What was your greatest extravagance?

PigBeanUs

We all obviously don’t regret paying $1000 for a grill. 

What else don’t you regret?

Wolfpack

Hookers and blow?

nolaegghead

My tattoo 

PigBeanUs

Damn cat made me post this too soon

to clarify: got to thinking the other day about being able to enjoy what we like to enjoy and not regretting the cost. 

I had a horrible day last week. Clients and banks and frustrating cr^p.

Then comes the weekend. I had a client call and ask for me to work on Sunday. It was easy money. $3000. 

I had no desire to work. I am 50+ and within a few years of retiring. Love my job and clients, but my wife is recuperating from heart surgery number five and six. 

So he said “ can you do it? I can give you $3000?”

I said “No. sorry. Somewhere I have to be.”

called my brother and made plans, which was no plan really. Just drove to his place and brought a box of cubans. 

Sitting out back smoking them he says. 

“Thanks for coming up and hanging out. This is a nice cigar.  What did they cost you?”

I took a drag on mine and held it and then let it go slowly exhaling and said “this one? This one cost me $3000”

life is short, bros. 

Sometimes you gotta work. And sometimes you can’t afford time off. 

But when you can. 

Take advantage. And enjoy it. 

Wolfpack

Since we took this in a less serious direction...

I have three children and my oldest is a junior in high school. I see the days waning and any chance to do things with the whole family are extremely valuable for me. 

We had a pretty solid year planned with special trips to make some amazing memories before the band breaks up. Well, the best laid plans...

So now, I have enjoyed the times where we have been home. Playing board games we never had time to get to, enjoying beating up on my kids playing foosball, cooking dinners together, and many other mundane activities that I will cherish forever. 

So would say the money not spent was worth every penny and more. 

PigBeanUs

Yeah. Hate to say, the pandemic hasn’t been all bad. Family has been together for a year straight and we have enjoyed the time together. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Horses and dogs.  Cost a small fortune, but to me, worth every cent.

GrateEggspectations

Years ago, I bought a pair of nice hoop diamond earrings for my wife. Was quite a bit of money for me at the time and I half wondered whether they might fall out at and get lost at some point over the course of ownership. Ten or so years later, she still wears them at least weekly. They were a luxury that we would now have a hard time justifying - several kids and financial responsibilities later - so I am glad I purchased them when I did. Have been considering a matching tennis bracelet for some time now. 

The other series of purchases I don’t regret for similar reasons was/is a small collection of higher end guitars and amplifiers that I have been amassing since before my university days. I bought them one at a time; generally second hand but in new condition. They have at worst retained their value and in some cases, have made me some money all while I have been enjoying them. 

Travel is another one. Since meeting my wife, we have generally striven to take at least one or two bigger trips a year. My six year old is lucky, in that she’s been on quite a few neat trips for her age. 

Speaking generally, I’ve made a lot of purchases that were “extravagant” by my standards if and only if I could get a great deal on them - often second-hand. These have included knives, art, vehicles, etc. I enjoy the chase and generally aim to pay a maximum of 60% of retail price while insisting on as new condition. 

Looking ahead, the greatest extravagance I am contemplating is putting in an in-ground  pool. Much like Clark Griswold, I look into the yard, apply my imaginary overlay and can see great memories being created there over the years. Would like to do it sooner rather than later, while the kids are still young. 

dmchicago

Once, I bought those “Jumbo” eggs. 

JohnInCarolina

dmchicago said:

Once, I bought those “Jumbo” eggs. 

Oh come off it man.  You own a bidet!  If a bunghole washer isn’t extravagant, I don’t know what is!

JohnInCarolina

I had a few too many adult beverages one night during this hellscape of a pandemic, and when I discovered that SRF was indeed sold out of briskets, dropped more than five hundred dollars on their dry-aged beef.  No ragrets!

dmchicago

JohnInCarolina said:

dmchicago said:

Once, I bought those “Jumbo” eggs. 

Oh come off it man.  You own a bidet!  If a bunghole washer isn’t extravagant, I don’t know what is!

It's extravagant until you own one. Like your fleshlight.

MasterC

fishlessman

pretty simple here, its the chair, its doubled up now as its getting old and tired

GrateEggspectations

MasterC said:

Beautiful carts, but I can’t for the life of me understand the pricing. There’s a new, albeit damaged one for the XL for sale near me and the price is an eye-watering $4000 CAD. 

Yno

Wine that doesn't come in a box!

Bellavista52

A horse farm with 30 client horses - how to make a small fortune in the horse business- start with a large one!

MasterC

My wife bought the island in June of 2017. I kept it covered the first winter but covering and uncovering was a pain. This will be it's fourth winter uncovered and still looks brand new when wiped down. 
The new version are mat green finish, open backs and not trimmed out with the hammered gray aluminum. 
Long story short with sale and relatives discount, we paid sixty two percent of list price. Still extravagant for us.

1voyager

Boss Lady and I sailed on a 37-day South America cruise from Buenos Aires to Miami. The itinerary included rounding Cape Horn and passage through the Panama Canal. Incredible.

PigBeanUs

JohnInCarolina said:

dmchicago said:

Once, I bought those “Jumbo” eggs. 

Oh come off it man.  You own a bidet!  If a bunghole washer isn’t extravagant, I don’t know what is!

I have a bunghole washer. 

But we can only afford to have him come in three days a week. 

PigBeanUs

L1voyager said:

Boss Lady and I sailed on a 37-day South America cruise from Buenos Aires to Miami. The itinerary included rounding Cape Horn and passage through the Panama Canal. Incredible.

That is quite a trip. Unbelievable. 

My parents did the Canal Cruise back in the late 1980s

I kid you not, my father filled 8 1-hr VHS tapes filming the ship going thru the locks. We used to kid him that his video was somehow longer than the trip thru the canal itself!

butt_juice

Every year, usually around Christmas, my parents offer my family and my two brother's families several hundred dollars each to go toward what ever we choose...saving, vacation, bills...whatever. Two years ago I talked my brothers into foregoing that money and taking a family vacation instead. Mom, Dad, our only living grandma, only living grandparent for that matter, our families with all of the kids. We argued about where to go and how planned we wanted things to be. Ended up settling on Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock lake. It wasn't 100% my cup of tea but it was perfect for the kids. 

I traveled a lot with my parent growing up, but it was usually just me because I am the youngest and six years younger than my closest sibling. I missed out on a lot of the early family vacations, or have no memory of them because of that age gap. It was a time spent with my family that I will cherish forever. I hope to do much more of it, while we can, as soon as this COVID crap dies down. I am lucky to have not lost anyone in my family to it. (knock on wood)

Foghorn

Spent over $30k to spend 15 days on a family (wife + children ages 15, 13) vacation in South Africa during the opening days of the 2010 World Cup.  Highlights include, but are not limited to:

- Seeing South African penguins
- Traveling on the boat to Robben Island on the opening day of the World Cup with a film crew and some of the prisoners who were there when Mandela was imprisoned and having a chance for all of us to talk to them about the experience (the timing of this was purely coincidental)
- Watching the opening match in a bar in Cape Town with some locals as South Africa scored the first goal of the tournament - it was as if the whole continent erupted.
- Walking from there to watch France vs Uruguay in 9th row seats
- Getting bit by a lion (in a "petting zoo")
- Seeing US play England (Robert Green fumbling Clint Dempsey's shot into the net)
- 3 safaris that included seeing lions eating a wildebeast, young male lions hunting old male lions as they take over a pride, wild dogs, kudus mating, a lion stalking a buffalo, etc.  
- On a 3 day safari in Kruger National Park we were joined by friends from home whose daughters play soccer with my daughter.  They had been to a US match and the 3 teenage daughters ended up in a Sports Illustrated photograph as "Female Fans of the World Cup".  The father had very mixed thoughts about this:
https://www.si.com/soccer/2010/07/06/06-1female-fans-of-the-world-cup#&gid=ci0255c90340022515&pid=usa-MTY4MjYxNTY5OTEyOTcyNDUz

- Other soccer matches that included Brazil vs North Korea (and the small group of fans their government hired to cheer for them - it was fun to watch them rehearse before the match), Argentina vs South Korea, and Italy vs New Zealand
- Discovering South African wine - specifically the pinotage.

It was such a great experience that we did a similar trip to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.

OhioEgger

In 2019 we took a cruise up the Norwegian coast in March so I could get some photos of the Northern Lights. Then in December we took another one to Antarctica. Got to cross the Arctic Circle and almost the Antarctic Circle in the same year. Horribly expensive but YOLO. Don't regret it a bit; they are awesome memories.

Legume

This thread needs some pics.

frazzdaddy

15K for a Hot Springs tub. 20k side by side. Cartier watch for my wonderful wife. 5k trips to the Grove Park and the boats... Life's to damn short to drink cheap beer, party on men. 

WesJohnson

so is it

just out in the open now


that BigPenis is Nola



and I'm Ron? 

butt_juice

I'm pretty sure I'm the least wealthy person on this forum....

Foghorn

Here you go @Legume.

Kudus mating, a leopard, and an example of the athleticism of soccer players.

dmchicago

WesJohnson said:

so is it

just out in the open now


that BigPenis is Nola



and I'm Ron? 

I think this belongs in the poetry thread...???

ColbyLang

A guess a house is a necessity. Soooo, I’ll go with 100% aluminum hybrid bay/offshore capable boat. 29’ with twin 300hp 4 strokes....