe. Since then, it has been steadily growing in sales, and spreading all over the world, ever since it was first published -- solely on the basis of word of mouth.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 10:59 AM on November 7, 2008

bondcliff: it's the Train Station Inn in tatamagouche up in Nova Scotia but if you're up in the Halifax area anyhow, it's a great place to stay. You can even get whole family cabooses!
posted by jessamyn at 10:59 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I smoked some cream cheese. What a buzz.
posted by Killick at 11:05 AM on November 7, 2008

Ah, I've bought quite a lot of books recommended here, now that I come to think about it. I just can't remember which threads they came from.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:06 AM on November 7, 2008

A book of short stories by Charles Stross, for one. I am thinking about buying a Garmin thanks to Matt's relentless shilling strong endorsement of the product and its merits.

And you know, the best thing I bought because of MetaFilter would have to be MetaFilter itself :)
posted by Mister_A at 11:06 AM on November 7, 2008

I've bought perfume from MeFi recommendations on my Help Me Smell thread. I bought a mould kit, but I never used it, ignored you all and bought the house anyway. I did not, however, buy any online PSDtoHTML services.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:08 AM on November 7, 2008

This post has indirectly cost me hundreds and hundreds of dollars. It led me down a path in music that I'd been only been vaguely aware of before.

It also introduced me to this book. Even though commenters were making fun of it, I knew I had to read it. I've bought CDs and books and gone to concerts and made friends with people because of it.
posted by roll truck roll at 11:12 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

which continues to inspire an ongoing trickle of resistor purchases

It gets worse, believe me. This past week I bought a voltage regulator and a high amp relay. Two years ago I wouldn't even have known what those were.

..but has also led to my office becoming a graveyard for broken to-be-scavenged personal electronics

I KNOW RIGHT?! I have at least 5 dead remotes sitting on my desk because "there's probably a good IR LED in there".
posted by DU at 11:16 AM on November 7, 2008

Bacon Salt. Good on popcorn, not good for much else.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:17 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I discovered the work of outsider artist Henry Darger, which led me to buy this gigantinormous book.
posted by panboi at 11:18 AM on November 7, 2008

I gave £25 to sandbag.org.uk who buy up EU pollution credits. First mentioned here and then FPPed here.
posted by roofus at 11:21 AM on November 7, 2008

I got a new philosophical perspective.

Back in the 2000 election, I voted for George Bush. I had voted Republican since 1976. Yeh, I know. I even complained here on MeFi about the lack of respect for conservative beliefs.

Over the course of the next four years, by paying attention to important threads on MeFi and watching the Bush administration destroy the USA as we knew it, I began to alter my beliefs bit by bit to the point that I did not again vote for Bush in 2004.

But, as we all know, it got even worse. Through determination and belief in your opinions, members of MeFi convinced me that even more significant change was not only preferable, but required. So, on Tuesday night, I was thrilled and excited when my new belief system (that I learned from MeFi) paid off.

I look forward with great delight to the next four years with Barack Obama as president. Thank you MeFi, for helping me see the light.
posted by netbros at 11:24 AM on November 7, 2008 [61 favorites]

This fall's threads on the American election turned me into a first-time donor to political campaigns. That's certainly the biggest chunk of change that I've spent due to this website.
posted by jepler at 11:29 AM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I bought some heavily discounted orange juice.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:30 AM on November 7, 2008 [7 favorites]

Fujitsu ScanSnap S510.

*Swoon*
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 11:46 AM on November 7, 2008

Nothing. Never. Really, not a thing, which come to think of it, kind of sucks. But I sure have seen a lot of neat things and found a few good ideas.
posted by mrmojoflying at 11:48 AM on November 7, 2008

I was going to buy some portobello mushrooms, but nobody recognized them at the till.
posted by never used baby shoes at 11:49 AM on November 7, 2008 [5 favorites]

I most recently bought Bolano's Savage Detectives. Not started it yet.
posted by juv3nal at 11:53 AM on November 7, 2008

Because of Metafilter I bought into this whole "internet" thing.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:54 AM on November 7, 2008

Because of Ask.Me, I bought a really, really bad cookbook.

I guess that's not a success story.
posted by Ms. Saint at 12:03 PM on November 7, 2008

I drank the Kool-Aid.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:03 PM on November 7, 2008

Oh and I also canceled my Netflix account thanks to the story about them dropping profiles. But I probably would have done that eventually when I learned through normal channels.

(And no, I didn't re-up when they brought profiles back. They lost my trust and besides MY FRIEND now knows how to torrent.)
posted by DU at 12:06 PM on November 7, 2008

I just started this because I realized how much I love RelationshipFilter questions.
posted by logic vs love at 12:09 PM on November 7, 2008

I've bought a number of albums from Music posters, and probably at least a couple of video games thanks to discussions about same.

I ended up not buying a cheapo cello at one point because of frank advice from AskMe, which could be considered an investment of retained principal into the upright bass I eventually purchased instead.
posted by cortex at 12:15 PM on November 7, 2008

Maybe I haven't read enough yet, or I'm too fond of discount items, but MeFi has mostly been a glorious source of new info. But the Christmas season is around the corner, so I'm sure AskMefi will be more populated with interesting gift ideas.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:15 PM on November 7, 2008

Free cameras.
posted by panboi at 12:18 PM on November 7, 2008 [3 favorites]

AskMe is now my first stop before my eMusic allocation refreshes every month, and has turned me onto all sorts of good music.

I'm also going to buy better dress shirts thanks to an AskMe, and some other threads are giving me some very good watch purchasing advice.
posted by Shepherd at 12:19 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought a MeFi membership. duh
posted by Cranberry at 12:22 PM on November 7, 2008

I can't locate the exact post but....there was a post about pasta sauces that didn't involve tomatoes. That was cool because tomato sauce is high in sodium, so are some of the cheese sauces, yet I love pasta. I've been using those ideas/recipes. One of them is the combo of olive oil, parmesean, and garlic mixed together with a piece of sundried tomato her and there.

And if I ever have a wedding ring, and decide to get into a divorce, I will have plenty of ideas on how to destroy it. I like the bullet idea the best. If I ever catch my SO cheating on me with 5 cent-5 tooth hooker, I will melt that wedding ring into a bullet and fired it off into their $4000 flat screen tv...or whatever their most expensive posession is.
posted by sixcolors at 12:31 PM on November 7, 2008

I got kinda motivated to buy eyeglasses off the Internet, but I am still afraid to do so.

I was also tempted by Bacon Salt, but resisted. (So it's not good on eggs, uncleozzy? How could that be?)

I did buy some of the excellent and entertaining work of SF authors John Scalzi and Charles Stross, which I would have gotten around to reading eventually, but discovered through MeFi more quickly than I would have through trial and error.

... and I bought my girlfriend a plane ticket after meeting her on a MeFi-related site. :)
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:36 PM on November 7, 2008

dejah420's wonderful soaps - try the pumpkin!
posted by madamjujujive at 12:40 PM on November 7, 2008

Bacon Salt ... So it's not good on eggs

Not particularly. Then again, I'm big on a fried egg with just salt and pepper, so the weird smokey-MSG-umami thing the Bacon Salt brings to the table is a little much. I've tried it in a few different applications, but the only good one I've found has been popcorn. I haven't yet--although I've been meaning to--made bacon mayo, so maybe that'd be good on a BLT or something.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:46 PM on November 7, 2008

Kiva.org microloans. It makes me feel useful.
posted by merelyglib at 1:01 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought Bacon Salt and still regret it.
posted by dontoine at 1:14 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought this totally badass t-shirt after seeing Cameesa in Projects.

I also became a first time political donor while reading the epic Sarah Palin thread.
posted by Caduceus at 2:00 PM on November 7, 2008

I got my girlfriend a gift certificate to Bliss on the recommendations here. She got herself the best foot massage I could never give her directly. Definitely a success!
posted by Xoder at 2:02 PM on November 7, 2008

I donated to the Obama campaign after finding out (in AskMe) that it could get me tickets to the Grant Park rally. (It didn't.)

Actually maybe that was in MetaChat.

Anyway.
posted by desjardins at 2:16 PM on November 7, 2008

The AeroPress. It works really well, too, since I drink only 1 cup of coffee a day (and no one else drinks coffee).
posted by leahwrenn at 2:29 PM on November 7, 2008

Dinner at the Salt Lick. mmmmmmmmmm. The brisket is amazing and their potato salad is too. Thanks Cold Chef and vraxoin.
posted by caddis at 2:30 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

A dawn clock, as recommended by grouse in AskMe.

I'm not grumpy in the mornings anymore.
posted by jamaro at 2:35 PM on November 7, 2008

Because I went to the Metafilter Meetup8 in July 2007 and met these wonderful people, I bought their t-shirt when it came out. I love it very much and so do my teddy bears.
posted by Lynsey at 2:36 PM on November 7, 2008

Well, I kept reading about how awesome coffee was when made with a French Press on Ask. So I was determined to get myself one. After a very fruitless shopping trio, I discovered (also on Ask) that French Press = what we Aussies call a Coffee Plunger, and I already had one of those!

So I invested in yummy yummy coffee beans instead. Best. Idea. Ever.
posted by cholly at 2:38 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

The last that I can remember was the Danish novel The Exception (which was good).
posted by painquale at 3:03 PM on November 7, 2008

I think the only thing I've bought on MetaFilter recommendation is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, thanks to this post by nickyskye (plus the fact that I was shopping on Amazon in a different tab when I saw it, and have very poor impulse control).

me too and man is that a fan-fucking-tastic book!
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:48 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought a pie. Also a bunch of drinks at meetups.
posted by jacalata at 3:54 PM on November 7, 2008

Two (now inactive) Mefites talked me into eating a raw oyster when I was drunk. It's an overrated experience.
posted by jonmc at 3:55 PM on November 7, 2008

I agree about raw oysters.

And I keep picking up Shantaram in the bookstore and then putting it back. Maybe I'll check it out now.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:25 PM on November 7, 2008

I sent some money to the anti-Prop 8 people.

As far as buying things? I dunno. I bought the MeFi Music Compilation recently, but haven't actually listened to it yet.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 4:26 PM on November 7, 2008

An all-ett.

The New Kings of Non-fiction as a gift for my wife. She lurved it.

I bought 2 ten-packs of American Apparel t-shirts from eBay, and was glad of it -- they're the best t-shirts I've ever had. They make me want to never again buy t-shirts of lesser quality.

I've watched more DVDs based on MeFi recommendations than I could easily name. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The King of Kong. Word Wars. Wordplay. I'll be watching Helvetica tonight.

I search Ask MeFi as part of my research when considering a lot of things, so sometimes it's one of many factors rather than being the sole inspiration. As I recall, this was the case with getting an Aeropress, buying my green coffee beans from Sweet Maria's, and getting Teaching Company courses.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 4:29 PM on November 7, 2008

Every once in a while someone will post a story about torture, censorship, or civil liberties, and it will remind me to throw a Benjamin at the ACLU.
posted by Afroblanco at 4:29 PM on November 7, 2008 [3 favorites]

I got a monome to make generative music with.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:48 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought a license to Scrivener after seeing it mentioned a number of times on the green, and without it I probably wouldn't have been able to organize and do some of my big school essays and projects. So that's been invaluable.

I can't find where it was mentioned, but I picked up a copy of The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin as a direct result of an askme comment.

I was probably going to do it anyway, but this thread made me finally donate to the Obama campaign.

There's also a chance I might end up with a "slanket" for Christmas because I mentioned this thread to my boyfriend this morning.
posted by lilac girl at 5:04 PM on November 7, 2008

The Red Cross.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 5:10 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Bought an ironic Mexican hipster T-shirt. Gave $2 to a street violinist. Avoided throwing good money after bad. Invested in a new home. (OK, that last one not really.)
posted by donpedro at 5:11 PM on November 7, 2008

Oh yeah, and I gave to The Innocence Project.
posted by Burhanistan at 5:21 PM on November 7, 2008

Eyelgasses from Zenni optical that were made entirely out of chinese toothpaste. (via Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson)
posted by not_on_display at 5:30 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

DivaCup, hands down.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:38 PM on November 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

Kiva
ShowerBoard!
posted by metastability at 5:38 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought a "I am not a terrorist" t-shirt from o2b.

I also bought a Mefi sweatshirt through the Cafepress store.
posted by deborah at 5:42 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought a pair of Feiyue shoes. They're great. And I bought into (and bought) Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Also great (in a different way).
posted by tiny crocodile at 6:36 PM on November 7, 2008

Someone on AskMe mentioned MakeYourOwnJeans.com. I tried it and it was good, and the guy running the business was very professional. They're not the most "designer-y" jeans one can get, but they are definitely made to measure -- many more measurements than one usually can specify when buying jeans -- and mine fit very well and are comfortable. Next time, I'll order a pair with matching (not contrasting) stitching Because I Can.
posted by amtho at 6:37 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I bought a Gene Wolfe book (haven't read it yet) and a more nuanced view of the U.S.

I most recently bought Bolano's Savage Detectives. Not started it yet.

I'm reading Killer Whores right now and at least one of the short stories is anthology material.
posted by ersatz at 6:38 PM on November 7, 2008

Hotel suggestions in Paris and a case for my iphone and oh yeah, a gelaskin for my macbook.
posted by jadepearl at 6:39 PM on November 7, 2008

The same as the purchase that inspired this post, Recipes for Disaster just this morning.
posted by primalux at 6:40 PM on November 7, 2008

Beer.
posted by loquacious at 6:53 PM on November 7, 2008

I was on the fence about buying myself a kindle, this thread tipped me into ownership .
posted by JujuB at 7:40 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought a book.

And the t-shirt. I'm gonna wear that thing all the time when I move to SF next year.
posted by niles at 7:48 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought many fine private islands.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:50 PM on November 7, 2008

The "Homeland Security: Fighting Terrorism Since 1492" Tshirt, from native Indian folks who created it in the first place (ie, not a ripoff tshirt sold by people who may not have any interest in ensuring that their "Homeland Security" tshirt production or sales benefit native Indians).
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 7:51 PM on November 7, 2008

Charles Stross's Glasshouse. Hell of a novel.
posted by anthill at 8:03 PM on November 7, 2008

Pancakes!
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 8:24 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Zombie stripper.
posted by Nattie at 8:30 PM on November 7, 2008

First things first, I bought a Metafilter membership as soon as they became available (again)

Second - after a MeFi meetup in Vancouver waaaay back in 2004, I signed up on Flickr. I never looked back. Met great people, honed my photography skills, sold some of my work


... all this would not have been possible if not for Metafilter, the membership and the meetup.
posted by seawallrunner at 8:41 PM on November 7, 2008

My Pretty Flowers CD.

Their songs are pretty catchy, and the video on their myspace page is hilarious.
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:53 PM on November 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

An election.
posted by Artw at 9:27 PM on November 7, 2008

The Shake-Awake Alarm Clock, though a brilliant concept, was a complete failure.

The Zojirushi coffee maker makes okay coffee without making a mess of the countertop but it doesn't really live up to the hype of the hottest bestest coffee ever.
posted by acorncup at 11:05 PM on November 7, 2008

A SILF t-shirt. It gets the occasional laugh.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:06 PM on November 7, 2008

I gave $120 to stevis's campaign, and $100 to a mefite facing medical expenses.
posted by orthogonality at 11:46 PM on November 7, 2008

I bought House of Leaves after the OP told me about it at a meetup. Thanks Ambrosia Voyeur, I enjoyed it! Also I got some Amorphia apparel shirts after reading this.
posted by whir at 11:49 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I got the CrimeThink book too.
posted by Skyanth at 1:19 AM on November 8, 2008

I bought the farm.

No, wait. I'm still alive. I asked Death to spare me over for another year. Hope he's as good as his word.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:12 AM on November 8, 2008

Two most excellent Brad Sucks albums, as a result of this question.
posted by the.carol.baxter.experience at 4:45 AM on November 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm so happy MeFi sold at least exactly one Gene Wolfe book.

Y'all do realize that he's our PK Dick and all your graduate theses will be about his work when he passes, right?
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:20 AM on November 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Natural Stress Relief
posted by brevator at 6:22 AM on November 8, 2008

Pyjamas. Widdershins tipped me to a shop that had haltertops with built-in bras a few years ago and I keep going back for more items like shirts (and undies) that they make. The jammies have built in bra support, it's golden!
posted by dabitch at 7:38 AM on November 8, 2008

I bought a dummy clip from fawnandfinch, who is a MeFite (see Etsy discussion).

And lots of books through Ask discusssions.
posted by paduasoy at 7:56 AM on November 8, 2008

Last week I downloaded Connections series 1 thanks to this thread - and loved every minute so I'm saving up for the box-set of series 2. Last winter I bought Sno Angel Like You by Howe Gelb thatnks to asuprenant and gained much aural pleasure therefrom.
posted by freya_lamb at 8:13 AM on November 8, 2008

Just to warn you freya-lamb the second series is not quite as awesome as the first.

AskMe helped me take the bus to Disneyland (and the airport shuttle back) and take a great vacation to Alabama. I've paid for a few shareware apps as a result of suggestions but otherwise AskMe seems to help me not spend money (by finding good alternatives to the things I was thinking of buying - for example papaerbackswap.com) not buy things.
posted by jessamyn at 8:29 AM on November 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

I've bought any number of books, DVDs and CDs. I've bought Bacon Salt, which makes a fantastic Chex mix. I've bought some good beers and liquors. I bought a pair of eyeglasses from Zenni Optical, which I'm wearing right now. And, of course, I bought a Barack Obama.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:49 AM on November 8, 2008

Books by Charlie Stross and John Scalzi, and a MazdaSpeed6.

Actually, I was going to buy the 6 anyway, and the responses to my question were a mix of recommendations and warnings, but sod it. :-)
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 9:11 AM on November 8, 2008

I bought a hooker.

Like with a U-Haul or a hotel room, you're really just renting.
posted by tula at 9:58 AM on November 8, 2008

A nice, warm plate of beans.
posted by nitsuj at 9:58 AM on November 8, 2008

a visit from a government agency
posted by clavdivs at 10:20 AM on November 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

THIS IS THE GREATEST THREAD EVER
omg i am going to spend all my money right now
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:32 AM on November 8, 2008

MeFi membership, rapidly followed by a macbook pro, a Nikon D70 via lurking in several camera purchase threads, and a flickr account.

followed on by many little bits and bobs on etsy, a bunch of sexy stockings and cute socks, some fantastic hair goodies, some excellent pens, a shitload of music (including stuff I'd have never bought on my own recognizance, but ended up liking a lot), some fantastic (and cheap!) eyeglasses, and I also buy lots more pomegranates now, thanks to the great advise in this thread.

last but not least: freedom and selfesteem; courtesy of RelationshipFilter (the last was more an acquisition than a purchase, mind). And maybe a bit of a midlife crisis but not really in any negative sense.
posted by lonefrontranger at 10:48 AM on November 8, 2008

Loads of stuff from The Teaching Company, suggested in numerous AskMe's.
posted by forallmankind at 11:30 AM on November 8, 2008

a vibrating broomstick
posted by Mick at 12:07 PM on November 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Almost forgot the big one for me: Metafilter planned my honeymoon. Thanks for that.
posted by Bookhouse at 12:09 PM on November 8, 2008

I bought a few of chococat's latest CD, and gave the extras to good friends. Now I need more of them because other friends are miffed that I didn't give THEM one. It's a fantastic CD.

MeFi Compilation CD. A couple of books.
posted by jeanmari at 12:43 PM on November 8, 2008

I gave BrandonBlatcher $200 once PoliticalFilter got 100 members. I think it was money well spent.
posted by jessamyn at 1:46 PM on November 8, 2008

clavdivs. nice to see y'around man.
posted by netbros at 2:45 PM on November 8, 2008

Absinthe. And while I really, really wanted to be the sort of person who loves absinthe, I found that there was a reason the word "absinthe" comes from the Greek word for "undrinkable."
posted by selfmedicating at 5:44 PM on November 8, 2008

I bought a toilet. And some door handles.

I really need a hobby.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:03 PM on November 8, 2008

Like with a U-Haul or a hotel room, you're really just renting.

I get the hotel room, but if you need a U-Haul to bring your hooker there...
posted by qvantamon at 6:12 PM on November 8, 2008

Ah, my beautiful (as of yet unframed in homemade hexagonal frames) snowflake prints came from here, through my sweetie. I looove snowflakes.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 6:44 PM on November 8, 2008

I have filled several gaps in my book & DVD collection as an indirect result of being exposed as a philistine in several threads. Y'all have me getting my culture on. (Currently devouring Under the Volcano, but I think that's from a conversation elsewhere. Damn,what a book)
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:46 PM on November 8, 2008

Oh, yeah, I bought me a president because of the Sarah Palin thread, too!
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:52 PM on November 8, 2008

I picked up the book New York Burning that nasreddin recommended.
posted by acro at 10:07 PM on November 8, 2008

One pair of La Canadienne riding-style boots. So far, they are as good-looking, comfortable, waterproof, and warm as they're cracked up to be.
posted by Orinda at 10:13 PM on November 8, 2008

Old Man's War by John Scalzi, courtesy of the infamous Violet Blue/LongBoing thread.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:54 PM on November 8, 2008

I just bought two pics from the DANGER DOGS post
posted by Kloryne at 11:24 PM on November 8, 2008

The Mefightclub.com domain. I don't tend to buy very many things.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:00 AM on November 9, 2008

I wasn't going to post here but just now realized that I bought a John Scalzi novel at the bookstore only a few days ago. No thread in particular -- the name rang a bell and I got it on impulse.

I can't remember whether I first heard of Jonathan Coulton here or at the Penny Arcade site, but I'll give the credit to MetaFilter.
posted by sdodd at 12:42 AM on November 9, 2008

Natural Stress Relief

You bought a Hitachi Magic Wand as well?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:08 AM on November 9, 2008

I bought quite a lot of Bacon Salt. What a mistake. That stuff is gross.

Then again, I also saved hundreds of dollars on glasses from Zenni Optical, so that balances out.
And I have yet to pay for internet access since the wonderful answers in my very early AskMe about the ethics of stealing it.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:07 AM on November 9, 2008

How silly of me. I should link the jammies - girls who want soft PJ's with built in support lookie here.
posted by dabitch at 12:10 PM on November 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

MeFi has inspired a number of political donations on my part- most recently to Ron Paul and Hillary, because I thought they were being treated unfairly in the Blue. I donated to Obama, too, but that was unrelated to MeFi.
posted by arnicae at 2:36 PM on November 9, 2008

A McSweeney's subscription.

And volumes 4-19 from eBay.
posted by disillusioned at 4:23 PM on November 9, 2008

We found out my wife was pregnant this February. One of the first places I checked out for advice was Ask Metafilter. One of the more pertinent threads recommended The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, which turned out to be a very valuable resource. Thanks guys!
posted by micketymoc at 6:16 PM on November 9, 2008

I bought a pair of these earrings. And i love them.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 6:41 PM on November 9, 2008

Buncha books.
posted by turgid dahlia at 7:32 PM on November 9, 2008

Some original art directly from two individual excellent Mefites.

Lots of books, music, and restaurant meals recommended here. Too many to list, really.

In the other direction -- money in, that is -- I've now put nearly two years of work into a job I got here, and I still maintain that it's the best job I've ever had.
posted by tangerine at 7:52 PM on November 9, 2008

I don't even own a cat, but I sure do love my Pet Spa.
posted by wfrgms at 9:04 PM on November 9, 2008

tons and tons of music and books, especially books. metafilter really helped me round out my collection of post-apocalyptic sci-fi books, and for that alone i will forever ♥ you all. well, most of you.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:53 AM on November 10, 2008

I just bought 6 slankets thanks to this post.
posted by ginagina at 9:33 AM on November 10, 2008

Pyjamas from American Apparel for a friend's baby.

Shure earbuds.

A Giant SCR 2.0, indirectly. Mefi helped me to see cycling as exercise for the soul and genuine commuting possibility rather than something I did rarely.
posted by dmt at 12:28 PM on November 10, 2008

A Big Muddy mandolin (awesome), a Gerber Artifact (pointy!), and a slanket.
posted by scruss at 12:49 PM on November 10, 2008

Helen DeWitt, thanks to languagehat.
posted by louigi at 7:00 PM on November 10, 2008

I did NOT know I could buy chococat's CDs! I've got at least six of his songs downloaded and they are most excellent. Can somebody point me to a purchase link?
posted by Phire at 8:47 PM on November 10, 2008

Just email him, Phire. If you are lucky, he will include free Canadian candy.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:54 AM on November 11, 2008

I bought a Merkur safety razor, based on a thread I found on here. I think it was that one, there have been many.

Metafilter also turned me on to The Wire (again, linking to only one of many threads about it).
posted by formless at 12:04 PM on November 11, 2008

Speaking of Languagehat, I found some awesome jazz in NYC from him, not just plain old jazz with a few new licks, but an expansive reinvention, just what I was seeking and not finding with my minimal ventures into the NYC jazz scene. Without work you will just find the same old, same old, but jazzed up for the new millenia, but not find the real avant-garde stuff. He made it easy in one little post. Now my son has taken lessons with these guys, composes songs off of their riffs, and my waning interest in jazz has been completely and totally reinvigorated. In some ways this little post of his has had perhaps one of the most profound impacts upon my life and my son's of anything I have seen on the internets. These musicians in this scene are supremely talented yet accessible even to an eleven year old kid. When you played music as a kid did you get to hang out with and talk to your music heros? My son gets to do just that, and they give him music lessons too!!! I and my whole family have had our lives very, very much improved over one single little post to MeFi. It is like a butterfly's wings etc. in that at the time I just said OK, perhaps I will pick up a CD or so, but then it just exploded. So I can not finish this post without giving a huge plug to Joe Morris who was perhaps the first of these artists to incite this incredible fervor in my son, and me. Get his CD, Age of Everything, it will open your mind (if you are bored with regular jazz and looking for something different, check out the rest of the discs on that page as well, especially William Parker, he is sort of the godfather of this music movement).
posted by caddis at 5:56 PM on November 11, 2008 [24 favorites]

That makes me incredibly happy, caddis; thanks for sharing it!
posted by languagehat at 6:08 AM on November 12, 2008

I bought a one way ticket to hell by renouncing my religious beliefs thanks to years of reading MeFi. I couldn't be happier.
posted by xmattxfx at 9:14 AM on November 12, 2008

Because Hell - Hell is for chillin'. And you know that the afterlife can become such a fuss.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:45 AM on November 12, 2008

Oh, and I have a newfound appreciation for bacon and pancakes. Who'da thunk!?
posted by not_on_display at 9:04 PM on November 12, 2008

Metafilter helped me find a way to get a good copy of a photograph I knew hardly anything about. So yay for MeFi & the IWM.
posted by bjrn at 7:28 AM on November 13, 2008

Oh, wow, a bunch of things:

For example, a good night's sleep for the first time in my adult life, a bunch of SF novels, my first night as a married man, an Alphasmart Neo, , £80 worth of return train travel for a cat, plus any number of novels, computer games and movies.
posted by Happy Dave at 5:47 AM on November 17, 2008

I tamed my futon.
posted by storybored at 5:11 PM on November 17, 2008

I found Mefi about 6 years ago and registered immediately. I've never made an FPP because I'm sure I'd somehow screw it up and embarrass myself in front of the hive, something that is near-nightmare level for me. See, as a reader for so long, I've come to really, really respect this site along, of course, with all the people in it. In fact, after reading it so long, there are more than a few posters who I kind of view as minor 'celebs', if only in my head. Matt and all the admins, but others, like Languagehat and Amberglow and Dios and Caddis (and so many others) - whether or not I agree with every opinion or post, I've never not enjoyed this place.
What it's brought to me personally, besides a general enlightenment and a broader understanding of the world around me? I was going through my own profile tonight and I realized that you can almost follow my life's progress since I've started visiting the site by looking at the questions I've posted on Askmefi. I made a mixed album for a friend I was quite fond of based off one question I posted, and later, when I asked that friend to marry me, it was Askmefi that helped me choose the location. I almost left Phoenix completely two weeks before I met her, but a question I asked kept me here just long enough to steer my course to it's current local. Legal questions regarding dealing with a shite father, fixing my computer, rounding out my vinyl collection.... also all wonderful experiences, and while I've been piled onto once or twice) and one absolutely terrible thread I'm so glad doesn't seem to exist anymore), this is easily my favorite website and the very first stop I make on the internets each day.
posted by Bageena at 6:10 PM on November 26, 2008 [1 favorite]