Live like the Duke and Duchess without the royal bank account

You may not be able to drive off from your wedding day in an Aston Martin or have a shot at the British throne.

So what? Royalty does have its privileges, but many of the same luxuries that the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have at their disposal are surprisingly affordable. This is a tip I picked up from one of Michael Masterson's books — I think it was Automatic Wealth. “The best money can buy” doesn't equate with “gold-plated and encrusted with jewels.” It does equate with superior quality and comfort, and this is usually not enhanced by adding expensive decoration on top.

Quality is always in style

My mother-in-law's father was a dairy farmer. He had said that if you don't buy quality the first time, you'll end up buying it three times for the same amount of use because the item will break faster. Buying quality for something you expect to keep a while is wise.

Taking this a step further, if you pay for the best with the items you'll use the most, then your purchase gives you even more bang for the buck: more quality and comfort per hour of use.

Here are some suggestions for items you might want to shell out the extra money to give yourself the royal treatment with top of the line:

Your bed. Funny how they call the larger sizes “queen-size” and “king-size”? (These terms have only been around perhaps 50 years, so there's no royal back story.) Odds are very high that it won't cost much more than a grand for the most comfortable bed you can buy. (That's the price range we're looking at for a bed to replace our 10-year-old one. We're looking at a Select Comfort; my wife had a full-size before we got married and it still holds up just fine.) If the bed lasts ten years, this works out to only a few cents per hour of sleep. Cheap!
Your office chair. We scored three Steelcase chairs at a yard sale a while back for peanuts and they've served us very well. Since I spend a lot of time in front of the computer (and my wife in front of the computer and the sewing machine) good work chairs are a great investment. Aeron chairs are also highly rated. Most of these are priced under $1,000, though some venture into four figures. It's recommended to try these out before buying if possible, because some high-end chairs are better suited for different body frames than others.
Your playing cards (for example). The difference between the best playing cards and run of the mill is not that much: a few bucks per pack. Being handed a royal flush is that much sweeter when it's dealt with Bicycle Shadow Masters. Then again, you can get four times as many packs for the money if you get classic Bicycles by the 12-pack. (Note: I chose playing cards for the “royal” theme, but substitute your favorite pastime and you can find similar high-quality equipment for whatever you like to do.)
Your pen. Some pens are just a pleasure to write with. For only $6 a Pilot Dr. Grip can be yours. It's just comfy to hold, and it's just smooth to write with.
Your shoes. Most people wear shoes half their lives, at least. Buy quality, and your feet — and the rest of your body for that matter — will thank you. I'm pretty hard on my shoes because my feet are weird, and I need to buy twice as many pairs because my feet are different sizes. (I give the others to NOSE or try to sell them on Odd Shoe Finder). I ran across (!) my Propet Village Walkers and wow, they were comfortable! Well worth the $180 or so I had to pay. I don't think I could do much better.
Your car. Getting back to that Aston Martin again: Should you shell out for a nice car? Shelling out for a reliable, comfortable car is worth it. Shelling out for a luxury car? Probably not, unless you have a whole lot of money. For most people, cars are virtually a necessity, but they are an expense, and they do depreciate pretty quickly. A one- or two-year-old quality used car with a good reputation would qualify as “best” in my book in this case.