Well, it is quite apparent that saving money is a personal issue, as was shown when I explored buying generic brands or shared about my free haircuts. I certainly didn’t expect so much reaction from that! On the flip side, I’m sure even the most frugal among us have their indulgences. Maybe it’s $40 haircuts, or their wall-to-wall DVD collection. Or maybe it’s just ordering extra toppings on your pizza. Here’s a little list of things are that are worth the extra money for me:
Monthly Subscriptions
TiVo + Cable TV
High-Speed Internet (more like a necessity actually)
Food
Dining out at good, simple, and unpretentious restaurants
Good Sushi
Great Steaks
Extra-virgin olive oil
Parmigiano Reggiano (the real deal)
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
(…can you tell I like food?)
Random
Down Comforters
High-Quality Mechanical Pencils
Oral-B Satin Floss
Charmin Ultra Toilet Paper
Big Ticket Items
My old luxury of choice was electronic gadgets. It’s been a tough addiction to kick! Now, I would say that one great passion that my wife and I share is travel. We plan on exploring this entire big rock we live on, and have only touched 3 continents so far. If you gave me the choice between a $15,000 econobox car and a trip around the world, or a $40,000 luxury car, I’d break out my passport in a heartbeat.
We are actually planning an international trip this summer, which will set us back at least a couple grand. But we will have the chance to go with family, and right now vacation time is more precious than money. Especially since we don’t have kids yet!
So there you have it, mainly food and travel. So, what are your luxuries?
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For me, my luxury spending includes:
– broadband internet & cable tv (love OnDemand – refuse to try TiVo since it seems so addictive)
– down comforter, plush pillows, high thread-count sheets, nice mattress and boxspring — My sleep is precious to me and having a comfortable and warm bed to crawl into every night is worth the cost.
– fresh and local food – veggies & fruit from the farmers market (when possible), bread and pastry from the local bakery, cuts of meat from the local butcher, cold cuts from the local deli, seafood from the local fish market. I am fortunate to have all of these small local shops and try to partonize them when I can. They add something irreplacable to my neighborhood and while they cost more than the grocery store – it is well worth it!
If you are a Tivo lover, check out the RCA Scenium DRS7000. You can pick one up on eBay for a little over a hundred dollars last I checked. But the cool thing about this DVR is that you don’t have to pay any subscription fees. It’s like a DVD Player with a hard drive built in. You just setup your recordings and let it do its thing. It also has a free guide built in that is similar to tivo’s. This is what I have been using for the last 2 years and its saved me a lot. How much is Tivo per month x 24 months?
My 1870 house. Is living in a rat-trap a luxury? Well, if you care about history and are restoring a house, yes it is. I highly recommend that frugal folks stay away from old houses. They cost a fortune to restore. So why do it? When you discover the cistern after living there two years (like I did two days ago) and find all these old bottles and “trash” from 1920, that makes it worth it. We all like treasure, but I just wish it didn’t cost so much!
Cars: I love working on cars and squeezing as much out of them. Currently I am working on our 05 GTO.
Precious Metals: I’ve always had a thing for gold and silver. I enjoy picking up coins and even the 1 oz silver/gold bars and 10 oz silver bars.
Old or Odd currancy/coins: Another hobby I’ve had since a little kid. I don’t think I have ever spent a $2 bill. Just though they were always neat.
As for traveling: Enjoy it. I had a blast visiting all the foreign countries when I was in the Navy. I was able to see a lot at each one which made the time worth it. I believe my total countries visited is around 18 now.
Good coffee beans, I need good coffee at home. I don’t like coffee that comes in a can
I dine out almost 95% of the time. Mostly b/c I live in NYC, but also because I love trying out new restaurants (trying to hit most of the top rated restaurants). I’d say most of my “luxury spending” is in this category.
Travel is the other big category. Lots of international trips planned so far this year 🙂
As you can tell, my luxury spending focuses on experiences, just like Jonathan.
One more thing, I wouldn’t consider cable tv + internet a luxury. For us bloggers, it’s more like a necessity (the cable internet at least).
High Speed Internet isn’t a luxury is it? It’s an absolute necessity! 🙂
Poland Spring water is the only thing that I’m not willing to trade down on. If I’m going to spend money on water, it better be good.
That and anything that I plan on keeping for an extended period of time, such as camera lenses, cars and electronics need to be of a certain quality. Not necessarily luxury…just high quality. eg Camry
“High-Quality Mechanical Pencils” – I like that one. I’ve got a few choice pencils myself. You can never have too many good mechanical pencils at work. I don’t even carry a pen anymore.
Mine would have to be gadgets: ipod, digital camera, plasma tv. 🙂 I’m just a gadget freak.
Vegas when we can afford it, Cable & high-speed internet, Q-tip brand qtips, cigars for my bf (although i think he shouldnt) steak definitely and pizza. However we figured out a way to save on pizza. We typically have pepperoni, ham, peppers, onions etc at home so we buy a one-topping pizza and top it ourselves once it arrives. And 2 of our local pizza places are always offering free wings specials so we take advantage of those offers as well. mmmmm, pizza!!!
I can always stop myself when it comes to eating out, starbucks, buying gadgets, getting cable, all the standard “luxuries” but for some reason I can never seem to stop myself from buying furniture.
Furniture?
I know, I know, it’s easily about 10 times as ridiculous as any other vice, but I love buying new furniture. I’ve still got an empty room in my walk-up attic to furnish, so I have something to look forward to. I’ve even furnished my front porch and my back yard! I need to be stopped! No single human being needs as much furniture as I have.
I budget about $2000 a year for travel. I also spend more money than is really necessary on groceries because I like the convenience of frozen meals. After a long day at work and a drive home in traffic, there’s no other way to go. I justify it because it’s generally cheaper than take-out.
Eating out is definitely one of my luxuries. I do eat at mostly inexpensive places, but, like you, I splurge on sushi, as well as the occasional nice restaurant. I live frugally in a lot of other ways though, so things tend to balance out.
Cycling: nice parts cost nice money.
Skiing: getting to the peak is expensive.
Eating out: tasty food at tasty restaurants.
Cable TV: had “broadcast only” up until last year. Still debating getting “basic only” for $11. Do I really need 98 channels of crap?
Vacations: travel is really fun.
Wes
I would say my biggest luxury is also a hobby of mine, building computers, it’s probably my largest yearly expenditure outside of shelter/food/transportation. I play a lot of video-games, which some can be very effective from a time/money/enjoyment perspective (and you can play them with S.O.’s too!). I find them a lot less mind-numbing than tv today.
Luxuries – good question…. there are 3 big ones:
a. Jewelry – It’s amazing that something so small can make a woman feel so beautiful.
b. Travel – anywhere that’s warm and beachy!
c. Cars – my only complaint is that so-called “luxury” cars are usually rear-wheel drive. Those things are HORRIBLE on snow!
Mine is Mustangs. I can never have enough Mustangs……
For me it’s mainly my hobbies, genealogy research, books, and movies. But for my wife and I, it’s probably cable, eating out and vacations.
Cars or Horses? =)
I really want to drive one of the new Mustang convertibles. Driving around the previous model as a rental was fun!
Locatelli (pecorino romano) is much better than your favorite “Parmigiano Reggiano (the real deal).” I’m not knocking your tastes, just letting you know you should try it in case you haven’t yet.
Keep up the great posting. I look forward to checking your site everyday when the beans become uncountable here at work.
Chris – Thanks for the suggestion, I’m off to Costco today, let’s see if they sell it there! They sell fresh mozzarella (another favorite) too, so here’s hoping.
Mmmm… beans 🙂
Interesting… mine would include $80 haircuts, travel, good quality shoes, eating out, and membership at a gym with a pool. I used to spend a lot on gadgets but I haven’t been buying any new ones for the past couple of years.
I had to laugh at “Oral B Satin Floss”– I’m pretty picky about my floss too (Glide something or other) but I haven’t noticed if it’s more expensive than other flosses. And given that flossing can save you an awful lot on dental bills, I’m not sure I’d think of it as a luxury!
Ya’ll spending money on … what? Down comforters and plush pillows?
Opinion alert!
Those are useless (unless you’re crazy about cuddling, snuggling, and calling your spouse ‘Snookums-poo’.
Actually, my wife and I play this game when we’re inside a store – we try to find the most useless thing for sale in that store.
Down comforters and plush pillows rank very high on out list of useless things.
You know, I never thought about it much, but I do have a thing for fine pens.
I don’t really consider the internet a luxury, as it’s pretty much a necessity in todays culture. However I could consider high-speed cable internet a luxury, considering there are much cheaper alternatives that aren’t that much slower.
I also splurge for good quality when it comes to things I use constantly. My mouse and keyboard (upgraded to wireless to free up desk real estate), pillows and linens, good quality cutlery…
That’s about all I can think of for now, but now that you have me thinking about it, I’ll probably think of this blog every time my subscription to Business Week comes in the mail (even though the online version is free)…
Grant
Charmin Ultra Toilet Paper! I almost feel out of my chair! When my wife and I got married, she always wanted that toilet paper. We were in college at the time and money was INCREDIBLY tight, so it didn’t happen. Now that we have been out of school for almost a year and we can afford it, she doesn’t want it. She wants to save the money.
Anyways, our luxuries are college sporting events, skiing/snowboarding, and traveling. Last week we bought our first house and were SHOCKED with how much the closing and realtor cost were going to be, so there will not be any luxuries for a few months.
By the way, I really love this blog.
Floss? Haha.. That’s a good one!
I am a girl and I spent about 30 bucks a month on all clothes and beauty products.. But I spent a whopping $600+ on recreation/travel and $300 on techie gadgets… I guess everybody has something they can’t cut to enjoy life and something they can care less.. In your and my case, we can settle with a $0.05 hair cut.. hehehe..:-)
Yes, I hate that stringy cheap floss. It hurts!
I just bought some Pecorino Romano – less than $5 a lb at Costco, half as much as the Reggiano, nice. We’ll see how it is.
We like skiing and snowboarding as well. My equipment is getting decrepit though…
One thing I’ll never sacrifice is good gin and a good cigar. Can’t replace a Punch or Montecristo with a Swisher Sweet. And Bombay Saphire…..mmmmm.
Garrett got me thinking how cool it would be to buy a gold bar! Jonathan, you should do a piece on buying precious metals.
Well, I finally gave in and dropped from DSL Pro to basic DSL, saving me ~$20/month, so that’s no longer a luxury.
I’d have to say my two luxuries are spending on my daughter and on my hamsters. I spoil them all.
Even there I always shop for sales/discounts/rebates, though.
Most of us money-minded efficiency freaks rarely have time to eat well. We exist on frozen dinners, cereal, and take-out.
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How To Be Poor said that a down comforter is useless. I think HTBP is **completely** wrong. If you live where it’s really cold at night, you don’t want to turn up a thermostat. It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity, especially if you’re frugal.
Two years ago I switched over to a down sleeping bag on a last minute REI splurge for my camping trip. That year it went down to 27F in the high desert in August. My old non-down sleeping wouldn’t have handled it. I slept beautifully with down. It packs down nicely too. Some of the best $200.00 I ever spent. (The following year was also frickin’ cold again. But other years it’s in the 60’s and wonderful.)
Well I hate to admit that I have the worst kind of indulgence, exotic automobiles. So my one ridiculous luxury that I can’t do without is my 2001 Ferrari 360 Modena Spider. Outside of that, I am cheap cheap cheap!
I listed a few of my favorite things last week on my blog. http://inchoaterandomabstractions.blogspot.com/2006/03/few-of-my-favorite-things.html
Mostly gadgets and such. But high on my list is my condo (definitely a luxury).
I’m one of the most frugal people I know, and yet I still have an unbelievable number of luxuries.
Dessert, eating out, CD’s and other music sources, DVD’s and other movie sources, books and library access, internet access, a personal car, travel, lessons, indoor plumbing, heating and air conditioning everywhere, pretty furniture, spices and other foods from around the world, stainless steel pots and pans, teflon pans, a blender, stoves and ovens, refrigeration, nonplastic dishes and silverware, lots of pretty furniture, jewelry, washer, sunscreen, flavored lip balm, dance shoes, rock climbing shoes, bicycle, camera, glasses, ibuprofin, tampons, checking account, discount brokerage account, retirement plans, a big back yard, a house in a (mostly) convenient location with good weather and a nearby university, and more.
Without question, my vices are eating out (although not nearly as much as I used to) cars, and electronics. I’m doing my best to manage them, but as evidenced by my recent vehicle purchase, the demons are still with me.
Hazzard
My vices include good coffee, freshly gound and put through my French press. Yum. The smell is what I crave, not so much the taste……but that’s good too.
All my bedding would have to be considered luxury items too……….as well as necessity mentioned earlier. Down bedding, feather bed, etc are economical when you consider there is no need for heating the bedroom. Good thing here, the wood stove is at the opposite end of the house.
My housecleaner is my favorite luxury. The day he visits is my favorite day of the week!!
biennial upgrades for the computer?
food, lots and lots of food. for some reason I can easily fool myself into thinking spending big bucks on food is a-okay.
for some reason unlike most people I dont really care about my bed. maybe thats why I have a sleeping problem? it’s like a freaking straw bed.
It amazes me how much my friends spend on manicures and pedicure on an ongoing basis then complain about how they have ‘no money’.
I’m pretty frugal– but then again I did buy a 30 GB IPOD video in Feb. so to each their own I guess.
The nice thing is that buyer’s remorse is pretty much baloney. 99% of the time we have none because we automatically convince ourselves we like what we paid for even more than we did before we bought it. I think the only time I returned an item (that wasn’t because it was defective)was when I needed the money for something that was a necessity for me like college tuition or paying the water bill.
i used to spend a lot on machines to try and improve the quality and efficiency of my life, but i realized that they were just creating clutter and encroaching on my free, waking time–i had to program them, monitor them, troubleshoot them, etc, etc.
so i finally bit the bullet and got a butler.
it is the best decision i ever made, and costs much less than you would think. in terms of quality of life improvements and efficiency, my roi is several 1000%.
tasks that i no longer need to do:
picking up and dropping off dry cleaning
errands like post office, grocery shopping, etc.
laundry
folding clothes
selecting clothes in the morning
cooking
loading and unloading dishwasher
cleaning
driving
parking
screening phone calls
answering the door
making service appointments for vehicles, home, etc.
monitoring service providers
some home maintenance
if you add up the time spent in engaging or managing these pursuits, you will see that a butler can be a great investment. of course, it depends on the butler’s capabilities, what you are paying for the service(s), hours of service provided, and what your time (both business and personal) is worth.
but a good butler is also good company, good backup, good security, a good foreign language teacher, guide, translator, etc., etc. i am paying for mine to learn how to fly…then i will be able to save more time by avoiding busy airports and commercial flights.
A housecleaner is one of the luxury items for me. However, we’ve been in the process of selling our house, and I’ve been having to keep it super clean myself. I’m finding I don’t hate housework as much as I thought, so I might not need a housekeeper anymore.
High speed internet is another, and we are even thinking of getting wireless high speed (like through Verizon or Cingular). The catch there is that right now, we use prepaid cell phones, so we’d have to get a cell phone plan through them, too.
The only other ones I can think of are the occassional pizza when we don’t feel like cooking and we always get a condo when we travel (or stay somewhere like a Residence Inn), so we’ll have a kitchen (unless, we are turning a business trip into a vacation, then most of the food is expensed). My husband and I both love to cook, so getting to experiment in the kitchen is part of the fun of vacation for us.
We also always eat a lot of fresh stuff around here, instead of frozen foods and such. With coupons and really good planning, I can get the frozen stuff practically free, so fresh food is kind of a luxury, but not that expensive if bought in the right places (and definitely cheaper than buying processed food without coupons).
My luxuries are probably my hobbies: cars, tools/garage stuff, hunting/camping/outdoor stuff, and family vacations. For my wife, it’s probably clothes. But even with these things, we still always shop around for deals. We can enjoy our Luxuries without necessarily spending a lot, or anything at all.
We do have satellite TV (only because it was cheaper than cable) and DSL, but our main TV is still an 11-year-old 25″ Magnavox hand-me-down from my wife’s grandmother, and we have a 13″ TV from college in our bedroom. I look at the big-screen TV’s in Costco, but I can’t justify spending $1000+ for a TV that both myself and my family shouldn’t be wasting our time watching very much of anyway. The old TV’s discourage us from watching too much TV, and I can view O’Reilly and the History Channel are just as good on an old Magnavox as I could on a new flat-panel TV. We don’t have Tivo and we don’t have ipods or any of that other junk. We’d rather be outdoors, enjoying the world around us.
I used to spend a lot on computers, but gave that up about 8 years ago when I realized I could get my employer to fund that hobby for me. Why buy an expensive computer, cell phone, PDA, etc. when my employer was willing to give those things to me? My personal laptop is a 500MHz P3 I bought in 1999 and it still works fine for checking email and browsing the web, and we finally broke down and bought a cheapie new $400 Dell desktop for the wife and kids to pound on at home. It replaced a 7 year old Pentium 200MHz desktop.
We enjoy eating good food too, but my wife and I can prepare better, fresher, healthier meals at home than going to a restaurant, and we enjoy the time together while cooking and grilling anyway.
We’re able to enjoy our Luxuries still without having to spend a lot.
My biggest luxuries are my housekeeper and Coach handbags. The housekeeper is $50 every two weeks to do all of the major cleaning. To me it’s worth not having to waste half of my Saturday cleaning the house instead of hanging out with my hubby.
I buy one or two Coach bags a year, and even though they’re expensive, they last forever and I don’t clutter my closet up with tons of cheap bags that I only use a few times…