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Old 07-11-2016, 08:37 AM   #41
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Certainly not, in the fashion sense...
+1

I buy clothes at the Thrift store. DW says I dress like a beach bum. I always say, "Thank you, that's exactly the look I'm going for." My 2 cars are 19 and 15 years old.

However...

Lots of hobby bling... 8 guitars, a pair of Klipsch corner horns, garage full of Delta and Grizzly machines. DW owns a '06 BMW that she loves, and I hate. I guess the big dreamhouse is bling until we eventually wise up and downsize... 4.5k sq ft on 2.2 acres with a pool and pond.

So yeah, we have some "bling" that makes us happy, but I would not characterize our behavior as "chasing." Most of it we've owned for decades. And certainly our intent is not to impress others.
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Old 07-11-2016, 08:41 AM   #42
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According to this definition from Wikipedia, cars, computers, and consumables don't qualify as bling. Unless you are referring to a diamond encrusted car, or whatever.

Bling (or bling-bling) is a slang term popularized in hip hop culture, referring to flashy, ostentatious, or elaborate jewelry and ornamented accessories that are carried, worn, or installed, such as cell phones or tooth caps.
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Old 07-11-2016, 08:43 AM   #43
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Old 07-11-2016, 08:47 AM   #44
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I don't have any jewelry and no longer buy label clothes as much -- no more $60 Ralph Lauren shirts. Never cared about fancy shoes, no interest at all whatsoever in Rolex or similar watches.

I do buy DOC French or Italian wines but they're at Trader Joe's and usually under $10 a bottle.

.
This reminded me of an experience I had last October. South Jersey has a lot of local wineries and I received a groupon for a wine tasting at one of them. I'm not a huge wine drinker and usually just go with the store recommendations but the tour/tasting was fun. I was absolutely FLOORED at what people where dropping on bottles of wine. I mean they had some fancy smancy bottle there for $7K and people were seriously thinking of buying it.
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Old 07-11-2016, 08:49 AM   #45
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My dad wore a Timex and spent little on clothes, but people didn't talk down to him. They were impressed with the way he carried himself and spoke, and by his general competence. After retiring from his construction job, he got a job as night manager at a rich-widow's-people's condo and was treated with respect by the residents. I visited him in his workplace and saw it for myself.

While I may love jewelry - and I really do - I don't kid myself that it somehow makes up for anything I lack as a person. I do not get respect because I wear a 2-carat diamond or an unusual necklace. To the extent I get respect (or disrespect for that matter), it is because of how I move through the world.

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Do they both look at me, see my timex, it's cloth band and share that special he's a pathetic non blingers look?
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Old 07-11-2016, 08:51 AM   #46
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At this stage in life, to be honest I don't really care what anybody else thinks of my stuff. Why would I give them that power over me and my purchases? I buy what I want. If I saw some "bling" that I really liked and wanted, for sure I'd buy it.

That said, usually I don't buy bling or trendy stuff because usually it just isn't the kind of thing that happens to appeal to me. If it did, I'd buy it.

I don't wear jewelry at all because that's just not me. The rest of my stuff could probably be described as ultra-practical rather than bling because that is what appeals to me.
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Old 07-11-2016, 08:56 AM   #47
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For me it's the new MacBook I picked up this spring. Over priced? Maybe, but sleek and light and very nice. I enjoy it a lot.
I have a 5 year old MacBook that won't fail, all I need it to do is have a few glitches or maybe freeze up one or two times and I would be in the Apple store at mach speed. Over priced? Not in the slightest.
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Old 07-11-2016, 09:12 AM   #48
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Chase? How close do you need to be to be chasing? My golf buddies were talking about how much they've dropped on golf equipment during the past 2 years - several thousand dollars for one of them. I've completely replaced what's in my bag during that time, too. Total cost, about $500. I just buy last year's tech at 25 cents (or less) on the dollar. So, I guess I'm chasing, but I'm so far behind that no one notices.
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Old 07-11-2016, 09:15 AM   #49
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People here go on and on about driving 10+ year old cars but will turn around and drop thousands of dollars on travel.
Well why is travel an acceptable use of money but a expensive purse is not? [...] I would bet a sizable chunk of change that people spend way more on their travel than I do on my LV bag, yet from the tone of this thread guess which one would be consider "bad"?
Seems to me there is a fundamental difference between bling (like a $1,000+ designer bag) and expensive travel. Travel is something most people do to enrich their lives, to have interesting adventures and create lasting memories of unique and fulfilling experiences. Travel (especially international) creates a deeper understanding and appreciation of the richness and diversity of the world we live in, and this is something you really can't get without seeing the world up close and in person. Bling, on the other hand, is something most people purchase to basically "show off" or to be noticed by others. Sure, there are probably some who buy bling because they love the way a particular thing looks or are buying it for its intrinsic beauty or craftsmanship. But honestly, let's be real... most people carrying around those gold-and-diamond studded iPhone cases are just trying to tell the world "Hey, look at me, I'm rich and hip and know how to dress and accessorize just like the coolest celebrities." Hardly anyone travels to show off or to boost their social status within our celebrity-obsessed culture.

Of course, at the end of the day, it's your money and you spend it however you want to make yourself happy. There is nothing inherently "bad" about bling, since it clearly seems to make some people happy and give them a sense of self-satisfaction. Personally, I think travel is far more enriching and rewarding, with a much greater positive and long-lasting impact on one's life.
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Old 07-11-2016, 09:20 AM   #50
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Sometimes I travel to see other people's bling.

This restorer is applying new gold leaf on all those curlicues at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. The amount of bling in Maltese churches is staggering.
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Old 07-11-2016, 10:32 AM   #51
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It occurs to me you are the worst of all - a 'bling hoarder'. I think you should be ashamed of yourself.


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To each his own. You wanna wear plastic shoes from PayLess, made by slave labor in China, that break and have to be thrown into a landfill and replaced every year? Be my guest. With the exception of my jewelry, which is a definite splurge, my values for buying clothing and shoes- buy good quality and wear it for years-are remnants of a less-materialistic era.
You've read rayinpenn before. It didn't occur to you that he was kidding?
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Old 07-11-2016, 10:38 AM   #52
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Have a healthy travel budget but no designer luggage and I don't dress up to travel.

Just bought a 31-inch suitcase, just under $90 with $15 back from Amex. It's going to get beaten up going through conveyor belts and carousels.
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Old 07-11-2016, 10:41 AM   #53
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I think the broad assumption that some people buy bling to impress others or attract attention is incorrect - certainly not absolute. I'd bet a lot of nice "bling" purchases are made purely for the enjoyment of the purchaser.

Just as many people who get pleasure from showing off things do so with their travel stories. "Oh we were at Lake Como...Oh we like the Four Seasons..Oh last year in Maui...We winter in Aspen"... blah blah.

If anything, it's a little embarrassing when someone says "ooh i love your (Designer thingy)" as it often invokes a look of envy or judgment.
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Old 07-11-2016, 10:52 AM   #54
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Generally no. I'm in the 'Buy Experiences' camp. I did buy a great piece of layered, sculpture sandstone in Kanab last year. But that was a memory of the experience! It looks like my own sample of a canyon on the shelf.
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Old 07-11-2016, 10:56 AM   #55
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Most of us have our "bling." Though I have always been a car guy I just can't spend that money anymore. However, I do spend on travel. We were in Hawaii last week and the hotel was $600 a night. We ate some expensive meals ($300) and spent even more the night we did a luau... and other times we had PB&J in the room. A week in Hawaii is my bling... and I'll be back there, different island, in January!
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Old 07-11-2016, 11:03 AM   #56
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My DW and I chase FIRE not bling.....
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Old 07-11-2016, 11:24 AM   #57
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Travel is something most people do to enrich their lives, to have interesting adventures and create lasting memories of unique and fulfilling experiences. Travel (especially international) creates a deeper understanding and appreciation of the richness and diversity of the world we live in, and this is something you really can't get without seeing the world up close and in person.
For those of us who find travel highly overrated, hearing about how someone has a deeper understanding of the world than you do because they took a trip can be just as annoying as hearing someone brag about their $1,200 purse.
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Old 07-11-2016, 11:27 AM   #58
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..........Haven't wore my wedding ring in 15 yrs. .........
Yea, they do restrict your circulation.
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Old 07-11-2016, 11:28 AM   #59
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For a while my sister was estranged from her 2 adult sons. During that period it was obvious she was dealing with the pain with plenty of bling, all kinds of gifts to herself, most of it shiny. If you didn't notice it, she told you about it anyways.

Once she reconciled with one of her sons she was just about cured of the bling issue.

The only big name brand I like is a Coach bag. I like a small one and buy it at an outlet store in the clearance section. I was so disappointed the last time I looked, there were very few original items on clearance. Instead, they were outlet store bags with a Coach label. They didn't feel like the regular Coach bags, they just felt cheap.

I keep a bag for many years so I'll keep an eye out for something I'll enjoy using. The last one I bought was in 2007 and it was $110. My favorite Coach wallet is from 2001.

After reading that topic about selling a $$$$ Louis Vitton bag I realize Coach may be seen as quite low on the bling scale!
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Old 07-11-2016, 11:29 AM   #60
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I don't pretend deeper understanding of the world because I played tourist.

That comes from reading, research as well as some travel.

Can someone who's never left his country, sometimes never his hometown, have a good knowledge of the world?

It's possible ...
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