If you want to live a life of luxury but you are not sure you have the means to do so you could do worse than following Oscar Wilde’s dictum “Let me be surrounded by luxury, I can do without the necessities!”
But for those of us who would prefer to not forgo the day to day to essentials is there still a way to live a life of luxury? The answer as you will soon see is yes. If you use some of these tricks and techniques detailed below you will find that you too can life of caviar tastes on a tuna budget.
Clothing
Just because you don’t earn a fortune doesn’t mean you can’t dress like you do. The most important principle is to buy less but buy higher quality. Most of us have a wardrobe full of clothes many of which we never wear. Making considered purchases will allow you to create an enviable wardrobe without spending a lot of money.
Next try buying your clothes at a designer outlet store. Designer outlet stores often carry exactly the same stock as high end clothes stores but at a greatly reduced price. The reason for this is that it allows the designer to shift clothes that might not otherwise sell without undermining the price and image of their main stores. You can find a list of designer outlet stores at outletbound.com.
Another great place to find designer clothes at vastly reduced prices is garage sales in the wealthiest parts of town. When people list their garage sales they will often include whether or not they will be offering designer clothes so checking the ads carefully can often save some time.
Vacations
No luxury life is complete without a luxury vacation and with a little planning it can be yours as well. The first step when grabbing a vacation bargain should be to check the hotel’s own website. There will sometimes be package deals and discounts which are lower than what is being offered through the travel agents.
Another great way to grab a hotel at a budget price is to use LastMinute.com. The website has a secret hotel section where you can get rooms in five star hotels at sometimes half the normal rate. One of the reasons that the hotels are offered so cheaply is because the name of the hotel is not included. You need to go by the star rating and the description. However one trick you can use to uncover which hotel is actually on offer is to copy and paste the description from the secret hotel section and place it in Google Search. Often the hotel will have used the same description as on their website.
Restaurants
What is the good life without good food? And with a little bit of care you can eat well without blowing your budget. One of the good things about following these guidelines is that not only will you spend less money you also eat less as well. This is easier on the waistline as well as your wallet.
One of the easiest ways to blow a lot of money at an expensive restaurant is the drinks. This is an area where you really need to show a little discipline. And of course the more you drink the easier it is to spend a lot of money. Stay away from expensive cocktails and stick to the wine list.
Also consider how long it takes to eat a certain meal. The faster you can eat a meal the more likely you are to re order. Stick to foods which are a little bit tricky to eat and you will find that you are spending less money. If you are out with your partner try ordering meals which you can split. And if the restaurant serves entrées as a main this can be another great way to save some money.
If you are living or visiting the UK try squaremeal.co.uk. This website has a three star section where you will find the finest dining establishments at bargain prices. The site also offers a number of package deals so you can combine dinner with a show and still have money left over.
In order to have luxury life you do need to have some money but not necessarily a lot. With a little prior planning you can enjoy a life that is typically the domain of only the rich. Of course the greatest luxury maybe having enough money that you do not have to think about the bill at all.
