Exactly, wylie. I don't think it's about money, showing off for anybody else, showing your love, or any of those things. Everybody has different spending priorities; that doesn't make it appropriate to be so judgemental.I would just like to add, for those men who seem to think a lovely ring is an indulgence, that motorbikes, flash sports car, racing bikes, golf clubs etc etc etc don't exactly come cheap. ... I certainly don't equate it with how much I am worth, or how much somebody loves me.
Like wylie, I happen to love a gorgeous ring. I only have a quite modest ring, which I've wanted to upgrade for over a decade. But now I'm planning to get a gorgeous simulated diamond from Secrets; they're not cubic zirconias and exceedingly difficult to tell from real diamonds. So it's definitely not about how much money is spent for me.
I am happy to drive an old Korean car forever, and could never justify a prestige car. I am happy with clothes from Katies and Target, whereas most of my girlfriends wear Country Road, Cue, etc. I buy home-brand staples (rice, milk, flour, etc). I would never pay big money for designer shoes, handbags, sunglasses, etc, irrespective of how wealthy I was.
But on the other hand, I love Egyptian cotton sheets. I import hand soap from the USA, because I can't find anything I like as much here - a little luxury that I enjoy a dozen times a day! I love Foxtel, and I only buy prime cuts of meat.
I doubt that anybody here is extravagant with everything, or skimps on everything. The fact is, all of us probably save money where we don't perceive any loss of utility from doing so, and spend more money where we feel that we get extra utility.
I would guarantee you, those in the righteous "that's such a waste of money" brigade, that there are things that you have spent money on, which many of the rest of us would think were a complete waste of money.
