<p>My yorkie puppy was a splurge. I have wanted one since the 8th grade. I had a yorkie/chihuahua mix that cost very little, but she died last year. The day before the anniversary of her death, I went to the bank, made a withdrawal and got my little Chloe. She’s been worth every cent…and every gray hair. ;)</p>
<p>Ooh… you guys are making me think about that Dalmatian puppy I am determined to get next year. The breeder told me to plan to spend $1200. I think that is the most money I have ever spent at once besides tuition.</p>
<p>That’s ALMOST as much as I’ve spent on yankee candles! XD</p>
<p>Obligatory assurance that I’m not a complete spendthrift, we are actually working on selling one of our cars right now (might make a thread about that, I need some expert advice) in our ongoing effort to reduce our lifestyle to one-income, just in case. Step one of this plan was to buy every yankee candle ever last year so I wouldn’t have to buy anymore… it works that way, right?</p>
<p>It might, unless you can’t stop yourself when they come out with new scents.</p>
<p>DH, S and I visited 20 campuses all over the country. Lots of people probably thought we were barking mad, at least one person said so, but it felt important to us.</p>
<p>Yankee Candles?! My older S is in college near the flagship store - very fun place to visit.</p>
<p>However, my splurge is on yarn. I’m an addicted knitter.</p>
<p>I splurge on for a van to come to my house and groom my two dogs (one 75 pounds, one 100 pounds). I have been told that is a splurge. We also splurged on college visits. They were fun vacations.</p>
<p>Now that we are empty nesters, we are looking to take our clean dogs on college visits. (Just kidding, but we are looking for places to take dogs for long weekends.)</p>
<p>I totally get yarn. That is something I could go crazy over and I don’t let myself buy nearly as much as I want as a result. I could really use some right now, too, I just finished my last project and am totally out… it is so expensive!</p>
<p>Yankee Flagship store!? Where is that!? It is to the point where my fiance makes me discuss any candle purchases with him in advance. When the telltale giant yankee box shows up on the porch I am in so much trouble! But I think I have everything I could possibly want from their current stock now, so I will probably only buy a handful a year now when they do the buy 2 get 2 free sales to get the new releases. I thankfully only like the food ones.</p>
<p>Oh excellent - another knitter!</p>
<p>The Yankee candle flagship store is in Deerfield Mass. My older S is in college in Amherst - it’s such a fun place to stop, particularly over the holidays. They have such pretty holiday lights.</p>
<p>Another amazing place in the Pioneer Valley is Webs in Northampton. It’s the yarn shop of all yarn shops. (their url is yarn.com) It almost has too much of a selection! </p>
<p>I’m thinking my kid can never graduate…</p>
<p>Ema, socks. Small stitches so one hank will keep you busy for a while. :)</p>
<p>^^^ great idea! I always have a pair of socks OTN</p>
<p>Mine:
Lawn guys / Snow removal guys (the same company)
Cleaning lady
Medical School Tuition
2 weeks Caribean vacations every year
Thinking about buying a second house
We drive only Audi / Lexus / Acura, but they are NOT expansive, since we never ever (not a single time) bought a new car. So, whatever you think of it…</p>
<p>Anyway, nothing on my list comes anywhere close to Med. School tuition combined with leaving expances, so the rest might as well be discarded, even the second house most likely will be cheaper.</p>
<p>I have a bunch of gorgeous yarn that I bought and haven’t used yet. Never can bring myself to pay full (high) price but if there’s a store going out of business, I will clean them out and add to my pile. Just bought 3 plastic bins at Costco to hold some of the stash :D. Yes, I will get working on it soon.</p>
<p>DH and I are flying across the country this weekend for the express purpose of watching DS participate in a non-revenue varsity sport tournament. He’s a senior so first/only time for DH to watch him. If lucky, he might actually be on the ‘floor’ 30 minutes total. Just to make it more/less of a splurge, we are throwing in a fancy-schmanzy concert (cousin is the concertmaster of a major east coast orchestra and providing tickets), will take DS and maybe his roommate out for nice dinners, using 2 for 1 airline coupon, free rental car day etc. Generally plan to enjoy myself and not worry about the cost over the 3 days. The last tuition payment will go out this week then boy will I feel rich.</p>
<p>Thanks to y’all and this thread, I booked the most convenient (i.e. not the cheapest) hotel and will enjoy the included valet parking and the breakfast buffet before walking a couple of blocks to the sporting venue.</p>
<p>Interesting that many of you “collect” yarn. For many older women I know, it’s fabric.</p>
<p>I think “accumulate” is more accurate.</p>
<p>DW knits a lot. She has enough yarn for three lifetimes of knitting. Doesn’t stop her from buying more though.</p>
<p>Stash (noun) is the appropriate term.</p>
<p>If you like to create you tend to end up acquiring the tools and supplies necessary.</p>
<p>Warm glass – see Frantz
Metalworking – oh lord, let’s not go there, bwahahaha
Knitting – swift, winder, yarn and needles
Spinning – wheel(s) and roving
Painting – paint</p>
<p>VH…I have friends who collect “textiles”. One looks for interesting large pieces. I can’t tell you how many times we have called on her to “dress” tables for functions. She always has the right combination of textiles. Her collection is expansive (nod nod, wink wink).</p>
<p>Quality chocolate.</p>
<p>It is hard not to accumulate yarn. You buy some for a particular project, and then you have some left over, not enough for another full project-- and what to do with it? Then you start another project with a different yarn, so you need more, and then you have more leftover. And then while you were at the store shopping for that project, you found four more really pretty yarns you just have to have-- you’ll use them for something, right? And you probably will, but it takes a while to work through all that yarn, and then when you finish whatever project you start with them, you’ll have some leftover… and then you start another project, so you buy some more! On and on and on to infinity…</p>
<p>When I said I was completely out I realize now I really meant completely out of yarn I want to use, I have entire skeins of leftovers but not enough to make something I would want to make with those yarns.</p>
<p>Weaving-- loom, warping board, bobbin winder, spool stand, boat shuttles, bobbins, yarn</p>
<p>I have a woman in my knitting group who is trying to finish off her deceased sister’s projects and yarn. She won’t live long enough, either.</p>