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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask you what is expensive but worth it?

839 replies

OgdensGoneNutFlake · 17/12/2022 19:40

I bought a JOIE 360° car seat which at the time seemed extortionate but when I look at how much ease it has given me over the years I think it was worth every penny.
Ditto expensive Dr Marten boots.

AIBU to ask what you've considered expensive when you bought it but in hindsight realised was worth it?

OP posts:
Pipsquiggle · 18/12/2022 07:06

Underfloor heating - so much cheaper than what we had before

Hohoholdon · 18/12/2022 07:11

Heating
the weekly food shop
childcare

MariahsBaubles · 18/12/2022 07:22

@KangarooKenny try pukka (my favourite is mint and liquorice, or bedtime blend or elderberry & echinacea) or tea pigs (all are incredible)

KangarooKenny · 18/12/2022 07:23

MariahsBaubles · 18/12/2022 07:22

@KangarooKenny try pukka (my favourite is mint and liquorice, or bedtime blend or elderberry & echinacea) or tea pigs (all are incredible)

Thanks !

KimberleyClark · 18/12/2022 07:30

L’Occitane Almond Oil shampoo and conditioner.

StuntNun · 18/12/2022 07:31

MariahsBaubles · 18/12/2022 07:22

@KangarooKenny try pukka (my favourite is mint and liquorice, or bedtime blend or elderberry & echinacea) or tea pigs (all are incredible)

I was just about to post this recommendation; my favourite is Teapigs Chocolate & Mint. Twinings Buttermint is also lovely.

KangarooKenny · 18/12/2022 07:31

Just wanted to say that I am loving this thread !
L’Occitane seems quite popular, might have to treat myself in the sales.

AllyCatTown · 18/12/2022 07:40

Super king size bed- so glad went for it as much more comfortable. We spend more time together as before.

THisbackwithavengeance · 18/12/2022 07:56

AllyCatTown · 18/12/2022 07:40

Super king size bed- so glad went for it as much more comfortable. We spend more time together as before.

Actually this. With a lovely memory foam mattress. Ours wasn't even expensive as we got it in a sale.

Apart from one hairy moment where we thought we wouldn't get it up 3 flights of stairs, it's been one of the best things we ever bought.

So much space. DH and I had to sleep in a double when we were away the other week; we couldn't wait to get home to our lovely bed.

JoanThursday · 18/12/2022 07:57

Mine have all been mentioned but I'll go anyway...

4 slot dualit toaster - bought in 2005 (I thought my dh was an idiot at the time!)
Neff oven
Private health insurance (with a shout out to my amazing physio)
Weekly pilates in small group sessions
Charlie Bighams meals - always seems decadent but so much cheaper than a takeaway

And I'll add ..
Haflinger slippers. Bliss.
Solovair boots. Made in the original DM factory in Northampton. More expensive than dms but really will last a lifetime.

WendyWagon · 18/12/2022 07:58

Max Mara/Marina Rinaldi coats and jackets
Dyson vacuum cleaners (on our third in 34 years. Only the first one went to the dogs)
Stewart Parvin bespoke clothing (still wearing my suits 22 years later).
John Lewis stainless Steel pans
Aga ranges and their cookware
Lancome mascara
Shiseido skincare
White company sheets
Christy towels (last 20+years)
Cockapoo
Leather upholstery and all add ons in our main car
Collective yoghurt and Marks coffee ice cream

Everything else secondhand or discounted.

IrishMamaMia · 18/12/2022 07:58

Fab thread. So many ideas for things to save up for.

For me it's two yearly visits to my dental hygienist. My teeth are in really good condition since I started this.

tirednewmumm · 18/12/2022 07:59

moreparmesan · 17/12/2022 20:07

My friend says a cleaner. I am debating getting her details, just to do bathrooms and kitchens so they’re sparkling every other week. Can afford it but not sure whether it’s wrong to considering we have a small home

We have a small home and a cleaner, she is lovely even though I've seen her van parked elsewhere and I'm certain we're her poorest clients lol she's invaluable we can au £17 an hour and she does the bathroom, kitchen ad hoovers the stairs in that hour. Really cuts down the time we spend on chores and means more family time

Mistletoewench · 18/12/2022 08:02

Ladyof2022 · 18/12/2022 04:55

I have another...

Many years ago, when broke, in a fit of deep depression and not in my right mind, I bought a coat in Selfridges that cost me the equivalent of three months salary. I put it on my credit card. To date it is the single most expensive item of clothing I have ever bought.

I put it on whilst on the bus home and wore it a couple of days before I came to my senses and burst into desperate sobbing at what I had done. It would take me about a year to pay for it. I was already broke and in debt and owed thousands on credit.

The coat was a three-quarter length scarlet swing coat made of cashmere, and lined with silk, with a wide red velvet collar which could be turned back and buttoned up against the cold. It was very light but very warm, and could be worn all year.

It fitted my hourglass figure as though it were bespoke because it had a loose tie belt and was generously flared out at the hips. As the years went on, and I grew from a size 14 to a 20, it still fitted me. It was so beautifully made that it never lost its shape and never bobbled.

It was worth every penny I paid, because not only did I look and feel like like a million dollars in it, but the coat lasted me for 35 years. In the end my arms grew too fat for the sleeves, but it was in such good condition that I sold it on ebay for £25.

Ooh I love a good coat. I also bought a lovely navy belted coat from Next when I was younger. Cost a lot for my younger self, my menopausal back is too fat for it now and I’ve put it in the loft. Can’t bear to part with it 🥲

Sunsetintheeast · 18/12/2022 08:03

thisisasurvivor · 17/12/2022 20:11

These coats are unethical

Read about how they have been made!!?

Show quote history

I agree and other down products like duvets.

Laying or standing in the suffering of other beings. Yuck.

BabyFour2023 · 18/12/2022 08:05

whirlyhead · 17/12/2022 20:10

A Canada goose coat - appallingly expensive but in freezing weather the best thing ever for staying warm. And it will last for ever.

Miele washing machine - mine has just died after 20 years faithful service. I feel like I’ve lost a friend.

Do you not know how they’re made? Absolutely vile and judge anybody who wears one.

Duckskitbank · 18/12/2022 08:06

MacBook. I’ve had mine nearly 10 years and it still works well. Every other laptop I’ve owned has had faults after 2 or 3 years.

Andsoforth · 18/12/2022 08:08

Window cleaner. We have a lot of glass. He does all my windows, inside and out, and the whole house seems brighter. It takes me ages between visits and I always miss spots or find streaks.

@HootOwlStrikesAgain do you have the details of the Italian shoe company?

Justforthissnippet · 18/12/2022 08:15

Christmas I have a set of bedding we just use in December

I love this idea! Is this something that lots of people do? I might start a thread to see if I can see peoples’ Xmas bedding to feel all
cosy (live in a hot country, just a sheet and no duvet. Not the same)

Justforthissnippet · 18/12/2022 08:15

My expensive stuff….umm. A painting that I love. Expensive airlines with the best safety rating because of my fear of flying!

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 18/12/2022 08:20

Solar panels, Thermomix and pool.

Valeriekat · 18/12/2022 08:22

Good balsamic vinegar.

Crayfishforyou · 18/12/2022 08:25

My velvetiser.
Our 800 count cotton bedding, with my ‘feels like down’ duvet. My bed is like sleeping in a cloud. A warm, soft cloud. We also have a duvet bigger than our bed for maximum nesting.
My dog. I love my dog.

KangarooKenny · 18/12/2022 08:26

Justforthissnippet · 18/12/2022 08:15

Christmas I have a set of bedding we just use in December

I love this idea! Is this something that lots of people do? I might start a thread to see if I can see peoples’ Xmas bedding to feel all
cosy (live in a hot country, just a sheet and no duvet. Not the same)

My DD loves her Xmas bedding, it comes out in November and I have to drag it off her in February !

Yorkshirelass04 · 18/12/2022 08:30

Also second private healthcare - with Axa.