Anonymous wrote:My HHI is now a lot higher than that (but that’s a very recent phenomenon), and the high teas and really expensive massages still feel just stupid expensive to me for the amount of money, time spent, and enjoyment. But, if it’s something that brings you a ton of joy, it may well be worth it. I personally do really enjoy certain really expensive fine dining and don’t feel bad about it (and didn’t at my lower HHI either).

afternoon teas, not high teas. High tea is working-class dinner.

Anonymous wrote:300k is a lot if you don’t have many obligations/expenses.

And not so much divided by 4 family members, especially if you have teens.

Anonymous wrote:My HHI is under $100K, and I went to a fancy tea once but someone else paid. I would never pay $500 for a concert ticket. There was a year when I survived on $19k and I kept telling myself things I wanted were "for other people". And even though I'm doing much better financially now, I still believe that. Regular people don't fly on private planes. Regular people don't have weekly cleaning ladies. Regular people don't use Waymo. Or regularly get boba or whatever else. I have a cousin who joined her county's ski club and went on skip trips this winter. She's always posting pictures of her eating /drinking out with friends. Bars, wineries, restaurants. I can't afford that. That's for other people, not me.

What if you doubled your salary?

Nope

I’m super frugal, like cut my own hair, wear drugstore makeup if at all, nondesigner purse I use for years, but I did go to the Little Inn at Washington to see the hype of a three Michelin star restaurant. It was fun, whimsical and charming. I wouldn’t go again but I’m glad I did.

No.

I think about it and then I think I won’t really enjoy it.

I’ve always wanted to go to a final four game. My husband actually finally went and the freaking game didn’t start till 9 PM and while it was exciting and somebody lost it the last minute. He was like I wouldn’t pay for that. (The tickets were a gift)

I’m actually going to Europe for the first time and part of me thinks I’m just not even gonna like it but I’m doing it because everybody’s like you’ve never been to Europe. Some people told me it’s gonna be life-changing. I really doubt it.

My SIL is the same way except she spends a lot of money on travel and she collects houses. Otherwise, she doesn’t spend money on anything.

We just discussed this because we’re retiring and it feels so weird to spend all the money we’ve spent our whole lives collecting.

I spend money on spending time with family and people to clean my house and do my yard so I don’t have to do that stuff. That makes me happy.

But I’ve always thought about doing tea actually at the Boston Public library and then I think I’d rather go to the north end.

My HHI is under $100K, and I went to a fancy tea once but someone else paid. I would never pay $500 for a concert ticket. There was a year when I survived on $19k and I kept telling myself things I wanted were "for other people". And even though I'm doing much better financially now, I still believe that. Regular people don't fly on private planes. Regular people don't have weekly cleaning ladies. Regular people don't use Waymo. Or regularly get boba or whatever else. I have a cousin who joined her county's ski club and went on skip trips this winter. She's always posting pictures of her eating /drinking out with friends. Bars, wineries, restaurants. I can't afford that. That's for other people, not me.

No, our income is under 200k and we don't do those special fancy things anymore. We previously did occasionally for a birthday or anniversary, but they aren't particularly affordable anymore if we want to take one modest vacation a year.

I have 15M+ and don't pay for those... but I do pay for other things that are very expensive.

Only you can decide how you allocate your money, OP.

Anonymous wrote:I splurge on ski vacations and some other travel items like restaurants and significant historic locations.

I never spend at all here in the DC area. I won't even pay for parking anywhere. Concerts? Hell no. I have a nice stereo. The DC area offers practically nothing worth paying for in that regard anyway. It's mostly 2nd rate.

Agree with this. I spend my hard earned money on travelling abroad or out of state. I only make 135K so not much to spend for anything fancy anyway. But even if I was making a lot of more, I would rather either keep investing my extra income in brokerage account or travel more.

300k is a lot if you don’t have many obligations/expenses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your hhi is under 300k, do you sometimes do something like a tea at a beautiful hotel, a round of golf (if you golf, or whatever equivalent) at a local resort, a concert that costs $500/ticket...? I never do any of these things. I was at a gorgeous hotel last week just passing by and saw the tea and it looked like an experience I would enjoy, but I find it very hard spending $250+ on a single event over in one hour or two.

When we were at that income level, we would budget/plan for how to spend our "entertainment/extra" budget. But I do agree, when we were at that level, it was difficult to spend that much for a small event.

But it really comes down to a budget. As long as you are saving adequately (15-20% overall between retirement and regular), then yes you can budget for things like that if you feel it's worth it. Many time, when you have to wait and think, you decide "nope, not worth spending that amount for that item".

The problem is I always delay and decide it’s not worth it so we do nothing like this. We are saving. I’ve never been able to set a budget for non essentials. We just don’t spend on things like takeout, coffee out, eating out for ourselves, I do my own hair color and cut…but if we’re out on an outing and teens want a special coffee then I have no issue buying that for them.

Same here.

I splurge on ski vacations and some other travel items like restaurants and significant historic locations.

I never spend at all here in the DC area. I won't even pay for parking anywhere. Concerts? Hell no. I have a nice stereo. The DC area offers practically nothing worth paying for in that regard anyway. It's mostly 2nd rate.

We hadn’t done any of those things specifically when our HHI was below $300k but we did travel more than most people at our income level. Everyone has their priorities and I think you should be frugal where it doesn’t matter (to you) and splurge when you care. Concerts and golf don’t matter to me. But I want to go somewhere warm every winter without fail. It matters a lot to me.

Anonymous wrote:My HHI is below 300K.

My biggest splurge was about $650 to see the full-length two part Harry Potter Play on the West End with my two teens. The play has been re-cut and only appears in the shorter 1 play version in the US and most other cities. My husband did not go because he didn't care at all.

I also spent $205 on an orchestra ticket to Lion King on Broadway (which was marvelous despite how long it has been running).

When I was in my 20s, I couldn't justify the spend. But now that I can afford it, I allow myself these mid-life crisis theater tickets.

Another item that was worth it was a $400 2 hour tour of Venice with an environmental scientist. The price has since been increased.

Things I passed on:

Still haven't seen Hamilton because of availability x ticket prices for 4.

Did not spend $800 to buy two resold tickets to Ed Sheeran's intimate small venue tour that came to my hometown. Thought about it but I hate rock concerts because I'm short and the amplification is usually ear-endangering.

Any other high-priced guided walking tours.

I find the key is determining WHAT makes the most impact for YOU. It's a treat---what splurge will make you the most happy. Try to decide and then treat yourself at set intervals.