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Jeanne Sahadi Commentary:
Everyday Money by Jeanne Sahadi Column archive
5 signs you have too much money
And not as much sense. Here's what–by a (rich or poor) prudent man standard–might be deemed nuts.
By Jeanne Sahadi, CNNMoney.com senior writer


NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Indulging your passions, enjoying your money ... there's nothing wrong with that.

So you buy four homes, a plane to fly between them, and four sets of the same clothes so you never have to pack. If you've got the means, it seems ... weirdly practical.

When will you be a millionaire?
How much you have in
taxable accounts:
How much you will
save annually:
How much you have in
401(k)s and IRAs:
How much you will
save annually:
assumes 8%
annual return

Collecting exotic cars? Besides making you happy, it has the added advantage of actually being an investment that can appreciate over time.

And while I've never been a big fan of the space program, I could, in a weak moment, be temporarily persuaded that buying a $100 million trip to orbit the moon isn't patently insane if it actually supports scientific research.

Still, it does seem there are some expenditures that most reasonable people of various means and levels of spending tolerance might agree are just textbook-nuts.

So, here's a highly incomplete and very subjective list of absurd expenditures to which I hope you'll contribute. (You can e-mail me at everydaymoney@cnnmoney.com.)

Sipping pure prestige

Some people think bottled water is a fool's drink. I'm not among them, but when a bottle of water costs $38, it's hard not to see their point.

The drink of choice these days among image-conscious status seekers and high-end tee-totalers in L.A. is Bling H2O.

It may have swept Hollywood, but it's sprung from Tennessee. And it's not the water that accounts for the cost, said Michael Mascha, founder of FineWaters.com, a site that provides analysis and reviews of bottled waters for the water connoisseur.

Much of the $38 is due to the "limited edition" bottle decked out in Swarovski crystals. Billed as "couture water," Bling H20, the marketing gibberish tells us, is "not for everyone, just those that Bling. So the question is, Do You Bling?"

Oh, let's hope not.

Polishing your palate

You've heard of the silver spoon. But have you heard of the silver sleeve for your Haagen Dazs?

For a mere $1,057 at jewelry and silverware designer Theo Fennell, you can outfit a pint of your favorite flavor in a sterling silver tub engraved with the words "Haagen Dazs."

And if you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you always can buy one to go with your ice cream. It only costs $608.

Pampering the pooch

Being a dog lover, I've always thought the well-being of family dogs should be top priority for those owners lucky enough to have them.

But I never thought that required firing up the family Gulfstream.

One vacationing family flew their Lab (and housekeeper) home and back again on the family plane so Grover the Groveller wouldn't miss his grooming session and check-up.

You've got to wonder, though. How did he actually get to the groomer? I suppose if his owner really cared, he might have bought him a BMW to ride in style.

That's what one man in California reportedly did for his pooches. He purchased a BMW 3-series wagon for the sole purpose of having his housekeeper take his dogs to the vet.

Pampering your princess

What parents don't want to make their little girl happy?

Well, for $47,000 you can indulge her Cinderella fantasy by buying her a bed designed like a coach at Posh Tots.

And to make sure she has enough light to read about how a prince will be sweeping her off her feet any day now, why not buy a Cinderella chandelier with dangling high-heel shoes? It costs $1,060, which surely is less than you'd pay for the designer frames you'd need to get her should she require glasses.

Counting nannies per capita at home

Raising kids is the hardest job in the world, even more so when both parents work. So hiring a nanny can make good sense.

Hiring four, on the other hand, seems a tad excessive, especially when you only have two kids.

That's what one family I know of did. And in the event a nanny wasn't immediately available to satisfy the children's needs, they might have turned to the family housekeeper or the myriad personal assistants aiding Mom and Dad.

I guess it takes a village ... for hire.

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Jeanne Sahadi writes about personal finance for CNNMoney.com. For comments on this column or suggestions for future ones, please e-mail her at everydaymoney@cnnmoney.com. Top of page

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