Monday, December 3, 2018

Luxury Christmas Gift Giving

Needless to say, I won't be the one giving luxury gifts for Christmas or any other holiday but I came across this article today on 'The Best Luxury Gifts for 2018' and was rather surprised at nearly every item on the list...

  1. A hair blow dryer for $250.  I haven't used a blow dryer in years, I just let my hair dry by itself and it is much less dry and crunchy.  If someone absolutely needs a dryer I'm guessing a $20 one from Walmart will work about the same as this very expensive one on the list.
  2. A smart speaker for $200.  Hubby and I are both kind of freaked out about having Alexa or any other smart speaker that listens to everything that goes on in our house so I'm pretty sure we will never have the need for such an item.
  3. A set of two suitcases for $450.  Since hubby and I are both one-bag converts and each carry only a small backpack when we travel, I can never foresee the need for a super expensive suitcase (maybe if you travel a lot for business?).
  4. A cast iron dutch oven for $325.  I love cast iron pans and have a few which are "buy it for life" items but you can find a good dutch oven from Lodge for under $100.
  5. A robot vacuum for $950.  Holy cow have these things become expensive!  I know plenty of people who love these sorts of vacuums but I actually like vacuuming with our 10 year old, $35 vacuum which hubby keeps in excellent working order.
  6. A Canada Goose coat for $950.  Apparently these are all the rage with high school age kids but again, for $950 I could pick up 100 nice coats from the Goodwill and donate them to those in need.  I'm glad I am past the need for expensive fashion items in my life.
  7. Noise cancelling headphones for $350.  I have a nice set of very compact headphones which work OK but I just can't bring myself to spend hundreds of dollars on noise cancelling headphones (although I have several friends who swear by their Bose Quiet Comfort headphones so maybe one day...).
  8. LaMer moisturizer for $340.  Again, I have never tried such an item and get by just fine with basic lotion I use on my face.  I can't imagine that spending hundreds of dollars is going to get rid of wrinkles unless I pay for an entire face lift or something (which I don't want, I'd rather be wrinkly!).
  9. A 55 inch TV for $630.  TVs have dropped drastically in price over the years and if we absolutely needed a new TV this would probably be a deal I would look at but we have plenty of TVs which I hope will last for years to come.
  10. A Peloton bike for $2250.  I've looked at these and I like the concept but the price is astronomical!  You can get a ten year gym membership for that much money!
  11. A faux fur blanket for $98.  I got a wonderful blanket at Ikea for less than $15 which I use all the time.
  12. A Nebula projector for $500.  On the one hand I can't ever see needing one of these, on the other hand I remember the days of $3000 Boxlight machines for making presentations so this is definitely a lower cost alternative.
  13. A Kitchen Aid mixer for $280.  People love these and since I bake a lot hubby keeps saying I need to get one but I just see something I would need to spend a lot of time using then cleaning afterwards.  I prefer to use a wooden spoon or my hands when baking!
  14. A luxurious purse for $2000.  Again, I am well past the need for expensive purses although there was a time when I was buying new Coach and D & B and LV bags on a near weekly basis.  Thank goodness I don't do that anymore!
  15. Musical lights for $240.  I don't even understand the need for these...especially spending hundreds of dollars on them!  Yikes!
  16. A Henckels knife set for $280.  This is the only item on the list that I would absolutely love to buy for me or as a gift.  We have a few $100+ knives and they are definitely worth the money!
  17. A Polaroid camera for $190.  I remember the original Polaroid cameras and I think they cost around $20 back then.  Definitely not on my needs list but they were fun back in the 1970s!
  18. High end shoes for $725.  I'm getting old and the only thing I look for in shoes these days is comfort and long wear.  I can find both of these qualities in the much less expensive Keen, New Balance, Brooks, etc type of shoes.
  19. A personalized pen for $230.  LOL no way.  My very favorite pens are Pilot V5 and Pilot V7 pens for less than $10.  I can't even wrap my head around a "luxury pen".
  20. Art work for $350.  My low-brow approach to art work is finding very nice (and VERY inexpensive) art work at the Goodwill!
On a side note, if you give gift cards, especially from restaurants, now is the time to buy them as many places are offering "buy a gift card, get an extra $5 or $10 gift card for free" which is a great deal!

5 comments:

  1. And here I thought spending $82 on a new suitcase for Hubs was a luxury. Lol In my defense, he does travel extensively for business and his current luggage is falling apart at the seams. Crazy, though, what people will buy. Interesting post.

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    1. I think if people travel a lot they get good at knowing exactly what they need in a travel bag and will gladly pay more to avoid having to replace inferior bags more often.

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  2. You'd have to pull my kitchen side from my cold hands....never met anyone who got one who gave it up. And I have multiple smart speakers. I agree with you mainly on the rest.although with allergies I would probably love the vacuum.

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    1. Friends who have dogs and cats seem to love the robotic vacuums since it cleans while they are away and they come home to a clean house--no pet hair!

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  3. My luggage came with a ten year warranty, and makes long trips a breeze. I travel for work about 8x/year, and personally another 4-5. No regrets! My suitcase wasn't quite as much, but was definitely worth the investment.

    I also have noise cancelling headphones. Can't sleep on a flight without them, and I regularly take a red eye for work.

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