Some belongings are worth keeping because your hands already know how to use them.

Familiarity is a real property of an object, even though no review mentions it. A worn pan, an old knife, a chipped mug, a jacket with pockets in the right places: your body has learned them, and replacing them means starting that learning again for a small gain in appearance. Upgrades often trade fluency for newness without saying so. Not everything worn out is worn through.

Before replacing something you use daily, ask whether it is failing or merely looking old. If it works and your hands trust it, repair it and spend the money elsewhere.