Lighthearted! What thing did you say you'd do as a sign you'd 'made it'?

[Tiredofitallagain]

I always said I'd know I'd 'made it' (whatever that means!) When I could go to M&S for my weekly shop!

DHs made it moment is when he can wake up on a spontaneous Saturday and decide to take us to Paris on a whim! (We are in UK)

Obviously his more exciting than mine but I guess for both it's about having enough disposable income to not feel guilt about 'luxury spontaneous' buys!

What are yours? Achieved? Gave you the thrill you thought?
(Ours as yet unacheived haha!)

For a long time in house shares mine was getting my own fridge! It felt amazing when I moved into my first studio flat and it had a brand new fridge freezer.

Bless your Mum. What a woman. I’m sure she had many riches. Sorry she never got that wish though.

Mine is just filling up my vehicle tank to full without a second thought. Achieved a long time ago but every time I fill up the tank I am grateful.

When I was a kid it was £5 or £10 car top ups. We had our needs provided for but there wasn’t that freedom to not have to think

That made me well up a bit @Cando6, your wee mum 😢. It did remind me of a verse from the song "Simple Things" by Paolo Nutini though:

"Oh, my father is a wealthy, self-made man
But his wealth does not consist of riches or acres of land
And instead he has a family who are his biggest fans
That's something that I one day hope to have."

Never fly economy again and Hermes bag. Achieved those, doesnt cause eternal happiness but makes life a bit nicer.

I always wanted a le creuset casserole dish but never got one. They are over-priced! However, just checked and I might get an oven dish for shepherd's pie £65...!
Would love to shop at M and S every week. A friend always got a Christmas pudding for Harrods for his mum! I did this one year and did not notice the difference.
I still haven't gone first class or business class on a plane. Definitely on the to do list!

It's changed as I've got older.
I used to think Chanel, Tiffany etc, until I realised that no-one else would even know they were 'posh', lol, so I went off the idea!
I think I just like being 'free' & not have to worry about affording a day or two away or an appliance going wrong.. a small thing but it makes me happy!

Iv always said, a good restaurant, when I can walk upto a tank full of lobsters...and say, " I want that one".....but I'm now thinking of too goo d to go bags lol

I like both of those!

When we could afford minor health stuff privately - sad reflection of the times & our ages . Not prepared to wait to fix health stuff that’s impacting on our lives and despite both working f/t for the NHS our entire working lives the waiting lists are ridiculous.

🥰

I took her to New York for Christmas last year which I think she liked - not first class though 😅

hopefully it’s the first of many worldwide trips

I have lived in hardship but now real comfort.
When I realised I could put £35k a year into savings. I then started to pay much more attention to different bank accounts.
I didn't think I would be in that category so knew I made it then.
I refuse to do a weekly shop in M&S or get a cleaner i don't really treat myself much. I have done 1 Ocado shop but probably won't do anymore.

To be able to take all my family to Japan on holiday

When I wake up on Monday mornings and look forward to going into work. I really love my work, the pay is mediocre but I genuinely would do it for free.

if this was only a few tears ago then more likely it was the new karen mullen owned by bohoo. not the same as it was years ago. dresses etc were unreal. I still have 2 summer dresses definitely close to 20 years old now. fully lined good quality buttons and no repairs etc needed
wouldn't touch new karen millen now with a barge pole

Well my initial housing bill (rent/mortgage) used to be something dumb like 80% of my income

it’s less than a quarter of my income now.

I wouldn’t say I’ve made it but rather, I can see how being able to save 75% of my income for the next few years can get me there. It’s just trying to fight the urge to upsize in the meantime

Not setting the search filter as 'prices from low to high', when searching for holidays online!

Absolutely not achieved and never likely to be!

I used to live in Knightsbridge in the early 90s (in a hostel - I was 22 and broke). There was a coat in the window of Harvey Nichols for a few weeks that I lusted over and would walk over to visit every night. It cost about an average month's salary at the time (I was on less). I thought that being able to spend a month's salary on an item of clothing would really mean I'd made it. I was surrounded by wealth but that was the benchmark I chose.

I could afford to do that now - but have never seen anything that has made me want to.

Grew up on the south coast but moved for work, always wanted to buy a sailing boat and take it out every weekend.

Not achieved it yet, but perhaps in few years once we retire.

Being able to go on at least one break a month. I'm in Venice now and going to Paris and Berlin next month. I don't do business class now as it's really not worth it to me for short flights.

Years ago,I was a skint single mum on benefits and a whoe load of debts that my ex dumped on me before fucking off into the sunset (and he never paid a penny)

My narc mother paid of the debt but by god,did I pay her back

She would take my benefits off me (she kept my book for 'safe keeping'),give me a tight budget and cream the rest off for herself

I had about £30 a week to spend on food for 4 of us (late 90's/early 20's)

I had no choice but to buy the cheapest of the cheap food and make it stretch

I knew id made it a few years ago when I was in tesco and could afford a tesco finest ready meal without double checking if I could afford it

Even now,I make sure I buy at least one finest item when we do the food shop and im nc with her

first was when I could do a full supermarket shop even just before payday without adding it all up and worrying if I have enough money on the account.

Second was when I was reading a MN thread asking where you could travel if you could go anywhere. And realised that I can go anywhere, it's just a matter of time and choosing the next destination. And in reasonable style, no need to take crazy 7 connections and sleep at airports.

In my early 20s I aspired to be able to buy 3 books a week from the 3 for 2 tables in Waterstones.
I am lucky enough that I could probably do this but never have. Instead I only read on my kindle and love a 99p deal.

Buying myself a dedicated wheely travel suitcase in bright red for my laptop and overnight bits rather than the old cabin bag my parents handed me down. It wasn't expensive as I'm not a high earner but it just felt like a lovely treat for my hard work. When DC asked to use it on her school residential I declined as it's nice to have one special thing for myself.

I have always loved clothes, I use to save up to buy Vogue whenever I could.

For me, it's being able to see something in e.g. HTSI or on a runway and picking up the phone and just buying then and there. I didn't consciously say in advance "that is when I will know I have made it" but every so often I pinch myself in the middle of doing just that.