What luxuries do you buy for yourself?

[mooflower]

What kinds of things do you spend your disposable income on just for yourself? For me its fancy skincare, good warm socks, nice loose leaf tea. quality chocolate and books. I will also splash out a bit on cultural things like the theatre, concerts and exhibitions if there is anything on I want to see but its not a regular spend.

What about you?

It makes my heart sing that so many people have included books on their lists.

Yes. Note the word want. I couldn't stretch to a regency gaff adjoining Regent's Park but I don't want one. In my 20's I'd have liked a mews house in Chelsea. I could have one now, but I don't want one.

Oh I didn't even include books - they kind of feel like a necessity, but actually that's an embarrassingly privileged attitude.

My treats to myself are craft supplies (mainly yarn and painting materials), an occasional magazine, nice hand cream, and a pot of tea and a good book whenever I have half an hour spare. Oooh, and I have a thing for scarves too - the office is usually freezing so I've built up a nice collection of snuggly ones I can wrap round me.

My library is a free luxury- getting the books out is the easy bit it's just getting the time to read them! A good solid block of several uninterrupted hours with nothing pressing to attend to, to lose yourself in a good book with a hot drink and a snack of choice (something fiddly and time consuming like pistachios) - now that is a luxury 💜

Boringly, I don't buy many luxury products, the thing that I like to splurge on when I have money to burn is stocks. I like reading about the company and checking the price action and daydreaming about what I'll do with my gains in 10 years.

Hmmm... I try and not get weekly bits and instead use mine on a colour, wash and blow dry every 6 weeks and a facial every month.

Sometimes get myself a new book and some Guylians but I have audible and rely on that

If im travelling i always get a Hot Choc from the station (they do the BEST hot choc I have ever had)

It used to be skincare but not so much now!

Oh I do like a nice candle.

MOUNJARO AND BOTOX!!

I spend absolutely everything else on the family and sacrifice clothes/ skin care and other luxuries but my personal option is that nothing does the job that Mounjaro and Botox do.

The absolute joy of being 40, a size 10 and looking ‘fresh’(er), despite a squad of pre schoolers, is something I couldn’t and wouldn’t sacrifice.

So yes, my face has aldi and my trainers are knock off. I regret nothing!

Books are probably my biggest vice. I buy way too many and don’t read half of them (I have a brand new copy of Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim that I bought 20 years ago and have never even opened). I love old hardbacks and first editions and tend to buy them online. I’ve got first editions by all my favourite writers - Virginia Woolf, Aldous Huxley, Evelyn Waugh, Thomas Hardy. I’d love some first editions of Dickens, Jane Austen and George Eliot as well, if there are any eccentric billionaires out there.

Another thing I treat myself to is flowers. In fact, I just bought a bunch in Marks and Spencer’s for £10. Can’t really afford them, but wtf.

A regular treat is visiting the London art galleries and museums. I love them all, especially The National Gallery. The places are free, but the train fare is bloody expensive.

My biggest self-indulgence is laying in a hot bath listening to Stephen Fry read P. G. Wodehouse or Sherlock Holmes on audiobook. What a crazy, wild life hey!?

I like getting my nails done once a month and I sometimes enjoy a posh ciggie on a night 😂 (I don't smoke apart from one in the evening occasionally)

Gigs. Big ticket national and international gigs. Got ones in Italy and Switzerland booked in so far this year.

I have a collection of expensive birthday bags mostly Chanel but would never buy them myself and as dh not to tell me how much they are.

M&S Food shop once every 2 weeks. We spent so many years unable to afford food then unable to afford anything but the cheapest food that now I indulge us all and there are definitely still some cheap food favourites in there.

Rats. Absolute idiot creatures destroy 90% of anything that goes in their cage including shredding brand new hammocks into unusable scraps within 12 hours of having it. Love them to absolute bits.

I have a cut flower subscription every month, they last ages and the vase of blooms just cheers me up!

I guess extra virgin olive oil is a luxury these days, but so worth it

I once moved into a share house with 3 other women in their 20's and asked "What do you enjoy reading?"

They all replied "we don't read." And tbf - they were all smart lovely girls, just I don't like Hollyoaks or Coronation street so it made for a boring time together

good quality butter & extra virgin olive oil
nice skincare
White Company dressing gown

At some point, I realised that small luxuries don’t need to cost me a lot. These days, any small item that makes me feel good can be a luxury for me like secondhand books, coffee beans, shower gels, a drive to the countryside. Most of all, alone time is my luxury.

Smoked herring

@FiveGoMadInDorset Ah I was just checking it wasn't a typo, I haven't had Kippers since I was a child, I hope they were delicious!

window shopping alone is an absolute luxury for me. Without needing to rush anywhere , or anyone wanting something from me. I can’t remember the last time I did that .

That's the thing its just about your personal luxury you buy yourself, your own lovely little splurge just for you. Everybody here will have different circumstances but its amazing how many of us seem to like the same things!

Cats! Who are expensive as they get older but the best luxury ever. Currently have one on either side of me on the sofa.

Also posh scented candles, books, takeaway coffees, cinnamon swirls from Ole and Steen

Ah that is nice, just a mooch about the shops on your own, lovely!

I find this such a heartwarming thread
I'm in such different circumstances to many posters, but lots have listed similar luxuries.