Money talks: what are goods or services you pay extra for the finer things in life?

**QuarterMillionMan** · 08-01-2022, 02:36 PM

Done.

**kork13** · 08-01-2022, 04:04 PM

My biggest 'spendthrift' indulgences involve outsourcing work to save us time & to make life simpler/easier for my family. A common phrase for me when something comes up is "I'll throw money at the problem," and I exercise that philosophy FREQUENTLY.

1) Lawncare. I haven't mowed my lawn in probably 2 years, and it's seriously amazing not having to worry about it.
2) Housecleaning. We have a housekeeper come every 2 weeks, and it's allowed us to not worry about deep-cleaning bathrooms/kitchen, mopping floors, and so on. As with the lawn, the regular housecleaner has dramatically reduced some of the household stressors for DW & I.
3) Childcare. I've often bought plane tickets for friends/family or hired nannies to help DW with kids & household management while I'm deployed or otherwise traveling with the military. With the frequency & duration of my military travel, the very least I can do is ensure that my family has the help that they need.

Other luxuries are simply about making life more comfortable or enjoyable.
4) Travel & entertainment, both in frequency & quality. Especially where we stay -- I refuse to stay in a cheap, grungy motel. And when we want to go somewhere or do something, we just do it. Cruises, theater shows, concert tickets, etc. We do manage costs where feasible, but in the end, I'm gonna spend what it takes to enjoy my trip. We probably won't get the best seats in the house, but we're absolutely gonna get tickets, and we'll accept whatever it costs.
5) Food... I love good food. And quality ice cream is a weakness. We're going to get food we enjoy, whether I'm making it at home, or if we're eating out. At this very moment, I have an empty pint of Ben & Jerry's on my desk.

**jenn_jenn** · 08-01-2022, 04:51 PM

While we are intentional with our money and live within our means, I’m a little ashamed to admit that we are not what you would call “frugal”. Our top ones:

1) Similar to Kork, we happily pay for a monthly house cleaner and weekly lawn care. It greatly reduces the stress in our life and frees up our weekend for fun stuff.

2) Nice hotels. We like those in The Autograph Collection and The Ritz. Even when there are trendier and newer hotels, no one does customer service like The Ritz Carlton.

3) Home decor. I value pretty things and love having a well curated home. I used to think only crazy people would buy $200 throw pillows…

4) Airline tickets. I’m usually fine to sit in cattle class but my husband is a tall dude with back problems. When we travel together, we pay to upgrade our seats to premium economy or business or, on very rare occasions when it’s not crazy expensive, we’ll fly first. If we ever make serious money, I would without a doubt fly first class regularly. The experience is infinitely better.

5) Pet care. I have a <20lb dog and his food is about $200/mo. To me that doesn’t sound crazy at all but I’ve had friends balk at this when they considered switching to the same dog food until they saw the price. We joke our dog eats better than we do: a combination of human grade fresh food formulated specifically for him and freeze dried raw food. We also have a dog walker for days when we are both in the office (at least 1x week). My little dude is 9 years old and everyone always thinks he’s not much older than a puppy. He looks and acts young with so much energy. Just like humans, diet and exercise matters!

6) Entertainment tickets (shows / sporting events). This is definitely a habit I picked up from my husband, we pay the extra money for the good seats.

Sometimes we coupon and sometimes we spend $1500 on concert tickets. Ya’ know, balance.

**ua_guy** · 08-01-2022, 06:28 PM

Name brand foods and quality meats come to mind. For certain things, generic brands just aren’t the same. Where they are, we do try to substitute and save money.

My husband and I joined a concierge medicine clinic. This is what healthcare should be, and it costs a lot.

We learned the value of traveling in comfort early on. Miserable trips are made easier in nice hotels and first class flights. For vacation, the point for us is to relax and indulge, not save money to be miserable. If this means we take fewer trips of higher quality, so be it.

We overspent on a new RV recently, and it’s been worth every penny. See note about vacations and relaxation.

Pet healthcare. If it’s fair to our dog and provides meaningful and comfortable life, money isn’t an issue. This is a point of privilege; I understand people have to make tough choices in that realm.

Certain alcohols. Im not a high-dollar drinker; but taste beyond just alcohol has its merits. Bombay, Captain, Jack, all just fine. If I’m going to buy a drink, I’m going to spend the extra $3-$4 to specify a certain flavor.

**myrdale** · 08-02-2022, 05:22 AM

Computers. I try to future proof as much as I can. ASUS / AMD / Nvidia usually either the top or second from top item, lots of storage and more ram than anyone needs.

**disneysteve** · 08-02-2022, 05:57 AM

Originally posted by QuarterMillionMan View Post

What are things that are worth it to you to pay extra for and treat yourself and enjoy it and not be such a spendthrift and try to save money at all costs, lol.

Dining out. We very, very rarely eat at fast food joints or big chain restaurants. The prices are generally lower but the food sucks. If we're going out, we want a good meal. If we wanted to save money, we wouldn't be going out.

Car service. I know it's frowned upon but we take our cars to the dealer. I'm confident that they're familiar with and trained to service it and have the appropriate parts in stock most times. They also provide a "free" loaner. If we go to an independent mechanic, they often have to order parts plus I have to pay extra for a rental car which offsets any cost savings and is an added inconvenience.

Travel. Our days of staying at the No Name roadside motel are behind us. We don't typically go for luxury (though we will on occasion) but we stay at comfortable places like Marriott brand properties or similar. We always prefer a place with breakfast included also even if it costs a bit more. It still works out cheaper and is way more convenient than having to go out for breakfast every day.

Entertainment. I have no problem paying for things that we actually use and enjoy whether that's Netflix or Disney+ or show tickets or whatever. If we go to a show, I want decent seats with a good view of the stage. I could save money sitting at the back of the balcony but what's the point if I won't enjoy the show as much?

Athletic footwear. Sure $150+ for a pair of sneakers is a lot but it's so important and helps preserve my aging joints.

Since you mentioned it, alcohol. We don't drink a lot, and hardly any since my wife got sick, but when we do, we buy premium stuff. We want something smooth and flavorful, not flat and burning. We have spent as much as $150 on a bottle of bourbon though we generally stay in the $50-70 range. As bourbon prices have climbed, that's gotten harder and harder but like I said, we don't drink as often and we have a very well-stocked supply at this point. I did buy a bottle last month for $70 that I didn't really want but the owner of the one liquor store we frequent knows it's my favorite and put it aside for me. I wasn't about to say no and tarnish that relationship.

**ua_guy** · 08-02-2022, 07:15 AM

Shoes and clothing are good ones.

Work boots with safety toes, comfortable everyday shoes, and something dressy but versatile. Can't spend enough on quality footwear. I'm not a fashionista by any stretch and generally go for quality. Thick t-shirts, reinforced pants. My go-to for everyday t-shirts was Carhartt but they've cheapened their brand considerably. The joke was, it must be a special occasion, he put on a new Carhartt T-shirt for this event!

**bjl584** · 08-02-2022, 07:57 AM

Automotive parts.
I stick with name brand and OEM parts, filters, and fluids

**Fishindude77** · 08-02-2022, 08:03 AM

I'm willing to pay a premium for most things as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for".
This really comes into play with any type of tool or equipment you are going to depend on as well as clothing that you want to last.
Firearms, hunting and fishing are hobbies of mine. No more cheap guns, gear, tackle, etc., and I'll pay for a first rate destination or experience.

I won't pay a premium for a so called "luxury automobile", perfectly content with the standard stuff which has more amenities than I'll ever need.
Dining out has really gone south post Covid. Service is often crummy and prices for run of the mill food is getting a bit ridiculous. There are a couple real nice places where you can count on a good experience and great food at a premium price and we will continue to go to those places occasionally, but we've lost interest in many of the places we used to hit weekly.

**myrdale** · 08-02-2022, 10:13 AM

Originally posted by Fishindude77 View Post

I'm willing to pay a premium for most things as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for".
This really comes into play with any type of tool or equipment you are going to depend on as well as clothing that you want to last.
Firearms, hunting and fishing are hobbies of mine. No more cheap guns, gear, tackle, etc., and I'll pay for a first rate destination or experience.

I agree with this whole heartily. Additionally I would add being willing to wait for exactly what I want.

In the case of firearms, several years ago I placed an order for a rifle with RockRiverArms. It took about 4 months, but I got exactly what I wanted.

With the 2002 Frontier, my father wanted us to get me a new truck in the Fall of 2000. I had a short list, Frontier, Yellow, crew cab, automatic and that wasn't available. The S-10 wasn't reliable enough to take off to college, so I left it at home and just walked everywhere. It wasn't until December 2001 that our dealership was able to locate one and we jumped on it.

I do some bit of hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I decided to get some trekking poles. Most were sub $50. Black Diamond with the hardened tips and vibration absorbers were close to $150 for a set. I asked the salesman which he recommended and he said to get the cheap ones if I didn't mind them breaking. Its been over 10 years, and between the AT and local trails I've probably put 1,000 on the name brand poles.

**GoodLiving** · 08-02-2022, 10:41 AM

Hmmm....I think shoes and maybe outdoor equipment are where I'm willing to pay more for...I still look for sales though. I like good food and on occasion will spend more for premium food - rainier cherries $10/pound but I don't want to do it too often because then I don't appreciate it as much.

**rennigade** · 08-03-2022, 04:58 AM

Tools. Buy once, cry once.

**riverwed070707** · 08-03-2022, 06:57 AM

TSA precheck is a good one - not only does it save me the rage I feel from waiting in an endless line, its saved me from missing a few flights. My renewal is due in January and I think I'm going to try for Global Entry this time even though I'll only use it about once a year.

I travel frugally, often picking destinations based on cheapest flights, staying in budget or free accommodations, etc but we travel often and I never feel bad about spending on it. This year alone I've traveled to probably 10 or so states so far and been out of the country once. Work busy season winds down for me in the fall and there will be another international trip over the winter.

I can't really think of anything else. I've been specifically working on not spending too much time/energy on "getting the best deal". I grew up in a family where if it wasn't on sale or a deal or something we could do for ourselves, we didn't buy it and its been hard to shed that mentality. Recently, I've started ordering what I want on the menu instead of something that is within $1-2 of the cheapest item on the menu so that's a small victory

Last year I had a cleaning service which felt like a step in the right direction, but I needed to cut back expenses when I quit my W2 in November and I haven't gone back to full time work yet so even though it would be nice, I really can't justify the expense when I'm only contracting 20-25 hours a week.

**QuarterMillionMan** · 08-03-2022, 08:46 AM

What would you do? At the grocery store I was bagging my groceries. A middle-aged man after me with 1 item questioned the charge. The cashier said he needed a coupon (I think possibly a digital coupon at that). They both went to the location where the item was located. I was still bagging. The man was upset and left without buying the item. My guess was the item cost $1 or $2 more without the coupon. Would you do like that man and leave the store upset or would you buy the item. My former self would copy the man's behavior. My new self would just pay the extra and move on with my life. Life is too short to squabble over $1 or $2 but I get it especially in this inflationary environment everyone is trying to stretch their hard earned money.

Money talks: what are goods or services you pay extra for the finer things in life?