# What item would you spend a lot of money on and most people would think you were crazy to do so? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163 "2011-03-18T15:51:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/41 "2011-03-18T19:58:22Z")
As I grow older I realize that the only things worth spending a lot of money on are education and experiences, such as trips or tickets to plays, concerts, and other events. I don’t see the point of spending a lot of money on much else. I mean sure, cars and homes cost a lot of money, but otherwise, I’d rather spend my money on a trip to Paris instead of a Birkin or other expensive bag. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/42 "2011-03-18T19:59:41Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > As I grow older I realize that the only things worth spending a lot of money on are education and experiences, such as trips or tickets to plays, concerts, and other events. I don’t see the point of spending a lot of money on much else. Madman! (Madwoman?) Mad-something. There are CLOTHES to be purchased! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/43 "2011-03-18T20:01:18Z")
I’m all about the good and inexpensive, but I won’t blink at spending the $$$ for good booze if that’s what it takes. For example, I don’t have a problem dropping $50 or more on a good bottle of booze, but I’ll happily drink Cruzan Silver rum because it’s $12 per bottle and better than most white rums even at half the cost. Otherwise, I’m not particularly extravagant in any monetary way that I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/44 "2011-03-18T20:02:48Z")
For me, it’s yarn. I’ve easily dropped 100+ dollars on enough yarn to make a sweater, one that I have to put together myself mind. I still do my best to limit myself though. When I buy it, I must have a project in mind or it must be something that I ABSOLUTELY cannot put down. I also try to buy reasonably priced yarns… I’m not buying a sweater’s worth of Vicuña for example (google it… I’m on my phone so I can’t link easily but this comes from an endangered species and costs about 300+ dollars for a single skein). I do plan to wander a Jaques Cartier and see if I can find a sale so I can get some quivut, enough perhaps for a shawl or a cowl. This will probably cost me a decent amount, even on sale. One friend disdained my favourite LYS because it was too expensive. Yes, I can and have bought some lovely yarns on sale or cheap online (where she purchased most of hers and really there are a couple of GREAT stores that feed my longings for nice materials at awesome prices) but it’s well worth the $$ to support a local store that I absolutely love and does it’s best to get in lots of unique items that I may not just stumble upon online. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/45 "2011-03-18T20:08:45Z")
If I won the lottery, it’d go toward traveling and improving the home. I don’t think anyone would find that particularly odd. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/46 "2011-03-18T20:11:12Z")
Traveling, I guess. I don’t think it’s crazy, and I tend to be a frugal traveler. But some people appear to think that traveling is really extravagant and a huge luxury. Of course, the last couple places I went purely for fun were Albania and Colombia, so they - and by “they”, I mean “my mother” - might be judging my choices of destinations. (But that’s how I can afford it at all! I can’t afford food and room rates in wealthy countries.) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/47 "2011-03-18T20:17:22Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > If I win the MegaMillions lottery tonight, which is unlikely as I do not intend to buy a ticket, I will almost certainly buy twenty or thirty custom-made suits, twice that many expensive dress shirts, twice THAT many nice silk ties, and a good number of very nice blazers, slacks, shoes, and so forth. Well, then, when I win, maybe I’ll buy you a suit… 🙂 I agree with **kapri** ; there’s not that many _things_ I really want, but there are tons of things I want to _experience_, like throwing a virgin in a volcano, etc. You’d need megamillions to buy _that. 😃_ Um, j/k about the virgin/volcano thing; I really just want to travel and do fun stuff that doesn’t _necessarily_ involve human sacrifice. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/48 "2011-03-18T20:25:29Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Madman! (Madwoman?) Mad-something. > > There are CLOTHES to be purchased! Woman. I buy plenty of clothes. I just don’t spend much on them. I won’t spend more than, say, $50 on a pair of shoes and $40 on a shirt or dress unless it’s spectacular, and then the limit would be about $70. Most of my clothes come from Ross. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/49 "2011-03-18T20:38:10Z")
Hand tools. I’d put out three or four hundred for a handplane, although I also pick them up for 15 bucks – in fact my collection holds a lot more in the $15 to $50 range than the $100- $400 range. Books too. I spent almost $200 on Montesquieu’s _Lettres persanes_. (I realize this is pretty small stuff, but it’s all I got.) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/50 "2011-03-18T20:54:56Z")
Rental Cars. Big and comfortable. Damn the gas mileage and other additional costs. Don’t have a Grand Marquise? OK, we’ll take the Lincoln Town Car. Flip flops tee shirts and shorts are perfectly acceptable attire for this ride. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/51 "2011-03-18T20:59:40Z")
I’m a total cheapskate – I don’t by an iTouch/iPad/iWhatever as I think they are overpriced. But, yes, I did drop $135 for a DAS Keyboard (silent model). I am usually someone who think $20 is a lot for a keyboard, but I was finally sick of the mushy rubber pad keyboards and after much deliberation and research went ahead and blew $135. Nice keyboard, but I am practically embarrassed to tell anyone what I paid for it. Sure types nice, though. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/52 "2011-03-18T21:05:38Z")
I’m the cheapest bastard in the world, but I will always spend too much money on a vacation, and my very strange hobby, which is failed American firearm designs. I am a total sucker for any American made gun that has a history of exploding in your face or has some other terrible engineering flaw. Thankfully, those guns tend to be kind of rare so if I ever had to sell the collection, I suspect I could get back what I paid for them, if not make a profit. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/53 "2011-03-18T21:14:11Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Oh yeah, I forgot wine! We haven’t caught up to you guys yet, but we’re working on it… Well, it’s a good project to have, that’s for certain. We’ll keep working on outpacing you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/54 "2011-03-18T21:28:32Z")
Paintings. I don’t care if they are “good” art or not, but if I like what is on the canvas enough I’ll buy it. Don’t have anything by a great famous artist, but I have some pieces I’ve paid a few thousand. Also embroidery, I really like Han Chinese shoes even though it’s not my culture and the origin behind most of those beautifully decorated shoes is a horrible culture practice. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/55 "2011-03-18T21:36:40Z")
I spend most of my money on travelling. If I had more money, I’d have really nice suits made for me by a good tailor, and some bespoke shoes. And I’d travel more. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/56 "2011-03-18T22:37:12Z")
Most things. Husband and I are generally quite extravagant. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/57 "2011-03-18T22:51:49Z")
## Well, they SAID my atomic mecha deusmatrix was crazy . . . but I’ll show them. Sure, it didn’t work EXACTLY as intended, but many of the most important scientific breakthroughs have come out of unplanned results. Someday the reaction **will** be controllable. And THEN **WE’LL SEE [SIZE=“5”]WHO’S CRAZY!![/SIZE].** The real crime against humanity would have been NOT to build it! ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/58 "2011-03-18T22:59:39Z")
Lenses. Got to have the best. Handbags. Oh, and perfume. And makeup. Lots, really. I’m a spendthrift. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/59 "2011-03-18T23:54:01Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I’ll spare you some misery on that one - you almost certainly won’t get it until next fall if you order now. Word on the street is that they’re sold out, and any new orders will go into the second printing. But I could be wrong. > > I, for the record, put my copy on order at the end of February, and so far, it’s looking like I’ll get one from the first printing. But you never know until it gets here. Yeah, I tried both Amazon and B&N after that post. Nothing. _Maybe_ July. But I’ll be out the country and not coming back for a while. I wonder what the remailer service would charge to send me 50 lbs of books? ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163/60 "2011-03-19T00:25:43Z")
Books. The highest I went was $300 for an out of print book about a certain West German terrorist group. I took a ride on that one. The book was reprinted and is now worth about $20. Somewhere I heard someone start laughing, but it sure wasn’t me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-would-you-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-and-most-people-would-think-you-were-crazy-to-do-so/575163.md?page=4)