What was best total splurge money you ever spent?

[Planogirl]

We used to really be into haunted houses. Once we flew for to Orlando to go to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. We got Express passes too and that definitely added up.

Another time we flew to Philadelphia for a long weekend to check out two pretty famous Halloween attractions. We went to Eastern State Penitentiary and Bates Motel. We did poke around the historic area too but it was all about the haunts on that trip.

This isn't like buying a vacation home or touring Egypt but both were pretty pricey for a weekend trip.

 

[megsters]

Extra points if you get the wine pairing. I'd still like to go back and do the Chef's Table once.

We went all in !! I didn't want to share my wine pairing. Husband got his own, too. I highly recommend at least once. We dream of going back someday.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Many years ago, I had an overwhelming urge to attend a John Denver concert in a city 3.5 hours away. I had seen him several times before (yes, I was a huge fan). It was a Christmas concert and he wasn't coming any closer and we were so poor at the time... but I went anyway. By myself. In a snowstorm. Booked the hotel and they upgraded me to a huge suite (totally unexpected!). My DD was just a baby and I'd never been apart from her before.

I got myself to from the hotel to the concert via the hotel shuttle and sat third row center. It was an amazing show. Afterwards. I was to call the hotel to have them come pick me up so I sat in my seat while everyone else left. I felt a tap on my shoulder and a gentleman said, "Do you want to meet Mr. Denver?" Next thing I know I have a backstage pass and I'm being ushered into a meet & greet. He was so kind to me, so gracious. He asked some other fans to take our picture and stood there and made sure that they got my address and promised to send me the photos. He gave me a card and told me to bring my DD with me to the concert the next year and he'd make sure we both got to go backstage.

John died before the next Christmas. Never was I so happy that I "splurged" when I really couldn't afford to. That was an evening I will never forget.

The photo of the two of us didn't show up until about 6 months after John's passing. But what a great surprise.

what a wonderful story. Love John Denver. Was so saddened by his plane crash.

 

[Hisgirl]

Many years ago, I had an overwhelming urge to attend a John Denver concert in a city 3.5 hours away. I had seen him several times before (yes, I was a huge fan). It was a Christmas concert and he wasn't coming any closer and we were so poor at the time... but I went anyway. By myself. In a snowstorm. Booked the hotel and they upgraded me to a huge suite (totally unexpected!). My DD was just a baby and I'd never been apart from her before.

I got myself to from the hotel to the concert via the hotel shuttle and sat third row center. It was an amazing show. Afterwards. I was to call the hotel to have them come pick me up so I sat in my seat while everyone else left. I felt a tap on my shoulder and a gentleman said, "Do you want to meet Mr. Denver?" Next thing I know I have a backstage pass and I'm being ushered into a meet & greet. He was so kind to me, so gracious. He asked some other fans to take our picture and stood there and made sure that they got my address and promised to send me the photos. He gave me a card and told me to bring my DD with me to the concert the next year and he'd make sure we both got to go backstage.

John died before the next Christmas. Never was I so happy that I "splurged" when I really couldn't afford to. That was an evening I will never forget.

The photo of the two of us didn't show up until about 6 months after John's passing. But what a great surprise.

WOW!!! What a GREAT story!! I love hearing when a woman just up and takes herself on a vacation..by herself! I'm pretty sure it's something many of our Mamas would never have done back in the day. But yet...the husbands were out hunting for days at a time! My own DH goes hunting and I've wondered what the 'girl' version of this scratch and spit weekend would be, and the time I took myself to WDW I realized THAT WAS IT!

Congrats on a special time. I was a fan of JD also and was sad to hear how he passed away. I'll bet you sang every word to every song!

 

[Hisgirl]

I'll also add in our last WDW trip. Just me and DH. We splurged and stayed club level at Grand Floridian. I had taken my parents there a few years back and loved the small size, the proximity...everything. We decided we would do club level just this one time. Well...I found out that's like saying 'I'll just eat this one Lay's potato chip..."

We loved the concierge getting us extra passes with a text message and having food available all the time. And DH loved being able to get a glass of decent wine or a beer whenever he wanted. I kinda hate that this splurge is going to turn into a norm. I'm now scrimping and saving for the next trip!

 

[mantysk8coach]

October 18, 2008.
It was a Saturday night.
New Orleans Superdome.
New Kids on the Block reunion tour.
I waited 15 years for this. So I purchased the VIP package. Met the boys, enjoyed a cocktail party.
Got our tickets. 2nd row, front and center.
Best night of my life. Actually had Joey sweat on me by the end of the night.
Best $400 I ever spent.

I was going to share my NKOTB splurge too! My best friend and I have been NKOTB fans since we were 11, and since their reunion tour in 2008, we have splurged several times, but this last time around, we went all out and got the Top Shelf VIP package for the first night of their two shows in Chicago, which included a meet and greet, arena tour, pre-show reception, and amazing seats on barstools set up around the outside of the stage. It was $1000 each. Then...to top it off, my friend, who is single and has no kids (thus, more disposable income than me), surprised me with a smaller VIP package for the next night's show since she knew we'd want to go again after seeing them once. The seats we got with that package, which was 1/5th the price, were just as great as we had the night before!

It was truly an experience of a lifetime. I work full time, have three busy kids, and teach figure skating in my "spare" time. My coaching money is my "fun" money that allowed me to do this, otherwise I never would have been able to justify taking it out of our family budget.

 

[bbak30]

I was going to share my NKOTB splurge too! My best friend and I have been NKOTB fans since we were 11, and since their reunion tour in 2008, we have splurged several times, but this last time around, we went all out and got the Top Shelf VIP package for the first night of their two shows in Chicago, which included a meet and greet, arena tour, pre-show reception, and amazing seats on barstools set up around the outside of the stage. It was $1000 each. Then...to top it off, my friend, who is single and has no kids (thus, more disposable income than me), surprised me with a smaller VIP package for the next night's show since she knew we'd want to go again after seeing them once. The seats we got with that package, which was 1/5th the price, were just as great as we had the night before!

It was truly an experience of a lifetime. I work full time, have three busy kids, and teach figure skating in my "spare" time. My coaching money is my "fun" money that allowed me to do this, otherwise I never would have been able to justify taking it out of our family budget.

That sounds awesome! I didn't even include that I went on to purchase 2 other VIP packages in Bossier City and Biloxi, worth every penny! I have been another few times as a "regular fan". I don't regret spending that money at all, it was amazing! Love those boys and I always will!
I just slimmed down my spending because I have a Disney addiction as well...

 

[Vernie822]

Probably my new car purchase in 2013. Shortly after accepting my full time job out of college, I really needed a new car. The winters in Erie are no joke! I was back and forth between a new car and a used car and I ended up qualifying for a decent rate, so I went with the new car. Great purchase and I absolutely love it.

 

[Mortlives]

Actually, I hope we're doing it today. Business class flights for our trip to Kenya. I almost fainted when I saw the price, but when you divide by the number of hours in the air, it's really quite reasonable.

 

[Hisgirl]

Honestly, flying that far in economy...is SO tough. I don't bounce back like I did and I think you are treating yourself well by doing this. Do you have a cash back credit card you could charge and get 2% back?

 

[Teresa Pitman]

A daytrip to White Island, a small active volcano off the coast of New Zealand. It was expensive and unplanned but absolutely unforgettable.

Volcanic vents spouting high pressure sulphuric acid fog (you need a gas mask to explore), crazily colored pools and landscapes, and amazing wildlife (so many whales investigating our boat).

YES! My son and I did this when we went to New Zealand, and I would agree. It was definitely a highlight of our trip and truly unforgettable.

 

[Mortlives]

Honestly, flying that far in economy...is SO tough. I don't bounce back like I did and I think you are treating yourself well by doing this. Do you have a cash back credit card you could charge and get 2% back?

No, but I will get loads and loads of miles for it.

Thank you for the support. I have a hard time convincing myself, even though I have issues that mean economy would materially affect my enjoyment of the trip.

 

[mantysk8coach]

That sounds awesome! I didn't even include that I went on to purchase 2 other VIP packages in Bossier City and Biloxi, worth every penny! I have been another few times as a "regular fan". I don't regret spending that money at all, it was amazing! Love those boys and I always will!
I just slimmed down my spending because I have a Disney addiction as well...

Same here! If I were forced to choose between never seeing New Kids again, or never going to Disney again...I don't know what I'd pick!!!

 

[WDWBarb]

Nice story, we go to Monterey. They have a plaque at the site where his plane went down. Was just there this morning.

After all these years, I think I could finally visit there. I would like to know that his last moments were in a place so beautiful.

what a wonderful story. Love John Denver. Was so saddened by his plane crash.

I will never forget the morning that I heard this news. I was an out-of-place JD fan - I was 27 when I met him (he was 52). He kept asking me if I was really a fan and I was babbling about holding the hand that wrote the music so I think he was convinced. Having just met him made his passing so much more "real."

WOW!!! What a GREAT story!! I love hearing when a woman just up and takes herself on a vacation..by herself! I'm pretty sure it's something many of our Mamas would never have done back in the day. But yet...the husbands were out hunting for days at a time! My own DH goes hunting and I've wondered what the 'girl' version of this scratch and spit weekend would be, and the time I took myself to WDW I realized THAT WAS IT!

Congrats on a special time. I was a fan of JD also and was sad to hear how he passed away. I'll bet you sang every word to every song!

LOL - I still can't believe that I up and went to that concert by myself. I was a mess, leaving my baby and driving through all of that snow to a downtown urban area in a city I had never been to. And this was before GPS I never imagined I'd have the chance to meet him so when he asked if I wanted a picture with him I was like, "umm.. I didn't bring a camera." And he turned to all these fans and said, "Who will take a picture of the two of us together?" and the flashes started going. He stood and watched me give my address to several people to make sure that I got a copy. Ironically, I never heard from those people again. It was someone else who was there who didn't get my address who sent it. It took her a very long time but she finally tracked me down via the Internet. I got a padded envelope in the mail with a note saying, "I hope this is you." She included a phone number and I called her right away, bawling my eyes out. I made a friend.

 

[Jaya]

Good seats at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. They cost as much as the gross national profit of a small third-world nation, but it was SO worth it!

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Actually, I hope we're doing it today. Business class flights for our trip to Kenya. I almost fainted when I saw the price, but when you divide by the number of hours in the air, it's really quite reasonable.

Do it. Part of the best splurge I ever did was business class tickets to Italy for my first visit to Europe. (The other half of the splurge was the ABD trip to Italy which was our destination.)

 

[bcwife76]

Back to back trips to Mexico last year, staying at Now Amber and then Now Jade, both times in preferred suites. Will only stay at Now/Dream/Secrets resorts for any future trip to Mexico and will always stay Preferred (it's akin to Concierge on DCL). Worth every penny.

 

[Andtototoo]

1. The first real vacation I took without my dh or the family with some girlfriends. It was a splurge in the sense that I had to save money up for it, etc. It was absolutely wonderful and gave me a much needed break. Totally rejuvenating.
2. Our first trip to Europe. We had just paid off our house and I took the money we'd been spending on mortgage payments and saved it up. My dh -- raised by the cheapest woman in the history of womankind -- thought we should save it for a rainy day. Just let it sit there. We didn't "need" to travel overseas. ETc. I could just hear his mother's words coming out of his mouth. I put my foot down. Our rainy day savings were fine. Totally fine. More than fine. I insisted we splurge and go to Europe. My dh is very grateful and has since wanted to travel overseas every 2 years.

 

[Tiggeroo]

1. The first real vacation I took without my dh or the family with some girlfriends. It was a splurge in the sense that I had to save money up for it, etc. It was absolutely wonderful and gave me a much needed break. Totally rejuvenating.
2. Our first trip to Europe. We had just paid off our house and I took the money we'd been spending on mortgage payments and saved it up. My dh -- raised by the cheapest woman in the history of womankind -- thought we should save it for a rainy day. Just let it sit there. We didn't "need" to travel overseas. ETc. I could just hear his mother's words coming out of his mouth. I put my foot down. Our rainy day savings were fine. Totally fine. More than fine. I insisted we splurge and go to Europe. My dh is very grateful and has since wanted to travel overseas every 2 years.

this past January I took a girls only trip to WDW with my sister and two grown nieces. It was a wonderfully perfect trip. I was approaching empty nest and my kids didn't want to go. Sis and I had so much fun that we booked an adult only trip with our dh's for October. It made empty nest seem not too bad.

 

[elaine amj]

We don't usually splurge. I am a dealhunter and will go to extra lengths to get the best deal.

One trip we were in Malaysia and I decided we HAD to visit Thailand since it was so close. I decided on the island of Koh Lipe (all with the thought that Thailand would be cheap to visit). When I first started making plans, I didn't realize that particular island was primarily focused on European tourists and was crazy $$. By that point I had my heart set on it and we just kept on with the planning as I quietly freaked out about the mounting costs. Travelling there (by speedboat) cost over $70 PER PERSON. They basically had backpacker hostels and pricey hotels with not much in between. We needed a family room (as most of their rooms only sleep max 2 and my kids weren't ready to be separated from us yet). We ended up choosing the $400/night hotel (very nice - but I still think $400 was ridiculous. Admittedly, it was peak season). Food was also pricey. It ended up costing us $1000 for 24 hours on that island.

AND WE WOULD DO IT AGAIN!

It was an idyllic island paradise. The water was crystal clear, the sand was white powdered sugar, and the entire island had a delightful laidback vibe. No cars allowed so we walked everywhere. Heck, we walked barefoot down their main street. Most amazing place we have visited.

Sadly, I have been told the vibe has changed and my friend tells me it is no longer worth spending that kind of money to visit.