[quote=“X3M”]Luxury items:
2 car bought new for 1.5 - 2 Mill NTD each. I could probably have managed with only one for around 1 Mill.
2 family trips a year to visit my parents and “Country of Origin”.
Things suffered from the priorities above:
Still rent apartment, and no interest of investing in upgraded location, interior design etc.
Holidays to exotic places.
Life is GOOD!![/quote]
The book was written about you!
Good work!
What make are the cars?
One luxury item I find invaluable is a quality pair of headphones. I’ve given up being able to afford a good sounding stereo, especially a system that will sound good in a concrete room, so in Taiwan headphones seem a good fit. A couple years ago I had my employer invest in a pair expensive beyerdynamic headphones and since then I have been hooked. Now that I am leaving my job I think I will splurge on a complete set-up including an amp.
The only other luxury I had was monthly trips to Thailand but now that I have a daughter I tend to spend that money buying her interesting designer clothing.
Excellent. Just goes to show you that a luxury item doesn’t HAVE to be a car or viking stove.
I know I will never have a box-monitor pc screen again. LCD all the way and forever.
[quote=“jdsmith”][quote=“X3M”]Luxury items:
2 car bought new for 1.5 - 2 Mill NTD each. I could probably have managed with only one for around 1 Mill.
2 family trips a year to visit my parents and “Country of Origin”.
Things suffered from the priorities above:
Still rent apartment, and no interest of investing in upgraded location, interior design etc.
Holidays to exotic places.
Life is GOOD!![/quote]
The book was written about you!
Good work!
What make are the cars?[/quote]
Brand doesn’t matter, one is a 7-seat with full “in-house entertainment” for family and long hauls. The second is a powerful and stylish car for family visits (show-off) and business occactions.
My luxuries are just souped-up essentials…(which I get mostly off the portal of dreams i.e. Ebay)
1)Records. I collect fair amounts of rare vinyl releases and limiteds which probably don’t mean much to more than a handful of people in the know. I hate ebay snipers…
2)Books. I find a lot of ‘modern’ fiction really insubstantial and I get through them at breakneck speed and feel unsatisfied at the end and I always have at least 5 on the go and one Russian or Victorian writer to get my teeth into.
3)Jeans and plain t shirts. I think well fitting basics are hard to find and I’m always looking for the perfect cut/feel and have spent a fair bit looking for it.
4)Ingredients. I’m a bit of an amateur gourmet, so will pay for good quality foods etc, like 91% cocoa chocolate to make a torte. Or mousse. Or chocolate cheesecake…mmm…
Excellent Gloria!
This is what I’m finding here, that many many people are tailor making their lives to acheive the most value and pleasure.
That reminds me that I always wanted one of those, too.
My luxury items would include a RC truck & boat, my AV / surround sound system (sadly all in Germany) and the shiny new stereo-hifi system including the 40kg (yes, f-o-u-r-t-y kg) power amplifier that I bought just a week ago. 
The next purchase in that direction will probably be a large screen (plasma or LCD).
Didn’t have to give up on other things as the purchases of individual items are often done over a longer period of time and I don’t buy things unless I can actually afford them. And the above mentioned stereo is local made, hence it was a lot cheaper than comparable equipment from other (imported) brands.
Tube?
Sunglasses.
Lost the good ones I brought with me (US$80) and trawled around Taipei for months in anguish. Couldn’t find a decent pair of polarised wrap-arounds for love or money.
Eventually, on a trip to HK, I succumbed to a pair of lovely orange Oakleys that are now part of my face. With currency conversion costs they set me back NT$10,000! 
cool specs.
I foresee an LCD TV in my future. The 32’ers are even looking a bit small now that I’ve seen the 37" and the 42" (but that’s a plasma)
Dunno if I would call them luxury items or gadgets… but I seem to be amassing a few.
R/C car.
R/C plane.
R/C copter (neither been out of cupboard for 12mths).
Mini PlayStation2.
Couch-potato Goto telescope complete with electronic guidance (seemed cool at the time).
Car (well most foreigners think its a luxury item?)
Next on the list is the 42" Plasma screen down at 3C with my name all over it… 
Ohh and I must not forget the wife… I sometimes think of her as a luxury item as she cooks, cleans the apartment while I am off playing with the gadgets :loco:
AND what did I have to give up… having a life… :s
Solid state: usheraudio.com/R-1.5.html
Speakers: usheraudio.com/speaker-x719.html[/quote]
(That’s me, green with envy.)
I just came back from Borocay. What a paradise… Beautiful place. I rented a dirt bike on day two and went on some little trails. I stumbled on a small village where kids were playing everywhere. Many were older kids and even teenagers and they don’t go to school as the parents can not afford it. I went back there 4 days in a row with cookies for the kids and everyday, there were more kids of course(but I had more cookies) but surprisingly, even some parents were reaching out for that unaffordable OREO cookie.
Makes me realize everytime I visit a poor country how we take so much for granted.
If a cup of clean water or an Oreo cookie is a luxury to many, I guess this is my list:
1-Drinking water anytime I need it, enough to waist some in times.
2-Food at least 3 times a day.
3-Someone to teach me basic knowledge such as reading and writing.
4-A roof, a bed and warmth.
5-Peace in my immediate surroundings=sense of safety.
Now the real list:
Expensive watch, sunglasses, cell phone, new bike, more tools than the local mecanic, carpenter and plumber together and of course that trip to beautiful Borocay; scuba diving, sailing, dirt bike riding, fancy ethnic restaurants, day spa, beach massages and air conditionned room. :s
How much is that betelnut girl in the window?
The one with the scraggly hair.
How much is that betelnut girl in the window?
I sure hope that girly’s for sale.
I have bonus money that’s burning a hole in my pocket. My options for luxury items are:
Luxury items for me would be:
I like this thread… It’s good to remember just how good we have it to maintain perspective sometimes… Having a roof over your head and a full stomach does instantly put you in the top 10% of priviledge and fortune… Having an education, a computer and enough free time to subject other similarly lucky indivduals to your irrelevant opinions must surely put us in the top 1% of lucky b*stards globally speaking…
This pic below shows both of my “Luxury” items (but not the third, which is my missus 
)…
One of them was bloody expensive, the other one was free… they both bring immense satisfaction and joy to my existence… just goes to show it doesn’t need a hefty price tag to be a “Luxury” item…
Where did you get a free motorcycle? 
[quote=“plasmatron”]I like this thread… It’s good to remember just how good we have it to maintain perspective sometimes…
This pic below shows both of my “Luxury” items (but not the third, which is my missus )…
One of them was bloody expensive, the other one was free… they both bring immense satisfaction and joy to my existence… just goes to show it doesn’t need a hefty price tag to be a “Luxury” item…[/quote]
:bravo: Well said, plasmatron. Well said.
Those are some fine items you have there as well. You can tell just by looking at that cat the kind of pure breeding and sophistication that must have justified her hefty price tag. And as for getting that lovely BMW for free… well … as you say – you are indeed a lucky man!