Is It Actually Worth It? The Old Money Guide to True Luxury

Well, it is August already, which means that everywhere I look lately, people are debating one very important question.

And that question is not, where should I go, or what should I pack, or how do I create a fun staycation? The question is, is first class actually worth it? Oh, so important.

Is a lie-flat seat worth thousands of dollars? Or is it the champagne? Is it the little amenity kit? Is it the fact that someone says, would you like your pajamas before takeoff? And is that really a luxury? Or are we just paying an extraordinary amount of money to feel like a very special passenger for 10 or 12 years? hours.

And I do laugh at it a bit, but I also do love this conversation because it actually takes us to a much more real, bigger, more important question.

Which is, is it worth it? Is anything worth it? What is the return on investment? Because we live in a world where people are constantly being sold things that are supposed to make us feel richer, more successful.

more beautiful, more important.

You've got the handbag that announces that, yes, you're finally rich.

You've got that vacation that photographs so beautifully and makes everyone jealous.

You've got that kitchen renovation that looks absolutely incredible on Instagram.

Whether you cook in said kitchen is a completely different story.

And you've got these wellness treatments that promise to transform your entire existence by turning back the clock.

But here is the question I always ask.

What am I actually

getting back? What is the return on investment? Is it worth it? And by the way, money is not the only currency.

Time is a currency.

Energy is a currency.

Attention is a currency.

And sometimes the most expensive thing you can buy is something that gives you almost nothing in return.

And sometimes something that looks frivolous or feels rather silly ends up being priceless.

You know, what about the beautiful meal with people you love one time? My friends invited us over and they said, we are going to have a caviar meal.

Who cares? They spent thousands of dollars on amazing caviar.

And I know I spent my time laughing at a video with a woman who'd spent, I think, 50,000 on giant cans of caviar that looked ridiculous and she didn't know how to serve them.

But these people were the absolute opposite.

They bought small cans of really high quality caviar.

They bought really high-quality vodka, they had the perfect blinis that they spent time making, they had some champagne, they had everything just perfect.

And the stories they told us of growing up on the Caspian Sea or in Russia – they were each from one of those places – And the stories they told us and the experience of really tasting and of not going over the top with quantities, but knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime luxury, that was priceless.

What about the book that you only pay a few dollars for and it transports you somewhere else? That's what I aim to do with each of my books.

That's the main thing I'm looking for.

It's to transport people.

I started with locations, but now I really delve into the story and into identity so that you feel like you're jumping into a whole new existence that makes you look at things a different way.

What about the trip that actually does change your life? Because the number of trips I hear people going on where they say, oh, it was life-changing, and then you see them a few months later and it's changed nothing – But some trips, we talked about the Grand Tour, if you wanted to listen to that episode, that's the sort of trip that's supposed to change the way you see the world.

But you must be intentional about it.

And what about buying a piece of clothing that you will wear for 20 years because it makes you feel like the best possible version of yourself? That's worth it.

But the trick is learning the difference between the things that are merely meant to be aspirational or luxurious and the things that actually are.

So as an ex-rich person, as a nouveau pauvre person, I grew up around people who understood luxury very differently than the way we often see it presented today.

When I was growing up, luxury was not necessarily about having the newest, biggest, most recognizable thing, even though luxury in and of itself does express the idea of something being a bit over the top, a bit unneeded, a bit too much, a bit excessive.

extravagant, you know, but that's part of what gives you the excitement and the pleasure.

And when I was a child, I really did spend a lot of time being lectured about the things that were worth it, things that were worth your time, worth your money, what could still bring you pleasure long after the excitement of the purchase wears off.

And that, my darlings, is what we are talking about today.

What's actually worth it? What's a brilliant investment in your life? And what is a very regrettable, expensive way of saying, well, I fell for the marketing, or I fell for what the influencer had to say.

The most elegant thing you can have, in my opinion, is not unlimited money.

It is discernment.

That's why today we are asking the only question that actually matters in this dizzying landscape of aspirational, overexposed living.

Is it actually worth it? And again, we're not talking just about money, though we will be saving you copious amounts of that.

Today we are talking about money.

Return on investment.

Not just any return on investment.

This is not the corporate return on investment that tech companies talk about.

No, I'm talking about the nouveau pauvre, ROI.

What gives you the biggest return? In terms of joy, utility, authenticity, and the quiet dignity of a life well-lived, what fosters genuine beauty, true comfort, and profound happiness? And what, conversely, is merely a well-packaged illusion? a performative splurge that leaves you poorer in every sense of the word.

We are going to be dissecting the psychology, the anthropology, and the sheer economics of what we buy, how we behave, and why we pursue certain forms of so-called luxury.

So, my darling, prepare to sharpen your discernment elevate your taste, and perhaps even challenge a few long-held assumptions.

Because by the end of this episode, you will be equipped to navigate the world with a far more intelligent eye, a much wiser wallet, and a deeper appreciation for what truly makes life rich and beautiful.

Let's begin.