My yearly splurge is buying heaps of annual flowers to fill up the porch pots and railing planters. …(then splurging with time to sit among them every morning with coffee and the newspaper, watching them grow to overflowing.) Almost that time again 
@inthegarden – your screen name sounds very apt. 
Thanks, @Hlmom, it really is my happy place, especially on a spring morning Though I admit, heat, humidity and biting bugs have taken its toll on my outdoor work ethic in the last few years. The garden definitely tends to run on the wild side lately (not that uber-manicured was ever my style.) I’m planting more and more native plants to keep the birds happy, but on the porch, annuals, clematis and climbing roses rule!
^^^^ @inthegarden , I would have to second that splurge. I always say “no Mother’s Day gifts! Just let me buy all the plants I want and give me all day to mess around in the yard - pure heaven!”
Exactly, @abasket! Though I will say last Mother’s Day (sort of combined with my upcoming birthday) I got a big splurge. …something I had wanted for years…a heavy iron arch to drape a rambling rose over. We installed it Mother’s Day morning and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. It’s the solid metal kind, not the tubular that collapses.
A few years ago after ordering several rose plants from Rogue Valley Roses, they sent me a bonus “mystery” rose…(they do that with roses whose identity they can’t verify.) After neglecting it in the pot for weeks I plunked it into the ground in a random spot without any special digging or prep before going on vacation the next day. Four years or so later, the thing is enormous (15 ft-long canes) and coincidentally, planted in the perfect spot for an arch, with a path under it. So, after a year of training and tying over the arch (ouch!) I can’t wait to see what it will look like in full bloom in June, a fairytale haze of pink and green, I hope!
The eyelash extensions were hilariously a no-go, H wrote “it costs $50 to get them removed. You should worry when they put the removal cost right up front. They must have a lot of people coming back to get them removed. If you want to do it, you can. But don’t say it’s from me. It sounds like a pretty bad idea. Have someone poking at your eye with sticks and glue for 2 hours. I’m surprised that you would sign up for that. I would think you’d rather get a root canal.”
:-j
So, my latest splurge was getting a yard service to mow and blow our tiny little yard for $40/month because I have no time or desire to do it anymore. It’s a kid in the neighborhood, so I feel good about supporting that industriousness, especially since my leaf blower caught on fire a few months ago (I had asked for a leaf blower for my birthday and H suggested the service instead).
Flowers from the market. Taking the train downtown to have a nice lunch and see the museums. If it is spring going to see the cherry blossoms. Going for a picnic to a scenic place and just having a relaxing afternoon.
I also enjoy a solo trip to the nursery for Mothers Day - this past year was dicey though because I downsized from a 8 passenger SUV to a sedan and when I went to the car with my purchases they barely fit!
The main arena in town has a restaurant–overpriced, but decent food. I splurge for the restaurant before a concert or hockey game. You get early admission and have a relaxing dinner before going to your seats. Once I even snuck in to Bruce Springsteen’s sound check (got kicked out after about one song) and last time we were able to hear (but not see) Barbra Streisand’s sound check while we were waiting in the hall to get into the restaurant.
Ha! @threebeans…I have done that…and I should know very well the volume of my car. Wishful thinking running amock!
I would love to have high tea at the Plaza in New York. (one day)
Nice puzzles, with pieces that click into place so nicely. Nice yarn to knit and crochet with…no scratchy yarn that yields a disappointing rough finished product. Fun gourmet ingredients…my latest? Candied jalapeños! Other than that, we tend to be pretty content to just live life in the slow and happy lane…no need for expensive travel, fancy hotels. Sure, they’re nice, but honestly we are pretty simple people…good food (no need to spend big bucks) and good conversation with good people and we are golden.
Once I began thinking about it I see that I have quite a number of little splurges. I get a facial once a month. I have stepped up my hair coloring to every 3 1/2 weeks. I used to get two massages a month but my massage therapist moved out of town so I have cut back to about every 6 weeks when she comes to town for a weekend. I will on occasion get my nails done.
Iced tea some afternoons from a local coffee shop or I have a Nespresso cup of espresso at home.
Berries at the beginning and end of the season when price is higher. Butternut squash already cut. Chicken from the upscale grocery store. Ground beef from same store or Whole Foods (both places grind it in store)
My favorite brand of coffee from a town a few hours away that doesn’t ever go on sale. occasionally I will buy a brand of sheep milk yogurt that is very expensive but it is so rich one container is three servings.
Good Wine and new books in anyseries that I am reading. Have to get the books immediately not waiting for paperbacks!!
@Wien2NC - don’t be. Our splurges are about the same.
@txsparty - “Good” wine is utterly lost on me. My idea of good wine is Kool-Aid with a kick, and I loved grain punch in college.
to save money i will get the $8 slam with juice and coffee and she will get a $4 slam, we split them, and then we will take the pancakes home to our kids.
Good wine is wasted on me also. The brand I buy is Barefoot.
I just bought D a grey blazer for 21 dollars at the Banana Republic Factory!!! She wants a suit but she is too small for the pants. Got nice black dress pants for 15.00 at Kohls.
Getting really good deals makes me happy.
D needs profession clothes for ACADECA.
Seriously, can people stop knocking other people’s splurges in order to promote their own? It’s really not very nice.
Just talk about your own splurges, please. It’s fine without context, especially context that tears others down.
As I was reading through this thread and thinking about my own small self-indulgences, I noticed that the Allison Inn and Spa–where DH and I have spent a few anniversaries relaxing and celebrating–has an ad on this page. I’d classify the Allison Inn as a big self-indulgence (and it was wonderful, both times). My small ones? Fran’s salted caramels (which I buy the day after the chocolate holidays, which makes them an affordable self-indulgence); nice leather leashes for the dogs (I have six, so I can choose the color to match my clothes); breakfast with a friend once a month (at a restaurant where it’s not the dollars that are self-indulgent, it’s the calories); two pieces of salmon belly ngiri when we go for sushi.
Esse nail polishes…no one can buy just one color!!
And quilting fabrics.