What's an expensive "big item" that actually proved its worth for you?

I know whole-home backup power probably doesn’t count as BIFL in the strict sense, but it’s one of the first expensive purchases where I really understood why people invest in this stuff.

I’ve always kept basic emergency supplies around the house headlamps, canned food, first aid kits, even a gas generator. A few months ago I ended up getting an Anker E10 backup system for the house. Definitely one of those purchases that felt a little excessive at the time.

Then last month a storm knocked out power in my area for almost three days.

That’s when it suddenly stopped feeling excessive. We were still able to keep the fridge running, power lights and WiFi, charge devices, run fans, and occasionally use stuff like the microwave or induction cooker without constantly worrying about battery life. One of the reasons I picked it over a smaller setup was because it could also handle larger 240V appliances if needed.

A friend of mine had a smaller Bluetti setup and it worked fine at first, but after the second night they were already rationing power pretty carefully.

That whole experience changed how I think about backup power honestly. You buy something like this hoping you rarely need it, but when you do, it suddenly makes perfect sense.