Originally published with www.Him-magazine.com April 2012

LUXURY! What does that word mean? For any of the ladies on “The Real Housewives of [insert city name here]” it means super expensive products or services about which most of us only dream.  For the homeless guy in the park, it can be a new, dry clean blanket.  These are extremes obviously, but it got me thinking, “What do I consider to be a luxury in my world?”

Well like most folks these days, TIME tends to be a luxury item for me.  I burn the candle at both ends (and in the middle), so whenever I can steal an hour or two just for myself, I consider that the ultimate luxury item.  Now what to do during that brief respite?  When I sat down to think about this article, I decided that I was going to schedule myself an afternoon on a Sunday, just to do luxurious things for myself, and see what I came up with.  Now I’m not a rich bitch, nor am I a pauper, but doing things for myself must always be on a budget, so I developed my “discount luxury day” concept to accommodate.  Here’s how that afternoon transpired:

Noon

Gym time! I train my roommate three times a week in the gym, and this was one obligation I couldn’t work around, so I worked it in to my day.  We did his workout, I did mine after (back day!) and then I stopped and thought, "What can I do here at the YMCA that is sort of a luxury?”  I took an extra hour at the end of my workout to stretch (always feels so YOGA good!) and sat multiple times in the steam room, sipping my bottled water and jumping out to the showers for a cold splash and to moisturize every now and then.  My “poor man’s spa” event was a success.  I left feeling refreshed and relaxed, even after a VERY tough workout. 

2:15pm

Green Hills, Tennessee (just south of Nashville) is a high end, financially extravagant area of the city, and that’s where the YMCA I visited was situated.  Right out the front door is a great mall with super high end stores and cafés, and I do love to shop.  So next was an hour or so of window shopping at Guess, Buckle, True Religion, Apple Store, Z Gallerie, Williams & Sonoma and Restoration Hardware to name a few stores.  There were many things I really wanted to buy clothing wise, but being the financially responsible guy that I am, just couldn’t bring myself to purchase the $400 jeans or $175 shorts.  And that led to the next stop on my day and one of the activities…

3:35pm

California Pizza Kitchen!  I love good food, and the gorgonzola and pear pizza is one of my favorites when you add a sliced grilled chicken breast from CPK.  I like it there because it feels more gourmet, without the super high price tag.  So I found myself a comfy booth, brought in one of the books I was currently reading (yep, I read real paper books as well as eBooks) and my laptop and settled in.  Two glasses of their house Pinot Grigio, a wedge blue cheese salad and a pizza later I had spent two hours relaxing reading and ONLINE SHOPPING! I’m a big fan of shopping via the internet.  For example Ben Sherman shorts I wanted in the store, $175… Gently used slightly different Ben Sherman version purchased off ebay, $34.  So I was able to do some wardrobe updating based on the styles I’d seen in the mall, while sipping wine in a comfy booth, chatting with a cute server and snacking the entire afternoon.  I have to say this was probably the best luxury time I had reserved for myself in a month.

6:05pm

What meal isn’t complete without coffee?  Starbucks was my next stop for a Venti, Skinny Caramel Macchiato, and social time with a friend.  We sat for about an hour catching up (he was in from out of town) and chatting about the future.  After that I was scheduled to meet another friend for small plates of food and more wine (wine and food are always a great combo on a luxury day). 

7:30pm

Two bottles of moderately priced wine, a bunch of small tapas style plates and Charlie was a happy man.  I love going to the locally owned restaurants for unique flavors and creations and we had a blast at one such establishment. 

10:00pm

Off to the dive bar for beers!  Who doesn’t like going to a great local watering hole with creaky bar stools, random drunk people and a great beer selection?  And just so you know my favorite, Stella Artois, tastes even better during their two for one special!  We had a couple beers, chatted with random bar patrons and ended the evening happy.

12:45am

Home to bed.

So that was my day of cheap luxury.  Time is the number one thing I wish I had more of, and I think I did a damn good job of making the most of my free afternoon and evening, feeling that everything I did added to my well-being, my sense of relaxation and the luxurious nature of my life!  All in all I spent a total of around $165 for the entire day, including the shorts, food, wine, beer and gas to get everywhere…  And I think the value far outweighed that expense! So as a “Model Citizen” my advice to you: Take time for yourself, plan something fun and don’t let anything become a more important priority.  Luxury can be big extravagance sometimes or other times simply a quick moment we steal just for ourselves.