Can we please be real here for a moment - socks are *never* BIFL. Under any "normal" use textiles will wear.

​

That you can send them back and get a replacement is sort of besides the point. It is not realistic to expect that socks will last forever. Even high quality socks will wear out, and this is really a "normal wear and tear" situation. More expensive socks will last longer, but they may not be a financial advantage if you compare them to the replacement costs of the cheap socks over time. There is a lot to be said, of course, of generating less waste and many good reasons to do that.

If you wear out your socks with use over 5-10 years it is, IMO, a bit of an overreach to expect a free replacement. The product has fulfilled its performance expectations at that point.

Ebike

Regular bike, because you can never have too many

Jewelry

A really high quality luxury item that I might never otherwise buy for myself (e.g. designer bag or shoes that I love)

​

A ticket somewhere I want to hike - bucket list location (e.g. Paris, etc.)

​

A year+ gym membership

​

Road bike and stationary trainer

Costco has some pretty nice towels. You can find high quality towels at pretty much any department store - they usually have a range of qualities. Just don't buy the cheapest ones

I have a Tory Burch one that is zippered and excellent.

Look for all parts to be heavy high quality leather and hardware. Avoid any little plastic windows for ID.

I have had my set of All Clad for over 30 years. It continues to work great. Copper is very expensive and often is more of a decorative coating on the outside of the pan. Copper lined with tin will require relining at some point, and it is expensive and difficult to find people to do that work.

All Clad does make a copper core line. I have a mix of All Clad LTD (the exterior is black anodized aluminum - most of the coloring has worn off the heavily used pans), Master Chef (which I don't think they make any longer- the outside was just brushed aluminum), and whatever line has a stainless exterior. All Clad is heavy weight, heats evenly and quickly and is just amazing.

You can likely get buy with a relatively inexpensive stockpot with just a thick base, and forego the super expensive cookware for that particular piece.

Here is their copper core stuff:

​

https://www.all-clad.com/cookware/collections/copper-core.html

​

Unless you have super wealthy guests, put individual pieces on your registry.

Add a Staub dutch oven for real beauty!

​

If you need non-stick just get some inexpensive pans at Costco. They have a relatively short life so it is not worth putting $$$$$ into a pan that will wear out.

Wool is an amazing fiber for upholstery and carpet - $$$$$ but really incredibly durable. I have a cat that has been trying to destroy a wool upholstered chair for 20+ years and it still looks good. Sofa, not so much.

So my fix for the dog and sofa (and kids) situation is to buy a high-quality used sofa and not feel that bad when it gets wrecked. Like $200 or less. Look for Crate and Barrel, Ethan Allen, Henredon, etc. etc. Basically anything that suits your taste. The frames and cushions will still be good and when it gets gross you can just trash it after a few years.

Alternatively, look for new sofas from those companies or similar. Lee Industries, Mitchell Gold, etc. all very good. Will cost you $3000+ for a high quality well-constructed sofa. Go for down or down blend cushions. Try to pick a sofa with removable cushion covers, with matching fabric on both sides, and washable. Look at the rub test value and look for one with a very high rating (50,000 or whatever)

Blankets or covers will also help.

They have some coats that are layered - like waterproof outer shell and inner insulated (down) You can wear each piece separately and put them together for one coat.

Off season they can be found at 50% off - not sure about now. They are more than $350 though.

But even their regular down coats are amazing. Be sure to check their sale section.

North Face, LL Bean, and Lands End also have high quality warm coats - not sure of their availability in Europe.

Lands end, LL Bean, Patagonia, North face - all solid buys.