BIFL or Buy It For Life is a community of people looking to buy products of high quality that are very durable. The community exists mostly online and specifically on the BIFL subreddit. They look to buy these items and help others by endorsing products they found of great quality. Examples of such products are Nalgene water bottles or All-Clad cookware.

Why should anyone care about BIFL?

Looking to buy for life is definitely an option worth considering, but it is absolutely not for everyone. Some downsides are that it can be time consuming to research which product suits your needs and that you may easily overspend on stuff you won't use often.

That being said, there are a couple of reasons why buying quality products is often just the superior choice. First, overconsumption is a large problem in our current society. Trends like fast fashion and planned obsolescence have large negative effects on the environment. On top of that, buying quality products which last a long time might save you money in the long term, even if they are more expensive. Just be aware that you don't spend too much on stuff where a basic version will do the job for you.

A third reason to care about buying for life is that once you have bit the bullet and bought a quality tool, you won't have to worry about it failing on you randomly and you can trust it to do it's job. Finally, it's important to note that buying cheap, low-quality tools is often not the most ethical thing to do. Low prices often (not always!) indicate worse employee conditions, although you should evaluate this on a per-brand basis.

How did the BIFL community start?

The BIFL subreddit was created over 13 years ago by a user who found a need to share and read about these kinds of well-made products. They where clearly right about the need for this niche subreddit as it is currently on of the top 1% largest subreddits with over 2.3 million members.

The community has kept growing and is now also present on other parts of the internet with newspapers, blogs and Youtube channels creating in-depth product reviews or general buying advice content.

BIFL and minimalism

A related trend which has also gotten more attention recently is minimalism. In a minimalistic lifestyle, people look to buy only what they need and don't overspend on things you will only use once. This goes hand in hand with the BIFL lifestyle and is in my opinion a great way to enjoy your life to the max in a responsible way.

An aspect often overlooked is the importance of maintenance and repair. Taking care of your clothes and tools will drastically increase their lifetime. Quick wins are hang drying your clothes and using your tools like intended. If something breaks, there are thousands of repair guides within reach all over the internet. Don't be afraid to try and fix something that's already broken, it's often easier than you think.

A final piece of advice I'd personally like to give on this lifestyle is don't push it too hard. Don't buy a $500 jacket just because the internet told you to. Live your life how you want to live it and buy what you want to buy.

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All time favorite BIFL items

Over the years, lots of great products have been made. We've curated some of the all-time favorites.

Written by dazf3865
May 31, 2024