<p>I drove the same car for 13.5 years and was completely happy with it the entire time. Solid, extremely well-made vehicle that required only $2000-$2500 of unscheduled work during its life, and my son is now driving it. (I consider tires, brakes and batteries scheduled.) For years, I dismissed all these new ‘gadgets’ as frou-frou nonsense, but boy am I now addicted to the back-up camera, heated steering wheel, and remote-less entry (touch door handle to lock and unlock). I still haven’t mastered the Nav system, but am happy it is in the car. I am a little too obsessed with tracking the gas mileage on this screen above the steering wheel. Since the car only gets say 11-12 miles/gallon around town and 18 on pure highway driving, I really shouldn’t be tracking mileage.</p>
<p>nrdsb4–re: back-up camera. I had been overestimating the car’s dimensions and stopping far short of the stone wall behind my garage. It is amazing how much further I can now back up.</p>
<p>shellfell–I bet that the neighbors who benefit from too many tomatoes coming in at one time are really appreciative of your husband’s gardening hobby. I know I would be if I lived nearby!</p>
<p>Gourmetmom–I would have a hard time with the sundial too. That’s a bit over the top!</p>
<p>A relative went to an auction of an eccentric billionaire. He bought quite a bit of “stuff” that I & others considered “junk,” but he considered “treasures.” He has even built a storage facility on his property so he can store these items, which include a large ceramic dog sculpture. We figure it’s his money to use as he prefers. He’s thrilled that someone bought the marble tile he purchased at the auction from him. At this point in my life, more ‘stuff’ just adds to clutter, but we are glad that he’s happy and not cluttering our or others’ homes. Also glad he can afford whatever he wants.</p>
<p>DH will no longer get a car that doesn’t have heated seats, even if it means having to get other options on the car he couldn’t care less about.</p>
<p>Yes, in order to get power door locks (which I consider an important security feature), I had to get the towing package for my Toyota Sienna Van. Have never towed anything since I purchased the vehicle in 1999, nor do I ever expect to. Ah well, no biggie.</p>
<p>Wel…l I splurged on a genuine Rembrandt etching when I was a grad student. $300!!!
It’s now worth well over $20,000.
At least it seemed like a splurge at the time. Since I did not need it, I could not afford it and I had no idea how much it would appreciate. I JUST HAD TO HAVE IT. (I still do have it)</p>
<p>^^^Yeah, it’s annoying for D2. She is a clothes horse and he always notices if she’s bought something new (usually because I gave her the money), and of course the second question is always “and how much did that cost me?” :rolleyes:</p>
<p>My husband spends a lot on cars, a lot, but even he hasn’t spent as much as a man we just saw at the Barrett-Jackson auction who paid $2.6million for a special Corvette. Yikes.</p>
<p>I collect wine. Don’t spend a lot lot on it-- and don’t drink much at all (I fall asleep). I just buy stuff and hold it to enjoy with friends at a later date. And I want it to be properly cellared. So my splurge was a new, custom made wine credenza to replace the big wine unit that had a thermostat/compressor I was not happy with, and was having trouble getting repaired/replaced. The wine credenza was 10% of our total remodel budget. But I love it!</p>
<p>I splurge on a laundry service sometimes. I don’t have laundry in my building and I don’t have a car, and toting everything to the laundromat during a hectic week can just be too much.</p>
<p>Another agreeing with Thumper. I think they must have come standard when buying a car with leather seats and I knew I wanted leather with babies for cleaning spills, so I have had heated seats since '97. Having missed out on more than a decade of technological inventions, I have made up for lost time by purchasing a car that came with things I can’t imagine needing. (The ice box compartment in the arm rest area? Only works when the car is on, so am not sure I completely see its purpose.) The packaging of features introduces us to gizmos we would never pay for incrementally.</p>
<p>I do find it interesting to see what some folks splurge on- interesting thread. </p>
<p>I call dh a “window snob”. We replace one or two windows in our old house each year.
I drive a luxury car. I bought it slightly used.
I don’t like cheap hotels. Traveling for work can be challenging sometimes. If I travel with coworkers, then I try to drive separately.
We buy furniture from a local store that takes three months to make a piece. I have lots of their furniture (we’ve been buying it for over 20 years though).</p>
<p>I don’t even know what brand my current purse is.
No lawn service, no cleaning folks.
We mostly camp on vacations. Except when we are in Ballybunion (though we biked everywhere once we got off the plane in Shannon). We did camp about half the time on that trip. Didn’t skimp on food. Food = fuel when we are biking.</p>
<p>Hannah Andersson adult long johns (tops and bottoms). Organic cotton (I am allergic to various synthetics, made worse if I sweat). About $80/set. I own several for skiing, dog walking, etc.</p>
<p>And expensive bedroom slippers. I spend a lot of time in them (pretty much all the time in my house 365 days/year unless I am entertaining). I go through a couple pairs a year – usually buy LL Bean Wicked Good slippers, but planning to try Uggs next time I replace them.</p>
<p>I spent $400 yesterday on a butter dish. It’s matches my everyday china and had been discontinued. I found it on craigslist in upstate NY. The $$ was not the worst part. It’s the fact that I was so desperate that I asked my son’s girlfriend to pick it up from a stranger (in a public place). $100 of the $400 was for her, for being so helpful.</p>
<p>Aren’t the LL Bean slippers covered by their lifetime guaranty?</p>
<p>If you are in the market for a new pair I have a single-use coupon code I could give you that gives 20% off your entire LL Bean order plus free shipping. Good through Jan. 22.</p>
<p>“I spent $400 yesterday on a butter dish. It’s matches my everyday china and had been discontinued. I found it on craigslist in upstate NY. The $$ was not the worst part. It’s the fact that I was so desperate that I asked my son’s girlfriend to pick it up from a stranger (in a public place). $100 of the $400 was for her, for being so helpful.”</p>
<p>Okay, finally one that others might have a problem with. Not me, I don’t have a problem with how anyone spends their money (legally), but $300 for a used butter dish? And desperate for it? That cracks me up! You must do some fancy serving in your house.</p>
<p>I would feel bad returning them – I am HARD on them. I returned a pair once where the stitching came out of the toes, didn’t feel bad about those. But on a normal pair, eventually the fuzzy stuff inside wears all the way through to the sole and they aren’t comfy any more. I wear them several hours/day, so this isn’t just a short use every day. Weekends I can be in them all day (wearing them right now :D). </p>
<p>My D1 had Ugg slippers over Christmas (gift to her from BF’s parents, I think), and I tried 'em on. Super comfortable and a bit more attractive than the “wicked goods”. I am on the Bean email list, so regularly have coupons and free shipping, but thanks!</p>
Also glad he can afford whatever he wants.</p>