Things you splurge on?

[ckrickett]

What are items you splurge on? I am pretty good and frugal with my money, unless it comes to perfumes. I will spend a FORTUNE on perfumes. And wine..... amazing wine! And food, I love food. Also on artwork, and weird decor for my house.

What about you all?

 

[SB621]

Travel and food. I want to see the world and eat my way through it.

 

[SB621]

Sorry double post

 

[missy]

Definitely food. I buy with health in mind first so I don't mind spending more for what I need to spend more for-it's an investment in our health and future IMO. Plus I love eating good food.

Our homes. They were not bargains by any means and we gutted our NY home right after we bought it before we moved in because it needed mucho work as no one had lived there since the 70's! The family that owned it didn't want to part with it when they moved to Long Island so empty it sat with them paying maintenance month after month for 30 years LOL.

Anyway the timing was perfect when my dh and I started looking and it wasn't even yet on the market. Being on the co-op board I knew about it being vacant and had the managing agent contact the family and they were ready to sell for the right price as their mom had just died and she was the one who didn't want to sell though she hadn't lived there for over 30 years. And we were ready to buy.

It was the perfect location and perfect number of bedrooms and square footage and the views are incredible. Sorry for the long winded explanation but just giving the background on why we bought it -location and views and size. Very rare in our neighborhood to find a 4 bedroom like ours that is not a brownstone which I don't care for personally unless it is a very wide brownstone and again that is hard to find and I don't like vertical living anyway so our NY home was perfect for us in every way and so we didn't mind spending what we needed to.

And our beach house. So worth every penny because of the location and views. Close to NYC and right on the bay and though we do have to do some work like put in a garage for my dh's woodworking shop and redo the kitchen at some point (though it is a lovely kitchen it's not to my taste).

And lastly we splurge on our hobbies and right now our most costly one is our cycling hobby.

I don't know if everyone is like this but as I get older I am less likely to be thrifty because I really want to enjoy the finer things in life and I don't see the point in being too frugal. Sure, save on what you can but spend on what you know you will really and truly enjoy. Life is unpredictable and no one knows what the future holds. Save for the future of course but live in the moment and enjoy your time with family and friends. That's what matters in life. Not things.

 

[stracci2000]

OMG-Jewelry, of course. I always find a way to justify a jewelry purchase-"I need this gem stone in my collection" or "I can't pass up this great deal, even though I already have a similar one" or "I'll sell something I never wear, to cover the cost".
On most other purchases, I can be very frugal. Jewelry is my weakness.

 

[Niel]

Beer.

 

[Indylady]

Food.

Skincare, even though I use Lush products which are not very expensive. If they were more expensive, I would still pay the cost. I have very picky skin, and I'm so glad I've found something that actually does work for me.

 

[Indylady]

Food.

Skincare, even though I use Lush products which are not very expensive. If they were more expensive, I would still pay the cost. I have very picky skin, and I'm so glad I've found something that actually does work for me.

 

[Jennifer W]

Craft things! I spent hundreds getting just the perfect spinning wheel (because knitting isn't weird enough) and I lot of money on my sewing machines. Also wine, food, perfume and, today....sheep. Rare breed sheep. Because why would I not want Boreray sheep?!

 

[m-2-b]

Jewelry and makeup!

 

[ponder]

Car seats

People think I'm crazy for dropping $250-300 on a car seat. I have three kids in car seats and I want them to be safe. I have friends complain about the ancient/garage sale/shady looking car seats that their parents/in laws/baby sitter uses for their kids, my solution is if you don't like the one they are using then its your responsibility to buy them one and teach them how to use it properly. So far I have purchased 9 car seats. My oldest is finally ready for a booster, I need to start shopping. I'm definitely at a time in my life where they are a much greater priority than a designer hand bag or pair of shoes.

 

[zoebartlett]

I guess we splurge on eating out. It's not that we only eat at fine dining places, but we go out or order in more than we probably should. Other than that, we occasionally splurge by taking a vacation and getting bigger-ticket items for our home.

 

[texaskj]

Some people think it's crazy because I get my nails done every other Thursday. I cut and color my own hair, so I refuse to feel guilty.

 

[ckrickett]

Some people think it's crazy because I get my nails done every other Thursday. I cut and color my own hair, so I refuse to feel guilty.

I don't think it;s nuts! I go about 2 weeks between getting my nails done, and 3 for my toes.

 

[Indylady]

Some people think it's crazy because I get my nails done every other Thursday. I cut and color my own hair, so I refuse to feel guilty.

If it makes you feel good, and you can afford it, go for it. I don't go that often, but a good mani/pedi keeps me smiling for days. I just love looking down at neat, polished fingernails. I really get a kick out of it. Its the fun of picking a polish, matching it to my mood/the reason/a special occasion/etc., and rocking the look a week or two without any consequences. I can't, or rather, probably wouldn't dye all of my hair purple even if I do think it would be a fun look. But I will get my nails painted purple, or with rainbow colors for Pride, or game day colors, or some chic nude shade that goes with everything just cause I can.

 

[lambskin]

My kids' education.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Things that can make my life easier, I just bought a Roomba 770 today, I can't wait!

 

[Lulie]

My kids' education.

You bet!
Travel.
Food… I do not mind paying $7 for 16 oz of Beluga lentils or trying out new restaurants.
Gelish nail polish
Our home [bedding, towels etc.]
Flowers.

 

[texaskj]

One more thing: dog food. It's never worth the money you save on the cheap stuff.

(Thanks Indy and ckrickett; it's nice to know I'm not alone on the nail thing.)

 

[Gypsy]

My cats are currently my ONLY splurge.

Obviously we get them high quality food, veterinary care, etc.

We are foodies so we buy high quality for ourselves too, and we eat out a bit. But we've cut back on that drastically.

 

[4ever]

Nice cuts of meat
Vintage/antique/ unique furniture
Fancy vet cat food
Heating

 

[GliderPoss]

Dining out - I'd rather go out to something amazing once a month then eat out somewhere mediocre every week.

Perfume - just dropped a lot of $$$ on Coco Chanel but i'm sure it's last for many years as it's quite strong so I don't need to use much.

Food - we try to eat healthily so will pay premium for fresh fruit & veggies. Would rather eat yummy berries or premium steak than junk food.

Antiques - I inherited some from my grandpa and now I just love them and want to fill my home with them. Such craftsmanship!

 

[Circe]

Jewelry. Books. Quality. Just not ... atmosphere, I guess.

The things I value are the ones that will last longest - so I don't tend to prioritize the glass of champagne at the upscale shop as much as I do the old-world quality (my unofficial jewelry motto is that I value quality over condition: I'd rather have the die-stamped Edwardian pieces that's had it's milgrain worn almost away than the brand-new Tiffany piece). I'm chronically incapable of paying for someone to paint my nails: I have steadier hands than most nail techs, and I don't make myself do awkward small talk! So unless I'm doing it as a social thing with a friend who likes the ritual, I do my own nails. I just do them with Chanel polish. I I buy my shoes at 50% off on Amazon or Zappo or during in-store sales ... but they're inevitably Fluevog or Via Spiga, two of the only brands I know I can depend on for comfort given my weird skinny bony long feet. Stuff like that ....

 

[missy]

A good mattress and pillows. Non negotiable. Comfort cannot be compromised.
Soft sheets and comforter also key.

 

[redwood66]

Food and lash extensions. My nails may not look the best, but I love my lash extensions because I was "blessed" with almost non-existent natural lashes and I hate mascara. Oh and the horses are definitely a splurge and a costly one but we love them!

 

[justginger]

Jewelry, pets, and travel. There's not really anything else I care about to the point of splurging. DH splurges a lot on boat stuff, but I don't share that hobby so I just smile and nod.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Interesting thread, Ckricketts!

I consider myself frugal, but after thinking about it, not so much.

Jewelry, but not often. My DH is a cyclist and he owns four bikes and is going to purchase a new one. They are pricey!

I quilt and my sewing machine was a major investment at over 10K!

I love handbags. I bought 4 a year ago but haven't bought any since.

I like to buy quality things so if I am going to purchase something I do a lot of research before I purchase. I would rather buy one really nice thing that a few cheaper. I like stuff to last.

We would love to travel more but haven't been able to yet really because of kid stuff. But soon!!!!

I splurged on a Lo & Sons OG bag for our travels to come, and we bought two Tumi carry on bags so we are ready!!!!

 

[Amber St. Clare]

hmmm--I guess I would have to say make up, skin care and jewelry. I have a huge arsenal of skincare which would last me about to years down in my basement.

Amazon has been my friend lately--I've gotten tons of film noir movies which I prefer to watching network TV. And when you can get dvd for $3.00 you can really stock up!

We definitely DO NOT splurge on cars or phones. My Saturn is 8 years old {with less than 60,000 miles}, my husband's is 5 years old. We also are probably the only people who still have flip phones with no intentions of upgrading

eta: I forgot to mention CONCERT TICKETS. We spend a lot of money on our favorite music makers.

 

[Indylady]

Travel and food. I want to see the world and eat my way through it.

This really made me crack up!

 

[MonkeysInk]

Travel.

Scuba diving gear - I never want to be underwater and think "oh, crap, I should have sprung for that xxxx" or "oh, crap, should have gotten that service done".

Food - I want my kids to eat lots of good healthy foods and so I but mostly local and/organic.