When and on what will you unashamedly spend extra money to pamper or reward yourself?
Really nice machinist’s tools from Starrett.
As a myope with a strong prescription, I will never hesitate to pay top dollar for the thinnest and highest-index eyeglass lenses available.
Gardening is a fun hobby for me. Sure I could get a piece of foam for a couple bucks to kneel down on, but since I plan to spend hundreds of hours over a lifetime kneeling in the garden, I feel no compunction about buying a deluxe, collapsible garden kneeler for 10-20 times the price of the simple foam pad. In fact, the same logic pretty much would apply to any garden hand tool. I’m going to get the ergonomic handle with extra padding. I don’t care what it costs.
Non-“budget” travel.
When my very-much Lower Middle Class family would travel, we’d camp or, in a very rare splurge, stay at a cheap motel. When I graduated college and my mom & stepdad took me and my brother on a cruise, they purchased the bare-minimum inside cabin.
Mrs. H and I travel a lot less, but when we do, we don’t skimp to save money. When we took our dream trip to Walt Disney World, we stayed on-site (though in the lowest category of resort), and we bought a package that included meals, rather than do as Mom & Dad would have done and stay in a cheap motel in Kissimmee and kvetch about the food prices in the parks. For our dream cruise this winter, we’re paying for a room with a balcony and we’re buying an upgrade package that includes premium dining credits and unlimited drinks. And yes, I know that you have to drink like Kash Patel on a bender to break even on those packages, but to me the convenience alone is worth the price.
So I don’t do luxury travel (still quite out of reach of my budget), but I no longer cut every corner with a view towards paying the bare minimum when I travel, either.
Travel is my big luxury. Even an inside cabin on a cruise ship is luxury, especially since I usually travel by myself. I’ll pay the single supplement to spend a week on a ship where I can get food and drinks almost anywhere.
And in air travel. I’ll often book the business class seat, because it makes almost the whole process just so much better. Priority bag drop, priority boarding, I’m one of the first off the plane, and so are my bags, and the seat is just so much more comfortable. I’ll roll the money I “save” (
) on my inside cabin to upgrade my flight.
To each his own. I found the lack of natural light off-putting in the inside cabin.
I had enough “inside cabin” for a lifetime after serving on submarines.
I’ve done eight cruises since I then, and have always sprung for a balcony. I need the fresh air and natural light. This is a luxury that is definitely worth the extra expense for me.
Yes, and I pay for the super-expensive lenses, which remain clear and unscratched until my prescription changes.
I also really enjoy nice hotels, especially the independent ones that don’t just feel corporate.
My December cruise will be my first with a balcony, and I’m stoked. I’m hoping my departure from New Orleans will be a cool evening on the Mississippi River and the northern reaches of the Gulf of Mexico, so that i can sleep with the balcony door open.
I’m 6’3" tall. And have size 14 feet. When I fly, it’s first class. Rediculosly expensive, but I consider it the begining of the vacation.
“Another Gin and Tonic please”
Also, my wife and I have house cleaners come twice a month. Also expensive (we are not rich), but I haven’t needed to vacuum in a year.
Good quality beer. Good quality meat. Good quality eggs. Expensive fruits like fresh cherries (when in season).
Dark French Roast Italian coffee from Nugget Market 
Good toilet paper.
There are lots of options that – IMHO – qualify, just as there are lots of options that do not.
Life’s short, and I hold my bum in very high esteem.
And, yeah: good tools. Buy once, cry once.
@mixdenny Starrett? I wanna’ party with you, Cowboy.
Same. I go to the optician who can get me glass lenses. Yes, they weigh more. No, they aren’t a lot thicker than the expensive plastic ones. And they have superior optical properties, and don’t get scratched with ordinary use, which includes cleaning them with ordinary tissue paper, or washing them with soap drying them with paper towels.
(I also clean them a lot.)
Not necessarily a “luxury” (mine cost like $45), but if you haven’t purchased a bidet attachment for your toilet, order one today. It’s a game changer.
Same, although for me as a progressive lens user, the question is which lenses have the broadest corridor and the least distortion. Turns out those aren’t cheap, but when I tried to economize by buying the highly rated digital progressives from Costco, I immediately knew I made a bad choice.
This past go around, after a long conversation with the owner of the shop, I also got a pair of “office” progressives. They are designed to cover only the close up to, say, three foot range. I can still read very close, small text, while at the same time looking at my multi-monitor setup is not an exercise in cranking my head around. Worth every penny, IMO.
Also same. My wife really likes exploring cities in Europe, something I’m generally in favor of. But years of long haul flights from the west coast to China or Europe sitting in economy have really damped my enthusiasm. I always feel bad upon arrival and the jet lag makes it worse. She finally talked me into buying business class seats. Getting a full lie-down bed made all the difference in the world. I arrive already feeling good, and I tell myself the extra expense pays off because I enjoy the first day of the trip, and at least begrudgingly feel fine and ready to work my first day back.
We’ve done this on our last 2 cruises (Antarctica, then the Arctic) and we’re doing the same when we go thru the Panama Canal in January/February coming up.
And for air travel, at a minimum we go for Premium Economy. We get two 50# bags each, bigger seats, early boarding, a real meal, and some other niceties that regular economy doesn’t include. Worth it for us.
And enroute from DC to San Diego for our cruise, we’re going via Amtrak (because why not?) and we’ve booked bedrooms for the whole trip - pricier but we don’t have to share a bathroom. And our return flight from Fort Lauderdale will be first class, because we’re worth it!
I usually don’t mind the inside cabin, because I usually spend very little time in the cabin. But I did splurge on a balcony for my Panama cruise, so I could sit out there and have breakfast as we approached the canal and went up through the locks.
If the weather is nice, I love doing this too. The ocean breeze and sound of the waves is fantastic while sleeping.
I’ve also decided that the extra money is well worth it for the following:
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Apple products (iPhones, iPads, and Macs): they cost more than Android devices and Windows machines, but I’ve been enmeshed in the Apple ecosystem since 1986, and I’m not switching now. I use a Windows computer at work, and it seems like a nightmare to maintain. (Fortunately I have an IT department at work.)
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Michelin tires: I’ve been buying tires for my entire adult life, and finally paid the premium for Michelins. Well worth it. They are head and shoulders above any other tire I’ve ever driven on.
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New Balance 990 running shoes: these are incomparably better than any other shoe for my narrow, flat feet. They cost a lot, but I can sometimes find an older version on clearance. (Then I’ll buy five or six pairs. I’ve been wearing this line of shoes since I was 13 years old, so there’s no danger of them going to waste so long as I’m still kicking.)
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Stöckli skis: They are hand-made, and cost about twice as much as other skis, but are fantastic. I couldn’t quite justify the expense for brand-new skis, but got some demo skis at a huge discount.