You aren't "investing" your money, you're spending it.

[Torak]

I hate it when people say they are "investing" in the purchase of some sort of pricey consumable item.

I'd be interested to see your ROI on that £500 baby sling. 🙄

Gifting is another one I hate. But today I'm irritable about investing.

It’s a bit of a continuum. I have investments I expect to make money on, I invest in things I expect to save me money I would have otherwise spent on something they provide. I buy higher quality items in order to buy fewer of them. The last is not strictly an investment, although I will have less money now and more later because if it. Which IS the definition of an investment.

But then, an investment doesn’t have to make money. Even traditional investments fail. Perhaps people buying designer kit (or whatever) are just poor investors? But mostly they’re trying to justify something they want to you, or themselves, for fear of judgement.

If I were to invest in solar panels, and the pay off was lower electric bills, we’d all be good with that. If I invest in a car, because it’s cheaper than public transport, maybe not. But if I buy stock in an airline, and it tanks, that’s still an investment, even though I lost money.

@JTK392

We have 12 rolexes, worth about 10 to 20k each. I have 4 1980s chanel bags, one owned by someone famous and dead, total worth around 30k

Isn’t this type of valuation meaningless unless it is given in context of your net worth?

The value is the value, whether it represents a big or small proportion of the owners wealth

@Clytemnestra4 again - you don't generally buy Rolexes to wear them. It's the same as putting cash into funds. But possibly with a better return in 10 years time.
Gosh some people really aren't getting it !

You obviously have a lot of time on your hands OP 🤣

im investing in my body long term by going to the gym

Investing is the act of allocating resources is a definition of the word

Why are asscher cut difficult to get hold of?

I think it’s a combination of the cut originally being patented and only applied to larger diamonds, plus the fact that there was some additional waste in cutting which drove up the price and the fact that you need a really good quality diamond for an ascher.

They also weren’t terribly popular for large periods of time (although they’re my absolute fav!) as they done have the sparkle that many brilliant cuts do.

There is now a modern ascher cut but the old cut European are not as easy to come by. I’m not a jeweller though.

Some people seem to be saying something is an investment because it is worth more than they paid for it. I think it’s a bit more than that. For it to be an investment you have to be doing with the aim of making a profit. It’s the intention that counts.

@PollyPage

My rokexes and vintage chanel bags could buy a house tomorrow. I must tell them that they are worthless. Maybe just chuck them away

Not so humble brag

“Investing in X” just means spending money on an item which will function at a decent level for a decent amount of time. It’s common usage. It needn’t be the literal meaning of actual financial return/profit on investment.

In 2016 DP ‘invested’ in a Rolex. A GMT Master II ‘Batman’, to be precise. It cost him around €7000. I thought he was crazy, it’s just a normal stainless steel watch, but it was his money so…

It’s now worth £15,000, and Rolex values are increasing faster than ever. The smug git constantly reminds me that I thought he was wasting his money.

The value of investments can go down as well as up.

Lego is valuable??? Weeps at amount I have given away over the years.

Anyway back to the point of the thread, yes it’s a bit of a daft thing to say but I tend to snigger later.

The value is the value, whether it represents a big or small proportion of the owners wealth

Ok yes I realise that, not sure what your point is.
The value of the items isn’t the value of the items - the value is only what the market is willing to pay and markets fluctuate as with any investment.

In certain circumstances it's justified. If that Instant Pot is going to allow you to batch cook a load of cheap freezer meals (and you actually do that), rather than buy ready meals, it is an investment because it will reduce your food costs in the future. If however you had a slow cooker anyway, were using it regularly to do the exact same thing, but you just fancied a new gadget, then no, it's not an investment.

@cptartapp

The 'investment' in childcare when mine were very young has paid off in more ways than one. My mental health remained intact, as did my skills and career and my pension looks great.

I think this was investing in YOU, not the childcare. Spending the money on childcare was indeed an investment in your mental health, career etc. Not in the childcare!

Cars do normally depreciate like mad but right now with the issues in the supply chain, a well looked after newish car can easily have gone up in value. A family member has a 2 year old ex-demonstrator car. The garage that sold it to them has offered to buy it back for more than they paid.

@PollyPage

We have 12 rolexes, worth about 10 to 20k each. I have 4 1980s chanel bags, one owned by someone famous and dead, total worth around 30k. I'm not saying it's the type of house I would care to live in but a house none the less. Do you really care enough to want photos? I can't really be flagged to offer proof to someone who clearly has no idea of assets as they probably don't have any.

Oh do give over. Your constant boasting is very tedious.

[quote catfunk]@VelvetChairGirl sorry but you're incorrect.
Doesn't matter if you think they're chavvy, they're still a great investment money wise. There are literally waiting lists years long for used ones.
Something like a Rolex submariner is not chavvy and will appreciate in value more and more.
Omega seamaster, speedmaster and Patek Phillipe are safe bets too.

A Tag for example looks great, but wouldn't be seen as such an investment. [/quote]
I am just saying there are far better watches you can get that will be worth more.

Rolex is rather the entry level in watch collecting that everyones heard of, I'm not saying they wont increase in value.

@Ozgirl75

Imagine having 9 Rolexes and going “what do I need more of? Rolexes!” I just can’t imagine being so….brash, I guess.

Indeed.. we only have 2 arms!

Tbf, anyone who is “successful” expat in the Middle East wouldn’t be successful elsewhere. not everyone would sell their soul to live there if they could be successful somewhere decent.

@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea

To be fair, while I don't know what it is like now, there was a time when some slings were so in demand you could sell them second hand for more than they cost new.

Yup

I saw a sling go for over £2000!!

@gogohm

Certain items are more but will save you eg good quality boots. Not an investment in the true sense but they save me in the long run.

My cloth nappies were a true investment because I sold them for £50 more than I paid 4 years prior!

I think anything that helps the environment. Cloth nappies. Period pants. Reusable wipes etc.

Amazing stuff!

@Seadragonusgiganticusmaximus

Some people seem to be saying something is an investment because it is worth more than they paid for it. I think it’s a bit more than that. For it to be an investment you have to be doing with the aim of making a profit. It’s the intention that counts.

it doesnt have to be profit just return and that inclueds saving money as well as making it or simply not losing it, the word has many meanings.

take my Game boy games for example, I normally bought them reduced but I pre-ordered and paid in full for the obscure RPG ones because I knew they wouldn't be available long and they retain their value so worth paying RRP on as I knew they would be worth the same or increase later, I would never see them be less then what I paid and go oh bugger I should have waited.

and my Chefs Wok will last many years, I wont sell it, I will use it until it breaks and that'll be many years longer then all the nonstick frying pans, thus it was an investment, it will save me money in the long run as I worked out frying pans last me about 4 years a piece no matter how much I try to preserve the surface with wooden utensils and careful washing.

Am I the only person wondering if the dead persons handbag hand an imperial mint covered in fluff and an old persons metal nail file in it? Why would anyone want a dead persons bag in the first place, why would that be worth money?

@PegasusReturns

If you sold it back to a jeweller it would not achieve anything like that value. After my divorce I took my wedding and engagement rings to a jeweller

Higher end jewellery tends to hold its value better. I have a 2.2ct ascher cut which I know the jeweller would take back at 2 x what DH paid. Because they’re difficult to get hold of.

Oh. I love ascher diamonds So Art Deco. Stunning. My favourite cut.