Beer. I tend not to care for the inexpensive domestics (like Bud for $15 a 30-pack). I go for the expensive domestics like tremont, harpoon and some interesting imports. ($7-$10 a 6-pack). I try to economize by buying cases when they are a good price.
Shoes. I try to buy only good quality durable shoes, which means I pay more than lots of people I know.
A really nice Wusthoff chef’s knife. My sister’s reaction when I brought it home was: “You could have bought a whole set for that price!” I love the thing, though. What a wonderful knife! I have no use for the rest of the Wusthof line, though. My paring knives and what not are run-of-the-mill OXO knives.
I can blow my entire budget by going into a bookstore after 2 or more beers. I try to steer clear of books and CDs when I’ve been drinking, but sometimes the urge is too powerful. Like tatertot, I, too, live in fear that I’ll run out of stuff to read, and try to keep a variety of fiction paperbacks on hand. I’ll read just about anything, good or bad, but it’s when I’ve had a couple that I start buying the non-fiction!
Other than that, I have pretty cheap tastes.
Oh, oops, I forgot to mention entertaining. When I have people over for dinner, it’s an all-out kind of affair. If the recipe looks really good, I’ll fork over the $15+ a pound for fresh Maryland blue crab meat. On the other hand, I have served my favorite fava bean appetizer to 10 people that cost all of $2 to make, so money truly is no object. Am I making sense?
Books, videos and CDs rank the top three spots and when appropriate Star Wars collectibles. While they are mostly hubby’s, I can get pretty pysched up about the newest Star Wars toy (especially if its Qui-gon Jinn ).
Books are my big weakness; I love to buy “bargain” books even if I never end up reading them because I want to read them–I just don’t always get around to it. Plus, when times are tight, its always easier to mentally justify something that’s educational (like a book) versus something that’s just entertaining (like a video).
With the [mini-hijack] of “things you’re willing to pay a little more for” (versus just splurge items), I agree about quality cookware. PLD bought me a top-notch set of pans for my birthday (I asked for it) and I love them; they are way better for proper cooking than any of the junkier ones we used to buy–and I threw out all the old ones when we moved. Decided I’d rather have four good quality pans than a dozen sh*tty ones. We also usually buy quality coffee beans which we grind ourselves for lattes. [/mini-hijack]
Lastly, when we can, we splurge on seeing musicians we love. When I can afford it, I’ll travel a little to see Peter Tork in his various musical group configurations. Likewise, we’ve traveled a little to see a few of the groups PLD likes…
“Hello, my name is pugluvr, and I am a restaurant-a-holic.”
Everyone: “Hi, pugluvr”
I mean it. I am a frustrated restaurant reviewer. I must go to a highly-rated restaurant once each week, or I go crazy. “Highly-rated” doesn’t always mean “highly-priced,” but usually it does. I LOVE extremely well-prepared cuisine. To illustrate, I just got back from a trip to France, and I could quote you every meal and every restaurant we visited, and rate each meal on a Zagat style 1-30 scale. We’ve been back two weeks, and have visited two AWESOME restaurants in the Bay Area and (here comes the restaurant reviewer) they are Krung Thai in San Jose ($60 for two including Singha beer) and Amber India in Mountain View (also $60 for two including Taj Mahal beer). Neither are cheap, and both are worth every penny. Rating for both for food: 25. Decor: 20-25. Both served food prepared by true artists: complex, spicy, haunting. GaWd, are you listening? When are you taking me to Krung Thai for lunch?
I never thought about it as splurging, but I do spend more on groceries than most of the people I know. That’s because we actually have meals in our house, as opposed to frozen pizza and hot dogs all the time. Yeah, a lot of that convience food is cheap, but is it worth it in the long run? I always thought my husband would have been taller had he not grown up in a house where they ate fish sticks and canned green beans every other meal. Ewwww.
I spurged on a really nice watch. (Actually, that sounds a bit rude! ;)) I’m going to retire my late father’s 1973 Seiko. But first I’m going to splurge and have it cleaned and serviced by the “factory”.
I splurge about once a month and rent a helicopter. Gotta keep current, y’know!
I splurge on travel. I’m living on meager loans while I’m in school, but I always seem to have money because I live cheap and I never do anything but study. When I have some time off, I have to get as far away from here as I can.
In the past year, I’ve been to Vegas twice, New Orleans twice, Chicago, Key West, and did a week on the Phish tour. (It helps that I travel very cheaply, which you can do if you don’t drink a lot in tourist bars and don’t buy expensive T-shirts for everyone you know.)
Ellen, you have got to come visit me! We live about 2 1/2 hours from a Birkenstock outlet. Last time I went, I got 3 pairs for about $70. Worth every penny, too. In fact, I think this year for Christmas I’m going to buy everyone a pair of the basic sandals. The ones I got for Hubby were just $20.
Definitely books. Don’t get me near Barnes & Nobles. I spend metric buttloads of money there.
Something really unusual? Lunchboxes. Tin lunchboxes. I have about 12 of them, all different shapes and sizes. I use them as purses for school, church, going out with friends, etc…I even brought one to a wedding much to my mom’s dismay. I was wearing a lavender shirt and silver skirt, and my Bullwinkle lunchbox just happened to be in those shades! So why not? lolo :^) Last time I bought one was a month or so ago. A Beatles lunchbox. Mom threw a fit.
Food. Bring me to a county fair and I’ll eat everything I see being sold, even if I spend large amounts of money.
I don’t know if this is splurging or not, but I always feel it is… (maybe because I never have a lot of $$$). I like to go to movies at night. I always feel like I shouldn’t, because I generally go on days off, and I know I can see the same movie for cheaper… but I feel like its more special seeing it for full price.
I like to splurge on electronic stuffs, too. (You wouldn’t know it since my house is pretty bare of electrono-equipment… ) But when I buy it, I try to buy the good stuff. Right down to the monster cable!
I also eat out more than I should… scrimp at the grocery store so I can splurge at the restaurents. <shrug>
Beer, and not just in a Sam Adams/ Harpoon kind of way, but a $6.50 for a bottle of bizarre Belgian seasonal kind of way. Sometimes it does magically turn out economicaly- if a 6 pack of 3 or 4 percent yellow domestic swill costs as much as 2 bottles of 13 percent Quack or Delerium Tremens. . .
and I’m trying to collect enough of the little white plastic steinbock goats that come on Spaten Celebrator bottles to decorate a Christmas tree. That way I get my seasonal decorating done, too!
Also vodka is something you can’t skimp on. And cheese. Quality of life issues, really.
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