Anything I use commonly. Smartphones, for instance. I spent $1300 on an iPhone two years ago, and I'm feeling its age, so I will get one of the 15 line, and I'm okay spending >$2k if necessary to get enough storage that I never need to care about it. When amortized over all the hours every day that I use a smartphone, even the most incremental upgrades add up greatly, and even the greatest cost is lessened over time.
Clothes and accessories also fall into this. As long as you wear it for a long time, it's worth getting something I like.
When I was still in the city life, Instacart/Amazon Fresh. Especially in SF, grocery shopping without a car is such a painful process that I'm more than willing to pay someone to do it for me.
Outside the city life, DoorDash. The issue is that all the times you want to get takeout food is also rush hour. A 10 minute drive can balloon into a 40 minute drive. At which point it's too much labor when I didn't want to in the first place.
Worth it:
A year ago I spent $1.3k on a monitor. I'm sitting at my computer in a dark room can see of all of the items on my desk directly behind the monitor. My night vision is nearly perfect. I could get up and run around the room without tripping over something.
With a black background and black themes this QD-OLED based 34" Ultrawide only illuminates the pixels with text or UI elements, the rest are perfectly pitch black. If you're a night owl computer person and have the means you should strongly consider it. The tech has started becoming more affordable.
Eyeglasses. Those things are on my face every waking minute, so I won't compromise in the slightest. And for both vanity and utility's sakes, I maintain multiple pairs in a range of colors, shapes, and prescriptions (e.g. optimized for computer distance, near work, driving). I'll pay for the anti-glare, anti-scratch, blue light filtering, and photochromic coatings without hesitation.
My prescription still changes every year, and the cost of changing everything up is currently ~$1,000 using online vendors. But I consider it an essential expense for my health and livelihood.
A good rule of thumb I've heard is anything that separates you from the ground: shoes, tires, mattresses. Bonus points for mattresses since you spend a solid third of your life on them (hopefully).
My general rule is if it will LAST, i'll spend on it. The whole "buy it for life" thing.
Outside of that (since i feel like so few things actually hit that), my general rule on splurging is i'm not allowed to unless I actually get into whatever i'm doing. I have 10+ mechanical keyboards, but I started with 1 and made sure I wanted to use them (since that was a 60%, i'm now using 40's for everything but gaming). Similar things include slowly getting better at cooking (i still refuse to get a nicer knife than a victorinox because I just don't feel comfortable sharpening them yet), and drones (i like tiny whoops, and have a few beta's ,but I tend to suck with them and have occasional issues so i've limited my spending).
I have a few "tools" (basically the smaller overpriced edc stuff, but i like having some of them on me and the rest in my center console of my car) that i've spent more than normal on. A decent watch i'm ok with (although most aesthetics bore me, and there's not many that are interesting and less than $1000, which i just won't spend).
Oh my computer was a big expense but I think it's a very justified one given I don't just use it for fun, but also for work/improving my work skills.
As for what isn't-
Food is EXTREMELY hit or miss, and scales oddly. I will rarely spend more than $100 a person (and even then that's for a special occasion) as I've found very very few places come even close to justify such an obscene spend. The last "great" steak place I went to was such a huge disappointment when I know 3 others, 2 cheaper, that were so much better. So much food is needlessly overpriced. I'll pay some fee for the upside of not having to cook and clean, but god the amount of crap i've seen claiming to be "amazing" that just looks pretty is depressing.
Clothing is pretty weird to. 90% of my wardrobe comes from costco/target/khols and almost all of it lasts years. I will spend on a good suit/dress shirt, because having one that fits right is such a huge difference, but I've also put on way too much weight and haven't bothered to get nice ones because it's easy enough to get away with cheap ones in most cases.
Shoes have been an awkward search for me, as I'd love a black, decent tread, slip on that lasts. Merell's fall apart so they're out. I found some great lowa's but then they stopped making them. By the time I needed to replace them it seemed the slip on/loafer fad had passed and a similar fate had hit everything else. I'm so picky about this because I feel like most shoes i've bought are cheap quality, fall apart, and super specific (i really want to own 3 pairs of shoes in my ideal world).
I almost never talk about this because the vast majority of people online will give me some sort of shit about it (especially on that Other Site), but I follow a millionaire by the name of Ramit Sethi on various platforms. I'm certainly not his target audience (his main audience pulls in upper 5 and six figure incomes; I'm on the lower end of five), but beyond having some free stuff, he gives decent advice on occasion. Anyways, this is the idea of what he calls Money Dials:
Spend extravagantly (though I suppose that most most of us it would be Within Reason) on things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on things you could care less about. I know that for some of my hobbies, I've paid more than I like to admit... While for others, you won't even get a penny out of me. Also, he recommends that if there's a book you like but are hesitant to buy it... Just buy the book.
Splurge: good quality kitchen tools. I know from experience that a good quality tool costs money, and that it will firstly work much more efficiently and not ever break.
Absolutely no splurge: anything related to streaming. I get all the content I need from public broadcasting (in the UK: the BBC, in Germany: ZDF and ARD, ...) and free online platforms like YouTube. And on the odd occasion that I have an unusual craving for something not found there, I sail the seven seas, Matey. I cannot understand why anyone would shelve out hundreds of dollars per year on streaming services.
Worth it: anything my feet, butt, or back are going to be on for extended periods of time. Mattress, couch, desk chair, sneakers & insoles, etc. Good toilet paper is also worth it to me. And in terms of totally unnecessary spending, morning coffee — I run out to Dunkin for an iced coffee every morning, rain or shine, and it's not even amazing coffee, it's just become part of my morning ritual that helps me get my head on straight for the day (also the people at the store I go to genuinely brighten my morning to see them and say hello).
Totally not worth it: cars are the main thing that come to mind. I have a 14 year old Civic with peeling paint that still runs fine, and I plan to keep it until I've run it into the ground, especially given the price of even used cars these days.
I buy clothes and purses only when I have a specific need and I keep things for decades if they last. I do try to find quality and I rarely have the patience for thrifting but compared to many people in my income bracket my clothing spend is minimal.
I try to be frugal about it but I do travel as a way to indulge my interest in nature, history, architecture, food and to share cool experiences with friends and family.
I buy many more ebooks and (used) physical books than most people.
My car is old and I will drive it until it dies. It is a functional tool for me and an old friend, not a fashion statement.
My splurge is Sonos. 15 speakers, 2 subs and still counting. I don’t necessarily know if it’s audiophile Hi-fi but I do feel like I become part of the music, movie or game.
I'm an european who has installed split unit hvac in my home. It was a massive expense and everyone was skeptical, but not even a year and it has already paid for itself, imho. It's a huge relief in the summer (especially at night with no breeze and computers/VR in the house, all of which get pretty hot) and it probably saved my bacon in the winter since it was quite cold and the power supply here can't handle inefficient wasteful radiators. I did it because I can see where the weather is headed over the next decade or two.
I spend a comparatively financially irresponsible amount on high quality ice cream/gelato/sorbet, which you will only pry from my deliciously cold, dead hands.
I'm also paying for the cleaner, for now (until the money runs out). I'm fastidiously tidy and even if I'm not hiring the services of a cleaner I'll just do the whole cleaning routine on my own; the value I derive from having those extra hours exceeds the cost.
During the pandemic I got into the habit of ordering Uber Eats once a week. It was kind of nice and restful to get one meal out of 14 that I didn't have to prepare on my own, but also a definite waste of money. Fortunately, I moved to an area that is not serviced by Uber Eats, so I can't do that anymore. Savings! I still order groceries (in large batches) since actually going to the supermarket is a significant expense in time, fuel and mental energy. Also, much to my irritation, there's always stuff I can order online that's randomly missing from the inventory of local supermarkets, so going there is strictly worse in every way (other than not having a time lag between order and delivery, of course).
I'm still on the second smartphone I've ever owned, an Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2. The first one was a OnePlus One. Both rooted, of course. I only buy new ones when they stop working entirely. The Zenfone has fallen in the toilet in the past. I hate mobile games, I hate mobile ads, I hate touchscreens, I hate being bothered by random messages and notifications. I can barely tolerate smartphones - I appreciate GPS and some apps, but that's all - and I have no desire to spend money on them.
I don't like to buy clothes either; I have a uniform of khakis and polo shirts (or regular shirts) and I wear them until they fall apart.
I'm on a lifelong quest to find an office chair that doesn't suck in some way. They get really expensive and always compromise on something. I really liked the posture and options on a Haworth I had once but the materials were poor quality and it broke way too quickly. Companies that sell these chair usually tout their warranties and repairs but in my experience it's an annoying process that takes several weeks. Where am I supposed to sit during that time?
Safety Equipment: A number of the hobbies I have can be pretty dangerous and I'm getting to the break>bounce phase of life. When I was young I was quite carefree about safety but after a couple good tumbles I splurge in this arena. Things like helmets, harnesses, grigri, safety beacons, or a satellite phone can literally save your life for a few hundred dollars. It also means I replace gear more often than I used to. I listen to the manufacturer advice on ropes and crash pads lifespans much more than I used to (I went through one right before covid and ruptured my achilles). Stay safe folks!
Non-Splurge:
New technology. I work with tech a lot so I try to minimize the amount of time I spend with it outside of my job. I actually prefer for my home computer or cell phone to have some "quirks" that make them harder to use as it limits my time on them. For my laptop, it overheats when I have it plugged in which means I can only use it for the duration the battery (which is also quite old at this point) can hold a charge. I've dropped my phone more times that I can count so the screen and back are both is pretty bad shape. It is still great for texting, phone calls, email, music, and directions but I don't want to stare it for a long time. In both cases I can use my latest generation work stuff if need be, but I like that it is frustrating to use.
I'm an Asian woman who's had straight hair all my life, and I just got a Korean perm recently. I can't believe I didn't do this sooner! My hair just looks sooo good and it's wash and wear, low maintenance, I don't do anything extra other than applying a bit of leave-in conditioner. It looks like I spend a lot of time every day blow drying and using a curling iron to get these soft, bouncy, flattering curls that frame my face so nicely. It's been almost 3 months and the perm's holding up well so far, I'll see how long it'll last. The same Korean hairstylist also gave me a lovely layered cut with long wispy side bangs that look amazing with a low ponytail and that don't get in the way when I work out (they're easy enough to clip back).
I used to wear my hair in a mid-to-high ponytail all the time but with my hair now I love letting it down or just having a loose low ponytail. I feel like the high ponytails pulled on my scalp too much and now my scalp is more well-rested 😂
Anyways that was the best $100 splurge I've done recently. (Total cost for cut, treatment, and perm)
Aside from that I generally agree with other commenters who've talked about splurging on high-quality, frequently used things that are close to the body (shoes, mattresses, toilet paper). I also enjoy splurging on good food (my favorite food splurge is probably high-quality sashimi).
Splurge: First class tickets on a flight in the 3-5 hour range (at least in US/Canada). It's not always within my budget unfortunately, but when it is, it's a real game changer. The seats are comfortable, you get to board the plane first and pass all the freaks who insist on standing directly in front of the gate even though they aren't boarding until group five or whatever, and best of all, you're treated like a human being instead of some worthless sack of shit.
I'm not sure if this applies to longer international flights. The little pods look amazing, but in my experience, I'm able to disassociate after the 3rd or 4th hour. Plus there is usually an opportunity to fly a non-Noth American based airline, which immediately improves the experience.
Don't Splurge: Luxury Uber/Lyft rides. Last time I flew, I was tempted to keep the momentum and booked an Uber Black so I wouldn't have to get on the bus and go to the special pickup location. The price nearly doubled for what amounted to be 10 minutes of saved time and a slightly larger car. Not worth it.
Splurge: headphones with backup pads. I've made a mistake of buying like 5 pairs total with various compromises. Just buy something good once and repair it.
Resist the urge: first class flight tickets etc. You'll be in a shaky can anyway and the thin aluminum won't stop you from hearing that baby. You'd enjoy food better on the ground. Who gives a damn. Put on some good headphones, close your eyes, and relax for once in your life.
The big obvious answer: I saved for many years and bought my house in cash. Many would say this is bad financial planning and I would've come out ahead by getting a mortgage and left the difference invested. I would not take out a loan to invest it in stocks, so this seemed absurd to me. And having grown up a couple of orders of magnitude poorer than I am now, the mental health benefit of foreclosure/eviction being a concept that simply doesn't apply to me is great.
I spend way too much on food delivery. But when I'm too lazy to cook, I'm also too lazy to drive somewhere. It's probably the only reason I'm eating more than a snack that night. So it continues to be worth it to me.
I stopped paying for Amazon Prime this year, as it spent the last few years getting progressively more expensive and less good at providing the one benefit I cared about (fast free delivery). They've been obnoxiously pushing me to reinstate it, and occasionally offer me a free month, which I happily accept and then cancel at the end. I've bought so much less stuff from Amazon since doing this, for some weird psychological reason I don't fully understand.
I buy all my computers used. Most electronics don't degrade over time (batteries and storage devices do, but they're both easy to replace in the sorts of laptops I tend to buy, and software installations can, but I use Arch btw so whatever came preinstalled on it is irrelevant). I buy used phones too; they're less repairable but I have minimal requirements for phones and basically all phone batteries last >24 hours with my usage patterns.
For cooking, you need a good pot, a good skillet, a cutting board, and a good chef's knife.
All the other things are accessories, and the gimmicky things - the onion chopper, etc. Those are just pure garbage. Learn how to dice an onion. It takes less than a minute if you know what you're doing.
I buy a synth, drum machine or some music gear every few months. I hardly record any music with them these days; the ambition is there, just not always the time and energy. That said, they're great to have when the moment strikes and for just jamming.
It's my most expensive hobby, but in 12 months I'll spend maybe 500-700€ on it, so it's not that bad in aggregate. But the last purchase came out of my savings because I quit my job to work on a video game, so that was definitely in serious splurge territory.
Splurge: basic cornerstone wardrobe items. I probably spend more on dress pants and button down shirts than most, but they’re going to last for years and years and aren’t in danger of going out of style. They aren’t flashy- just good quality every-day stuff that gets used constantly.
Not worth the splurge: regular consumable items- cheap toilet paper, dish soap, coffee, etc. all work fine for me.
I used to splurge a lot on hobbies, but the hobbies were constantly changing so I ended up accumulating a bunch of super high-quality stuff that didn’t get used as much as intended. I take more of a tempered approach on that stuff now. I’ll buy the cheaper tools/gear until I’m sure it’s something I’ll continue doing.
I have really gotten into the Y-Brush, to the point where my original handle wasn't holding a charge and I paid full price for another starter kit so I could continue using it. Even if I'm going through a tube of toothpaste obnoxiously fast, it's still cheaper than the prospective dental work since my issue is brush coverage.
My splurge: chocolate. The difference between good quality chocolate and the stuff in Halloween assortments is night and day. If your idea of what chocolate is comes from a Hershey bar or a Whitman's Sampler there's a whole world out there waiting for you. There's so many different subtleties and undertones of flavor in good chocolate, sometimes based on its processing, ingredients and tempering, and sometimes even based on the region the cacao beans were grown. The range of complexity reminds me of fine wines.
Speaking of fine wines, that's actually where I refuse to splurge, haha. I do love wine but I'm perfectly happy with wines that are <$25. I don't see any reason to pay more than that, when most of my favorites are in the $15 range. I've tried some wines that were $70-$120 a bottle and with some of them I would rather have been drinking a $4 moscato from the grocery store. Wine of the month clubs sound fun as a concept to me, but really I'm perfectly happy with my cheapo bottles.
I'm generally of the "buy once cry once" philosophy so I don't really consider it a "splurge" unless there is no appreciable increase in quality at a higher price point.
Some areas where I spend more than my material return:
Gym: I'm a "legacy" member at my gym so I get a decent discount. I could pay half as much and do the same training. I appreciate the community, 24 hour access, and like the equipment better.
Gasoline: 91 goes in all my cars. They would run on 85 but for peace of mind I stick with recommended.
Lunch: I eat in the company cafe most days. I appreciate not having to pack and access to more variety.
White dress shirts. I wear a white button down 4/7 days a week and I like a particular brand. They've kept up well so I'm happy spending $50+ each.
Socks: I have a particular brand I like. They feel good, look good, but are definitely pricey. They do last, I have pairs that are going on 3 years old. I'm sure other brands do well but these are durable enough.
Things I try to min/max of:
Electronic devices: I don't want any voice assistants or fancy features. I find some "budget" models of quality brands often drop these features at lower price points. I rarely upgrade my phone, PC, or laptop. Used my previous laptop and PC for 8 years.
Summer clothing: shorts, short sleeve shirts. I find lots of quality items at stores like Sierra Trading Company.
Anything I use commonly. Smartphones, for instance. I spent $1300 on an iPhone two years ago, and I'm feeling its age, so I will get one of the 15 line, and I'm okay spending >$2k if necessary to get enough storage that I never need to care about it. When amortized over all the hours every day that I use a smartphone, even the most incremental upgrades add up greatly, and even the greatest cost is lessened over time.
Clothes and accessories also fall into this. As long as you wear it for a long time, it's worth getting something I like.
When I was still in the city life, Instacart/Amazon Fresh. Especially in SF, grocery shopping without a car is such a painful process that I'm more than willing to pay someone to do it for me.
Outside the city life, DoorDash. The issue is that all the times you want to get takeout food is also rush hour. A 10 minute drive can balloon into a 40 minute drive. At which point it's too much labor when I didn't want to in the first place.
Worth it:
A year ago I spent $1.3k on a monitor. I'm sitting at my computer in a dark room can see of all of the items on my desk directly behind the monitor. My night vision is nearly perfect. I could get up and run around the room without tripping over something.
With a black background and black themes this QD-OLED based 34" Ultrawide only illuminates the pixels with text or UI elements, the rest are perfectly pitch black. If you're a night owl computer person and have the means you should strongly consider it. The tech has started becoming more affordable.
Eyeglasses. Those things are on my face every waking minute, so I won't compromise in the slightest. And for both vanity and utility's sakes, I maintain multiple pairs in a range of colors, shapes, and prescriptions (e.g. optimized for computer distance, near work, driving). I'll pay for the anti-glare, anti-scratch, blue light filtering, and photochromic coatings without hesitation.
My prescription still changes every year, and the cost of changing everything up is currently ~$1,000 using online vendors. But I consider it an essential expense for my health and livelihood.
A good rule of thumb I've heard is anything that separates you from the ground: shoes, tires, mattresses. Bonus points for mattresses since you spend a solid third of your life on them (hopefully).
My general rule is if it will LAST, i'll spend on it. The whole "buy it for life" thing.
Outside of that (since i feel like so few things actually hit that), my general rule on splurging is i'm not allowed to unless I actually get into whatever i'm doing. I have 10+ mechanical keyboards, but I started with 1 and made sure I wanted to use them (since that was a 60%, i'm now using 40's for everything but gaming). Similar things include slowly getting better at cooking (i still refuse to get a nicer knife than a victorinox because I just don't feel comfortable sharpening them yet), and drones (i like tiny whoops, and have a few beta's ,but I tend to suck with them and have occasional issues so i've limited my spending).
I have a few "tools" (basically the smaller overpriced edc stuff, but i like having some of them on me and the rest in my center console of my car) that i've spent more than normal on. A decent watch i'm ok with (although most aesthetics bore me, and there's not many that are interesting and less than $1000, which i just won't spend).
Oh my computer was a big expense but I think it's a very justified one given I don't just use it for fun, but also for work/improving my work skills.
As for what isn't-
Food is EXTREMELY hit or miss, and scales oddly. I will rarely spend more than $100 a person (and even then that's for a special occasion) as I've found very very few places come even close to justify such an obscene spend. The last "great" steak place I went to was such a huge disappointment when I know 3 others, 2 cheaper, that were so much better. So much food is needlessly overpriced. I'll pay some fee for the upside of not having to cook and clean, but god the amount of crap i've seen claiming to be "amazing" that just looks pretty is depressing.
Clothing is pretty weird to. 90% of my wardrobe comes from costco/target/khols and almost all of it lasts years. I will spend on a good suit/dress shirt, because having one that fits right is such a huge difference, but I've also put on way too much weight and haven't bothered to get nice ones because it's easy enough to get away with cheap ones in most cases.
Shoes have been an awkward search for me, as I'd love a black, decent tread, slip on that lasts. Merell's fall apart so they're out. I found some great lowa's but then they stopped making them. By the time I needed to replace them it seemed the slip on/loafer fad had passed and a similar fate had hit everything else. I'm so picky about this because I feel like most shoes i've bought are cheap quality, fall apart, and super specific (i really want to own 3 pairs of shoes in my ideal world).
I almost never talk about this because the vast majority of people online will give me some sort of shit about it (especially on that Other Site), but I follow a millionaire by the name of Ramit Sethi on various platforms. I'm certainly not his target audience (his main audience pulls in upper 5 and six figure incomes; I'm on the lower end of five), but beyond having some free stuff, he gives decent advice on occasion. Anyways, this is the idea of what he calls Money Dials:
Spend extravagantly (though I suppose that most most of us it would be Within Reason) on things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on things you could care less about. I know that for some of my hobbies, I've paid more than I like to admit... While for others, you won't even get a penny out of me. Also, he recommends that if there's a book you like but are hesitant to buy it... Just buy the book.
Splurge: good quality kitchen tools. I know from experience that a good quality tool costs money, and that it will firstly work much more efficiently and not ever break.
Absolutely no splurge: anything related to streaming. I get all the content I need from public broadcasting (in the UK: the BBC, in Germany: ZDF and ARD, ...) and free online platforms like YouTube. And on the odd occasion that I have an unusual craving for something not found there, I sail the seven seas, Matey. I cannot understand why anyone would shelve out hundreds of dollars per year on streaming services.
Worth it: anything my feet, butt, or back are going to be on for extended periods of time. Mattress, couch, desk chair, sneakers & insoles, etc. Good toilet paper is also worth it to me. And in terms of totally unnecessary spending, morning coffee — I run out to Dunkin for an iced coffee every morning, rain or shine, and it's not even amazing coffee, it's just become part of my morning ritual that helps me get my head on straight for the day (also the people at the store I go to genuinely brighten my morning to see them and say hello).
Totally not worth it: cars are the main thing that come to mind. I have a 14 year old Civic with peeling paint that still runs fine, and I plan to keep it until I've run it into the ground, especially given the price of even used cars these days.
I buy clothes and purses only when I have a specific need and I keep things for decades if they last. I do try to find quality and I rarely have the patience for thrifting but compared to many people in my income bracket my clothing spend is minimal.
I try to be frugal about it but I do travel as a way to indulge my interest in nature, history, architecture, food and to share cool experiences with friends and family.
I buy many more ebooks and (used) physical books than most people.
My car is old and I will drive it until it dies. It is a functional tool for me and an old friend, not a fashion statement.
My splurge is Sonos. 15 speakers, 2 subs and still counting. I don’t necessarily know if it’s audiophile Hi-fi but I do feel like I become part of the music, movie or game.
I'm an european who has installed split unit hvac in my home. It was a massive expense and everyone was skeptical, but not even a year and it has already paid for itself, imho. It's a huge relief in the summer (especially at night with no breeze and computers/VR in the house, all of which get pretty hot) and it probably saved my bacon in the winter since it was quite cold and the power supply here can't handle inefficient wasteful radiators. I did it because I can see where the weather is headed over the next decade or two.
I spend a comparatively financially irresponsible amount on high quality ice cream/gelato/sorbet, which you will only pry from my deliciously cold, dead hands.
I'm also paying for the cleaner, for now (until the money runs out). I'm fastidiously tidy and even if I'm not hiring the services of a cleaner I'll just do the whole cleaning routine on my own; the value I derive from having those extra hours exceeds the cost.
During the pandemic I got into the habit of ordering Uber Eats once a week. It was kind of nice and restful to get one meal out of 14 that I didn't have to prepare on my own, but also a definite waste of money. Fortunately, I moved to an area that is not serviced by Uber Eats, so I can't do that anymore. Savings! I still order groceries (in large batches) since actually going to the supermarket is a significant expense in time, fuel and mental energy. Also, much to my irritation, there's always stuff I can order online that's randomly missing from the inventory of local supermarkets, so going there is strictly worse in every way (other than not having a time lag between order and delivery, of course).
I'm still on the second smartphone I've ever owned, an Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2. The first one was a OnePlus One. Both rooted, of course. I only buy new ones when they stop working entirely. The Zenfone has fallen in the toilet in the past. I hate mobile games, I hate mobile ads, I hate touchscreens, I hate being bothered by random messages and notifications. I can barely tolerate smartphones - I appreciate GPS and some apps, but that's all - and I have no desire to spend money on them.
I don't like to buy clothes either; I have a uniform of khakis and polo shirts (or regular shirts) and I wear them until they fall apart.
I'm on a lifelong quest to find an office chair that doesn't suck in some way. They get really expensive and always compromise on something. I really liked the posture and options on a Haworth I had once but the materials were poor quality and it broke way too quickly. Companies that sell these chair usually tout their warranties and repairs but in my experience it's an annoying process that takes several weeks. Where am I supposed to sit during that time?
Splurge:
Safety Equipment: A number of the hobbies I have can be pretty dangerous and I'm getting to the break>bounce phase of life. When I was young I was quite carefree about safety but after a couple good tumbles I splurge in this arena. Things like helmets, harnesses, grigri, safety beacons, or a satellite phone can literally save your life for a few hundred dollars. It also means I replace gear more often than I used to. I listen to the manufacturer advice on ropes and crash pads lifespans much more than I used to (I went through one right before covid and ruptured my achilles). Stay safe folks!
Non-Splurge:
New technology. I work with tech a lot so I try to minimize the amount of time I spend with it outside of my job. I actually prefer for my home computer or cell phone to have some "quirks" that make them harder to use as it limits my time on them. For my laptop, it overheats when I have it plugged in which means I can only use it for the duration the battery (which is also quite old at this point) can hold a charge. I've dropped my phone more times that I can count so the screen and back are both is pretty bad shape. It is still great for texting, phone calls, email, music, and directions but I don't want to stare it for a long time. In both cases I can use my latest generation work stuff if need be, but I like that it is frustrating to use.
Splurge:
I'm an Asian woman who's had straight hair all my life, and I just got a Korean perm recently. I can't believe I didn't do this sooner! My hair just looks sooo good and it's wash and wear, low maintenance, I don't do anything extra other than applying a bit of leave-in conditioner. It looks like I spend a lot of time every day blow drying and using a curling iron to get these soft, bouncy, flattering curls that frame my face so nicely. It's been almost 3 months and the perm's holding up well so far, I'll see how long it'll last. The same Korean hairstylist also gave me a lovely layered cut with long wispy side bangs that look amazing with a low ponytail and that don't get in the way when I work out (they're easy enough to clip back).
I used to wear my hair in a mid-to-high ponytail all the time but with my hair now I love letting it down or just having a loose low ponytail. I feel like the high ponytails pulled on my scalp too much and now my scalp is more well-rested 😂
Anyways that was the best $100 splurge I've done recently. (Total cost for cut, treatment, and perm)
Aside from that I generally agree with other commenters who've talked about splurging on high-quality, frequently used things that are close to the body (shoes, mattresses, toilet paper). I also enjoy splurging on good food (my favorite food splurge is probably high-quality sashimi).
Splurge: First class tickets on a flight in the 3-5 hour range (at least in US/Canada). It's not always within my budget unfortunately, but when it is, it's a real game changer. The seats are comfortable, you get to board the plane first and pass all the freaks who insist on standing directly in front of the gate even though they aren't boarding until group five or whatever, and best of all, you're treated like a human being instead of some worthless sack of shit.
I'm not sure if this applies to longer international flights. The little pods look amazing, but in my experience, I'm able to disassociate after the 3rd or 4th hour. Plus there is usually an opportunity to fly a non-Noth American based airline, which immediately improves the experience.
Don't Splurge: Luxury Uber/Lyft rides. Last time I flew, I was tempted to keep the momentum and booked an Uber Black so I wouldn't have to get on the bus and go to the special pickup location. The price nearly doubled for what amounted to be 10 minutes of saved time and a slightly larger car. Not worth it.
Splurge: headphones with backup pads. I've made a mistake of buying like 5 pairs total with various compromises. Just buy something good once and repair it.
Resist the urge: first class flight tickets etc. You'll be in a shaky can anyway and the thin aluminum won't stop you from hearing that baby. You'd enjoy food better on the ground. Who gives a damn. Put on some good headphones, close your eyes, and relax for once in your life.
The big obvious answer: I saved for many years and bought my house in cash. Many would say this is bad financial planning and I would've come out ahead by getting a mortgage and left the difference invested. I would not take out a loan to invest it in stocks, so this seemed absurd to me. And having grown up a couple of orders of magnitude poorer than I am now, the mental health benefit of foreclosure/eviction being a concept that simply doesn't apply to me is great.
I spend way too much on food delivery. But when I'm too lazy to cook, I'm also too lazy to drive somewhere. It's probably the only reason I'm eating more than a snack that night. So it continues to be worth it to me.
I stopped paying for Amazon Prime this year, as it spent the last few years getting progressively more expensive and less good at providing the one benefit I cared about (fast free delivery). They've been obnoxiously pushing me to reinstate it, and occasionally offer me a free month, which I happily accept and then cancel at the end. I've bought so much less stuff from Amazon since doing this, for some weird psychological reason I don't fully understand.
I buy all my computers used. Most electronics don't degrade over time (batteries and storage devices do, but they're both easy to replace in the sorts of laptops I tend to buy, and software installations can, but I use Arch btw so whatever came preinstalled on it is irrelevant). I buy used phones too; they're less repairable but I have minimal requirements for phones and basically all phone batteries last >24 hours with my usage patterns.
For cooking, you need a good pot, a good skillet, a cutting board, and a good chef's knife.
All the other things are accessories, and the gimmicky things - the onion chopper, etc. Those are just pure garbage. Learn how to dice an onion. It takes less than a minute if you know what you're doing.
I buy a synth, drum machine or some music gear every few months. I hardly record any music with them these days; the ambition is there, just not always the time and energy. That said, they're great to have when the moment strikes and for just jamming.
It's my most expensive hobby, but in 12 months I'll spend maybe 500-700€ on it, so it's not that bad in aggregate. But the last purchase came out of my savings because I quit my job to work on a video game, so that was definitely in serious splurge territory.
Splurge: basic cornerstone wardrobe items. I probably spend more on dress pants and button down shirts than most, but they’re going to last for years and years and aren’t in danger of going out of style. They aren’t flashy- just good quality every-day stuff that gets used constantly.
Not worth the splurge: regular consumable items- cheap toilet paper, dish soap, coffee, etc. all work fine for me.
I used to splurge a lot on hobbies, but the hobbies were constantly changing so I ended up accumulating a bunch of super high-quality stuff that didn’t get used as much as intended. I take more of a tempered approach on that stuff now. I’ll buy the cheaper tools/gear until I’m sure it’s something I’ll continue doing.
I have really gotten into the Y-Brush, to the point where my original handle wasn't holding a charge and I paid full price for another starter kit so I could continue using it. Even if I'm going through a tube of toothpaste obnoxiously fast, it's still cheaper than the prospective dental work since my issue is brush coverage.
My splurge: chocolate. The difference between good quality chocolate and the stuff in Halloween assortments is night and day. If your idea of what chocolate is comes from a Hershey bar or a Whitman's Sampler there's a whole world out there waiting for you. There's so many different subtleties and undertones of flavor in good chocolate, sometimes based on its processing, ingredients and tempering, and sometimes even based on the region the cacao beans were grown. The range of complexity reminds me of fine wines.
Speaking of fine wines, that's actually where I refuse to splurge, haha. I do love wine but I'm perfectly happy with wines that are <$25. I don't see any reason to pay more than that, when most of my favorites are in the $15 range. I've tried some wines that were $70-$120 a bottle and with some of them I would rather have been drinking a $4 moscato from the grocery store. Wine of the month clubs sound fun as a concept to me, but really I'm perfectly happy with my cheapo bottles.
I'm generally of the "buy once cry once" philosophy so I don't really consider it a "splurge" unless there is no appreciable increase in quality at a higher price point.
Some areas where I spend more than my material return:
Things I try to min/max of: