Sunglasses and socks. I have two pairs of Maui Jim Typhoons, and lots of Thor-Lo’s and Smartwools.
[ass-related hijack]
Am I the only one who likes the cheap toilet paper?
I cant stand that padded quilted stuff - it’s like trying to wipe your ass with a blanket.
love
yams!!
[/ass-related hijack]
Seconded. That sure was quick huh? Of course, I consider myself an expert on ass-related matters.
As for the OP, I don’t spare any expense when it comes to celebrating a moment while eating out. I will eat and drink until I have my fill, come hell or high water.
Ummm, sorta. I don’t like the really cheap stuff that feels like newsprint, and is one-ply. But I hate the super-pricey, super-cushy, 12-ply that leaves me needing a lint roller for my ass. 
Though, actually, for, erm, matters of defecation, I only use the moist wipes these days, never the dry stuff.
Steaks. If I’m going to have a steak, I want a good one. I always get Fillet Mignon if I’m having a steak.
For me, it’s tea. A while ago I’d never have contemplated spending $25 for 100 grams of tea, which is how much I spent on the Bai Hao Yin Zhen white tea I served my guests yesterday. But if you work it out, that comes to 50 cents per cup of really amazing tea, when a coffee shop will charge you as much as $2.00 for a common tea bag.
Keemun Mao Feng, my usual brew, is $13 for 100 grams around here, and is so lovely it would be worth many times more than the 26 cents a cup it works out to.
Over the weekend we dropped a load on a mess of All-Clad stainless.
Wish we had bought them 25 years ago when we bought our cheap 1st set, or 15 years ago when we bought what we thought was a “good enough” set.
Sheets - get the highest thread count you can afford. You will not regret it.
Toilet Paper - only Cottonelle for my tushie.
Steaks - Ribeye or Filet Mignon (occasionally Prime Rib). I do not ever want to eat a tough and chewy sirloin again. I’ll pay the extra 2 bucks for the tender.
Dog Food - the babies get Beneful Healthy Radiance. It’s not good for the tummy to change foods all the time. Doesn’t matter what’s on sale, they get the same kind every time.
Hockey Collectibles - I don’t want just any old thing. I want game worn or game used equipment. Anybody can get a jersey out of the store and get it signed. I want something off the player’s back.
Computers - when it’s time for a new one, I get the best I can afford.
Underpants - No cheap Walmart panties for me.
I’m sure there is more stuff, but I can’t think of any more right now.
Heat and air conditioning here, too. I’ll make all kinds of other budgetary cutbacks before I start messing with the thermostat.
I’d also make quite a few changes to my life before I stopped feeding the Neville kitties Eukanuba, or switched their brand of litter, but this is because I know that cats don’t always take well to changes in those things. I know Mr. Neville and I won’t stop eating altogether (and keep it up to the point of causing health problems) if we were to switch from our normal diet to one of cheaper food- I don’t know that the cats wouldn’t do that. Changes in diet can also cause vomiting and diarrhea in cats, which I don’t want to deal with. It’s easier to deal with it if we humans get vomiting or diarrhea- we’re much better than the cats about making it to the toilet rather than making a mess on the rug or, much worse, the radiator. I know that if we switch to cheaper toilet paper, Mr. Neville and I will continue to do our business in the toilets. I have heard of cats looking for other locations if they don’t like their litter.
Hear, hear. I agree with your rules on debt, too.
Absolutely nothing. Can’t afford to, since I live check-to-check.
Replacement lenses and frames (costly item about once every two-four years now, but necessary so I can function).
Computer stuff – I get the best I can within my budget.
Now and then, a really expensive book if I want it badly enough.
My health, including dental. Didn’t even bat an eye at the cost of the root canal last year. It was absolutely necessary.
Babies.
Sure, the cute smart ones cost a small fortune, but the ugly stupid ones are no fun.
But seriously, there are a few things I won’t go cheap/generic on (Contact lenses and lens cleaner, dry cat food, toilet paper, hair cuts), or won’t go without until it becomes absolutely necessary (cable TV, TiVo, MAC eye shadows, good makeup brushes).
/snicker
My list: cheese, chocolate, toilet paper, kitchen tools, bras, and bedding.
Beer. I’ve spent over $40 for a single bottle and have spent several hundred dollars in one location for purchases.
[QUOTE=WhyNotSpaghetti sauce, for very quick meals. For very quick meals, I jazz up bottled sauce with some onions and spices, but not so much that any old sauce will do; it has to be fairly good stuff. For longer-prep meals, I add meat and stuff, and so I can go down to Prego level for that - it needs a lot more fiddling to hide all that sugar they put into it.[/QUOTE]
Note that no packaged sauce can hold a candle to what you make youself from scratch. You can (indeed, more or less must) make it in a large batch; the idea is then to freeze it for quick future meals.
For me, the answer to the OP is tools, especially chainsaws. And sailplanes.
To the OP I have one answer. Just one answer: Lunch.
My dogs.
Amen. I’m always careful to turn the lights off, keep small appliances unplugged, use low-energy light bulbs. I use only a quarter of the laundry detergent that the container “suggests” (it suggests that much to make you buy more) and buy lots of generic brands and all kinds of money-saving things. I drive economy cars and I drive them into the ground. I wear cheap clothes (they look just as good if you fit the right styles and fits. You can only go SO cheap, though.)
But I’ll be damned if I’m going to live in a cold house in January or a goddamn sweatbox in August. I want the temperature comfortable 365 days a year and if that means I’m paying a little extra, well, I save money on the other stuff. That’s why I have a house; to not feel the weather. When I want weather, I go outside.
I know someone so cheap on heat that his children had to wear toques and mittens to bed. Personally, I think that’s disgraceful.
My Target does - it’s usually older shades rather than the newest colour story, and I’ve actually managed to stock up on some recently discontinued shades. It also carries quite a bit of the Nicole by OPI line.
I think if it’s a daily use appliance, it’s okay to spend more. For example, my alarm clock is a $400 Bose Wave Radio. My rice cooker is a $150 Zojirushi. (Although everything else I have is kind of economy and low-end)