All I ask is a chance to prove that money can’t make me happy.—Anonymous

Money flows through my life like water. I often ask, “When did I buy something that made me happy?” Truly happy, and not just for a few minutes. A while back, I noticed an alarming pattern: I spent a lot of money on temporary things, like traveling, entertainment, and clothes I almost never wore. On the other hand, I lived each day, surrounded by objects worth only a few pesos. Working at home pushed me further in this direction: I wore my oldest clothes, sat in a chair I found on the street, etc.

I vowed to spend less on temporary, fringe items and more on the stuff I touched every day. This was surprisingly difficult to justify. Why should I get new clothes to sit at my desk in my house? Yes, these pants look like hell, but they haven’t actually disintegrated yet. “Waste not, want not,” you know! Besides, who’s going to see them? Um, your wife, for one. That’s another interesting pattern I wanted to break: I dressed up to make a good impression on people I rarely saw, then hagged out at home with Misa, whose opinion mattered much more. I didn’t start wearing a tie every day; I still wore a sweatshirt on cold mornings. But it was the Rolls Royce of sweatshirts, and looked as good as a sweatshirt can.

You wouldn’t think this kind of change would make a big difference in the happiness department. But for me, it did. These are the dollars that feel well-spent, months later.

Two appliances made me happy. One is my coffee maker, the Chambord French Press from Bodum. It looks like a piece of laboratory equipment from the 19th century. This is the perfect tool for my scientific quest to make the strongest coffee in the solar system.

Another artful appliance is my basic Waring Blender. I use it nearly every day, and it’s a simple, elegant machine.