What ''extras'' do you justify spending money on?

[icekid]

As a product of being a looooong time student (but finally with a job! though not a REAL doctor job for quite a while still), I am having a hard time spending on much of anything still. Pretty much everything we spend money on kind of pains me

I feel like I''d much rather see it populating my savings account. I need to learn to loosen up about it a little bit though.. money is no fun if you can''t spend it sometimes! Oh man... I just can''t waste it on coffee though. I so far prefer the coffee I make at home, at a fraction of the cost. All bets will be off when I NEED caffeine when I''m on call though!!

Date: 7/1/2008 3:27:52 PM
Author: february2003bride
bottled water (but I do recycle the bottles!)- it''s my addiction to always have cold bottles of water in the fridge to grab at any time!

feb- I am not trying to purposely single you out here... but... It''s great that you recycle your water bottles, but the bottles themselves- the plastic, are absolutely horrendous for the environment. It takes lots of oil to make the plastic, lots of oil to transport the water around the world. Unless you live somewhere with very poor quality water, try a Brita?

 

[deegee]

I love, love, love my house cleaning service. My husband and I are gone from 7am to 8pm M-F and we travel out of town just about every weekend to visit relatives, and I don''t want to spend what little time I have at home cleaning it. It doesn''t even bother me to have people come in while I''m not here. I thought it would, but it doesn''t.

Hubby and I eat out every night for dinner, including weekends. We have a one-hour evening commute home during the week, so we stop on the way to eat dinner. Our justification is that if we waited until we got home to eat, we''d be eating really late, cleaning up the kitchen and going straight to bed. At least this way we have somewhat of an evening to take a walk, watch tv, chit-chat, etc. We travel out of town to visit family almost every weekend, so we eat out then too.

I really look forward to going to the salon. I have my hair colored every 4 weeks, and my 2 hours at the salon are so relaxing. I''m always on the go, and for two whole hours once a month I get to sit and do nothing. It''s awesome! I almost fall asleep every time.

 

[miraclesrule]

My daughter, she tops the list....

For me:
Childrens Charity Groups
Massage-one a month
Pilates-weekly
Family Fitness Monthly Dues-got to have my health
Lancome face wash and eye cream-can't live without it
Salt scrubs-can't shower without them
Sunday Brunch-preferalby El Torito as soon as it opens so I get the soup when the veggies are crisp
Gifts for kids...and sometimes their parents too!
Pedicures-I don't care about my hands
Organic and natural foods, including wine
Housecleaner-If I ever get this remodeling done I want her back...really, really, bad
My neighbor's son who does my lawn with all my own lawn equipment.

 

[Linda W]

Highlighting my hair
Starbucks, love love love nonfat lattes
shoes
padparadscha sapphires
buying anything for my two little grandsons
our housecleaning service
going out to lunch or dinner with my hubby

 

[Icy Melona]

Me and the Mister justify fine dining. The food is usually rich and we drink too much alcohol (bad for health) but we justify by saying that it''s our special date day. And we love food- any food really. But fine dining seems such a treat and we do seem to get a quiet time together with no disturbances. Also we chit chat quite alot whle waiting for food so it
makes it a nice catch up. It also makes it a nice break from all the cooking so that''s a nice break. The mister''s cooking is not to be trusted.

I also justify spending a few to several hundred dollars a year on skincare products. I don''t go for spa or salon services and I tell myself I''m economising this way by still keeping myself well groomed without spending thousands on regular spa/salon services, yeah, whatever! Clearly I am deluded! But this skin doesn''t survive on Cetaphil and sorborlene alone!

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Jewelry
Plays and concerts
Hermes bags
Louis Vuitton bags
Treats for the neighborhood cats

 

[PrettyBlues]

Gym membership
Bags/purses
Good food
Concerts/Sporting events
Travel

 

[Lorelei]

Also Hermes scarves and Kelly bags.

 

[mimzy]

cable tv.
subway once a week because i''m at school from 8:30am-10pm and dont'' want to lug around three separate meals with me.

 

[ahappygirl]

organic food

paying more for a great hair stylist

for 2 months in the summer - a landscaping company to mow, prune, etc our lawn every week. We typically do this ourselves but we are traveling so much and have so many other things going on that it''s been wonderful to be able to delegate this for a while. It saves at least 5-6 hours a week! And I negotiated a deal.

 

[Phoenix]

Oh, where do I start? Hmmm, diamonds and diamonds (need I say more, he he?!), daily Starbucks, once a week mani's and twice a week pedi's (it's amazing to see so many PS'ers splurging on Starbucks and mani's and pedi's), LV and Chanel bags, some designer clothes and shoes (particularly Gucci's and Choo's), champage, lychee martini's, dinners out, daily taxi rides when hubby is out of town, microdermabrasion (sp?) and IPL...Oh dear, think I'd better cut down on my spending

IMHO, I don't consider giving to charities and travelling "extras". I think they're more necessities/ must-do's.

 

[absolut_blonde]

- Daily trips to Tim Horton''s. Not AS bad/expensive as Starbucks, but still... my justification is that it keeps me awake through the afternoon and gives me energy to hit the gym after work.
- Gym membership. Totally worth it.
- Organic meat and dairy
- GOOD restaurant meals out -- not often, as it adds up, but it''s worth it once in awhile
- Wine (well, up til last Saturday that is... don''t think I''ll be indulging for quite awhile...

)
- Books and magazines. I spend an ENORMOUS amount on reading materials

- Trim and highlights every 6-8 weeks. I''ve had my hair ruined by places before so if I find somewhere reliable, I''ll splurge for the peace of mind that they will do a good job.

 

[2Artists]

Penzeys spices oh how I love them. I like giving them for gifts too. And lots of fresh fruits veggies and herbs. I really want to grow some fresh herbs of my own (you know the legit basil cilantro type)but have limited space so I am trying to get that figured out.

We are getting a freezer which is a really exciting thing to us. Our kitchen doorway is very narrow so our fridge/freezer in there is very tiny. So I am so excited to get a freezer! I like getting food in bulk and freezing things. It really saves. I am going to be doing some of the freezer menus from savingdinner.com. They have lots of different quick, cheap, healthy options. And a vegetarian one too. I'm sure I will be switching some of it up a bit. I figured it would be a good how to for getting the hang of it.

I also would like to get breadmaker. I work with my hands he works with his hands and making bread by hand can be a bit tiresome combined with that. I am checking consumersearch for reviews.

 

[vespergirl]

Wine, good food, skincare products, and books. I used to be a heavy Barnes & Noble visitor, but I''ve been making more library visits these days.

 

[dragonfly411]

Books
magazines
eating out, usually at moes once, once a week, sometimes less, but I get tired of cooking.
organic foods
farmer''s market buys
bottled water
cell phone
my horses
airboat
four wheeler

 

[gailrmv]

A good hair cut
The occasional pedicure (I do my own the rest of the time)
Joining a nice gym instead of the cheap one(I enjoy it so much more!)
Waxing (so totally worth it!)
Nice gifts for showers, holidays, etc. I had to scrimp a lot when I was younger so now I am glad to be more generous with my family and close friends.

 

[JSM]

Not too much, I''ve been pretty good with saving lately. However, there are some things I can''t live without!

Sushi once or twice a month
Good mascara (the cheap stuff makes my lashes fall out!)
Super Sharp Cheddar Cheese - God I love for this stuff!!!
Haircut - every 5 months whether I need it or not.

 

[Linda W]

Date: 7/3/2008 1:24:15 PM
Author: jsm
Not too much, I''ve been pretty good with saving lately. However, there are some things I can''t live without!


Sushi once or twice a month

Good mascara (the cheap stuff makes my lashes fall out!)

Super Sharp Cheddar Cheese - God I love for this stuff!!!

Haircut - every 5 months whether I need it or not.

Walks in sniffing around. Did someone say super sharp cheddar cheese??? OMG I love this stuff too

My hubby says I must have been a mouse in my previous life.

 

[Bliss]

All organic & exotic fruit. It's good for you and for my body, which I wear every single day!

Expensive skin care
Hair care
Gym memberships
Shoes!!!
Jewelry
Tailoring
ANYTHING for my mom

 

[jewelerman]

Its hard to skip buying all the great books on jewelry and gems that are out there!

 

[JSM]

Date: 7/3/2008 1:28:47 PM
Author: Linda W



Walks in sniffing around. Did someone say super sharp cheddar cheese??? OMG I love this stuff too

My hubby says I must have been a mouse in my previous life.

Lol, isn''t it the greatest? I''m glad to hear I''m not the only weirdo who loves it - I would eat it everyday if I could!

 

[diamondfan]

Time is precious and with three kids and some health challenges I am happy to pay for help and services to free my time up and make life easier.

Books, theater tickets, nice hotels.

Make up and beauty services

Things for my kids

Nice stationery and pens

Good wine

Eating in nice restaurants

When I entertain I like to hire the top caterers etc so I can enjoy myself and have fun at my party

Good tailoring and dry cleaning

 

[Allisonfaye]

Good coffee. My husband turned me on to Jamaican Blue Mountain and it is pricey. I figure I drink one cup a day and make it at home so it isn''t so bad.
Pedicure once a month in the summer. I can''t stand dry feet and cracked heels.
Comfortable, cute tshirts. I love DKNY Pure.
Since we don''t eat out often, we sometimes splurge here. I would rather go to one really good restaurant a month than one that is just average twice a week. Also, we are not big drinkers so we save a ton of money here.
My latest jewelry obsession is Konstantino. Luckily, many of the pieces are on the large side and since I am petite, they look silly on me. But I love their earrings. I have two pairs so far and one bracelet and plan to buy more when I see some pieces that I like.
I finally got smart about kids clothes. I splurge on one or two really cute outfits a season and buy the rest at Target or Hanna Andersson. They just ruin them anyway.
Gym membership. I figure I save a fortune on shopping by being at the gym and not the mall. Plus, I am getting buff now. (Well, a little).
Furniture. We have lived in our house for four years and we are still buying furniture. We would rather buy nice pieces slowly than junk fast. We just bought a dining room table and chairs.

Other things we rarely buy: technology. We still have our old tvs. You know, the big heavy ones. We don''t buy new computer stuff very often and we buy the cheapest stuff that will get the job done. Cars. My husband''s car is 10 years old and mine is 5 years old. We don''t really drive all that much and can''t justify a big expense there.

I think it it is interesting some people define certain things as extras. I have a house cleaning service. I guess some people define that as an extra but to me it is a necessity. (Although I agree that it is kind of an exta).

 

[diamondfan]

AF I agree. I cannot take care of it all and so help is really a necessity to me.


I also hate bad coffee. I love Kona myself!

I just donated bags of barely used kids clothes to Purple heart. I tend to overdo the shopping for the kids and they end up barely wearing some of it. I try to put it to good use after though!

I also do full serve gas as I cannot hold the pump and many cannot be set to pump without you holding it. My hand strength is not great.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/1/2008 5:45:13 PM
Author: justjulia
Avacados.

avocadoes for me, as well.

Also, organic meats is a HUGE deal for me, and an addition, "natural" lucheon meats without msg.

 

[joflier]

Clothing
Anything COACH
Starbucks Frappucinos
Eating out with friends and DH
Makeup

 

[Gypsy]

High quality pet food. (Neccesity, though IMO).
Massages when I need them.
Housecleaning service.
Pedicures.
Paperbacks. I like to own my books. I do go to the used bookstore sometimes though.
Special evenings out.
Lunch out at work. I'm not a leftover person or a good pre-planner and I love going out.

 

[UCLABelle]

I spend money on nice clothes for work (J Crew, Club Monaco and Barney''s Outlet, which is still expensive to me).

I also justify spending money on my tanning booth VIP membership (please, no judgment or warnings, I am well aware of the risks)...

Pedis are every other week and then my eyebrows every other week as well.

And finally my hair (cut and color at Aveda) every 5-6 weeks....

HOWEVER we are trying to save money---so I need to stop justifying

I never posted on the other thread but I cannot justify money on super nice cars, and expensive dinners out....

 

[diamondsrock]

Clinique mascara- can''t find anything that works as well as this.

Higher quality haircare produts - my hair looks like straw if I use the cheap stuff.

Benefit Highbrow - just bought this at Sephora and I think it''s a keeper. At $20 it seems like a splurge but I have issues with my brows so this should help me out.

Clothes for my teenage son - he is very picky about what he will wear so we buy him the good stuff. At his age, kids notice what brands you are wearing!

When he was younger, I used to buy his clothes at Wal Mart, Target, etc.. and he looked adorable, but now he picks his own so it''s getting more expensive! It''s a lot easier to dress young kids because they will wear just about anything.

Our cellphones are a must. Don''t know how we went so long without them.

Cable tv - I watch a lot of premium cable shows so I justify this. However, it is pretty expensive and would be a big savings if I dropped down to basic cable. I just can''t bring myself to do it!

I don''t spend a lot on shoes, bags, etc.. although I do buy them every so often. I just bought a Bungalow360 purse yesterday for $32, which is much cheaper than my previous Coach obsession so I justify it! Plus it''s really cute and has a lot of pockets, so it''s useful too.

 

[purrfectpear]

Twice weekly maid service (though this is on hiatus since I''m on a long term reassignment in another state - current corporate housing includes everything)
3 restaurant meals daily


I haven''t actually cooked a meal or done a lick of housework in years. I enjoy cooking but I live alone and it''s just not much fun for one.

It''s funny, I splurge on some things but in many ways I''m frugal. I color my hair with a $13 box of L''Oreal rather than $140 at the salon.