Not counting your horses...

[susanne]

Not that horses (or kids or spouse) are material items, anyway...but they don't count in this post...

Jill's thread on her dad's sports car got me thinking...we all have our self indulgences...the material things that turn us into goobers...

I'm not very materialistic, but I love books and antiques and my garden...

I just about died when I heard the designer on "The Painted House" tell the homeowner that she had to get rid of most of her books -- I would have told her where to shove it right on camera!! I think I have every book I've ever read; and it happens to be the one area in my life where I'm actually organized. I need to invest in a great reading light/magnifying glass combo, as my eyes make reading more of a challenge these days...and a great reading pillow, too...that would make me so happy!

I love to collect unusual plants and garden junk -- if it's old and rusty, send it to susanne!! Even tacky stuff that I wouldn't allow in my house can usually find a home in my garden. You know those fake stained-glass hanging lights that everyone used to have in their dining nooks? I have several turned upside-down in the garden...they look great with a plant spilling out.

Our old neighborhood in Portland had a free junk collection week, and you could pick out anything you wanted off the curb before the trucks came and hauled the rest away. Free junk!!! Oooooooohh!!! As if I needed more...but I found some great automotive parts (some Kind of brake, I think...and more recently on a trail ride, I found some great ancient bed springs that will make a gorgeous trellis. I also have the bed springs from my aunt's old rollaway bed (where we kids used to sleep when we spent the night) that looks like something an Indian princess would wear.

I guess the junk doesn't really count, since it's usually free...but I could spend a fortune on plants. My car turns of its own accord into my favorite nurseries, like Joy Creek or Cistus Design...yum!

So...what's your secret (or not so secret) indulgence?

 

[Barbie]

I love books too - have always loved to read. I remember setting my alarm early in the morning when I was in school so I could read awhile before I had to get ready for school - not to mention, my Trig teacher caught me with a book in front of my textbook more than once. First things I packed for our move to Tennessee were most of my books (and my husband's too). Lots of boxes stacked here in my office.

I love antiques - took after my mom there. I have a lot of family cut glass and hand painted china. Also have some furniture we bought for our summer home in NC before my mom died - will never part with it. I have one bowl I saw in Ohio probably 6 years ago - we go to Ridgeway every summer when we're up there and for 2 years that bowl was there in the shop - finally my husband told me to call her and see if she would hold for our next visit ( I love it - don't usually spend the kind of money that I had to spend on that).

My horses are my real downfall though - I'd much rather buy a new show halter or sheet/blanket then clothes for me - all you have to do is look in my tackroom and then look in my closet and you'll know that for sure. Oh well!!!!

Barbie

 

[chandab]

I don't read as often as I should or would like to, but I too am a book addict. I mostly collect horse related books and quilt books. Most of my horse books are informational; I only have 4 or 5 fiction books. I have most of the Western Horseman books and booklets. I love the books published by Storey Publishing. I have more quilt books that I'll ever have time to use patterns from.

I was a member of a horse book club and a craft book club; each for about 2-4 years, and bought several books during that time. I've since cancelled both memberships, as I just don't have room for more books.

 

[CountryHaven]

Who can afford 'other' material indulgences?

Really though, I love books too, but by comparision they hardly rate as cost indulgent as the horses, lol. I really can't say I have any others.

 

[nootka]

I used to have so many....but I've narrowed it down in the interests of space and money:

I love equine art, mostly in the form of artist resins, or ceramic (these pieces are just amazingly detailed and realistic). Love to surround myself with the beauty of horses even inside my house.

And then there's my truck. I LOVE driving my truck, and as we all know, diesel comes dearly, so I TRY to keep it down, but there's not much better therapy for me than getting behind the wheel and cruising even if it is just rattling along at an idle. The sound of the turbo, though, as we head for cruising speed is my favorite. Lots like the feeling of being on a fast horse, there is an unmatched sense of power and freedom. *shrugs*

It's fairly cheap as therapy sessions go.

Liz M.

 

[journey]

Crossstitching... :no: I have stuff all over the house stashed away that I am going to do "someday". Books, I love books I have bunches of them, Also glass knick knacks..I love them.

 

[KrisP]

Land and books here too, I LOVE to read and we both collect, mine fiction, horse, mystical, and many others, husbands railroad and manuals, railroad, machinery, etc.

I also love my breyers but only collect the minis now, just no time or money for any others at this time.

krisp

 

[Jill]

Horses by far are my biggest induldgences. It's my DAD, not me, that has the cars that cost more than a lot of houses

I just like to go and play with his toys sometimes. I think if you added up what I paid for the cars, SUV and Truck we have now, it would be almost as much as he's getting on the XLR as a trade in -- and that's a 1996 Volvo, 2000 F150 Lariat, 2005 Santa Fe, and 2001 Tiburon... So, as you can see, I don't drive in nearly the style he does except when I go over to play.

I don't have very many really indulgent material things that are not horse related (any horse is a luxury and I've got some top of the line tack, carts and harnesses, too). I have a big diamond ring and some earrings that probably are slightly bigger than the should be and most people probably think they aren't real (the earrings that is, not the ring). Of the total non-neccessity things that do not breath and I have, I guess those would be it. And, I'm not really a jewelry person...

OH! We do have some nice antique furniture and enjoy shopping for that kind of thing. We got several new pieces as gifts to ourselves around Xmas. And a biggish LCD TV, but that was a bargain and less than any horse I've bought in the last couple years (but is something we truly did not "need").

Just by such a long shot, the fun stuff or the things I choose to spend extra money on are horse related. Yeah... Even when we go out to eat (that's kind of a splurge we do a lot), we spend most of the time TALKING to each other about our horses

:

BUT, if you were to have asked a slightly different spin on this question, and ask other than the horses, what is your most prized material possession, my answer is different! After our home, then my most prized material possessions would be these portraits Andrea Rollins / Disneyhorse has done for me. If our house were burning down, after we got the pets out, then I'd be coming back in for the portraits! Costwise, she made them so affordable but that amount has no relation to what they are actually worth to me!

:

 

[backwoodsnanny]

I would have to say I would join the book club and plants are next and our 22ft 5th wheel camper that we only get to use about 3 times a year would be my biggest indulgence since it was expensive and we use it so little.

 

[mountain_waif]

...

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Books for sure, sales, libraries, and I buy Chrystals/Stones that I use to make healing medicine bundles for people. I love looking (heck I'm addicted) for special ones that are both beautiful and powerful, I have about 250 of em right now and the house is nicely radient.

 

[Sonya]

We have a 5th wheel camper that we keep up North in the summer and we just bought a new boat last fall, so those are more expensive then the minis. I always throw the boat in hubbies face when he gives me any crap about the animals...it is good amunition and helped greatly in getting my two new minis a couple months ago. :bgrin

 

[Shari]

Hummm... Books would be first, trees and plants for the farm at very discount prices only. Then ceramic horse figures but the horse figures are put on hold for a very long while, & have enough anyway.

Most of the money has been spent on the Farm and trying to improve it. Then stocking up on food for the horses and us.

 

[Margo_C-T]

I live very frugally, being on a fixed income. Luckily, most of my tastes are very conservative; I happily do without lots of non-basic things to be able to have what I love MOST-besides the horses themselves(and I

have owned,and cared for, horses in an unbroken time line since 1964!; before that, from 1950-64, there were a couple of gaps of a year or so, as when I was in college in Hawai'i, that I wasn't actually caring for them myself....), I enjoy having good horse GEAR-i.e., saddles( I have, and love, a Fallis Balanced Ride, made for me in '92)-and for the minis, driving gear. When I was showing, I had some of the best gear-Lutke and Smuckers harnesses, Jerald carts---and now that I'm more into real-world driving, both single and multiple, I have(and LOVE) a wooden Pequea road cart, a Bennington steel wheeled cart, and a Jerald obstacle cart(I should sell it, but it is also useful for Roadster, and is SO compact and manueverable!), in addition to my 'old standby' Frontier EE training cart- and for multiples,a team pole for the Frontier(for short term, training use), an oak buckboard, and a LOVELY back-to-back English trap. I also got a beta harness with deep V breast collar(for my large B mare), and a beta breast collar pair harness(for the 32-34"ers; I have four who will go in a pair) from The Carriage House in FL, which I highly recommend! I also have 4 Smuckers single harnesses-have been using one of them for 'everyday' almost daily since '86(they are russet leather)-another of the four is a Deluxe Russet, and one of the most gorgeous harnesses you will ever lay eyes on(at least, unless you get into the really rarified atmosphere of the Freedmans and certain others!)

I LOVE high quality gear! Doesn't have to be fancy, just of excellent quality--such stuff will fit, last, and serve you and your horse long and well, when properly cared for... it is my one 'real' indulgence!

(In line with this, I am very excited to say that I have just placed my order(after scrouging and saving for quite a time!), for a Glinkowski marathon vehicle!)I will use it mainly with a pair, but it comes with both pole and shafts, so could also work for my B mare as a single. Those of you who are really into ADS-type driving will likely recognize the maker's name-they are a well-regarded Polish carriage maker, and one of the few building a mini-sized pair vehicle with the features I wanted(steel wheels, disc brakes, reasonable weight, full cut-under with no reach, etc.) -and at a price I was able(even if it was a heck of a stretch...)to manage! I'm getting the marathon style, and I CAN'T WAIT!! None of my other pair vehicles are really suitable for off-road use; when this one comes, I will be able to drive around the neighborhood, along the highway right-of-way, etc., without the concern of busting my vehicle--and maybe even do some fun CDE-type stuff!! YAAYY!!

Margo

 

[capall beag]

Other than the horses, I spend my money on the dogs! I love books but don't get to read much these days and do get many from the library so that costs nothing. I spend money on the garden, plants etc and fencing, I am always spending money on fencing, or so it seems!! I am in the process of fencing 2 acres to keep my dogs in and other dogs out

 

[minimule]

Africa! We've been 2x and are planning on a third trip. We both love to travel which is a little compromised having the horses but we deal with it.

:

 

[Jenn]

Before I got pregnant, I'd say I spent a lot on clothes, shoes and my hair. Now it's more about baby clothes and accessories and diapers.

My other indulgence would probably be books. Whenever one of my friends gets a new book published, I buy it to help support them. I do try to mostly buy used books - our library has a book sale a few times a year, I bought a whole bag of books (20 of them) for $1 yesterday. Then I donate them back to the library for resale after I've read them, or else I "recycle" them to friends and family. I recently cleaned out a whole bunch of books and donated a big box to the library, sent another box to a friend and gave some others to my mom.

Oh, and I have a big weakness for IKEA and any kind of bedding ... I have a love affair with sheets and comforters and pillows. I love textiles.

Hubby's indulgences would be movies, PlayStation games, model International Harvester tractors, clothes and junk food. He'd also buy full-size tractors like crazy if I let him - he bought four last year, only one of which runs! And he's on the hunt for another this year ... grrrr ...

 

[user 488]

CRUISING!

Although I have always gotten to travel a LOT with the horses, which is wonderful, Jim and I never have gotten to take many vacations together. So now that my schedule is not as heavy we cruise about 3 times a year. It is absolutely wonderful. Nothing to do but nothing! And nothing is more peaceful than being on the water.

 

[Shari]

Margo... I would love to see a picture of your LOVELY back-to-back English trap!!

:

Is it mini sized?

 

[susanne]

I left out a biggie...although it isn't really an "indulgence," but crucial to Keith's true career, even though he doesn't really earn money at it...(yet!)

Thatwould be his musical equipment and his recording studio (and my saxophones) ...he is pretty frugal and doesn't buy unnecessary, and currently has what he needs and wants, but still most people would be a bit shocked at what it all has added up to.