People Are Sharing The Middle-Class Luxuries That They Think Are Worth Spending Money On
While many of us are focused on saving money these days, certain small luxuries — like having high-quality sheets, a wine fridge, or a Dyson vacuum — can be worthwhile investments if you’re fortunate enough to have the extra funds. These small indulgences (or middle-class luxuries), though not essential, can make you happy and provide long-term value, making them feel worth the splurge.
Recently, Reddit user Life_Tea_511 was curious about those small indulgences when they asked, "What are some middle-class luxuries that are worth it?"
The thread got over 2K responses. Below are the top, best, and most-often repeated comments:
1."Generally speaking, hiring professionals who can do jobs faster and better than you. Handyman, cleaner, removal people. In an hour, they can do what would take me a day, and the result is of much better quality, too. I could do those jobs, and I actually have done them for most of my life, but I'm never going back."
2."Spare things. Example: a pair of sunglasses in your car and your SO's car.
3."Setting the thermostat at whatever temperature you want without worrying about it."
"I got a raise and changed my thermostat from 71 to 73. I feel like a king."
4."Hiring movers! We used to move everything ourselves with the help of family and friends (I’m so thankful for them), but we hired movers this last time now that we have the money for it. I will never go back to doing it myself. It cut the stress of moving in half. I might even spring for paying someone to pack and unpack next time 🤪."
5."A deep freezer. When we move into a house one day I can’t wait to own one. Our freezer now is tiny and I hate it so much."
6."A high-quality mattress and bedding. You spend a third of your life in bed, so it’s worth every penny to make sure you’re comfortable and getting good sleep."
"Linen sheets. And buy the flat sheet one size larger than the actual mattress, so there's plenty of it. Ahhhh."
7."I hate the endless cycle of buying cheap shit, cheap shit breaks, buy more cheap shit. Instead of spending $20 on a cheap kitchen knife, I splurged and bought a great small set of high-quality knives. I sharpen them every so often just to keep them like razors, but they're maintained well and should last a very long time. I bought a nice leather sofa instead of some cheap fabric Ikea quality because I plan on keeping it for a while, and genuine leather can last a long time if taken care of. That's my type of luxury. Nice things, not necessarily flashy, but things I get daily enjoyment out of that will last me a while."
8."We have a housekeeper that comes every two weeks. I love that woman so very much! She does an incredible job, and I don’t have to waste time doing big cleaning 'cause she does it. It gives me my time back. I know it’s a privilege to be able to afford this, and I’m very thankful."
"Getting house cleaners every two weeks is the best money I have ever spent for the last 10 years."
9."Multiple table lamps with side tables. Makes the place so cozy."
"Just making sure every room is properly lit can be a big deal. Almost every home I enter has rooms that are not at all properly lit for their primary functions."
10."Noise-canceling headphones are a really nice little convenience, especially on planes — but especially when I work from home and remember that most of my new city consists of freeways and leaf-blowers.
11."Heated car seats. Particularly if your work commute is longer than 30 min in a car. After a long day working, having that warmness on your lumbar is a godsend. It's an expensive upgrade, but God, do I love it."
12."A nice air fryer setup. The Ninja Speedi was like $120, and I have used it for meal prep like 100-plus times, in addition to all the miscellaneous uses like frozen fries/pizza/etc. Amortized over the life of this thing, I will have paid pennies per use, and it will bake, air fry, broil, sous vide, dehydrate, and whatever else. It's one of my favorite purchases ever, and I hype this thing to anyone who hates cooking."
13."Quality coffee maker — makes everyday life so much better!"
"My wife and I spent $2,200 on an espresso machine years ago. On the way to pick it up, we kept half-jokingly saying, 'What are f'ing we doing? We are going into debt for a coffee maker?!' It's one of the best investments we've ever made. It has more than made up for its cost, and we get coffee bar-level drinks for pennies on the dollar. It makes better drinks than the big chain places every time."
14."A decent surround sound system and good TV. It makes movies and video games so much better. Even if you just buy something used, it'll still be so much better than TV speakers or a soundbar. They'll also blow Bluetooth speakers away when listening to music."
"An audio system for your TV. Once you get one, you can’t go back to TV speakers or even a soundbar again."
15."Costco membership. It pays for itself very quickly, and items are cheaper than the grocery store."
16."Paying for no ad streaming!"
17."Quality pots and pans (baking sheets, too). Holy shit. I'm asking you to buy big at some point. They last so much longer."
"Good quality cooking pans — I use cast iron or stainless steel or Le Creuset."
18."Robot vacuum."
"A Roomba saved my sanity when I had dogs. They shed so much, and I was sweeping the house almost daily because of the fur and dander. Now, I don't have any pets, but I run my Roomba once a week, and my floors are clean."
19.And lastly, "Bidets. This doesn't even have to be a middle-class luxury; I got mine for $35 and installed it myself without any plumbing experience."
"The luxury ones have hot water at the right temperature. Makes a world of difference if you live through Northeast winters."
Okay, now tell me, are these middle-class luxuries worth it to you? What other little things are worth splurging on? Let us know in the comments!!!
You can read the original thread on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
