You’ve all reminded me that I do tend to splurge on good food. I have switched to free-range eggs, I buy the whole-wheat spaghetti, and nothing but butter for us too. And I am one of the cheapest people I know - some things are just worth the money. Oh yeah, I splurge on lycra pantyhose, too - they last forever compared to the cheap ones.
I need cable internet or DSL. As well as cable TV. Getting an aparment has made me realize why people hate Time-Warner so much.
A land line for phone service, however, I can do without.
Good scotch (the current favorite in our house is Lagauvalin (sp?) 16 year…at a mere $78 a bottle).
And also a good steak to go with it. I usually buy the entire whole tenderloin (another $70 or so), and cut it into filets myself.
Oh yes…and nice, soft sheets. 400 thread count or better! 
Hot dogs. I only buy Sabrett or Nathan’s, depending on which is on sale, but I won’t have cheap Louis Rich or Oscar Mayer or store-brand hot dogs.
Comic books, action figures, DVDs, CDs. I collect all these things, which many would consider ridiculous expenses to begin with, but I am obsessive about shopping around for the best, cheapest deals on things I want (and trading what I already have to get new stuff, rather than spending any money).
Maker’s Mark bourbon. I don’t like nasty-tasting rotgut liquor.
Other than that, I’m actually quite thrifty to the point of being cheap. I don’t mind buying store-brand food in many cases if I can save money and it’s just as good, I never treat myself to expensive haircuts or personal care products, I wear a simple, cheap (but sharp-looking) pocketwatch and hate the very idea of jewelry, and having to shop for new clothes literally makes me sick to my stomach.
I buy lunch out every day. I just can’t make myself get up earlier just to be able to brown bag it.
Ditto.
The only thing I buy that others may think is extravagant and maybe a waste is good quality fuel. I drive a car that is supposed to run on leaded petrol, but since that is unavailable, I run it on 98 octane fuel, which is 6-8c/L more expensive. But I don’t care, it increases the lifespan of the valves.
I also spend quite an obscene amount on vinyl records. I don’t buy CD’s anymore so I spend my music money on that instead.
Ummm, night nanny (come on we got twins), live in helper, cook. But where I live with Western salary and third world wages, it’s not really an extravegance.
I wanna be warm in the winter, so probably going to rip up a perfectly good wood floor and put in radiant floor heating.
Funny though, I grew up poor, make good money, when I’m visiting back in the US and at the store to buy some things that I can’t get and won’t be able to get again for months, I’ll still usually pick something good on sale than my favorite at a premium. Old habits die hard
When living in Japan, on occaision I would spend USD50 for a 6-pack of Anchor Steam beer.
Wine. I do not buy cheap wine. I barely drink wine at all, but we went to a wine tasting a while ago, and I tried something that was more than $20 a bottle for the first time in my life, and I thought Damn! That’s why people drink this stuff! I’ll admit that it’s a ridiculous extravagance, especially when you consider that my husband will only have a tiny glass, so I drink as much as I can, can’t finish the bottle in one night, and then use the rest for cooking. But I only do it once in a blue moon.
And tea. It can cost over $100 a pound, but once you work it out, even the really expensive stuff is about 50 cents a cup, which is cheaper than buying a coffee or a can of soda, and soooo much better. A couple of times friends of mine have asked me if they can go in with me when I order tea, and gotten sticker shock and end up getting the cheapest stuff in the catalog—which is still better than bagged tea from the grocery store, but c’mon, live a little!
We just recently took business class from Vancouver BC to Seattle; it’s well worth it. The far was still only about $32 apiece. Also on the subject of trains, we discovered that the dining car is well worth the money.
In case you’re not familiar with business class on Amtrak, and if you’re traveling with someone, try to get to the station a little early to make sure you get two seats together. Our business section had just three ranks of seats across the car, separated by the aisle, so along one window there were just single seats, and the other window had doubles. Though I booked and paid for two seats over the Internet, my wife and I ended up in two single seats, one behind the other. We turned one around so we could face each other, but then we didn’t have enough legroom.
racer–yes, yes, the coffee!! Life’s too short for mediocre coffee; it should have been the first thing I mentioned.
I eat out a lot. A real lot. I also buy whatever kind of food I like when shopping; I don’t care what it costs. I never scrimp on food.
Ever since I got out of school and got a “real job,” I hire professional movers when I move. Schlepping boxes for or by friends is for poor students. It especially irks me when people BUY a house and still beg their friends to help them move. I will not help anyone who is around my age and has a good job to move and I don’t expect anyone to help me. (I would certainly help a friend who actually is a poor student and I wouldn’t expect anything in return.)
I take a lot of taxis, instead of trudging on the subway; and I park in parking garages. I can’t stand driving around for an hour to save $20. Just park already.
When traveling, I stay in good to very good hotels. I’m not interested in junky places just because I’m “only” sleeping there. Finding “crash space” on people’s living-room floors is for the unemployed and destitute. The very term “crash space” makes me get a disgusted look on my face. It is so unwashed-hippie-1960s throwback. Freakin’ grow up and get a real room and if you can’t afford a hotel, then don’t go on vacation.
Me too. Also, shoes and pants. I’ve bought shoes at Payless and their ilk before, and I just can’t wear them comfortably. The synthetic uppers just don’t fit me like real leather, and I end up getting rid of them and getting new pairs because they blister and hurt so much. I’d rather pay more for a good pair of shoes that last longer and don’t hurt.
I’ll spend on pants because I’m short - cheaper pants (Target, et al) fit ok, but no matter what I’ll have to get them tailored, so I’ll have to spend extra money anyway. If I shop at a more expensive store, I can usually find something that is the right length. Also, nicer fabrics last longer. If i buy a pair of pants for work, I have to stop wearing them when they get shabby (business professional). Cheap fabric gets shabbier in less time, so I have to buy more pants anyway.
I’m actually pretty thrifty. No cable (except for HBO, yes I know that’s odd). No cable modem. Niether wife nor I buy nice clothes. We don’t eat out extravagantly. Don’t spend money on hair or grooming.
But, when we make changes to our house, we go all out.
We got most of the bathroom tiled, including an entirely tile shower with custom glass doors. We went to a kind of boutique bathroom store to spend about $1200 on things like the shower head and knobs. I think the light fixture was about $300, when you can get something similar at Home Depot for $75.
We also pay contractors to do EVERYTHING, paint, finish the floors, install a ceiling fan, etc.
As far as I’m concerned, I work to enjoy my leisure. I’m not spending my weekend painting 3 rooms when I can pay a guy 2 days of my salary for him to do it.
I spend a lot on alcohol, but I shop for bargains. THere’s a couple inexpensive vodkas that I like, I buy wine by the case and I try to only buy scotch when its on sale.
I probably have about $1700 sunk into my bicycle including original cost and upgrades, hundreds more on bicycle accessories (pumps, helmets, tools) and clothing (shoes, shirts, lycra shorts) AND I probably have the cheapest bike and clothes on my team.
I’m better about this now, but I used to have a habit of going to a nearby pub for lunch just about every day. I’d either get a bacon cheesburger or chicken fried steak. Now granted, those two items were hardly exhorbitant (they were the ‘specials’ and a couple bucks cheaper than everything else) but going there every day to eat and read a newspaper added up. I started to wonder why the hell it was so hard to pay off my credit card bill when I don’t ‘buy’ anything 
then I looked at my credit card statement and saw a looooooong list of the same thing- lunch tab 
I’ll always go in for a haircut immediately before an important interview, regardless of when I got a previous haircut. (for example, I got a haircut two weeks ago to meet for a job interview. I have a ‘final’ interview this morning, so i am going to get my hair cut again. Sounds wasteful, but generally my hair looks REALLY good the day I get the haircut, then it just goes downhill from there. I also pay $14 a haircut, which is about twice what every other place charges. But then again, they do twice as good of a job, so why wouldn’t I be willing to shell out an extra $7? If it is a cost issue, I can always forgo eating out that afternoon
Wow. You’re totally entitled to your opinion, but you’d probably hate my guts. I’m always helping friends move (and they occasionally help me), and I’d much rather save money when I’m traveling and crash with people I know or stay in a cheap room than spring for a “nice” hotel. It just seems ridiculous to me to pay movers when friends don’t mind pitching in for payment in pizza and beer, or to drop big bucks for a room I’m only going to sleep in. I finally have my first post-school “real job,” but at least I’m not an “unwashed hippie.”
Good beer. Oh you say Miller draws are only $.50? Yeah, I’ll have an Anchor Porter.
Cat food. Yes I pay $30 a bag for Royal Canin. But know what? I have three cats and I rarely brush the little monsters because they hate it. And in the two years I’ve owned them, I’ve never cleaned up a hairball. I think that’s worth $30!
Cable Internet. My TV cable + internet cable = almost $100 a year. But I will never give it up.
Buying books. I love to own books. I re-read them. I lend them out. I buy giant bookcases to put them on and look in awe at my vast collection. My parents borrow from the library and see my collection as wasted money. Anyway, library books make my hands itch.
Crayons. When the points are used up, I get a new box. They just don’t sharpen up right.
well, the amount of money that I drop on ‘gadgetry’ – computers, disk drives, MP3 players, palmpilots, pocketPCs, laptops, video players etcetera, I think surprises some people I know.
VoodooLou, of course I don’t hate you! I don’t hate anyone else who wants to “crash” on people’s floors either. I just don’t want to travel with you, then. It won’t be fun for me and I cannot understand trying to save money while on vacation. In MY mind, it’s “vacation” - that means you live it up. Of course not everyone thinks that way.
This whole thread is about people’s opinions, so don’t take mine as an insult to anyone. There is someone, I am sure, who thinks I am a complete and totally brainless FOOL for paying $26 today to park in the garage because I didn’t want to walk 2 blocks in the rain. That’s okay - we all have our things that are more important to us that nobody else would understand.
Books, naturally. And a decent backpack. All through school, I had backpacks that were crap by the end of the year, and sometimes before that, but I wasn’t the one buying them so I kept my mouth shut. I bought a good one recently and I know it’ll last. Good sneakers. One of my friends is notoriously cheap and insists that $15 (or whatever they cost) sneakers from Payless are fine. They’re not. Granted, mine aren’t that expensive compared to some (a certain style of Nikes that fits me better than any other I’ve found and goes on sale for about $40 frequently) but she considers it a needless expense. I am fortunate enough to have DSL included in my tuition as long as I stay on campus, but when I move out, I’m definitely paying for DSL or cable internet. I also buy good laundry detergent (All) because other stuff smells funny and gives me rashes. Right now I don’t have much money so I save up to buy good-quality stuff. It’s a matter of comfort to me; cheap shoes hurt my feet, for example. I shop clearance racks and sales and don’t often pay full price for things, but I’m not getting cheap crap, just lower-priced good stuff.
I forgot make-up. But only SOME make-up. I’ll pay $25 for a liquid Lorac cheek and lip stain because it looks completely natural and lasts forever. I’ll also pay a lot for foundation and skin-care products. I have acne-prone skin, and some of the fillers in cheaper products make it worse. It’s not even all that bad now, just sensitive.
For eye make-up, I can usually go cheap (not Wet’n’Wild cheap, but regular drug-store cheap). I’ll buy the expensive stuff, but it’s not a priority, and I like to have a lot of variety to choose from.