Keeping a product useful begins with identifying the function required, not assuming that every fault demands a purchase. This practice essay compares care, repair, borrowing, sharing, and justified replacement through a checklist covering safety, warranty, recalls, parts, skills, time, and likely continued service. Textile mending offers a lower-risk example, while electrical, structural, and other safety-critical work retains a clear boundary for trained help. The discussion examines rebound consumption, inaccessible product design, procurement, and the institutional conditions that permit repair at scale, using the cited IPCC demand-side assessment as context. Responsible end-of-life handling includes personal data, hazardous components, and whether a donated item is genuinely usable and wanted. No repair is presented as automatically safe, economical, or environmentally preferable in every case.