What do you splurge on

[audreyh1]

We splurge on travel mostly. And have been flying first/business recently.

This year we upgraded most of our electronics, but that means we won’t be doing that again for a few years.

[skipro33]

We hire out the carpet cleaning now instead of renting a machine and doing it ourselves.

Bought a 70" TV. Wow! And a 5.1 sound system.

Upgraded faucets in the house that work without touching the knobs. Just put hands in front and the water turns on.

We use the clothes dryer more and the clothes line less.

Replace the car every 4 years. No more working on the family car, even changing oil is covered. The trade-in has lost maybe $10,000 off new price, making owning a new car $2,500 a year.

We buy better quality beef and eat seafood more often. I love shrimp and crab!

In the process of replacing my tools with higher quality stuff. Nothing makes a project more fun than good tools.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 We splurge on travel mostly. And have been flying first/business recently.

Same here. It's really my only luxury.

[brett]

Travel

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 We splurge on travel mostly. And have been flying first/business recently. This year we upgraded most of our electronics, but that means we won’t be doing that again for a few years.

We just spent $60k plus on house reno which made me step back from an upgrade to premium economy from Spain last week (it was $700 for the two of us and I thought hmmm, that would buy some nice new bedding and towels). Will definitely upgrade in the future though.

DH needs a new phone and his MacBook Pro is nine years old—the Apple store is quite impressed that it is still humming along but he can’t upgrade some apps. So there’s a splurge coming.

[Teacher Terry]

Travel and eating out. We are having a big party in our backyard on Saturday and I hired a live singer, people can dance, etc. That’s a first for us.

[The Cosmic Avenger]

We're not retired yet, but now that FIREcalc and Fido's tool say we're in very good shape to retire by 55, and would have money to burn if we worked until 65, I'm buying more and better craft beer and single malt scotch, mostly. We're still maxing out our retirement saving every year, plus putting money aside to buy our next new car for cash, so we've decided that it's time to let up off the gas pedal a bit, so to speak.

My partner does drink, but the beer and scotch are mostly for me. Don't worry, we also bought a horse, and that's DEFINITELY not for me.

[IBWino]

Eating out. Each week, I take my wife out to one of several nice restaurants in our area; the bill usually ranges between $150 and $300 depending on the location, food and wine selected, and whether or not we have a cocktail.

[Luvdogs]

I am traveling more often. But I still don't do first class, just the cheapie class. I guess the LBYB will never go away for me. I'm kind of petite so it really doesn't bother me, even to Europe--I suck it up for a few hours (have a couple glasses of wine on the flight so I wouldn't care anyway) in order to save $$ for nicer hotels, etc.

[davebarnes]

Meat.
We shop at our (new) local butcher and charcuterie.
Cheese.
From the local fromagerie.
Wine.
$20 instead of $12.

[MRG]

Eating out here, three times a week. We enjoy a little whole in the walk Mexican restaurant next to the gym. It's never over $50.00 with drinks and tip.

We also enjoy better meat.

[tb001]

Those "small" splurges seem to vary significantly--I think of upgrading to business as a big splurge!

But to answer your question, we are theoretically FI, but not yet retired, mainly because we want to be able to fund the splurges that we've gotten used to, as well as things like bus class upgrades and nicer hotels when we travel. Some of the things that are important to us--2x/mo housekeeper, the ability to eat out or eat well at home regularly, hobbies that we enjoy, etc...

Our RE budget includes a significant amount of discretionary income for those things and it's worth adding a few more years to be able to have them and still be reasonably sure we'll be safe. That said, we're also planning on a higher withdraw rate than many here (3.75-4%), knowing that we have room to pull back if needed.

[travelover]

Splurged on our forever retirement home. Given that we spend a lot of time here, it seems like a good return on investment.

[gayl]

Sbux every morning $2.05 (prefer my ceramic cup to paper taste)
Travel
Pay up charge for aisle seat in exit row, must admit I've done a few upper decks on 747-400 & A380

Edited to add: given today's market blimp : stocks

[dtbach]

Travel and dining out the main splurges. Also spend extra on better meat and seafood at grocery. No more cheap wine or beer either.

[ABQ2015]

I splurged on a nice car for road trips. Another splurge is staying in national park lodges which are expensive but I enjoy the convenience and the quiet once the crowds have left the park for the night. I also bought myself a few small antiques last month for my birthday. Electronics are not important to me.

What I would really like to splurge on is eating out. But I have a weight problem and am trying to lose so that is off limits.

[ivinsfan]

Our well puked out, now replacing the well in not a splurge, but we have a 100 year old farmhouse with a stone foundation...the old well is submerged in a pump house and that no longer legal to do in this state. The well guy said you can get a backhoe to punch the water line into your foundation, or you can pay a little more and get a drilling crew that will come up through the basement floor. Cause apparently there is a small chance the wall method might cause the foundation of the house to shift or even cause some rocks to fall out!!!

So I guess the driller that we instantly agreed to is sort of a splurge....

[aja8888]

Car hobby fetish.

Just bought a 2002 BMW convertible in mint condition. Park it next to my 1998 Ford F150 Lariat Edition with 47,000 miles on it.

[mystang52]

I find it interesting, yet I guess not surprising, that most of the replies mention relatively minor splurges. I'm in that camp as well. I go out for breakfast virtually every morning - it's just a bagel and coffee, but something that I enjoy. I also treat myself to small "toys" related to my cycling and running passions.
I also buy the occasional bigger and more expensive toy, like a recent GoPro, but in these cases I get permission first from DW.

[Dtail]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgtest Lol, is there a good NA beer? Been sober for about a decade and have yet to find one. Maybe I just liked the buzz and not the taste lol.

Allagash beer from Maine. Great wheat beer, but they don't have it in FLA. It is now mainstream in parts of the Northeast.