What makes you feel rich?

[SilveradoBojangles]

My husband and I talk about this all the time. Mostly, it's being millennials who have no debt and cheap rent in a city we really like. Even on 2 grad school stipends, we ate really well (I love to cook and garden), traveled extensively, and had highly flexible schedules that allowed for the odd mid-week camping trip. We feel extremely wealthy compared to the majority of our peers.

[RosieTR]

I totally feel rich when I go eat a fancy meal. Yes, I will have an appetizer. Yes I will have a main dish and so will DH, and we will try each others' if we want. Yes I will have dessert. Yes I will have a bottle of wine.

This happens only a few times a year (mostly my birthday and our anniversary). But just saying yep, I'm going to get anything I want on the menu rather than the cheaper vegetarian pasta dish, and have all the things: drink, appetizer and dessert, and know that it's no problem, makes me feel rich.

I also like to cook, so buying the better ingredients makes me feel rich, as does our fancy, very sharp, knife set.

[Physicsteacher]

Nice pens make me feel rich. There's something oddly pleasurable about the sensory experience of writing with a pen that feels just right. I can afford to enjoy that experience daily by spending a few extra bucks a year on Pilot V5 rollerballs instead of getting el cheapo ballpoint pens.

[Kitsune]

Good food. I love to cook. And cook ingredients and wine add maybe 200$ onto our monthly budget compared to bare-bones no-fun food, and it is worth EVERY PENNY.

Also... Things feeling nice. Like, textures. I don't know how to explain it... But, for example. I'm currently wearing a long linen robe that I've had for years, and it's lovely and smooths over my skin and feels so soft. Luxury. (Also cost more than I'd like to admit, but after 7 years of wear I have no regrets. Also, when it needs replacing, I have the skills to make a new one.) or... Silk shirts. Long pearl necklaces clinking through my fingers. That kind of buttery feeling good leather gets when it's worn a bit. (I make the shirts, the leather lasts forever, most of the pearls are inherited...)

Basically, I'm a hedonist, is what it seems to come down to. ;)

[lifejoy]

Man, I'm loving these answers! Can I post another one?

Days that I don't have to work make me feel soooo rich. I have two jobs so when I take a day off it's like omfg I'm a fancy king of the world!!!!!!

[Tom Bri]

Man, I'm loving these answers! Can I post another one?

Days that I don't have to work make me feel soooo rich. I have two jobs so when I take a day off it's like omfg I'm a fancy king of the world!!!!!!

Nice! 'Fancy King'. I like that. I like these answers too. I've never been rich in the sense of private helicopters and first class travel, but really, who here is poor? Maybe that will be my next off-topic thread...?

[Ladychips]

I had no idea so many things made me feel rich.  Several times I've read someone's response and thought, "Oh that!  That absolutely makes me feel rich".

Has anyone said flowers?  My flower beds make me feel rich.  In the past, I have spent a few dollars on flowers.  But many of my flowers (perennials) have been gifts (sometimes something someone purchased for me and sometimes something that was divided from their flower garden).  So now when I look at my flowers, I often enjoy the beauty of them but I also enjoy my fondness for the giver (Oh, Brenda gave me these, this is from Sam's mom's house, this came from my grandma's garden, etc.).  What makes me feel even richer (more rich?) is that now my flowers have multiplied so that I am able to give them to others.  And that makes me feel awesome!

Love this question and all these answers. 

[Jakejake]

I love all the answers here about small things. It's not about having (or in my case not having) a $5,000 espresso machine - it's the simplicity and peace of making a pot of coffee in the french press I got at the thrift shop, and having time to enjoy it. Or listening to this american life podcasts while picking free blackberries at the local park, then a day later admiring the jars of blackberry jam lined up in my pantry. The feel of my waterbed - especially when my husband gets up first and I sink a few inches deeper into it.

Also, chocolate flavored toothpaste which I think crest stopped making but I still have about 3 tubes left. I will be sad when that's gone.

[Choices]

Being able to say no to extra shifts so I can spend time with my little nieces and cousins.

Going home after work with a few days off instead of being like my coworkers who have to work every day to pay alimony and Mercedes payments.

Taking a week to go backpacking with my husband.

I'm grateful for so many things, but being able to afford to keep more of my time for my family rather than giving it all to work makes me feel rich.

[Tyson]

Living in Colorado.  Its the first place I've been with 4 clear, distinct seasons, and all of them are mild and enjoyable.  Right now the days are so long and the weather so nice, I still get to "play" every day after work outside.  It makes the entire week feel like a weekend. 

[MrsDinero]

I feel "rich" by not having to stress about bills, especially non-regular bills like out of pocket expenses from delivering a baby.

[SaskyStache]

I'll second the avocado.

Also, wearing good comfortable (maybe a bit too spendy) shoes and clothes.

[2Birds1Stone]

Being almost completely outcome independent at work.

Knowing that if I lost my job, I could take a few months off to decompress and take my sweet time finding another one.

Being able to say no, to management, to friends, to colleagues.

[Hedge_87]

I feel "rich" by not having to stress about bills, especially non-regular bills like out of pocket expenses from delivering a baby.

+1 our little dude just turned three months today. we covered pretty much everything that month by simply not putting any money into savings/investments for that month.

I would also add being able to host dinner for family and friends. I truly enjoy putting on a big meal for several people. sitting at our big (bought used) dinning room table with 7-8 others eating off our fancy (bought used) plates makes me feel like a king. We don't really budget or plan in advanced for these besides the trip to the grocery store and figuring out what wine will pair well with the dinner.

[basd]

As said before: the ability to say 'no'. Especially with regards to work. I'm a freelancer in a field where the market's good, so I am able to charge decent rates AND have the luxury of saying no to projects that are too far away for my comfort or that don't make my 'is this challenging enough' threshold.

Oh, and a good glass of white wine. I don't buy the very expensive stuff but I've come to notice that you can have pretty good wines for $15.

[JLR]

Being warm in winter.

Nice socks.

Taking our three kids to the orthodontist and finding out that two of them need braces. And having the savings to cover it.

[libertarian4321]

When people call me "Sir".

When I was a 22-year old Army Lieutenant, I felt kind of weird when a 50-year old Sergeant called me "Sir."

Now that I'm over 50, when someone calls me "sir" it makes me feel old.

[arebelspy]

Buying a bunch of candy at the store.

Like, an absurd amount.

As a kid, you want lots of candy, but you'd only get a little (either parent buying it, or allowance, but money was limited).  And you always assumed you wouldn't do it once you had money, cause Adults with a capital A don't do that.

Now?  Buying a lot of candy makes me almost giggly happy (before I've eaten it, it's not a sugar high).

I feel so rich, that I can blow $10 or $20--which buys a lot of candy--and walk away with a sackful of candy and not even have it be a blip in spending.

I'm not saying how often it happens.  Too often.

:D

[2Birds1Stone]

Buying a bunch of candy at the store.

Like, an absurd amount.

As a kid, you want lots of candy, but you'd only get a little (either parent buying it, or allowance, but money was limited).  And you always assumed you wouldn't do it once you had money, cause Adults with a capital A don't do that.

Now?  Buying a lot of candy makes me almost giggly happy (before I've eaten it, it's not a sugar high).

I feel so rich, that I can blow $10 or $20--which buys a lot of candy--and walk away with a sackful of candy and not even have it be a blip in spending.

I'm not saying how often it happens.  Too often.

:D

literally sitting in my office laughing out loud right now, this is awesome!

Reminds me of a story of my childhood, I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, spending my summers in Poland. My younger brother and cousin thought we would be funny and go to the candy store and buy candy with polish grosze (pennies). We purchased maybe 8oz of candy and figured it would take the cashier an hour to count the money.

Boy did we get outsmarted. She counted ten coins, put them on the scale, and quickly used her awesome to us math skills to weigh the money and figure out the amount by weight.

[arebelspy]

Reminds me of a story of my childhood, I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, spending my summers in Poland. My younger brother and cousin thought we would be funny and go to the candy store and buy candy with polish grosze (pennies). We purchased maybe 8oz of candy and figured it would take the cashier an hour to count the money.

Boy did we get outsmarted. She counted ten coins, put them on the scale, and quickly used her awesome to us math skills to weigh the money and figure out the amount by weight.

That is an awesome story.  If her scale is accurate enough... brilliant.

[PencilThinStash]

When I'm bearded: Getting a proper barber to trim the beard and shave my neck with a straight razor. 99% of the time I do it myself, but holy damn, that $10 splurge felt like the absolute height of luxury.

[Kris]

Most recently: Being able to quit a decently-paid tenure-track position at a state university because the political winds had combined with various other factors to slowly begin destroying most of what made the university a place I believed in.  And instead, to have the time and saved-up cash necessary to transition to full-time e-book writing without being worried that we will land in the poor house.

It's an unbelievable luxury, and my life is so much better and stress-free because I was able to make that choice.

[deborah]

Being warm in winter.

Oh yes! I have two sets of nice warm flannelette sheets just for winter - pure decadence! I also feel rich every morning when I gaze out of my windows over the valley and to the national park beyond - just how many people in the world can have a view like that - every morning!

[Money Badger]

Whenever I can enjoy the creature comforts that were hard to come by as a kid (through college)...

4 new tires (just did recently and feel completely decadent for doing so... was a rare experience in my youth)
Air conditioning (didn't have consistently till after college in the south)
Really nice sox (used to wear old 'sandpaper' sox to play sports for years that were just, well...  gross)
And last but not least, eliminating debt (plenty of unpleasant experiences with that one)

[muckety_muck]

a fridge full of really good produce.
Driving around in our semi-luxury vehicle that we got for a STEAL
the pedicure I get at the beginning of every summer, and new 99c flip flops to show it off
calculating my net worth at the end of every month
ordering inexpensive sushi/appetizers for a meal at the really fancy Japanese restaurant in town
taking a random day off work to just do "whatever" (I don't do this nearly enough, going to have to start taking some days before the end of the year)

[Bracken_Joy]

Had a major recent one... buying a house at 27. A house we can stay in permanently, a 3/2 with an office in a good neighborhood. It's insane to think that less than 5 years ago, I was on food stamps with no job prospects, living with my parents while I tried to pick up the pieces from a miserably failed relationship. Now I'm a nurse with a job I love, married to a man I love, and moving into our own home. A *very* different return to Hometown from 5 years ago!

(On the other hand, the costs involved simultaneously are making me feel very, very poor! Haha. But when I take a step back and look, I feel incredibly rich and fortunate).

[Cyaphas]

Eating the following:
Perfectly cooked medium ribeye with raw horseradish.
Fresh cooked king crab.
When you order 6 rolls of colorful sushi and it all comes out at once to your table!
Looking a waiter dead in the eye and saying 'surprise me!'

Other things:
Carrying obscene amounts of cash to tax auctions.
Having my daughter perfectly read a map while we're traveling in the car (she was 8 when she first started doing this.)
Surprising my Fiance with Disneyland while we were in LA for 2 days.
Sitting on a beach in Hawaii, drinking and fishing.
Unloading a 20 round magazine of .308 into a broken microwave at a 100 yards.

[Knapptyme]

This thread is grand, and I could reduce my rich feelings around just the ability to take the time to read it. Even though I am not debt-free (yet), my wife and I also revel in the richness of our lives. The summer, with both of us being teachers, brings especially sweet luxuries to every day being a Saturday.

Other rich reflections occur to us while sitting in our expansive 1700 sq. ft. house that is wonderfully chilled and dehumidified from the sweltering Florida heat watching our boys play.

Choices, lots of them, also make us feel rich. Whether it's a food choice, activity choice, destination choice, choice to continue working, or a choice to purchase something new that we like (even if we choose not to), all of them amount to a vast richness.

[Anatidae V]

Working from home once a week. I finally felt confident enough to ask for this at the start of the year because of our stash.

[Cellista]

Leisurely weekend breakfasts with homemade espresso, my Lab retriever and the New York Times.

The hour between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. when the sun lights my open plan home just perfectly.

That sweet farmhouse in Virginia that I know I will be able to afford when I retire and can leave the congestion of Washington DC.

[Pro_Amateur]

Some things mentioned here really sound familiar...

Going to the supermarket and not having to worry about prices. In fact, I pay with my debit card and sometimes can't even remember how much it was. Quite a change from the time when I was an almost-starving student!

Being able to say no to better job offers that would include a car and traffic jams instead of biking to work through the hills and the fields. It's simply not worth it for me. Same with job offers within my organization that would include more stress. I'm happy with what I do right now.

[G-dog]

Harvesting produce from our garden. It doesn't get any fresher!

[FIRE me]

Adding up my net worth makes me feel rich.

Also, having ice cold air conditioning in my car on a hot day. I've not had a car with air conditioning for decades, but now I have it and rolling up the windows and making myself cold on a hot and humid day makes me feel like my crap box Taurus is a Rolls Royce!

[MarciaB]

Not worrying about money makes me feel rich.

My investments and spending habits are largely on auto-pilot and have been for quite a while.  I don't have stress about money.  I don't think about money.  It's there if it's needed, but usually it isn't.

This. The feeling never gets old.

[reginna]

Harvesting produce from our garden. It doesn't get any fresher!

+1 on this!

[JLee]

Overhearing conversations from other people - I was at an event this weekend and saw someone looking at a vendor's products; she made a comment about how she'd be back, but had to make sure it wasn't either (item) or rent.

Moments like that remind me of how fortunate I am.

[jodelino]

Being able to help an admirable young man whom we know by paying his rent while he is in a 2-year technical program at a community college. His father died unexpectedly with no insurance, and his mother is a drug addict. He has loans and grants for his tuition, and he works, but he was really struggling with his living expenses.

I remember when I was desperate to get an education, with a deadbeat dad and a single mother, and it feels fabulous to be in a position to help this kid, and see him thrive.

[PFHC]

Okey dokey. I'm going to step up and be the big sap. All these things are nice. But take every one of them away, and I'd still feel rich. Why?

My wife: her humor, the way she loves our children and me, the way she catches a frisbee, the way she walks and talks, how her mind works, her honesty, creativity, and morals.
My son: his mind, his curiosity, his openness, his patience with his sister, the way he handles conflict, he energy, his joy, his creativity, and tenacity
My daughter: how free she is with her love, her way with animals and other kids, the joy in her eyes, how she can't help dancing, her kindness and generosity, how brave and genuinely tough she is
My health and how well my mind works: I am infinitely thankful for both. I've known intimately what its like for both to be gone. These two things drive many of my life's decisions.

That right there is what makes me feel rich. Yes, I appreciate the monetary rewards, but they absolutely pale in comparison.

[lifejoy]

Being able to afford making mistakes.

This is huge and I constantly remind myself that I am very lucky to be in this position!

[DeltaBond]

All the electrical fixtures in my house in working order... sounds small, but nothing makes me feel more poor than the light over the stove not working.

[Lunasol]

All the electrical fixtures in my house in working order... sounds small, but nothing makes me feel more poor than the light over the stove not working.

Haha I can relate, except that my house is in much need of maintenance, so I feel the opposite!

[Basenji]

My perennial herb beds. I sometimes stand there looking at the rosemary, sage, chives, thyme, oregano, marjoram, lavender, anise hyssop, lemon balm, and horseradish that we can't eat all up and that comes back year after year and think of those expensive plastic packs of herbs in supermarkets.

My dogs sleeping contentedly with full bellies and toys and hairballs scattered around.

Knowing I will quit my job in two years and (knock wood) will never have to work for money again.

[snogirl]

Walking in the forest with my dog.  I do it everyday.  It is magical.

[DeltaBond]

All the electrical fixtures in my house in working order... sounds small, but nothing makes me feel more poor than the light over the stove not working.

Haha I can relate, except that my house is in much need of maintenance, so I feel the opposite!

You're not alone there... I can tolerate a lot, but the lighting MUST work.  Right now, there's a project in every room that's not finished, ugh.

[horsepoor]

I don't know how I missed this thread.

Being in my backyard makes me feel rich.  We have this lovely little patch of land with grass, flowers, vegetables, visiting birds... it is wonderful.

Our big, soft bed.  It feels so luxurious to crawl in, especially with fresh sheets, and sink into those layers of padding.

My kitchen, which is packed full of excellent ingredients and great tools to prepare them with.

Technology - being able to communicate so easily via my iPad and smart phone, and access so much information from anywhere is amazing.

[JLee]

Today the bank called with my updated home value (I ordered a broker's price opinion to eliminate PMI).  She told me that it came in a little too low and I could either challenge the BPO or pay $1478.02 to make up the difference.  I made a principal payment while she was still on the phone and dropped PMI.  Such a great feeling to be able to do that without hesitation!  It was an unexpected expense, but not being paycheck to paycheck gives so much flexibility...it gave me a lot of appreciation for my financial situation.

[Bracken_Joy]

Recent one: due to Circumstances, with the next couple months there will be ~2 weeks where I won't be working (work's end, not mine). And you know what? We can afford that. That's a good feeling.

[golden1]

1) Filling the house up with food from the grocery store.  Never fails to make me feel wealthy. 
2) Sitting at my computer on a weekend morning, coffee in hand. 
3) Sitting on my couch resting after a long run. 
4) Sharing a good laugh with my husband and kids. 
5) I know this is very consumerist, but I am still a little bit awed every time I use my iPad or iPhone.  It really does seem like magic.   

[PFHC]

2) Sitting at my computer on a weekend morning, coffee in hand. 
3) Sitting on my couch resting after a long run. 
4) Sharing a good laugh with my husband and kids. 

Amen.

I would also add the feeling of my skin after a good long swim on a warm day. That's pretty rad, too.

[Angel_fire]

I feel quite rich whenever I spend time at the 'fancy' gym;  it's one with a heated swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, steam room and fancy showers stalls.

So  enjoy feeling spoiled loitering around after a work out alternating between sauna-cold shower-steam room-swimming pool-hot shower with no time restraints. 

The gym membership is more costly than others in town but it's worth every penny for me.  As someone with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, this gym has greatly improved my quality of life.   I can't even begin to explain how anything hot on skin reduces pain.

A nice bonus is having other members who are primarily middle-aged, retired or professionals in their field.   Another bonus is having endless hot water for extra long showers.  And having lower water bills and not having to clean my tub anymore :)

Another way I feel quite rich and spoiled is my loitering at Starbucks after leaving the gym.  Thankfully, the gym is 7 minutes from my home and the coffee shop is conveniently on my way there.  Starbucks, of course, is not a wise locale for frugal person but I make due by buying bulk Starbuck Via packets at discount store.  Venti hot waters and venti iced waters are free and the little tips for the baristas allows me to not wait for the order.