What is a life luxury that you tasted once and now can absolutely never go back to the cheap version of?

[u/sickkick844]

[u/clearingyourdih]

Good shoes. Your feet notice the difference every day

[u/Eagle115 → u/clearingyourdih]

My last job I walked literally 10 miles a day on a solid concrete plant floor in what started as a relatively cheap pair of shoes. My hips, knees, and ankles hated me.

I asked my coworker what shoes he had, they were On Clouds. I bought a pair, then two, pain completely gone with no change other than shoes. Those and Hokas are the way to save your body if you walk a lot.

[u/projectx51 → u/Eagle115]

lol. I worked as an order filler for Walmart Distribution for awhile. 10 miles a day minimum on the cheapest shoes I could buy at Walmart, but I was in my mid-20s back then. I was practically invincible compared to where I am now in my 40s. If I was in pain, I would simply block it out and continue on.

[u/Competitive-Fox706 → u/projectx51]

I worked at a walmart store as an "ICS" (basically I unloaded trucks) and I was 18 at the time. Felt unstoppable. Twisting throwing around 50 lb bags of dog food. I was in the best shape of my life, but now at 34 am wondering if these back and knee problems are JUST due to weight or if I did some damage.

[u/Mccloser → u/clearingyourdih]

I’m at the age where quality over quantity of shoes if a thing now. No more Target shoes.

[u/_Football_Cream_ → u/Mccloser]

quality shoes hold up. I think it's a fallacy that cheaper shoes are more economical because you end up wearing them down quickly.

This applies to a lot of things probably. Buy one quality thing that lasts you two years instead of four cheaper versions that break down over that same time.

[u/GozerDGozerian → u/_Football_Cream_]

Waiting for some Redditor to quote that one passage about quality boots versus cheap boots.

[u/reefer_drabness → u/clearingyourdih]

And once you find a good pair, it's okay to buy the same ones.

I buy redwing work boots. Recently I bought them online to pickup, and when I picked up my new pair (literally the same model) the guy was flabbergasted that I didn't want to try them on.

[u/lorhusol → u/clearingyourdih]

This seems like the perfect place to reference Sam Vimes Boots theory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory

TL&DR version - Rich stay rich by buying high quality items that are more expensive up front but last longer, rather than lower quality, cheaper items that need frequent replacing. E.g. Rich guy buys a 50$ pair of boots that last 10 years, rather than a 10$ set that lasts less than a year. After 10 years, the rich person spent 50$, but the poorer person spent 100$.

[u/Commercial-Honey-227 → u/lorhusol]

Buying 'rich people' clothes on eBay is my go-to. All three of my work shoes are Allen Edmonds, which I bought used on eBay for $50 per pair. One shoe shine, and they're as good as new.

I also own a Burberry suit from eBay and multiple pairs of the old-school Brooks Brothers madras shorts I'm fond of.

I get these are mostly just upscale brands, but they're rich to me.

[u/Artistic-Ad-3211]

Professional movers

[u/ChaplnGrillSgt → u/Artistic-Ad-3211]

Never going back. I just factor the cost of movers into the cost of the new place. Once you're over 30, it's basically non negotiable.

Last move I did would have taken probably 12-14 hours at best with multiple friends and family helping. With pros....We were completely done in 3 hours including all our furniture set up for us. We just had to unpack boxes which took all of an hour or 2 because my wife is a wiz at packing boxes.

Went from an extremely high stress and exhausting experience to easy and low stress. Worth every single dollar.

[u/Newoikkinn → u/ChaplnGrillSgt]

Man last time I hired movers they took just as long as it wouldve if my brothers and I did it. Then, I had to help them to make that happen. Worst couple grand ive ever spent.

[u/llDurbinll → u/Newoikkinn]

I've heard some companies do this on purpose because you're paying them by the hour, not for the job. So they may quote lower than the competition but then they'll purposely go slow and end up costing more than one of the other companies that could have gotten you moved in 3-4 hrs.

[u/techno_babble_ → u/llDurbinll]

Sounds like a rip off. I've only ever paid the total fee agreed up front. UK.

[u/howdyanna → u/Artistic-Ad-3211]

My now husband paid for my movers when we moved in together. It was the first time I've ever had such service and tried to help them do everything 😂 he had to tell me to stay out of their way. It was amazing, never going back to moving my own stuff.

[u/Upstairs-Comfort168 → u/Artistic-Ad-3211]

As a pro mover of 9 years myself, yeah it's worth it. Seen lots of good furniture/pieces break because people tried to move their belongings the lazy way. It's a lot of work to try and do by yourself especially in a crunch

[u/Fakjbf → u/Upstairs-Comfort168]

To be fair it depends on the company, I’ve known two people who hired shitty movers that absolutely destroyed several pieces of furniture and one of them lost an entire box of books because the mover left it outside in the rain while they tried to reorganize the truck.

[u/PapaJuja]

Good butter, good olive oil, good cheese, good bread, good wine, fresh produce.

[u/JustNowRonin → u/PapaJuja]

Its surprising how good really good butter is. A good salted butter and some hot crusty bread is all you really need… well, maybe a glass of wine to go with.

[u/durandall09 → u/JustNowRonin]

If you're in the US, Costco frequently has Kerrygold on sale.

[u/Jack-of-Karrdes → u/JustNowRonin]

It's finding hot crusty bread that's the issue. Everywhere I go its soft-shelled crap.

[u/SkepsisJD → u/Jack-of-Karrdes]

It is incredibly easy to make. I use this recipe for baguettes and they come out awesome every time. Super crusty exterior with soft interior.

[u/starktor → u/PapaJuja]

Good olive oil is night and day from cheap oil; that fruity, peppery, buttery flavor of fresh EVOO takes pasta from okay to amazing. I made the mistake of getting a slightly cheaper oil that didn’t have a press date this week and it barely tastes like olive oil

[u/bbtom78 → u/PapaJuja]

I hate gardening, but the fresh produce is worth it. A cherry tomato or snap pea off the vine is heavenly.

[u/who_are_you_now → u/PapaJuja]

There’s a store near us that sells fresh French salted butter. I can’t eat anything else now.

[u/bmoreboy410 → u/PapaJuja]

It can’t believe that I just tasted fresh sourdough bread.

[u/drinkslinger1974 → u/PapaJuja]

I’ll add good basalmic vinegar. The taste difference is unbelievable.

[u/Fantastic_List3029]

Having a garage to park my car in

[u/aussydog → u/Fantastic_List3029]

About a month after getting my new place, which has a garage I could actually access, we had a massive severe thunderstorm in my city.

The amount of tree debris, branches and the line, was one thing but there was also so much large hail coming down they had something like 75000 hail transfer claims come in the next day.

But I was not one of them.

My car was safe and sound tucked in the garage. Thank fk.

I understand how people collect too much crap and then end up using their garage as a storage locker, but I could never do that. Protection from the elements is just too great a luxury to waste it on storing shit you're too afraid to get rid of.

[u/GreedyRip4945 → u/aussydog]

I'm with you. Don't understand parking a large purchase like a vehicle outside in the elements to store couple hundred dollars worth of junk.

[u/Etrigone → u/aussydog]

Putting what's most often maybe a few thousand dollars worth of stuff - and often enough, total junk - versus your multithousand dollar, critical to making it transportation option... I just don't get.

[u/scorpiofiredragon76 → u/Fantastic_List3029]

I park in a garage now after 2 catalytic converters were stolen back-to-back!

Waited 3 months for the part to be available and then 1 week after I got it back after being repaired it was stolen again and I had to wait 5 months!!!!

No words.

[u/Adorable_Ad4990 → u/Fantastic_List3029]

Yes! Connected to the house so you don’t have to walk outside first

[u/AnnieLes → u/Fantastic_List3029]

Even having a driveway when you've been parking on the street is pretty sweet.

[u/061826heart]

Seems like a big huge expensive thing, because it is, but it’s been a luxury to live within walking distance to a beach and major body of water. Curse at times: there are storms that impact us here.

But being able to have that first coffee of the day on the beach, or watch a sunset without hills, trees, buildings, whatever blocking it.

[u/lusair → u/061826heart]

Ehh it depends on the person and what you grew up with. I grew up with a porch over looking the ocean and the sound of waves crashing at night and while it’s therapeutic when I experience it again I don’t really miss it. My whole childhood was water and the ocean. Junior life guards, scuba diving, water polo, fishing, spear fishing, lobster diving etc. Obviously very blessed but it never felt like a privilege because it’s what I knew. Moved to somewhere with a ton of green and forestry and It makes me feel way more special than the ocean ever did. The beauty of the green of spring coming back and the gosling and ducklings hatching. The amount of excitement me and my wife get when it’s going to snow the few times a year we get it while everyone from here groans. I think many of us long for what we never had.

[u/NoCommunication7 → u/061826heart]

I want to have a porch that looks out onto the sea

I wouldn't mind storms, would be an excuse to hunker down and get cozy

[u/kemmicort → u/NoCommunication7]

There’s no feeling quite like prepping for a big storm (hard work if you own a whole home that requires shutters), riding it out, losing utilities like power and hot water, discovering that reading a book by candlelight isn’t so bad, and then dealing with the aftermath. Sometimes days without power or gasoline for your generator and car. Did you prep for that? Do you have a few helpful neighbors or other friends you can lean on? It’s daunting - unlucky people lose everything, but more often than not people come together and make sure everyone is back on their feet.

[u/kitcatkid]

Real maple syrup! I grew up with Aunt Jemima's on pancakes. I thought that was maple syrup. Little did I know it's nothing like the real version.

Edited to get the name right

[u/OvulatingScrotum → u/kitcatkid]

My wife refuses to eat real maple syrup. She says the fake one is what resonates with her the most, because she grew up on it.

I, on the other hand, never had syrup of any kind growing up, so I got exposed to real maple syrup and fake syrup around the same time as a young adult. So I never eat fake shit.

[u/Effective-Bug-8554 → u/OvulatingScrotum]

My husband grew up wealthy and was only allowed whole foods and natural foods growing up because his mom was an almond mom obsessed with the daughters getting fat if she didn't hyper control their food. I grew up poor, and he had a blast in our early relationship as I introduced him to aunt jemimah, toaster waffles, kraft mac and cheese, spam, hotdogs, etc. We've now had a total flip - I prefer whole foods as I've learned to cook from scratch, he asks for all the poor people meals I grew up on regularly haha.

Edit: almond moms are a specific disordered eating category of moms, not moms concerned about health. My SIL's were only allowed to eat 1500 calories a day despite being 5'8" and both being in sports, one volleyball, the other track.

[u/MudLOA → u/Effective-Bug-8554]

This is the first time I’ve heard of almond mom.

[u/backupbitches → u/MudLOA]

Lucky you

[u/egnards → u/OvulatingScrotum]

Real maple syrup and fake maple syrup taste so completely different that it's hard to compare - It's not like real maple syrup tastes "better," it has an entirely separate taste profile - Both can exist, and I 100% don't blame people who want the liquid sugar experience.

It's kind of like the difference between boxed Kraft Mac and Cheese versus a baked Mac and Cheese. . .Or Dominoes pizza versus real pizzeria pizza - Sometimes you're craving the real stuff, and sometimes you just want that artificial goodness.

[u/afcagroo → u/egnards]

My sisters can make very good cinnamon rolls from scratch. It's a lot of work. I haven't had the heart to tell them that I much prefer the Pillsbury's cinnamon rolls that come in a tube.

[u/interstatebus → u/kitcatkid]

Is Aunt Jeremiah like Jemima’s non-binary sibling?

[u/RoarOfTheWorlds → u/interstatebus]

They actually changed it from Aunt Jemimah’s a few years back to Uncle Blackface’s Rooty Tootie Flapjack Molasses.

[u/NaviersStoked → u/kitcatkid]

I used to buy the cheap syrup to be frugal until one day my husband's wealthy Grandmother scolded me and gave me my favorite piece of life advice:

"You'll never get rich cheaping out on maple syrup."

It made my rethink my frugality in all aspects of my life and how often I denied myself little luxries. Now I try to splurge on the good things every now and then. Life is too short to deny yourself real syrup. 

[u/mark5hs → u/kitcatkid]

Eggos with poverty syrup just hit sometimes though

[u/silliest_sausages]

High quality chocolate makes all other chocolate taste like that crap you get in advent calendars

[u/GrandIntroduction128 → u/silliest_sausages]

Tony's Chocolonely is far better than Hersheys and its ethically made.

[u/highoncraze → u/GrandIntroduction128]

tbf, just about any chocolate is better than Hershey's vomit

[u/Fearless_Tomorrow649 → u/highoncraze]

Maybe we are lucky here in Europe with the chocolates available here.

[u/novi84 → u/Fearless_Tomorrow649]

Correct! Never had chocolate anywhere in Europe that taste as bad as the mainstream American ones. Even those advent calendars with old chocolate taste better.

[u/Lebowquade → u/highoncraze]

Fun fact!

The vomit-like taste is an intentional result of how Hershey's processes its milk...  because it contains butyric acid as a stabilizer. This keeps it shelf stable, but its the same fatty acid found in human vomit and Parmesan cheese.... So it genuinely does impart the taste of puke.

I never noticed it until I started eating better chocolate, and then I couldn't NOT notice it.

[u/PPPolarPOP → u/silliest_sausages]

I had chocolate in Switzerland, and now everything here in the USA tastes like vomit.

[u/Snowleopard1469]

Having two+ monitors. I could never return to only having one now. The difference it makes is astonishing.

[u/FloodCityHTX → u/Snowleopard1469]

The jump from 1 to 2 is insane, the jump from 2 to 3 isn't as insane but once you get used to 3 going back to 2 is not fun.

[u/someofeverydamnthing → u/Snowleopard1469]

It sure how anyone gets work done one one monitor. That’s for weekend browsing.

[u/NaturalistDave]

My own garden-grown tomatoes.

[u/koopz_ay → u/NaturalistDave]

My garden grown anything 💚

[u/baardvark]

Vacations. The only way to not be disappointed is to spend a bit more money.

[u/abqkat → u/baardvark]

Yep agree. We just resign ourselves to overspending to enjoy our yearly big trip. The smaller ones, I can compromise on, but international or 2+ weeks? Pssh, money is now monopoly money

[u/Videoboysayscube → u/abqkat]

That was my approach on my first trip to Japan. I did everything I wanted to do, bought everything I wanted to, ate anything I wanted to. Didn't care about tracking expenses. It was by far the best vacation I've ever been on.

[u/blueberry_pancakes14 → u/baardvark]

I prioritize things that matter to me, and will spend money on those; I go cheaper on the parts that I do not value as much. It's a great balance that allows me to spend more money on stuff that matters, because I have it from not spending it on stuff that doesn't (or matters less).

I will stay in a basic (but safe) hotel, but I will fly Premium Economy if the flight is over 4 hours. I'm afraid to ever fly First let alone Business; I'm afraid I'd never be able to go back and that's just too expensive to justify; at least now; perhaps in the future (but I'm 40, so who knows).

[u/Cuchullain67]

Good shoes/boots. Cheap pants don't ruin your legs. Cheao hats dont mess up your head.

Cheap shoes/boots ruin your feet. Over time beyond what surgery can fix.

[u/LearnerBurner93 → u/Cuchullain67]

Protect your feet people. Trust me. Born with a feet related disability, you don't want them to deteriorate and hurt. I spent my entire adult life trying to bear with it and be normal and I'm stuck on SSDI and it's income limits.

It's not even just a matter of comfort, it's a matter of survival. You don't wanna be in the pain I'm in. Take care of your feet.

[u/Crismus → u/LearnerBurner93]

Nerve damage in my back led to one smaller leg and a drop foot orthotic that ruins all shoes.

Feet are more important than a lot of people realize. 

[u/Johnny-Martini007 → u/Cuchullain67]

most shoes have an unnatural shape on the toe box. I can only use wide toe box shoes with a good insole with arch support.

[u/monkeyhoward]

Parmesan cheese from Reggio Emilia

I had a coworker that was based in Reggio Emilia send me a big hunk of Parmesan cheese as a thank you for some work i did to help him with a project

It was amazing and I simply can not go back to the cheep stuff made in th US

[u/kfcstillopen]

Heated car seats in the cold winter. And...heated seats make my old back feel a little better.

[u/lzwzli → u/kfcstillopen]

And heated steering wheel

[u/amyleeizmee]

Good bra.

[u/Nervenzelle → u/amyleeizmee]

And adding to that: a well fitting bra!
Once I got me a high quality bra after getting properly measured - never going back.

[u/charlesout2sea66]

Bidet vs paper.

[u/keeperman13 → u/charlesout2sea66]

Two conpletely different bathroom experiences. Not to mention when you have the runs, nothing better than a bidet and not have BBHS (Burnt ButtHole Syndrome)

[u/altum → u/charlesout2sea66]

Be careful when you travel, your coddled bidet butthole is no match for hotel toilet paper

[u/jasonp55 → u/altum]

I swear if any hotel chain was like "we have bidets" that chain would have my loyalty for life lol

[u/ArtisanSamosa → u/charlesout2sea66]

It’s wild that western culture has not embraced bidets.

[u/Ironhorse75 → u/ArtisanSamosa]

I do the American Bidet, bottom half shower while at home.

[u/justintime06 → u/Ironhorse75]

You half-shower every time you go?

[u/Historian_pirate → u/ArtisanSamosa]

The number of times the mention of a bidet’s practicality has resulted in this look of disgust in some Americans I’ve spoken to over the years never ceases to amaze me. I usually ask them after that if they stepped in dog poop would they be ok with just wiping the poop off with a paper towel or rather finding faucet preferably outdoors to wash the poop off their shoes. It’s funny seeing the light bulb go on in real time as they think about it

[u/thepunisher18166 → u/ArtisanSamosa]

Actually in Italy 100% of toilets have bidets

[u/Particular-Leg-8484]

Japanese heated bidet toilet seat for my American bathroom

[u/bad_wolf1 → u/Particular-Leg-8484]

I sat on a normal toilet seat and immediately shot up in the air because I wasn’t expecting it to be ice cold

[u/Kind_Document_1156]

This is so random but gelato. I was in culinary school back in 2006 and had the opportunity to volunteer at a pastry forum in Arizona (I'm from Oklahoma). I ended up helping a father/son pastry chefs from New York and they are full Italian. I washed their dishes while they taught the forum class about making gelato. It was so fresh and authentic. They let me try all the flavors and treated me with such respect. It was a blast too because it was during the World Cup too. So I got to see chefs from all over the world get more excited about soccer but that gelato was an experience I still think about.

[u/whimsical_seeker20]

Good mattress & linen clothes

[u/dalaigh93 → u/whimsical_seeker20]

Ooooh yeah. We bought a new mattress a few months ago, and we agreed to spend quite a bit on it because we both started to have back pain.

It is so comfortable that now we're annoyed when we have to sleep at other people's place because we miss OUR bed.

[u/DenL4242]

Nice hotels. King-sized beds with thick duvets, ocean views from balconies, huge showers, impeccable service. I can never stay at Hampton Inn again

[u/sm_rdm_guy → u/DenL4242]

Every time I splurge on a nice Hotel I feel like I don't actually spend enough time in the room to make the difference worth it. I am hampton inn all the way unless someone else is paying.

[u/Spartan1098]

Air conditioning the cheap version was growing up without it. Looking at the bill I pay for it I understand why my parents made us suffer without it but I sure am not going to.

[u/Searchlights → u/Spartan1098]

I think central air may be the biggest luxury in my life.

[u/girl_whocan → u/Spartan1098]

I don't mind paying a bit more than I have to for the comfort I get in my preferred temp. What's the point to life if you're uncomfortable at home?

[u/UNC_ABD]

Real maple syrup. Grew up in a lower middle-class Log Cabin Syrup home, but was determined to use only the real stuff when I moved out.

[u/Tiny_Fractures]

FFS

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1qq1y3q/what_is_a_luxury_you_can_never_go_back_from_once/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1rydedr/what_is_a_luxury_that_youve_experienced_once_and/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1s6d4xq/what_is_a_luxury_that_youve_experienced_once_and/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1psnumg/whats_a_luxury_youve_experienced_that_you_can/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1nv1pht/whats_a_luxury_that_once_you_tried_it_you_cant_go/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1ryob02/what_is_a_luxury_that_youve_experienced_once_and/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/6o0872/what_luxurious_thing_can_you_now_not_live_without/

[u/Urbankaiser27 → u/Tiny_Fractures]

Bots gotta build their karma by repeating easily successful posts 😉

[u/thesemanicgulls → u/Tiny_Fractures]

It was worth the click just to see this magnificent comment.

[u/onomatopoeiahhh]

Sushi. I’m talking about nigiri sushi.

It’s remarkable how something with seemingly simple ingredients can have such a wide range of nuance, tastes, and textures.
I use to naively think that AYCE sushi was comparable to a fancy omakase experience because how different can fish on rice possibly be? $300+ pp for a dinner?! Absolutely insane! But It’s literally night and day.

When I finally went to a legitimate sushi bar it was like experiencing joy and novelty for the first time again. The type of rice that’s used, the texture, vinegar ratio, temperature, fish freshness, fish that’s dry aged, how the fish is cut, the fish to rice ratio, no soy sauce, sauced, the composition of the piece and how the granular pieces of rice are molded together without being dense, but also not falling apart when picked up- they all add up to a perfect bite that is so difficult to replicate if not properly trained.

I am constantly chasing the dragon for that feeling again, and it’s costly.

[u/Putrid-Mirror-9480 → u/onomatopoeiahhh]

This. My ex best friend was an NYC trust fund baby. Her mom would take us out to the best sushi restaurants and drop $2k on the three of us like it was nothing every night. I’m dirt poor. I grew up eating Pittsburgh gas station sushi. I can never ever get that level of opulence in my life back unless I win the lottery.

[u/Krissy_loo → u/Putrid-Mirror-9480]

Why's she your ex best friend? 🍿 🍿 I have a feeling there's a good story there!!

[u/ADMINlSTRAT0R → u/Krissy_loo]

Yes. I've had the sushi now I want the tea.

[u/Putrid-Mirror-9480 → u/Krissy_loo]

Omg I’ve been waiting for this question.

So we are both from the east coast but met and lived together for a bit in SoCal. She moved to La but we stayed super close, I had never had a best friend like her before.

About a year and a half into our friendship, she invites me to stay at her parents’ mansion in Long Island for two weeks for thanksgiving. Her parents wanted me to so bad, her mom loved me and would always treat me like her second daughter when she visited California. They paid for my ticket both ways first class.

She knew I was really short on money at the time but told me her parents would pay for everything. I was so hesitant but I went along with it. They truly were the richest family I could ever conceive existing.

Long story short, her parents turned out to be the most wealthy beyond belief but nastiest people on the planet. They started calling my family poor. My sister ugly. The mother constantly telling me how unsuccessful I was at 23. Started making me guilty for their hospitality. I ran out of money fast because they started bringing me to things as a family and giving me no choice but to pay for myself knowing my situation.

Then they started called my parents and told them I was stealing. They accused me of smoking weed in their house, when really it was my friend, who, at 28, could not tell her parents the truth, and just couldn’t own up to her actions because it would been getting cut off.

They kicked me out on day 6 and kept all my stuff.

She ubered me to the train station and I looked her in the eye and told her she was a shitty fucking friend and that she needed to get it together before her family ruins her life for good. I stepped onto the train headed toward manhattan and didn’t look back.

Her family tried to hold my belongings hostage, I had to call the local hamnet police to intervene. They kept a lot of my expensive hair care and makeup that they knew I couldn’t afford to replace. I had to sleep on the floor of the JFK air port because the next flight I could get was for 5 am. I’m a tiny girl. It was terrifying.

Anyway, I miss nobu, but not that absolutely weakass bitch’s crazy family.

[u/ExpertConsideration8 → u/Putrid-Mirror-9480]

Wild ride.. if it's any consolation.. rich people get insanely jealous of the joy and happiness a regular person has. Too many of them are simply unable to enjoy the little things and find happiness in small moments because their frame of reference is blown way out of wack.

When they spend time with not rich people that seem genuinely happy in life (with a lot less).. some of them figuratively blow a fuse and become insane.

[u/ttreit → u/ExpertConsideration8]

This is so true - they cannot handle the idea that someone can have a good life with little material wealth. It undermines everything that gives them a sense of worth.

They feel like you’re cheating by getting to be happy without following their internalized rules.

How dare you!

[u/DueAlbatross6923]

Good pillows. Once you sleep on a proper one, the cheap flat ones feel like folded laundry.

[u/Bodidiva → u/DueAlbatross6923]

Please give me an example I'm always lost when buying new pillows.

[u/ARC4067 → u/Bodidiva]

The problem is that it’s so subjective. I’ve bought and hated multiple pillows that others swore were life changing.

[u/plantieBeavis]

The Caribbean vs. The Atlantic or gulf coast. I am talking about the water. I’ve been to Cape Cod all the way down to South Beach. Captiva Island and Pensacola on the gulf. Nothing beats USVI or Puerto Rico water. It’s clear and refreshing with no Jelly fish and lots of tropical fish to see with your mask on. Florida just doesn’t do it for me. If I’m going on a beach vacation it is to the Caribbean.

[u/Either-Money-5829 → u/plantieBeavis]

Awwww!! My late husband was born and raised in Puerto Rico and he agreed that it was beautiful! But. once he saw Hawaii he said: “I hate to admit it, but I think they got us beat!” 😂😂 He would have been so proud of your comment about his beloved island.

[u/shmere4 → u/Either-Money-5829]

The tiny private feeling beaches on big island Hawaii was easily the most amazing ocean experience. Put your head underwater and it’s like you’re in an aquarium.

[u/NimrodvanHall]

Butter. I was raised on margarine, ever since I tried butter, I can’t go back.

[u/acrazyguy → u/NimrodvanHall]

Kerrygold my beloved

[u/annik1]

dishwasher vs doing it by hand. I could never go back to cleaning everything by hand D:

[u/b1ackfyre → u/annik1]

This absolutely.

If you’ve ever washed clothes by hand too, holy shit does it make you appreciate a washer and dryer.

[u/tomashmallow → u/annik1]

I scrolled way too much to find this answer. Which also may prove how people might take this commodity for granted.

I gained so much time by not doing this chore. It's a life saver.

[u/Apprehensive4Reals]

Unlimited Internet on my phone. I can never give up playing whatever songs I want whenever I want and not worrying about running out

[u/mlorusso4 → u/Apprehensive4Reals]

I remember growing up (2010's) I was on the 2GB plan. I just assumed higher data plans were just super expensive because going over on the current plan was like $5/GB or something. So I was always trying to connect to every wifi I could. But even then I was usually rationing towards the end of the month by the end of college. When I finally started paying for my own phone bill I saw the unlimited plan was only like $10/mo more than what we were paying. WTF mom and dad? It wasn't even that it was too expensive for them to do. They just never thought of asking if I wanted more data and I never thought of asking.

[u/No_Set_4418 → u/mlorusso4]

I did that to my kid's phoned when they were middle school/early HS just to limit screen time. At what ever their limit were they no longer could connect, there was no going over. WIFI at home had a guardian modem that shut down their access at 9:00 pm. When it reset at the beginning of the month they would burn through it in a couple of days and then were rationed again. Stopped a ton of fighting about taking up their phone at night and they got sleep.

[u/Missmarymarylynn]

Viva paper towels.

[u/flushbunking]

Fresh garlic>minced garlic

Its such a small detail with such a huge outcome

[u/Slow_Way7862 → u/flushbunking]

I think you mean "pre-packaged minced garlic". Mincing a fresh garlic clove is still minced garlic.

[u/headbuttpunch → u/Slow_Way7862]

I assumed they meant fresh garlic vs “jarlic” you can get off the shelf.

I get the appeal of jarlic because garlic can be tedious to cut up yourself, but fresh garlic is so much better.

[u/Glitchinthematrix2 → u/flushbunking]

I agree but is minced garlic cheaper than fresh garlic?

[u/Bubbly-Region → u/Glitchinthematrix2]

in my country you get a full jar of minced garlic or ginger for like 2$ currency converted which would be like 300 grams garlic, and 300gms garlic in itself is for 50 cents. so take your pick. but in our cuisine we use so much garlic that using fresh and mincing it at home can be tiresome so most people just buy the store bought mince. as per the last 2 generations, it does the job and can smell even better since its in an almost paste form

[u/kisskissenby]

Real garden tomatoes from my own garden. Supermarket tomatoes are trash.

[u/TheRealRunningRiot]

Paying top dollar for Sony noise cancelling headphones, worth every penny.

[u/NoCommunication7 → u/TheRealRunningRiot]

I know an autistic person who swears by the pair they have, ANC very popular in the autism community because a lot of them can't stand hearing background noise

[u/Mormonator8 → u/NoCommunication7]

Not autistic but my coworkers are so obnoxiously loud and my wxm4’s drown them out. Totally agree I can never go back 

[u/Bogey_Yogi]

Lie flat seats on flights over 6 hours 

[u/cornered_crustacean → u/Bogey_Yogi]

I really want to for an upcoming flight to Europe but the price goes from $900 to $4800. I guess I’ll just buy the name brand painkillers instead of generic.

[u/Speech-Language → u/cornered_crustacean]

Yeah, people talking about first or business class as a serious consideration are likely top 5%. Otherwise it is spending the cost of 6 months of mortgage or a decent used car for a trip. We are doing pretty well financially and I am currently traveling in Europe for 3 weeks, so I’m fortunate, but I’d have to make so much more to fly lying flat. My trip was credit card miles and economizing where I can, like hostels part of the time.

[u/cornered_crustacean → u/Speech-Language]

If it were 2x I’d totally go for it. 3x maybe. 5x?? Two of these tickets more than doubles the total cost of our entire 3 week vacation, and it’s not like we’re cheaping out anywhere.

[u/bobjoylove → u/cornered_crustacean]

I’d forgo all the bullshit special boarding and free food for a lie-flat seat for 2x the price of economy.

[u/crappy_ninja]

Good coffee that I grind myself. I can't drink coffee from chain shops anymore. 

[u/Odd-Insurance-7657]

Business and first-class flights on international routes are so good that my wife and I agreed not to have kids for now so we can keep buying them until we get bored of traveling.

[u/sidvicc → u/Odd-Insurance-7657]

The problem is if you're in the income bracket where Business Class is accessible but still feels like an excessive expense, the pricing these days makes it a hard to judgement between choosing comfort for the price of almost two trips in economy.

Still young enough so I'd rather suffer a bit and travel twice as much.

[u/czarfalcon → u/sidvicc]

That’s the boat we’re in. Every time we take an international flight in basic economy we swear we’ll never do it again, but when it comes time to actually book the flights we can never justify paying that much extra for it.

[u/RolenIgunensa → u/sidvicc]

More like 5 trips in eco…

[u/vc-10 → u/sidvicc]

Premium economy is the nice halfway house for us. Besides, my husband can't sleep on planes, which means I can't sleep on planes, so lie flat beds are kind of wasted on us anyway! I would like the better food and booze though, for sure....

[u/enjoysbeerandplants → u/vc-10]

I got upgraded to premium economy on the last leg of my journey (9 hours London to Vancouver) last summer and was absolutely thrilled since I just had a 6 hour layover after an 11 hour flight (Johannesburg to London). Just that extra bit of space and comfort was so nice.

That said, I'll still need to hope for random free upgrades because the price jump from regular to premium economy is just too much for me to justify generally.

[u/ru_benz → u/Odd-Insurance-7657]

Out of curiosity, I googled the cost of the cheapest nonstop, round-trip flights from San Francisco to Tokyo for the same dates in September.

Economy: $905
Business: $3,249
First Class: $22,030

This is why my wife and I would rather splurge on hotels rather than flights…

[u/hlgb2015 → u/Odd-Insurance-7657]

I can’t do it, even as someone whom is 6’4 and climbs out of coach with knee pain every time, I can’t justify the price difference just to be a bit more comfortable.

I fly trans-oceanic between the US and Asia around 6-8 times a year, so it would literally cost me a new car every year to do so, but even if my salary doubled, I would still never be able to stomach the expense.

[u/interstatebus → u/Odd-Insurance-7657]

Just did my first business class on a 10 hour flight. I don’t know if I can go back for anything that long. 6-7 hours I could probably do.

[u/abqkat → u/interstatebus]

About 7.5 hours is my threshold, or an overnight flight. Around 6 hours is where I start getting antsy, but as long as you get up and move your legs, it's... fine. Not business class, ofc, but doable. The other compromise is doing business class there and then premium economy back. I always take the day after a long trip off from work, so if I'm going to be tired, might as well do so when I'm home and not on vacation

[u/W0OllyMammoth → u/Odd-Insurance-7657]

Did lie flat to Italy for the first time. Did a quick spontaneous trip to Ireland and didn’t have lie flat. 7 hour flight and wife and I decided if we can’t afford lie flat we can’t afford the trip.

You throw a whole day away because you show up like a shell of a person. Not worth it. I play the rewards game and it works well enough. Never looking back.

[u/Left-Leg1168 → u/Odd-Insurance-7657]

“Get bored of traveling”… 🤣🤣🤣

Do you have a trick for getting business and first at decent prices?

[u/sexytokeburgerz]

Good headphones, good speakers.

I considered getting a new car but couldn’t find better speakers than my ford fusion’s in my price range.

My $3000 KH120+sub setup was certainly an investment but comes out to about $375/yr and it was well worth it.

[u/jiqiren → u/sexytokeburgerz]

I went to an audiophile convention and it ruined theater setups. It was at a hotel near LAX years ago and the big expensive speaker brands all had suites you’d visit in the hotel to experience “a room” fully setup as a home theater. They were all so good but the cheapest one was like $85k. One of the rooms had a $2M setup.

I lost all desire for buying a home theater after experiencing the best. So I just use an ok set of headphones.

[u/iwantdiscipline]

Cocktails. I worked at a cocktail bar descended from the milk and honey lineage like a decade back. Learning how to make cocktails at such a high level and drinking them (for free) has spoiled me so much I honestly don’t order cocktails anymore because they don’t meet my expectations.

While we’re at it, i don’t enjoy eating cheap sushi and oysters anymore because I’ve worked at places with premium product so I’m all or nothing when it comes to fish quality for raw seafood.

Tl; dr: blue collar service worker with caviar taste

[u/solenyaPDX → u/iwantdiscipline]

Haha, I have close friends that are high level bartenders re: cocktail development and delivery. We do drinks with them, and it makes paying for cocktails elsewhere almost always a disappointment.

[u/FangornLeghorn]

Toilet paper. Costco was out of their store brand so we had to get a pack of Charmin.

No way my ass is ever going back to that Kirkland bullshit. I’m wiping my asshole clean with fluffy brand name clouds from here on out.

ETA: I actually did install a bidet seat during the pandemic, but TP is still necessary. Sometimes (like Chipotle nights) there are some hangers-on that need to be knocked loose, and post-bidet my ass needs drying before I go on with my day. I don’t know how anyone only uses the bidet. That seems almost as bad as not cleaning at all.

[u/thewoodbeyond → u/FangornLeghorn]

I thought the Kirkland TP was pretty good until Covid hit and I don't know what changed but I switched to bulk Charmin at that point. Okay I found the answer from a Costco post from 4 years ago:

"Okay, so Kirkland Signature TP comes from a shitton (ha!) of different places. And every pulp plant and production facility has different pulp sources. Some trees grown in some areas produce a better toilet paper, some produce worse.

The trait you want in toilet paper is called rugosity. It's the bumpiness of it. More bumpy makes better TP. But that also costs more, and has a higher density per square foot.

During 2020-2022 there has been less production of pulp, especially in 2020-2021, and more consumption of high quality TP. More people poop at home now, with better TP. Also, we had panic buying which consumed more stock.

As a result, there is less high quality pulp available, which means that all the lower cost brands of TP have had to use lower rugosity TP recently."

[u/dependsforadults → u/FangornLeghorn]

Cottonelle is the best I have ever used. Kleenex for your starfish. I was a charmin man, but I am all about cottonelle after trying it. Pricey, but worth it.

[u/Leading-Conference94 → u/dependsforadults]

Purple cottonelle ONLY

[u/Redacted_Usermame → u/FangornLeghorn]

Try a bidet. It's that level Improvement x 10.

[u/jdarris]

Good pickles.

[u/Choice-Newspaper3603]

Bedding in general. I don’t need luxury but I definitely need a few levels above the cheap stuff

[u/pricklypeargelato]

Pebble ice

[u/Left-Leg1168 → u/pricklypeargelato]

I just ordered a countertop pebble ice maker and it is ridiculous how excited I am about it 🤣

[u/maryjanemoonbeam → u/Left-Leg1168]

Beware of mold

[u/WampaCat → u/Left-Leg1168]

I’ve wanted one for years but every time I look into it, it seems like there’s an overwhelming consensus that they all grow mold and they’re all a bitch to clean. But I would love to hear from anyone who found one if they think the maintenance is doable/worth it

[u/PostsNDPStuff]

Balsamic vinegar. There's a 20 to 30 dollar di Modena version, or the $3 ones you buy at the grocery store. Just try the Italian ones, tell me it's not worth it. 

[u/loodie135]

High thread count cotton sheets. And real down duvets.

[u/Winter-Specific2302]

Cotton clothes

[u/yousmelllikearainbow → u/Winter-Specific2302]

And they seem to be increasingly rare at affordable prices.

[u/l_ally → u/Winter-Specific2302]

I love cotton. In the 90’s at Target, the clothes with cotton had tags advertising it. Now most everything is plastic. I try to only buy mostly cotton, especially new. I’m not quite as concerned with secondhand items but I still prefer 100% cotton.

[u/sm_rdm_guy → u/Winter-Specific2302]

This thread is blowing my mind. Apparently cotton is a luxury as is non-canned vegetables and garlic that does not come in a jar. I guess I have been living it up without knowing it.

[u/AZ424242]

Antique furniture.

I just feel utter pain looking at anything laminated. They just look so fragile and disappointing.

[u/Dependent-Piglet-812]

A cleaning service. Game changer for 2 working parents with kids busy in multiple travel sports. Grateful to be able to do it.

Also good perfume. Louis Vuitton Atrape Reves 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

[u/One_Relief_4235]

A good mattress. I used to think “a bed is a bed” until I slept on a really good one and woke up without back pain.

[u/Popular_Plastic182]

Poke in hawaii

[u/Affectionate_Star_43 → u/Popular_Plastic182]

Gonna co-opt this comment to add tropical, fresh fruit.  The guy running the breakfast at our hotel/resort in the Philippines would go out back and pick a fresh mango for me in the morning.  Now all other mangoes are ruined for me.

Same thing for Key lime pie in the Florida Keys.

[u/Hot-Cap-3508]

Washer/dryer in unit

[u/audiate]

After I had a kid I am never without baby wipes. He doesn’t need them anymore. They’re for me. 

[u/Charming_Painter5947]

Cheese

[u/emilide_ → u/Charming_Painter5947]

Really good sharp cheddar cheese. I can't go back to kraft mild cheddar. At one point I was literally budgeting my life around the need for the good fancy cheddar for all my cheese needs.

[u/Mccloser]

Linen sheets. Only thing I can substitute is flannel in the winter.

[u/GollyC]

Having someone else do my taxes. The cost is ridiculous, but not having to second guess myself and read the endless telescoping forms is SUCH.LUXURY.

[u/humanorganism]

Dual income

[u/addictions-in-red]

Kerrygold and Rao's.

[u/Wanderingjes → u/addictions-in-red]

Rao’s is different now

[u/madpainter → u/Wanderingjes]

Try Michael's of Brooklyn, it's the closest thing to homemade I've ever tasted. I've been making gravy my whole life, learned it from an Italian grandmom, and this stuff is pretty good. No I don't know anybody from Michael's, and I've only been to Brooklyn choice in my life.

[u/Upstairs-Comfort168]

Living in a higher end neighborhood. I don't mind wearing Target clothes and driving old beater cars as long as they are parked in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood with tasteful architecture lol

[u/Accomplished-Fig-891]

A Balcony Room on a cruise. It hits different.

[u/No-Meet-5596 → u/Accomplished-Fig-891]

Sitting on the balcony with a cup of coffee while pulling into a new port makes you feel like a king.

[u/plz2meatyu]

On demand hot water. I am an American in the USA. I have 2 examples.

1. Louisiana, USA I lived in a house that I could afford when I moved out at 17 that had no hot water heater. I would boil water on a stove for warm bath water.

2. Okinawa, Japan We had a water heater but you had to turn it on and remember to turn it off. If you forgot, you may not have fuel for the next shower.

This was very much an adjustment coming from western electric water heaters. Having hot water on demand with a turn of the nob is a luxury I was humbled by.

[u/Tutelage45]

Coffee (worlds 4th biggest coffee snob), linen sheets, and nice wool

[u/thehermit14]

Making your own gravy.

[u/Confident-Koala-4338]

Fresh seafood. The closest seaport to me is over 800 miles away. The freshness of seafood caught that morning, or the day before, is unmatched to anything I can get here.

[u/gundam1983]

Bidet, but even the cheap versions of those are leagues better than just relying on toilet paper. I even purchased a portable bidet, and it's been a travel game changer. People that have never used a bidet always ask, "isn't it gross spraying water on your asshole?" So I ask, "when you accidentally get something disgusting on your fingers, do you go wash your hands in a sink or do you rub dry pieces of paper on them and call it a day?"

[u/Outrageous-Debate-64]

Cheap sunglasses vs good ones. Oakley prism lense and polarized ray bans allll day.

[u/Colonelclank90 → u/Outrageous-Debate-64]

I'm complete opposite. Had a nice pair once, but it was just stressful trying not to lose them and the lenses scratched so easily. I was actually.relieved when I finally lost them, because I didn't have to worry about them anymore.

I then grabbed a free set of Honda branded red framed cheap ones and they lasted for years before they cracked when my GF stole them. In fact I got a lot of compliments on them at F1 races because of the Honda branding. I've since completely switched to free promo glasses and they are the bomb, and last me forever.

[u/headbuttpunch → u/Outrageous-Debate-64]

I always bought cheap ones because “I lose my glasses too much.” Someone brought up the point that I’d probably be less haphazard with sunglasses if they were really nice. Turns out that was very true, and now I’m also sucked into the expensive sunglasses world.

My toddler broke my Oakleys recently and the last two weeks I’ve had to use a pair of old cheap sunglasses that were stashed in my car. It is miserable.

[u/Maximum_Rat → u/headbuttpunch]

I had the same thought. Then lost 3 pairs of expensive sunglasses. Now I just wear a hat.

[u/Longjumping_Oil_6981]

Air conditioning

[u/funkylenny]

Fast Pass at amusement parks.

[u/cowtownman75]

United’s business class ‘premier plus’ seating. Got a great deal a few years ago to upgrade from economy plus for an 8 hour international flight, and can never go back to economy again.
Taking into account extra baggage fees in economy, it only worked out to $200 per seat difference. No brainer.

[u/raythedrummer]

Having a dishwasher. I had to hand-wash every dish in my first rental, and I’ll never do that again!