Continuing the shameless, blatent hijack…
Sorry, Tymp, it’s black rum, Stewart’s Ginger Beer, a shot of pineapple juice, juice from a quarter of a lime, and fresh ground nutmeg on top.
Meyer’s is my current favorite rum to do this with, but SO and are are in the early stages of Rum, and haven’t fully explored all the options. I’m guessing there’s something better out there. I like the molassas-y taste the black rum gives it.
Hmmmpf. I figure I’m going to lose any given watch in a year or two, so there’s no reason in paying more than a few bucks for it. But don’t skimp on powertools.
I’m not spending lots of money on shoes, because I destroy shoes. I also am really bad on watches, sunglasses, purses, etc. It doesn’t take me much longer to destroy quality items than it does cheap ones. So I figure I’m not saving by buying the good stuff there. I have some good, high-quality clothes, and I have a lot of cheaper ones, too. Why? I like a variety, and I can’t afford that variety in the expensive stuff. Same thing with jewelry. A few good pieces, and a lot of “fashion” jewelry. When it gets old and shabby, I throw it out, because I’m bored with it by then, anyway. (I don’t treat people that way, though… 
) I also despise items with any blatant, glaring designer emblem, etc. on them. You won’t catch me wearing “Tommy” gear, for example. It’s like wearing a freakin’ neon sign. Something subtle and tasteful is okay, though.
About a month ago, my Timex Ironman finally gave up the ghost. I’d had it about 5 years and one of the buttons fell out (the battery was still good – I just couldn’t set the alarm). I was strapped for cash and bought a $10 no-name watch at WalMart. Less than 24 hours later, I discovered a gouge in the (plastic) crystal. I have no idea what caused the gouge, but it began to reproduce at an alarming rate.
A few days ago, I replaced it with another Timex. Sure, a Timex doesn’t scream “EXPENSIVE QUALITY” at the top of its lungs (it actually croaks “Cheap and Durable” rather quietly). On the other hand, If I break it (one of the hazards of manual labor) I’m only out around 30 bucks. If it gets dirty (a likely possibility) I can throw it in the dishwasher.
I also will never, ever purchase glasses with plastic lenses until the sales person can demonstrate how durable the lenses are by rubbing them vigorously with fine-grit sandpaper without result. I’ve been wearing glass lenses since I was 13, and always get Photogray so I don’t need to carry 2 pairs with me at all times. If I need plastic lenses because the glass lenses are too heavy (they always say that) then it’s time for me to trade my “cheaters” in on a white cane.
~~Baloo
No one mentioned perfume. I can tell the difference when I catch a whif of a knockoff brand - I don’t know if many others can or not, though. I wear essential oils for day to day - usually basil, clove, or bay leaf oil, and save the perfume - my fave is Samsara for special occasions.
Chocolate…I’ll spring for the Godiva. If I’m at the grocery, I might pick up Paul Newmans organic milk chocolate. Droste cocoa for hot chocolate and baking.
Definately good food - its the whole package - I like to eat 6 course meals over a four hour time-span.
Lastly, I have a pair of fetish boots for which I paid several hundred dollars. There are black kidskin, have 144 chrome speed hooks running up the front and were custom made to fit my legs, from toes almost to crotch, like gloves. They were worth every cent.
Never. It’s worth buying better-than-no-name brands, but it’s not worth getting gouged just for the status. Restaurants? God, I can’t even imagine a meal worth $15, let alone this triple-digit crap. Ambience? You mean, having to wait an hour and squint through the darkness? No thanks, I’d rather pay six bucks for a great meal and be in and out in ten minutes. I’m not saying there’s never a reason to pick the more expensive option; obviously, more money buys a better car or computer. But spending money on status is like, oh, spending $180 million on Waterworld. It’s practically offensive.
Allow me to step in here: Gosslings Black Seal is good. Bacardi Black is good. Captain Morgans Private Stock is tasty. If you’re feeling really adventurous and you can find it, I highly recommend picking up a bottle of Stroh. 160 proof with a smooth taste you will never forget. Let’s see…Navy (Old Navy?)Rhum is good, too. Appletons’ Estate is alright. One that I’ve only seen in Grenada that is excellent: Jack Iron. Email me if you’d like more info.
We now continue with our normal programming…
[sub]Watch as I cleverly disguise this hijack to appear as something vaguely related to the OT[/sub]
Just how much are we willing to pay for our drinking habits? Can we really detect a difference in the quality of our booze?
[sub]Clever, huh?[/sub]
Athena,
Pineapple and nutmeg. Who woulda thunk it? You’re brilliant. Thank you kindly for the tip.
thinksnow,
Rum has just recently made it onto my list of tasty things to drink, so I do appreciate your suggestions.
Tymp wrote:
Damn, that’s an unfair question. Do I have to count the money I spent converting my formal living room to a bar/library/smoking room?
I know I spend waaaay too much on my drinking habits. Like I said, SO and I are usually on some quest to create the perfect (current drink of choice). When we were on margaritas, it got pretty pricey. $25-$35 for a bottle of high end Tequila, and $35 for a bottle of Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Yes, we tried it with several brands of Triple Sec and Curacao, and none tasted as good as the expensive bottles. We could have spent more on the Tequila as well, but even I get scared when I’m making mixed drinks with a $40 bottle of booze.
I generally keep a full stocked bar at home, with mid to top end bottles of everything. Let’s see, that means Absolut or Stoli, 1 or 2 bottles of flavored Absolut or Stoli, Bombay Sapphire and Tanquery, maybe 10 bottles of various single malt scotches, Kahlua, Meyer’s and Bacardi rum (soon to get some of thinksnow’s suggestions), 2-3 different liqueurs such as Frangelico and that raspberry stuff I can never remember the name of, 2 or 3 bottles of cognac, Canadian Whiskey. I’m sure there’s more. We usually have 1 or 2 bottles of wine around, and a few bottles of champagne as well. Beer, too.
Usually these things keep quite a while, with the exception of the ones we’re currently drinking a lot of. Those tend to get replace once every 3 weeks or so.
Jeez, I sound like a drunk. I’m not, really. But I tend to be in the mood for a cocktail quite often.
I can’t believe you folks pay so much for food or alcohol, when the pleasure is so fleeting! And this is in US dollars?! Yowzer!
Mind you, I’m not a big fan of food in the first place, so that’s where that stems from… but it still surprises me.
I spent $300 on a book. And I’ve spent $5000 on a computer system. (That was $NZ, so halve those numbers for $US)
Status means nothing to me. And I’ve never had money to spend on things that won’t give me more than an hour’s dubious pleasure. If I’m gonna spend money, it’ll be on useful things like appliances, books, or a holiday.
[slight hijack]
I used to work in a jewelry store and just for the record, 10 karat gold IS the “real” stuff, just a slightly lower quantity (not quality) of gold, with more of the other metals mixed in. 14K is best in my opinion, since 18K is so much softer and will scratch more. I remember selling wedding rings and some girls would insist on 18K, thinking it was somehow “better” than 10K or 14K, but in reality, for a wedding ring, which you will be wearing all the time, 18K is too soft.
The designations have to do with how much real gold is in a piece, with other metals mixed in. 10K is the lowest amount of gold (and therefore is the hardest), 14K is next up, and then 18K has the highest amount of gold (and is therefore the softest). 24K is very rarely sold as jewelry pieces, since it is way too soft for that use.
Gold isn’t sold as 12K in the US anymore, and 10K is pretty much gone by the wayside, too, but still available.
People would be surprised at how much “solid” gold jewelry is actually hollow. “Solid” gold refers to the quality of gold used. Bangle bracelets (obviously) and link bracelets are all hollow. Most gold pendants are hollow, too. Even some “fashion” or “dinner” rings have hollow settings.
[end hijack]
You’re talking about High School class rings, right?
Why in the world would you want to waste $300 on a high school ring? I got the one made of recycled spoons or whatever “White Ultrium” is… all of 70 bucks.
I got, and most of the people I went to college with got 10k college rings because 10k is more durable over the long haul. We’ve all seen old Aggies whose rings are barely recognizable because they used to only come in 18k… and we wanted to be able to see some detail after 30 years.
So choosing 10k over something more expensive isn’t always the sign of the cheapskate!
Okay, I’ll admit it. I spent thousands of dollars on a watch. Know what it does? It lets me know what time it is. That’s it. (Okay, another admission. It has a GMT hand and a date window too.)
Why would I do that when I could get a digital watch for $5? Because I like the way it looks. I like the idea of never having to put a battery in it. I like the way the second hand sweeps to the beat of the movement, instead of the “tick… tick… tick…” of a quartz-powered hand. Is a quartz watch cheaper? Yes. Do quartz watches have more “features”? Yes. Is a quartz watch more accurate? Yes. But except for a couple of earrings I don’t wear jewelry. Some people have piles of costume (and genuine stuff) jewelry that just sits there and looks pretty. My watch looks pretty and performs a function. Features? How often do you use them? I just want to know what time it is. Accuracy? My watch gains one second a day, which is well within chronometer tolerances.
Sure a couple of my friends noticed it when I first got it; but now nobody notices. The only strangers that do are people in watch shops. Is it “worth” what I paid for it? Heck, it cost twice as much as what I could sell my motorcycle for, and it’s not as useful! But I appreciate its construction. I like the way it looks. And it amuses me that I’m wearing such a thing. I’d say it’s worth it.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned haircuts, yet. For women, at least, I’ve found that the difference between a $20 (and even $40) haircut and one that’s more expensive ($80-90) is huge. Also, when I’ve had a good haircut, I find I don’t have to go back as quickly.
Other items I’ll splurge on: shoes, suits, purses, ice cream, & linens. To me, high quality sheets and towels really make me feel luxurious without spending that much more.
Haircuts. Ha! I have not spent a dime on a haircut since I was twelve years old. I have no idea why I’m so proud of this fact, but I am. For many years now, I have managed to regularly sucker a friend or SO into cutting my [sub]long, flowing, luxurious, sexy[/sub] mane for me. It’s much more fun when it’s a personal experience.
I don’t go in for luxuries much. I much perfer to step outside the whole issue. I don’t wear a watch. I don’t wear suits to work (even if required). Heck, I haven’t worn socks to work for 10 years. For the record I’m not even in the I.T. field. I work in the suburbs but live in the country because that’s where you can get away from ‘status’ issues. That said, there are a few things that I spend the extra on:
Glasses: worn them since I was 10. Get the glass lenses, metal frames and photogray. I use them every day and it’s worth the extra.
Housing: Mrs Chance and I bought (3 years agone) a 130 year old farm house in the mountains. The land has 3 buildings (big house, guest house, spring house) and it’s worth every penny required to keep it maintained. Luxury? I guess it depends on how you look at it.
Entertaining: With guests in the house I don’t begrudge anything spent on entertaining. I book music, bring in caterers, cleaning crews, the works. Got an A Capella band coming in for the Halloween party. Free booze! Good stuff! Who wants to come?
Other than that? The hell with it. I don’t need any of that other stuff. It always struck me as pointless to get caught up in any of that.
My older brother decided to buy a Mercedes-Benz automobile. I guess he decided a Ford wasn’t good enough for him. Anyway, he had to take the car in for service last week(bad alternator). Guess what? He was charged over $900.00 to replace the alternator!
I guess he is learning that status has a price! To replace an alternator on a Ford would probably be less and 1/3 of what he paid-and both cars do almost exactly the same thing!(go from point A to point B).
It depends.
I wear Keds sneakers and go through about 5 pairs a year. I happen to like canvas sneakers, but hate to wash them…they never get really clean.
I buy Gap t-shirts by the dozen because I like them and they’re cheap. I don’t feel bad about throwing them out if my daughter smears strawberry on me.
I’ve had a $400 bottle of wine, but was it 20 TIMES as good as my favorite $20 bottle of Cab? No.
OTOH, we’re a three Benz family. My husband alternates between his S-class sedan and his SLK roadster. I drive the M-class (the SUV…don’t give me any shit about it).
We have free roadside assistance on all three cars, for any little thing. We get loaners for any little bit of service (even oil changes) and rarely have to pay for repairs.
I took the SLK in for a burnt out brake light and it was covered under the warranty. I’ve had to special order a tether bolt for my daughter’s car seat and the installation and part were no charge. I LOVE my Nav system, it’s invaluable! When we moved here from Boston, the gave us new CDs (for the Nav) that covered that West at no charge.
My husband is able to take our daughter out in the roadster because Benz makes a special car seat that disables the passanger side airbag when you anchor the carseat.
They are great cars and Mercedes Benz service is impeccable.
I think you have to take everything into consideration and determine what is important to you. Me, I like convienience. I’d rather drive an awesomely dependable car and chuck my cheap sneakers when they get too dirty.
JMHO of course.
Y’know, a lot of the “luxury” stuff makes a lot more sense when you put things in perspective. If I were having a hard time making the rent money and I had hungry kids at home, would I scrimp and save to have a $300 dinner, or buy that $100 bottle of Champagne? Hell NO! It’s just not worth it. If I want to celebrate, there’s ways to do it without spending a lot of money.
On the other hand, when I find myself in the very lucky position of having many hundreds of dollars left over every month after paying all the bills, putting money into my 401K, and putting money into my savings plan, why the hell NOT spent it on stuff I like? I don’t see anyone here advocating not paying the rent and buying a Rolex instead.
Um, I ** lived with ** a custom jeweler for 20 years, and worked in the office. So, yes, I do know what I’m talking about. In addition to the actual store work, I was part of the process where he made jewelry, ordered it from manufacturers etc, much more involved than waiting on customers and writing up sales, yes, even single handedly did an inventory and cleaning of every single ring, cufflink, bracelet, chain, charm, earring tie clip in the place.
Yes, the 10/14/18 refers to the ratio of gold to other metals, yes, the 10K is more durable for every day abuse (note,abuse not everyday wear). Yes, indeed class rings are astronomical amounts of $$ - last priced them about 8 years ago and about fell off the chair.
However, I disagree whole heartedly with your suggestion to folks to go with the 10 K for wedding rings etc. (although I agree 18 K is more for the special something that you don’t wear every day) The 14K will not, under normal use, be damaged significantly. If , of course, you work with tools and machinery, you should remove them first. but just wearing, typing, shopping, showering, nope, not a problem for quality 14 K.
and, this is MOST important - for those of you seeking gift advice for me: I prefer 14K yellow gold, no diamonds, but rubies, opals, sapphires and emeralds are welcome.
Platinum’s nice, too…