Tell me your lifestyle creeps

[Sparklingwaterornothing]

NOT a goady thread - meant as lighthearted fun!
If you earn well now tell me what your lifestyle creeps are? Those nice little extras that you yourself might have rolled your eyes at or have never entertained previously! Even better if you tell us the ones that aren’t worth it!

mine below:

Marks and Spencer for the food shop
Fancy makeup brands - not sure these are value for the money but I’m a SUCKER for the packaging!
Cashmere or silk socks - WORTH it!
High thread count bedding
Expensive skin care - genuinely think has made a difference 🤞

Avocado oil crisps
Mwah chefs kiss....

Evening classes. When I first started working I couldn’t afford them. But when I could I immediately enrolled in a language class. Im now fairly decent in that language so I’ve now paused that and started a different language class.

Last year I also started dance classes.

Bold Beans instead of the (cheaper) tins

The school bus. I could take and collect the DC most days but paying for the bus gives me the freedom not to have to organise everything within that 6hr40 window, not to have to worry if I’m running late etc
Having a handyman spend a day at ours every two months. I keep a running list of tasks which I send to him a week or so before he is due over so he can check what is needed and then he comes & works his way through my list. He’s very reasonably priced and it’s a lot cheaper than divorce would be!
Being able to continue to be members of or friends or otherwise support various things in the village despite not using them much on the basis that that should make their money go a bit further and mean that these things continue to exist.

It’s just a small thing but when I go shopping, I just put whatever I like in the trolley. I don’t check it the price and compare it to other prices, I just go for what I want and put it in. And it just makes me so happy.

i’m living in a very different situation to what i was when we were struggling in jobs just after uni. Nicer house, nicer car…. But it’s the supermarket shop I appreciate the most: I put the fresh organic orange juice in the trolley and I think Jesus I have really made it now, didn’t even check the price on that.

i do compare prices and check offers but I grew up poor.

I do however feel no guilt in buying cans of pop. Not for everyday. But this was a wild luxury as a child- to have a can- and now I don’t think twice.

Also I do have multiples of things. Toothpaste runs out. No worries- check the basket there is more! So a well stocked house. I do know this is a hangover of scarcity though.

Not to be goady, but this means you certainly are not a lifelong socialist @oncemoreuntothebeachdearfriends . anyone who buys private healthcare or private dentistry cannot call themselves any type of socialist

I knew a lady who had a fear of scarcity - I think from living through the war years. She had to have 3 of a lot of household items - if some things went below that number, she would become anxious. It was a bit extreme but understandable.

I also like to have a back-up of everyday items - hate that feeling of having to rush to a shop when I have run out of something. A well-stocked house is a comforting feeling.

yes that's another thing - I always used to be things only when they ran out, and in smallest packs because that's all i could afford.
Now I buy in bulk and always have a stock of toothpaste and similar staples. It's great!

A couple of things, very simple, almost ridiculous but M&S decaf coffee, and I was gifted a proper beautiful China cup. I WFH and these two things a lush.

Also, heated steering wheel and heated seats in my car, my one luxury which fills me with both utter joy and utter utter anxiety because of the cost which I could never even consider in my previous life.

100% this too! I bought myself 2 lots of Primark body sprays the other day because they smell SO good, the bigger bottles too, not the super cheap diddy ones that I would only use on special occasions to make them last. I now use them every bastard day… because I want to!

I don’t think twice about buying a daily coffee. Particularly when it’s supporting small local places as we’ve had a wave of them shutting down and I want our area to be on the up.

Hand soap. Buying £1 stuff from the supermarket just won’t cut it now.

Holidays.. 5 booked for 2026 so far.

Also the more money we have coming in, the lazier I get.. so I now refuse to shave or clean my house - read: monthly waxing and weekly cleaner.

Non-negotiable at this stage. Also I will have my nails done professionally until my dying day.

Oh I like nice mugs too. My Emma Bridgewater ones very much elevate the humble cup of tea.

The ones my DC tease me about are:

taxis everywhere instead of buses
Bouquets of flowers not bunches
mutti tomatoes not supermarket own
fillet from the butchers not sirloin from Sainsbury’s
salon manicures rather than paint at home

All small expenditures that probably add up but bring joy.

there’s also the “I’ll just pick one up on the way home”. We used to borrow or do without more stuff. E.g. DH used to borrow a neighbours ladder for occasional use or his mates travel bag for golf clubs, but decided to “pick one up on way home”; same for ski wear - within my friend group we used to swap around outfits for the kids - someone always had something age appropriate; then it became easier just to go to snow and rock and pick up what they needed.

then there’s the outsourcing: laundry, cleaning, cooking, meal delivery, gardening, decorating the house at Christmas, personal trainer, financial manager. Earlier this week DH and I seriously discussed getting a PA. But that’s not really lifestyle creep, just slightly absurd 🤣

Someone to cut the 10 foot high hedge and take away the clippings.
getting painters in rather than DIY.
getting my varicose veins done, they were painful and looked awful
shopping and not counting up the cost

Good bread, good butter, high quality socks.

I started buying Touche Eclat when I was still working 5 days a week and could afford it. Unfortunately I had a baby and went down to 3 days, but I can’t stop buying it because people keep asking me if I’m ill when I don’t wear it! 😁

Definitely worth the money.

Thank you. I'm glad you weren't trying to be nasty. It's a very complicated and difficult situation with therapy and I was just not wanting to talk about it on a light-hearted thread. I guess I shouldn't have gone into so much detail about my problems as that didn't sound very light-hearted either!

Not well off ....always had to budget closely but mortgage now paid off so...
Better holidays
Gifted holidays to grown up family
Have the pleasure of expensive giving at Christmas/Birthdays
Mini breaks
Eating out

Weekly cleaner
Waitrose food shop
Decorator
Personal trainer
I saw a menopause specialist GP privately early on - the peace of mind was worth the money
Being able to replace outgrown or damaged kids shoes immediately
Min monthly family meals out

A nice bottle of Margaux

Food shopping at Waitrose and M&S.
i paid £13 for a wood fired pizza that I could have gotten similar for £6 but it did taste good.
eating out more.
5 star hotels when we go on holiday.
using Uber for transport on holiday.

Oh I am so guilty of this:

-Ocado shop
-Next delivery pass and just getting the kids’ clothes delivered next day instead of Vinted like I used to
-Botox
-Brand new car
-Holidays are rarely under 5 stars.

It all brings me joy though!