Were you one of the lucky few to nab a dress by Marie Saint Pierre for Reitman’s for under $100? And high on what you saved, did you run out and buy a dreamy pair of Louboutin pumps to go with your new outfit? What ecstasy! But how long did the “luxury effect” last?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

It usually takes me a few weeks to come down from my cloud when I’ve indulged in a luxury item that I’d been coveting for ages. But not all luxuries are created equal, and the rarer the item, the greater the pleasure and the longer it lasts, at least as far as I’m concerned. And the longer I’ve waited for it, the longer I tend to revel in the object of my desire.

The craving for luxury seems to increase with experience, and what was once perceived as a luxury can start to feel like a habit, or even worse, an acquired right.  If you believe Benoît Duguay, http://www.cifort.uqam.ca/duguay/,  who has written a book on luxury, consumption, excess and illusion [Consommation et luxe. La voie de l’excès et de l’illusion], and who broadcasts in French on Radio-Canada’s La tête ailleurs, people quickly become accustomed to luxuries and soon take for granted what once seemed beyond their reach.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/la_tete_ailleurs/2011-2012/chronique.asp?idChronique=186510

When I think about my own family, who, just a generation ago would have seen a trip down south as an incredible indulgence, I have to admit that times have changed, and that we’ve gotten used to luxury and excess. Buying on credit has given the middle class access to luxuries and pleasures once reserved for the affluent, and an entire generation is now paying the price. Will we start scraping and saving before indulging in our big or little luxuries? When was the last time, if ever, that you saved up before buying the object of your dreams?