Registration
Search
Print

101 Ways to Blow $100

Don't fight the urge to splurge
By The Staff, June 2005 issue |

Everyone needs to waste a little money sometimes, preferably in a self-indulgent manner. The trick is to control it.

General splurges

Give yourself $100 to spend any which way you like [enlarge photo]

The next pages are filled almost entirely with site-specific splurges--tours, train rides, decadent meals. But there are splurges you can do just about anywhere (even at home).

  • Hotel room Flowers can turn a motel into a hotel. Don't pay for an arrangement: Buy cut flowers and use the ice bucket as a vase.

  • Breakfast You have to order a room-service breakfast at least once during your stay--Eat it in bed, or if you're somewhere warm, have it delivered out by the pool. When you rent a room, you're also paying for the grounds--so make the most of the whole place.

  • Nightlife Even better, make the most of a better hotel. Find the hot hotel in town, and sip a glass of champagne in its lobby bar. Marvel at the people wasting $400 a night.

  • Car rental Go for the convertible! Reserve a regular model and when they try to upsell you at the counter, negotiate hard.

  • Luggage Ship your bags ahead. No lugging them through the airport, and no waiting at the carousel.

  • In-flight Airline blankets are scratchy, gross, and endangered. A pashmina is light and warm, and it can do fashion duty as a shawl.

  • Recovery The best cure for the economy-class kinks is a professional massage, even if it's only a half-hour long.

    • Here's a trend your dentist will hate

    Is dark chocolate your favorite food group? Are Ben & Jerry your closest friends? Well, there's finally a type of restaurant that allows you to skip right to the best part of any meal. "My wife, Chika, and I made a hobby of eating and drinking around the world," says Don Tillman. "To have a dessert that's taken seriously, we had to dine at a fancy restaurant and spend at least $150. So we decided to open a restaurant dedicated to special desserts." The result is the 400-square-foot ChikaLicious in New York City. (Chika is the chef; Don runs the front of the house.) Other dessert-only restaurants are sprouting up everywhere. They're full-fledged sit-down affairs, many of which offer tasting menus, thoughtful wine pairings, and enough variety to satisfy any sugar fix.

    Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

    Print

    Get E-Newsletters
    Subscribe to the magazine now!