For me, it was a pair of merrell shoes on sale. They have lasted 3+ years, have great grip in the snow and ice, and so comfortable, my feet don’t hurt after wearing all day.
Never cheap out on anything that comes between you and the ground; shoes, tires, a bed.
What have been some of your good purchases under $100?
A noise generator (LectroFan). I live in a noisy area (Friday/Saturday nights) and the machine completely blocks out all sound. It is more comfortable for me than wearing earplugs or headphones.
Similarly noise-cancelling headphones made a HUGE difference to my life but they’re a bit more than $100. Still recommended for anyone thinking about it.
I gave my mom a set of noise canceling aiwa’s i got for free through work. Looks like they only list for $80 but 2 or so years on and she uses them every morning when shes exercising and absolutly loves them. Sometimes cheap chineseium stuff isnt as disposable as it looks
My Sony WH1000-XM3s started turning themselves off after a few years. Their noise cancelling is probably better than others but I can’t say they’ve been reliable.