The first luxury item you bought?

[Oaktree]

The second item came soon after, my first new car, which was also my education on how much of a mistake it is to finance a car if you don't have to. It was a good car, but I should have kept driving the old one until I could afford the new one outright. Never financed a car again after that....

I've only ever bought one new vehicle, in the early 70s right out of college. Financed, but paid off early. A true one-owner car, next owner was the scrapyard 13 years and almost 300k later.
Ever since then it's been 5-8 year old used ones. Let someone else take the depreciation hit.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Am I the only one who hates overpaying for a sandwich or a doughnut but has no problem shelling out big money for a piece of jewelry when it's a good deal?

 

[gstrom99]

First luxury item was a stereo component system in about 1984.

I bought a Marantz receiver in 1975, and good speakers. All my buddies were still listening to cheap stereos. I had it reconditioned a few years ago (new capacitors, bulbs, etc...) and I put in new woofers for the speakers. I'm still enjoying the full/quality sound of that system today.

 

[Runner]

I bought a Marantz receiver in 1975, and good speakers. All my buddies were still listening to cheap stereos. I had it reconditioned a few years ago (new capacitors, bulbs, etc...) and I put in new woofers for the speakers. I'm still enjoying the full/quality sound of that system today.

I still have mine too. It's a Sansui, so it was a cheap system at the time, but still considered a "luxury item" so somone making $10,000/year.....

 

[MossRoad]

Luxury item isn’t the right word but I didn’t know what else to call it. The first thing you ever bought that made your life easier, had an impact you remember. Maybe it’s a chainsaw, tractor, house etc.

For me I was about 27 and renting a house. Up until this time I had been going to laundromats since I was 21. This rental house had a washer and dryer hook up and I bought a used pair. I don’t remember the exact cost but probably $200 for both. If you ever had to do laundry at a laundromat on a regular basis you understand. For me that was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Hard to say. We have lots of unnecessary stuff that make our lives easier. My parents always had a washer and dryer, so did my wife's, so we didn't even consider that a luxury item, but a necessity. Now I know people that have to use a laundromat every week, so I realize we are fortunate on that account. Used house, used cars, used appliances when we first got married, etc... we bought one new car in 1989. I suppose that might be the first. Nice TVs, stereos, etc...

But mostly, I'd consider the pool a luxury item. We can only realistically use it 3-3.5 months out of the year. We get a lot of enjoyment out of it. It's hardly a necessity.

 

[fidowanttobe]

$100 used black military "Bunny Boots" back when i was young, siding houses, and broke.
A HUNDRED BUCKS????
Worth every penny.
What a relief to be on scaffolding all day, all winter and have warm feet!!!

 

[scootr]

I'd have to say my first new truck. A buddy had an uncle that had a chevy dealership. I got a great Deal on a 1985 GMC 3/4T with 454 and all power in a gold metallic paint for $14k. Drove her to 100k before trading her in on the then new dodge diesel.

 

[Camofurever1]

Luxury item isn’t the right word but I didn’t know what else to call it. The first thing you ever bought that made your life easier, had an impact you remember. Maybe it’s a chainsaw, tractor, house etc.

For me I was about 27 and renting a house. Up until this time I had been going to laundromats since I was 21. This rental house had a washer and dryer hook up and I bought a used pair. I don’t remember the exact cost but probably $200 for both. If you ever had to do laundry at a laundromat on a regular basis you understand. For me that was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

My divorce lawyer........

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Bought a PTO generator for my John Deere 70 and wired the shop for electric, then the house. About 2 years latter there was grid electric power availble. All electric except for the wood stove and the suana.
Retired the Delco Power Plant. The Delco house is still standing and was used for refrigerated cold storage and processing game. The place sold over 20 years ago to Enron for water rights to a NG power plant.
To me Enron is a great name! LOL.

 

[kenmbz]

For me it was my first computer and printer for college at $600 and $200.
No more driving over to the college data center and queuing up for print time.

Next would be my house, as during my first 7 years or so working I traveled most of the time.
Setting aside OT and hazard pay to put a down payment!

 

[tacticalturnip]

I'd have to say my first new truck. A buddy had an uncle that had a chevy dealership. I got a great Deal on a 1985 GMC 3/4T with 454 and all power in a gold metallic paint for $14k. Drove her to 100k before trading her in on the then new dodge diesel.

Any photos around that you could post? That sounds like one hell of a nice truck.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Interesting. The first thing I ever bought that I thought of as a luxury was artwork.

Differences in perspective.

From my mother's Home Interior parties as a child, to the millions of dollars in paintings, sculptures, and statues held by my wife's employer, it's never done much for me.

If one purchases art for their own enjoyment, I respect and appreciate that, but the art world is full of inflated egos and the types of folks that own things to impress others. It's not unique in that regard, but it's particularly strong.

We have metal sculptures at our home. They didn't cost me a thing, overflow from someone else's collection, and for that price they can't be beat. When they're wanted again, he will make arrangements for them to be moved. I enjoy having them, I do, but never would I pay for them.

A co-worker brought in a painting he did of Alice Cooper back in the 70's, he's giving it to my 9-year-old. I'll put it in a frame to protect it, but that means more to me due to the sentimentality. He was kind enough to pass it along to my youngest, and I know that means a lot to him and my son.

Art is entirely subjective.

 

[dodge man]

There are a couple of high priced artists I’d like to have, not because of the value but because I like their work. Monet and Andrew Wyeth.

 

[tacticalturnip]

There are a couple of high priced artists I’d like to have, not because of the value but because I like their work. Monet and Andrew Wyeth.

At that point, with names like those, this becomes on par with owning a supercar. It feels less a luxury, and more opulence.

That's just my point of view, however.

 

[gsganzer]

My folks were into art. They started buying posters during their travels throughout Europe. I admire them, but now I don't know what to do with them now that they've passed. I'm sure some might have some collectors value, but I have no idea how to determine that.

I'll probably give them all to a family friend. She's an artist by trade, doing store art for multiple store chains. I spoke to her at my mom's funeral about taking them and she said she'd be thrilled to have them. I told her to keep what she wanted and if there were some she wanted to sell, she could donate any proceeds she felt appropriate to her sister's diabetes charity walks. My mom was diabetic, so it would be fitting.

 

[MossRoad]

Differences in perspective.

From my mother's Home Interior parties as a child, to the millions of dollars in paintings, sculptures, and statues held by my wife's employer, it's never done much for me.

If one purchases art for their own enjoyment, I respect and appreciate that, but the art world is full of inflated egos and the types of folks that own things to impress others. It's not unique in that regard, but it's particularly strong.

We have metal sculptures at our home. They didn't cost me a thing, overflow from someone else's collection, and for that price they can't be beat. When they're wanted again, he will make arrangements for them to be moved. I enjoy having them, I do, but never would I pay for them.

A co-worker brought in a painting he did of Alice Cooper back in the 70's, he's giving it to my 9-year-old. I'll put it in a frame to protect it, but that means more to me due to the sentimentality. He was kind enough to pass it along to my youngest, and I know that means a lot to him and my son.

Art is entirely subjective.

Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.

I collect things because I enjoy them.

 

[kenmbz]

I was raised around artists and met a few here/there.
My taste is more towards Warhol and Lichtenstein, who was friends with my Grandfather.

My grandfather who was a water color artist (realist) was pretty well known but never really famous.
He cut his own frames, glass and mattes, I had fun as a kid helping him and going to some art shows.

My uncle was an art dealer and also did a lot of the color drawings and breakaway diagrams for car magazines back in the 50's.

I have zero talent myself though.

Yes we own a Warhol and a Lichtenstein, but they are not high value ones.

 

[MossRoad]

My folks were into art. They started buying posters during their travels throughout Europe. I admire them, but now I don't know what to do with them now that they've passed. I'm sure some might have some collectors value, but I have no idea how to determine that.

I'll probably give them all to a family friend. She's an artist by trade, doing store art for multiple store chains. I spoke to her at my mom's funeral about taking them and she said she'd be thrilled to have them. I told her to keep what she wanted and if there were some she wanted to sell, she could donate any proceeds she felt appropriate to her sister's diabetes charity walks. My mom was diabetic, so it would be fitting.

Both of my parents were artists. Long passed away. One of my siblings kept all of their works... 35 years. That sibling passed away back in January. Now I have several hundred paintings and drawings in my garage. My remaining siblings and I kept a few of the ones that meant the most to us, and we were going to burn the rest (think viking funeral style) because we don't want them to show up out in the public some day. Our kids saw them and grabbed several each. Now they want to go through them over the holidays and keep more. So good luck kids. Just get them out of my garage!

 

[gsganzer]

Moss,
Are you destroying them because they depict family scenes? That's the only reason I might see to destroy them. Otherwise, let someone else enjoy the art, even if you gave them away for free.