I don’t think I splurge per se. For me splurging is (and this is lame I guess) buying myself a $7 meal at a restaurant. Hell, I consider going to a fast food restaurant and not ordering off of the dollar menu to be splurging (I love big macs, but rarely get them. I get the McDoubles). But on the plus side I am debt free and have a good savings account, which isn’t too common for people my age.
When I do family events I will spend money (if we go out to a nice restaurant I don’t mind spending $30 on a meal). And when my younger brother comes to visit I spend money freely on him.
That is probably the only time, when I am with family members who I don’t see often. Well, not true. I will spend money on self-relaxation devices or experiences. I will spend money on things that I believe will relax me or increase my satisfaction with life. So I have hundreds of dollars worth of meditation CDs, meditation devices, massage gift certificates, supplements, ergonomic aides etc.
I do drive a luxury car, but it is 10 years old and my dad recently bought a lawnmower that cost the same price. I don’t know if that counts as splurging.
Even if someone does splurge that doesn’t preclude them from getting a good deal. If you like luxury cars you can spend 50k on a new one or buy a 3 year old model for 22k (if you get a good deal).
My only splurge is preventing my husband from buying the cheapest of everything. Cheap doesn’t equal value. It’s taking awhile, but he’s coming around.
His only splurge is Harley gear. He knows he’s buying the name, but he doesn’t care, even when the zipper breaks and the pocket rips on that jacket he paid $150 for. It didn’t even last a season.
Yeah I’m single with no kids and no debt other than a mortgage. I’m also a good saver and tend to be frugal. Until something comes up that I must have then I don’t really hesitate to buy it, so I consider that a splurge.
Last year I quit smoking so I had all this extra money laying around. I spent it all up on baseball-related splurges.
I could pretty much have written what Shagnasty said (especially the second para) except. I haven’t had a car for about 15 years. I live in the City and wherever I am working transport or a vehicle comes with the gig. I always fly business, but then again Manila is far from most destinations so I reason that is an essential cost if I need cover it myself and nice if my company does.
I hate clothes shopping so I set a day aside for it every few months and try to shop for quality rather than just a name.
Tickets for shows? Well I just spent nearly $760 for two Lady Gaga tickets as a gift for an ex of mine. There are the best in the arena and I know she will just love it so am happy for that.
Holidays I never skimp on but seeing as I have places such as Boracay island only a short hop away thats not too expensive ( though last time I was there I arranged private helicopter transfer from Boracay Airport to the villa -a mere $150 and got me some amazing returns from my sweet companion!!)
Technobits and bobs? Only in my residence do I insist on high end stuff. And I have a few high end cell phones but average camera, no IPad or other electroninc bling. And i don’t value real bling either
But for most of the year am generally working in some pretty grotty locations with “challenging” conditions so what the hell?
I’ll buy store brand/whatever’s cheapest for most stuff, but I insist on Kleenex tissues, Band-Aid bandages, Apple earbuds, and real (as opposed to artificial) vanilla. Otherwise, generic-brand/used/otherwise cheap stuff doesn’t seem any different to me.
Also I spend more than I’d like on trousers and shoes, but I don’t really have much choice if I want to get anything that fits comfortably…
I’m a fairly frugal type but I splurge on my hobbies. I have some nice guitars and amps despite playing at a very basic level. When I bought a bicycle last year, I bought a really nice one, no regrets there. I guess when I buy something that I expect to have a long time I spend the money for the good stuff.
I burn a lot of gas pursuing my kayaking hobby but I’m not one of those kayakers that has to have the latest kayak design every year. My main boats are pretty old as plastic boats go. I buy good gear and make it last.
Fish - I am perfectly willing to pay $20/lb on a fabulous salmon filet or dry diver scallops.
Meat - I pay more for happy hippy meat. And on very special occasions I’ll buy dry aged prime beef.
Cheese - When I want a special cheese I will pay $30/lb for it. For a small piece, to be sure, but cheese is one of those things that I feel is worth spending extra money on.
My husband and I splurge occasionally - if we buy furniture, it’s nice furniture. We only just now got a bedroom set for us and a nicer mattress. We also had a cleaning service that came once a week until week before last when I resigned from my job. We’re going to be cutting back a lot more, obviously, until I get work, but once I am employed again, we’ll probably get my son a nice bedroom set, and then another for my daughter. Neither my husband nor I are comfortable buying things on credit. We don’t splurge unless we have the cash to buy whatever it is outright.
Furniture - that’s a good one. Sometimes it doesn’t matter too much if the piece lasts forever (a corner table that just has a plant on it or something), but for the pieces we use all the time, I’m going to have to gird my loins and spring for the good stuff, so it lasts longer than a year.
I save 35-40% of my paycheck and spend very little on clothing or entertainment, but I do eat out regularly. I hate cooking, I like eating, and there are several locally-owned restaurants within easy walking distance of my apartment, so I figure I’m helping support the local economy while also getting better food than I’d be making myself.
I like to travel, although I don’t make a lot of big trips. Once or twice a year I fly out to see my BFF, who lives farther away than I’d want to drive, and two years ago I went to Europe.
What with the payments on my 80 foot yacht (not to mention the docking fees, etc. in Saint Lucia) and the upkeep on my vacation homes in Goa (India) and Gan (Maldives), I really don’t “splurge” on anything. It’s hard enough maintaining the G4, paying the various servants (cook, housekeeper, groundskeeper, pilot, driver, masseuse, valet, etc.) and making sure the robot has enough nuclear fuel that I really don’t have all that much left over at the end of the month to just go out and do something nice for myself.
concerts: I don’t go to many. So when I do, I’ll pay for premium seats.
Professional Sports. I used to go more often, 10 to 15 MLB games a year for example. Now, we’ll go to two games and get great seat (front row, etc).
Champagne. I just don’t like to drink cheap champagne. If I’m going to get a bottle, I’ll probably spend 2 or 3 times what I would spend on a bottle of red wine.
Air travel. I usually get complimentary upgrades, but sometimes I’ll splurge for first class on a longer flight. (I won’t pay a huge amount more for first class, but sometimes a you can a good seat for a modest amount more)
My splurge item is game-worn hockey jerseys from my local Southern Professional Hockey League team. I got hooked on hockey when the team came to town in '96, and bought my first gamer in '01. I now have 17, which will drop to 16 when I give the player I sponsor the jersey from his first year as team captain for his retirement gift. I’m really happy I got his jersey from this season, when the team won the Championship!
The most I’ve paid for a single jersey is $600, although I think the all time record for one of the team jerseys is $2300. Nothing like NHL figures!
I don’t buy expensive jewelry, clothes or shoes. I haven’t had a vacation other than a hockey road trip in years. (Although a trip to Tennessee is in my future.) I just like game worn jerseys!
I guess you could add the $575/season I pay for ice level seats as a splurge…
My family is: wife & I + two kids under four and a mortgage to live in. About 6 months ago we both got good noise-cancelling headphones and had a lot of fun doing it.
Also - good quality toilet paper. I don’t care if I have to eat toast every night for a week, I will have the t-paper that I like ('course if I do eat like that for a week I’ll need the soft stuff).
I splurge on travel, both in getting there and in enjoying my stay. If I visit a city, I’ll spend money for a nice hotel downtown, I don’t care as much about the luxury, but I love walking out of my hotel and being close in to everything I want to see.
I also splurge on food, both dining out and nice ingredients for cooking at home. As someone else said up thread, I’ll splurge on experiences.
