In 2019 we went to Universal Orlando. We had already paid for the trip and my mom sent us some money for the trip about 3 weeks before. My wife came up with the idea of doing one day as VIPs. The cost for 4 of us was around $1300. The price was high but let me tell you it was worth every penny. No waiting for anything. Plus two meals that were good. The kids still talk about that to this day. It also made the rest of the trip relaxing because we took care of the long lines that day.
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I need one of these for very dry martinis!
We found it cheaper to stay onsite at Universal because hotel guests get a lot of perks.
We have a Weber grill that is 20+ years old. Been either in a garage or under a cover when not in use. Still looks new on the outside. As noted you can replace grates and flavorizer bars and make the inside new. We haven’t done that. Ignitor still works every time. Well worth the money.
Same with lawnmower. Honda mower is about 18 years old. One it replaced (which was about 1/2 as much) lasted 5 years. Honda still going strong. And its a better mower.
Sometimes it makes sense to pay more. I wouldn’t call that outrageous but rather smart.
I remember when I got the first mower. Newly married, new house and a baby. Wanted a Honda but my wife said go with the cheaper brand. When that one broke the first thing my wife said was “Go buy a Honda.” It what my dad used for multiple decades (had to get new wheels because they wore out eventually) after having serial LawnBoy pieces of garbage.
Us too. We had those VIP perks every day and could walk to the parks. Worth every Penny!
We are on our second Webber grill and 3rd Honda mower! The grill lasted more than 10 years and I love that thing. The Honda mower is great, cuts much easier and is nicer but we’ve replaced it.
The crazy thing is that these things are replaceable instead of repairable anymore.
Our weber takes a beating - it is never covered and used 2-3 times a week all year round (even in the winter when I shovel the snow to make a path to it so we can still use it). My husband does take care of it - he cleans it frequently.
Lol, just used this thread to justify buying a Peloton Plus “for my husband” for Father’s Day 
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So, are we now ranting about our spouse’s extravagances? Don’t get me started…. DH’s grill (48” built-in DCS) is just one of his way-too-many extravagances.
Then there’s his bar, and his midlife crisis car, and his cigars, and… 
(Thankfully, we have nothing to mow, or I’m sure there would be some kind of tank in the garage.)
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We must be cosmically connected. I have the exact same DCS grill (although I’ve also added a wood fired pizza oven and a churasco grill), love an occasional cigar (I refresh my Cuban supply every year but last and maybe current Covid year, Cohiba, A Fuentes etc), car maybe not so much a fairly vanilla S class.
Yes having Cubans is not strictly legal legal, but life is short and the Caribbean is close
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DH was recently gifted a Weber grill and just bought himself a Honda mower, feeling pretty adult about now!
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Had both of those! When we moved to this “outrageous purchase” house, we left the Honda mover with the new owners of the house we sold. Mr. celebrated the fact that there was no more grass to move! Because the new house came with a NG stub for a grill, Mr. allowed me to shop for a new grill (I’m the grill master in the family). I went with a Broil King which was on sale, and kiddo inherited the LP Weber. So far, no regrets about the grill I got.
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If we are talking about spouses… when you have a collector spouse, and you are not, everything is outrageous. We have (for 25 years) an Asteroids arcade game in our den. Yes, it works perfectly. I have a room lined with built in bookshelves. The top 3 levels have 15-20 lunchboxes from the 1960s-80s on display. The 1979 18” Kenner alien toys that go over for $1000? We have 3 of them. My house is full of outrageous purchases. And the safety deposit box too.
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Here is a headline and story. Headline: We bought an 82" TV only because we decided to paint our family room.
Story: We had a wall-to-wall entertainment unit that only fit a TV so big(I think 55"). When we painted the room we never moved the unit out. We painted around it. My better half wanted to paint for the double graduation party we were hosting and have it done right. We decided since we doing that we would get a new TV and new stand. I had a 75" TV picked out and ready to go. The wife came to look at it and saw an 82" and said let’s get this one so you never will want to go bigger. Price difference was around $400-500. So I ended up an 82" TV only because my wife wanted to paint.
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For all of you eagerly following my purchase of a cantilever umbrella for our deck – it arrived, we set it up, and I love it!! I can’t wait to sit in the shade but outdoors to have my morning coffee.
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I think a lot of wives look at that and say, makes sense. Husbands are like that’s not a binding agreement.
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If the space was for 55 inch, how did an 82 inch fit?
H got me a Janome 6700P in December 2019 for birthday/anniversary/Hanukkah. Perfect timing, as it turned out. Made 1250 masks, though I got it for FMQ-ing quilts I make for a shelter. It’s a workhorse and it was worth it! The quilt shop where I bought it gave me a good deal. Got a really good sewing chair early in the pandemic, which felt very splurge-y to me.
We like to travel, but we arrange everything ourselves. H has lots of FF miles and puts me in business class to our destination so I’m not broken by the time we arrive. We prefer small local hotels and cabins/apartments with kitchen/laundry facilities. Perfectly happy to hit the local markets and bakeries, then get a great dinner. S2 lives in Eastern Europe and has been an excellent translator and guide when we visit (and we pay for his share, which he appreciates).
Biggest splurge of all was sending our sons to the colleges they wanted instead of taking the merit $.
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We got rid of the entertainment center unit and got a new one.
When I sold the old house, I used some of the cash to buy “tools” for retirement pursuits, all used. Once was the higher end flute I’ve always wanted (Yamaha silver head joint, not so fancy compared to those above). A decent mandolin, a better sewing machine. Not that those items are yet in use, though I play the flute periodically. But I am happy to know they are sitting there awaiting my next phase. They were all items desired for many years.
Buy the blanket! It is beautiful, and will keep you so warm. I adore wool and think it brings great comfort. Oh, another splurge, also used, Navajo rugs.
The high end meals are memorable, especially as I realize those solo trips to visit kids adventuring abroad are a thing of the past. D and I had the prix fix lunch at the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. Fantastic!
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