I am my parents’ car service to and from the airport 
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Our S is following in your footsteps. He and a small group of friends started dining at stared restaurants in the SF area a few years ago. The Laundry is high on his list as is his favorite Ateler Crenn.
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My son and DIL are doing this too. Eating at one place was my anniversary gift to them, which they requested. That makes two.
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Wait … are we allowed to amortize costs across generations?
“Honey, this sports car isn’t for me, really. It’s for our future grandchildren.”
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Exceptional dining experiences sounds great. Supporting independent restaurants and workers. Up until 2019, we travelled for my kid’s sport within the US and Canada. (Shutdowns impacted competitions since then.) Travel was budget-conscious (when we could drive, we would). But we would have at least one meal at an upscale French restaurant per trip.
Our one big family trip for vacation’s sake was several years ago to Seattle. We dined at Canlis twice. Our kid was about 8 and ate from the same tasting menu as we did (in our family, my palate is the least adventurous). The staff was charmed and made a special mocktail in the kid’s honor. Such an enjoyable place to eat and create special memories.
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My vote? Yes. No one said that this can’t be the splurge that keeps on giving.
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We can’t take it with us. Let us know when you get the blanket!
I grew up really poor and was on public assistance. It’s really hard for me to buy things for myself and my husband doesn’t blink with large purchases. Financially, we are doing well and I usually have a hard time with spending . . . . or so I thought until this pandemic!
I started sewing for hospital and clinic colleagues (scrub caps and family masks). I stopped counting at 2000 masks and my sturdy Pfaff machine finally couldn’t take it.
The sewing repair shop guy told me that I “killed it”. Since I was a frequent visitor to the local sewing shop, the owner offered me a $4K machine that does everything! He finally reduced it to $1500 with a trade of another machine and I bought it!
I was so scared to tell my husband that I spent over $1K on a sewing machine! I called him immediately and told him, while driving home, and said that I would return it. He said that I never spent anything on myself and that I should keep it with this line:
“we can’t take it with us”. He also said that the sewing appeared to be helping with my anxiety and that is was good for me to be doing something for others while staying in place.
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I’ve dined at the Inn at Little Washington but that was because my parents lived next door.
I own a high end Pfaff sewing machine (and gave one to my daughter) but I don’t consider that an extravagance, outrageous or otherwise.
It took me several months to convince myself to do it but I did buy myself a pair of Thursday boots this past winter. That was pretty extravagant.
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Hahaha! I told my daughter her last dance costume will be worn at her wedding dress! I agree, the qualities that make them successful competitors also make them wonderful young women. the interviewer for my daughter’s vet school raved about how much that commitment would predict her success in vet school. Today, she graduated cum laude!
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We’ve had our daughter bring us to the bus station for the airport shuttle a few times, but it’s out of her way, and we refuse to make her go out at late hours to pick us up–unlike us, she works for a living! Plus, the shuttle schedule isn’t always in our favor. Paid for car service, got spoiled by it instantly!
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@thealternative It’s a little Chris Reeve Small Inkosi Insingo. One side of the handle is carbon fiber and the other is titanium. It’s very light and VERY sharp. They’re made in Idaho and this carbon fiber model is produced exclusively for a particular online retailer. I had to wait 6+ months for them to come back in stock, and they all sold out again in about two hours.
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The knife talk reminds me that I have Cutco knives that I bought over twenty years ago. They were a big splurge over the cheap knives I always had before. Can’t remember what I paid for them, but when I look at the current prices I am amazed that I spent that kind of money on knives. But like the fancy coffee makers some are talking about, they were a good buy and have lasted a very long time and work very well.
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Wow. This is like trying to hunt down a classic “caviar” Chanel WOC. 
(I once had some time to kill before my bus so I decided to browse some megabuck$ purses at the Neiman conveniently located next to the bus stop. The store was empty. The lonely sales associate whispered to me, “We just got a couple of caviar WOCs. Would you like to look at one?” I had no idea what it was but said, “Sure!” The SA discreetly showed me the tiny purse… as if this was some sort of an illegal substance deal. OMG, the thing was so cute… I fell in love. And I carried that thing daily, rain or shine, hell or high water! It was like an extension of my body. The WOC finally
retired recently, but I am thinking about sending it to the “purse spa” for some rejuvenation. So… Based in the mileage I got out of this purchase, it was not a splurge. 
)
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Not me, but my DD20 bought Rolex watch as a gift to her brother for his birthday when she received her signup bonus for her very first job. He would never spend that much on himself and absolutely loves it. I went to the Rolex store with her when she was picking it up. She was shaking when she was paying for this outrageously expensive gift.
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I had never heard of Cutco knives…until yesterday (someone was looking for them at an estate sale). And this this morning I read this post!
I had to google this to know what it was. I’m used to WOC meaning Women of Color and couldn’t figure out how it all fit in! Different worlds and all. 
This talk of knives reminded me that I recently started researching and collecting higher-end kitchen knives, specifically Japanese knives for now. For those that enjoy learning esoteric stuff it’s a fascinating sub-culture and the performance vs German standards like Wusthof is a revelation.
I haven’t bought anything “outrageous” - just a couple knives under $300. Many higher end collector knives easily fly past $1000 though. Knives from American master bladesmith Bob Kramer are super rare and can easily surpass $2000 per inch. Bourdain did a great show with him; the knife Kramer made in that episode sold at auction for 230k.
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Every year for my birthday by father gives me a “splurge” with no dollar limit. Sometimes I spend <100 on something I just wouldn’t buy for myself. Sometimes it’s a weekend getaway. But usually it’s a nice dinner out. One year around my birthday our family was in Kyoto and my splurge gift ended up being dinner at Mikako in Gion (Kobe beef). It was about $175pp. And worth every penny for the experience. Beautiful restaurant setting in Gion, fascinating preparation, divine food.
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My father bought a knife in a yard sale for $35. It’s been appraised at $10,000+.
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Do you know the brand or maker?
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