REPOST:

I wasn't inspired to run my own node until I had the need to run apps that required it (joinmarket).

A lot of people struggle to choose whether or not to buy hardware for a dedicated node, or to just simply buy more bitcoin with those funds. . It's a reasonable predicament that most people are in.

I advocate for running your own node, but I hypocrotically used bitcoin for a long time without my own.

What's one simple reason to run a node?

Privacy.

Bitcoin core (over tor) grants you the ability to broadcast transactions without doxxing your ip address to other nodes.

Node software like Umbrel come prepackaged over tor.

If you're not running your own node, you're trusting someone else's to broadcast your transactions on your behalf AND to protect your info (like your ip).

This is probably the biggest and primary inspiration for running your own node if it's not a prerequisite to running apps (like BTCPay Server).

Also, if you have a lightning wallet, but it's not connected to your own node, you're trusting someone else's node for, hmmmmm....let me see.......

everything.