Keeping the thermostat at 68 degrees all winter no matter where oil prices go and at 74 all summer despite the cost of electricity. We have friends who huddle in layers of clothing in the winter months while the temperatures in their houses are in the low sixties and then try to convince themselves that an attic fan keeps them cool in August and July days of high heat and humidity. They think we’re impossibly indulgent. I would give up many things before feeling uncomfortable in my own home.
Aw, sweetbeat, that’s kind of you! We were really spoiled on Kauai, Waikiki pales in comparison. Figured the kids should see Pearl Harbor (my father spent 2 years here during WW II) and D’s fiancé is a history buff so they spent the whole day there, but I have no desire to return to Oahu. I could see myself living somewhere in Hawaii though!
I don’t spend money on much - not clothes, cosmetics, hair color, or manicures, and we clean our own house, cut grass, shovel snow, so travel is one area we decided to spend more on ( although we did fly coach).
I have a feeling I am just on a different income level. WHile we do have our spending priorities
(no to clothes, hair, cars, cleaning service; yes to well fitting shoes, tutoring, gym or activities, bikes, travel) we don’t often splurge regularly on anything.
The one big splurge we have done is taking each child on a trip of their choice when they were ten. D and I went to China while S and DH went to New Zealand. Both trips were two weeks long.
“Splurges” don’t have to be expensive - just more than you could or might spend on something if it weren’t important to you. A $3.99 bar of soap is a splurge if you choose to go out of your way and get that because it’s special to you rather than a 6 pack of Zest for the same price.
My splurges:
Hand made goat’s milk soap that I typically get at an outdoor farmer’s market, Ski in-ski out lodging with plenty of bathrooms, and massages.
This. In fact, H hangs around in shorts and a t shirt all year-round. And we don’t chintz out on running the pool heater either. Life’s too short.
Here is our silly splurge (if you can even call it that)…we buy ice. In 5 pound bags. Despite the fact that we have deliciously clear well water and a perfectly good freezer.
Not quite a splurge, but fun. After a trip to Ireland with H and my sister, we were so grateful to survive a week of his “questionable” driving in heavy rain and flooded streets that I designed commemorative t-shirts for us all. I used a stronger word than “questionable” on the t-shirt! Thank you, Cafe Press, for making it so easy to do.
Local craft beer, preferably draft. Most weekends I go to our local brew pub and fill 2-4 growlers. The cost is comparable to good quality bottled beer; but of course we end up drinking more because it is so easy to pour just a little bit more. It is also a splurge of time as this place is often mobbed–so instead of taking 30 seconds to grab a 12-pack at the supermarket, I willingly wait in line for 10-20 minutes. I drank cheap beer when I couldn’t afford better but continued doing so far too long. I also like that I am supporting a local business (in fact, the kids of one of the owners go to school with mine – but sadly, that does nothing to move me ahead in the growler line). :-S
Not cheaping out at Disneyland. It makes the experience far better! Buy the expensive snacks in the park, pay $20/person for a slice of pizza for lunch, spend $100-150 for dinner at the Blue Bayou, and stay at the nice hotels close to the park.
Yep, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s to not cheap out vacations. B-)
A second home in some more desirable climate is worth splurging.
Blue Bayou overlooking the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride is $100-$150 for dinner now?!
So glad I splurged on Disneyland Annual passes for 5 years in the 1990s when it was $99/person/year! Club 33 was great, too!
Hahaha, H bought a bunch of park hoppers back in the early 90’s when they were about $70. They never expire and he doesn’t lose things like that (unlike me…). He used two of them last week!
We went last year and it cost my wife and I around $90 (including tip). No alcohol though. With that, I figure easily over a hundred.
Well worth it though IMO. Haven’t tried Club 33 but I hear its great.
“We also splurge by having a property manager for rentals. While he takes a commission, he handles all the headaches, tenants, repairs, raising rent as appropriate, and other maintenance. To us, he’s a bargain and makes being a landlord much more pleasant.”
@HImom, that is certainly one thing that we should do also. However, we have the time, we know how to do it all, and my husband is very handy with repairs. We don’t have a good excuse to get a property manager to do it for us. Except for one biggie…we have a really hard time raising the rent on people. We just raised the rent on one property by $25/month, and that alone was painful for us. We tend to get to know and like our tenants, and it just feels too personal, plus we know that none of them have much extra cash. Our tenants are probably renting our properties for $300-$400 under market, and that would probably cover the management costs by a long shot.
We really need to raise the rents, as property taxes and HOA fees are going up every year, though we still have a good positive cash flow. It’s just hard to do it to these tenants. A property manager would be a splurge that’s worth it.
I am guilty of that…it always seems like a good idea at the time, to have more time at my destination. But rarely worth it.
Amazon Prime
Organic milk - it simply tastes better.
The latest IPhone - I just had to have the rose gold.
Reading @LuckyCharms913 and realized that we splurge on good beer too, but I never thought of it because it felt like a necessity not a splurge. 
Viva paper towels. The really heavyweight ones. Not the “vantage” style, the original. When the girls were young, some of their friends were awed by our paper towels.
Yea, we are fans of the original, highly absorbent Viva paper towels.
The property manager is a gem and is able to get tapir folks to appear immediately and for reasonable prices just by sending an email. He’s much better about collecting rents and making appropriate rental increases than we ever were. We have below market rents too, but long term (decades) tenants, so any rent increases are VERY gradual. He even collects appropriate late fees, screens tenants, gets new ones, and would handle any needed eviction.
Because our units are older than me and not in great shape, he keeps them in optimal shape at minimal cost.
Frye boots, premium economy seating, Amazon Prime, Apple products for all of our electronic desires, a house cleaner every two weeks, in home pet sitter instead of kennels, organic local produce from the farmers market.