I actually wait until a perfume bottle is almost gone before purchasing a new one. I have five favorites-gotta have an odd number to decorate on my mirrored tray-and three was just too few.

DIY projects - sometimes for myself, but mostly projects for the house. Sometimes practical (plumbing, electrical), sometimes fun and decorative. I spend a lot of time planning, doing research and browsing online for parts and materials. Then I spend waaaaay too much time shopping all over town to get what I need -- including second hand stores, which takes longer but is more fun. I tend to buy too much stuff so I don't have to leave the house mid-project, and then the next week I drive around to return what I don't need and/or drop things off at Goodwill and the ReStore. That extra step makes it more time consuming, yet I love the feeling of when a project is done and all of the excess is gone and decluttered.

The reward is a house and custom things that I love. Many of my friends don't have the kind of time I have to do things like this, so it feels like a massive self-indulgence to me.

It's pretty rare for a perfume to go bad, particularly if it's stored well. I have backups of all my favorites. You can't count on being able to get it again with perfumes being discontinued and then of course they are always reformulating them.

@SeattleMCM

I love diy. What are some of the projects you have done?

I should edit my post to say that I buy my most of my linens and dishes from eBay. Like @teeda, I love to find quality items that are new old stock, but I'll buy used pieces, too. I think the hunt is a good part of the fun. I have imposed a moratorium on bed linen buying, though, because I have enough to last the rest of my life and I know I won't have as much storage in my forever home (if I ever find it).

Bumblebeez, is it possible to buy old formulations of scents like Joy? Is it something I could look for on eBay, or is that not wise? I used to love wearing Joy in the winter.

My home. It is way too big for just the two of us. We knew this when we purchased it, but fell in love with it and decided what-the-hey. Actually, the size was a great boon during the pandemic as dh and I were comfortably able to co-exist while he worked from home. Every. single. day.

Kindle books. I've got almost 3000 of them. I'm a huge reader so the more the merrier.

What are some of the projects you have done?

Name a room, haha. Most recent would be hooking up the fridge to a water line. The room layout made it really challenging and I spent hours pulling up and putting back floor planks to explore and figure it all out. ultimately I had to drill a hole through the floor into the basement. It took forever to plan it just right, and that kind of drilling was SO daunting. But it's done and it works!

My two biggest non-necessary projects were the bathrooms. Upstairs: painted / swapped out lights and hardware, wrapped the counter in peel & stick vinyl, tiled a new backsplash. It turned out great! The vinyl countertop was meant to be temporary but it has been almost a year and it still looks great. I'm already making plans to have a new countertop cut, which I will install. It's an easy project because of the vessel sink.

For the downstairs bathroom I painted (it's paintable wallpaper they put in there before), installed new lighting, mirror, and a new vanity. That was a crash course in plumbing.

Folks here already know about my obsession with vintage clothing. We’re at a wedding today and here’s my outfit . All at least 20 years old and most of it from eBay.

Spanish, you look beautiful! Love the outfit (give me those shoes right now). You remind me of a mix of Linda Carter and Liz Taylor…. because of that, I cannot allow my DH to meet you. Those are two of his biggest crushes. 😄

@SeattleMCM

Where do I start! This is the kind of thing that gets me SO EXCITED! I love, love, love the color you painted the wallpaper. The gold framed mirror is perfect on top of it. It looks fantastic!

That is a vinyl countertop? I would have never guessed. Is there any lifting at all of the vinyl? Is this a bathroom that is used daily? For the new countertop, are you cutting and installing it yourself? What will it be made of? You are inspiring me to take a second look at my kitchen countertops.

Replacing your vanity was a crash course in plumbing... That is the one thing that scares me. I have had more than one plumbing project that went south quickly and required an emergency professional. Sigh.... I am no good at crash courses.

@1929Spanish-GW

Your outfit looks fabulous and you wear it with confidence! It is the kind of outfit I could never pull off in a million years.

Travel and flowers/garden plants. And lately, Wordle.

Zalco, Joy should be an easy one to find as it's so iconic. I would definitely check out eBay first also Mercari but there are some sites that specialize in vintage perfumes but I don't know the names of them at the moment. When you look at perfumes on eBay, the first thing you need to do is look at US only sellers that weeds out most of the bad.

I forgot about cars! I love nice cars and spend more than necessary to have just what I want. Tho’ I really want only a stick shift but they are impossible to get in the cars I want to drive. If I had storage I’d have many classic cars, a convertible, an electric, a pick-up (I do have one), and more.

"Pilates."

I take 2 private classes a week, and I consider it a necessity - part of my health care. On the other hand, potato chips are not part of my health care, and definitely an indulgence.

I have lots of them. There is my pink obsession, though I try to buy useful things that I use a lot. My garden is full of things I did not need but wanted and therefore have. And I also have a bit of a compulsion to buy holiday stuff, particularly Christmas and Halloween. I LOVE the cold seasons and their holidays and the stuff makes me happy. I do not need any more twinkle lights, but I will get more.

I also have a thing for Bath and Body works. I have dozens and dozens of different scents of lotions, sprays, and I hoard their hand soaps so that I am never out.

Joy should be an easy one to find as it's so iconic.

Which is why I find it so odd they changed it !

They change things all the time. Some of it is because of cost. Some of it is because ingredients are continually being banned.

On perfume forums, people bemoan this constantly.

Spanish, I'm shopping for dresses for 2 upcoming weddings... can you just send me that dress and those shoes? You look fabulous.

Seattle, I admire your skills, and your style. That's some really good work there.

@1929Spanish-GW I love your look - you wear it well!

Nekotish , Feathers, Friday, Jinx - thanks so much the dress was a gift when I helped a good friend with an estate. I’ve been waiting for the day I could wear it!

Jewelry. Especially artsy stuff, not the Tiffany stuff.

Manicures and pedicures. I love getting a good pedicure. And I love the result of a manicure. I just feel so fancy for my $20. My nails are short, I get neutral colors, and my manicures usually last a good 2 weeks. I don't get them every 2 weeks but maybe once a month.

Finally, I have re-discovered a few crafts during the last two years and I try to do something with them every day. It feels indulgent to set aside time every day to do that, but I think it's been good for me in a lot of ways. I've been mostly doing embroidery/needlepoint but also some crocheting, collaging, paint by number, etc.

Spanish, you look darling… and those shoes and that bag…❤️

ilikefriday, yes, it's one of those peel-and-stick countertop vinyls. it took a long time to find one I liked, most are glossy and also quite fake looking. this one is surprisingly good! If nobody had told me, I would have guessed it was laminate. But the thing is, I would only recommend it in a bathroom (kitchens are too risky), and only if you can do a seamless job (counter needs to be small enough, can install the sink over it, etc). I did this job as a trial, so I could decide if I would be happy with a grey counter.

When I'm ready to replace it, I'll measure myself and then have the counter cut for me, probably at Ikea. I just haven't been motivated since the vinyl has been holding up SO well! Or if I run out of steam and never get to that project, I can always peel it off before I sell the house. Nobody will have to know. Either way, it's fun to experiment!

Books, plants (indoor and outdoor), and our en suite bathroom in the house we built a few years ago. That bathroom which I don't have to share and which is so pretty still feels like a major indulgence and I'm still so happy AND grateful every morning when I walk in : ) .

Also, something I started before the pandemic -- quitting a lot of volunteering projects and saying NO more often, to have more time for myself.

Used to be kitchen gadgets were my indulgence but after the new kitchen, I did not want the clutter. Before that, it was good wines and vegetable gardening.

I really haven't had an indulgence in a few years but I recently booked a couple of very nice trips for DH and I, one this Fall and another next Spring. I want to travel before I am too old to enjoy it.

I am shooting to book another bucket list trip in 2024.

1929Spanish, you would love my closet! Somehow, I didn't realize that over half of my clothes (rarely worn now) are vintage LOL!

Plants, particularly flowers, and dwarf fruit trees grown in pots. It's a struggle, but I've been resisting the current Stark Brothers sale...I've got all that I can reasonably protect from the squirrels, racoons, possums, and deer, as well as unusual current expenses.

Oh, and wasting time - after single parenthood, always working, and other demands, I relish being able to fritter time away however my fancy strikes me. It took a while to get over the mindset of having to accomplish today because the next 2-3 days would be 12 hour workdays.

I like a minimalist environment and don't want a lot of stuff. (My husband says I'm the world's hardest person when it comes to buying gifts.) My indulgence is that I love to take naps, especially in the afternoon. My other indulgence is that I like to tip heavily. I've waitressed a few times and I know what a thrill it is to receive an unexpectedly large tip. I love giving people that experience. I'm actually pretty frugal about what I order in restaurants and things like hairdressers, but if the service is at all good, I tip a large percentage. It makes me feel good.

Plants, flowers (both fresh and ones to plant) as I love to garden. I've been transplanting some today and am about tuckered out from this heat! My husband and I both love antiques and we love taking road trips and antiquing along the way. Spending time outside, doing nothing, just sitting and thinking. I also love easing in the morning as I call it. I'm not really a "late" sleeper (up by 8 usually), but I love taking my time, enjoying the morning before starting on any projects, etc. I also enjoy staying up late; knowing I don't have to get up early. Travel.

Books and dining out.

Joy is another perfume I've been wanting to try. There are two. Joy by Jean Patouy and Joy by Dior. Which is it?

Jojo wrote, "Actually, the size was a great boon during the pandemic as dh and I were comfortably able to co-exist while he worked from home. Every. single. day."

I hear ya. :)

Here's the Joy answer How dare Dior?

Cool, thank you, Oakley.

Great, now it’s on my list to try. I am not a collector, have been trying to find a prefect one. I like floral oriental.

Ordinarily plants would be a major indulgence, but with prolonged drought and water restrictions, not a wise indulgence for the foreseeable future. Well, maybe tillandsias.

Books I still buy, but have mostly used up available space for vintage prints and Italian ceramics.

Love reading about others self-indulgences. I actually thought about this topic for a couple of days, at first it seemed so many things I do are self indulgent, as in above the minimum needed. Then I focused on what truly feels indulgent to me, it is good chocolate, my Rombauer wine and relaxing by the pool with a good book.

Here's a silly one: So I've been working from home for 10 years. When the pandemic hit and my husband started working from home, I felt like I never had enough alone time anymore. So once a week while out running errands, I get fast food, drive to somewhere with a nice view and eat it in the car.

It's the little things, LOL.

Seattle, I do that too! Sometimes togetherness is too much.

obvious to anyone who knows my posts over the past couple decades - rare plants!

David, what kind of rare plants? Do you collect rare roses, fruit trees?

No not really into roses or fruit trees. I'm into the classic Asian woodland plants: rhododendrons, camellias, magnolias, other BLEs, and the associated perennials. Also, xeric shrubs and perennials like Nolina (4 species so far) and uncommon geophytes.

That's pretty cool! I am into roses and fruit trees, they are easier to grow. It's very hard to grow magnolia champaca in pots, I have tried twice. I heard the fragrance is very powerful, one bloom would perfume a whole room.

I generally don't cut my plants but at some point I should cut a branch of my Magnolia 'Frosty Pale Purple' to see how strong it is when placed inside. In the garden it is one of the most strong and cutting fragrances. It's very ethereal, almost like the 'purple primer' used for PVC pipe welding. Perhaps fitting because the flowers are purple! It would probably be too strong for some people's taste but I love it.

Davidrt28, have you followed the travels of Daniel Hinkley?

Chocolate, wine, skin care, a great hair stylist, plants, Pilates four times a week

I'm 80 years old so trying not to accumulate more stuff but I indulge myself with anything I can eat or drink. ie. good wine, premium vodka and gin which I drink daily. I also love and go to expensive restaurants on a regular basis. In spite of this I manage to keep my weight in the normal range.

Anything midcentury, especially George Nelson clocks, Jacob Hermann birds, Evelyn Ackerman tile work. And lately succulents and cacti for the yard - I think I may have a problem here!