Today’s news on the economy has raised once again the movement of people from average income to a blooming income. For those unaccustomed to such luxury liberties that comes with having an over-the-top income may find themselves at lost of what and how to live their new lifestyle.
Luxuries Can Wait | A luxurious lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean having a plush existence. When abundance of income comes to pass, some people choose to continue living their existing lifestyle, however, the importunities at hand can be unmeasurable.
Wondering how an upward income might change people’s lifestyle? Interestingly, we found that living the luxury lifestyle falls into quite a few basic categories.
Cars | We all know that when purchasing a brand-new car, as exciting as it may be, when you drive it off the lot, its value goes down, but a person who enjoys the luxury lifestyle might opt in for a used car instead that still provides good gas mileage and is still almost maintenance free! I am guilty of doing just that myself, and of course having a good mechanic by your side who gives you the thumbs up to move forward with the purchase helps a whole lot.
Clothes | Having an unlimited amount of income affords you the opportunity to purchase better quality of clothing, but “doing it right” is what one must keep in mind. Today’s younger affluent generation love to save a penny! They have a choice to purchase whatever they want, and while some do, others choose to get cheaper garments. It all depends on the way you value things.
Pets | Let’s talk about our 4-legged friends! Some have very classic and expensive pet houses, and our bigger “pets” such as horses, for example, need a lot of space to run around. Pets have many of the same costs as children and whatever you save on clothes or glasses that you don’t buy for the pet, you might spend on food for them. If you can get a pet at a lesser cost or even better free, why spend crazy prices to get one?
Vacations | Vacationing at a location that offers unique amenities is heaven, I won’t disagree, and the same goes for accommodations. We have found that some not so luxurious hotels are just as comfortable as those where you pay a lot of money to stay in. But if you the like the mogul in “Pretty Woman” who stayed at the $3000 per night suite because it was “The Best” and, also, because $3000 meant little to him. Sometimes relaying on customers recommendations can tell you a lot about a hotel.
Vacations also include where you’ll go. Some places cater to a discerning customer base; and at such places these people are within the bounds of an upscale lifestyle.
Location, location location! And of course it all depends what time of the year you choose to vacation, but we know of some luxury destinations that are not over the top, however, are just as fun; one such place that comes to mind is vacationing in New England during the Fall for their gorgeous foliage.
Food and Drink | Food and drinks! this is the piece de resistance of luxury living! Where we might never have bought expensive cheese or wine, now we can. There are many choices in when purchasing these two items that are fabulous without being overly expensive.
Some newcomers to the new world of luxury living can never differentiate between a $30 bottle of wine and a $100 bottle, however it’s very easy to go from a $10 bottle to a $30 bottle. Why is that? Simple, many people cannot identify the subtle flavors of the grape that makes for an excellent wine; but as we mentioned above, sometime that nice not so expensive bottle of wine can be the perfect touch that will enhance any meal.
Let’s take-a-look at Micro-breweries; these have popped up all over the world in the last two decades. When you have sampled a few small breweries, you’ll quickly understand why so many people consider them superior to the mass-produced beers. Still, these brews need not enter the range of luxury beers.
Whisky, however, has a far broader range than beer. Some whiskies belong in the luxury category, while others are well within the upper level. Any expensive whisky will quickly make you a minor connoisseur. It’s a lot of fun to have a very expensive whisky but the many other varieties are still very good, and a far cry from the most basic whiskies.
You might be surprised to hear that bread can be a luxury item as well. Once again, a few loaves of very good bread will be enough to convince most that plain American white bread is lacking in body and taste.
The last area in the food and drink category that people with an affluent lifestyle change is restaurants. Fast food is considered far from luxury and healthy food, is what some call it down scale at its best. Most people love fast food even when they can afford more expensive and healthier choices. The difference here is that when you have reached a better economic life, you’ll want to go to restaurants more often. A good restaurant will cost more than any fast food place, that we are aware of; the ambience, food range, culinary detail, and all the other amenities we enjoy at good restaurants make them more enjoyable.
In general, there is a huge difference when our income steps up from comfortable living to luxury, then from middle class to luxury. Having said that, we acknowledge that living a luxurious lifestyle offers unique experiences and many choices that middle class does not often enjoy. So….onward and upward!
