Late to this discussion, but wanted to add that most of the "non-essential" expenditures that I make are due to winter boredom, when online shopping and working on the bikes in the comfort of my basement shop just plain make the time go better. A couple years ago I spent $1K+ on a set of custom wheels and really enjoyed the ordering/configuration process and the anticipation of having them delivered. They came beautifully packaged and were exactly what I had hoped for, and they sure do look good on the bike. Do they enhance my riding at all? At my skill and ability level, not a whit! Would I do it again? Heck, yes!