Bed. That is the “luxury” you should prioritise above anything else.
I’ve slept in all kinds of qualities of bed (and discussed it with others who have done the same.)
The quality of the bed you sleep in at night is a huge factor in the quality of the you that you are when you’re awake. The best sleep I’ve had on bad beds is still no better than the worst I’ve had on good ones and when you repeat that day after day, into week after week, into year after year, the cumulative effect on both your quality of life and physical health is immense. You should never make sleeping on a bad bed your long-term plan if you can possibly avoid it.
Every single day of your life is influenced by the quality of sleep you got before you started and therefore the quality and type of bed.
It is a huge gap in privilege between people who have lifestyles that make a good bed a standard expectation that is easily achieved and those who have to make do with what’s cheap. The former group will always just be healthier, happier, better rested and more prepared for the challenges in front of them than the other.
I’d recommend a good quality pocket-sprung mattress (you can’t really find cheap bad ones) over a sturdy wooden slatted frame although the modern foam mattresses are also very popular now and can be a good choice if you can’t easily realistically get a massive heavy inflexible mattress where it needs to go.
A bidet. Main con is having to use toilets not at home.
honestly only thing preventing me to buy bidet is that vision that after every other toilet visit will be disgusting.
long time ago I spent some time in japan and having integrated bidet in every toilet was amazing, but for me it is all or nothing, either want to live in the world of bidet or in the world of toilet paper, not in the middle.
lmao i dont have that luxury i have no idea wtf you’re talking about
Recurring house cleaning services.
I’d probably be divorced by now if we hadn’t made the investment. It doesn’t cost as much you think and whatever it costs the mental health and couples benefits of a clean home is worth the investment.
I’ve thought about this but always get turned off at the thought of strangers in my little messy 1 bedroom apartment.
Any tips for finding a good one or additional points to help me make the plunge?
They’ve likely seen a LOT worse. Just remember the difference between a maid and a cleaner. A maid clears up the mess, a cleaner cleans the place. If your getting a cleaner, you’ll need to make some effort to get the mess out of their way.
I’ve also found that’s a useful effect. If you’ve someone coming in to clean every week or two, then you have a deadline and motivation to do your tidying. I don’t want to pay a cleaner to waste time shuffling around my clutter.
The first time they come is really hard (so much shame), but it gets easier. I’m not going to pretend that I’m not sometimes up at 5am cleaning before the cleaner comes, though.
Just ask around and google. Word of mouth is your best bet for finding someone running a one person business, though you can look at any noticeboards in shops near you–my local coffee shop generally has someone with a flyer up. Yelp and Google will turn up worker-owned cooperatives, which makes me feel better about the ethics of paying someone to clean.
Amen. A good house cleaner only must charge slightly less than a divorce.
A nice keyboard, mouse and monitor. It’s the way you interact with your computer the most and yet many people seem content with bargain versions, even when they spend 8-10 hours a day using them.
Same for your computer chair. Get a comfy one, you’re gonna sit in it a lot.
Whats the best way to get a good chair without having to spend thousands? I know post is about splurging, but oof that’s a tough spend.
getting an extra-long phone charging cable is such a silly purchase but it’s sooo useful. like i can’t live without one at this point. phone almost dead but the outlet is too far away? not anymore it’s not!
Socks. I spent my life wearing cheapo Walmart socks but my partner bought me a few pairs of merino wool socks last christmas. Hoo boy are those things amazing, they keep your feet cool in the heat and warm in the cold, and it feels like you’re wearing silky little clouds.
Merino wool is the good stuff. My sock experience is the same. I also bought some fancy sneakers that are merino, treated to be water repellent. I wear them to the office all year and I’ve not had any smell issues. I used to always buy cheap shoes and cheap socks but here it seems that your choice of material really makes a difference. I’ll pay the price for that.
Nice socks are more comfortable and last longer. I think long term they’re even more economical
Good coffee. It’s always worth it for me. There’s still an upper limit of super-expensiveness I won’t go past, but neither do I cheap out.
I’m the same with tea. Cheap tea is awful, good tea is amazing. Unfortunately expensive ≠ good. Thankfully I’ve found a good supplier, for a reasonable price (for the quality).
I’m a big fan of Harney and Sons for good black tea. Their Victorian London Fog is goated.
It took me a while, but eventually realized that the price of the good stuff was still maybe a tenth the cost of getting coffee from a kiosk.
And a good coffee grinder. The difference in freshness is quite noticable when grinding whole beans right before brewing a pot.
Similarly, £1’s worth of really great chocolate is usually more satisfying than £1’s worth of cheap rubbish even though the actual quantities are vastly different.
Roasting coffee is a great hobby and has an incredibly fast ROI if you start with the popcorn maker method. I get best in class beans for less than half their roasted cost.
Where do you buy un-roasted beans?
I buy almost all my roasting stuff, including beans, from Sweet Maria’s
For those who use cannabis like me, I gotta say a good vape is worth its weight in gold in the day to day experience.
Can I ask, how often do you consume and what vape do you use? I consume mostly for recreation (I have a medical reason but Ill just honestly admit the recreational factor is bigger for me because my health issue isnt that serious) and Im a daily smoker at this point. Sometimes I worry about the toll its taking on my physical health and I know vaping is supposed to be less taxing. My wife also uses daily and she actually has medicinal reasons/has a medcard. Ive looked into handheld vapes and tried a few, but Im a bong guy and nothing as of yet has compared to the feeling of hitting a clean, fresh bong. All you really get if you look for advice online are a bunch of ads and adbait articles about vape # 2973 being the best for you
I am a huge fan of my Volcano. Doctor told me to use a flower vape instead of smoking. Good life choice.
Is your volcano portable or desktop? Im a little familar with volcano but Ive never used or seen one IRL. None of my smoker friends vape flower, they all smoke it, but I do want to switch one day to mostly just vaping since it seems better for your health
Desktop. It’s expensive (a couple hundred bucks), butbit’s amazing. Had it for years, still trucking.
One of my luxuries is that I shave using straight and safety razors (it’s actually more economical & less of an environmental impact that using shitty gillette style razors) is to splurge a bit on the shaving soap and brush
Nothing like a nice, frothy lather!
Here’s hoping we can build a nice community like Wicked_Edge over here.
Still MUCH cheaper than buying Gillette razors…and a much better, more enjoyable shave.
Good underwear. I like Saxx boxer briefs. Breathable, doesn’t ride up, and they support my junk with choking it.
support my junk with choking it
If my underwear choked my chicken for me, it would free up so much time in my day!
/s
I never used to think about the quality of my underwear until I got some from Saxx & Pair of Thieves. Now I can’t imagine going back.
Be sure to try MeUndies once, too. They have this special cotton-like material that feels like silk but breathes like cotton. 🤌
Nice. Do you have the Ball Caddy boxers? If so, how’s the support?
Blackout curtains and high-thread count silk sheets.
blackout curtains are the difference between 67 and 80 degrees F in the summer for me
Don’t go cheap if it separates you from the ground. Buying quality shoes, tires, sofa/ recliner, and bed will always be worth the investment.
Definitely a bed. Do not cut costs on your mattress, you spend a third of your life laying on one and if it’s not good, it will fuck your back up.
Good loose leaf tea.
This. Most retail teabags are made with “fannings” which is basically the dust left after they’ve made the actual proper tea. It’s cheap and brews very fast so it has mass market appeal but it tastes accordingly. Quality loose leaf tea is amazing and the flavour difference is huge. It doesn’t immediately get that burnt tannin flavour like fannings do.
Ever since a buddy turned me on to adagio.com, no turning back to regular tea bags.
Rock on! I just ordered a pretty wide variety of their samples. Thanks for the tip, Citizen!
If you like black teas, I recommend Harney and Sons. Specifically their Victorian London Fog, Irish Breakfast, and Scottish Afternoon teas.
A heating blanket.
Pros:
- It’s warm and cozy
- It keeps achy joints happy in the winter
- It attracts cats
Cons:
- Your cat will claim it and you will feel guilty taking it back
In the same family, I got a heated mattress pad. I’m sure it has paid for itself because I can keep the house cooler at night. There’s something so refreshing about sleeping in a warm bed with cool winter air.
If you like to cook, a decent chef’s knife. If you like to play video games, a quality controller. If you travel at all, a quality carry on bag and/or backpack. If you’re creative and like to write music, a small USB midi controller.
These are some of the things that come to mind.
