What ''extras'' do you justify spending money on?

[ephemery1]

Tacori's post ("What do you HATE spending money on?") made me realize that I actually hate spending money on just about everything.

Which then inspired me to think about the opposite question... so now I'm curious, what "extras" (non-necessities) do YOU justify spending money on?

For me, I LOVE pedicures. It is an hour of blissful stress-relief, and always lasts weeks longer (and looks much better!) than when I do it myself. No matter how cash-poor I am, I try to scrounge up $30 every 6 weeks or so.

And somehow, I've managed to justify my Starbucks addiction... although I do try to get the more basic, cheaper drinks. But sadly, I'm in there at LEAST 4-5 times a week. I tell myself that since I walk to work, I'm not paying tolls or parking or bus fare, so I can allow myself a couple dollars a day for an iced americano.

.... anyone else willing to share?

 

[Skippy123]

Gym membership (at a pricey gym) I love the towel service and it is extra clean compared to others I have gone to
cellphone
quality shoes
dinners out every once in awhile
lunches with friends
shopping for certain things at Whole Foods
vacation once a year
Costco membership

 

[Patiently_Waiting]

Morning coffee (4-5x/week)
pedicures
eyebrow waxing
quality shoes

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Food. Love food. And my hair--I'm not naturally a redhead, but I'm convinced I was supposed to be a redhead and I am happy to pay what I would normally consider to be a crazy amount of money to make my hair bright red. I will also pay way too much money in expensive shampoos and conditioners to keep it that way. I went back to my natural brunette color for my wedding, but now I'm back to red.

I like to play this silly game where I save money on some things, then "splurge" (not really a splurge) after I've saved. A common thing for me to do is walk to the T instead of driving and paying for parking. It's only $5/day, but at the end of the week I'll use the $25 I saved by walking on something like a cheap ticket to the ballet. Or I'll bring my lunch for a week instead of buying. For some reason I get enjoyment out of little splurges after working for it.

Ooo, getting my eyebrows plucked is a luxury I can't give up. I can't seem to do it myself.

 

[Fly Girl]

daily lattes
hair coloring
flying little planes
gemstones
concerts and/or live theater
love buying clothes for my kids

 

[Elegant]

Starbucks - I love fraps but I am really into the strawberry lemonade right now! Yummy on a hot day...
Dog treats - I like seeing my three dogs happily chewing and gnawing on some sort of treat - they look so happy!

Glitter gel pens - I am a teacher and I can''t stand correcting tests and assignment without something fun for me to correct them with. My students love them too. Any chance I get I try out a new package of colored glitter gel pens - they have to be glitter though!!

 

[Elmorton]

Stuff for the house definitely falls in this category...we''re still in that stage between our college stuff, hand-me-downs, and "grown up" decor, so when I decide that I can make a minor change (like throw pillows), we usually justify the expense pretty quickly.

Same goes for kitchen gadgets - if I''m trying something out in the kitchen and there''s a tool to make my life easier, I''m going to run out and get it.

Pedis and massages both are something that I typically spend a little extra on, too. Massages are priceless, IMO.

Eyebrow waxes, too - both DH and I do that. SO much better than tweezing.

Magazine subscriptions- a guilty pleasure, but DH loves SI Thursday and I love Us Friday

OH! And anything that is a green or humane product - even though often it''s the more expensive alternative, we try to do the right thing.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Starbucks - although I am trying to make coffee at home 3x a week, but I can justify starbucks when I am tired, running late, or post call

Dresses - I love dresses, I have too many

Cat toys - It is worth a few dollars here and there to see my cats so excited about something

Wine - I figure it is cheeper than ordering it at a restaurent, so I always keep 4-5 bottles (all different types) at home just to have. My boyfriend and I are not big dinkers, maybe a glass at dinner. We have a vacuum seal, so we make the bottles last.

Prepared food - when my hours are long, I do not want to spend my free time cooking

 

[steph72276]

Pedicures
Highlights for hair...my natural color is so drab it puts me in a bad mood to not have highlights to brighten up my face
quality foods like meats & fish at Whole Foods
vacations...many times it is for family events...hubby and I have huge families, so there is always someone getting married.
things to decorate our house
Dinners out on the weekends with hubby. Mainly for sushi, we cook just about anything else.
Bath & body soaps or Williams-sonoma soaps for the kitchen & bathrooms
kitchen gadgets...I''m a sucker for Williams-sonoma or Pampered Chef
Good pair of running shoes
Magazines...I have a sickness at the checkout stand, so hubby said just subscribe to everything you read since you buy it anyway...so I have Women''s Health, Shape, Self, Fitness, US Weekly, Cooking Light and he has Men''s Health and Sports Illustrated

 

[jewelerman]

Cant justify to much right now, but i do justifiy going to dollar movies a couple times a week especially when they have .50cent Mondays...hoping to see Iron man and the new Riders movie when they get done with main run at regular theaters.I also have been justifying buying movie candy at the dollar store.I get the large cans of pingles for.79cents and candy bars are 3-4/dollar.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Starbucks for coffee then lunch with friends 5 x per week.

dine out for dinner 4 x per week.
go drinking at a bar every Friday nite.

 

[ursulawrite]

Ditching my Equinox membership for a nicer gym.
Oxygen-infused, microdermabrasion, collagen ampoule, thingymibob facials, at $200+ a pop.
Organic everything.

Erm, that''s it. I''m cheapie cheap otherwise.

 

[february2003bride]

gel nails (although I'm considering taking them off and just doing manicures)- because my natural nails were so brittle and always broke off, the gel nails always look nice!
eyebrow waxes (although I consider them a neccessity, DH does not

)
pedicures- they are so relaxing and I only get 2-3 year
more expensive gym than where we could be going ($130 vs $35)
more expensive clothes for the kids (Hanna Andersson, Lands End, Gap) than where I could be shopping (Taget, Walmart, JCPenney)- because I refuse to buy my daughter clothes that show her tummy, have words written on the butt AND she's picky about comfort. For my sons, I want them confortable and clothes like Hanna Andersson last forever, so I can really, truely pass them down to DS#2.
bottled water (but I do recycle the bottles!)- it's my addiction to always have cold bottles of water in the fridge to grab at any time!

ETA:

Organic food! I have to buy organic milk, fruits and veggies
Highlighting my hair- my natural hair color is so drab and boring and I can't do it at home myself. Also, a great haircut from my colorist can last me easily 4-5 months!

 

[decodelighted]

I''ve been on an ice coffee kick ... Dunkin Donuts though, no Starbucks for me

. And I splurged on a couple of special finds from Anthropologie (party dress & funky top). I *so* rarely find things that fit there that I indulged. Worn the dress three times in a month so I''ve got quite a head start on cost-per-wear. And I''ve been "paying" myself with potted flowers for long, hard hours in the garden & yard. Keeps me motivated/sane.

Cutbacks: I just bought my first at home highlighting kit.

Am afraid, very afriad. DH refused to help me when I tried to convince him it was cool to do it the first time THE DAY BEFORE A WEDDING RECEPTION. (Ha!) Cooler heads prevailed about that one but I''m still gonna do it -- if I can steel my nerves ... and, you know, get a helper for the back. Aigh. RECESSION SUCKS!!!!!

 

[Miranda]

Clothes! And shoes! I love ''em. I *try* not to spend so much.

Is furniture considered an extra...I guess in my case it would be since I will decorate a room and then re-do it a while later. It''s more of a bad habit than an extra I guess. I just love decorating and I love all kinds of styles.

Tea and coffee. Peet''s just opened up around the corner. I love it!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Gems and jewelry!

Where's Harriet?

Oh, and good food(dining out) and travel--toys for my pup.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Good food. My FI and I lived in Europe for 6 months and since coming back we just don''t do well with the cheap processed crap.

Books. I live very close to the world''s greatest bookstore, imo. Given that I do my reading on the bus and the length of my commute I think I actually save money over driving.

antiques. Not expensive ones, but nice finds on craig''s list. I have done very well and it makes me feel rich and content to have beautiful things.

organic and enviromentally sound things. It costs more, but I feel better knowing I am doing a little something to make the world better, not worse.

health things. My sunscreen and vitamins are not cheap, but its worth it to me. I never get burned with my sunscreen, it goes on invisible and it is a powder so I don''t break out. I take a multi-vitamin and calcium for general maintanence. I take lysine to prevent canker sores and its worth every penny. I keep airborne which is expensive but great for colds. And I take a LOT of omega 3 pills everyday for my hair, skin and joints.

 

[kcoursolle]

fresh produce
nice jeans
good beer

 

[justjulia]

Avacados.

 

[Lorelei]

Perfume.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

champagne
ground sirloin (hamburger

)
CD lipgloss
long vacations
good quality footware for my DH and son

cheers--Sharon

 

[bee*]

Shoes, especially Manolos
Food-I love eating out and cooking at home
Gym membership
Magazines

 

[oobiecoo]

I *halfway* justify my Seattle''s Best coffee trips nearly everyday. I know its ridiculous, but sometimes I just like to get away from the house so thats how I do it.

Shoes- I don''t buy them often, and I don''t buy super expensive ones, but I don''t mind paying for shoes because my size is so hard to find. I''ve only found 2 brands I like that really fit and are fairly comfy.

Pedicures- I go once a month because my feet are NOT pretty. I even started going to this new place and they have a special pedicure that costs $15 more than my usual one but its SOOO nice so I get it.

Facials- I''m too cheap to pay for a nice one at the spa, but I go to the cosmetology school for a mini facial once a month or so. It''s only $10!! It''s a relaxing 30 minutes and the extractions really help.

Eyebrow waxing- every other month or so since I just can''t seem to control them myself!

And I''ve been going to the farmer''s market recently... I don''t think that the veggies are much more than the grocery store but the bread and goat cheese definitely are. I realized in the car that I just spent $3 more on 1 loaf of bread than I do at the store! I don''t know that I''ll continue buying the bread since I can probably make it for less... but the goat cheese in non-negotiable. They have different flavors and its just so fresh and creamy!

 

[Harriet]

Date: 7/1/2008 4:02:00 PM
Author: coatimundi
Gems and jewelry!

Where''s Harriet?

Oh, and good food(dining out) and travel--toys for my pup.

Here! I''m also with you on food and travel.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Food - I can always justify dinner, even though we can make food so much cheaper at home. Sometimes a meal out is just so much more relaxing than eating in.

Movies - We don''t go out and do stuff too often, so when we have the money, I am always up for a new movie in the theatre.

 

[anniee19]

Haircuts- I straighten my curly hair about 3-4 times/week, and the ends get so bad! I usually go every 2 months at least for trims. I pay a little more because I loooove the scalp massages and all the little extras that the spa I go to offers!

Good nail polish- If my nails don''t look nice or are chipped, I can''t stop picking them, leading to biting them, and I try my hardest not to!

Eyebrow waxes- I can never tweeze them into shape nearly as well as the waxer can do! So much quicker!

 

[wishful]

Ohmg...I splurge on way too much. I''m a consumer whore. hahaa...

Mani/Pedis (mabye once every other month)
Massages and facials (not nearly often enough - probably every 6 -12 months)

On a regular basis - my hair...I have a lot of grey (at 35 booooooo

) so I have to get it colored on a regular basis.
Coffee
Make up (I like nice stuff - no drugstore brands for me)
Clothes (esp from Anthropologie - my favorite store!)
SHOES SHOES SHOES Oh I love SHOES!!!!!!!
Jewelry (fun stuff - no diamonds - yet...

)
Lunches out during the work week.

BF and I try to spend a little extra on good food...try to eat organic when we can. Try to eat stuff like grass fed beef and free range eggs, non hormone milk etc...both for our health and to support farms that give their animals a good life.

 

[zhuzhu]

I am actually pretty thrifty! After the major diamond purchases (e-ring, wedding band, pendant and earrings) I have not spent more than $300 on any additional jewelry since (Well I also do already have A LOT)!

What I will not hesitate to pay big bucks on is just one thing left - grand piano!

I am a pretty serious classical musician (non-professional but professionally trained). I am in the market for a 5''8 or bigger grand pianos, so if anybody knows of any excellent instrument at a good price tag please let me know!!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I spend a LOT more money than I should on jewelry, my justification for every purchase is that I worked hard for my paycheck/commission/bonus/gift card, so I''m going to spoil myself.

Pedis - I do them once a month with hot stones. Love them!

Hair colouring - I''m like NEL - I feel like I should have been born a red head, but of the aurburn variety.

Furniture has been a big one for me since we bought our house in December 06. I think I may have just received my last big piece, but I''m not about to tell DH we''re *done* yet.

 

[HollyS]

What do I spend my hard earned cash on without batting an eye:

Starbucks black iced tea unsweet. Gotta have it. Everyday. At least one. I should make sure my 401K has some Starbucks stock!

I adore pedicures and massages. If ever I win the lotto, I''ll be at my local spa every week!

One nice dinner out per week with the DH. I live in a fairly low-cost area, so my splurge might not be as ''yowza'' as a nice night out in your neck of the woods.

If a great purse is on sale, (and I don''t mean designer purses at a hundred $$ off several hundred), I usually buy it.

I try to stay out of shoe stores if I don''t need a new pair, because I can always justify one more pair of black shoes/sandals.

Books. I never enter a bookstore without buying more.

Perfume. But only when I''ve run out of my fav. Otherwise, hubby does the buying at holidays/birthdays.