We Found 12 More Things You Used to Own That You Can't Really Own Anymore

The List Keeps Growing

Last week we talked about Dad fixing the TV with a four-dollar tube. About ownership meaning something. The response was overwhelming—thousands of you sharing stories about things you used to actually own.

So we dug deeper. And honestly? The list is worse than we thought.

Here are 12 more things that used to be yours when you bought them. Now you're just... borrowing.

1. Your Tractor

Then: Farmer buys a John Deere. Farmer fixes John Deere. Farmer's grandson still uses that John Deere. Now: John Deere tractors run on proprietary software. When something breaks, the tractor locks itself until an authorized dealer unlocks it—sometimes days later, sometimes after an expensive service call. Farmers have been caught hacking their own equipment just to keep their harvest from rotting in the field.

The company's position? You didn't buy a tractor. You bought a "license to operate" one.

A farmer in Nebraska told us: "My grandfather's 1952 Deere still runs. My 2019 model bricked itself because a sensor glitched and I wasn't 'authorized' to reset it."

2. Your Thermostat

Then: Round dial on the wall. Turn it up, house gets warmer. Turn it down, house gets cooler. Revolutionary technology. Now: Nest and other smart thermostats require accounts, internet connections, and ongoing software support. Google has already discontinued products and left users with expensive paperweights. Your climate control now depends on a server farm in California staying online.

One reader wrote: "Power went out for two hours. When it came back, my thermostat needed a firmware update before it would work. It was 34 degrees outside."

3. Your Printer Ink

Then: Ink runs out. Buy more ink. Put ink in printer. Print. Now: HP's "Instant Ink" subscription means your printer literally stops working if you cancel—even with ink in the cartridge. The printer checks online to verify you're a paying subscriber before each print job. Miss a payment? Sorry, no printing your kid's homework.

Third-party ink cartridges get blocked by software. Printers "expire" cartridges based on dates, not actual ink levels. One HP model was caught disabling cheaper cartridges through a stealth firmware update—months after people bought the printer.

You don't own the ink. You don't even own the right to use ink.

4. Your Car's Data

Then: Your car. Your business. Now: Modern vehicles collect everything—where you drive, how fast, how hard you brake, what music you play, who you call through Bluetooth. GM was caught selling driver data to insurance companies. Tesla records video from your car's cameras. Ford filed a patent for technology that would display ads on your dashboard based on your conversations.

And when your car needs repair? Good luck. The diagnostic data is locked behind manufacturer paywalls. Independent mechanics can't access it. You can't access it. Your car knows more about you than you know about your car.

5. Your Doorbell

Then: Button. Bell. Done. Now: Ring doorbells require Amazon accounts and monthly subscriptions for basic features like video history. The company can—and has—shared footage with police without user consent. They can also disable your doorbell remotely.

A woman in Ohio told us her Ring stopped working entirely when she canceled Prime. "It's a doorbell. I paid $200 for a doorbell. Now it's a decoration."

6. Your Lightbulbs

Then: Screw in bulb. Bulb makes light. Bulb burns out after several years. Buy new bulb. Now: Philips Hue smart bulbs require a hub, an app, an account, and internet access. The app gets updated constantly—sometimes breaking features that used to work. Philips can push firmware that limits third-party compatibility. Your lights now depend on a company deciding to keep supporting them.

One reader's entire home went dark during an AWS outage. "I couldn't turn on my own lights because a server in Virginia went down."

7. Your Coffee Maker

Then: Put in coffee. Put in water. Press button. Drink coffee. Now: Keurig tried putting DRM—digital rights management—on coffee pods. The machine would scan each pod and refuse to brew unauthorized coffee. They backed off after backlash, but other companies are trying similar tactics.

Some high-end espresso machines now require apps and accounts. One brand pushed an update that disabled third-party milk alternatives. For coffee.

Your morning cup now requires terms of service.

8. Your Fitness Equipment

Then: Buy a treadmill. Run on treadmill. Treadmill works until it physically breaks. Now: Peloton bikes and treadmills require $44/month subscriptions for full functionality. Cancel the subscription and your $2,000 bike becomes a very expensive coat rack. The company can—and has—pushed updates that changed how equipment works.

NordicTrack disabled users' ability to use third-party apps on equipment they'd purchased. Bowflex requires an account just to use the basic features.

You bought gym equipment. You got a gym membership you can never cancel.

9. Your Video Games

Then: Buy cartridge. Put cartridge in console. Play game forever. Sell game when done. Now: Digital games are licenses that can be revoked. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have all removed games from user libraries. Online-only games get shut down entirely—if the company stops running servers, your game stops existing.

Even physical discs often require massive downloads and online verification. One reader's kid couldn't play a brand-new physical game on Christmas morning because it required a 90GB update and the servers were overloaded.

"Day one patches" mean you don't even own a complete game when you buy it.

10. Your Hearing Aids

Then: Buy hearing aids. Hear better. Adjust with tiny screwdriver. Now: Modern hearing aids connect to apps, require accounts, and come with subscription features. Some brands charge monthly fees for "premium" sound profiles. Adjustments that used to be done in-office now require software the user can't access.

A veteran wrote to us: "I paid $4,000 for hearing aids. Then the company got bought. New company doesn't support my model. I have $4,000 paperweights and the VA won't replace them for three more years."

11. Your Home Security System

Then: Sensors on doors and windows. Control panel in hallway. System works whether company exists or not. Now: Modern systems require monthly monitoring fees, cloud connections, and app accounts. SimpliSafe can disable your system remotely. ADT's equipment often won't work if you switch providers. Many systems become useless if the company goes out of business or decides to end support.

One family's system stopped working entirely during an internet outage. Their backup? "The alarm company said we should have kept our old system as a redundancy."

12. Your Medical Devices

Then: Pacemakers, insulin pumps, and other devices were designed to work reliably and be serviced by medical professionals. Now: Insulin pumps require proprietary supplies and software. CPAP machines upload your sleep data to insurance companies—and some insurers have denied coverage based on "non-compliance." Hearing aids, as mentioned, are increasingly subscription-based.

Even wheelchairs have gone smart—and with smart comes all the problems. One powered wheelchair user told us their chair required a dealer visit for a software issue. "I couldn't leave my house for four days because my wheelchair needed a patch."

The Pattern Is Clear

Every single one of these followed the same path:

1. Make the product "smart"

2. Require an account and internet connection

3. Add subscription fees for features that used to be included

4. Lock out third-party repair and alternatives

5. Reserve the right to change everything at any time

It's not about making products better. It's about making products profitable forever.

What You Told Us

After our last article, thousands of you shared your own stories. Here are just a few:

"My dad's 1960s Maytag washer ran for 35 years. My Samsung lasted 4 years and the repair would have cost more than a new machine because the part was 'no longer supported.'" "I have a drawer full of perfectly good electronics that don't work because the apps were discontinued." "Bought my son a 'lifetime' Minecraft account in 2015. Microsoft bought it, now requires a Microsoft account, and his original purchase history is gone." "My grandmother's Singer sewing machine from 1952 still works. My computerized Brother from 2019 needs a firmware update to sew a straight line." "I own a boat. The GPS chartplotter requires an annual subscription for maps. Maps. Of the ocean. Which hasn't moved."

The Question We Keep Asking

What do you actually own anymore?

Not what do you have. Not what's in your house. What do you OWN—meaning it's yours, it works without permission, it can't be taken away or degraded remotely, and you can fix it, modify it, or sell it as you see fit?

The list gets shorter every year.

Your grandparents owned their stuff. Really owned it.

You? You're renting a lifestyle, one subscription at a time.

What We Can Do

1. Buy used when possible. Older equipment often predates the worst of these practices. 2. Support Right to Repair legislation. Several states have passed laws. More are considering them. Let your representatives know it matters. 3. Choose companies that respect ownership. They exist. They're often smaller. They're worth supporting. 4. Keep old equipment running. That "dumb" TV, old phone, or manual coffee maker might outlast everything else. 5. Talk about it. The more people understand what's happening, the harder it becomes to normalize.

The Real Cost

In 1985, my parents bought a refrigerator, a washer, a dryer, and a TV. Total cost: maybe $2,500. They used that equipment for decades. No subscriptions, no accounts, no updates, no outages.

Today, I pay monthly fees for my TV service, my thermostat, my security system, my printer ink, my fitness equipment, and half a dozen other things that used to just... work.

The math isn't complicated. We're not saving money. We're not getting better products. We're just paying forever for things our parents bought once.

That's not progress. That's just extraction.

One More Thing

Next time you buy something, ask yourself: Do I own this, or am I just renting it?

If you can't answer clearly—if you're not sure what happens when the company changes its mind or goes out of business or decides to charge more—you might want to reconsider.

Because somewhere out there, your grandfather's hammer is still working perfectly.

And it never once asked him to agree to updated terms of service.