<p>Running shoes.
Good cheese.
Flowers/hanging baskets in the spring .</p>
<p>Yeah, actually mnmomof2 has that right… expensive college tuition actually my biggest splurge, by far.</p>
<p>OH…and tickets to the opera, but usually in the nose bleed section.</p>
<p>Family.</p>
<p>We spend a lot traveling to visit our kids…two in DC, and one and his wife in Boston. We also pay for them to visit us as frequently as possible (DC contingent is here in Cincinnati right now), and for them to visit each other. The DC boys are going to Boston in mid-January. We also pay for all the kids to travel for family things…for example, we all always go to Chicago several times a year to visit extended family, and we like to do it together. Also family vacations. We just came back from a short vacation in the Caribbean, and are planning a long summer weekend at Cape Cod.</p>
<p>All of us are on a family phone plan, and all of us have data plans.</p>
<p>Our other big splurge is our satellite TV package…we all are huge soccer fans, and we live for our Premier League and Champions League and Spanish League games every weekend. We often attend MLS games too.</p>
<p>I consider my weekly housecleaner a necessity.</p>
<p>We don’t go out much to eat, although when we do it’s generally ethnic food, so not too expensive. We love to cook and we love our new kitchen…when we moved here two years ago, not remodeling the kitchen was not an option, the appliances etc were all in horrible shape.</p>
<p>cameras
photo printers
photo paper
printer ink</p>
<p>I take lots of photos and love to create gifts and memories for family and friends</p>
<p>Well I do splurge on three very, very expensive, habits. They cost me an absolute fortune.</p>
<p>D1, D2 and S.</p>
<p>Big, fat powder skis and backcountry boots.
Single malt scotch.
Good seats at concerts and plays. I would rather sit on the couch and watch tv than see a play from the 2nd balcony.
Organic food.
Professional level baseball gloves.</p>
<p>I thought it was spelled “splooge” - live and learn.</p>
<p>Gel manicures.<br>
The automatic car wash.
The occasional Coach purse</p>
<p>Real books.
Organic and fair trade food (not all the time but as much as I can.)
a second home (but we bought it frugally and away from the water.)</p>
<p>Time–we’re now income challenged because of downsizing our “careers” to have more time.</p>
<p>And, all of a suddent–the prettiest wedding (I hope) anyone can imagine (ask me again how that’s going if I make it to June!)</p>
<p>zoosermom–I hadn’t thought of it that way, but we splurge pretty heavily on our son too and his girlfriend.</p>
<p>Apart from that, Vermont products, travel and Boursin cheese. Getting tired of travel though. Staying home in VT is becoming more attractive.</p>
<p>Purses/handbags - although I don’t go over $400 and most are much less than that (but it took trips to France to get them)</p>
<p>Shoes - my dad taught us that good shoes are a necessity and bad/cheap shoes are not a cost savings. We all got our first shoes at Nordstrom-Best and it continues today. My current splurge are AGL. They fit my feet like a dream and were a definite splurge.</p>
<p>Cell phones - four of us on iphones. We save a little because we are grandfathered in on a Verizon unlimited data plan and we get a discount via our employer</p>
<p>Books. Lots and lots of books. Hardcover, softcover. I have a nook and an ipad, but prefer paper. I buy from a local bookstore <em>not</em> Amazon. Ever.</p>
<p>Good food, wine, coffee beans, sometimes hotels</p>
<p>Most of the time we are very middle-of-the-road, but will spend when it adds to the experience. A Courtyard is fine when we’re visiting #1D at school or an overnight stop. Many vacations are camping in the trailer. But when I go on a real trip, I want to stay someplace nicer.</p>
<p>The twice a month housekeeper is no longer a splurge. It’s a mental health requirement.</p>
<p>OMG I had no idea I made a typo in the title – I am always really careful since I know it can’t be edited.</p>
<p>Thanks for the definition, NJres.</p>
<p>My H and I splurged on giving our kids a college education and they have no debt. We live pretty simply but recently went on our first kid free vacation. It was wonderful. </p>
<p>Other than that I like books and I like to look nice.</p>
<p>VH–I’m right there with you spending lots of $$$ on a kitchen reno (and 2.5 baths, and floors). 2013 is going to be an expensive year. It is all much needed as we just purchased our house that is 35 yrs old and was a rental for a number of years (ie no updates at all). It will be so nice to get rid of that ugly laminate counter! (and the builder grade cabinets with fixed shelves).</p>
<p>I want a gel manicure so bad. I’ve only ever had my nails done once when my grandma took me, I can’t justify the expense. I dropped hints like mad for my boyfriend to put a gift card to a one of those fancy nail salons in my stocking for christmas but he didn’t do it. I keep thinking I should just treat myself and go do it, but I am afraid if I do I will want to do it all the time and that would just be completely not okay…</p>
<p>Otherwise, I splurge on BF’s gifts, he likes expensive electronics and nice clothes, things I could never justify buying if they weren’t a gift. For myself it is always random miscellaneous things once or twice a year… this year I must have bought 30 yankee candles over a two month period, and a year ago I bought the fhi runway hair straightener which was $500… and yet I can’t justify the manicure!!! :P</p>
<p>I am so wine illiterate or palate challenged or something that cheap wine works for me. Saves a lot of money. A good landscaper I will pay for though. We would never even get our lawn mowed without help and we have to keep our mound system clear. The house I will clean myself. I have plenty of time and can do a little every day. We all have our priorities.</p>
<p>Latest new splurge food - Bubbie’s bread & butter pickles. I heard about them on NPR and found them at a new local market opened by a friend’s son. I was hooked when I opened the jar and ate my first one. They taste just like the ones my grandmother put up when I was young. A bit of childhood in a jar.</p>
<p>We splurge on our kids too. They have smartphones and nice laptop computers. They do pretty well. My splurge is being on the computer a lot, not a whole lot else. Paying for college, one after another has really kept us on a strict budget.</p>
<p>Bubbie’s bread & butter pickles</p>
<p>YES…these are gooood.</p>
<p>I saw the thread title earlier today and had a good laugh. Now I’m reading the posts as spluge instead of splurge and having an even bigger laugh, like a mad lib.</p>
<p>Starbucks a few times a month is my splurge.</p>