What Other Luxuries Can’t You Live Without? (1 Viewer)

[CantSpellPoker]

2 things immediately come to mind:

1. Sunglasses - If it’s between the hours of dawn and dusk, I’m wearing shades if I can help it. Especially when driving. I even sometimes wear them while driving in the rain, as I have multiple pairs, some of which are best suited for cloudy and low light conditions. Much of this stems from the fact that I had such poor vision from age 8-27 that I couldn’t even get prescription sunglasses. Then I got LASIK in 2017 and I think I’m trying to make up for 2 decades of lost time.

2. Headphones - Whether it’s for travel or home use, I listen to music and podcasts a lot, and I’m constantly reaching for my Bose noise cancelling headphones. Apart from the noise cancellation allowing you to focus on whatever you’re listening to, there is a genuine difference in what you hear musically when you’ve got a good quality pair of headphones in. You pick up on things that you would never catch if you were just playing it out of your phone’s speaker.

 

[FordPickup92]

1. Sunglasses

I used to wear mine 24/7, I wore them at night and before dawn because the glare from the headlights would hurt my eyes. I left them at a friends before covid hit and havent had them since. Hopefully I'll be reunited this coming weekend

 

[BarrieJ3]

2 things immediately come to mind:

1. Sunglasses - If it’s between the hours of dawn and dusk, I’m wearing shades if I can help it. Especially when driving. I even sometimes wear them while driving in the rain, as I have multiple pairs, some of which are best suited for cloudy and low light conditions. Much of this stems from the fact that I had such poor vision from age 8-27 that I couldn’t even get prescription sunglasses. Then I got LASIK in 2017 and I think I’m trying to make up for 2 decades of lost time.

2. Headphones - Whether it’s for travel or home use, I listen to music and podcasts a lot, and I’m constantly reaching for my Bose noise cancelling headphones. Apart from the noise cancellation allowing you to focus on whatever you’re listening to, there is a genuine difference in what you hear musically when you’ve got a good quality pair of headphones in. You pick up on things that you would never catch if you were just playing it out of your phone’s speaker.

Wow these two hit the nail perfectly. I’ve struggled massively to find either of these that works perfect for me, but even when I find something that kinda works for either, it’s awesome.

In amazed that in this day I cant get wireless headphones that are sweat resistance and can go all day without being charged.

For anyone interested, these were baller. Bose Bluetooth glasses. People were amazed. I could literally be bumping right next to them, and they couldn’t hear it. Or I could turn it down and just have my own little personal theme music going while walking/talking/working etc. One of the onlygadgety things I’ve gotten that met expectations.
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/frames.html

wanted to edit this. They’re only available in two sizes, so they may not of perfectly. Mine were fine but a little big, in that if I bent over at the hips all the way, they’d fall off (makes it difficult when day gardening or such).
That being said, I’ll be picking up another pair here shortly.

 

[allforcharity]

Simple home theater system. I love movies.

Nothing I have is "high-end". Denon receiver. Onkyo 7.1 speaker system. Panasonic projector and Blu-ray player. Grandview 135" screen. Nowadays, $3000 will probably get you a better everything. But it's my one "splurge" for the house that gets the most consistent use.

 

[Josh Kifer]

I can live without everything except poker and chips. I'm not exaggerating, and even then, I could probably live without the chips, unhappily.
I dont do social media, except PCF, I drive because I have to work, and I like being at work most days. I dont care one way or the other about tv, I'd rather play poker. I enjoy mowing the grass and weed whacking when it's my turn to do it, I like to change the oil on the truck myself, and rotate the tires. I dont need to eat, if I can play poker and have chips. Although....I definitely think poker and beer go hand in hand, so I can give up something else to keep the brewskis. It would pain me to give up going to dirt track racing, but I could probably do it if I had to. I hardly wear makeup, and I dont care if I wear it or dont, hardly do my hair unless were going somewhere important, like to play poker, just let it air dry (its straight as board anyway) and 65% of my clothes are hand me downs. Dont care. I think I would need running water at least. But in reality I can find that in the woods, along with some foods.
Can I live in the woods with my poker chips?

Edit: I really dont need a computer or a phone either, I'll just wander around with my chips

Tacos.

 

[krafticus]

DVR

 

[FordPickup92]

Tacos.

Touche'

 

[gopherblue]

A memory foam topper for my mattress? I get that I could and should buy a new mattress, but this upgrade for $100ish is heaven

Uh, ditch the old ratty one and get a real latex mattress. World changing.

 

[gopherblue]

If we're limiting the upper end to $1k, here are some luxuries I can't live without (ok, I could live without them, but I choose not to):

Travel. The best luxury in the world are experiences. Nothing better than exploring the world and being exposed to other cultures, foods, ways of life and, most importantly, people. Perspective is critical in life. Added bonus: most of my other "can't live without" luxuries were acquired or used while traveling.

Good kitchen knives. Preferably Japanese. Sakai Yusuke (unbelievable options, fit and finish for the cost of decent retail) or Shigeharu (founded in Kyoto back during the Kamakura shogunate--that was waaaaay back in the late 1100s thru the early 1300s, and STILL family-owned/operated by a direct lineal descendant who is a master knifemaker).

Well-made luggage. For me, that is Briggs & Riley for suitcases/roll-aboards and Tom Bihn for everything else.

Good single malt whisky.

Excellent leather gloves. Preferably peccary, preferably hand-stitched and preferably from Pusateri in Florence.

High-quality leather shoes. For me, shoes made by Edward Green, bought direct from the factory shop in Northampton, England.

Tailored clothing. Nothing fits better than clothes made just for you.

A quality camera. You can find stunning value for under $1k if you know what to look for. And high-end lenses are crucial. Digital: a Ricoh GR or Fuji X100 (S, T or F).

A good cashmere sweater.

Maple syrup.

Prime dry-aged beef, from a butcher who cares.

High-end sushi.

Quality tools. My dad taught me: buy tools that will last your grandchildren's lifetimes.

Hardcover books.

Quality furniture. Well-made furniture will last generations. How do I know? Because much of mine is at least 50-100 years old and all of those pieces were bought used. My mom and dad taught me what to look for. I favor Stickley and Knoll. Eclectic, but it works.

Mexican Coke. If I'm drinking soda, I'm drinking the good stuff.

Good cheeses. The stinkier, the better.

Look, I know this list comes off as a bit snobbish, but most all of this list are items well within the $1000 cap, and certainly within reach of most people, regardless of income.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

OK, here's how I'm looking at this. All of a sudden I've lost my job and most of my savings, but I can still afford a small (inexpensive) place in the country for my wife and me. I'm past retirement age, (barely) it might be difficult to find another job, so I could just retire and start collecting SS.

What things would I have to have and be unwilling to give up, no matter how broke I am:

• I'm on my own without much money, so I've got to have my truck and my tools.
• I'm in Texas, so I sure hope my home has A/C.
• I love sports and movies and a few TV shows, and they're so inexpensive these days that I would definitely still have my 60+ inch TV. And a 40 in the bedroom for the wife.
• I guess an internet connection is a must. For laptops, phones and TVs. I could cut the cord on cable though. But I'm not giving up the devices.
• My music collection, or at least access to it online.
• My Green Mountain pellet grill. We're not going out to eat much, so gotta have that. Saves money in the long run and cooks food better than most restaurants anyway.
• My good knives! Thanks @FiveThous And my whetstones.
• My golf clubs. And some space in the budget to play 3-4 times a month, minimum. Hope we're not TOO broke, cause this one can get expensive.
• And my final guilty pleasure is craft beer. Luckily, I know how to brew my own, so I can keep this within the budget too.

 

[abby99]

1. Chocolate

A distant second: My devices, especially my phone, and all that goes with them (internet access, wifi, data storage, etc.)

 

[pltrgyst]

The official old fart retirement living luxuries:

1. An induction cooktop or range with induction cooktop. Does *everything* better and faster, while pumping less heat into the kitchen, than either gas or electric.

2. A great coffee mill -- mine is a Ditting. It's a two-lifetime machine. At least. (Probably more like $1500 now...)

3. An excellent drip coffee maker. Excellent means either Technivorm or BonaVita -- nothing else hits the right temps. And of course good beans -- I favor African and Indonesian beans, while generally ignoring Central/South American.

4. An espresso machine that makes espresso to your taste and with however much effort you want to put into it. It doesn't have to be expensive. I used to have a top Jura-Capresso machine that was killed in a year by Florida water. We're very satisfied now with a cheapie Nespresso Original capsule machine -- with the right capsules. I still have a Delonghi manual, but I almost never feel like screwing around with it. With the Nespresso, time from thinking of having espresso to making two cups and being done with cleanup is about three minutes.

5. A sous vide machine.

6. At least three good knives (I'm a Wusthof/Global guy mostly), a good sharpener or sharpening blocks, and a ceramic steel. Without those latter two, the good knives aren't worth much. Oh, and a good cutting board.

7. A couple of really good Griswold cast iron pans.

8. Good wines and after-dinner liquors (Calvados, Armagnac, Cognac, and whiskies).

9. A great pillow.

10. A really nice pool cue.

11. Four identical tennis racquets.

12. Thorlo socks.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

The official old fart retirement living luxuries:

1. An induction cooktop or range with induction cooktop. Does *everything* better and faster, while pumping less heat into the kitchen, than either gas or electric.

2. A great coffee mill -- mine is a Ditting. It's a two-lifetime machine. At least. (Probably more like $1500 now...)

3. An excellent drip coffee maker. Excellent means either Technivorm or BonaVita -- nothing else hits the right temps. And of course good beans -- I favor African and Indonesian beans, while generally ignoring Central/South American.

4. An espresso machine that makes espresso to your taste and with however much effort you want to put into it. It doesn't have to be expensive. I used to have a top Jura-Capresso machine that was killed in a year by Florida water. We're very satisfied now with a cheapie Nespresso Original capsule machine -- with the right capsules. I still have a Delonghi manual, but I almost never feel like screwing around with it. With the Nespresso, time from thinking of having espresso to making two cups and being done with cleanup is about three minutes.

5. A sous vide machine.

6. At least three good knives (I'm a Wusthof/Global guy mostly), a good sharpener or sharpening blocks, and a ceramic steel. Without those latter two, the good knives aren't worth much. Oh, and a good cutting board.

7. A couple of really good Griswold cast iron pans.

8. Good wines and after-dinner liquors (Calvados, Armagnac, Cognac, and whiskies).

9. A great pillow.

10. A really nice pool cue.

11. Four identical tennis racquets.

12. Thorlo socks.

Good list, but I've got to ask. Why do the four tennis rackets have to be identical?

 

[Highli99]

The land of lakes yellow American cheese is so much better than store brand

also blue can tuna over green can tuna.

My philosophy on expenditure is well summed up in this exchange with my wife about an Easter egg hunt we hosted for neighbor kids.

wife: Do you care if I buy an Easter bunny costume for the egg hunt?

me: yes, that’s a waste of money and we are already 1,500 plastic eggs full of candy deep into this party. Also I dont want to wear a creepy sweaty bunny costume.

wife: my mother would actually wear the costume

me: spare no expense. Get the good one. I can’t wait to see this show.

 

[bsdunbar1]

Charmin
No other brand in my house

 

[rowlin]

Peet’s (coffee) and Geo F Trumper (shaving)

 

[hdgeno]

My Milwaukee cordless tools. Well over $1k, but they make me my money

 

[upNdown]

The land of lakes yellow American cheese is so much better than store brand

also blue can tuna over green can tuna.

My philosophy on expenditure is well summed up in this exchange with my wife about an Easter egg hunt we hosted for neighbor kids.

wife: Do you care if I buy an Easter bunny costume for the egg hunt?

me: yes, that’s a waste of money and we are already 1,500 plastic eggs full of candy deep into this party. Also I dont want to wear a creepy sweaty bunny costume.

wife: my mother would actually wear the costume

me: spare no expense. Get the good one. I can’t wait to see this show.

I'm a cottenelle guy myself, but I'm with you 100%. I'm a cheap bastard. That doesn't mean I buy cheap things, but I will look to save money wherever I can. Except toilet paper.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

I'm a cottenelle guy myself, but I'm with you 100%. I'm a cheap bastard. That doesn't mean I buy cheap things, but I will look to save money wherever I can. Except toilet paper.

Have you tried Costco TP? It's pretty damned good, AND cheaper than most anything else that's good.

 

[BSteck]

Four identical tennis racquets.

Ditto

Rotating from one that just broke a string, to one that’s in use now, with one as backup in case that one breaks a string early and one more just in case.

 

[Venturalvn]

Good coffee. Good beer.

I am a simple man.

 

[ReallyGoodUsername]

The land of lakes yellow American cheese is so much better than store brand

LOL American used to be a main food group for me but they recently started using powdered milk in the production process and now have to call it a “cheese product”. Needless to say it crumbles funny now and doesn’t taste quite right so I’ve switched over to Boar’s Head which costs more and doesn’t taste as good as the old LOL but sure beats store brand.

So an updated list for me:
-indoor plumbing
-international vacations/travel
-cheese

Lots of fluff lists here imo too

 

[shorticus]

I can’t do without my Apple devices (ipad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and iphone). I wouldn’t substitute any of those devices for anything in the world. My devices are literally becoming a part of me lol.

 

[Kidsthesedays]

A bidet. Having a clean bum without having to shower feels good

 

[BSteck]

Lots of fluff lists here imo

I don’t know what you’re talking about. FOUR racquets! I need FOUR racquets!

... and this lamp. That’s all I need.

 

[liftapint]

Uh, ditch the old ratty one and get a real latex mattress. World changing.

Is that really a thing?

 

[liftapint]

I'm interested in this house-cleaner idea. I might try to squeeze that into the budget. These 2 dogs and 2 cats don't vacuum after themselves!

 

[Mr Winberg]

My Oakley Flight Deck goggles. A huge upgrade from my A-Frames!

Vacations in the Alps. If I ever moved from Sweden it would be to one of the Alp countries. Before I put a temporary end to business trips (due to having kids) I even tried to have my employer assign me to our Swiss client ;-) but I didn't succeed.

My Weber gas grill. I hate cooking, but buying the grill changed that.

Time with the family: Taking extra long summer holidays reduces your income, but as long as I can make that choice I will.

 

[Señor Tony]

If we're limiting the upper end to $1k, here are some luxuries I can't live without (ok, I could live without them, but I choose not to):

Travel. The best luxury in the world are experiences. Nothing better than exploring the world and being exposed to other cultures, foods, ways of life and, most importantly, people. Perspective is critical in life. Added bonus: most of my other "can't live without" luxuries were acquired or used while traveling.

Good kitchen knives. Preferably Japanese. Sakai Yusuke (unbelievable options, fit and finish for the cost of decent retail) or Shigeharu (founded in Kyoto back during the Kamakura shogunate--that was waaaaay back in the late 1100s thru the early 1300s, and STILL family-owned/operated by a direct lineal descendant who is a master knifemaker).

Well-made luggage. For me, that is Briggs & Riley for suitcases/roll-aboards and Tom Bihn for everything else.

Good single malt whisky.

Excellent leather gloves. Preferably peccary, preferably hand-stitched and preferably from Pusateri in Florence.

High-quality leather shoes. For me, shoes made by Edward Green, bought direct from the factory shop in Northampton, England.

Tailored clothing. Nothing fits better than clothes made just for you.

A quality camera. You can find stunning value for under $1k if you know what to look for. And high-end lenses are crucial. Digital: a Ricoh GR or Fuji X100 (S, T or F).

A good cashmere sweater.

Maple syrup.

Prime dry-aged beef, from a butcher who cares.

High-end sushi.

Quality tools. My dad taught me: buy tools that will last your grandchildren's lifetimes.

Hardcover books.

Quality furniture. Well-made furniture will last generations. How do I know? Because much of mine is at least 50-100 years old and all of those pieces were bought used. My mom and dad taught me what to look for. I favor Stickley and Knoll. Eclectic, but it works.

Mexican Coke. If I'm drinking soda, I'm drinking the good stuff.

Good cheeses. The stinkier, the better.

Look, I know this list comes off as a bit snobbish, but most all of this list are items well within the $1000 cap, and certainly within reach of most people, regardless of income.

Not a bad list Goph although I am surprised that you forgot to include hand plucked Chilean alpaca flannel shirts and double smoked whale oil moustache wax.

 

[gopherblue]

Is that really a thing?

Yes!