What Do You NOT Regret Spending Big $$$ On?

[maplefemme]

Thank you!!! We will be researching for a while--I will definitely reach out for advice. FI grew up with American Bulldogs and wants our next dog to be from the mastiff family. Before we get a big dog I think I need to be trained to be a strong owner. Tuffy was 7 pounds and ran the house!

Haha, sometimes the little ones can be the most challenging to direct!
I like mastiffs too. We are getting a Presa puppy from Red Star once our next house is built. I have been watching them for a long time and I'm SO very impressed with temperament of the dogs they produce, very owner compliance driven. Which is what you want, it's so important and makes training such a pleasure.
They have some world renowned dog trainers on staff and also run an excellent dog training facility, great for people training too
Here's a good example of their values and goals:

http://www.red-star-kennel.com/presa.shtml

Their videos are great to watch too!

Happy researching

 

[lyra]

We replaced all our kitchen appliances last June. Then my husband lost his job two weeks later. He's still unemployed, but we are enjoying the appliances. This is our first gas stove and I love it. I don't know why I was always so hesitant to get one.

 

[missy]

We replaced all our kitchen appliances last June. Then my husband lost his job two weeks later. He's still unemployed, but we are enjoying the appliances. This is our first gas stove and I love it. I don't know why I was always so hesitant to get one.

I'm glad you are enjoying your new gas stove lyra! We have never had anything but gas but my aunt and uncle cannot get gas where they live and my aunt misses it. Especially since she is a big cook.

Sending job dust to your dh!!

 

[Skippy123]

+1 for our tempur pedic mattress!!!

That has changed our sleep for the better. How could I have forgot that?!?

Us too! I think our tempurpedic is going on 10 years or close to it!!!!

Our minivan; I feel good that we bought a Honda.

Our house; we bought it in 2001 before the crazy price increase started.

 

[Laila619]

I thought of another one: the organic Naturepedic baby mattress I bought for my little boy. Pricey but it's worth it to me to know he's not breathing in a bunch of off-gassing chemicals and fire retardants while he sleeps.

Also, our honeymoon and our wedding.

 

[Aoife]

I do not regret the $$$'s spent on our Tempurpedic mattress, even though I had to grit my teeth when I handed over the credit card to pay for it. A sound night's sleep and fewer aches and pains in the morning are totally worth every penny.

Every year or two we take our daughters and their families on a vacation: sometimes it's just a few days in a city we all enjoy, and sometimes it's someplace like Hawaii. Again, worth every penny in terms of an opportunity to spend time together, and make memories. It is seriously cutting into my jewelry budget, though.

 

[Tuckins1]

My boobs.

After the baby and breastfeeding, I literally had nothing. (I measured a double A minus!!!!) I got them done and I feel like a new woman! Worth every penny!

 

[Amys Bling]

My boobs.

After the baby and breastfeeding, I literally had nothing. (I measured a double A minus!!!!) I got them done and I feel like a new woman! Worth every penny!

I'd love to get me some- good for you

 

[Autumnovember]

My car! I drive a lot more than average and having this car makes driving much more fun and a lot less miserable. It's worth every penny...I actually look forward to driving when I have to!

The other would be our wedding...worth every single penny. It was absolutely the best day of my entire life..I would do anything to go back!

 

[amc80]

My cats! I got a lot of crap for buying purebreds rather than adopting. I bought ragdolls based on their personalities as a breed (well, and they are so pretty!) and am so glad I did.

 

[soocool]

Art! I have a number of original pieces - oil, lithographs, etc that have to my great happiness appreciated in value. I have several pieces that individually cost more than my Ering

 

[madelise]

The most notable one is my LASIK surgery. It changed my life and at $3,600 was a small price to pay for the freedom I now have. Also, I don't regret my TempurPedic mattress one bit. It was about $2,200 but I love it to death. It's been a god-send for my aching joints.

LASIK! Best $ to ever be spent! I had pretty bad eyes before, and as soon as they stabilized for 2 years, I called the surgeon and made my appointment! I had to put some of it on credit card, and pay it back slowly, but the $ it is saving me on new contact lenses, and glasses every year, PLUS the amount of PITA I'm saving due to all my allergies and eye infections, lasik has been a godsend.

but after all of your posts about tempurpedic.. it's making me regret not buying one last year! i ended up taking up one of those cheapo ones and i always have had back, shoulder, and lumbar problems..

does it help with side-sleepers, too?

 

[Enerchi]

My boobs.

After the baby and breastfeeding, I literally had nothing. (I measured a double A minus!!!!) I got them done and I feel like a new woman! Worth every penny!

Good for you - enjoy them! (I know that sounds weird... but if they make you feel like a million bucks, they were worth it!) You can't put a price on self esteem and confidence

 

[iLander]

Art! I have a number of original pieces - oil, lithographs, etc that have to my great happiness appreciated in value. I have several pieces that individually cost more than my Ering

Oh, Thank God! Everyone is being so practical, I was starting to feel like a weirdo.

I too have a fabulous mattress (originally $9,000, bought as a floor model for $2K) and a lovely home that my DH designed and that we had built. I love them both.

Still have all my original parts though, so no money spent there.

But it's the art that makes my heart sing . . .

 

[Black Jade]

We paid $200,000 for my oldest son's college degree so that he didn't have to take out any loans. I am so glad we did that. He went to an excellent university but is free from debt so he's in a very good position that he appreciates a lot(even though we didn't expect the economy to tank which makes things harder on him). He wants to be a missionary so will never make any money but I think things will work out for him, it's so good to have no debt.

We want to do the same for the others--having trouble with the second, I think it will work out with the third.

They are not going to inherit a dime but with an education you have skills; we always thought it was the best thing we could do for them. We are not rich but saved diligently since I was pregnant with the first one, drove our cars forever (I had one for 20 plus years once) had low quality for furniture for years, etc. We do get to treat ourselves to things now though.

I got a small inheritance from my grandfather several years ago and I spent it on educating a young woman in the country where I was born. She is doing very well. She would not otherwise have had a chance to go to high school at all (she's finished and money has been found for her to go to college because she turned out to be bright; I didn't have any further funds). She would have led a very underprivileged third world life, which is not great for girls--she's the child of single mom and probably would have been a single mom herself--the girls get despairing and have babies too soon.

I think a good education and the confidence that it brings is the best gift for anyone. I don't give anything to charities which just give handouts as I have seen that destroy people's confidence and ability to figure out how to get ahead for themselves all too many times. My dream one day is to set up a scholarship fund that will just keep going in my country of birth and I would particularly like to see young women get more of a chance than they do to get ahead and have confidence in their skills (though I am not a feminist).

 

[iLander]

The most notable one is my LASIK surgery. It changed my life and at $3,600 was a small price to pay for the freedom I now have. Also, I don't regret my TempurPedic mattress one bit. It was about $2,200 but I love it to death. It's been a god-send for my aching joints.

LASIK! Best $ to ever be spent! I had pretty bad eyes before, and as soon as they stabilized for 2 years, I called the surgeon and made my appointment! I had to put some of it on credit card, and pay it back slowly, but the $ it is saving me on new contact lenses, and glasses every year, PLUS the amount of PITA I'm saving due to all my allergies and eye infections, lasik has been a godsend.

but after all of your posts about tempurpedic.. it's making me regret not buying one last year! i ended up taking up one of those cheapo ones and i always have had back, shoulder, and lumbar problems..

does it help with side-sleepers, too?

My eyesight was 20/950 for most of my life, but now that I'm approaching gray hair, my eyes are getting better (wore contacts/glasses). They're now down to 20/700, which is great. Does Lasik still work when your eyes get better? I would think so . . .

 

[Octavia]

Sailing lessons. We haven't spent that much $$$ yet, but by the time we upgrade our gear, finish our certifications, and add in membership fees for the sailing club where we take lessons, we will be in for several grand. It's not a cheap hobby...but it's so totally, completely worth it.

 

[Haven]

Oh, definitely travel.
I can't think of a better way to spend my money. Or time, for that matter.

We're going to Spain this summer. I can't wait! I'll definitely start a thread soon. PSers gave me some of the best travel advice for our last few trips.

 

[nkarma]

Travel

I've been to Italy, Spain, France, Bali and Turkey in the last couple of years and I'm now officially hooked.

I'm going off to Belgium in April and New York in May (new yorkers I'm gonna need your advice soon!)

I'm never going to save money again, but I won't regret the memories one single bit.

Big Ditto! I grew up without the opportunity to travel much but in the 6+ years that I have been self-sufficient, I have travelled as much as I can. I had a friend ask me to go to her uncle's show at fashion week in NYC with a bunch of my gfs right after I got my first job. At first I said no I can't afford it, but then I was like when the hell am I gonna get that opportunity again??? So I went and it was worth every penny and then some. Now everytime I get an opportunity that is hard to repeat, I take absolutely take it. You cannot take your money with you and I prefer experiences over material items most of the time.

 

[QueenB29]

Another vote for pets and travel, especially pets! My yellow Lab Belle is a rescue, so she didn't cost much money up front. Her upkeep, however, is another story -- probably $500 a month for food, vet bills and our dog walker. Not to mention the $1200 of dental work she just needed However, the joy she brings DH and I every day is priceless

Oh, and the other thing I will never regret (although DH might disagree) is my graduate degree. It's still in progress, a lot of work and very expensive since I don't get financial aid or assistance from work, but so far it's made me a much, much better writer and hopefully will open a lot of doors. I've also made a lot of friends

 

[maplefemme]

Art! I have a number of original pieces - oil, lithographs, etc that have to my great happiness appreciated in value. I have several pieces that individually cost more than my Ering

Do you have pictures of your art, soocool? I collect art too, I'd love to see yours.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Oh, definitely travel.
I can't think of a better way to spend my money. Or time, for that matter.

We're going to Spain this summer. I can't wait! I'll definitely start a thread soon. PSers gave me some of the best travel advice for our last few trips.

Haven, hope to not jump the gun on your forthcoming thread, but if you're headed out to Spain I'd recommend watching "Spain- On the Road Again", the PBS short series available on Netflix featuring Mario Batali, Mark Bittman (NY Times Food guy), Gwyneth Paltrow, and Claudia Bassols. I'll admit the participants can be a bit grating at times, but as a Spain travelolgue it has great flair. (After seeing it, my guy bumped Spain up to the top of the list of where he wants to go for his birthday this year!)

 

[kenny]

My 9' 2" German Grand Piano and the hand-knotted 60-Raj Tabriz Persian the piano lives on.

 

[violet3]

My dogs - for sure. One was a very expensive purebred dog and the other was a free rescue who has cost us tremendous amounts of money in vet bills. Both are priceless in my opinion, and even when money gets really tight, I never regret spending the money - especially when I get a good snuggle from one of them

 

[princesss]

Oh, definitely travel.
I can't think of a better way to spend my money. Or time, for that matter.

We're going to Spain this summer. I can't wait! I'll definitely start a thread soon. PSers gave me some of the best travel advice for our last few trips.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I love Spain! I only lived there for 4 months, but it was a blast. I think I might head there for a weekend this summer (I never made it down south to Sevilla or Andalucia). I'll keep an eye out for your thread!

 

[madelise]

The most notable one is my LASIK surgery. It changed my life and at $3,600 was a small price to pay for the freedom I now have. Also, I don't regret my TempurPedic mattress one bit. It was about $2,200 but I love it to death. It's been a god-send for my aching joints.

LASIK! Best $ to ever be spent! I had pretty bad eyes before, and as soon as they stabilized for 2 years, I called the surgeon and made my appointment! I had to put some of it on credit card, and pay it back slowly, but the $ it is saving me on new contact lenses, and glasses every year, PLUS the amount of PITA I'm saving due to all my allergies and eye infections, lasik has been a godsend.

but after all of your posts about tempurpedic.. it's making me regret not buying one last year! i ended up taking up one of those cheapo ones and i always have had back, shoulder, and lumbar problems..

does it help with side-sleepers, too?

My eyesight was 20/950 for most of my life, but now that I'm approaching gray hair, my eyes are getting better (wore contacts/glasses). They're now down to 20/700, which is great. Does Lasik still work when your eyes get better? I would think so . . .

I don't know to what you're referring your eyesight to? **confused**. those numbers, i.e. say 20/20, means you can see "normally". what you're saying is that, you can see "normally" at what a typical person would see at 950 feet's distance? 20/200 is considered legally blind.. and if that's true, I'm so sorry. But considering you're typing away at a computer, that can't exactly be true! I think it'd help more if you can post what diopter your eyes are? Written on a prescription, it'd be something like -6.00 or so.

I'm responding to this topic bc, I'm young, and I know that after you reach 40-50, your eyes shift and suddenly you need readers on top of distance-ers. So I kept asking questions. So basically, your eyes aren't "getting better", it's that the positive diopter grade of your "reading" is canceling out a bit of the negative of the "distance". I asked about that, about how older people with both distance and reading problems, deal with their lasik. Do they improve it back to 20/20 to distance, and just exist with readers? Or can there be a trade-off, say, fix your distance to about a -0.75 or -1.00 or so, so that yes, you'd need glasses to drive, but to just hang around or whatnot, you wouldn't need to wear them.. and you'd be comfortable with reading for a longer period of time. They told me there are different counseling methods, and that each person is different with what they prefer. There are some individuals whom fix one eye, their dominant eye, to the 20/20, and their less dominant eye to a lesser degree so that they trade off which eye they dominantly use while reading or while driving.. similar to those who get contact lens in 2 different 'degrees'.


I'm no professional, though, and since I'm not sure exactly what you mean your eyesight are.. I'd take what I'm saying with a grain of salt and ask around different professionals for their opinions. I went to consult with 3 different surgeons, on top of 2 different optometrists before making my final decision.

 

[isaku5]

Only two things really: travel and our kitty's specialized care when he was diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease.

 

[Circe]

It took me a little while of staring blankly at the walls to answer this one ... and then I realized I wasn't looking at walls as such, 'cause I haven't got an inch of wall space free.

Books. I have spent at least ten times what I've spent on jewelry on books over the course of my lifetime, and I have no doubt I'll continue the pattern in the future. Now, back to Maisie Dobbs before I have to dive into Freud for the night ....

P.S. - Also travel. Though both things take you beyond your borders, in their own ways ....

 

[iLander]

My eyesight was 20/950 for most of my life, but now that I'm approaching gray hair, my eyes are getting better (wore contacts/glasses). They're now down to 20/700, which is great. Does Lasik still work when your eyes get better? I would think so . . .

I don't know to what you're referring your eyesight to? **confused**. those numbers, i.e. say 20/20, means you can see "normally". what you're saying is that, you can see "normally" at what a typical person would see at 950 feet's distance? 20/200 is considered legally blind.. and if that's true, I'm so sorry. But considering you're typing away at a computer, that can't exactly be true! I think it'd help more if you can post what diopter your eyes are? Written on a prescription, it'd be something like -6.00 or so.
[/quote]

Oh, I know about the 20/200, but you're only considered legally blind if you are 20/200 with correction. I've been trying to get the legally blind tax discount for years. Yes, what appears fuzzy to other people at 950 feet appeared fuzzy to me at 20 feet, but they could correct me to about 20/70. Now, with my new vision (-7.4 on my prescription) I'm down to 20/20 with contacts. Without contacts, I see shapes and colors. A person looks like a big peachy blob, very large and distorted, there are no edges to things. Plus I have a severe astigmatism, so they're crooked blobs. They didn't invent contacts for my vision until I was in my mid-20's, everyone else had contacts for over a decade before they got around to me. Taking a shower or doing anything without glasses was really an adventure.

That is good information, I have considered Lasik. I will have to talk to a Doc, but your info is a great start!

 

[kenny]

I'm so happy I spent extra money on my surgeon.

When I had cancer I found out the best surgeon did not accept my insurance, so I paid him out of pocket instead of going with what I felt was a less qualified surgeon.