what one-off extravagant purchases do you have ? *not a gloating thread*

[littlemoonspistachio]

A friend of a friend lives in Greece and has recently brought themselves an underwater sea scooter. A top of the range one. They are not well off by any means, but could afford to treat themselves to this. It looks a real smart piece of kit.

It got me thinking, we don't have any one-off extravagant purchases. Not that you have to have any, of course. There has just never been anything we have really wanted, with the exception of a new car. But this thread is not about buying to that level.

*edited to add this is a no judgement thread

An e-bike. I went with a budget of £1,500-2,000 but there was one in the shop reduced from £3,800 to £3,000. Bloke in the shop took me and several bikes to a park to ride round then we went and found a hill - I floated up the hill on the 3k bike and that was that, it came home with me. I'd given precisely NO thought to where I was going to keep it, so it's living in my front room while I investigate secure storage

A custom built video arcade machine with thousands of retro games on it.
A months holiday in America

Horses do indeed cost your soul and everything you own 😆Mine was ‘cheap’ to buy - unbacked Arabs aren’t that popular - everything else is major spends - in money, time and emotion. He is the reason I haven’t retired as I want to be able to keep him in the style to which we are accustomed - so ironically I keep working to earn money for him which means I don’t have much time to ride him. Horses make you mad.

An 8 week trip around the USA and Canada with DD2 for my 50th, in 2017.
DD , then 23, had just returned home after a nasty break up and was applying for her dream nursing job, but wanted to travel..I was organising for her to stay with my various american friends and DH suggested I went too... so we did!
. We get on brilliantly and had an incredible time!
She applied for the job while travelling, came back to an interview and has been a children's hospice nurse ever since! Now she's happily married and has just had her second baby so it's never going to happen again, but it was the best money we ever spent!

A bespoke built-in wall unit for the sitting room. Took me a while to plan and design but I absolutely adore it.

Cocker spaniel and a sprocker, £2k and £850 respectively. Cleaner costs £3k a year.

I got a smeg filter coffee machine so now can’t justify a bean to cup machine (I’m the only one who drinks coffee). Also eyeing up roomba robots but they’re so much money.

Clarins deodrant 😅 Best feeling every morning

How much do horses cost is like asking how long is a peice of string? My new mare was an unbacked 11 year old ex brood mare so I got her for £4000. She is a pure bred Highland mare so lives off fresh air and is never sick or sorry. I am also fortunate enough to keep her at home so I do not pay livery fees. I do not pay for hard feed, she wears a Viking Treefree saddle that I also use on my gelding, I just swap the gullets out. I did splash out and buy her a new bridle for £90. On the other hand, my riding instructor spent £15,000 on a Warmblood gelding, keeps him at livery at £400 a month, spent £5,000 on a custom made saddle, eats about £150 worth of hard feed every month and manages to injure himslef once a year. He is also a rug trasher so that is another £100 or so a month in the winter, while my little herd of Highlands and the rescue cob from Your Horse Live who still lives with us, all live out in the winter as hairy as nature intented them to be. If anyone is tempted, get a native, you can bounced them off conrete like a rubber ball and they just get up and walk off!

I have a car that cost DH over 80k new it is a joy to drive even though it has lost 75% of its value and is over 6 years old. DH drives the new cheaper car which I dislike so it’s win-win for me.

I have a few nice pieces of jewellery that I have treated myself to on significant birthdays/events.

I wouldn’t count tech as that is what I need to work although it would be nicer if my employer funded it!

Our main extravagance is travel as now our DC have left home we are trying to explore long haul destinations, travelling business class

A Big Green Egg along with a covered outdoor kitchen to put it in. It gets a lot of use all year round!

Maybe some of my swarovski crystal pieces. But they are not one off purchases. I collect them.

I spent £200 on my wedding shoes. They are lovely but I'm thinking of selling them. Couldn't do it now.

@fatgirlswims - get the lip glow!

I’ve taken on board the comments about hot tubs and ordered an outdoor sauna hut instead.

Because they’re seedy and naff.

That was my rationale too. I wish I could post a photo of them, but I fear it may be too outing!

On retirement, a brand new campervan and two electric bikes to go on the back of it. I can’t tell you just how much pleasure we have had out of it the last 5 years. Worth every single penny. We have travelled far and wide. Think as far as Greece and soon Morocco. I highly recommend saving diligently or working that extra year if this lifestyle is something you aspire to for retirement.

A jewellery friend made my eternity ring for me which was a present from DH. 1.1 carat diamond set in platinum. I designed it and our friend made it for me; so there is not another one like it out there, totally unique. I've had it 15 years and my heart still skips a beat when I look at it. Cost £6k. Probably not a huge amount to some people but to me it was an extortionate amount to spend on such a small item.

My e-bike lives outside but in but in the garden. Super safe neighborhood, but I still have 5 locks on it.
I suggest you buy a litelok x3, or two litelok x1.

A Chanel bag

I won’t say horses since I will absolutely continue to buy them so they’re not a one-off.

Instead I’ll say my great big eff-off American rig that I bought when I moved to the States. I’d always liked the size and convenience of them but obviously we don’t have anything like it. Similar truck and trailer (float) below for reference.

Approve of this, it won't lose it's value either. I've still got my pair from 1994 and will never part!

Splashed out on a fantastic, unforgettable, mind-blowing holiday in India last September. At 82! A couple of weeks later told I had breast cancer. I'm now 50% down in the boob department so I stuff a sock in my bra and plan where to go next!

£359 on a kitchen aid stand mixer in the sale. I was eyeing one up for a few years but couldn’t bring myself to justify the spend. But in the end I decided to get it for myself last summer and so pleased I did! I (and my friends and family) are really enjoying all the output!

My Dualit toaster,
Because who spends over £100 on a toaster?