Luxury international vacations.

Nobody on their deathbed says “I wish I took fewer vacations.”

Landscaping service to handle spring clean-up/mulch and fall leaf removal. DH and I do everything else ourselves but our yard is big and has a lot of landscaping so those two clean-ups each year save us hours of time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think luxury cars are typically tacky and showy but I love quite modest luxury cars like Lexus and Volvo.

And new cars. After 18 months cars feel old. Life is short, drive new.

I love my Mercedes and it's totally worth it for comfort and safety. On the Toyota/Lexus or Volvo, you won't experience the "cocoon of luxury". Tacky? Ride in one and judge for yourself.

I have and I just don't see the difference. I go to the gym with a friend who has a Mercedes and truthfully she picked it because the controls were simple and the dashboard didn't look like and airplane. But the ride is not all that great. I ride in it 1-3 times a week depending on who is driving.

She borrowed my old Honda van (we literally keep it to move kids in and out of college apts) to move her son and was like WTF that's the most comfortable ride.

IDK, I really don't see the difference.

Anonymous wrote:I think luxury cars are typically tacky and showy but I love quite modest luxury cars like Lexus and Volvo.

And new cars. After 18 months cars feel old. Life is short, drive new.

I love my Mercedes and it's totally worth it for comfort and safety. On the Toyota/Lexus or Volvo, you won't experience the "cocoon of luxury". Tacky? Ride in one and judge for yourself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being snobby about stuff but I can’t bring myself to care about cars.

I would say fully done interior design. It doesn’t have to be inspiring or creative but having carefully planned, appropriately scaled, comfortable furniture with good lighting, coordinating fabrics, quality window treatments, nice rugs that are the right size etc. I just don’t think most people are willing to pay $50k to furnish their living room but I think you can really feel the difference vs going to crate and barrel and doing it for $25k.

I think I am starting to agree. And it's interesting, because the difference between 25K - 50K (if that really is the difference - I tend to think the cost is more about interior designers for labor, not the actual furniture, although it may be both) is much more than the difference between a house that is 1 M versus 1.5

It’s the furniture and the designer but mainly I think it’s the difference between stock fabrics and custom upholstery with more $$ fabrics, pillows, custom window treatments. So it’s the extra cost to buy nicer fabric in small quantities and the labor at the work room. Nicer lamps. More trade labor like to install sconces where they would work well, build in bookshelves or a cabinet where needed, that kind of thing. “Worth it?” I mean arguably not, from a utilitarian perspective.

Weekly cleaning
Farmers market produce
Fresh, wild sockeye salmon
Great sushi
Great dermatologist
Great hair colorist
Natural fiber clothing
Tailoring
Good clarity and cut diamonds
Good coffee
Traveling 1st class transatlantic flights

Anonymous wrote:I think luxury cars are typically tacky and showy but I love quite modest luxury cars like Lexus and Volvo.

And new cars. After 18 months cars feel old. Life is short, drive new.

I have a 15 year old rusty Ford truck and actively dislike driving my ILs’ Lexus. My truck suits me perfectly. I have no desire to upgrade but in any given week drive 2 hours total, and that is just for school pickup and the grocery store.

I can’t understand why people spend so much time in cars. It’s more luxurious to not have to be behind the wheel at all.

Stanleys are going to be an environmental nightmare when thrown away if they continue to be popular because of the lead in the base. Not to mention if they’re damaged they subject you to lead exposure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business class, house cleaners, ONE Stanley cup, Botox, Mac Studio screen, upper blephoplasty, interior decorator, good shoes, quality leather coat, fresh squeezed orange juice . 20 years ago I would have said a luxury car but now they cost too much and I don’t think they’re worth it.

I love and agree with most of this list. But I do have one question. What is it about the Stanley cup in particular that makes it "worth it." I admittedly don't own one, but I don't get the hype. I say this as someone who has a couple Hydroflasks and a couple Owalas. I like both, primarily because of the leak-proof nature and the handle I can hang off a finger and let swing around. I particularly like the ability to sip and gulp of the Owala. I think of the Stanley as just some seriously excellent marketing. What am I missing?

It’s gotten me off plastic completely. Easy to wash, fits in a cup holder but holds 40 oz, has a straw (my preference), keeps it cold. I don’t like the built in straws that Yetis have or the wide mouths of a hydro flask. I love it and think it’s worth $45 so it fits the topic here but I don’t understand the collectors. One is enough. I’d be just as happy with this made by anyone, but they nailed the combo of my wishes.

PP here. Thanks for this. Very helpful.
When all of my existing options inevitably go missing, I may give the Stanley a try...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business class, house cleaners, ONE Stanley cup, Botox, Mac Studio screen, upper blephoplasty, interior decorator, good shoes, quality leather coat, fresh squeezed orange juice . 20 years ago I would have said a luxury car but now they cost too much and I don’t think they’re worth it.

I love and agree with most of this list. But I do have one question. What is it about the Stanley cup in particular that makes it "worth it." I admittedly don't own one, but I don't get the hype. I say this as someone who has a couple Hydroflasks and a couple Owalas. I like both, primarily because of the leak-proof nature and the handle I can hang off a finger and let swing around. I particularly like the ability to sip and gulp of the Owala. I think of the Stanley as just some seriously excellent marketing. What am I missing?

Not PP. I love my Stanley but I doubt they’re different than other straw cups with handles. Though the other brands of that cup style are not much different in price from Stanley. I much prefer drinking out of the straw than the other types of tops, and it really does keep my water so cold.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all are super expensive, but luxuries I suppose:

Dyson stick vac

Botox

TSA Pre-check

Fancier condiments, I'm taking $18 chili crisp and $25 olive oil and $10 Japanese mayo

Moisturizers like Tatcha and Sunday Riley ($75 vs $15)

Apple computers and phones

Lululemon or Beyond yoga pants and tops

Started buying nicer furniture a few years ago and it's pretty nice to have

How do you define nicer furniture? The WSJ just ran a big piece talking about how all new furniture is crap these days.

That’s not what the article said at all.

There’s plenty of well-made furniture out there. But you have to know about furniture and stay away from the mall retailers and online/instagram only operations.

Expensive rugs. DH covered our main floor with them using his first 2 years' bonuses 10 years ago, I thought it was frivolous, but now I love them. I can't explain it exactly, but I understand the appeal now.

Anonymous wrote:I love being snobby about stuff but I can’t bring myself to care about cars.

I would say fully done interior design. It doesn’t have to be inspiring or creative but having carefully planned, appropriately scaled, comfortable furniture with good lighting, coordinating fabrics, quality window treatments, nice rugs that are the right size etc. I just don’t think most people are willing to pay $50k to furnish their living room but I think you can really feel the difference vs going to crate and barrel and doing it for $25k.

I think I am starting to agree. And it's interesting, because the difference between 25K - 50K (if that really is the difference - I tend to think the cost is more about interior designers for labor, not the actual furniture, although it may be both) is much more than the difference between a house that is 1 M versus 1.5

Anonymous wrote:My amazing colorist-transition from no gray to 75% white (from dark brown) -keeping me w/beautiful healthy hair
Weekly cleaner who also organizes
A perfect California pinot noir
Year-round Landscape maintenance (not just lawn)-yard always looks fantastic
Thick cotton sheets

Not worth it:
High end SUVs (CRV fine!)
Beach house not oceanfront
Private for elementry
Roses on Valentine’s Day

Please share your colorist name, I want to transition to my natural grey and can’t find a colorist to help.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:worth it:
housecleaner
a car detailer that comes to you (just a few times per year)
Kerrygold butter and good non-shelf stable bread
everything associated with the bed- quality mattress, sheets, duvet, pillow
Wolf range

not worth it:
manicures, particularly "high end" ones
"status" credit cards like Amex platinum
luxury brand handbags

You aren’t using it correctly then!

Agree. If your Amex Platinum doesn’t more than pay for itself, you’re using it wrong.

I'm the PP who wrote about the Platinum. The question here is whether I found the expensive product "worth it." I don't.

As I explained before, yes there is absolutely a way to recoup the annual membership fee. But doing so forces me to spend on things I may not other spend that money on and requires an amount of time and effort to track and earn. (For example, I don't just "get" a credit for bags an extras on an airline, I have to choose an airline to get the credit on the site, and then only get it on that airline.) And the lounge access, which was one of the main draws for me, has continually gone down hill both in terms of actual accessibility and how crowded and unrelaxing it is to be there if I do get in. May as well spend less time in the airport overall, or find an airport bar.

That is not "worth it" to me. I'm not using it "wrong" it just isn't worth it to me to use it "right." I'd rather get a high value points card. To each their own....