When I started working many years ago, I told myself I’d indulge in little luxuries whenever I can because if I’m going to be working hard for my money, I should be able to treat myself every once in a while. These little luxuries help get me through the day, month or even year. I don’t mean splurging on an expensive designer handbag, shoes or the latest gadget but the ones that I can treat myself to once a day, once a month and even once a year.
These are the little things that I enjoy.
1. Burning pretty candles at home, even better if they’re the luxe ones (not often because those are pretty pricey).
2. A treat to a high-end lipstick
3. A box of chocolates in the fridge
4. An occasional hair blow dry
5. An occasional facial or massage
6. An occasional pedicure
7. A day off just for window-shopping
8. A good cup of coffee that I don’t have to make myself.
9. Having lunch by myself.
10. Drinks with my girlfriends
11. Buying flowers for myself
12. Buying a small gift for myself, asking it to be gift-wrapped and having the card addressed from me to me.
13. Browsing bookstore after bookstore and inhaling the smell of new and old books
14. Knitting a scarf for myself using high-quality yarn, preferably cashmere
15. Speaking of cashmere, buying myself a cashmere … anything. When possible, I’d treat myself to one cashmere piece every winter e.g. cardigan, scarf, sweater, etc. Shopbop does good sales on their cashmere pieces often (I once bought a beautiful 100% cashmere scarf for just US$30).
16. Getting a makeover
17. Getting comments and emails from readers saying they love reading BA.
18. People I admire and look up to telling me I’ve done a good job and/or they’re proud of me. This does not happen often, hence a luxury.
19. Good mobile phone and Internet reception. Throw in consistently working Internet at home too.
20. Once a year, I buy myself an Hermes scarf for my birthday. I started this “tradition” 3 years ago and I look forward to it every year. That’s about the only time I ever get anything that expensive for myself that isn’t a tech gadget.
I love going to a cafe by myself. I usually sit there forever and read a good book with a never ending cup of tea haha. Also going to the hairdresser is a luxury as I can’t afford to go ‘every 6 weeks’.
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Oh that sounds just lovely! Oooh I feel the same about getting my hair done. I definitely can’t afford to go every 6 weeks either, not with the bloody cutthroat prices I’m paying. I try to stretch it to months before I throw my hands up in the air in frustration, give up and give the salon a call to book an appointment. By then, my hair would be looking mighty awful which will need some really good fixing. 😛
Mine is a better bottle of wine, better platter of cheese (get them from specialised delis!), stuffed olives, a good candle, jazz and dimmed lights. Work has been pretty rough and I’ve been indulging in these a little more than I should. 🙂
Like you, I celebrate milestones with an Hermes scarf too 🙂
Funny thing about doing the whole cheese platter thing: I only enjoy them outside my home. I don’t do it at home, I don’t know why. Which is weird, because I love edam and camembert on crackers.
I only got one milestone a year for the Hermes scarf and I try not to think about the time AFTER said milestone before reaching the next one. 😛
Ooh fun! Consider this nicked 😀
I don’t dare go down that H route so thankfully I can’t get into scarves coz here, I’d be using them to mop up my sweat LOL
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I only get one H item once a year. Okay laaaaaaah. 😛 As for scarves in Malaysia, wah, cannot lah. Unless you go all sexay sexay and wear it as a top. 😉
Oh and nick away! 😀
Flowers! When I had extra $$, i always bought fresh flowers, and when Jeff had extra $$, he brought me roses for no reason. My other luxury (past tense) was buying products made by Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Oh, so old school and the scents were amazing. These days, my little luxuries are buying radishes and eating the whole bunch at once. And buying beauty products that I don’t need 😉
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You know, I never thought about buying fresh flowers for myself until I went to UK for my tertiary education (well, less bought, more like stole daffodils from the nearby park :P). From then on, oh how I enjoy buying flowers for myself. Why wait for a man to get them for you? Buy them yourself, right? 😛
As for buying beauty products I don’t need, well, that already goes without saying. 😉
Little luxuries? Time alone is one (no “maman where’s this?” or “Carole, où est….?”! It’s actually a necessity for me but with a husband and 2 children I appreciate it as a luxury!
Otherwise, a good coffee sitting down watching the world go by (btw, when are we meeting next?), getting nice feedback from students (when you work on a one to one, it’s not always to see if you’re doing a good job so it’s nice to feel appreciated)
And my best… My husband discovering something I’ve been telling him for months… (ie: a shortcut on the way home!). He’s a bit stubborn so sometimes struggles to admit that my ideas can be good/better!!
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Oh yeah, I reckon for parents, it would be the scarce alone time, which you guys sorely deserve, by the way! 🙂
Ooooh it’s been a while since we caught up! April’s busy for me unfortunately but how about May?
HAHAHAHAHA why is it so hard for men to agree us women are right, especially when it comes to giving directions, eh? 😛
I love your list 🙂
Skinny Chai Latte, trips to Melbourne/dance weekends, new dance shoes – they are more things I *need* to stay sane though I guess.
Complete luxury? Waking up early (sacrilegious to me – I HATE mornings, that is how important to me this is), creeping around the house ultra quietly to not wake anyone up and having a cup of tea, curled up in an armchair, doing a Tarot reading for myself. The only time I ever get completely on my own (even though I don’t have children!). Bliss
Ooooh when I do wake up very early in the morning (without feeling like I need to be dragged out of it), it’s lovely to creep around the house, have a cuppa and just be by myself. Sometimes, I like to go out to the yard that early and just stand there with my hot cup of tea/Milo. Won’t really say it’s serene because I do live by the main road but it still feels good nevertheless.
Hmmm my little luxuries would be a great tasting decaf soy latte not made by me – the husband actually makes a really good one with almond milk too. I also love having time alone to have lunch by myself at a Singaporean restaurant – lololol!!! That is so rare I cannot remember the last time I did it…before I gave birth? haha… I love buying beautiful and expensive perfume that is not from your usual counter cosmetic brands…so brands like Penhaligons or Serge Lutens come to mind. I would love to treat myself to an Annick Goutal perfume one day. Ooo and something from Bond No.9 and Creed.
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Oooh I know what you mean about buying those sorts of perfume! That would be so lovely too. A lot of the Annick Goutal scents are quite sweet for me so it’s not really my thing but Creed, Creed is good!