What is your one indulgence that you can't do without?
 

I was wondering what thing it is that you buy or do that doesn't mesh with the whole simple, back to basics living. Try as I might, I CANNOT give up my love of and my buying of good wine. With all of the other changes I've made to my life to get rid of the unnecessary and get back to the frugal way of living, I still have an absolutely STUPID amount of incredible, although sometimes expensive, wine. If I could live out in the woods, with only the basics needed to survive, I would be able to get by as long as my wine cellar was plugged in ready to dispense whatever wine I needed for the meal or occasion I had coming up.

Aargh.

So what is it you CANNOT do without?

Nik

Liquered up coffee on Sunday mornings! :rolleyes:
I look forward to my cup of coffee with Irish cream and Kahlua. IMO, if your going to work hard, you oughtta be able to enjoy certain things as a self-indulgent reward. ;)

Comic books! As an English major and someone who appreciates fine art I really enjoy most comic books and their play off of classical themes- the several Xmens over the last 30 years dealing with Paradise Lost, the very fine Neil Gaiman works in Sandman and Books of Magic, etc. Its also fun to go to movies that were originally comix also- Mystery men, League of Xtraordinary Gentlemen, Men IN Black, and of couse the Batman and Xman and Spiderman series. I also enjoy SOME manga comics and shows- Cowboy Bebop, Excell Saga, Video Girl. We are lucky that our nephew in law owns the local Comic Shop. We don't get a discount, but the employees move heaven and earth to obtain our hearts desires when they tend to be a little out of the ordinary.

We were late converts to 2 adult themed comics- Omaha the Cat Dancer, which was anthropomorphic in its art, and Paradise Lost. The art was so great on Omaha the Cat Dancer that I was excitedly telling GFB once I had seen a middleaged jowly man who looked just like one of the characters, and he said "No he doesn't- it's a CAT!!"

Me, too. Only I have it every morning & afternoon. It got too expensive to buy Irish Cream so I had to learn how to make it.

COFFEE.
I could not live without coffee. A darker brew like Starbuck Yukon Blend is more an indulgence. Other than that, I would prefer Columbian and the odd time a good shot of espresso.
Chocolate is a weakeness, though I consider it a 'necessity of life' occasionally. I can drink coffee with eating eating chocolate, but I don't care for flavored coffee except the odd time I'll have mocha cappacino.
:haha:

Coffee, tea AND real cream!

At home, I drink thrifty blends of coffee ... but whenever I go into the closest big city, I run straight to a local coffee place and get me either a latte (in winter) or an iced latte (in summer).

I also drink a pot of tea every afternoon, with some real cream in each cup. Yum!

Oh and lemon juice.

:D For homemade lemonade (made with homemade stevia extract :) ). Which is what I drink when I'm not drinking coffee or tea.

My computer and internet service.

Nothing. I lived for 45 years thinking I could absolutely not live without cigarettes. I am 6 months with no smokes and seem to be doing pretty well.
Keeping my fingers crossed though.

I could not survive without my tea, don't even want to thimk about it :eek: It doesn't hurt to have an occasional box of Godiva chocolates to go with it. either. :D

Definitely my coffee. Actually, it's a bit of a family joke about me and my coffee addiction... :o

For DH, it would be the high-speed internet. He refuses, point blank, to EVER go back to dial-up.

Tracy

Red nail polish!

Mochas (made at home of coures) and tea in the afternoons!

Internet is a very close second.

sage

I would never willingly go " back to basics" and if I was forced into it, I would be one of the new leaders of the venture to return society to its technological pre collapse stature and hopefully beyond. I would draw incentive for my quest by holding "tushy cushy" toilet paper in reverence as my holy grail :)

My hot tub. Guess I could make a homestead wood burning version. When I work on my place all weekend, that hot tub is very valuable to soak the aching muscles, plus I like to watch the stars or feel the rain or snow on my face throught the steam.

A close second is the internet also.

Cheese. Super sharp cheddar. Would take two cans of hinny whoop to get me away from it. But can streach a pound package for 20 days.

chocolate.
mountain dew.


mel-

when you get right down to it, I think I do without most everything but hot running water. Call me self indulgent, but nothing beats a hot shower when you are cold, tired and miserable. Or in labor. Or need to think. Or have a migraine. :haha:

followed by Coffee and internet.

Guiness beer, sure there are dandy imitations and I can even brew a few myself but none truely equal the best. Its about my only indulgance, and I only fork out the price for it two or three times a year.

I made 2 trips to Guatemala in 2002 to visit and then pickup our son we adopted. While there, I got hooked on the coffee. That has to be THE BEST coffee in the world. If you get a chance try some.

I too have to have my coffee in the mornings. Just starts the day off right.

Coffee, the finer the better, and real cream and real butter. Don't drink but two cups everymorning, but it helps to 'smell the coffee" in the mornings.

DSL access is a close second!
Fine Perfume is a third. Don't wear much, but like Nina Ricchi and Hermes and so keep the "real stuff" on hand!

Sidepasser

I really have no intention of returning to the pre electronics days. I want to be in a position where i can provide myself and my family the the necessities should the need arise. In the mean time I will not give up my internet,and i am saving up to replace the hot tub i left in the city with a wood fired one, which i am really missing. O Ya and I want a well with water in it~to replace our dry hole! I want to be ready but have a not too hard life in the meantime LOL

I thought it would be coffee but I spent a couple of days this past month without it. It is my one self-indulgent act - one I dearly love and actually look forward to and even wake up early for :rolleyes: yeap 4:30 a.m. even. If I had to, I think I could give up everything as long as I knew my family and animals were just fine.

Yes, butter, too. I haven't had any in a few weeks --- decided to do without --- but I decided that was too much.

And I'm with you on the perfume. My own favorite, next to Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose, is one someone gave to me about ten years ago and which I can no longer find --- Caron Poivre. :waa: :waa: I actually keep two old, almost empty bottles of it locked up and go smell them every once in a while. :waa:

Yes, I too am a coffeelover. Got hooked on it whilst in college in Macomb, IL. There is a wonderful coffeeshop on the town square called Sullivan Taylor! They have wonderful coffee and pastries! Any of their regular blends are great, and the best flavored coffee is always served on Thursdays called Highlander Grog! MMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!
Maxed out my little credit card there! LOL! Not really fiscally responsible, but I wouldn't have done it any other way! If I had it to do all over, I'd jump at the chance!
:D

Scented candles...love em. :) Give me a good buttercream vanilla or cucumber/melon mmmmm.

Pheewww, I'm glad to find a bunch more here have some form of addiction like I do. I have always felt like I was on a diet and cheating when I would go to the wine store or to winecommune.com and buy something to get my fix. LOL. At least my wife is understanding when the UPS guy drops off cases of something at the house, heck, sometimes she even puts them in the cellar for me.
:dance:
Nik

Cigars....Honduras, Dominican Republic, Coast Rica....sure wish I could get a Cuban!

Coconut milk. I put it in nearly everything except my coffee, which leads me to the second which is canned milk which I HAVE to have for my coffee and tea or they aren't worth drinking. I COULD live with out them, but WHY? :haha:

Hmmm. I'm still thinking about this one. I don't drink coffee, don't really like tea much, like chocolate but am not addicted to it. I would really miss being able to have a hot shower, but have lived without running water and can cope all right. I think probably I would have to say a comfortable bed. As long as I get a good night's sleep, I can cope with just about anything.

Kathleen in Oregon

About 6 oclock every morning of the week finds me in the local farm country coffee shop. If something happens to prevent me from going, I find I don't miss the coffee so much as the peers who gather there with me.
I miss talking to people, and I dread not having the oppertunity

From what Ive heard some of those Honduran seegars get their green cards and get naturalized :)

In no particular order: the internet, good coffee, half and half in the good coffee, real butter (no substitutes!), goose down pillows and comforters, a good facial moisturizer-Clinique's turnaround cream over their regular moisturizer is wonderful after working outside all day, and having my eyebrows waxed rather than plucking the dang things (I really need to go get this done too!) Oops, forgot the dishwasher, I loathe washing dishes.

Stacy in NY

DSL internet access. You'll have to drag me kickin' and screamin' away from it if we ever move.

Coffee is such a pleasure. I finally broke down and started drinking decaf, and I've found that if you buy good stuff, you hardly even notice the difference in taste. Once a week, I go into town to do the shopping--animal feed, grocery store, etc. I always make my pit stop at "Cupa Joe's" where I get the best lattes I've ever had. I tried the decaf latte once, and decided that I could taste the difference, so I have my caffeine fix once a week. :)

Sugar free popsicles - OK, I'm Mormon and choose not to enjoy the other stuff.

Beer

Here here
 

I was able to give up the smokes ( near 2 mths ago now) but I'm not sure I could ever give up chocolate and Mountain dew..

Butter,coffee,internet all are things i like.Butter will never give up,the others I could live without.It takes a pound of butter just to make mashed taters for 4,ask my mother! :haha: :eek:
BooBoo

New Balance athletic shoes and moosehide slippers with real shearling. Got to baby those tootsies!

Coffee and cigarettes. :o

Reading material....I take care of the fix once a week at the library, but have a hard time passing up DIY and home decorating magazines at the check out line, which is a total luxery as I have yet to do anything from any of those magazines.