For fun: Frivolous purchases that make you happy

[MEmama]

Just a lighthearted topic...

Have you made any purchases lately that are *just for you* or that you didn’t necessarily need but make you ridiculously happy? 

[Spryte]

Olfactif - I adore getting sample packs from them.  Instant joy. Never thought I’d love perfume, but there it is.
 

Good coffee.  I’m all about Camano Island Roasters Papua New Guinea blend.  Shade grown, fair trade.  Chocolate undertones.  Makes a kick butt espresso.  Seriously a great after dinner, sit on the front porch in the twilight kind of perfect espresso.  
 

Good wine.  An excellent Zinfandel makes me happy.  ETA:  my favorite grocery store pick is 1,000 Stories.

 

And completely, utterly frivolous... I love those little Ipsy bags of make up goodies.   Totally a new thing for me, but man, a new lipstick, mascara or something else can really brighten my day lately.  

 

Edited September 1, 2020 by Spryte

[Jentrovert]

Comfortable underwear. It was needed, but I didn't have to spend as much as I did. I've never had nice underwear. Now I don't think I can go back . . . 

I also purchased a pair of cropped pajama pants that happened to be on sale, in the same order. Now, I *have* worn pajama pants before, but none this soft, and the last few years I've just been wearing odds and ends for sleepwear. 

It really gives me great pleasure to wear these items. I did not realize how irritating my undergarments were previously! I plan to purhase more.

[Moonhawk]

15 minutes ago, Jentrovert said:

Comfortable underwear. It was needed, but I didn't have to spend as much as I did. I've never had nice underwear. Now I don't think I can go back . . . 

I also purchased a pair of cropped pajama pants that happened to be on sale, in the same order. Now, I *have* worn pajama pants before, but none this soft, and the last few years I've just been wearing odds and ends for sleepwear. 

It really gives me great pleasure to wear these items. I did not realize how irritating my undergarments were previously! I plan to purhase more.

Can we make it a thing that links are included?

Not that I'm going to buy any of this.... or anything ... just for research purposes of course.... 

eta: or brand names if you can recommend a certain one!

Edited September 1, 2020 by Moonhawk

[ScoutTN]

Lily's chocolate

[Lori D.]

Went Etsy shopping -- for the dog! Totally unnecessary, frivolous and fun collars for the holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day):

 

[Lady Florida.]

Some of my recent just for fun/makes me happy purchases

--This hamburger bun pan that I'm looking forward to trying out soon. I doesn't actually say that's what it's for but it's the same size and material as a more expensive on on the Kin Arthur website. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QXW3Q4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

--Soft, not hot, pajama pants (also called Covid pants lol). Pajama pants or around the house pants are difficult to buy in Florida. Most are too hot even indoors with the a/c running. These are nice and soft without being too hot to actually wear in August and September.

These Aveeno hand and foot masks. I haven't tried them but I think tonight will be the night, while dh is at work and I'm watching something mindless on tv.

Edited September 1, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Lady Florida.]

55 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Olfactif - I adore getting sample packs from them.  Instant joy. Never thought I’d love perfume, but there it is.

I was just looking at my sample supply recently and thinking I need to start ordering from them again. The funny thing is, I would never have heard of Olfactf if not for the Hive.It was @Bagels McGruffikin who told me about them in a post several years ago. I don't even remember what the thread was about.

Edited September 1, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[MEmama]

I’m loving all these happy things! 🙂 
 

Mine is a new pair of Dr. Martens boots.

I bought my first pair when I was 16; I remember all the details of buying them. At the time they weren’t available in my town, and there were only a couple shops in San Francisco that carried them. I drove down to the city with my boyfriend, tried them on and pretty much didn’t take them off until my early 20's. I don’t remember why I ever got rid of them, but I recently decided I needed a pair back in my life. My feet feel like they’ve come home. Lol. 🙂 

Edited September 1, 2020 by MEmama

[MEmama]

Oops

Edited September 1, 2020 by MEmama

[Moonhawk]

A ring! So way back when I had 3 or 4 rings on each hand, not glitzy, but all sterling silver type of things that had meaning to me. Over time and ask they broke or wore out or whatever, I just didn't replace them to the point I only have wedding rings.  One of my 2am internet searches brought me to a jewelry store that was going out of business. If you bought X things you get X free. So I bought my daughters some jewelry for Christmas/birthday, and grabbed myself a ring (Tree of Life) that immediately meant something when I saw it.

I don't wear it every day but I do get a bit happier when I do 🙂 

 

[Forget-Me-Not]

I bought a couple of the jersey-knit swing dresses from Old Navy and they’re super cute and comfortable. 
 

I also bought this butter dish, which can hold two cubes of butter easily. We go through a lot of it here!  It’s so cute and I love the color. 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083GLX73X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_PKOtFbWV98NYT

Edited September 1, 2020 by Forget-Me-Not

[Laura Corin]

Candles.  I burn a candle when I do yoga.  There is no religious or spiritual significance for me, but it just marks out that time and makes that place different.  They have to be really good, fragrant candles.

[QueenCat]

Good wine... we belong to wine clubs at 3 different local wineries... 

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, Jentrovert said:

I did not realize how irritating my undergarments were previously! I plan to purhase more.

Have you done a bra fitting yet? 

[elegantlion]

I bought these really cute mules from Amazon. I'm working at home this semester and wanted some mules to just wear around the house.  They did have my exact side, so they're a bit sloppy, but great for keeping my toes warmer without having to put on socks. 

 

[Selkie]

More houseplants, which are the last things I need but I did it anyway.

A staghorn fern, a pilea, a goldfish plant, a calathea, a Moonshine sanesevieria, and a couple pretty topiaries (ivy and santolina).

[TheReader]

I found some super cute binder-dresser-upper stuff at Walmart. It's just a little pack of binder inserts (for the front cover), stickers, divider tabs, etc. to make a plain boring binder into a super cute binder. 

By total coincidence, the super cute one I got actually was a teacher themed one (which is what I wanted it for, but did not notice). 

 

[TheReader]

Oh, and ditto on the good wine & coffee, only I don't consider those to be frivolous 😉 

[Spy Car]

Not entirely "frivolous," as my son is taking a virtual drafting class / 3D modeling as his high school elective and I wanted to get him (and me) new mechanical pencils.

So I got a new Rotring (red ring) 600 (made of brass) for myself that I'll allow him to use "on loan" and a Rotring 300 (plastic) for him.

The 600 is in hand. What a beauty! And a great deal on Amazon ($17).

The 300 will (inshallah) arrive today from Japan also via Amazon.

Bill

Edited September 1, 2020 by Spy Car

[MEmama]

9 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Not entirely "frivolous," as my son is taking a virtual drafting class / 3D modeling as his high school elective and I wanted to get him (and I) new mechanical pencils.

So I got a new Rotring (Redring) 600 (made of brass) for myself that I'll allow him to use "on loan" and a Rotring 300 (plastic) for him.

The 600 is in hand. What a beauty! And a great deal on Amazon ($17).

The 300 will (inshallah) arrive today from Japan also via Amazon.

Bill

Oooohhhhh....Holiday elves are listening...I think DS would love one of these in his stocking this year. 

[SounderChick]

Wine and a Whiskey tasting clubs.  

Also all the ridiculously cute totally unnecessary toddler accessories bows , shoes, ruffle butts.  She wears them but they are all for me.

Edited September 1, 2020 by rebcoola

[Jentrovert]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

Have you done a bra fitting yet? 

Lol Bras are a totally different story. I've always been well-endowed, and have been buying good bras for years. Plus, I have a hiatal hernia and comfort around the band is a must. Why I never applied the same reasoning to underwear is beyond me! 😁

[MrsMommy]

A Soda Stream...I don't care about soda, but I love carbonated water, and now I can make it whenever I want!

Some cool beaded bracelets that have a stone made with earth from the shore of Lake Michigan...if I can't travel, at least I can have a little bit of one of my favorite places with me!

[J-rap]

I buy myself a bouquet of fresh flowers at the farmers market every weekend.  💐

[Jentrovert]

2 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

Can we make it a thing that links are included?

Not that I'm going to buy any of this.... or anything ... just for research purposes of course.... 

eta: or brand names if you can recommend a certain one!

I ordered from Soma. Something like, "retro brief" in the "vanishing" line? They have silicone grippers around the bottom rear that keeps them in place. They are also thicker than cheap underwear.

Eta: I mean, for real. The support is so nice - not like girdle or anything, just enough I don't feel like I'm spilling out of anything, ya know?

And, though my husband and I joke about them being old-lady panties 😂 (it's all good-natured, he doesn't actually care what I wear), they are sooooo comfortable. 

They have styles other than the retro, I just like the retro because they're high rise, so they're not cutting into me at all the wrong places!

Edited September 1, 2020 by Jentrovert
Gushing about support

[MEmama]

2 minutes ago, .;.;.;.; said:

I bought myself a Garden Weasel Nut Gatherer for picking up the hickory nuts in the yard before dh mows.

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Weasel-Medium-Nut-Gatherer/dp/B0042U6GE8/ref=sr_1_15?crid=36W8RH7R1ST6P&dchild=1&keywords=garden+weasel+nut+gatherer+medium&qid=1598991056&sprefix=garden+weasel+nut+%2Caps%2C566&sr=8-15

WHOA this is cool!

We have soooo many acorns in our backyard. Some years it’s so ridiculous DS has literally used a snow shovel to gather up the piles and piles. This could be life changing! 

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Oooohhhhh....Holiday elves are listening...I think DS would love one of these in his stocking this year. 

An amazing value at $17. They are usually much more expensive. You might want to shop early.

When you hold this pencil you feel the heft and the German/Japanese quality. Really nice.

Order more lead (only comes with 4 or so).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZWYUA4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Bill

[Alte Veste Academy]

3 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

These Aveeno hand and foot masks. I haven't tried them but I think tonight will be the night, while dh is at work and I'm watching something mindless on tv.

The Aveeno masks are pretty darn good! I have used them a few times. For my feet, I make sure to file down any callouses beforehand, and I gently massage the mask around my feet to get the mask “juice” 😂 in all the nooks and crannies. My feet are baby soft when I’m done. You actually reminded me to put them on subscribe and save on Amazon.

Edited September 1, 2020 by Alte Veste Academy

[Alte Veste Academy]

I rage purchased my dream printer a few weeks ago. Does that count? I was so mad at my junky printer that I yelled at it the whole time I ordered its replacement. 😆 

I have subscribed to Boxycharm for DD15 and me. Those boxes are so much fun! We don’t wear a lot of makeup but they send a fun variety and some skincare stuff as well. 

My biggest splurge was a nugget ice maker at the beginning of the pandemic. How do I love thee, Olaf? The whole family loves it. In fairness, we live in the desert, and the fridge just can’t keep up with the needs of a family of 5 in lockdown, especially when one of them makes a pitcher of homemade tea poured over an entire pitcher of ice every single day! 

[purpleowl]

I got myself a Harry Potter t-shirt from Etsy. I like it. 😊

[Alte Veste Academy]

Oh, I also subscribed to the Let’s Make Art journaling box to do with the kids and Spice Madam for hands-on human cultural geography. 

[HS Mom in NC]

My ornamental plants for my woodland garden.

[Loowit]

In the last couple months I have bought nine new rose bushes.

[Spryte]

Oooh!  I have another one.  It’s not a small purchase, but definitely frivolous and silly.  
 

An inflatable hot tub.  🤣  
 

It doubles as a mini-pool for DD while we are not heading out to the real pool.

[mlktwins]

Cross-stitch patterns and supplies.  My therapy 😁.

[Lady Florida.]

2 hours ago, MrsMommy said:

A Soda Stream...I don't care about soda, but I love carbonated water, and now I can make it whenever I want!

 

We love our Soda Stream. We don't drink much soda but there are some foods (like pizza) that we really like to have with soda. I like that the bottles are just the right size for the three of us and then there's not a big bottle or a bunch of cans of soda left over. 

Do you like flavored carbonated water? You can buy flavor drops for the Soda Stream. Some have a rather artificial flavor while others are quite good. You just have to try them until you find ones you like, and they're inexpensive. We like cucumber but found lemon to taste weird. I thought it would be the other way around. I want to try some of the berry flavors and some combination ones.

3 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Not entirely "frivolous," as my son is taking a virtual drafting class / 3D modeling as his high school elective and I wanted to get him (and me) new mechanical pencils.

So I got a new Rotring (red ring) 600 (made of brass) for myself that I'll allow him to use "on loan" and a Rotring 300 (plastic) for him.

The 600 is in hand. What a beauty! And a great deal on Amazon ($17).

The 300 will (inshallah) arrive today from Japan also via Amazon.

Bill

 

3 hours ago, MEmama said:

Oooohhhhh....Holiday elves are listening...I think DS would love one of these in his stocking this year. 

Oh yes. Ds would really like these. It's too late for a birthday gift - his birthday is Thursday - but I might go ahead and buy some now for his Christmas stocking. (I know they could be a belated birthday gift but we already got him a nice pen to go with the journal gift that was on his wish list).

1 hour ago, Alte Veste Academy said:

The Aveeno masks are pretty darn good! I have used them a few times. For my feet, I make sure to file down any callouses beforehand, and I gently massage the mask around my feet to get the mask “juice” 😂 in all the nooks and crannies. My feet are baby soft when I’m done. You actually reminded me to put them on subscribe and save on Amazon.

Mine were an impulse buy at Target because they were right next to the sunscreen I was buying. If I like it, subscribe and save sounds like a good idea.

17 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I went yard sale-ing back in August, and bought a "Taco Tuesday" set.  This casserole dish is part of it, but it has bowls and salsa dishes and 2 platters as well as a tortilla keeper.  The only thing it doesn't have is actual taco plates, so I am looking for taco plates (the kind that hold up the tacos) that match, but for now, my kids really like doing Taco Tuesday with this.  

 

We bought this type, and while they're good to have with a side like refried beans or rice, they don't hold the wider style tacos. I wish we had bought ones like this instead. 

[Lawyer&Mom]

Hulu only has a few seasons of each of my favorite home renovation shows.  Spending $20 to buy another season of Good Bones totally counts as frivolous, right?  

[math teacher]

Sour candy. I know it sounds crazy. I'm not a little kid anymore. Remember Smarties? They come in a jumbo size at the dollar store and I just put the last one in my mouth.

[athena1277]

Let’s just say I discovered ThreadUp during quarantine. 👚👗

[Forget-Me-Not]

2 hours ago, .;.;.;.; said:

Oh, and one of my all-time favorite fun things I bought was the Rat Zapper.  🙂

 https://www.amazon.com/Victor-RZC001-Zapper-Classic-Trap/dp/B002665ZTC/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=rat+zapper&qid=1598992518&sr=8-3

I caught dozens of mice with this thing when we lived in NH.  Old lake cabin, leaky 'basement', many mice.  I kept a permanent marker beside it and did tally marks on the top of the Rat Zapper.  

Never see mice where we are now in TX. 

My Amazon homepage is going to be so weird after this thread 😄

[Moonhawk]

4 minutes ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

My Amazon homepage is going to be so weird after this thread 😄

Yeah apparently DH just logged into our Amazon account and it recommended nut-harvesting equipment. He told me he doesn't know what I'm doing, it just better not be a nut farm.

(I told him he already lives in one)

(He hasn't laughed yet.)

[Lady Florida.]

9 minutes ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

My Amazon homepage is going to be so weird after this thread 😄

The Hive can really mess with your "recently viewed" section : 😄 

[Spy Car]

The Rotring 300 arrived.

It superficially resembles 600, and writes well, but no comparison when it comes to the heft and pride of ownership of the Rotring 600.

The notorious destroyer of mechanical pencils will get to "control" the 300 and will be "loaned" the 600 (which really is lust-worthy).

Bill

 

ETA: I just weighed the anodized brass 600 (22 grams) vs the plastic 300 (8 grams). No comparison.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Spy Car

[mumto2]

Dd and I have gotten hooked on “fancy” fizzy water.  We are working our way through all the La Croix flavors that we can source right now. Currently drinking mango flavored fizzy......love it!

I have always enjoyed buying fabric for my quilting but normally like a bargain.  I have been ordering fabric just because it’s pretty lately ........it cheers me up for days.  Not a ton of fabric but something special every month or so.   I have also been buying more kindle books than normal.......I am a library kind of gal but have decided my kindle needs to have more of my favorites availiable without a wait.  So I have been buying books I have enjoyed greatly that happen to be on sale along with the normal purchase of books that my library doesn’t carry.

[WoolC]

I impulsively bought a ukulele at the start of quarantine and I’ve learned to play The Beatles and Jack Johnson songs over the past few months.  Huge stress reliever and so much fun!

 

 

[AmandaVT]

I ordered Frixion eraseable markers and they're great! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0815LM2ML/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also bought all new bath towels, kitchen towels, couch pillows, and a new shower curtain. Big splurge, but we're getting ready to put the house on the market and wanted to pretty it up a bit!

[Spy Car]

19 minutes ago, WoolC said:

I impulsively bought a ukulele at the start of quarantine and I’ve learned to play The Beatles and Jack Johnson songs over the past few months.  Huge stress reliever and so much fun!

 

 

Essential repertoire. The whippersnappers on this forum would never believe what a huge hit this was in 1968.

Bill

 

[Jentrovert]

2 hours ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

Because paying $30+ bucks per pair of undies always feels like highway robbery, even though I splurge on jeans and bras? 

Totally. I don't even consider the bras a splurge, they are a necessity. But it doesn't feel like undies are as important - wearing cheap underwear doesn't pull ribs out of place or cause deep crevices on my shoulders - so, logically, they should not be so expensive. 😄

[BeachGal]

Just bought some Lush Avo and Magma bath bombs and Fresh Sugar and Lychee bath cubes. Makes soakin' in the tub so much better.