The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: deek on February 27, 2025, 11:40:45 AM
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What are you doing to treat yourself this year? What are some things you're doing that might be considered excessive to others, but is essential to you? This is an anti-scarcity mindset thread.
Me?
- We have reached a point financially where we've decided its okay to take more than 1 week-long adventure out of the state. The first of the year will take place in a month. Heading down south to AZ as a family of 3. We are also considering a trip to Florida later this year, and a road trip to another undecided location as we can both work remotely.
- I'm buying a custom 55" Walnut standing desk to be on my feet more, and work more comfortably. The thing will last a long time.
- I will be outfitting my garage home-gym. Budgeting about $1000 for a basic setup (mostly kettlebells/body weight/functional strength)
Probably a couple more things to come, but that's front of mind right now.
DISCUSS!
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We're going to Europe for 2 weeks probably in May. We don't normally take typical vacations because with my health they're pretty terrible value because I don't fly well and I need a lot of downtime, so I pay a massive premium for a place to rest and do nothing.
But it's been a wild ride health-wise for many years and we have a lot of points to use, so we're going, and it's going to be exhausting but fun.
ETA: oh! We also get the friends and family rate at Marriott hotels, so that makes it much cheaper.
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New running socks. I am starting to lose too many to holes in the soles. Ticks me off, most of them are only about six years old. I am fine with burning through shoes, but disappointed not to get a full decade or so out of eight pairs of socks.
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We're going to Europe for 2 weeks probably in May. We don't normally take typical vacations because with my health they're pretty terrible value because I don't fly well and I need a lot of downtime, so I pay a massive premium for a place to rest and do nothing.
But it's been a wild ride health-wise for many years and we have a lot of points to use, so we're going, and it's going to be exhausting but fun.
ETA: oh! We also get the friends and family rate at Marriott hotels, so that makes it much cheaper.
Enjoy! That sounds like fun. If you can find an excuse to somehow explore some part of Croatia, I highly recommend. May is the perfect time as it's not yet super busy. I've been told May and September are prime Croatia months. (we did Croatia on our honeymoon last May)
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New running socks. I am starting to lose too many to holes in the soles. Ticks me off, most of them are only about six years old. I am fine with burning through shoes, but disappointed not to get a full decade or so out of eight pairs of socks.
Buy the kind that have a lifetime replacement guarantee
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We're re-doing our Master Bath this year, and usually I've done these projects 100% solo, giving up pretty much all free time until it's done.
This year we're hiring out a few big chunks of the work to friends that are professionals (plumbing and tile), so it's not an all consuming task. Our contributions in demo, rough in etc still saved us probably $5k, but hiring out work I *Could* do myself feels really weird... As a side benefit, our friend doing the tile work is WAY better than I am at it, so the finished product will be better too!
Yesterday, our friend doing the tile asked if he could do the sheetrock finishing and painting to give some more work to his part time helper. It was nice to just say sure, which made the helper's day also.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
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Joshua Tree with cool MMM friends is coming right up. An RV trip to Alaska in mid-summer. Maybe the month of July?? Looks like Ireland is on the calendar in August. The Magical Moab Meetup in October.
DH is not a planner, so who know what we'll do between these trips.
It's great to be FIRE! Every day I don't have to go to work is a splurge.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
ROFL. Thank you.
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Knock on wood, an African Safari with stayovers in Cape Town and Victoria Falls. 12 or so day all in, with friends, in September.
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Taking my mom on a trip to Wales. She says this will be her "last trip". She has used this line on me several times over the last 13 years, so we'll see...
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The cat needs dental work.
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Yoga studio membership
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
You are absolutely right about the sock wars. Also, I can't believe you favor Icebreaker over Darn Tough. Your husband is 100% right on this one.
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This year, I'm experimenting with bedding. I got a wool blanket, which has been surprisingly awesome to sleep under during these colder months. I'm looking for some linen sheets to see if they work well for me in the summer.
I have also been thinking of replacing my pillows (at 20+ years old, they might be shot). I'm intrigued by the idea of buckwheat hull pillows and wool fill pillows as they're both plastic free and are supposed to help sleep cooler. No idea how to evaluate if a pillow works before sleeping on it for a while though.
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I think I'm gonna buy my kids (ages 8 and 10) some kids' size oven mitt gloves and cut-proof gloves. I want to teach them to cook and bake but I don't feel like taking them to the ER.
Would appreciate any recommendations on these, btw.
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Keep meaning to buy myself a new Tamiya Lunchbox and relive my yoof.. still gotta get round to it!
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I think I'm gonna buy my kids (ages 8 and 10) some kids' size oven mitt gloves and cut-proof gloves. I want to teach them to cook and bake but I don't feel like taking them to the ER.
Would appreciate any recommendations on these, btw.
You might be overthinking it a bit.
At 10 my son was able to fry an egg and make toast without supervision. He was cutting vegetables with a sharp knife, and making pasta in a boiling pot under supervision long before then, and has been helping with mixing stuff for baking since six. Kids have a pretty strong 'oh shit, that's hot' reflex that protects their little fingers from being badly enough burned or cut right off to need a hospital trip. Just teach them sensible kitchen safety practices and they'll be fine.
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Both of mine have burned themselves and are now shy of the oven. We're working through it.
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My husband and I are both quitting our jobs, moving to a different country, and splitting our time between a new-to-us house and our vacation home in a popular cottage region. This gift of time is a total splurge for us.
We are also splurging on new bikes (road bike for him, hybrid for me, hybrid for DD) that we are planning to take on a week-long bike-packing trip on one of the most famous trails in Quebec, during fall when the colours are gorgeous.
We are planning a weeklong trip to Beijing to ride the high-speed train, climb the Great Wall, and visit the Forbidden City.
I've already splurged on flying to a different country and paying out of pocket to get high-end private medical care and will do so again in a few months.
And I'll probably get a new phone.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
I can only run in super thin socks (my current favorite, having tried A LOT of options) are SwiftWick. They are super thin, and I've been using mine weekly for 10+ years & just this year started replacing them.
DH & I are going to Spain in four weeks. The flights were "free" (travel credits about to expire), we used points & free night awards for 7/10 nights. So, out of pocket are 3 hotel nights, trains from Madrid -> Seville -> Granada -> Madrid, one tourist attraction, and of course... delicious food. My goal is to keep the trip to about $2500 (includes expensive transportation to/from our house to SFO).
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Europe with friends from late April into May.
Great Northeastern USA road trip during my sabbatical in October/November. Some of that will be staying with friends which will keep the average cost per night down somewhat.
There will also be some shorter weekends away with friends. Already did one of those, in fact.
Somewhat tempted to update the phone in order to have a better camera prior to Europe, but I haven’t totally decided on that yet.
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We have a $60k travel budget for 20205 - that ought to do it :-)
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A low end super car if the right one pops up.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
Lol, I'm Balega all the way! I hope we aren't mortal enemies now that I've disclosed that....
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
Lol, I'm Balega all the way! I hope we aren't mortal enemies now that I've disclosed that....
My husband is always trying to convince me to switch to Balega (and, I do like them for regular wear, but not running). He goes so far as to buy them for me as gifts. Too thick!
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A stupid fast motorcycle (already bought). I haven't owned a car since 2019 so I can justify the cost.
And a bunch of new clothes. At least I'll look fashionable when I crash and burn.
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Looks like Ireland is on the calendar in August.
Don't know if it's your thing, but the Bray Air Display is August 2nd. Besides an airshow on the water (great view *down* on the planes from Bray Head, if you don't mind the climb) it has a carnival and a lot of restaurants. Nice way to see the Irish at play.
https://visitwicklow.ie/event/bray-air-display-2024/
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Business class tickets to Asia. Get a private room on Amtrak's Empire Builder and California Zephyr. 100 scuba dives.
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Nothing too wild. Depending on my bonus we may get our homes interior painted. I have no interest doing it myself when spending 12-15 hr weeks working out/biking, working full time, and having a 3 year old and 5 month old. It’ll largely depend on the quote as well.
Other than that, typical travel and several bike races 8-10 hrs away we’ll make long trips/short vacations out of.
I have started building furniture and last year spent a lot on tools/some welding accessories. This year I’ll be buying materials. I’ve already made a couple wood/metal bench/shoe racks, and currently working on an office bookshelf and entryway table. The bookshelf I’m building would cost about $1800 for a near identical one, and im building it for about $250 in materials. I have a dream in the back of my mind that I could turn it into a full time job some day, but we’ll see how things shake out once I build a bunch more things for the house first.
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Converting a lot of my pre-tax retirement funds to Roth.
I also hope to get a long-awaited home update done - chisel off the damn rock wall that is our fireplace, and re-tile it, while adding a better mantelpiece, and hearth.
That will allow us to redo the ceiling in our great room and major hallway, including adding can lights and surround sound to our living room.
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I've been on a buying frenzy getting ready for spring salmon fishing:
a $57 dollar 10K BTU heater that attaches to a big propane tank, a $80 Makita battery powered electric blanket (I thought it was a mistake since it doesn't seem that warm, but I found a benefit in leaving it on for my little dog when I leave him in the truck),
a $160 dollar pair of bibs (which I got for $108 since a friend works there),
and a $120 dollar double thick hoodie (link for hoodie nerds: https://arborwear.com/product/400440/)
As you can see I really don't want to be cold!
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Looks like Ireland is on the calendar in August.
Don't know if it's your thing, but the Bray Air Display is August 2nd. Besides an airshow on the water (great view *down* on the planes from Bray Head, if you don't mind the climb) it has a carnival and a lot of restaurants. Nice way to see the Irish at play.
https://visitwicklow.ie/event/bray-air-display-2024/
Thanks! I love air shows. I used to work at Nordstrom in SF. During Fleet week, we'd gather in the break room to watch the Blue Angels zip by. I'll chat about this with our hosts. Our trip is tentatively planned for later in the month, but it's great to be FIRE and plans could morph to include this.
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We are splurging on buying Canadian as much as possible. According to the news (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-tariff-march-4-1.7469928), Trump is moving ahead on 25% tariff on most Canadian goods, to take effect March 4th. Even if he puts another last-minute pause on it, I don't like this psychopathic toying with other nations and bullying and making other nations jump through hoops just because you're a big bully. So annoying, and Not Okay. It might be more expensive, but I love that we are in a position where we can afford to splurge on boycotting annoying situations. In one sense, I suppose it's a form of FU money.
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I don't get much pleasure splurging on consumer-sucka items, so it's mostly travel in 2025. ;-) San Diego/Encinitas for a bit next month, sending HS child to Japan for 9 days, and a stay near Olympic National Park this summer, college-town homecoming in October and Kauai in November. All booked and just slogging through brutally boring and unmotivating workdays. Met with a work-provided CFP today and quitting the FT job looks pretty good for October 2026, although may extend a few months longer to pay for a few consumer-sucka items.
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We have airfare to Switzerland and Italy in August. Now we just need to splurge on accommodations!
Also booked a freaky cheap trip to Mexico to visit a parent.
Hopefully no other splurging, because it would be on bad unexpected things as the Europe trip will totally tap out our cash and mental reserves for the year.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
You are absolutely right about the sock wars. Also, I can't believe you favor Icebreaker over Darn Tough. Your husband is 100% right on this one.
Oh, I have some Darn Tough socks, I wear them when I don't feel like enjoying my day as much as I could.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
Lol, I'm Balega all the way! I hope we aren't mortal enemies now that I've disclosed that....
My husband is always trying to convince me to switch to Balega (and, I do like them for regular wear, but not running). He goes so far as to buy them for me as gifts. Too thick!
Way too thick for me. I like the Icebreakers that you can almost see through.
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We just booked a trip to Club Med Turkoise (Turks & Caicos). My sister-in-law is in the travel business and keeps an eye out for good deals.
We went there in 2023 and really enjoyed it. Adults only, good food, and a beautiful beach. The rooms are pretty basic, but that suits me fine.
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I just bought some fancy new running shoes.
I was not aware that they made socks specifically for running...I'll have to look into this.
Careful, you are about to fall down a sock rabbit hole that you can never come back from.
DH and I happen to be in different sock camps, and it causes some tension. Lol. I'm Icebreaker and he's Darn Tough and that's like fuckin' Capulets and Montagues shit.
Lol, I'm Balega all the way! I hope we aren't mortal enemies now that I've disclosed that....
My husband is always trying to convince me to switch to Balega (and, I do like them for regular wear, but not running). He goes so far as to buy them for me as gifts. Too thick!
Well you can have my Swiftwick and I'll take your Balegas. Swiftwick are too thin for me even though I run in cushy shoes, I've got at least one pait that sit at the bottom of the stack.
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We have a $60k travel budget for 20205 - that ought to do it :-)
ok, well, if you live that long, that might buy you a bus ticket ;-)
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First paid lessons in music and languages for 45 years.
You can do a lot on your own, but the music lessons already started and it’s so motivating to have a coach. Already cutting through long-standing thickets of ignorance.
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Spend $3k total to upgrade my free 10 day cruise to a suite. (Haven't gotten the free Oceanview cabin certificate yet)
I read that it's worth it.
You have suite only floors: pool, hot tubs , restaurants
You don't need to deal with the peasants :)
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Dropping from full-time work to only 3 days a week to spend more time with my 1 year old son.
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Dropping from full-time work to only 3 days a week to spend more time with my 1 year old son.
Winning!
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I bought a new car in the beginning of January because I knew tariffs were coming and my car was 17 years old. I saved money by buying a 2024 on the lot that didn’t have any extra features. I’ve cancelled all my trips because I think we will have massive inflation and possibly SS will be cut. I also no longer trust flying since musk’s engineers have been involved with the FAA. I’m going to buy as little as possible until I see how things shake out. I hope I’m wrong about everything.
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I bought a new car in the beginning of January because I knew tariffs were coming and my car was 17 years old. I saved money by buying a 2024 on the lot that didn’t have any extra features. I’ve cancelled all my trips because I think we will have massive inflation and possibly SS will be cut. I also no longer trust flying since musk’s engineers have been involved with the FAA. I’m going to buy as little as possible until I see how things shake out. I hope I’m wrong about everything.
fwiw, flying is still by far the safest mode of transportation
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I like the Icebreakers that you can almost see through.
Ah. This explains your other inexplicable anti-Darn Tough bias. I live in a colder climate that you do (even assuming you went full time to Newfoundland). I need some nice thick socks. I do have an icebreaker lightweight merino tshirt that I use for hiking on hot days and like a lot for that purpose.
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I like the Icebreakers that you can almost see through.
Ah. This explains your other inexplicable anti-Darn Tough bias. I live in a colder climate that you do (even assuming you went full time to Newfoundland). I need some nice thick socks. I do have an icebreaker lightweight merino tshirt that I use for hiking on hot days and like a lot for that purpose.
I don't usually live in NL during the winter, I usually live somewhere much, much colder. I do have thicker socks for outdoors in cold winters, but winter is only part of the year, and even then, I don't spend the majority of my time outside.
Indoors and during non-winter, I wear slippers or Sketchers, so I like thin socks the vast majority of the time.
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Knock on wood, an African Safari with stayovers in Cape Town and Victoria Falls. 12 or so day all in, with friends, in September.
That sounds like fun! Make sure to give us a trip report when you get back.
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I bought a new car in the beginning of January because I knew tariffs were coming and my car was 17 years old. I saved money by buying a 2024 on the lot that didn’t have any extra features. I’ve cancelled all my trips because I think we will have massive inflation and possibly SS will be cut. I also no longer trust flying since musk’s engineers have been involved with the FAA. I’m going to buy as little as possible until I see how things shake out. I hope I’m wrong about everything.
fwiw, flying is still by far the safest mode of transportation
That remains to be seen after the FAA cuts.
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Considering that Musk has had many failures with his satellites and rockets plus his habit of proceeding to break things and then go forward to see the results I do think that flying will no longer be as safe as it was. Musk has brought in his engineers that aren’t aviation experts and has loaned 2 airports in Alaska and one in Atlanta starlink terminals on a trial basis to see how they work with the FAA system.
Musk can also turn off the satellites if he wants to which is what he has threatened to do with Ukraine. If the FAA was totally dependent on starlink our air safety would be totally dependent on a ketamine addicted crazy man. I’m not the only person that is worried about this. 2 months ago I would have thought this post was totally crazy and now it’s absolutely possible.
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Splurged on treks in Bhutan April/May and Japan in November. July it'll be either the Dolomites or Tombstones in the Yukon Territories. Then somewhere warm Dec/Jan: Maui, ??...
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2 dental implants . Lost 1 tooth 25 years ago and one 6 years ago and finally decided to get implants ( 14 K for both)
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I'm splurging on a yoga retreat to Africa this year. I can more than afford it, but it seems so over the top. I was invited to go and I figure something like this will never happen again.
DH and I also want to do something for our anniversary, and are batting some ideas around, but haven't decided on where we'll go yet.
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2 dental implants . Lost 1 tooth 25 years ago and one 6 years ago and finally decided to get implants ( 14 K for both)
That's an investment in your overall health, not a splurge. I'd call it a wise investment. I hope the process goes smoothly.
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2 dental implants . Lost 1 tooth 25 years ago and one 6 years ago and finally decided to get implants ( 14 K for both)
That's an investment in your overall health, not a splurge. I'd call it a wise investment. I hope the process goes smoothly.
Same. DH is getting an implant this year as well and I certainly don't consider it a splurge. It's a privilege to be able to easily afford it though, of course.
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2 dental implants . Lost 1 tooth 25 years ago and one 6 years ago and finally decided to get implants ( 14 K for both)
My kid had invisialign, and I've realized I should do it too. I had braces as a kids and they've slipped back somewhat. It causes rubbing and enamel damage, so it's not just aesthetic (which I don't care about at my age). I could sign up for insurance, and I think get it for $2k - 2.5k. I've been to cheap to do it for a couple years now, but maybe this year? Or next.. (thought it also kinda a PIA to deal with for a while).
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2 dental implants . Lost 1 tooth 25 years ago and one 6 years ago and finally decided to get implants ( 14 K for both)
My kid had invisialign, and I've realized I should do it too. I had braces as a kids and they've slipped back somewhat. It cases rubbing and enamel damage, so it's not just aesthetic (which I don't care about at my age). I could sign up for insurance, and I think get it for $2k - 2.5k. I've been to cheap to do it for a couple years now, but maybe this year? Or next.. (thought it also kinda a PIA to deal with for a while).
I had braces in my mid-thirties, and DH did in his fifties. Despite the fact that he wore his retainers religiously, his teeth shifted, and he needed braces again after only a few months. Fortunately, his orthodontist didn't charge him extra. I slipped up and stopped wearing my retainers after I got a new crown that the retainers didn't fit over. I noticed shifting, so I found a new orthodontist (I'd moved since the original work). She made a new set for a reasonable price. DH and I are quite a sight at night time. We both wear our retainers and use c-paps. We call it "Geek Love."
My point is that it is a pain in the ass, but absolutely worth it. Go for it! Future you will be glad you did.
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I'm giving serious thought to getting a Eufy or similar robotic vacuum.
Otherwise 2025 will probably be a hunker down year because my country is imploding with an orange rot. So glad the major appliances that self-destructed did it last year...
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I have a week and a half in Europe in April coming up. I only paid about $1,000 for airfare and hotel combined due to travel credit card hacking.
These vacations every year and a half or so are not luxurious or anything but a lot of fun. I'll probably spend at least another $1,500-$2,000 on admissions and food during the 10+ days (excluding all the trains, I purchased those too)
BUDAPEST
VIENNA
BRNO
PRAGUE
DRESDEN
BERLIN
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I'm giving serious thought to getting a Eufy or similar robotic vacuum.
Otherwise 2025 will probably be a hunker down year because my country is imploding with an orange rot. So glad the major appliances that self-destructed did it last year...
I bought an iLife for less than $200 a decade ago and it's still running well.
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I'm giving serious thought to getting a Eufy or similar robotic vacuum.
Otherwise 2025 will probably be a hunker down year because my country is imploding with an orange rot. So glad the major appliances that self-destructed did it last year...
I've had Eufy 11s for several years. It's one of my best purchases ever. I rarely need to sweep, it cost around $100, I can repair it myself, and parts are easy to purchase from Eufy.
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Pondering on buying a dozen eggs. LOL.
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I don't really splurge on things, I have long-standing budgets for everything that's important to me. I imagine my February trip to Asia will be my largest expense of the year, at a little over half my travel budget, followed by wherever I go in the fall. But I don't think of my travel budget any differently than my grocery budget or my rent budget.
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2 weeks ago a friend messaged everyone that a friend of hers died and she was trying to find a home for her 8 year old little dog. I said I could be a foster home if my little dogs were fine with her. She is an easy keeper and my boy dog adores her. My female dog is dying from heart failure.
I took her to my vet to get her current on her vaccines. She has horrible teeth and a growth on her gum. The dental estimate is between 2-2.6k. I’m not going to have the growth biopsied because I won’t treat cancer in a pet. I decided to keep her as no one wants her now that she’s going to be expensive. My male dog has severe separation anxiety so once he’s gone I will only have one dog because of the cost. So that’s my splurge.
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2 weeks ago a friend messaged everyone that a friend of hers died and she was trying to find a home for her 8 year old little dog. I said I could be a foster home if my little dogs were fine with her. She is an easy keeper and my boy dog adores her. My female dog is dying from heart failure.
I took her to my vet to get her current on her vaccines. She has horrible teeth and a growth on her gum. The dental estimate is between 2-2.6k. I’m not going to have the growth biopsied because I won’t treat cancer in a pet. I decided to keep her as no one wants her now that she’s going to be expensive. My male dog has severe separation anxiety so once he’s gone I will only have one dog because of the cost. So that’s my splurge.
<3
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I don't usually live in NL during the winter, I usually live somewhere much, much colder. I do have thicker socks for outdoors in cold winters, but winter is only part of the year, and even then, I don't spend the majority of my time outside.
Indoors and during non-winter, I wear slippers or Sketchers, so I like thin socks the vast majority of the time.
In perhaps a further explanation of our sock differences, my splurge this month was some roller skis so that I can skate ski even once the snow eventually melts. (I am terrible at skate skiing, making it even more of a splurge, but I can't run anymore, and I want a way to be outdoors and get my heartrate high.) Perhaps I will wear the lightweight darn toughs during the few hot days this summer...
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To celebrate my oldest son's graduation from high school (with an associates degree!), we're taking our first overseas trip as a family. Two weeks in Taiwan!
Flights were $7k, and I expect a few thousand more in food, lodging, and miscellaneous expenses.
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Taking my GF to an inclusive resort in the Caribbean. Our first trip out of the country.
I just did my biggest amazon order ever for stuff for us to take / wear. I've got 7 delievery dates.
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Currently, a hydroponic setup to grow strawberries and tomatoes. Also, I have a trip next week for a concert and another in September. I need to tighten up the budget on everything else for awhile though.
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I bought an iLife for less than $200 a decade ago and it's still running well.
I've had Eufy 11s for several years. It's one of my best purchases ever. I rarely need to sweep, it cost around $100, I can repair it myself, and parts are easy to purchase from Eufy.
My Eufy 11s should arrive next week. I looked into the iLife, but the manufacturer's website says it is closing its doors soon (although the warranty is supposed to be still valid-not sure how that would work but...). Thanks to you both for the input!
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
This is exactly me and DH, our Icebreaker vs Darn Tough debates can get heated. Also, it's so nice to see someone else on my side of this debate for once!!
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For the 3rd summer in a row we will buy suite tickets for a Colorado Rockies baseball game and split it with some friends. Sunday day games are the cheapest at $130 each. We are a family of 3. It includes the ticket and good food. We will spend an extra $60 on beers and ice cream bar for my son. It's $450 total. Kind of excessive, but parking is free on Sundays!
Game is about 2.5 hours. You can enter the stadium 2 hours early and access to the suite 1.5 hours early. Three sets of parents with kids and one set of grandparents. I'm a big baseball fan and it's more enjoyable for myself and the kids when the kids can walk around the suite.
In addition, my wife bought a $450 concert ticket to see the Backstreet Boys in concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas in July with 3 of her best high school friends and another 5 girls.
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2 weeks ago a friend messaged everyone that a friend of hers died and she was trying to find a home for her 8 year old little dog. I said I could be a foster home if my little dogs were fine with her. She is an easy keeper and my boy dog adores her. My female dog is dying from heart failure.
I took her to my vet to get her current on her vaccines. She has horrible teeth and a growth on her gum. The dental estimate is between 2-2.6k. I’m not going to have the growth biopsied because I won’t treat cancer in a pet. I decided to keep her as no one wants her now that she’s going to be expensive. My male dog has severe separation anxiety so once he’s gone I will only have one dog because of the cost. So that’s my splurge.
<3
<3 <3
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Two or three vacations. Probably 5-6 weeks in total. I'm not getting any younger.
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Likely some long awaited home renovations.
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Nothing in 2025. I pulled all of my major purchases and splurging to 2024 and plan to coast through the economic uncertainty over the next few years.
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
I'm kind of considering throwing out every sock in my house and buying 2 dozen pairs of the same damn socks. I did that a couple of years ago with the kid's socks and it has worked out well.
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
I'm kind of considering throwing out every sock in my house and buying 2 dozen pairs of the same damn socks. I did that a couple of years ago with the kid's socks and it has worked out well.
If you guys merino wool socks, you don't need 2 dozen pairs.
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
I'm kind of considering throwing out every sock in my house and buying 2 dozen pairs of the same damn socks. I did that a couple of years ago with the kid's socks and it has worked out well.
Another option is to stop caring if your socks match. When one of my socks wears out I just match it with something else. If one is striped and the other is Spongebob, oh well.
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
I'm kind of considering throwing out every sock in my house and buying 2 dozen pairs of the same damn socks. I did that a couple of years ago with the kid's socks and it has worked out well.
Another option is to stop caring if your socks match. When one of my socks wears out I just match it with something else. If one is striped and the other is Spongebob, oh well.
Mine don't actually match today. They're both black, but definitely different socks.
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
I'm kind of considering throwing out every sock in my house and buying 2 dozen pairs of the same damn socks. I did that a couple of years ago with the kid's socks and it has worked out well.
Another option is to stop caring if your socks match. When one of my socks wears out I just match it with something else. If one is striped and the other is Spongebob, oh well.
Why not both? Start buying only one brand/colour/design of sock now to replace ones that you wear out. Wear mismatched socks until all your socks are one type. Then continue only having one type of sock (optimal).
(Always buy single colour socks of either black or white. Then worst case scenario if your sock of choice gets discontinued, you can match the colour with a different brand/make and it'll look close enough that it's not weird.)
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^^^I buy only white ankle socks and just throw them in a pile in my dresser after washing and grab them as needed. If one gets a hole I have many to replace them. Of course my bed socks (@Sailor Sam screams!) are wild and crazy dog socks and I match them up. Can't have the lime green Corgi on one foot and the hot pink pit bull on the other. The HORROR!!
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
I'm kind of considering throwing out every sock in my house and buying 2 dozen pairs of the same damn socks. I did that a couple of years ago with the kid's socks and it has worked out well.
Another option is to stop caring if your socks match. When one of my socks wears out I just match it with something else. If one is striped and the other is Spongebob, oh well.
Why not both? Start buying only one brand/colour/design of sock now to replace ones that you wear out. Wear mismatched socks until all your socks are one type. Then continue only having one type of sock (optimal).
(Always buy single colour socks of either black or white. Then worst case scenario if your sock of choice gets discontinued, you can match the colour with a different brand/make and it'll look close enough that it's not weird.)
I only wear black socks and the kid only wears white socks. That makes it easy since our socks are pretty much the same size now (his shoes are actually several sizes larger than mine now).
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bed socks
Next to the vitamixes, this is the most disturbing thing I've ever read on these forums.
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My splurge this month is new socks - Icebreaker all the way! Darn Tough make my feet sweat. (We are also a divided family, DH loves Darn Tough and hates Icebreaker.)
I'm kind of considering throwing out every sock in my house and buying 2 dozen pairs of the same damn socks. I did that a couple of years ago with the kid's socks and it has worked out well.
Another option is to stop caring if your socks match. When one of my socks wears out I just match it with something else. If one is striped and the other is Spongebob, oh well.
I don’t care about colors, but I am picky about having the same size/type of sock on both feet so that they feel the same. Costco multi-packs of wool socks for winter and short socks for summer.
Another member of team naked feet for sleep. Have to be able to stick one out from under the covers as needed for temperature regulation.
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Maybe a heat pump. We've been waiting for the stupid IRA rebates to get defined, 3 damn years after the law was passed. Still saying "late Spring" in our state, which is supposedly one of the earliest states to get the program up and running.
We're probably not going to be eligible for the rebates this year unless one or both of the (currently half-time) wage earners in the household loses our job, but the job loss is a distinct possibility. It's been irritating to have to keep waiting while they kick the IRA rebate can down the road by a few months, every few months. We were really hoping to have it by this summer for the A/C, but it's feeling less and less likely. Where we live in northwest WA, summer is mild and A/C is uncommon, but that's changing as the world warms and heat waves become more frequent and severe.
Anyhow, it could end up being more of a splurge than anticipated if we can't wrangle rebates. Or it might just have to wait another year, when it will be even more likely that our income will drop.
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bed socks
Next to the vitamixes, this is the most disturbing thing I've ever read on these forums.
I think it's just the word "bed" that disturbs you ;-). Plus the men of this world thank us bed sock wearers for no longer needing to warm our freezing toes on them in the middle of the night.
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Maybe a heat pump. We've been waiting for the stupid IRA rebates to get defined, 3 damn years after the law was passed. Still saying "late Spring" in our state, which is supposedly one of the earliest states to get the program up and running.
We're probably not going to be eligible for the rebates this year unless one or both of the (currently half-time) wage earners in the household loses our job, but the job loss is a distinct possibility. It's been irritating to have to keep waiting while they kick the IRA rebate can down the road by a few months, every few months. We were really hoping to have it by this summer for the A/C, but it's feeling less and less likely. Where we live in northwest WA, summer is mild and A/C is uncommon, but that's changing as the world warms and heat waves become more frequent and severe.
Anyhow, it could end up being more of a splurge than anticipated if we can't wrangle rebates. Or it might just have to wait another year, when it will be even more likely that our income will drop.
If you can afford it, I would just go ahead and do it. We didn't realize we would be getting a rebate and then were pleasantly surprised by the size of it. We did ours over a year ago and between the tax credit and the rebate I think the net cost was maybe 2k.
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Taking my GF to an inclusive resort in the Caribbean. Our first trip out of the country.
I just did my biggest amazon order ever for stuff for us to take / wear. I've got 7 delievery dates.
Which one?!! Always interested in Caribbean destinations!
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Just bought a couple of business class tickets to Thailand in August - we were invited for a destination wedding and decided to make a vacation out of it
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Replacing the warped windows in the back bedroom. It will be nice being able to close and lock them properly.
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My father and I have begun a classic car project together. Last year was a mess b/c of my mother's health issues. Dad is really excited so we'll do this. I think he feels like his future adventure time is limited.
I'm footing some of the cost of the car project. Ultimately the car will likely be mine when he is done with it. Good investment if the classic car markets stay similar. Prob is my inheritance unless Dad needs to sell it to pay for his future care. That's fine with me.
Also still need to complete some home reno stuff started last year. DIY stuff. Will help DW who this project weighs on.
Mostly just spending slowly so we can continue to grow our savings.
Have asked DW if she wants to vacation, take in a concert or sporting event - or several. She purchased tickets for a comedian that we like. The ball game we considered was $135 per ticket even in the nose bleed section. Still okay with that. Doubt we'll go to the beach this year. Maybe we'll go camping instead. I would like to do a variety of day trip / staycation type things this year. I do want to explore the backroads with DW. We used to do that much more.
We're falling into the rut of just staying home b/c home is so comfortable and affordable. I want to do other things too though. We reserve the winter months for watching too much TV and doom-scrolling. Warm weather is upon us.
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Looks like a trip to Houston this year. DH's cousin is getting married there, and so far we've attended every wedding on both sides. We're debating a road trip, since, with the three of us, the gas might be cheaper than the plane tickets. That and Houston is kind of boring for us as we've been there a couple times before, so Nashville and Indianapolis might be more interesting.
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A door and 2 or 3 windows that qualify for the federal tax credit
Board games - have purchased Asia and Oceania expansions for Wingspan, Finspan, Quacks of Quedlinburg thus far. Local shop has used Castles of Burgundy in fantastic shape for $20. Also have my eye on Camel Up (2nd version), Codenames, Agricola, and Power Grid. May snag CoB to treat myself soon while it is still on the shelf and let my birthday and Christmas help with the others.
Along with the above is motivation to shift part of office (had full home office for many years, currently shifting gears) and turn into multi-use room capable of poker and board games plus arts and crafts plus corresponding storage.
Decent trunks - bought 2 pairs of Chubbie's for $50 in colors that will hopefully be complimentary with tan legs later this sun season. I'm particular about liners, especially on rivers and sandy beaches. The finer mesh is much less coarse/grabby to places with high concentrations of nerve endings.
A new patio rug. Current one is starting its 8th year and it's rather brittle in a few spots. Can only move the patio furniture or rotate the rug to minimize the bad spots so much.
Some type of backyard pool/vessel/setup to let the baby splash in. Costco has some for $47 but it was too big for my backyard and patio area. I did purchase a good outdoor umbrella with a granite base from Costco recently for more than I care to admit (which perhaps is the very essence of a splurge?) to help shade the kiddo while outside.
A few more ornamental flowers this year. Will likely do similar amount of herbs, fruits, and veggies.
Already splurged on symphony tickets. Beethoven's 9th, wonderful and worth every penny. Was a religious experience. Will probably attend a concert or 2 later this year plus 1 or 2 indoor plays plus 1 or 2 outdoor plays/festivals and another symphony or philharmonic performance (or 2! Dvorak's New World and Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov are hard to choose just one and both are in play this year locally! Plus sometimes I'm a big softy and will also do one for Christmas music)
New Ping putter cover. My Craz-E isn't going anywhere but the cover needs replacing.
Cost of materials plus sweat equity for new weather-resistant driving range and shooting range on the family property. Have some ground to manipulate and level, pour concrete bays, build the overhang, build/acquire tables, build/acquire the hopper and dispenser for golf balls, pour rock and purchase mats. May be a 2026 endeavor, will see how job search goes.
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Looks like a trip to Houston this year. DH's cousin is getting married there, and so far we've attended every wedding on both sides. We're debating a road trip, since, with the three of us, the gas might be cheaper than the plane tickets. That and Houston is kind of boring for us as we've been there a couple times before, so Nashville and Indianapolis might be more interesting.
We just got a Meow Wolf installation, if that's your thing. Haven't been there yet, but looking forward to it.
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Looks like we've got another few splurges coming up. We're getting an unusually high tax refund this year (a bunch of new-to-us deductions threw off our calculations) so we decided to spend on some early anniversary presents.
For DH, a projector and blu-ray player that we've been looking at for a while. DH has always wanted a projector setup, and has spent a lot of time researching and selecting the sweet spot equipment for price/quality, so when the one he wanted was on sale and about to go out of stock, we decided to go ahead with it.
For me, piano movers. I've wanted a piano forever, and was very sad that we couldn't take my mom's piano when she downsized but we didn't have the space. Recently a family friend offered us her piano, which is a lovely instrument and we couldn't get anything so nice for just the price of movers. But it is out of state, so it'll be a pricey move even so.
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My kid had invisialign, and I've realized I should do it too. I had braces as a kids and they've slipped back somewhat. It causes rubbing and enamel damage, so it's not just aesthetic (which I don't care about at my age). I could sign up for insurance, and I think get it for $2k - 2.5k. I've been to cheap to do it for a couple years now, but maybe this year? Or next.. (thought it also kinda a PIA to deal with for a while).
I did it as a late middle-age adult and I'm really glad I did. My lower teeth were crowded which made me self-concious of my smile and it made it hard to floss. My wife's insurance paid for most of it, but it still would have been worth it. One downside is that you have to brush after every meal before you put your trays back in, so that means you need to bring a toothbrush when eating out. However, I did it mostly during COVID, so no eating out. I have to wear a retainer at night. But I sometimes grind my teeth, so this is mostly a benefit.
While you are wearing your trays, you need to be really diligent about brushing and flossing, which I was, but I could also really floss for the first time ever. These good habits carried over and just the other day my hygienist said my gums look fantastic.
In short, it took a while and it was a pain, but I'm very glad I did it.
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Mostly splurging on Travel and Personal Fitness, and of course my beagles! :)
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I've just decided to splurge on a full sleeve tattoo for my DH. He's been wanting another tattoo for a long time, but he already has one and I very much dislike the look of multiple, unrelated tattoos. However, one very large, integrated design would look great to my eye, so that's what we're going to do.
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Ordered a roll down storm shutter for our home. We live on the beach and every year during hurricane season we have trouble with water intrusion, hopefully this will help mitigate it some.
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$30 all you can eat sushi for lunch. (monthly)
I recently discovered salmon sashimi and I love it.
the quality of this isn't the same as a real sushi place but with wasabi and soy sauce, it tastes the same to me.
$30 for lunch is alot for me. (I wrote about driving to the McD closest to my house to save 10 cents instead of eating at the McD closest to where i was at that time)
heck, i suspect $30 is alot for many people.
But for some reason, salmon sashimi has become my new crack cocaine.
(Note, i still have $60/lb A5 Wagyu ribeye in the freezer)
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Digital Camera / Lens Upgrade ($3920)
Definitely haven't fully convinced myself of this yet. Price above includes 6% sales tax. It's just for the camera body and one extra nifty telephoto lens. Would probably spend a bit more on a spare battery before long.
Current stuff
I've got a Pentax K3-II 24MP DSLR, and 55-300 4.5-6.3 lens. I've taken just under 16,000 photos on it since I bought it in October 2017. It was just under $900 for the camera, and $350 for the lens (including sales tax.) I've also got a spare battery, 18-135mm lens, 50mm lens, and 35mm lens. The vast majority of the time, I use the 55-300 lens. I have 2 huge, fast memory cards, only one that gets any regular use, and they will be re-usable by the new system.
Fujfilm X-T5
I want this because I want to step into a new ecosystem with mirrorless cameras and modern lenses. Pentax gave up on mirrorless, and maybe / sort of gave up on developing anything new at all. (They are a wholly owned subsidiary of Ricoh Imaging.)
The Fujifilm model I'm looking at is their best APS-C model for photography. (Arguably the more expensive X-H2S is better all around for video and with slight advantages for photography, but overall the advantages it has aren't relevant to my needs!)
40MP, in-body image stabilization, great (and fast) autofocus technology (a major advantage of mirrorless over previous DSLR technology.) And just look at it!
But it's not just cool looking - those knobs are functional. Easy access to ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, and you can readily assign aperture and something else to the other two knobs!
Fujifilm works a bit like Pentax - in that they care about you using your equipment out in the real world. So you get rugged, weather-sealed equipment!
XF150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
So there's a bit of a mixed bag. Fujifilm cameras work with third-party lenses, and I know I should be cross-shopping those, but for starters, I want Fujifilm's top telephoto lens (for consumers.) They have some "faster" lenses (let more light in at full zoom) but this is a very flexible range for the kind of photography I do (wildlife, especially birds.)
Overall the biggest downside to Fujifilm is why I like them... they are a lot like Pentax. But that means they don't have the best selection of (first party) high zoom telephoto lenses. Still I really just need one great lens as that's how I use my camera. And this is a great lens.
I've debated spending similar money on a Sony a6700 and their 200-600 lens, which is a half stop faster/brighter. But the camera itself is very limited as far as manual / physical controls, and looks largely like a simple square box. (Well that's what these cameras are, but it wouldn't hurt to look nice, too.) Overall the Sony is a bit better on paper, but this is a passion hobby for me, and I feel zero passion towards the Sony.
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That last one is a pretty cool model spaceship.
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That last one is a pretty cool model spaceship.
I was going to say Star Wars auto-targeting shoulder mounted pulse rifle
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Seeing that DSLR upgrade reminded me of wanting a new Android phone that has optical zoom.
Been wanting one for a while but my pics go on facebook so can't justify an early upgrade to my current phone.
Then something happened a few weeks ago.
I was overseas and my international sim that i've been using since pre-covid did not have coverage yet their website said it does.
Found out only sims made after covid had coverage in that area. Their support offered to give me an e-Sim and xfer the balance.
But my current phone ($40) does not have e-Sim.
Pre-loaded maps of the area using hotel wifi was a work-around.
That inconvenience got me looking into an early phone upgrade to have e-Sim.
And while i'm at it, optical zoom.
Leaning towards a Samsung 24FE (cheaper brother of the samsung 24).
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Seeing that DSLR upgrade reminded me of wanting a new Android phone that has optical zoom.
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Leaning towards a Samsung 24FE (cheaper brother of the samsung 24).
So OnePlus and Samsung both do a thing at certain zoom levels where they utilizing machine-learning to "figure out" your photo intentions. This is most obvious when you look at moon photos. I think they are equal offenders here.
But Samsung, in my opinion also does some nasty overzealous photo processing in general. This is fine if you never "zoom in" to your photos aka "pixel peep" but it still kind of affects the sharpness and clarity of the end result photo.
In my opinion, OnePlus does a much better job of delivering high quality photos.
My point of comparison were the S21 Ultra, with 10x optical zoom, and my OnePlus 12 with 3x optical zoom. I still vastly, vastly prefer photos coming out of the OnePlus and enjoy it as a camera much more than I ever enjoyed the S21 Ultra. Yes, the optical zoom was neat, but the photos were so wiggly / watercolor painting if you would pinch/zoom at all to look at them.
In your area, how does the OnePlus 13R compare to the Samsung 24FE?
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Seeing that DSLR upgrade reminded me of wanting a new Android phone that has optical zoom.
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Leaning towards a Samsung 24FE (cheaper brother of the samsung 24).
So OnePlus and Samsung both do a thing at certain zoom levels where they utilizing machine-learning to "figure out" your photo intentions. This is most obvious when you look at moon photos. I think they are equal offenders here.
But Samsung, in my opinion also does some nasty overzealous photo processing in general. This is fine if you never "zoom in" to your photos aka "pixel peep" but it still kind of affects the sharpness and clarity of the end result photo.
In my opinion, OnePlus does a much better job of delivering high quality photos.
My point of comparison were the S21 Ultra, with 10x optical zoom, and my OnePlus 12 with 3x optical zoom. I still vastly, vastly prefer photos coming out of the OnePlus and enjoy it as a camera much more than I ever enjoyed the S21 Ultra. Yes, the optical zoom was neat, but the photos were so wiggly / watercolor painting if you would pinch/zoom at all to look at them.
In your area, how does the OnePlus 13R compare to the Samsung 24FE?
24FE vs 13R: https://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Samsung-Galaxy-S24-FE,OnePlus-13R/phones/12417,12429
It doesn't list optical zoom for 13R?
Also, 13R has dual physical sims. It has e-Sim too for 3 sims?
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https://www.oneplus.com/us/13r/specs
Yes it's only 2X Optical zoom (my OnePlus 12 has 3X) so I understand if you have reservations. I still massively prefer my OnePlus 12 with 3X optical over the S21 Ultra with 10X optical. Though to be fair, I use my Pentax K3-II with a 300mm lens when I want to zoom :)
Seems like it supports eSIM - https://esim.sm/en/compatible-devices/oneplus/oneplus-13r
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What are you doing to treat yourself this year? What are some things you're doing that might be considered excessive to others, but is essential to you? This is an anti-scarcity mindset thread.
Therapy. :)
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Just finished reading “Die With Zero”. Great book I wish I had read a couple decades ago. We are way behind on spending so will ramp up the next few years on experiences and whatnot. Still shopping for the funnest to drive supercar I can find and also a sim racing setup for the attic.
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The epic trip I mentioned earlier in the thread is coming up later this month. When it came time to book tickets and I realized the flights were connecting through Heathrow, I decided to add a few days to the front of the trip and am staying in London for a couple of days to adjust to the time change.
Currently checking on the web for free things to do in London, but if anyone has any recommendations, please do share. I’ll be taking public transit around.
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The epic trip I mentioned earlier in the thread is coming up later this month. When it came time to book tickets and I realized the flights were connecting through Heathrow, I decided to add a few days to the front of the trip and am staying in London for a couple of days to adjust to the time change.
Currently checking on the web for free things to do in London, but if anyone has any recommendations, please do share. I’ll be taking public transit around.
Go hear Big Ben. If you've ever heard other clocks play the same tune, you will realize there is no equal.
Also, the British Museum is free, but you will still want to book advance entry tickets. Same with the Natural History Museum.
St. Paul's Cathedral isn't free, but the whispering gallery is a dun science experiment if you are travelling with someone. And going to the top of the dome is an interesting architectural experience, if a bit cramped.
Hang out in Hyde Park if it's a nice day.
See the changing od the guard at Buckingham Palace.
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I just got a Hoselink to water my garden and I wish I had not waited so long. It is expensive for a watering hose, but the automatic retractable reel is fantastic and as smooth as butter. I hate the look of hoses coiled up on the ground, but I am also lazy, so usually don't bother putting them up neatly. Problem solved!
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https://www.oneplus.com/us/13r/specs
Yes it's only 2X Optical zoom (my OnePlus 12 has 3X) so I understand if you have reservations. I still massively prefer my OnePlus 12 with 3X optical over the S21 Ultra with 10X optical. Though to be fair, I use my Pentax K3-II with a 300mm lens when I want to zoom :)
Seems like it supports eSIM - https://esim.sm/en/compatible-devices/oneplus/oneplus-13r
Thx
My current phone (Motorola) has 8x digital using an imperfect gCam port.
but at max zoom, if i don't hold perfectly still, the pic comes out blurry.
the 13r is 2x with 10x digital.
how are pics on your onePlus 12 with 2x and 10x digital?
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the 13r is 2x with 10x digital.
how are pics on your onePlus 12 with 2x and 10x digital?
Here are 4 samples at 1 and 2x, plus a crop from a 2x zoom. Hard to tell how much digital zoom as it only gives me 6mm (1x) and 13mm info in the EXIF, but digital zoom == cropping :)
The cool thing is that it does a nice job of handling minor hand movements and keeping photos clear. The night photography is really neat on it, too!
(Exempting the moon photos which look pretty good "for a phone" but are also fake ;) )
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Maybe a heat pump. We've been waiting for the stupid IRA rebates to get defined, 3 damn years after the law was passed. Still saying "late Spring" in our state, which is supposedly one of the earliest states to get the program up and running.
We're probably not going to be eligible for the rebates this year unless one or both of the (currently half-time) wage earners in the household loses our job, but the job loss is a distinct possibility. It's been irritating to have to keep waiting while they kick the IRA rebate can down the road by a few months, every few months. We were really hoping to have it by this summer for the A/C, but it's feeling less and less likely. Where we live in northwest WA, summer is mild and A/C is uncommon, but that's changing as the world warms and heat waves become more frequent and severe.
Anyhow, it could end up being more of a splurge than anticipated if we can't wrangle rebates. Or it might just have to wait another year, when it will be even more likely that our income will drop.
Well, we bought the heat pump, and gave up on the rebates (which of course have been pushed off from spring to summer). I became pretty well assured that we wouldn't qualify for the IRS rebates this year, and there's a distinct possibility that we won't qualify next year either, as we might be pulling a bunch of money out (with some capital gains) to pay down our mortgage for ACA and college student aid purposes.
Certainly was a damn expensive splurge, but the old furnace was end-of-life and I'm happy to go greener.
Next up is the end-of-life roof. We may follow that up shortly with rooftop solar. We were going to wait on the solar, but given Republican efforts to kill all things solar, electric, and/or efficient (including the solar tax credit in the currently proposed legislation), we might accelerate that purchase to this year.
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Student massages at a nearby massage therapy school.
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My Condo is 48 years old and the window in each bedroom are original. They are extremely difficult to open and close and I actually have to leave it slightly cracked because otherwise I can’t get them open. Our HOA does not wash the windows from the outside so you can imagine how they look.
I found out about Tilt in windows that you can easily clean from the inside. I went to three different companies to look at them in showrooms to see how they operate and got three bids. They are pricey at 1K each, but I only have two windows total so I am buying them. I absolutely detest not being able to wash the outside of my windows and I hate the fact that if I close them completely, I cannot open them.
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My mental health. Lol only part kidding.
Totally unnecessary. I offered to buy out the 2 siblings to get the family silver. If I do not, when Mom dies it will be split 3 ways which will make it unusable. Pleasantly surprised other than the large serving pieces is largely intact, considering when oldest brother lived with Mom, other items of sentimental value (in addition to lots of cash) went missing.
New car for DD. Car is over 20 years old and over 300K miles (also needs a 600 part plus labor to run).
I am glad it got her through college. But realize I want her in a safer car.
I have the money and will contribute to the cost, but I don't want to bankroll the entire amount. Can you get a car loan for a car purchased from a private owner or do I need to be bank of Mom and have her pay me back over time?
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I have the money, but I don't want to bankroll it. Can you get a car loan for a car that is purchased from a private owner? Or do I need to be bank of Mom?
If you go through a bank or credit union, you can. But they won't have those incentivized low rates that dealers advertise.
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Europe with friends from late April into May.
Great Northeastern USA road trip during my sabbatical in October/November. Some of that will be staying with friends which will keep the average cost per night down somewhat.
There will also be some shorter weekends away with friends. Already did one of those, in fact.
Somewhat tempted to update the phone in order to have a better camera prior to Europe, but I haven’t totally decided on that yet.
Europe trip was awesome. Did in fact upgrade the phone for a better camera because I didn’t want to carry another camera separately. Both were absolutely worth it.
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We have a $60k travel budget for 20205 - that ought to do it :-)
I just checked - as of today we have spent about $47k on travel. Air fare accounts for about $23k of this. We flew business class to Greece in April and have business class tickets booked to Thailand later this year. But apart from air fare, both Greece and Thailand have turned out to be relatively inexpensive destinations with respect to hotels and food. We have also done a fair bit of domestic travel - those fares have really gone up a lot, way more than international.
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We have a $60k travel budget for 20205 - that ought to do it :-)
I just checked - as of today we have spent about $47k on travel. Air fare accounts for about $23k of this.
We flew business class to Greece in April and have business class tickets booked to Thailand later this year.
But apart from air fare, both Greece and Thailand have turned out to be relatively inexpensive destinations with respect to hotels and food. We have also done a fair bit of domestic travel - those fares have really gone up a lot, way more than international.
Last year 1/2 of my measley annual spend was travel related.
I looked at business class but it's 10x the cost of economy.
Ie. Delta $700 Sweden, $7k for business class
so This year I just got the chase Sapphire Preferred credit card (100k miles bonus). My plan is to use those miles for cheap upgrade to business class.
No idea if that will work. Didn't research it. Just saw 100k limited time bonus (tied for best Sapphire offer ever) and applied.
How much are your business class tix?
Tips on getting it cheap?
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We splurged on brand new furniture for our new-to-us house.
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We're going to Aspen twice this spring/summer, then spending almost a month in Ireland + another European destination TBD. After that, October is Magical Moab Meetup time
When we bought our five-year-old house, five of the low-e windows were blown. The manufacturer wouldn't honor their "lifetime" warranty, because we weren't the original owners, WTF? It was going to be a huge cost to replace them, until DH figured out he could order the glass from a local glass shop and do the replacement himself. Even accounting for the fact that he made an error on two of the windows and had to re-order the glass, the total cost for the new panes was ~ $650, plus a few random materials, so under $700, all in. That's going to cover a nice chunk of our planned travel.
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Last year 1/2 of my measley annual spend was travel related.
I looked at business class but it's 10x the cost of economy.
Ie. Delta $700 Sweden, $7k for business class
so This year I just got the chase Sapphire Preferred credit card (100k miles bonus). My plan is to use those miles for cheap upgrade to business class.
No idea if that will work. Didn't research it. Just saw 100k limited time bonus (tied for best Sapphire offer ever) and applied.
How much are your business class tix?
Tips on getting it cheap?
Not only do the US carriers (United, Delta and American) have the most expensive business class fares, the quality of service tends to be really bad. So I never travel on them.
I have to say that $7K to Sweden is ridiculous! To give you an idea of just how overpriced that Delta fare is:
- We flew British Airways business class to Greece for just $3k round trip!
- Our business class tickets to Thailand on Cathay Pacific are just $5.5k
Keep looking for fare sales on FlyerTalk - that's how I found the good fares to Greece.
Added: For points redemption, consider getting a subscription to https://seats.aero - they make it easy to search for award travel.
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My return flight for my YOLO European trip was via Helsinki. American Airlines points on Finnair. Helsinki airport was having labor related issues which cancelled the Helsinki to O’Hare leg of my trip. Finnair was absolutely wonderful about it, put me up in a nice breakfast included room at the airport hotel, covered dinner the first night, and covered a second night when American Airlines was a pain to deal with as far as rebooking a new flight. (Bonus day to explore Helsinki was nice, even though the weather was not.)
Definitely more impressed with Finnair than American Airlines. Plus blueberry juice is delicious!
Also unimpressed with American Airlines tight time schedule for getting through customs and onto my connecting flight in Dallas. If I hadn’t been running between terminals, I wouldn’t have made it.
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Sandblaster. Makes my classic car projects easier. Already have an air compressor. Bought a low cost blaster. The one I want is $2500. The one I bought (on sale) was $250.
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Impulse bought a bigger house this week.
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Same as always: plants. Cannot ever have enough plants.
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3 X overseas trips on business class for DW and I.