What have you splurged on that has been worth every penny?

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Recently bought a MacAir which is a thing of beauty and wonder. Am also gradually replacing cheap crockery with lovely Denby stuff.

I now buy good quality bras instead of M&S and more 'high end' makeup.

So I'm not talking houses, cars, horses etc. What have you bought/upgraded that you love so much more than the cheaper version and has been good value?

Our camper van - most expensive thing other than our house we have ever bought but absolutely the best. Worth every penny. The wonderful feeling of packing up the van on a Friday summer evening with excited kids and dog and taking off for the weekend is just the best.

Also our range cooker. Also no regrets. Absolutely love it and it looks amazing in the kitchen.

Our dog - the best £750 we have ever spent.

A Sealy bed. Best thing ever! I actually would live in it if I could.

Rainfall shower. Until you’ve had one you don’t realise how much better it is than a normal shower.

Wine fridge. There are always chilled drinks available without taking up loads of space in the main fridge.

Nice crockery and cutlery to use every day.

Also my Brabantia kitchen bins and my Delonghi Magnifica bean to cup coffee machine which has been going seven years and never ever broken or gone wrong.

I love coffee you make yourself from beans and this machine makes it so easy.

Compeed plasters instead of ordinary ones. Much much more comfortable if you have a blister.

KitchenAid - it works well and looks good. I know that technically the Kenwood Chef is better value but the KitchenAid looks so nice as well as being useful
Delonghi bean to cup machine
Decent bed (we bought an ex display Hypnos ottoman bed from an outlet shop in Oxfordshire still cost a lot but so comfy)
Water softener - made so much difference to cleaning as we are in v hard water area. Saving to get one in the house we moved to.

Things I’m not sure were worth it:
Karndean flooring, maybe ours was fitted badly but it faded quickly and the little strips between the tiles lifted
Miele dishwasher - a Which Best Buy with amazing ratings but it cleans no better than the old Bosch and is not as easy to load (odd layout)

Harvey’s Water Softner.

Cost an arm & a leg, but absolutely worth every single penny!

No more limescale, limescale removing products or hours spent getting rid of the sodding stuff.

Thanks @CauliflowerBalti I already have a fab bed and mattress. Just tempted by the linen sheets!

For me, my Mulberry purse, a present to myself for my 40th birthday a few years ago, which coincided with some overtime. I toyed with the idea of a.handbag but I'm not really a handbag person, and they were also a lot more expensive and I couldn't justify it. The purse was definitely the right option - it still looks good and I use it every day, whereas a posh handbag would probably only get an outing a couple of times a year!

ahh also can someone tell me about the water softeners? @Housemum and @ChippingInLowCarbing ?? How do they work, as in, does a large amount of softened water sit somewhere? Does it go in your shower etc?

Fed up of the hard water here, I use a filter jug before filling the kettle but it still gets scaley and my hair never feels as soft as when I wash it abroad!

This thread got me thinking though how we have so many “luxury” choices now. When I was a kid yes some people had more money than others, maybe bigger houses and nicer cars, but day to day stuff was pretty generic without much choice. Now there are just so many things to spend money on and so many ways to feel pampered. I sometimes feel like a bit of a spoilt brat!

This is so true, @Asta19 !

buttered dh bought me a mulberry Roxanne years ago, weighted a bloody tonne empty and was used twice, total waste of money in my book so think the purse is probably a better option!

I splurge on Diptyque 34 soap, perfume and room sprays. Can't believe I pay £22 for a bar of soap but it makes me very happy twice daily. Not really a gadget person so am cheap in that department. Like a good quality convertible car though.

Laser eye surgery for sure, has made life just so much easier.

Spent lots of money doing up our house and chose good quality bathroom and kitchen fittings which are a pleasure to use every day.

Weekly cleaner. After three attempts I’ve finally found someone nice, good and reliable. She also loves my baby and will hold her while I get things ready to leave the house, so helpful.

Nail varnish. I just keep buying them! Usually bottles for less than a tenner but I don’t need them at all.

A white noise machine. Seemed extravagant when I’ve got a free app on my phone but now I can still use my phone while my white noise loving baby sleeps.

Things I wish I hadn’t splurged on:
Dyson hot and cold fan. Our old cheap Argos fan is more efficient (if noisier.

Robot hoover. Turns out you need clear floor space. Turns out we need a cleaner willing to move toys!

LVL lashes. Pretty good for a week or two but I didn’t like the drop out and regrow stage. Not worth it for me.

Macbook Pro, use it daily. I have just replaced mine, the previous one lasted 7/8 years which isn't bad considering I dropped it so many times and even threw it down a flight of stairs one time in rage.

This thread is dangerous, I have so many things on my 'to buy list' now...arrrgh!

Coffee. I'd rather drink less and have the really nice stuff!

Gardening gloves. The cheap ones never last.

Shoes. I always buy leather and they last well over triple the lifetime of DHs (he tries to 'save'). Much more comfortable and breathable too.

Make up. I bought an Urban Decay palette and Benefit mascara in order to do my wedding make up 3 years ago and I've never looked back.

Lightbulbs. Decent LED ones.

What mattresses would you recommend then?

For me it's the air wrap and just in the last week I've had eyelash extensions for the first time and I've bought some dresses on eBay to try and stop looking like a tramp. I've had so many compliments ☺️ and it's only been a week!

The eyelashes I think look pretty natural and they make such a difference

Lovely, scented, too-expensive bath soap bars.

I have a monthly dr appointment that is quite difficult. Afterwards, I used to go to a nice shop and splurge on heavenly scented soap. (I always feel drained when I get home. I bathe then rest for a bit.)

Unfortunately, the store moved and we also hit hard times. But fortunately, I still have a good supply of them. I put them in a pretty pressed glass bowl in our ensuite bathroom. When I go to wash, I have my choice of scents that help me change my focus from glum to being happy with my little luxury.

Also, my gardens. We couldn't afford our fruit trees when we moved here, but I scrimped and bought them as they went on sale.

Last year was the first year that we got enough to make jelly or pies! They taste like my childhood. Some things are not just memories. I think when I was small, we got fruit that was more fresh, bc our fruit pies tastes like my dgm's.

I always used to buy art supplies, paintings or books instead of groceries....but as a wife, mother and pet owner, food is more important now. But I would still splurge on them if I could!

My teacher’s pension is less than half the median wage now and the DH was made redundant so I am technically on the poverty line but my tastes are still expensive. Oops!

I have asked for John Lewis vouchers for every Mother’s Day, birthday and Christmas present and currently have £220 worth. I am going to get that Dyson cordless if it kills me. This epic thread has convinced me I was not wrong in wanting it.

My Thermomix! Vastly expensive but worth every single penny.
I cook everything from scratch and I can get in and have a soup done with salmon and potatoes I less than 30 minutes!
Love it.
It does everything - chops, cooks, steams...
Yesterday I made sorbet with it. Love it and use it twice a day.
The Roomba is also a very good buy - fantastic for carpets and it just does the job without you kneeling.
A Bialetti coffee machine - ok, it is not the Delonghi bean to coffee but I love its simplicity and functional design.
Old 1970 furniture
Old embroidery table linen
Old and lovely plates
All from Ebay- not incredibly expensive but makes me feel a lady of the manor.
And a Japanese hyaluronic serum I bought for £15 on Mumsnet recommendation....God it works!

Expensive (for me) bags. I only buy maybe two a year in the sales as the quality is great and they last for years. I have a fair collection now.

Roksan amplifier and CD player

Watching DS's face when he first heard Queen playing and the amazing sound quality was priceless

My Gucci glasses frames. Cost way more than any previous glasses I've owned but they're on my face every day and I love them.

I splurge regularly on Nuxe Rêve de Miel lip balm. Costs around a tenner in the UK I think, for a huge jar that lasts months. Worth every penny.

I was thinking of buying a cordless Dyson but someone told me that after a while the battery only last half an hour. Is that true?