My wife and I are retired, with pretty modest incomes. We travel a bit, mostly to visit our family. We are careful shoppers and stick mostly to brands and products that are “good enough.” Nothing fancy and very few splurges. But…
When we travel, I insist that “price is no object” when we eat out. This is probably because when we went out as a family when I was very young, my mother would tell us that “You can have anything on the menu that is less than $1.25.” (I know this dates me.) And there was ALWAYS something that looked good, but was $1.50.
Anyway, I will not stand for, “I want to get this, but it’s so expensive!” or “The desserts look big. Let’s get one and split it.” Nope. You want three or four appetizers? Go for it. The biggest steak? Great! We spend several thousand dollars for airfare, lodging, a rental car, etc., and I’m concerned about saving $50 on a meal?
This doesn’t mean we eat at the priciest restaurants. It just means that we skimp on eating by ourselves at home and this is not the time for that.
Probably the truest luxuries are my bed (split King adjustable Tempurpedic mattress) and my ridiculously expensive custom-made cherry wood Amish kitchen table and chairs. But I go to bed every night delighted to be in bed and I eat breakfast overjoyed to be eating it at that table. I truly appreciate those things, and will be appreciating them for decades. I won’t hesitate to drop good money on things I intend to use for decades.
(Same with kitchen knives. I have a full set of Wusthoff knives I acquired one by one over the years. They last for a lifetime.)
In no area am I more gratuitous than my spending on e-readers. I have a Kindle Scribe, a Kindle Colorsoft, a Kindle Paperwhite signature edition, an ereader the size of a cell phone called a Boox Palma, and I did buy a Kobo Libra Color but returned it. I want to know what’s new and cutting edge and interesting in the realm of e-readers and I can’t seem to help myself not buy more of them. So far I’ve been unable to beat the Kindle Colorsoft. I use it every day.
I kind of have expensive taste. But I’m not the kind of person who will buy a bunch of junk and never use it. It’s rare that I buy something and don’t use and appreciate it for years. I also detest clutter, and try to keep my number of things to a minimum. So think: fewer things, higher quality.
When I stay in Pismo I have to have an ocean front room with a balcony. My usual is the Kon Tiki Inn, but they’re doing rennovations this year so I had to “settle” for the Sea Crest.
Likewise, when I head up to Point Reyes for a long weekend I stay at a resort with a waterfront room looking out over Tomales Bay and the marina.
My brother is the same size. He’s not much of a traveler, but he spends $100 or more for a good pair of shoes.
For me, I refuse to eat farm-raised salmon. For me, it’s wild-caught only. Yes, it’s more expensive, but I just cannot wrap my head around something that migrates the way salmon do being farm-raised from birth to death. Hatcheries, I’m OK with. Penning them in the ocean, not so much.
I bought an EV in 2023. Not necessarily a “luxury” item, but it was way more money than I would normally spend on a car and felt like I was being so selfish. But it makes me INCREDIBLY HAPPY every time I drive right on by a gas station. I don’t ever want to go back.
Merino undies.
Sometimes I take the toll express lanes home.
Good shoes. Something like Alan Edmonds are going for $450 a pair now but they last forever with the occasional repair.
Merino undies.
Valet dry cleaning that picks up from my house and drops it off a few nights later.
Driving to work and parking for $wtf/mo when I could take the bus and subway. I have some enviro guilt there but it’s hours of extra commute time each week.
Merino undies.
Nice toilet paper. I actually bring a roll to work because the stuff my current client stocks is like wiping your butt with butcher paper.
To mess with the peanut gallery reading over my shoulder, I wrote “replacing my clothes at the slightest sign of wear”, to which my wife replied “sweetie, you have shirts that are older than our relationship, and they look it.”
I learned about linen sheets from Dopers and have a set on the bed now.
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H̶a̷v̴e̴ ̴I̷ ̵m̶e̴n̸t̵i̵o̵n̷e̶d̵ ̷t̸h̸e̴ ̶d̸e̷l̸i̵c̵a̷t̶e̴ ̶e̴m̷b̶r̵a̴c̸e̴ ̶o̵f̶ ̸m̶e̶r̷i̸n̶o̸ ̷u̸n̷d̷e̸r̵w̶e̶a̷r̵
I got two types of roe: salmon (which I’ve had before, and am greatly looking forward to enjoying again since this is supposed to be a higher-quality supplier) and a new-to-me: American trout.
Couldn’t wait; had to try the trout.
It was not briny/salty (which, considering it’s a freshwater fish, was kind of a “duh” moment) but I understand now why the reviews used “buttery” a lot. It’s rich, but without that ocean-y flavor - which I understand is off-putting to many.
ETA excuse me while I find butter and crackers a clean spoon. Yum. If you like fishy things.
Couple of days ago I swung by Walmart for something I couldn’t find, but, of all things, they had snow crab leg - in little bitty clusters, perfect for a single lady with a small appetite - marked down on sale because let’s not ask too many questions reasons.
So now I have a small unopened package of smoked salmon, some fishie eggs, and a bit of crustacean in my fridge.
In unrelated news, my cat is VERY interested in my life.
I’m talking with a friend about maybe flying to Europe and sharing a meal at a Michelin started restaurant or two. You and i share preferences in luxuries.
We’d both want to do something else in Europe, possibly different things that happen to be close in time.
Dammit. Last evening, I looked into these, and they are an indulgence. I slapped my laptop lid shut, readily deeming this a bridge too far for … chonies?
But that was last night. This morning … you have me thinking.
If my bum deserves decadent toilet paper, than doesn’t the rest of my nether region merit a comparable standard?
Merino undies, as in woolen undies? Aren’t they itchy?
I hesitatingly bought some high-end imported dried pasta on a recent shopping trip to Eataly. Now I don’t want to use any other kind. It has a nice bite to it, not rubbery, but a pleasing elasticity. The brand is Filotea, and I have two boxes of it in the pantry. I also tried a different brand of anchovies, the name of which escapes me. They’re caught in the Atlantic ocean off the west coast of Spain, and they taste worlds better than grocery store anchovies. I learned to make spaghetti in anchovy butter just to showcase their flavor.
I’ve had better pasta. In Italy, and purchased here, imported, on a whim. It’s better. I enjoyed it. But… I guess i just don’t like pasta enough to indulge in that regularly.
Even worse, they are not robust and wear out if you have fat thighs like mine that rub. So it’s not like I can make the shoe argument where the up front cost is offset by future savings.
I started wearing these when I was commuting by subway in DC. It’s hot. Cotton stays wet. Wool for fiber science reasons unknown to me, does not. I tried some synthetic travel underwear after some “I brought one pair of underwear on a long vacation and just washed them in the sink” reviews and found they were uncomfortable and suffered from heat-activated odor retention/release.
So here I am wearing wool underwear in summer in DC.
My last purchase was from Icebreaker, and yes I believe they do. I used to buy from a company where I was happy with their material sourcing but they went under. I haven’t settled on any single company yet.
I’m having a hard time parsing wool underwear, but I will say that I swear by “Darn Tough” wool socks. They are made in Vermont and are not cheap. I started off with their ski socks (which are calf-height and relatively thin), then got some regular wool socks from them for travel. They hold up much better than cotton socks, which is great if you are traveling light and have to wash them in a hotel sink. Also, they are not itchy in the slightest.
If your Great American Novel doesn’t lead off with those exact words, I’m going to be extremely disappointed.
If, OTOH, my soon-to-be-had merino wool underwear doesn’t outlive me … I’ll bear you no animus. Besides, my wife could probably make me a pair of socks out of the eventual sheepish detritus.
You and i share preferences in luxuries.