What are your biggest splurges?

[TNGirlwCamera]

Ignore this...I couldn't figure out how to delete my second post

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

Travel. For sure.
My horse and my dog
Orange Theory workouts
My BMW

 

[MomToOne]

Haircuts
Electronics - when it's time to buy, I buy the latest generation items with top of the line specs because they will last me longer
Home Alarm plan - I pay for a higher monitoring plan than I probably "need" so I can get certain convenience features
Car and Home Insurance - I like the comfort of being over-insured

 

[QueenIsabella]

Normally, I'm as cheap as they come. But, for college graduation, DD2 requested a trip to Italy--with her Italian mother, and could we bring along DD14 as well? I ended up splurging $15k for the three of us to go for 12 days. I don't regret it for a second (but it can't become a habit).

While in Venice, I splurged again. I bought a blue glass decanter--hand-made, especially for me--engraved with our family name and date. I also bought 6 matching glasses and a beautiful mirrored tray to put it on. It's the most expensive decorative item I've ever purchased. But, when am I going to get back to Venice? My kids are already fighting over who gets it when I die. Um, thanks, I think.

 

[Flamingeaux]

My biggest splurge is Disney trips. I rarely buys things for myself.

 

[DawnM]

Our next big splurge will be oldest DS's college. It looks like a private college will be the best for him. This is not what we had planned.

In fact, we "splurge" a lot on education and educational products. Both older DS's needed computers, and we bought good ones. Last month my son needed a specific computerized thing for his program in college. We could have gotten a less expensive model, but we got one that will last several years instead. It was $1400.

So, back to frugal ways for us!

 

[leebee]

We eat out too much, and it's not like we are going to high-end restaurants. We end up at our local pub for burger night on most Mondays ($8 for a 1/2 pound angus specialty burger with fries, $4 for a draft pint of microbrew), possibly again on Tuesdays (2-for-1 pizza night) and maybe even Wednesdays (60-cent jumbo wing night). There are only 2 of us, so it always seems affordable, but if we each have a beer or 2, and go out 2 nights a week, it adds up. Occasional (once a month maybe) splurges involve going to an actual restaurant in town (mexican, thai, etc). None of the purchases seem expensive, but they add up.

I'd say travel, as DD23 and I or DH and I take a week's vacation every year, but these are always budget trips. Part of the fun is seeing how little I can pay to get us the vacation we want. We juggle credit cards for airfare, gift card incentives, etc., and then I look for more deals. We always have fun and never feel like we are scrimping, but many folks would laugh at our idea of a great Disney trip, because we are basically no-frills for a lot of it.

 

[trouttigger]

We splurged last summer for a Rick Steves guided tour of Italy. Not a big trip this year.

We also go to Opera at the Cinema when we can, which is $20/tix.

I've cut out a lot - no more designer face cleanser and make-up.

 

[Colleen27]

Travel is the biggie. We spend a huge chunk of our annual income on vacationing and like it that way. Not just Disney but taking road trips around the US, renting a cabin for the county fair, hiking and kayaking in our state and beyond, etc. We spend 30+ nights away from home in a typical year.

Private school is another. DD16 goes to a private college prep high school, and DD9 goes to a small parochial elem. In hindsight, that's a splurge we should have embraced earlier - DS19 had a hard very time in school and while DD9 is a lot like him in terms of personality and learning style, the smaller, more supportive environment has made all the difference in her success in and attitude towards school.

And concerts/live performances. I've always loved concerts, a trait my two teens share along with a lot of my taste in music, so we go to shows pretty often. And younger DD is into theatre (as a budding performer as well as an audience member) so she and I catch a couple of Broadway touring productions every year. I don't always go for the most expensive seats - front row of the balcony is better than two or three rows back in the orchestra when you're 4' tall! - but even cheap seats for major shows and venues add up pretty quick.

 

[seb65]

I get my nails done 1-2 x a month, but figure I have a friend cut my hair, so it evens out. Our other splurge has been our camper. It allows us to take many small vacations around home. Sometimes I do regret it, as perhaps we could afford bigger trips, but we've had great times in it.

 

[ronandannette]

We eat out too much, and it's not like we are going to high-end restaurants. We end up at our local pub for burger night on most Mondays ($8 for a 1/2 pound angus specialty burger with fries, $4 for a draft pint of microbrew), possibly again on Tuesdays (2-for-1 pizza night) and maybe even Wednesdays (60-cent jumbo wing night). There are only 2 of us, so it always seems affordable, but if we each have a beer or 2, and go out 2 nights a week, it adds up. Occasional (once a month maybe) splurges involve going to an actual restaurant in town (mexican, thai, etc). None of the purchases seem expensive, but they add up.

I'd say travel, as DD23 and I or DH and I take a week's vacation every year, but these are always budget trips. Part of the fun is seeing how little I can pay to get us the vacation we want. We juggle credit cards for airfare, gift card incentives, etc., and then I look for more deals. We always have fun and never feel like we are scrimping, but many folks would laugh at our idea of a great Disney trip, because we are basically no-frills for a lot of it.

All three of those dinners in one week would be way more of a calorie-splurge for me than money, not to mention that my reflux would be off the charts. You must have a cast-iron constitution and extremely fast metabolism!

And 6 beers (or other alcohol) is about how many I drank last year...

 

[MrsPete]

Wow, retiring in your early 50s, must be nice!

How did you do that? You guys must have saved very carefully during your working years?

Yes, it is very nice to still be relatively young and see retirement on the near horizon! How'd we do it, given that we aren't high earners, had no help with college costs, and haven't had any big inheritances or other big breaks? We made a plan in our 20s, chose to live on less than we earned, and practiced self-discipline (when we were younger, we were ninja-level frugal). I anticipate spending more years in retirement than in the work force, so the effort was well worth it.

I keep telling my kids that as they start out on their careers and as my wife and I wind ours down. They are looking what the pay is, we keep telling them to look at the retirement and benefits.
Last time I was on jury duty there was a 48 year old newly retired lady on our panel. Started with the state at age 18, worked 30 years. Her department allowed full retirement after 30 years without regard to your age with full benefits. 60% of her last year's pay was her pension, with COLA for life.

Yep, our kids are 20 and 23 now, and when they were in their teens we worked very hard at guiding them towards careers (searched out opportunities for job shadowing, volunteering, looking at their strengths and preferences), and now we're working towards helping them understand that by starting early, they can amass a comfortable retirement with minimal sacrifices. They see that their Dad and I are about to retire in our early 50s, so they understand that it's possible. Their choices don't match ours, but they are in the process of making good plans.

Good man right there. If I lived within a reasonable distance from Anaheim or Orlando, annual passes would absolutely fall under the necessity category.

Yes, if I lived close enough to go to Disney even monthly, it'd be a worthwhile splurge.

Haircuts
Electronics - when it's time to buy, I buy the latest generation items with top of the line specs because they will last me longer
Home Alarm plan - I pay for a higher monitoring plan than I probably "need" so I can get certain convenience features
Car and Home Insurance - I like the comfort of being over-insured

Hmmm, how do you figure that top of the line electronics last longer? I always go solid-but-mid-range, figuring that the "bells and whistles" are just more to break.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Yes, it is very nice to still be relatively young and see retirement on the near horizon! How'd we do it, given that we aren't high earners, had no help with college costs, and haven't had any big inheritances or other big breaks? We made a plan in our 20s, chose to live on less than we earned, and practiced self-discipline (when we were younger, we were ninja-level frugal). I anticipate spending more years in retirement than in the work force, so the effort was well worth it.

That's great, good for you. Takes a lot of discipline!

A lot of people I know like to boast that they are retiring early or are very rich because they did certain things and therefore are superior to others in some way. And then you find out that they inherited a substantial sum of money. Which is great, good for them! But it's an important part of a personal financial story, know what I mean?

 

[Judique]

That's great, good for you. Takes a lot of discipline!

A lot of people I know like to boast that they are retiring early or are very rich because they did certain things and therefore are superior to others in some way. And then you find out that they inherited a substantial sum of money. Which is great, good for them! But it's an important part of a personal financial story, know what I mean?

I'm looking at retirement right now and trying to decide if I actually want to retire. I'm used to an active life and get 6 weeks annual plus 17 sick days a year, plus 14-15 paid holidays, so even though we have crunch times a couple times a year where I work many hours over a couple week period, I have a lot of time off.

We'll see what the next year brings. I can go now, but I think I'll do another year and a half, with 2019 as my retirement goal.

In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy life. I guess I don't see waiting for retirement as the time to start living one's life.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm looking at retirement right now and trying to decide if I actually want to retire. I'm used to an active life and get 6 weeks annual plus 17 sick days a year, plus 14-15 paid holidays, so even though we have crunch times a couple times a year where I work many hours over a couple week period, I have a lot of time off.

We'll see what the next year brings. I can go now, but I think I'll do another year and a half, with 2019 as my retirement goal.

In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy life. I guess I don't see waiting for retirement as the time to start living one's life.

Definitely not! My mom is 75 and still works FT. She loves it. It's good to have choices in life

 

[kymom99]

I'm looking at retirement right now and trying to decide if I actually want to retire. I'm used to an active life and get 6 weeks annual plus 17 sick days a year, plus 14-15 paid holidays, so even though we have crunch times a couple times a year where I work many hours over a couple week period, I have a lot of time off.

We'll see what the next year brings. I can go now, but I think I'll do another year and a half, with 2019 as my retirement goal.

In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy life. I guess I don't see waiting for retirement as the time to start living one's life.

Are you a mailman, by chance?

 

[Judique]

Are you a mailman, by chance?

Lol! No. But I live next door to a retired postal worker.

 

[kymom99]

Lol! No. But I live next door to a retired postal worker.

My friend's husband is a mailman. He gets tons of vacation and lots of paid holidays. Not that he doesn't deserve it. He works his tail off. She and I are retired teachers and she used to say he worked something like 11 more days a year that she did.

 

[SharonZ]

STH for Pittsburgh Penguins, full season, full playoff package.

 

[katie111]

We both have nice SUV's but we both drive a lot & we will keep them until they die.

We have a ski condo and pay to be in a ski club at the mountain. Means shorter lift lines, our own separate lodge, and a great place for us and the kids to hang out before and after skiing.

Travel- we love to travel but have been cutting back some due to kids schedules & my DH's decline in income. Would really like to save & get back to Costa Rica this year.