Horse shit. You buy that stuff so you can justify being lazy and staying in bed all day. Once you fall asleep you don't know what is touching you. With that said I recently bought a bed that cost more than my first car. I was much more productive before I got this. Now I can't justify not staying in bed Saturday until noon. I splurge on cars. Could I get to work in a 10 year old civic? Sure I could, but I prefer the comfort of my gas guzzling SUV. Even at $4 a gallon.
Eating out. We don't get out much. Even a movie ends up being a $75 event when you factor in the babysitter. I'm not spending that kind of money to see Thor. So, when we do go out, we go out big. We both dress up and Mrs. Noland wears all of the sparkly stuff I've bought over the years and go listen to music that doesn't have a kazoo, talk about things that don't involve a talking dog in a van, and generally act like adults. At least once a year we get a hotel room and spend the night out. (I try and push this one with greater frequency because hotel sex is fun.)
I never skimp on: - bras - heels - bed sheets - toilet paper - tv's - mattresses - vacuums Anything else, I'll totally try and buy on the cheap.
I splurge on waxing. I know it's probably cheaper to pluck my eyebrows or buy the home waxing kit, but I just feel better when I get it done professionally. It looks better to me. Although, I find that the bras at Target last a lot longer, and fit me better, than the ones at Victoria's Secret. They're not as expensive. Fruit of the Loom makes some awesome underclothing.
Sometimes splurging is a safety issue. At least, I tell myself that when I look at all the climbing gear I have. I almost always get what I need on sale, but that doesn't mean it's not usually pricy and it's always high quality. I don't need something breaking when I'm dangling 60 feet in the air. I have to second food and booze. I love to cook, and you (usually) need good ingredients to make good food. Pots/pans/knives make a pretty big difference as well. Other than that, I definitely shop on the cheap.
I splurge on nerd things. As people have said, there is no way cheap toilet paper is touching my ass if I can control it. Double ply extra soft is always stocked in my place. Oh, and I won't splurge on cheap waffles. Eggos are the way to go. The store-brand waffles like that are fucking garbage.
Like most I splurge on cooking equipment & ingredients. If good qualigy fresh fish is $3.00 more per pound at whole foods than at the regular grocery, it's more than worth it. You'll easily taste the difference and it's still much cheaper than going out to a nice seafood restaurant. Same with knives, pots/pans, gadgets. It just makes the cooking experience that much more enjoyable and yields better results. Not my splurge, but I've been masturbating with a $16.00 bottle of imported hand lotion the fiancee bought several months ago. I've never felt better... to myself.
It's not horse shit if you have back or neck trouble. Ive outlined the nightmare that was Chinese springless mattresses and what that did to my back. Shit I passed out on a friends couch the other night and my neck is still in spasms and shooting pain. High quality pillows and bedding just assures that I am less likely to wake up with pain. Gas guzzling SUVs on the other hand don't make fuck all sense to me if you aren't hauling a trailer or don't have 5 or 6 rugrats and have to cart around them and ten of their friends with sports/camping/dildo practice gear.
Workout gear. I live in my fitness gear because of my job. Fuck you if you think I'm wearing cheap shit that starts to stink, chafes, or in any way hinders my range of motion. I'm a Lululemon and Nike brand whore - Nike for the compression tights and shorts, and Lulu for everything else. Climbing gear. Yeah, that's my LIFE on the line. Damn right I'll spend the money. Makeup. Cheap makeup sucks. I haven't purchased makeup in a while but when I do, it's usually high end stuff.
Athletic footwear. Usually in the 150-200 range for soccer cleats during high school, and now in college I'll spend a mint to get a pair of snowboard/ski boots that fit perfectly. Skis or board I have no problem picking up slightly used, as they're going to get thrashed in the park anyway, but no way will I skimp on boots. Cigars. I only smoke cigars every once in a while, but it's always worth spending an extra couple bucks to pick up a nicer stick. Socks. You could have the best pair of shoes in the world, but if you're rockin a lousy pair of socks it doesn't matter.
There's no way you can be above a B. With my puppies, I listen to Oprah for one thing and one thing only: what's the best bra. La Mystere is upwards of $60 bucks and it's worth every single penny. I can barely hear with the girls up so high. Awesome. I also am vain when it comes to face cream. I'm in my 30s and am fighting the good fight against wrinkles. I've always been a Philosophy girl, spending around 150 for all the product for my face, neck, and chest. But lately I'm thinking of upgrading a bit. I know it's ridiculous but usually the products last a really long time and my whore logic goes like this: I'd rather spend the money on prevention now rather than look like one of the Real Housewives of OC all blown up and botoxed to death later. My biggest splurge is music...specifically, concerts. I love, love, love music and will not blink an eye to drop a wad of cash on whoever is in town. It's an outlet that I really enjoy--let's me let loose, relieve stress, have something to look forward to, and generally just have a big night out. For once, I don't feel guilty spending money if it's live and makes me dance.
I will spend extra cash to get the top of the line hockey goalie equipment. Top of the line leg pads cost ~$1500, entry level pads cost about half that. Why do I spend the extra cash for the gear? Because with the good stuff the workmanship is better, meaning it will last longer, it performs better, meaning I can slide on the ice better (which is a big deal in modern goaltending), and I can custom order the pads. I'm a gear geek, so these differences are worth the extra price to me. I skate 3-4 times a week, so cheap gear will fall apart on me quick. Also, I play in high level mens leagues meaning many of the players (including myself) played college/ junior hockey, so the extra protection the nice gear has is appreciated when someone 6'3 is winding up for a slap shot at the hash-marks.
As a player, I bought the shittiest, cheapest, and lowest quality equipment available. But I can see how as a goalie, you'd want the fancy shit. The only thing I ever spent big money on was skates, and once I broke in a pair it was super difficult for me to admit that I needed new ones. I usually prefer new blades to new skates. Most days, I'd take used equipment over new equipment. I feel like the newer equipment is so bulky and overwhelming. It made me feel sluggish and massive. I will never let my children be goalies. Aside from obvious reasons, like pucks being drilled at their face - buying the equipment while they grow will put you in the poor house.
Sheeeeeeeetttttt partnah, $850 is splurging? Are you kidding me? You gotta go bigger. I feel dirty if I'm not spending at least 4 digits on a TV. I used to work in a Best Buy and I always splurged on the best electronics. I have this thing where no matter what happens, I can always go home. It has to be the most entertaining goddamn place I know about. My entertainment center + laptop cost more than everything else in my pretty big 1 bedroom apartment. I also splurge on dinners, food, and general entertainment. I used to splurge on women trying to show them what I can do. Then I met too many women that make more than than I do and I said fuck it.
I don't splurge on very many things. But, I love facials*. They are one of the only things in life that let me disconnect and stop thinking for an hour. It's so relaxing. It's like my pores open, my skin is completely cleansed, and angels sing the entire time. I have to peel myself off the bed afterwards. During that hour I literally feel all of my stress and worries melting away, and my skin looks and feels pretty great for a few weeks afterwards. I can only afford to go 3 or 4 times a year, but as soon as I get out of school and have a real job I'm going to get them every month or every other month. *Insert a trite comment about facials, blowjobs, splurge/splooge wordplay, etc.
Vacations. The wife and I always save extra and pay extra to get the nicer hotels with the better all-inclusive bars. We pay extra for executive class (not first class) seats on planes, with the wide seats and the food that is actually palatable. Airlines get shittier and riskier every year and after having our grass roots airline go bankrupt TWELVE FUCKING HOURS before my 13-year wait to go to Amsterdam, we only will fly on more expensive, big-named airlines. By the way, dutch airline KLM I don't know what the fuck you did to my digestive system that day but you should have sold it to the Spanish Inquisition.
I like nice shit and am old enough to realise that skimping leads to long term regret. I will skimp on airfares however. If I have my laptop, a book and booze I'm golden, a few more inches would be nice, but to me just not worth the dollars. Talking to strangers holds no fears so if someone nearby is really giving me the shits I'm happy to tell them. But really, with noise cancelling headphones 5 CC and cokes & a good movie I don't give a fuck if the guy 1 seat over bleeds out through his eyes while masturbating with a kitten. I splurge on my home cinema. Massively, considering I only watch on average 1 movie a week in it. It still makes me happy when I have people around and it blows them away. 120" of full HD + biggass surround sound, 2 different kinds of beer ontap, couple of dozen bottles of wine in the rack + spirits, real swords hanging on the walls, polished hardwood floors & leather lounges. Film & booze geek heaven.
Haircuts. I get shit all the time from my friends because I go to a high end salon every five weeks and pay $40 for a haircut. I have blond hair that is really thick and hard to cut for some reason. It's surprising how many people can't cut blond hair for shit. I love the barber shop atmosphere but those guys just don't cut my hair as well as the faux friendly bitches at a swanky salon. Also, I will splurge on tires. Not only do they ride and handle better but there is no way in hell I'm going to buy an inferior tire and risk a blowout or an accident because I decided to save a few hundred dollars only to have that choice costing me thousands. More expensive tires may also end up saving me more in the long run because they are warrantied for a higher milage than cheaper tires and last longer.
I'm cheap, but soda in glass bottles is something I'll splurge on once in a while. Jones Soda? Sure. Pop Shoppe Soda? Ya! and of course Coke in glass bottles. I don't know why. Perhaps it's a throwback to my childhood. Also, beer. I'm not talking about buying a warehouse worth of Bud Light.. helllllll no! I bought a few bottles of DeuS Brut des Flandres, it's a $25 CDN bottle of beer that's the beer equivalent of champagne, not bad but I'll only buy it when I have special occasions. Also bought a $7 bottle of Icelandic Lava Stout... one of the absolute best stouts I've ever tasted