# Things that will see me out

I had a strange realization recently.

It started while shopping for a backpack. 
I bought my last one from a military surplus supplier about twenty years ago. 
I don't much care for spending money, but my old pack was falling apart, and twenty
years -- and probably twenty thousand miles -- isn't a bad service life for an
inexpensive backpack. 

As I was paying, it occurred to me to wonder when I would 
next have to shop for a backpack, and
the answer hit me hard: 

Never.

If this new pack lasts as long as my previous one, the likelihood is that it will outlive
me. It's statistically possible that I'll still be around for another twenty
years, but I doubt I'll be stamping around in the Carpathian Mountains 
with a full pack in my eighties. No: the chances are that my new backpack will just be
another piece of junk for my family to dispose of along with my
mortal remains.

I don't mean to be morbid; in fact, it's good that I can still buy good-quality products
that last. Still, it's odd to think that I'd just bought the last backpack
I will ever buy.

This realization then led me to wonder what else I've bought for the last time.

My car? Probably not -- my fourteen-year old Volkswagen will probably expire
before I do. 
Clothing? Probably some of it will see me out. After all, I'm still
wearing jeans that I bought in the 90s. To be fair, my arse is hanging out, but
I like them like that. Still, I'm probably going to have to shop for
clothes again in this life.

What about computers? The laptop I'm using to type this was made in 2012,
and I see no reason to think it won't still be going strong in 2040. It's
a perfect fit for my needs: robust, with a big, bright screen, a
decent-sized keyboard, and 8Tb of storage (really).  

Still, it's plausible that I'll come across a better laptop, even though this
one will probably outlive me. I can't rule out the possibility of 
shopping for a new one at
some point.

I can probably manage with my current
smartphone, but experience has shown that I buy several a year (and I still
own them all). I don't believe I've bought my last
smartphone -- unless it becomes impossible to de-Google newer ones. I won't be
buying anything that rats on me to Google.

Of course, I'm not counting singular purchases, like my house. Probably most
people won't buy many houses over their lifetimes -- not to live in, anyway.
I'm really thinking about goods that we expect to replace 
several times, perhaps many times, during our lives. 
On that basis I've probably bought my last camera, my 
last suit, my last loudspeakers, and -- gulp -- my last bicycle.   

The thought that I won't be buying a bicycle again was like a
punch in the gut. Shopping for a new bike has always been a pleasure, not a 
chore. I suppose I could arrange for my current ride to get stolen but, realistically,
that's
the only way I'll need a new one in this lifetime. 

This thought really shook me up.

It's strange to think that, as I get older, the number of such things I will
never buy again is increasing. Eventually I will buy my last 
shoes, my last pair of spectacles, even my last workshop tools. 

While this is a little disheartening, I try to see it as liberating. I've always
held to the motto "buy cheap, buy twice" and bought the best-quality
items I could afford. At one time I was buying top-quality items because
I knew this would save me money in the long term. Now, I'm buying the
best items I can afford so I won't have the hassle of shopping for them
again. Ever.

Is that good? Honestly, I don't know. 

 








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