Affordable Luxury - A Baffling Term

Luxury need not have a price — comfort itself is a luxury — Geoffrey Beene

When we say luxury, we are talking about a service, location, experience or item that is of the highest quality achievable, irrespective of price. This makes term ‘affordable luxury’ a baffling term. The term ‘affordable’ can be mistakenly believed to be part of the frugality movement. This is not true because the frugality movement of the 1990’s was based on fear, and fear repels luxury and abundance rather than attracting it.

Luxury and abundance are not about deprivation. Nor are they about spending more than you can afford in order to make yourself feel better. It is about the finding the true comfort and joy of moderation, as well as a mild lesson on how to become open to receiving the goodness of real life.

The Universe is not stingy. We are. Some of us have very stingy souls. Perhaps not in how we treat others — our families, friends, and those less fortunate — but in how we treat ourselves. How can the Universe give us more if our fists, hearts, and minds are clenched tightly? We need to learn how to release the feeling of poverty and lack and replace them with feelings of prosperity and affluence.

One way we can start to experience affluence in our daily lives is through pampering ourselves with affordable luxuries. We need to look for affordable luxury in activities that elevate us out of our everyday routines and let us taste a lifestyle that is normally out of reach.

Adding real whipped cream to our coffee can transform a simple pleasure into complete contentment. All you need to drink is water, but a glass or bottle of Champagne can be an affordable luxury. Champagne is the so-called “wine of kings and king of wines” and was drunk at the courts of France, Russia and beyond. People wanted to drink what the king drank, and in the 1900s, it became an “affordable luxury” that people drank on special occasions. It made them feel good. “I may not be the king, but I can drink and celebrate like he does”.

Many people think that simplicity frowns on luxury. The Shakers led lives of utmost simplicity, but they believed in the sublime luxury of eating well and the importance of using only the freshest ingredients, inventive spices, and herbs a century before Nouvelle Cuisine.

Think about affordable luxuries when you think about nurturing your personal style. What simple pleasures could make you feel more abundant?

Perhaps indulging in the intoxicating pleasure of your favorite perfume, body talc, lotion; the sensuous feel of silk underwear and pure cotton pajamas against your skin; investing in a handsome leather bag that goes with everything; getting your hair done between regular visits for color or cut.

Declare to the Universe today that you are open to receiving all the abundance it has been waiting patiently to bestow. Remember that each day offers us the gift of being a special occasion if we simply learn that, as well as giving, it is truly a blessing to receive with grace and grateful heart.