What do you own (or do or eat/drink) that others would consider extravagant?

You didn't ask me, but "How to Brew" by John Palmer is widely considered the home brewing bible.

 

What t_b_f said....although I have yet to read it because I got into because my buddy did it and he showed me the ropes.
You can buy a pretty cheap (yet useable for years to come) setup for about 120 bucks from WilliamsBrewing.com.
That includes everything you will need to start (except a brewing pot, you can find a good 6/7 gal stainless steel pot for a decent price at any department store) plus you can pick what flavor beer you want to make your first batch as well.
If you have questions...T-B-F and I both brew, so drop us a line.

Mmmmm, excellent. I am taking a break from IPAs. I made 3 batches this summer and made the rounds on them. I am working on Scotch Ales, Dobblebocks and malt-forward stuff right now to give my tongue a break! LOL

 

I have a king sized Select Comfort bed and a set of 1,000 count Egyptian Cotton sheets. Good sheets do make a difference.

 

Personally, I'd say it's my Harley, although I might as well have stolen it. Note: if you are in the market for a pre-owned bike at a dealership, go in Feb. when there has been snow on the ground all week. They haven't sold a single thing and will take any offer you give them.

I did drop $1200, and finally in my life didn't have to sweat it, on this nice new MacBook Pro I'm tying on right now. I'll drop $100-150 on running shoes 3-4 times a year.

My wife has a really nice bicycle: a $4500 Trek Madone. Most folks around here that see her bike don't know the difference between it and a department store bicycle, though.

 

Mmmm, Madone. I'm seriously considering upgrading to a disc roadie this year ... like your Harley advice, I think I'm going to hit the local bike shop in mid-February and see what kind of deal I can get.

 

If you don't have kids of your own, it's impossible to explain.

And Disney at Christmas is different than at other times of the year. The same with Halloween.

 

The most extravagant thing I own is my camera lens. My wife bought me a Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 so I could have a nice portrait lens. After a year of using it, it's been worth every penny. Friends ask how they can make their pictures come out nice like mine and I tell them buy good glass. I'm going to be even more obnoxious when I get my 300 mm 2.8 fixed. My daughter is probably gonna be annoyed when she gets old enough to play youth sports.
My buddy and I both have an obsession with brand new socks. There is nothing better than the feel of a new pair of socks. We've talked about trying to go one year wearing a new pair of socks every single day (except flip flop/boat shoes days). Figure it's cheaper than a cup of coffee, provided you can get the right price.

 

I guess if we have any kind of extravagance it would be my wife's craft stuff. She's into all sorts of crafting, mostly crochet. We have blankets, afghans, hats, scarves, dolls, dog toys, baby toys that she's crocheted. And we have a stack of yarn on a shelf about four feet high.

She also went through a phase where she got into beading, and made these gorgeous handmade miniature Christmas trees with tiny beads and wire. She's sold several for around $200.

 

I insist on staying in a suite-style hotel when we travel, just about regardless of the expense.

I like the extra room and sometimes one or the other of us is having trouble sleeping, so there's another room to go to and watch TV or read or whatever.

And I also insist on real tomato ketchup. "Nothing but the best."

 

What are your views on using hamburger in Hamburger Helper?

I do buy Maple Syrup instead of pancake syrup.