Recession Looms: What Will You Keep Buying That You Shouldn't?

[Mike03]

During tough economic times, people usually need to have some pleasure, discretionary spending item, occupation or vice to keep them sane, in spite of the fact that the money they spend on it might otherwise be saved. Traditionally the so-called vice stocks/companies have done well during depressions/recessions: gambling, tobacco, alcohol, as well as some other industries such as inexpensive restaurants, cosmetics, etc.. People still want to eat out and look good. Although so many "assumptions" about the behavior of human beings during hard times are being brought into question, that it's no longer safe to assume or presume anything.

If we get really, really pinched, what--if any--splurge will you allow yourself?

[demosincebirth]

1. Movie tickets

[Skittles]

47. me too

it's an escape for me :)

[CTyankee]

60. Me, too! On Wednesday they have Bargain Wednesday for Seniors.

I get a ticket for $3.50! I bypass the concession stand...

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

2. Two daily coffees that I feel guilty about already. $5.00 a day.

[Skittles]

48. buy some gourmet coffee and make it yourself, Grammy

it's good and while it's still pricey, it's better than five bucks a day :D

[my2sense]

3. Alcohol

I'll need it.

[Iggo]

4. I've got G.A.S.*

*Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.

I just can't stop and I just can't help it!

[Bake]

22. There is no cure for G.A.S.

Right now I've got my eye on a Martin 000-28EC, to go with my HD-28LSV. And a nice little American-made Stratocaster ...

There is no cure, but you CAN treat the symptoms.

:hi:

Bake

[Iggo]

34. My next purchase will be...

...Martin or Marshall. I haven't decided yet. But I got myself an Epi LP for Xmas, and it's screaming for a half-stack...(and new PUPs.)

On edit: I love talking in code...lol.

[Bake]

72. I don't know what your budget is

But I got my son a half-stack Marshall (slant cab, 4 Celestions) with the MDX100 head, lotsa effects and 100 watts of juice for, as I recall, about $700 (yes, $700). It's a pretty hot amp and has that vintage Marshall roar and plenty o' power! Of course, you can go with the traditional SuperLead (?) and spend a lot more, but you know that already!

Best to you,

Bake

[NC_Nurse]

85. We have that problem at our house too. And recording gadgets too.

;)

[Buzz cook]

5. Food

Heat will be a close second and I guess the internet.

But "all I really need is this lamp".

[leftofthedial]

6. brown liquor

[EvolveOrConvolve]

7. Expensive toilet paper

I can eat ramen and drink water for every meal, but there better be some quality TP for my throne time.

I dunno, maybe I'm easily satisfied.

[Skittles]

50. the soldiers dig it too

yes INDEED - they say they're in danger of injury from the issued TP :o

[KansDem]

8. Scotch

Only $19.95 a bottle at the liquor store down the street...:9

[Duke Newcombe]

9. personally...carbon offsets...

but, y'know...that's just my thing.

It usually takes cataclysmic change to make people alter their expected standards of living, and sometimes, not even that.

Duke

[cbayer]

10. My cellular internet conncection. nt.

[Teaser]

11. heroin

.

[Winterblues]

30. Afghanistan/Bush* Cabal has been helping that trade greatly

You should have as much as your heart desires..

[BrotherBuzz]

12. Dark Chocolate

If push comes to shove I'll even buy it from the guy wearing dark glasses and a trench coat in the alley.

Mmmmm, chocolate

[Duke Newcombe]

13. can I trade my carbon offsets...

...for the scotch and dark chocolate?
:)

duke

[Warpy]

14. During my last period of real poverty

my entertainment budget was cheap DSL. My food budget allowed for a quart of real maple syrup once a year, grade B if I could find it.

That was it, the whole luxury budget. The DSL was twenty bucks a month. The maple syrup varied on what grade I could get in bulk and how the crop had been.

Since I don't smoke or drink, I was able to afford those two indulgences.

[China_cat]

15. Books.

And quality dog food. I figure if I get the good stuff the dogs won't mind sharing with me if necessary.

[shraby]

16. Internet access.

[Subdivisions]

23. Ah! Here's my bus. n/t

[Rob H.]

17. Books and music

They're my only vices. They're dorky vices, but still. :P

[Thothmes]

57. Same here except

I will shift over to paperback books first. Only in dire circumstance would I consider giving up books. Fortunately, radio is still free.

[CTyankee]

61. I take regular jaunts to my local library and they order a book for me if

it is not on their shelf. I don't have room for more books on my own shelves. Besides, I believe in the free library system. I never feel deprived and read to my heart's content...

[ileus]

18. Jeep parts....and shrubs, chemicals for the pool.

[davekriss]

19. Wine & Cheese

'cept in the future the wine will come with a screw top and the cheese in a big brick marked USDA Surplus.

[Auggie]

42. Wine -- in a box

[davekriss]

43. I keep that stuff around...

...to deglaze my risotto pot.

[Auggie]

67. LOL

Though Black Box is good enough to drink

[geardaddy]

82. You mean gu'mint cheese?

:D

[yardwork]

20. organic food.....and lipstick.

[latebloomer]

29. I was gonna say organic food

but you're right, lipstick is an absolute necessity, too!!

Do you buy organic lipstick? I used to, but haven't lately.

Books are a necessity, too, but I'll just keep going to the library.

[yardwork]

65. I wish that organic lipstick came in better colors!

I'm afraid that the bright red I like probably has a lot of lead in it. I should make my own....I'll add it to the list of other things I'd love to make myself if....

I agree that books are absolutely essential. At least the corporatists haven't found a way to take libraries away yet.

[latebloomer]

88. I know!

I wasn't happy with the color selection either- I should check them out again, though, because there are a lot of harmful chemicals in commercial lipstick.

[taterguy]

21. More gasoline than I need

It's 2.5 miles from my house to my office.

Most days I ride a bike but some days I just don't feel like it and I suspect that will continue

[angrycarpenter]

24. Eating at a restaurant with real dishes on fri. night.

I live on the edge of poverty already. No matter what, on friday night I will eat at a non-franchise restaurant, with a real waitress whom I will tip.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

25. Hookers

:silly:

[nashville_brook]

26. coffee in it's many incarnations -->

either as beans that i cook up at home or the latte that i get out as my own personal indulgence.

[BlueIris]

27. Brand name Rx drugs. nt

[fed-up]

28. already am pinched-gave up heat this winter in exchange for internet-no TV

I get the news in color and have contact with humans (mostly) when I am not up to dealing with people face to face or when I don't feel like getting dressed.

Good news is that spring is in the air and temps have been in the sixties during the day so I have made it through the worst of the cold weather with the help of my rice sock and clawfoot bathtub and lots and lots of layers of clothing and blankets. :)

[geardaddy]

83. I can't imagine heat as a luxury here.

[Mz Pip]

31. Pedicures

I love getting my toes done. Oh well. It is what it is and not all that much money anyway.

[CTyankee]

63. I keep my feet in good shape with a pedicure once a month.

My little salon offers points whenever you go. They have bargain days, which I use. It's cheap and very close to my house.

[dysfunctional press]

32. breyer's ice cream and real maple syrup...they go great together.

but for the most part, i don't see my wife and i changing much about our spending habits, recession or no.

[Hekate]

33. Books--I can't seem to break the habit. And whole bean coffee. nt

[malaise]

35. Ditto

Blue mountain coffee to boot. I'll even sacrifice dinner and opt for toast with tomatoes.

[Skittles]

49. that's why I loves me some Half Price Books

yes INDEED

[peace13]

36. Yoga classes...and alcohol.

Just in case the first doesn't take! Peace, kim

[DiverDave]

37. Smokes, I know, I Know

They are death, but I cannot shake these god damned things.

[canoeist52]

38. Another year of college for my daughter

We've given up everything to try to afford this. Just wondrin' if it's all worth it.

[BlueIris]

51. It's worth it. My college education saved my life. nt

[CTyankee]

64. If your daughter or another close family member could work at the school

you'd probably get free or reduced tuition. I've seen that work at top schools for my son and one of my daughters, plus friends who have worked at their colleges while going free to classes at night and then going on to do grad work!

[Withywindle]

39. Cigarettes, unfortunately.

Internet. I'd rather go without heat than that.

Books. I'll just buy more used, less new.

[canoeist52]

40. stopped bying books years ago

I love my local library!

[Withywindle]

41. I love libraries but I quit in a fit of awful guilt years ago.

I was very bad at returning books in a remotely timely manner and it got to where it wasn't much cheaper than buying 'em. I can be...acquisitive. I think I have hoarder tendencies. :(

[yardwork]

66. The first step is admitting that you have a problem...lol!

My mother is the absolute worst at returning library books. I still find books we checked out in the 1960s...makes me feel so guilty, even though I was only seven and I know that she's repaid the library for them. Still...

[MiniMe]

44. Highspeed Internet Access

What would I do without DU?

[readmoreoften]

45. Sugar-Free Fudgesicles. They have no nutritional value but they're only 40 calories.

I don't know how to spell fudgsicles and I refuse to look it up. FUDGE-SICK-ULLS. ah, fuck it.

[trashcanistanista]

46. Those little four packs

of Star bucks mocha frappacinos. I'm addicted to them.

[DFW]

52. Nothing more or less than I allow myself now

I have tried very hard not to live beyond my means so far,
and have pretty much managed to do it and put some aside
for tough times. Plus, we keep cars until they die, have
bought exactly one house, and didn't do that until we could
pay for it.

I may have to scrap plans for that private intercontinental
jet I saw in Forbes magazine, but since I never had one to
begin with, it won't be much of a sacrifice.......

[Ganja Ninja]

53. Gas, Lotto tickets & Booze. n/t

[w8liftinglady]

74. lol..OK..I'll buy my weekly lotto tickets,too

[RebelOne]

54. Wine and cigarettes. I can't give up my two vices.

[TexasObserver]

55. I believe we all consume too much, buy too many shiny objects, and waste.

The key to happiness is not wanting things we don't really need. The best way to deal with a downturn is to stop buying things that are not necessary. This notion won't help those unemployed or on incomes that don't keep up with basic living costs, but I'm not addressing that, since that is not the gist of this OP.

I think it was Will Rogers who said "The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket." That's great advice. Our wants compel us to load up on debt, charge things because we have a card in our wallet. Wants are not needs. Too many of us allow wants to drive our lives.

Want the TV screen to be really big? Move closer to it.

Want a trouble free car? Find the best models in Consumer Reports, find one a few years old, check it out on CarFax, and buy it. New means untried, unknown. Buy clothes someone has given to charity. I'd rather have a cool used shirt than a brand spanking new one.

If we control our wants, our needs are much easier to meet.

Franklin said "neither a borrower nor a lender be." Good advice. If you can't pay for it without credit, you don't really own it. Those should be limited to real necessities, like a car or a home.

[Tracer]

56. Garden Plants.

I can do without a lot of things -- I know my needs from my wants -- but I'll never give up my garden.

It gives me more pleasure than just about anything (other than children and family) else in my life.

Come spring (please!) I'm out there in the yard every day, looking for tiny signs of green.

[Thothmes]

58. Jack Danials

would probably shift to Jim Beam or Old Crow before giving it up completely.

[annonymous]

59. Liquid flavored coffee creamer

I can't stand that powdered shit.

[tekisui]

62. Beer and weed.

[sarcasmo]

68. The Internet and Cable, it's my only form of Entertainment.

[ThomWV]

69. Gas for the pleasure of riding my Motorcycle

Harley Davidson, FXSTD/I.

[flyarm]

70. my eye cream!! lol..eom

[otohara]

71. Vitamins

on the other hand, due to my delicate immune system I think i should buy Vitamins.

Ice cream, that's what I shouldn't buy, but will continue.

[AngryAmish]

73. Fancy food

duck fat, jamon serrano, Red Hen bread, etc.

[havocmom]

75. Milk

And cheese

[BoneDaddy]

76. Wife and I will be debt free in a couple of months

We are becoming excellent money managers and try to pass this onto our children on wasteful spending.

[Arugula Latte]

77. Wine. And lots of it.

[kimmylavin]

78. Books and DVDs

You can great some great deals on used (or even new) books if you troll garage or estate sales (I've sometimes come away with hundreds from the bigger estate sales for about $50).

And my husband found a video store that is always having great deals on DVDS - 3 for $10/$15 or so - who will exchange them if there's a problem.

So we sit at home, reading and watching movies, keeping each other warm. ;)

[BlueGirlRedState]

79. Scrapbooking kits

of the digital variety.

They're pretty cheap -- $3 to $7 mostly -- and plenty are free.

So sue me, I'm a proud mom...

[Mike03]

80. Shameless Kick, just to get as many responses as possible.

I guess I should admit my own vices:

1. Hardcover books--I'm a book addict, and my passion for books and first editions could easily ruin me financially. I not only buy books, but buy multiple copies of the same book, so that I can mark one copy up and preserve the second (or sometimes many, many copies of the same book, if I think its value might rise). It really is like a compulsion for me. At one point I even had to cancel my account at Amazon because my book spending was getting out of hand.

2. Nutritional supplements. I spend an absurd amount on vitamin supplements and health products.

[Cabcere]

81. Chocolate

Internet access, and maybe some music...although if I have internet access, I can listen to online radio stations. :shrug: :hi:

[madokie]

84. p o t

[flvegan]

86. Fur coats and veal cutlets.

Kidding.

Probably beer and magazine subscriptions. I could do without both.

[knitter4democracy]

87. Good question. When we've been poor, I couldn't give up magazines.

Or yarn. I bought much less yarn, but I still got yarn when I could. Those magazines, though, they help keep me sane, as does the yarn. Now that I have a huge yarn stash, I'd be set for a long time, though, so I'd probably give up new yarn until the stash was down to nothing. Magazines, though, I'm not sure I could give up my Atlantic Monthly or my Bitch magazines.