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What over-the-top non-essential did you buy?

124

Comments

  • A £5000 garden room. In my defence, it replaced a rotten summerhouse and gives us much needed space. It's all insulated, powered and secure - and should last years.

    I also bought a new Tv in the sales.

    Oh, and DH bought an iPad Pro - the big one. He would argue that it's an essential purchase, as would my daughter who got his old one.
  • dgtazzman
    dgtazzman Posts: 1,140 Forumite
    edited 14 April 2017 at 8:57AM
    Moved into my new house last September. Used the smallest bedroom upstairs as my office but decided to build a dedicated office downstairs, my 16 grand conservatory is now nearly complete, just waiting for the floor to be done tomorrow ^^

    Did I need the conservatory? Nope, but boy, did I want it.

    I also bought a 49 inch UHD TV before moving in, but completion was delayed considerably, so in the meantime I came accross a 60 inch UHD TV on offer, which I couldn't ignore, I now have a 49 inch TV for the bedroom :D
  • prosaver
    prosaver Posts: 7,026 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    edited 14 April 2017 at 10:44AM
    Done the opposite years ago we all went to ikea to get furniture..
    came back with tea lights and had hot dogs and ice cream. Ha ha..
    Cheap day out :D
    “Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
    ― George Bernard Shaw
  • SingleSue
    SingleSue Posts: 11,718 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Not an item as such but when we moved into our first rented flat, we went out to the local supermarket and bought so much stuff (food and cleaning things) that not only did we spend all our money for the rest of the month but we also had to bring the trolley home with us as we couldn't carry it all.

    Quite a lot of stuff went to waste, we only had a small fridge with an even smaller freezer compartment and we just couldn't eat it in time before it went off.
    We made it! All three boys have graduated, it's been hard work but it shows there is a possibility of a chance of normal (ish) life after a diagnosis (or two) of ASD. It's not been the easiest route but I am so glad I ignored everything and everyone and did my own therapies with them.
    Eldests' EDS diagnosis 4.5.10, mine 13.1.11 eekk - now having fun and games as a wheelchair user.
  • Bossypants wrote: »
    This beauty right here: http://www.firesonline.co.uk/acatalog/westfire-uniq-23-inset-stove-.jpg

    Totally unessential but totally worth it! I love this thing so much.

    Oh yes! We bought two of those for our bungalow! That's probably our bit of over-the-topness!!!!
    (AKA HRH_MUngo)
    Member #10 of £2 savers club
    Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton
  • Oh heck! I forgot the conservatory......
    (AKA HRH_MUngo)
    Member #10 of £2 savers club
    Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton
  • glasgowdan
    glasgowdan Posts: 2,968 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I've been kind of going the other way - selling a few unessential things. I wanted to make a 7ft tree stump into a climbing pole for the kids but the cost of large climbing holds made me cringe. So I did this
    IMG_20170407_180029683.jpg

    I also wanted a big swing set, but they all seemed overpriced. So I spent £170 or so on materials and made this one myself. 11ft ground to spar!
    IMG_20170330_164011993.jpg

    I then chinned a tree surgeon and got a load of wood chip for the front conifer border for free! (and a whole load of logs for the fire) IMG_20170409_181043768.jpg


    We are about to spend £1400 on a 7ft high front driveway gate (it's going to look odd until the hedge catches up in height!) and £3000 to roughcast the whole house. The latter does feel like a luxury splurge but it will make such a difference to the place I can't wait!
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Oh heck! I forgot the conservatory......

    How is a conservatory an over the top spend.?

    It might be, if it's done badly, but if it's done well, then it's an extra room which will make a house much more attractive to people who like the outdoors.
  • Mossfarr
    Mossfarr Posts: 530 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Combo Breaker Hung up my suit!
    We bought a total wreck for our first house, everything needed doing - elecs, plumbing, damp, replastering, new windows etc etc.
    We went out to buy hubby a new saw and came back with a glass table & chair set. Totally unsuitable, I could never keep the glass top free from dust and it got broken pretty quickly too!
  • JP1978
    JP1978 Posts: 527 Forumite
    Yes, when we moved into our first house in 2004 we bought a huge (at the time) TV.

    The room had no fireplace or focal point so we bought a 43" Plasma TV and wall mounted it (hiding the cables of course). As flat screen TV's were quite rare and very expensive at that time - it cost us £2700 online, high street stores were circa £3200.

    When ever someone walked into the room, their heads immediately turned to it and "wow". Yet now, no one bats an eyelid - although they do with ours as we now have a 65" 4K TV (although that was 'free')
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