Secret non-MSE Vices

Living_proof

Thank you freyasmum and MrsTinks for the nail advice. My hairdresser's beautician uses a file but the Thai nail bar in town insist on using the electric one, stating that the gel won't stick without it. I must say that for the same price I much prefer the hairdresser's calm and attractive setting and the result seemed better overall, but it would add an hour to my treat so I could only manage to go once every six weeks when my roots are done. Maybe I will try my own in the interim and as it happens I did buy some Avon gel polish at a car boot a couple of weeks ago (20p!). I have a lot of shopping vouchers so maybe I will treat myself to a gel kit, although I am not brilliant at applying nail varnish and find it comes off quite quickly.

ancientofdays

Books, yarn and scent. Am bad woman.

DigForVictory

Books. Hardback, paperback, digital - Just More. Ideally useful ones (how to knit/sew, winning thrifty wartime ways, research tomes [God Bless Oxbow books for printing serious research then discounting, um, and the ladies who so love designer names they even buy Tesco shoppers from me on ebay so I can afford these little quirks], as well as the popcorn romances that I enjoy reading once [better on kindle so the menfolk don't clock my shameful sneaky delights] and the frankly well, better homed safe with me than pulped on ecclesiastical embroidery, white work & other arcane ways of burning time to spectacular results, if you have 60 years to practice in). Not picky from where, as various family will tell you. [As in even on the walk to the beach at Whitby I spotted & disappeared into a bookshop, emerging triumphant with (a mere) three books to several scowls, ahem.]

Tea. It becomes an MSE vice when you buy four caddies of a blend, one to keep, two to gift & one to ebay [sometime]. Then add several more such clusters. I have several *very* happy friends though. It's finding the Right Tin when the secret quirk is uncovered - like I hadn't realised one stalwart colleague had a previously unrevealed but utter weakness for the Gruffalo...

Silver charms. Not the modern Pandora trendy things but the sort your grandmother might have thought an appropriate gift for a young girl. (Hence the bibles & churches with couples marrying - me, I've a sputnik & a beheading amongst the girly stuff.) That I really do struggle to fund as the seriously fun ones, with the detailed engineering, are always more expensive.

Fruit bearing plants. I can't fit more trees into the garden unless I dig one out, but the Edible Hedge does double duty fending off the neighbour & providing me with jam futures & a space to plant gifted (or exchanged, or plain bought) whips & cuttings - tayberry, loganberry, & jostaberry recently & once I've proven hawthorn can lead to jelly, I forsee my hawthorn cuttings moving swiftly up the swap table. (Two grandmothers already know, but the young enthusiasts aren't yet certain. I'll get Zante currant cuttings yet, and posibly a quince.)

Thank Heaven for MSE! The canny frugal ways I learn & apply mean I can feed the lads, enjoy Christmas & still indulge myself.

I'm not Bad. {I'm just drawn that way.} Just MSE ways are not a wagon to fall off, but the vehicle that enables these little pleasures (from the best admired through jewellers loupe through to the hedge!)

Pepperoni

I have a DIY Gel kit - fine to do the polish but getting it off is another matter entirely.....

bexster1975

Oooh, great thread!

I have loads. Good coffee, quality make up, eyebrow threading, nails ( occasionally, just painted no acrylics), handbags, perfume and travel!

I would say, I make my own coffee at home and only have a couple a day. I don't wear make up every day, or loads of it. Eyebrows cost £4.50 every eight weeks ( not a luxury IMO), handbags are always in the sale, perfume I use every day but buy on deals when I can or receive as gifts. I don't like to travel cheap ( think megabus :eek:).

As others have said, MSE is surely about spending as little as possible where it doesn't matter so you can spend on the things you love. It's all relative in terms of disposable income, personal taste and preference.

I don't think you should consider vices a bad thing!

Bexster

elona

My vice is books and I try to find good offers or use the book people when I can. I also have a weakness for nice clothes at much lower prices.

I have an order on its way of a smart/casual jacket, two pairs of jeans, three tops and a dress - all of it for around £100. One of my dds will be coming round at the weekend to give me a second opinion and anything not right can be sent straight back and refunded.

I am going out to meet older dd later to look for presents for a christening in a couple of weeks. I have found a nice silver baby bangle at half price and will try a couple of department stores for pretty baby clothes while the sales are on.

My dds laugh that I will fill the freezer with YS foods, cook from scratch, never waste food etc yet love nice clothes, books and shoes. I then point out that the YS, bargain hunting etc means I can be a bit indulgent with myself and with them.

MMF007

I have a few........most expensive is a wintersun holiday. We try and take every year and can still afford. I ditched being an employee earlier this year so budgeting is more important now I am self-employed on less money!
Like many on here, I choose what to scrimp on and what is a treat and while we can still afford it we will continue this way. I know we are lucky because we do have savings and can indulge!. We rarely go out for a meal, mostly cook from scratch, always look for offers and YS and have no expensive hobbies and so our general expenses are pretty low.

My other indulgences are fresh crab from time to time, good quality meat from local butcher, and high cocoa dark chocolate!

I also insist on an expensive diary every year. Well it's about £14, which seems a lot to me, but I use it almost every day and I always get a very pretty one - Paperblanks. For the use and enjoyment I get from it, it's a bargain!

I have ditched the scarf vice. I realised that I cannot wear them elegantly and never will be able to. My stash left the house last week and won't be replaced.

I love that we can be MSE on some items so we can indulge with others! Happy days :beer:

Emm-in-a-pickle

Mine is sewing stuff. Fabrics, haberdashery, scissors, etc. I have quite a stash, and although I do use lots of it I admit to having more than I need and still go adding to the stash when I see something I fancy.

DigForVictory

Emm, I inherited one such stash & it's been wonderful - "Great grandmother" has been involved with fancy dress, school play costumes, and there are still lengths of lace, buttons, elastic, poppers and other useful bits that are the devil's own job to find in a hurry.
Indulge yourself & make a Will?!

Hemera

I have some non-MSE interests/hobbies but don't like calling them "vices", it gives them a bad connotation they don't deserve. I don't see what's bad about spending money on things you deem worthy, provided you can't reasonably afford them.

Anyway, unnecessary stuff that I spend most money on is surely clothes (not like I have thousands, but I could surely live with less ), kitchen gadgets and food and wine. I drink expensive coffee and I'm never gonna downshift I consider myself quite MSE when it comes to food (everything cooked from scratch, packed lunches at work etc.) but I won't think twice before buying expensive ingredients (provided it's something I truly like, of course). OH and I always have wine in the house - usually more than one bottle - and we have a small glass almost everyday (Italian habits ).

It's just a matter of priorities really. There are other many things I would like to spend my money on - reading this thread has reminded me I'd love to get my nails done - and what I do is simply evaluating the expense against my income and other priority, i.e. "if I start getting my nails done every two weeks I'd have to cut back on this other thing X or I'll be able to save Y£ less a month". It's a decision that needs to be carefully evaluated, taking into account for example the consequences of saving less etc., but I don't see what's intrinsically wrong about it.