[macroy]

I was reading this article on usatoday that talks about how the "middle-class" go cheap on somethings so they can go luxury on others.... i.e. shop at wal-mart and target, but drive a BMW...

What are some of your "luxury" only items?

For me I guess it would be golf gear. I could care less where I get my clothes - my ties, slacks, and dress shirts are from Syms (a discount outlet). And I do shop at Target for clothes as well... but Titleist is the only club/golf balls/bags etc. I'd even consider.

[JHromadka]

All the electronics stuff I have (53" TV, TiVo, etc), and my PC friends would probably say my Mac.

[Rampant Desire]

I often shop for bargains for life necessities. I then go splurge on computer equipment. I guess smoking is a bit of a luxury item too now. Gotta quit soon.

Does anyone on this board have any experience with zyban?

-RD

[DeathToWindows]

skimp on necessaries

splurge on Mac and Photo gear

[bubblewrap]

I drive a used Jeep. It's paid for.
My wife's car is paid for.
She only buys stuff on sale.
She buys my clothes ar the thrift store.

All so I can afford an airplane.

[Mafia]

Originally posted by DeathToWindows:
skimp on necessaries

splurge on Mac and Photo gear

same except splurge on more mac gear also other electronics (tivo, dvds(not electronic but) and surround sound stuff)

[Link]

Oh I shop at all the independant shops, pay Muhammed $12.95 for 12 rolls of generic SOFTY toilet paper, go to the locally owned grocery store and pay $8 for a bag of chips, and $12 for a can of ice cream.

Then I drive my '89 toyota corolla to my $800/month flat and enjoy it all. Oh yes

I understand how chains 'suck', granted most out here are unionized, and how going to target is 'just as bad as walmart', but that's ********.

Walmart, I'll agree about, mostly because for almost the same price target charges for everything, you get repulsive salespeople, repulsive service counter people, and the store is a filthy mess. OTOH, target tends to be pretty clean, safeway is decent, **** even food4less tends to be pretty nice.

IIRC, most of the people are under unions here.. this IS CA Then again, if they decide to picket, I won't cross the line...

Seriously though, why should I go pay 20%-80% more to shop at the dinky shops at the corner? **** 7-11 is owned by a larger corporation than target last I checked.

[d4nth3m4n]

i only splurge on sunglasses and shoes. can't mess with my vision or my back.

past that though, i'll cut as many corners as i can find.

[TailsToo]

My Mac.

I really don't need a 20" Cinema, but damn, it's sweet!

[alligator]

No question about it. I skimp on clothes so I can buy electronic gadgets. I need the latest and greatest. I can have socks full of holes, but if anything electronic breaks, I get it fixed immediately.

[Kilbey]

I scrimp on the basics like toothbrushes and toilet paper. Buy anything in bulk if it's a deal.

I splurge on good lumber like quarter sawn oak and highly figured maple and cherry woods.

[moonmonkey]

Originally posted by Link:
Oh I shop at all the independant shops, pay Muhammed $12.95 for 12 rolls of generic SOFTY toilet paper

You buy toilet paper from Harrods?

[anthonyvthc]

I haven't really done it enough to make it a habit, but I think I'm gonna fall in that category of the people who scrimp so that they can have nice(or at least decent) cars. I've been driving for 6 years now, I'm on my 9th car. It's a Volvo. I love it and I couldn't imagine driving another Ford. Meanwhile I buy all the generic food, TP, soap, shampoo, etc... that I can find. I spend a lot of time commuting, and it would suck if I wasn't as comfortable in my car as I am in my home.

[Link]

Originally posted by moonmonkey:
You buy toilet paper from Harrods?

Nah, just teddy bears and sofas.

[TailsToo]

Originally posted by alligator:
No question about it. I skimp on clothes so I can buy electronic gadgets. I need the latest and greatest. I can have socks full of holes, but if anything electronic breaks, I get it fixed immediately.

Yep! Target clothing so that I can afford an iPod.

[dreilly1]

It's like anything else, certain things have more value for any given individual than others.

In my case, I don't see the point of having lots of clothing or expensive clothing, so most of my wardrobe consists of jeans, a few button-down shirts, and FPGA and ASIC vendor T-shirts that I get for free at trade shows.

However, I pay for TiVo over and above my cable subscription because it makes the few hours that I get to watch TV lately more enjoyable. Heck, if it weren't for ESPN and Mets games on Cable, I would have ditched the cable and kept the TiVo for over-the-air programming!

[Zimphire]

[Mafia]

Originally posted by Zimphire:

tube > solid state

like the 65 vibrolux, now that is an amp.

but the prs is awesome!

[Krusty]

Cheap on food. Cheap on toiletries. Cheap on cars. And cheap on clothes.
I will waste money on:
Tech -- I like toys, although I have a number of things that I put through the paces ... and then promptly ignore afterwards.

Travel. Best thing there is. The further and wilder the better.

Location, location, location. For almost 100% of my adult life I've paid a wee bit more and lived in cramped quarters so that I could be in a great spot. (8 years across the street from the ocean, 2-ish years in the heart of the "nice" part of downtown, 2 years in the mountains near lots of Nat Parks). Hard to put a price tag on living in the middle of where you like to play. Makes it easier to play more .. even when the rest of you life gets really hectic.

[spiky_dog]

i don't care about my clothes. i cut my own hair with a trimmer so i always am 1/8" or so from being bald. my car is 9 years old and gets no love aside from the occasional oil change. my apartment is cheap and cramped.

but my musical equipment (my trumpets, and my midi setup with clavinova hooked up to my g4 driving sibelius, good headphones), camera equipment, and bikes are top notch. unless i can tell the difference between decent and top of the line i'll buy cheap stuff, but in those areas i'm discerning enough that it's worth it to me.

[wdlove]

It would be on a Mac, hopefully next it will be a G5.

[Stradlater]

Luxury items:
Other than Macintosh?
Espresso machine & grinder, etc.

Close-to-luxury-but-not-really:
Food in general.
Drink in general -- I'm not going to buy $100 bottles of wine, but I'm not going to buy generic macrobeers or wine.

[Sherwin]

Originally posted by Mafia:
tube > solid state
like the 65 vibrolux, now that is an amp.

One day... One day...



(check the price with all the options! )

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by Mafia:
tube > solid state
but the prs is awesome!

The Marshall is tubed.

[Mafia]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
The Marshall is tubed.

oh is it? nice then
i've just always been a vintage fender man. my uncle has a 65 vibrolux and a 69 vibrolux and they are two of the fullest and nicest sounding amps i've seen. ive seen one of those amps fill a room for 1000 with no mics and still sound perfect. either way the tubed marshalls are nice to i played with them briefly but not as much as i would have wanted.

[Mafia]

dp

[Gankdawg]

My Mac, definitely. And my 64" TV.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by Mafia:
oh is it? nice then
i've just always been a vintage fender man. my uncle has a 65 vibrolux and a 69 vibrolux and they are two of the fullest and nicest sounding amps i've seen.

p
My dad used to own a bunch of tweed 50s Fender amps. Nice sound.

either way the tubed marshalls are nice to i played with them briefly but not as much as i would have wanted.

Yeah, Fenders have a more "sweet" sounding overdrive. Marshalls have a heavier sound a bit.

I like Fender amps for a clean sound.